Beauty from Pain (9 page)

I wonder if I’ll ever get used to her
playfulness. “Same plan? Pick you up at ten?”

“
I’ll be waiting.”

I see a vehicle coming up the drive and assume
it’s the fire inspector. Good. He’s early. I’m ready to be done
with this so I can get back to Avalon. Back to Paige. “Okay. I’ll
see you tomorrow.”

We end our call and I meet the inspector
outside my office. He explains the evidence he’ll be collecting and
how it’ll be used in the investigation. I follow him to the site
and stay out of his way as he gathers the proof of someone trying
to burn my vineyard.

Seeing the damage is painful, but I remind
myself of how it could’ve been much worse if any of my people had
been injured.

“
I’m sending this evidence for
testing because I have to, but I don’t need the results to tell you
this was arson. There’s accelerant all over the scene, so you might
want to be thinking about who your enemies are. They could try this
again.”

I don’t have to think about it; I know who did
this. “I’ll do that.”

I walk the investigator back to his car and
then go into my office where Clyde is waiting to hear the verdict.
He’s sitting in one of the chairs across from my desk, so I walk
around and fall into an exhausted slump in my leather chair. “He
said he didn’t need to see the results from the evidence to know it
was arson.”

“
Do you have any idea who would
want to do something like that?”

We went back a long way, but I couldn’t tell
Clyde about the knee-deep shit I’d gotten myself into, so I lie to
the man I thought of as a second father. “No. You have any
suspicions?”

“
The only thing that pops into my
head would be a competitor, but they wouldn’t have struck this
early in the season or after a rain. That is amateur
work.”

Or the work of a sociopath trying to get my
attention.

11

Laurelyn Prescott

During our girls’ day shopping spree, Addison
and I visit a lingerie shop at a plaza of boutiques near Ben’s
apartment. They have everything from naughty to nice, including a
wide variety of sex toys.

Addison couldn’t be happier as she
admires a Santa-themed bra with matching panties and garter belt
complete with the red and white candy cane-striped thigh-highs. She
stands in front of a mirror and holds it
up
to herself. “Damn, Zac would have
a very merry Christmas if I were wearing this.”

“
Speaking of Christmas, what are
the plans? Are we cooking at the apartment?”

She
twists
so I can’t see her face and
it’s my first clue that something is
going
on
. “Umm, about that.”

There’s my second clue. When she stutters and
stalls, it’s never good. “What exactly does ‘umm, about that’
mean?”

She has this
please don’t be pissed off
look on
her face. So, what do I do? I get pissed off. “Don’t freak out, but
Zac wants to take me home with him for Christmas so I can meet his
family.”

Worst. Friend. Ever. “Addison! You’re not
leaving me by myself with Ben. You know how he’s been with me since
I met Lachlan.”

“
I wouldn’t leave you alone with
him. Both of you are invited to Zac’s.”

No freakin’ way. “You and Ben can go without
me. I’d rather spend Christmas by myself than be uncomfortable
around a bunch of people I don’t know.” She knows I hate feeling
like I’m imposing. I can’t believe she’s asked me to do
this.

“
You don’t think Lachlan will
invite you home with him?” This is Addison’s way of trying to feel
better about ditching me.

That would be a negative. “Definitely not. We
just met.”

She puts her hands on her hips as though I’ve
offended her. “Why do you say it like that?”

Maybe because I don’t even know his real
name—that would be my first reason. “We don’t know each other well
enough to spend the holidays together.”

“
I haven’t known Zac much longer
than you’ve known Lachlan.”

Maybe not, but she’d been banging
him since the day we arrived. Okay, it was day three. “You and Zac
are
different
.
You’ve spent almost every minute together since we got here. I’ve
only been out with Lachlan on a couple of dates. It’s
apples and oranges
.”

She holds the sexy Santa lingerie out for me.
“Wear this for him and I guarantee you’ll get an invite to his
family’s for the holidays. Maybe even a marriage
proposal.”

I’ve gotten all the proposals I need from Mr.
Lachlan Henry. I’m still debating the one currently on the table.
“I’m not looking to get an invite to his family’s house. Or a
marriage proposal.” I take the red and white furry lingerie from
her and admire it in the mirror. “He’s asked me to spend the next
few days with him. And nights. Maybe I need this. What do you
think?”

“
You didn’t tell me you’d be
staying over at his place. That sounds more serious than a couple
of dates.”

I hang up the Santa outfit and pull a
naughty-elf set from the rack. “I don’t know. He asked, but I
haven’t decided yet.” That’s another lie. I know I’m staying with
him, but I don’t want to sound like a ho, so I pretend I’m unsure.
And I pretend like I don’t know if I’ll buy this lingerie. But
that’s a lie too.

–––––

I hear fear is a gift. In the
event that it’s true, I’m very gifted today. I’m almost shaking as
I wait for Lachlan to arrive.

My phone starts singing “Talk Dirty to Me,” so
I answer and try to sound like I’m not a bundle of nerves. “Good
morning.”

“
Good morning to you. I’m almost
at your place. Do I need to come to the door to challenge lover boy
for your hand?”

That might be the case if Ben were
here, but he’s not. Thank goodness. “I’m the only one here. I’m
ready so I’ll come down and meet you.” I hang up and slip
my Lachlan issued cell
into my purse next to my own. I grab my floral duffle and
lock up.

As I come out of the apartment building,
Lachlan steps out of a fancy-ass convertible wearing faded jeans
and a khaki button-up. It’s not dressy; it’s rugged, more like what
I’d expect someone to wear in the outback. And I’ll be damned if
he’s not wearing an Indiana Jones hat. Even out of a suit, he’s
hotter than the devil’s ass.

This is going to be a great couple of
days.

He meets me halfway on the sidewalk. “No suit
today, I see.”

“
As promised.”

One promise kept. We’ll see if he keeps his
other.

“
I see you have a bag.” He grins
and kisses my cheek as he reaches to take my bag from
me.

“
It doesn’t mean I’m staying.”
That’s such a lie. I wonder if he can tell by looking at
me.

He cocks his head. “An overnight bag doesn’t
mean the same thing in the US as it does in Australia?”

“
This one means I like to be
prepared just in case.”

“
It feels heavy to me, like you’re
prepared to stay a couple of nights.” He reaches for my hand and
holds it as we walk to the car. This is him getting an early start
on ridding us of our stranger anxiety.

“
We’ll see how things
go.”

He pops the trunk and puts my things inside
the sporty, and very expensive, black convertible. “I’ve never seen
a car like this before. What kind is it?”

“
A Fisker Karma
Sunset.”

“
I’ve never heard of that before.
It’s … stunning.”

“
I know.” He opens the door for
me. I get in and watch his beautiful form walk around to the
driver’s side. Let’s be honest. Who wouldn’t agree to a three-month
fling with this man?

I know I’m going to agree. And he knows it
too. He’s said as much, but I can’t let him think I’m giving in so
easily.

He starts the car. It has a deep roar. “Top up
or down?”

“
Down, but let me grab a ponytail
holder out of my purse.”

“
There’s some in the glove
compartment.”

It’s only a ponytail holder, but
there’s no way I’m wearing anything belonging to number one through
twelve.
He reaches over to open it and
notices my expression. “I didn’t ask you to wear another woman’s
undies. My little sister has long hair and she likes to ride with
the top down. She keeps a stash in there.”

Nice recovery.

I take the holder from him and pull my hair
up, wondering if he’s bullshitting me about his sister.
“Ready.”

The drive to the vineyard outside Wagga Wagga
is beautiful. We pass mile after mile of grapes on the way to the
house and as we get closer, I see a traditional old-world-style
mansion in the distance. It looks Italian, not Australian, but then
I’m not really sure what I think constitutes Australian
architecture. “Miss Beckett, this is Avalon Vineyard.”

Wow. It’s incredible. “Your boss must think a
lot of you if he puts you up in a place this nice.”

“
You could say that.”

When we get out of the car, Lachlan walks
around to the trunk. He lifts his brow as he asks, “Since you don’t
know if you’re staying, does your bag go inside or remain in the
trunk?”

He is dying to hear my confirmation, but I’m
not finished having fun with this little game. “Umm … I think it’s
fine to take it inside to one of the guest rooms.”

“
I don’t know why you’re
pretending you might say no.”

Because this is your game. These are your
rules. I need to feel like I have control over some aspect of it,
even if it’s only for a little while.

Our first stop is the kitchen. It’s beautiful
and fitting for the house, like one of those grand Italian kitchens
from a luxury home magazine. At least, that’s the only time I’ve
ever seen anything like it.

There’s a basket of goodies on the counter, so
I walk over and peek inside. It’s filled with an assortment of
food, and of course, a bottle of wine. “Very nice.”

“
I can’t take the credit. Mrs.
Porcelli packed the lunch for us.”

“
Who’s Mrs. Porcelli?”

“
She does my cooking and
housekeeping.”

How odd. His employer pays him enough to
employ someone to do his cooking and cleaning. “Will I meet her or
does she fall into the friend/family/identifying information
category?”

“
I haven’t decided, but it won’t
be today because she’s already gone.”

“
Because of me?”

“
No. She’s gone home for the
holidays.”

That’s right. Christmas is only a few days
away. “So she doesn’t live in Wagga Wagga, either?”

“
No. I employ her the same way I
do Daniel. They go where I go.”

They go everywhere with him. How much does it
cost to have employees like that? I can’t imagine it being cheap.
“Daniel is on holiday as well?”

“
Yes. All the vineyard employees
are gone until Monday, so it’s just the two of us.
Alone.”

Was that supposed to scare me? “So, no one’s
around to hear my screams?”

“
Now you’re catching on. Come with
me and I’ll show you the rest of the house.”

We enter the living room and there is a
beautiful black baby grand in the corner. I’m in love. “You
play?”

He laughs at my assumption. “Not a
note.”

I walk over and stroke the ivory keys. “It’s
beautiful.”

“
The interior designer thought it
would be a pretty piece to take up some of the void since the room
is so big.”

I toy with the keys, playing the chorus of a
song I’d been working on before I left home. Its tune is
perfect.

“
It’s a shame it
never gets played. I’m hoping it will get some use over the next
few months.”
The piano isn’t the only
thing he hopes will get some action.
“I’d
love to hear you play.”

“
We’ll see,” I say as I run my
hand down the keys and walk away, even though I’m dying to sit down
and put it to use. There’ll be plenty of time for that later. Three
months to be exact.

“
The bedrooms are this way.” I
follow him down the hall and he uses the tour to inform me that the
previous owner, who died in a freak accident, now haunts the room I
will be sleeping in.

Nice one. He wishes he could pull one over on
me like that.

“
I usually get along with ghosts
and poltergeists pretty well, so I should be fine.”

He takes me across the hall. “If you decide to
stay in the guest room and get scared in that big lonely bed all by
yourself, this is where you’ll find me.”

His bedroom is gender neutral and
contemporary. The bedding is a modern geometric pattern of mostly
gray and white with yellow and black accents. Everything from the
flooring to the ceiling coordinates. The bedroom is aesthetically
appealing, but there’s nothing romantic about it, so it matches our
relationship perfectly.