Lethal Affair (4 page)

Olivia eyed her son as she sipped. “So
you've been seeing her three months now. What do you know about
her?”

Impeccably dressed in a tailored suit,
polished designer shoes gleaming as he crossed his legs and fiddled
with his tie, Drew chose his words carefully. “I know she's right
for me. I know you'll like her.”

“
You always were a talented
evader, Drew. You would make a good lawyer. Now answer my question
please.”

He shifted his weight, playing for
time as he formulated an answer. His mother was only the first of
two speed bumps, although he had no intention of letting either of
his parents change his mind. “She enjoys her line of
work...”

“
Which is?”

“
She runs the greenhouses
for Valley Farms out on Old Valley Road. Currently shares an
apartment with a roommate in Oak Bay not far from here. She's got a
great sense of humor and is kindhearted. Loves animals and kids and
wants a houseful of each. Lots of them. Animals,
anyway.”

Olivia didn't miss the defiance in his
tone. An only child, Drew hadn't been allowed pets, for viable
reasons. His father had ruled their household with strict austerity
when it came to hearth and home. Frankly, it had been a cold
upbringing and each day she lingered on thoughts of what might have
been, her mother's heart aching for him. He'd turned out well
enough despite his father's rules.

“
And you,” she asked,
sipping her brandy, “what do you want?”

“
I want that too. All of it.
The noisier and messier the better.” When she laughed softly,
“Okay, maybe not the mess. My point is, she's a lovely woman. She's
twenty-eight and ready to settle down. So am I. When can I bring
her to meet you and Dad?”

“
Oh my. This is serious.
You've never wanted to bring anyone around before.” Then, because
she knew her husband Stanley –- never Stan! –- would demand to
know, “What does her family do?”

“
They're simple folks. Own a
hardware store in the Village.”

“
Ah.”

Drew watched her eyes glaze. “It's a
big successful business if that's your concern.”

“
Well, it's not important to
me. You know that, Drew. But it will be to...”

“
I don't give a damn!” Drew
interrupted vehemently. “I don't care what he thinks. If he gets
petty over this...” He rose and paced, the stress sudden and
fierce. “...I'll marry her anyway.”

There it is, fretted Olivia, still
intact. The anger, the resentment. She'd hoped the violent
outbursts in his teens had merely been overactive hormones working
themselves out, that now as an adult he'd reined them
in.

Drew perched on the edge of his chair.
“Look Mom, I wanted to run this past you first. I know it's still
early in the game but I know she's right for me and I'd like to
have your approval. Both of yours. After all, she'll be a fixture
in my life and you'll be seeing a lot of her.”

“
Have you asked her
yet?”

“
In so many words. Not
officially. I kind of let the cat out of the bag the other
night.”

“
What was her
reaction?”

“
In her own words, she needs
to mull it over. Unofficially of course.”

“
I should hope so. That's a
good sign, Drew. It means she's not impulsive but thinks things
through. I just hope you're not being impulsive.”

Drew looked at his watch. “I've got to
get back. Just landed a new account so there's work to
do.”

“
I'll speak to your father
and see when it's convenient to bring her for dinner.”

Olivia saw him to the door and gave a
small wave as he drove away in his spiffy little sports car, then
made her way back to her chair and her brandy. Somehow she'd always
imagined that such news would fill her with joy. Instead she felt
numb. She knew her son. On the surface he gave an appearance of
calm control. But that little slip just now, that slight diversion
when he'd succumbed to a momentary lapse of temper; it had shown
her what he might still be capable of.

The apple rarely falls far
from the tree.

A shudder ran through her and she took
a long pull from her cup.

*

Drew maneuvered through the heavy
afternoon traffic. His mind should have been on the work ahead but
it kept slipping back to the look on his mother's face when he'd
made his announcement.

She'd been worried. And with good
cause, because he was worried too. For the same reason she was no
doubt. Was it genetic? A predisposed condition at birth? Whatever
it was he knew he had to figure out how to curb it. Turn it off
entirely. Should he see a psychiatrist? Damn it, he didn't want to
be this way! He didn't want to feel what crept silently into him
without warning whenever he so much as touched Kylie. Not again.
His last relationship had died just as soon as it had started.
Hell, all of his relationships had.

This time would be different. He knew
Kylie was worried that he didn't find her attractive. He'd
scrambled to make up that hog wash story about ensuring their
compatibility and not making sex the focus of their relationship to
stall her. When he'd seen her in that brothel red dress he'd nearly
taken her then and there. And instantly felt the blinding need rise
to the surface. It was a curse!

Kylie was a find. He'd felt drawn to
her the minute they'd met. This was a woman he could share his life
with. And in all fairness to her he had to set her mind at ease.
His mind too. If he couldn't bed her without...

...he didn't want to go there right
now.

At a stoplight he pulled out his cell
and punched her number on speed dial. She answered on the second
ring, her voice breathy.

“
Hi Drew. In the middle of
things here. What's up?”

“
I'm thinking we should take
that red dress for a spin after all. How about tonight? Up for
it?”

A lengthy pause. “Are you
sure?”

“
I do want you Kylie. Let's
test drive each other before we agree to a permanent
merger.”

On the other end of the line, Kylie
grinned ridiculously. “All this at three in the afternoon? Did you
have a liquid lunch Drew?”

The light humor in her voice dispelled
a split second knee-jerk reaction of annoyance. “Not a drop baby.
I'm coming your way around seven tonight. Be ready. We'll go to my
place.”

“
I'll be waiting in red
dress mode!”

The humidity in the greenhouses had
Kylie soaked through with sweat, the grunt work of re-potting
covering her with grime. One of the workers had called in sick –
probably playing hooky and enjoying a dip at Thetis Lake – so she'd
had to pull up the slack. Her day up until now had been a mix of
misery and delight as she'd knuckled down in the sweltering heat to
perform tasks she normally enjoyed. The summers were short-lived on
Vancouver Island and soon the days would give over to typical
Northwest rain. Cold drizzly rain. She swiped away a droplet of
sweat and thrilled to the fact that Drew had changed his mind. She
couldn't wait to tell Jolene.

More important, she couldn't wait for
seven o'clock to roll around.

*

Jolene pushed back a copper curl from
her forehead and looked her boss squarely in the eye. “But it's all
the way out of town. The reason why I'm never late for work is
because this place is so close to where I live. I don't have a car.
How will I get home when I work the evening shift?”

Even to her ears it sounded like a
whining excuse.

In his office above the diner, Will
sat at the big, solid oak desk that had been his father's and
gesticulated with a pen at Jolene. “There are these big long
vehicles called buses. They pass right by the new location until
the wee hours of the morning. I know. I checked.”

Jolene huffed out hot air. “I'm a
woman. A young, attractive one.” Her glance slid sideways to where
Lyle sat sprawled in a corner armchair staring out the window. “At
least to some people I am. Have you seen the characters who ride
the buses late at night?”

Will knew that all this protesting
wasn't about transportation. It was about who stayed at which
location. They'd already informed the staff that Lyle would be
staying here in his usual capacity as head chef and that Kim would
be taking up the gauntlet at their new diner in Langford, a step up
for him that came with a much needed raise.

That meant they had to find a new sous
chef for their current diner, and soon. With luck they'd be opening
in Langford just after Hallowe'en.

“
You're my best waitress,”
said Will. “I want you to lead the way for the newbies. I'll make
it worth your while.”

“
Won't there be newbies
here? Someone has to train them too.”

Will tossed the pen onto the blotter
and his hands in the air. “I'm offering you a leg up here. I don't
get it. Don't you want to move up the salary scale?”

When Jolene simply stared into her
lap, Lyle swiveled his large frame so he faced them. “I have an
idea.”

Jolene jolted. This was probably the
first time he'd said anything remotely meant for her ears outside
of a food order. Her eyes came up to meet Lyle's. There was heat in
their steady gaze and she felt herself blush. Oh God. Was there a
worse humiliation?

“
How about I train her in
the kitchen as my assistant? Jolene, you've seen what Kim does.
He's a trained sous chef, graduated from cooking school and
everything. I'm going to miss him a lot. I like having someone I
can trust next to me in the kitchen. Can you handle a grill
Jolene?”

Jolene was in shock. This was the
first time ever he'd said more than two words to her. Now suddenly
he was saying a whole lot of them, including her name. Twice. She
found her voice but even to her it sounded timid. “I grew up with
four younger siblings. I can hold my own in the
kitchen.”

Will was frowning. “Lyle. Maybe we
should talk this over in private.”

Lyle wasn't having it. Their eyes
clashed. “I want her here.”

The statement was delivered with such
conviction that Will blinked. “I see.” Then, mumbling, “Said the
blind man.” Lyle might be looking through a fog where Jolene was
concerned but Will saw things crystal clear. Lyle had it bad. Will
wasn't sure that the two of them working side-by-side would be
wise, considering.

Jolene felt sweat trickle
down her spine despite the air conditioning.
I want her here
. The warmth of those
simple words spread throughout her system like syrup; sweet, slow
and comforting. She couldn't bring herself to look at either of the
two men and felt the tension level in the room rise by
degrees.

“
We need a fully trained
sous chef,” said Will. “Someone who can handle the prep work. That
means knowing how to use that monster mixer of yours, that chopping
gizmo I've seen Kim use and more important, someone who can work in
tandem with you when we're at full speed.”

“
I'll train her. Kim and I
will put her through the paces.”

Still frowning, Will studied Lyle and
Jolene who were both wearing expectant expressions, their combined
energies a united front. He felt their mutual will impose upon his
own and knew a long debate would be a waste of everyone's
time.

“
When will this training
take place? We can't afford to take her off the floor just
yet.”

Lyle stood and wiped his hands on his
ever present apron. “Tomorrow morning. Jolene, this comes with a
raise in salary. But you'll have to put in some hours before your
usual shift for the next few months until we get you up to snuff.
So how about it? Want to work with me?”

Boy, do I!
Jolene looked up at his towering figure and smiled
broadly. “Working close to home and a raise? Of course I'll put in
the time. Thank you, both of you, for the opportunity.”

As they left the office, Will held
Lyle back. “I hope you know what you're doing, pal. Just 'cuz she's
a good waitress doesn't mean she's good in the kitchen.”

“
You heard her. She was
raised with four younger siblings. That gives her experience. It
isn't always about getting a piece of paper from a school that says
you can cook. Sometimes the more practical experience pays off.
She's a hard worker, never late, the customers love her. Kim and I
can fill in any gaps.”

“
Why the sudden interest,
Lyle? Up until now you've been in neutral with her.”

Sudden? He'd built a carefully
constructed wall for nearly half a year now, and frankly he
couldn't hold it up much longer. Maybe having her work in his space
would show her just how human he could be and take that gleam of
hope in her eyes down a notch. Possibly put a damper on his own
overactive imagination too. Lifting a shoulder, he feigned
indifference but it was a thin veneer at best. “I want somebody I
can trust, that's all. I think she's proven herself.”

“
You could take her out on a
date instead.”