For the Love of Family (13 page)

“That was incredibly dumb,” he said. “I guess I just got carried away. The day…how well everything went…”

The way she looked in that dress, the music of her voice, the competent way she held her clipboard against her high, firm breasts…

“I know. I know. Me, too.” She laughed awkwardly, trying to cooperate in this hollow explanation they both knew was fictitious. She held her hands up, trying to contain her flyaway hair, as if that represented every
thing that had spiraled out of control here. “I think I was a little drunk on my first success.”

“You have every right to be.” His tones sounded more normal now, he noticed with grim relief. The note of formality was just right. “You did a fantastic job.”

“Thanks.” She glanced back at the trailer. Only a few people still remained, dark shadows bustling about. “Well. I guess I should get back and help them break everything down.”

“Yes. And I have a meeting.” It was true. He had completely forgotten. He’d been supposed to dart away from this event as soon as the last pizza was sold. “I really am grateful for all your hard work, Belle, even if I did pick…an inappropriate way to show it.”

“It’s all right,” she said brightly. “I understand.”

“You don’t have to worry. It won’t happen again.”

She smiled. “Of course not. I know.” She slipped his jacket off her shoulders and handed it back to him. “Thanks. It helped a lot.”

He nodded. Then he stood at the water’s edge, watching her as she walked away. The balloon of the sun had deflated, and was bobbing helplessly on the edge of the horizon. When her shadow blended with the others, and he could no longer be sure which one was hers, he turned the other direction and circled back to his car the long way.

When he got in and shut the door, he bent his head once to the jacket and inhaled the last lingering hint of her. Then he wadded up the fabric roughly, tossed it into the back and entered Cindi Sullivan’s address into his GPS. Forget the meeting. He would never be able to concentrate anyhow.

He’d damn near lost his mind tonight.

He couldn’t let it happen again.

And, as Colby always said, the shortest route to sanity usually went straight through another beautiful woman.

A
QUIET DRINK WITH
Sue was exactly what Belle needed.

They settled for meeting after Belle got off work, at the little bar across the street from the Diamante complex. Neither of them had much time for a leisurely dinner these days. Sue had always been busy with the babies she fostered, but now that she was married, and they had adopted Rick’s niece, Carrie, girl-time was more elusive than ever.

“Oh, my gosh, Belle,” Sue said as they took their white wine to a small iron table on the sidewalk. “Is that an engagement ring?”

Belle grinned, holding out her hand. She’d worn one of the Cinnamon Diamond prize rings, just for the fun of seeing Sue’s face in that split second before she realized it was a toy.

“Nope. It’s the ring we’re hiding in the dessert pastries. Part of Diamante’s Diamond Sweepstakes. But it looks pretty impressive for plastic, doesn’t it? We really worked to strike the perfect balance between price and pizzazz.”

Sue studied the ring. “Very sparkly. And as long as the lighting is very, very dim…” She let go. “Darn. I thought maybe you’d landed that hunky, eligible boss of yours.”

Belle took a sip of wine. “Nope. Besides, Matt Malone is the ultimate alpha male. I don’t do alpha males, remember?”

“Maybe not. I blame your dad for that particular little neurosis. But the cutest
beta
guy on the planet asked you to marry him, and you didn’t want him, either.”

Belle sighed and leaned back against the cool metal of the chair. She considered explaining about Matt Malone, and the amazing, confusing kiss they’d shared on the beach four days ago. But she wasn’t sure she was ready to talk about that with anyone. She had a hard time even thinking about it, without feeling weak and utterly bewildered.

It was already Wednesday, and Matt hadn’t shown up at work this week. She had to admit she was relieved. Could she have looked him calmly in the eye and talked about cheese vendors, city permits and media lists?

But why hadn’t he come? Was he regretting the kiss that profoundly? Was he avoiding her, for fear she’d read too much into it, and expect to be promoted to vice president?

Sue straightened her ponytail, still smiling. “So now what, romantically? Total chastity? The Sisters of Mercy?”

“How about
nobody?
Temporary chastity? How about I concentrate on this new career of mine and see if I can make a go of it?”

“Makes sense to me. I’m the last one to push anyone into romance. You know how long I insisted I’d never get married.” Sue glanced down at her left hand, as if it still surprised and thrilled her just to see the ring there.

Then she pulled herself back into the moment. “Okay. I can’t stay long. Carrie is catching something,
and Rick’s a nervous wreck. So don’t waste a minute. Tell me what else is going on.”

Belle looked at the amber lights glowing from the windows of Diamante’s, directly across the street. Sue had suggested meeting there—Diamante’s wine list was famous—but Belle had resisted. An ultrasensible woman, Sue never pushed. If you explained, fine. If you didn’t, she let it go.

“Well,” Belle said, “after all this time of having my invitations ignored, I got a very strange visit from Joe Fraser the other day.”

“Really?” Sue frowned. “Strange how?”

“He wants me to stop my mother from visiting his dad in the hospital. He said she was upsetting him.”

Sue, who knew as well as anyone how gentle and benign Emily Carson was, looked appropriately startled. “Okay…let’s start with the most obvious shocker. Your mom is visiting Adam? Is your dad aware of it?”

“Nope. She asked me not to tell him. I feel strange about it, since he’s issued a royal decree that we’re not to associate with any of the Frasers. Mostly I’m just trying to stay out of it.”

“Excellent plan. But what’s this nonsense about Emily upsetting Adam? She hasn’t upset anyone in her life. Luckily, I think Adam gets out pretty soon—he may be out already. I don’t know how Joe will cope with that. He and his dad have some serious issues. That’s probably why he’s so uptight about visitors.”

Belle nodded. “I thought maybe it was something like that. My mom could never really cause trouble.”

“Now if it were your
dad
…That would be another
story.” Sue shook her head. She had been in Belle’s stress-laden house often enough, from childhood on. No secrets among cousins.

“He’s positively crazed about the heart diamond, as I’m sure you know.” Sue swirled her wine. “Guess what he said to Mom, when she called to tell him she was heading back to Florida?”

Belle cringed. “I have no idea. Something hideous, I assume?”

“Yeah. He reminded her that Sarah’s revelations meant nothing. He is still the only
legitimate
Carson heir. He said his father had intended him to have that diamond, and that if Mom accepted it under these terms, she was not only a bastard, she was a common thief.”

Belle put her palm over her wineglass and lowered her head to her hand. “Oh, my God. I’m so sorry, Sue. I don’t know what’s gotten
into
him.”

“Greed? Spite?” Sue shrugged. “Sorry. That wasn’t very nice.”

“That’s okay. I understand how you must feel. Your mother isn’t going to let him have it, is she?”

“No way. She gave it to me because she has a soft spot for Sam, in spite of everything. I, on the other hand, am pure granite where this is concerned. Mom doesn’t care much about the diamond itself—she’s not particularly materialistic. But I’ve convinced her that she can’t let Sam bully her. Sarah…Sarah wanted
her
to have it.”

Sue’s normally cool demeanor cracked a bit as she spoke her grandmother’s name. Belle had adored Grandma Sarah, too, but for some reason Sarah and Sue had always had a special bond. Belle could only
imagine what it had felt like for Sue to learn that her mother, Jenny, had been the love child of Robert Carson’s mistress.

Though Sarah had obviously loved Jenny, her emotions must have been complicated. Had there been moments, after she adopted the child born of betrayal, when she was filled with anger and pain? Had Jenny, and then Jenny’s daughter, Sue, been daily reminders of Robert Carson’s broken vows and his eternally divided heart?

These questions would undoubtedly haunt Sue now, too.

“Sue,” Belle began.

“I’m fine.” But Sue’s eyes glistened under the streetlights, and she looked away for a second, swallowing hard. “It’s just that…this was Sarah’s last wish, and I’ll throw the darn thing into the Pacific before I’ll let Sam take it away.”

“I’ll help,” Belle said. She put her hand over her cousin’s. “Or maybe we should just bury it by the Golden Gate Bridge, so that someday we can dig it up and—”

But then, across the street, she saw something that created a roadblock of emotions, crashing into one another like bumper cars. No words could possibly get through.

Across the street, walking toward Diamante’s warm, honeyed windows…

Matt and Colby Malone.

And beside them, hanging on their strong arms and giggling at their adorable Malone Brothers comedy routine, glided two of the most gorgeous women Belle
had ever seen. Two glittering Scandinavian princesses, nearly as tall as the men and shaped like life-size Barbies.

Matt opened the door, standing deferentially to the side while the ladies floated through. Belle would bet a week’s salary that those two wouldn’t be filling water glasses and waiting tables.

It was ridiculous, the way her heart seemed to be beating from the soles of her shoes.

“What’s wrong?” Sue looked over her shoulder, but there was nothing left to see. The charmed quartet had already entered the magic portal and been swallowed up by the festive crowd inside.

“Nothing,” Belle said, dragging her gaze away. “Just a random thought about alpha men. Now…you’ve got a sick baby to get home to, so let’s get serious.” She grinned evilly at her cousin. “How are we going to make sure my dad doesn’t get hold of that diamond?”

B
Y TWELVE-THIRTY THAT
night, Matt’s arms ached from shoulder to fingertip, and he suddenly realized he’d been buffing the same spot on the
MacGregor’s
hull for…God only knew how long.

He yanked down the battery-operated retractable reel light and aimed it at the boat’s side, just to be sure he hadn’t buffed right through the fiberglass. It looked fine.

Rocking onto his heels, he used the back of his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead. Hard work was the best therapy, and the boathouse at midnight was a nice, quiet place to toil off some tension.

But maybe he needed to give it a rest.

Plus, someone was coming. He’d been unaware of
anything for at least an hour now, but in this momentary lull, he could clearly hear footsteps on the dock.

He knew it was Colby even before his brother’s dark head appeared in the doorway. Red, an obsessive Giants fan, was at a postgame party, and Nana Lina was out dancing with her new suitor, Sean, a younger man of about seventy-five.

The footsteps were too heavy to belong to a female, and too relaxed for an axe-murderer.

Therefore…Colby.

“Wow.” Colby’s gaze took in the cloudy fiberglass, the tub of wax, the dirty chamois and Matt’s sweaty work clothes. “When the instructions say ‘do not wax your boat in broad daylight,’ you take that pretty seriously, don’t you? Don’t you realize it’s after midnight?”

“Hey, Col.” Matt smiled at his brother, then picked up his chamois and began buffing again. It gave him somewhere else to direct his eyes. “It’s only Wednesday, right? I thought you were staying in town this week.”

All three of the Malone grandsons had their own places near downtown, near the restaurant, which they used during the workweek. But most weekends found them here, in Marin County, just over the bridge, at the rambling waterfront house they’d lived in ever since their parents’ death.

Colby came in, bumping the bare overhead bulb. Strange shadows pitched and swayed across the walls, like the ghosts of drunken sailors.

“Yeah, well, I was going to. But that was before my hot date went rather abruptly cold.”

Matt kept buffing, though until the lightbulb settled
down he could hardly see a thing. “Why? At dinner, I got the impression Stephanie was enjoying herself…and you. What doused the fire?”

“Let’s see.” Colby pretended to think. “Oh, yeah. That would be you.”

“Me?” Finally, Matt met his brother’s eyes. “How? I’ve been in here for hours.”

“Yeah, I know. That’s the point. Things had just begun to get interesting for Steph and me, when her cell phone starts going off like the bell at a firehouse. Turns out her friend Cindi got dumped at the doorstep by the guy she’d invited in for coffee.” Colby raised one eyebrow. “Can you imagine such a heartless beast?”

“I still don’t see why that ruins
your
date.”

“Let me explain. One, it’s a proven medical fact that a woman scorned will explode unless she can indulge in some serious male-bashing with her best friend. And two, guilt by association. If you’re a jerk, then I’m a jerk.”

Matt knew all that, of course. He’d felt bad when he left an obviously disappointed and offended Cindi at her door. Not bad for her. Though she was major eye candy, she was also the most artificial, calculating female he’d met in a long time. Compared to Cindi, Tiffani was Mother Teresa.

But he’d known that Colby might be taken down, too. Collateral damage in the war between the sexes.

“I’m sorry,” Matt said. “But you know, Col…it might be a blessing in disguise. How long do you want to hang out with a woman like Stephanie, anyhow?”

“I don’t know. As long as the sex is off the charts, I guess.”

Matt tossed the chamois into the bucket. He was
tired. He’d do the other side tomorrow. “Yeah, well, that’s not enough for me anymore.”

Colby suddenly dropped the pretence of cynicism. He came over and perched on the edge of the foredeck. The boat rocked gently, black tongues of cold water licking at the white hull.

“So what’s really wrong? Is it Belle?”

Matt shrugged. He didn’t particularly want to talk about it. What was there to say? He’d promised her it wouldn’t happen again, and it wouldn’t.

Except, ever since he’d kissed her, he thought about her all the time. Sometimes he even dreamed about her, and in his dreams she got mixed up with the woman from the Halloween party all those years ago. They both projected some kind of intangible quality that spoke of substance. An inner goodness…

For the first time in his life, he craved that.

He screwed the cap tightly on the tub of wax, then tossed it, too, into the bucket. “I don’t know. Belle is probably part of it. But it’s weird. Sometimes I find myself thinking about…”

He chuckled wryly, listening to how insane he sounded. He’d been about to say that sometimes he found himself thinking about Cleopatra.

“You know. About the night of the Halloween party. I can’t figure out why I can’t quite let that go. It’s been eight years, for God’s sake. But what if…”

He looked up into his brother’s worried face. “What if, as crazy as it sounds, she was actually the one? There was something about her…She was smart, Col, and feisty. And yet there was this crazy sweetness. She
understood everything I was feeling, even though I was too plastered to explain it right.”

Colby didn’t respond. But he was listening, and his mouth had lost that sardonic twist.

Matt scraped irritably at his fingers, trying to get the wax off. “What if that night, that woman, was my one chance at real happiness? What if everyone else is always going to be…second-string?”

He had expected Colby to scoff. But instead his brother just nodded, with a gravity he rarely displayed. Matt wondered whether he’d hit a nerve. Sometimes, in the haunted hours before the dawn, did Colby think about the black-haired Haley Watson and ask himself the same questions?

“Look. Matt. You’ve got to deal with this, one way or another. Do you think there’s any hope of finding her now?” Colby didn’t sound as if he was joking.