Love Is Patient and A Heart's Refuge (3 page)

It’s just a game, she reminded herself again, angry with her nervousness. You don’t need their approval. She took a slow breath and smiled.

“Erika. Amber. I’d like you to meet Lisa Sterling,” Dylan said, turning toward her. “My…girlfriend.”

Dylan’s use of the term reminded her of the role she was playing.

Years of experience made Lisa lift her chin and take a few more steps up the stairs to come to Erika and Amber’s level. She met their quizzical gazes head-on.

Then, to her utter surprise, she felt Dylan slip his arm around her waist. Pull her close to him.

He was almost as much of a stranger as his sisters were, yet she felt a curious sense of being protected. Cared for.

Don’t be silly, she reminded herself with a jolt. It’s just part of the show. But she didn’t pull away.

“Lisa, I’d like you to meet my sisters, Amber and Erika. The easiest way to tell them apart is to remember that Erika is the more talkative one.”

“Thanks a lot, Dylan. Perfect introduction for us. I hate to think what you told her on the trip up. She’s
going to think we’re a couple of airheads. Which we’re not.” The twin in the peach angora sweater pouted at her brother, then turned back to Lisa. “I’m Erika.”

Lisa caught Dylan’s knowing smirk and tried not to smile.

“Welcome to our home, Lisa,” Amber said, shaking Lisa’s hand, as well. “Mom told us you’re Dylan’s secretary. I hope he doesn’t make you work too hard while you’re here.”

“Come on, you make me sound like an ogre,” Dylan said with a laugh, pulling his sister to his side.

“Kerry is coming over later,” Erika said, giving her brother a gentle punch. “She’s looking forward to seeing you. And Ted and Dara wanted to come by, too.”

“Isn’t that nice.” Dylan dropped a light kiss on his sister’s head, his smile forced.

Then to Lisa’s relief he let go of her. She followed the girls into the house, Dylan behind her.

White and light and angles was her first impression. A boldly colorful print dominated the wall above the sweeping staircase. A single metal sculpture glinted at her from an alcove below the stairs.

It wasn’t just a house, she realized, her footsteps echoing in the wide-open foyer. It was a showcase.

“Cozy, isn’t it?” Dylan’s sardonic voice broke in to her thoughts.

“It has its own beauty,” Lisa said, awed by the space captured by just the entrance.

“Dylan hates this house,” Amber said with a laugh. “He’s still complaining that Mom and Dad sold our other place.”

“That house had personality. I feel like I should be under anesthetic when I come here,” Dylan groused.

As Lisa followed Dylan’s sisters down the spacious hallway, she caught a glimpse of what must be a living room with tall windows, gray furniture and ocher accents. A set of French doors to her right showed her a room done up in darker tones. Den? Library? She didn’t have time to take it in. Erika and Amber kept walking, going past another set of doors to yet another room and finally turning a corner into a large open kitchen area.

Light poured into the room from windows two floors high. A white table, already set with yellow place mats and gleaming white-and-blue china, was tucked into one corner of the room. Plants softened the brightness here, adding a warmth absent in the rest of the house.

Through a large expanse of glass Lisa saw another view of the landscaped gardens, and beyond that a breathtaking vista of Burrard Inlet bisected by the bridge they had gone over and edged by the hazy skyline of downtown Vancouver.

Money,
was the first word that slipped into her mind. Money enough to pay for all this.

Lisa pushed down a flurry of panic. In what dream world had she hatched her silly scheme to try to bring justice for her stepbrother against this family? A family with enough money to build a home whose cost she couldn’t even begin to calculate.

“Dylan, how are you?”

Lisa took a calming breath and turned to see an elegantly clad woman step around the counter, her arms out to Dylan.

“Hello, Mother.”

Lisa was surprised at the warmth in Dylan’s voice and the note of yearning in his mother’s. She found she couldn’t look away, a bittersweet pain clenching her heart as she watched Dylan enfolded in a warm embrace, his arms encircling his mother’s shoulders.

“I missed you, son,” Dylan’s mother said, her hands stroking his thick hair, her eyes taking in his features as if she was seeing him for the first time.

This was Stephanie Matheson, Lisa reminded herself, as if remembering a school lesson.

Dylan gave his mother another hug, then turned to Lisa, gesturing for her to come near. She was surprised at the clench of nerves tightening her stomach. Being a guest in this amazing home brought to a head what she had gotten herself into. Suddenly it was not only Dylan she was trying to fool. Now it was sisters, parents. Family.

The plan that had seemed so straightforward back in Toronto now took on an ominous note.

“Lisa, this is my mother, Stephanie Matheson.”

Lisa held out her hand, keeping her smile intact as she met eyes the same piercing gray-blue as Dylan’s.

“Welcome to our house, Lisa. I’m so glad you don’t mind staying here.” As Stephanie took Lisa’s hand, she tipped her head to one side, as if conducting her own interview.

Lisa took Stephanie’s hand in hers and shook it firmly, holding her gaze measure for measure. Think of Gabe, she thought. You’re here because of Gabe.

But when she let go of Stephanie’s hand, she chanced
a quick glance at Dylan, surprised to see him studying her with a faint smile on his face.

She looked away. She couldn’t afford to get distracted. So Dylan had a family. That shouldn’t matter.

She was here to take care of her own family.

D
ylan pushed the sleeves of his sweater up his arms and gave himself a quick inspection in the mirror. Could use a haircut. He ran his hand over the shadow on his jaw. Probably should have shaved. He was looking a little scruffy.

And why did he care? He certainly never worried about how he looked in front of his family. He was sure Lisa wouldn’t notice.

He stepped out of the bedroom and walked down the hall. The door to Lisa’s room was open. He heard her voice.

His sisters were being surprisingly friendly, he thought, knocking lightly on the door. He pushed it open farther, but Lisa sat with her back to him, talking on a cell phone.

Feeling foolish, he was about to leave when she glanced over her shoulder. Her eyes grew wide and she quickly snapped the phone shut.

“Sorry,” Dylan said. “I thought you were talking to one of my sisters.”

Lisa shook her head, dropped the phone into her open briefcase on the bed, then clicked the case shut. “No, I was just…just checking…my messages.”

She didn’t look up at him, which puzzled Dylan even more. Why was she looking so guilty about checking her phone messages?

“Is everything okay?” he asked. “With the room?”

She got up, flashing him a quick smile. “It’s lovely. Much nicer and much larger than a hotel room.”

“I thought I should let you know that we should head down for dinner.”

“Should I have changed?” Lisa glanced down at the narrow skirt she had worn on the airplane.

“You look fine.” He didn’t know of too many women who could come off a four-hour flight and look so fresh. Her skirt was barely wrinkled and her shirt looked as crisp as when they’d boarded. “I just changed because I get tired of wearing a suit.”

“Okay. I suppose we should go, then.” But as she passed him he heard the muffled ringing of her cell phone.

“Do you want to get that?” he asked as she spun around.

“No. No.” Lisa waved her hand as if dismissing the call. “He can leave a message.” She flashed him a quick smile, then left the room, leaving Dylan no choice but to follow her. And wonder how she knew it was a “he” that was calling.

And why she didn’t answer it.

The wave of laughter that rolled down the hallway from the kitchen was a stark contrast to the panic clenching Lisa’s stomach.

That had been too close. She had been so anxious to connect with Gabe that she hadn’t thought to shut the bedroom door. When she’d heard the phone ringing again, she’d known it was him calling her back, which had sent her heart up into her throat.

“Lisa. Wait a minute.”

She swallowed and turned to face Dylan, praying the guilt she felt wasn’t written all over her face.

“You’re losing a hairpin.” As he reached up to catch it, his warm fingers brushed her neck. She jerked her head back, feeling immediately foolish.

“I’m sorry,” she said, biting her lip as she took the pin from him. “I’m not usually this jumpy.” The phone call was a lesson to her. If she had to connect with Gabe, better do it away from this home. Being in the very home of the people she wanted to investigate put her at a disadvantage.

As she slipped the pin into her hair, she felt the urge to pray. To ask for help as she floundered through this uncomfortable situation.

“It’s okay. My family can seem intimidating, but they’re not.” Dylan tipped his head, as if studying her. “Just be yourself, only yourself as my date. I think they’ll like you.”

His faint smile should have smoothed away her disquiet. Instead it created more anxiety. She wasn’t supposed to have any relationship with this family.

“There you are.” Stephanie paused in the doorway of the kitchen, holding a steaming dish, an apron covering her skirt. “Why don’t you two stop chitchatting and join us?”

Stephanie’s comment made it sound as if she had caught them lingering. And again Lisa felt a warm flush rise up her neck.

“Well, I suppose we should get going, then,” Dylan said with a smile. “I’ll lead the way.”

The first person Lisa saw was an older version of Dylan leaning back against the counter, flipping through a magazine. Alex Matheson, Lisa presumed.

But where Dylan’s hair was dark, Alex’s was sprinkled with gray. And where Dylan’s eyes were a hard gray-blue, his father’s were a softer shade of hazel.

He glanced up as they came closer, a broad smile brightening his face.

Dylan acknowledged his father’s presence with a curt nod in greeting, then turned away as if a necessary but tiresome obligation had been dealt with. But as he did, Lisa caught a flash of pain in his father’s eyes.

Dylan walked over to a young woman sitting at the table looking intently at a bridal magazine. “Kind of late to be changing your mind, Chels.”

The woman looked up, then jumped off her chair, nearly upsetting it. “You made it. You came.” She threw her arms around his neck, squeezing him tight.

“You can let go of me, or you’re going to be out one groomsman.” Dylan pulled back from his sister’s exuberant embrace, but kept his arm around her waist.

Dylan turned to Lisa. “Chelsea, I’d like you to meet Lisa.”

Lisa held out her hand, feeling more like a fraud with each family member she met.

Chelsea took her hand, giving Lisa a quick nod and a welcoming smile, then gave her brother a little dig in the ribs. “You know, you’re the first…woman associated with Dylan that this family has ever met.”

“I’m sure Lisa needs to know that,” Dylan said with a shake of his head. “And this is my father, Alex.” Dylan’s voice lost the note of loving warmth when he introduced his father, and again Lisa wondered at the rift between them.

“Nice to meet you, Lisa,” Alex said, taking her hand in both of his and squeezing it tight. “Welcome to our family.”

To Lisa’s surprise, she felt a lump forming in her throat at his greeting and the warm and welcoming smile he bestowed on her. They didn’t know her at all, yet she felt as if she was being accepted like a fellow family member.

“Thank you,” she said, suddenly short of words.

“And with the twins is their friend Kerry.” Lisa turned to face a smiling young woman bracketed by the twins. But Kerry had eyes only for Dylan. “Hello, Dylan,” Kerry said, her voice low. And sweet.

Lisa got an inkling of Dylan’s dilemma and felt a flash of pity.

“We’re not late, are we?” Another female voice behind them made Dylan’s head snap up, his eyes narrowing as a chorus of hellos greeted this new arrival.

Curious, Lisa turned around. A tall, willowy brunette wearing an eye-catching red shift entered the room. Following her was a man of about the same height, wearing a suit and tie.

“Hello, everyone.” The brunette paused at Alex’s side, leaning sideways to brush a kiss near his cheek. “How are you, Dad?” She didn’t wait for a reply, but turned to Dylan. “So the prodigal son has returned.” She reached Dylan, but he didn’t echo her greeting. Nor did he raise his arms to her as she did to him.

“I didn’t know you and Ted were coming.”

Lisa’s heart plunged.

Would Dara recognize her as Gabe’s stepsister? Her mind raced backward, wondering if she had ever sent Gabe a picture of herself. The man beside her must be Ted. Dylan’s brother.

Lisa felt suddenly exposed and panicky. She tried not to shift behind Dylan. To hide.

But so far Dara had eyes only for Dylan, and Ted was ignoring them both. “Your mother told me you were going to be here, so I thought I would surprise you.” Dara laid her hand on Dylan’s shoulder, giving him a light shake. “So, surprise.”

But Dylan didn’t look surprised. Nor did he look as pleased as Dara sounded.

Dylan shifted away from her, looking toward Lisa. “Dara, Ted, I’d like you to meet Lisa Sterling, my date.” Lisa felt her heart jump at the last two words. It sounded so final.

Dara’s hand slid down from Dylan’s shoulder as she slowly turned around. Her brown eyes narrowed, zeroing in on Lisa.

Here it comes, thought Lisa, her heart jumping like a kangaroo. She tried to smile. Tried to look casual.

But before Dara could speak, Ted reached past his wife and shook Lisa’s hand, his smile far more welcoming than Dara’s.

“This is a first for us,” Ted said with a light laugh. “Nice to finally meet one of Dylan’s girlfriends.”

“Supper’s ready,” Stephanie Matheson announced, bringing a large casserole dish to the table. “Dylan, you can sit on the far corner of the table. Lisa, I’ve put you beside Dylan.” Stephanie’s smile held the same warmth that Alex’s had. And as Lisa sat at the table, second and third and even fourth thoughts assailed her.

She should have taken Dylan’s offer of a hotel. It would have been better for her and Gabe if she had maintained a distance from this family.

She hadn’t expected to meet Dara and Ted this soon. Nor had she expected to like this family. It created a confusion she couldn’t dismiss.

“You should sit on the end, Kerry.” Amber moved over from her place kitty-corner from Dylan. Amber flashed Lisa an apologetic look. “Kerry’s left-handed.”

Lisa returned Amber’s smile, but couldn’t help notice the way Kerry eyed Dylan.

The bustle died down as everyone sat at the table. Stephanie took her husband’s hand and gave it a light shake. “Will you pray, Alex?”

Alex shook his head.

Lisa could see a faint line crease Stephanie’s forehead. It disappeared as she glanced around the table with a light smile, then everyone bowed their heads. At
the last moment Lisa realized what was happening and dropped her head, as well.

She closed her eyes as Dylan’s mother began praying.

“We come to You, Lord, in humbleness of heart and praise You for the lives you have given us. Thank You, Lord, for safety in travels. For the food we can eat and enjoy together. Thank You too, for Lisa and Dylan’s visit…”

Lisa felt a slow melancholy wrap itself around her heart. How long had it been since she had heard the sincere prayer of a believer? How long had it been since she’d heard anyone pray for her?

Stephanie’s prayer was a reminder of what she had pushed out of her life in bitterness. A knot caught in her throat.

Then, thankfully, the prayer was over. Around her Dylan’s family broke into a flurry of conversation. Lisa kept her head bowed a moment, shoring up her scattershot emotions.

“Sorry about that.” Dylan’s quiet voice beside her made her look up. He was looking down at her, a bemused expression on his face. “I hope you weren’t too uncomfortable?”

Lisa shook her head. “It’s been a while since I’ve prayed before meals.”

“You used to?”

“Yes, when…” She stopped talking. Nothing personal, she reminded herself, turning to the salad in front of her.

“And what are you two plotting?” Dara asked, leaning forward to catch their attention, but it was Dylan
who had her eye. “Takeover schemes? How to rescue the company?”

Again Lisa felt her face flush at Dara’s implication.

“I’m sorry,” Dylan said smoothly. “I didn’t mean to look like we had secrets.” And thankfully he said no more than that.

“So, Lisa, how did you meet Dylan?” Amber asked, her voice full of innocent inquiry.

“In the office.” Lisa decided to play this as straightforward as she could.

“Convenient,” Dara said.

“Yes, it is,” Lisa returned, determined not to let this woman bulldoze her. “I guess I got a little more than I bargained for when I applied for the job.”

Dylan’s sidelong grin and wink was one of coconspirator, and the connection created a quiver of awareness.

“I thought you made it a rule never to get involved with your office staff,” Amber said with a touch of petulance. She seemed to sense that Kerry was out of the running.

“And I hear you’ve been spending time with a certain hockey player, Amber,” Dylan added. “Something I remember hearing you say you’d never do.”

The blush on Amber’s face evoked a wave of laughter.

Though Dylan had neatly parried Amber’s obvious schemes, Erika didn’t seem ready to give up their championing of Kerry as potential partner for Dylan. “Did we tell you, Dylan? Kerry works for that company that man
ufactures the newest in e-books. Kerry, tell Dylan about the new one you’re working on.”

Kerry’s face lit up. She scooped her streaked blond hair behind her ear, her blue eyes fairly sparkling. Though she liked to dress well, Lisa was seldom self-conscious of her appearance. But being confronted with Kerry’s beauty-queen good looks, she felt like a frump.

“E-books have been vastly underrated,” Kerry said, leaning forward, her shining lips parted in a smile wide enough to show her perfectly aligned teeth. “But we’ve come up with a platform that makes the possibilities for our e-book wider than most of the limited-use, dedicated devices that have come up in the past.” Kerry kept her eyes on Dylan, her smile coy as she absently toyed with her long hair.

“How does this relate to Matheson Telecom?”

“It could make a good addition to our product line,” Dara put in, her smile competing with Kerry’s.

“I think we’ve spread ourselves far enough,” Dylan said, stabbing his salad with his fork.

“Dara might be right,” Ted put in. “A company that doesn’t move ahead goes behind.”

“From the looks of things, we’re doing that already,” Dylan said, tension entering his voice.

“I don’t think we need to talk business at the supper table,” Stephanie said with a tight smile. “Chelsea, have you gotten hold of the caterers to finalize details?”

The conversation turned back to the wedding, leaving Lisa wondering again at the tension that existed between Dylan, his father and his brother.

The rest of the meal was a sparring match of words
and jokes, half-finished sentences. Laughter was the dominant emotion. And questions. But after Stephanie’s quiet warning, no business was spoken.

As she tried to eat, Lisa couldn’t keep up with half the conversations, but she didn’t mind. Far easier to be simply a silent bystander.

She noticed that in spite of the general air of togetherness around the table, Dylan and his father exchanged no more than a few sentences. Though Dylan hardly looked at his father, Alex’s eyes were constantly on his son as if hoping for some connection.