Sealed with a Kill (16 page)

They shared a quick hug and then Tenley stepped back and snapped, “What are
you
doing here?”

Brenna glanced up at her tone and saw Nate follow Matt into the shop. She had a heart-stopping second of thinking Siobhan might be with him, but no, he was alone.

“Nice to see you, too,” Nate said affably.

“Where’s your date?” Tenley asked, obviously not ready to play nice just yet.

“I was not on a date,” Nate said. “I was on a factgathering mission. Isn’t that right, Matt?”

“Indeed,” Matt agreed. He took Tenley’s arm and led her back to where Brenna sat. Nate followed.

“Nate called me this afternoon, and we set it up. I knew you were upset about your ring and that you suspected Siobhan. I thought maybe Nate could work his artist’s charm on her and get some information.”

“So you’re not dating her?” Brenna asked as she stood up. She needed to look into his piercing gray eyes and see the truth for herself.

“Heck no, she’s a total pain in the keister,” he said, looking at Brenna as though she were having a mental episode. “I only took her out to get information for you.”

“You did that for me?” she asked.

“Yes, and you owe me at least two batches of brownies with the chocolate chunks in them,” he said, looking disgruntled. “You know I don’t like people as a rule, and making conversation with her about killed me.”

“Oh, Nate,” Brenna said. She was touched, truly.

“Not so fast,” he said. “You have some explaining to do. Who was the guy?”

“Guy?” Brenna asked. She was still processing the fact that Nate just called Siobhan a pain. He didn’t like her. He wasn’t dating her. She almost broke into a Snoopy dance of joy.

“Yeah, you remember the guy at the bar,” he said. “He was young, skinny, and looked like he starched his underwear. You were sharing food with him—you know, that guy.”

“Brian?” she asked. “He was an idiot. I wasn’t with him; I was merely trying to get information from him about Siobhan because Tenley and I saw them together this morning.”

“So, you weren’t on a date?” he asked.

“Oh, heck no,” she said. “Why would you think that?”

“I wonder,” he said. He turned and glared at Matt, who was studiously examining a new shipment of handmade papers. “Brenna Miller, I think we’ve been set up.”

“I don’t understand,” she said.

“Don’t you find it odd that I thought you were on a date, and you thought I was on a date?” he asked.

“Well, that’s what it looked like,” she said. “But it is quite a coincidence that we ended up at the Fife at the same time, isn’t it?”

“Or is it?” he asked.

“I can explain,” Matt said. “I kind of thought if you saw each other with someone else it might give you a kick start, so to speak.”

“Matthew Collins, were you matchmaking?” Tenley asked.

“I just figured since I knew you were both going to be trying to get information from people of the opposite gender tonight . . .”

“It seemed like a good idea to make sure they ran into each other,” Tenley finished.

Nate turned from them to Brenna, looking completely exasperated. “You know, even when I was world famous, I don’t think I had as many people in my business as I do in this town. So, you really weren’t on a date?”

“No,” she said. “And you weren’t, either?”

“No,” he said.

“Oh, Nate.” Brenna didn’t stop to think. She was so relieved that he hadn’t been out with Siobhan she could barely stand it. She circled the table and threw herself at him.

Nate caught her easily and hugged her close. He squeezed her hard, and when they leaned back and looked into each other’s eyes, he kissed her.

The attraction that had been held in check for too long between them was now free to run wild, and it took them over and under as they kissed with a thoroughness that left them both dazed and wanting more. Brenna’s vision went fuzzy, and her breath was coming fast. When she stepped back and looked at Nate, he seemed as undone as she was.

She ran a shaky hand through her hair. “Uh, yes, well. . .”

He smiled at her. “How about those Red Sox?”

She laughed, and the tension was broken. She noticed that Matt had his arms around Tenley’s waist, his chin resting on her shoulder, and they were both grinning at them. Oh, whatever.

Brenna sat back down at the table. “So, what did you find out from Siobhan?”

Nate sat beside her and laced his fingers through hers. It was a gesture of intimacy that flattened her almost as much as his kiss.

“Unfortunately,” he said, “not much. I wanted to ask pointed questions, but I didn’t want to make her suspicious. In the end, she evaded every question by changing the subject or answering a question with a question. Very annoying.”

“Is there any way to contact your artist friend and see what he knows?”

“I’ve already sent him an e-mail,” Nate said. “He’s traveling in Europe, so I don’t know how long it will take him to get back to me.”

“Well, since Brian lied about knowing Siobhan, and Siobhan is being very wily, I think I need to go to the source. I need to ask my father just what he knows about Brian,” Tenley said.

“Do you think your father knows that Brian and Siobhan are involved?” Matt asked.

“You didn’t tell me that,” Nate said. “Those two are a couple?”

“We think so. Tenley and I saw them together at her cabin. And as I recall, I didn’t tell you because I was too busy being mad at you for telling me to mind my own business,” she said.

Nate squeezed her fingers. She took it to mean he was sorry. She squeezed his fingers back, letting him know it was okay.

“Do you think your father will tell you anything?” Brenna asked Tenley.

“If I ask in the right way,” she said. “Looks like I’m going to have to invite myself to Sunday dinner.”

“Invite me, too,” Brenna said. “I don’t want you going in there alone.”

“Me, too,” said Matt. Tenley opened her mouth to protest, but Matt shook his head. “This is nonnegotiable. I don’t want you going anywhere near your family without me there to protect my interests.”

Tenley stared at him, and then she nodded. “You’re right. They’ve been too successful at splitting us up in the past. We’re not going to let them do that again.”

Matt leaned over and kissed her temple. “That’s my girl.”

Sunday dinner at the Morse house. Brenna knew she could have let Tenley go on her own, and now with Matt going, she wasn’t sure who she was there to support more, Tenley or Matt.

Normally, she figured Matt could hold his own, but this wasn’t going to be a fair fight. Matt and Tenley were going to be woefully outnumbered by her three sisters and their families and Tenley’s parents. It was like sending them into an ambush. Brenna had to go and at least try to watch their backs.

Tenley was nervous all morning, so Brenna offered to drive. Matt was meeting them there. They wound their way up Laurel Hill, where all of Morse Point’s larger estates resided. Brenna turned right and headed down the immaculately sculpted landscape of the Morse family residence.

Stately oaks lined each side of the gravel drive, creating a blazing canopy of branches that hung overhead.

Flower beds rich with chrysanthemums in every color skirted the hem of the enormous three-story Colonial that came into view as they left the trees and parked on the edge of the circular drive.

A slate staircase led up to a portico that was decorated with a fat bunch of cornstalks tied together and braced by a small pile of pumpkins.

The October sky was overcast, and a bitter wind tugged at their coats as they left the warmth of the car and made their way to the front door. Tenley knocked just as Matt’s car, a silver sedan, parked behind Brenna’s.

The door opened, and the housekeeper, Mrs. Winslow, gave Tenley a warm smile. “Miss Tenley, it is so good to see you.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Winslow,” Tenley said, and reached over to grasp the plump woman’s hand. “This is my friend Brenna and my . . . boyfriend, Matt Collins.”

Mrs. Winslow’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, but she smiled at both Brenna and Matt and ushered them inside. She took their coats and told them that the rest of the family was waiting in the parlor and dinner would be served in thirty minutes.

Tenley led the way down the austere hallway. The walls were eggshell; the floor was wooden. There were no other decorations to be seen. Brenna craned her neck to see into other rooms, but there was nary a picture nor a tchotchke to be found. If Brenna didn’t know better, she’d wonder if anyone lived here.

Tenley paused in front of a set of large walnut double doors. She looked pale and a little shaky.

“Are you ready?” Matt asked. “Do you want me to go? Will this be easier for you if I’m not here?”

Tenley glanced up at him with a look of such adoration that Brenna felt as though she was intruding on something private and looked away.

“No, you’re with me, and I’m proud that you’re with me,” Tenley said. She rose up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. Then she let out a sharp breath. “Ready or not, here we come.”

She turned the knob and pushed the door on the right open. The first thing Brenna noticed was the large fireplace across the room, crackling and popping with a cheery fire in it. The air in the large house was cold, and she longed to go sit on the hearth until she felt as warm as a piece of toast.

The next thing she noticed were the eight pairs of adult eyes staring at them, their gazes ranging from concern to disapproval. The children, who looked to range in age from five years old to a tiny baby, completely ignored them, which Brenna found amusing. The nice thing about children was that they were honest. There really wasn’t anything interesting about Tenley and her companions, and the kids knew it.

“Tenley!” one of her sisters cried as she dashed forward.

She was shorter than Tenley, and her blond hair was cut in a stacked bob, but her eyes were the same vivid blue and her smile just as engaging.

“Ally,” Tenley said as she hugged her sister tight. “You cut your hair. It looks so pretty.”

“Well, better than it did with fistfuls of strained peas in it, at any rate.” Ally laughed.

Brenna had met Ally, Tenley’s youngest sister, a few times. She was the only one in the family who was proud of Tenley’s shop, and she popped in every now and again to visit.

A handsome man in dress slacks and a sweater joined them. In his arms was a chubby baby who looked to be about nine months old.

“Baby Franny,” Tenley said. “My, she’s gotten big. Hi, Josh.”

The man smiled and gave Tenley a hug. Then he reached passed her to shake Matt’s hand. “Josh Landry, Ally’s husband.”

“Matt Collins. Nice to meet you,” Matt said. “This is Brenna, Tenley’s business partner.”

Brenna gave a smile and a wave.

“Josh, this is the paper artist I told you about,” Ally said. “I love your work, Brenna. You’re very talented.”

“Thank you,” Brenna said. “You’re very kind.”

“Not at all,” Ally said. “In fact, I’m going to want to commission some things for Franny’s room when we make it over to a big girl’s room.”

“Oh, yes, your little shop,” another sister said as she approached. Judging by her superior tone, she was Carrie, the oldest. “How’s that going?”

She buzzed the air near Tenley’s cheek in what Brenna supposed was meant to be a kiss. She had dark hair and broad features, quite the opposite in looks from Tenley and Ally.

Brenna glanced at Tenley’s parents, who were sitting in wing chairs by the fire. Carrie looked just like their mother, not unattractive but more handsome than pretty, whereas Tenley and Ally seemed to share their father’s fair complexion and finer features.

“It’s going very well, thank you,” Tenley said.

A tall, thin older man, looking very harried with a five-year-old clinging to his hand and whining for another piece of candy, approached.

“Ask your mother,” he snapped, and handed the boy off to Carrie.

“Yes, yes, go have another, but don’t spoil your dinner,” Carrie said.

The last sister came over and stood next to Carrie. She didn’t even bother to give Tenley an air-kiss. She merely glowered.

Brenna didn’t think it was her sour expression that made her the least attractive of the four sisters, but it certainly didn’t help.

“I can’t believe you brought strangers to the family dinner,” she hissed. “That’s so like you, Tenley. You never think of anyone but yourself.”

“I’m sorry you feel that way, Evie,” Tenley said, but it was clear from her tone that she did not really care one little bit about what Evie thought.

Evie sniffed and tossed her mouse brown hair over her shoulder. Like Carrie, she had their mother’s broad features, but what appeared strong and well chiseled on Carrie only overwhelmed Evie, giving her a doughy, overindulged appearance.