Stolen Skye (Book One, The Skye Trilogy) (23 page)

It was him.
He stood tall and magnificent in the center of the room, nodding to each new person as my mother introduced them. Slowly, he turned to me. I was no great actress, but I did my best to greet him as I would any other stranger, politely with a smile. I had a harder time keeping my expression under control than he did, but I thought I pulled it off. He was as cool as I predicted, stepping forward and taking my hand to kiss it lightly, adding a small wink only I could see.

“It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Green.
Your mother has told me a lot about you. You recently returned from my home town of London, I hear.” He waited for me to play along, amusement lighting up his fair face.

“Yes, I loved it there.
With all the knights and palaces, it’s like being part of a fairy tale.” I smiled back at him and asked if I could get him and my mother a drink.

“Please, let me help you.”
Ari followed me into the dining room and I turned on him quickly before anyone could follow us.

“Why are you here?
Did I do something? Are you robbing us?” I had come up with several more scenarios in my head in the last two minutes. I wanted to give him a hug, but I couldn’t quite accept that he was standing in my dining room.

“I was worried and I have a solution.
Just play along. Later, please tell me everything. You’re keeping something from me. I need to know what it is if I am going to help.” He bent down close to me to whisper. I breathed in his subtle cologne, earthy with some spice, and relished the intimate moment. It was so wonderful to have proof of my other life, there in my childhood home.

“I just can’t believe you’re here.
I’m so surprised.” I couldn’t stop smiling, still stunned to see him. He looked good, in a dark green cashmere sweater and charcoal trousers. His dark hair was disheveled, as always, from raking his hands through it when he was lost in thought. I felt very foolish for keeping secrets from him, since he might be the only one that had any answers. I was just waiting for a sign that I could fully trust him.

“Is it a good surprise?”
His smile vanished as if he might have done something wrong.

“Yes, totally.
A good surprise. Do the others know you’re here?”

“They think I’m in Paris.
It was best I came alone, and that would’ve been… difficult to arrange if they knew the truth.” I imagined it would have been. I hadn’t told Finn about my concern. I hadn’t even told Ari, but he clued into it. Plus, apparently he had some type of answer for me. Finn sitting out, knowing Ari thought there might be something wrong, would’ve been impossible for him. He’d be here too, posing as a third contestant at dinner. It would have been chaos. It would have been good, though, to be with him tonight, of all nights.

Ari helped me pour the white wine for my mother, and the red for him and I, while I remade the drink for Peter.
We delivered them to the living room. My mother launched into telling everyone about the drawings Ari was willing to donate, and he showed them to everyone on his camera phone. They weren’t signed, but they had been in his family for generations. He said that some had speculated that they were done by Leonardo Da Vinci. I eyed him suspiciously.

“Really, they were part of my father’s collection,” he answered just to me.
He knew what I was curious about the most. Apparently, they had not been stolen. He smiled at me before continuing, and my mother almost fell out of her chair with pleasure. “I’m hoping the museum will accept them on loan for study. I have always admired the facility.” He took the phone back and placed it in his pocket.

My mother took control of the conversation.
“Oh, well, we were so pleased when you came in yesterday. I am sure the Board will be delighted. We got to talking, Ari and I, and I toured him through the collection. He has a real knowledge of the classics. Evy — Evelyn here, we call her Evy — has an interest in art. She took all the classes. I think she was more captivated by the lifestyle of an artist than majoring in art history, but she has a good eye.” My mother attempted to dazzle one of my two dates. I glanced over at Peter, who was sitting next to Bridget. He was bored with the art discussion, but blatantly looking down Bridget’s dress for entertainment. Perhaps there would be a love connection after all.

I sat beside Steve on the far couch and watched Ari interact with my family.
He was patient as my mother was slow to bring her stories to a close. He asked Gary and Valerie about their sandwich shop and empathized with them, telling them he had family who ran some coffee houses and knew how much they can struggle in a bad economy. He politely listened as Bridget shared her pursuit of an acting career, naming New York City as her next move. Peter broke into the conversation and started telling her about his trips there, offering to give her a lead on a good apartment. Steve asked Ari about his family and what they did.

“My father was retired Royal Navy in Scotland.
He traveled a lot when he was younger and met my mother. They never married. When she passed, I went and found him. We got to know each other and I took care of him when he got very ill. He died after I turned eighteen. I spend most of my time in London, with my other relatives.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.
I’m sure that was hard on you.” Steve cleared his throat. Ari thanked him for his concern. Our eyes met and he shifted his attention to me.

“So, Evelyn, what do you do?”
He sat waiting, anxious for my story. I could have killed him. That was my least favorite question, and he already knew the answer.

“Well, I was in hotel management, but they had a round of cutbacks and I got laid off.
I have just been traveling, meeting all kinds of interesting people since then. I’m not sure what the next step is.”

“So, you like to travel?”
His question was directed at me, but my mother answered anyway.

“Oh gosh
, yes. She has always been a free spirit. We thought she’d never come back from Europe when she went the first time. Evelyn, can you help me, dear, in the kitchen?” My mother put her wine down and waited for me to join her. After we turned the corner, she took my hand and pulled me excitedly the rest of the way. “Evelyn, oh, he is so impressive. What do you think?” She was beside herself.

“What do you mean?”
I knew what she meant, but I was having too much fun.

“Honey, he mentioned today when I called and invited him that he was looking for a personal assistant, someone to travel with him over the next six months, cataloging his collection in Scot
land and accompanying him on acquisition trips. Audrey at the museum checked him out. He is known at all the best auction houses and said to be quite the collector. Oh, Evelyn, it would be perfect for you.” She actually danced a bit as she took the pans out of the oven.

Ari was brilliant.

“Well, that does sound interesting. And, you hear he is a good guy?” I knew Ari was well known, but I was curious what else she had heard.

“Yes, good taste, with a great house in London.”
I was referring to his character, but she was thrilled enough with her own evaluation of him.

“Why didn’t you tell me about him?”
My mother could be sneaky, but it wasn’t like her to keep quiet for long.

“You’d get nervous and I wanted you to meet him, get a feel for him first.
You’re very good with people that way.” She smiled at me while she filled the gravy boat.

“Let me help you with that.
I’ll finish in here, you go entertain everyone. I’m afraid Peter might be out of the running for me, he seems more interested in Bridget.”

“That’s perfect.
I had you sitting next to Ari anyway.” She flitted out of the room and started asking Peter about his background. As I plated the dinner, I felt Ari come quietly into the kitchen.

“I’m on to you,” I said, without turning from my work.

“I’m not surprised. I figured your mother would tell you sooner rather than later.” He came and stood beside me, moving each salad plate out of my way once I had filled it.

“You’re pretty smart, you know.
This way I can go and not worry I have to lie about everything I do.” I felt some real relief. I couldn’t ever see how I could bring the two parts of me together without having to cover things up all the time. Working for Ari was an answer. I was thankful for it.

“Well, that was th
e idea.” Just then, Steve walked in and Ari stood at attention. He eyed us both with some interest and stepped past us to get another beer out of the fridge. He and Ari started taking the plates into the dining room and we were soon seated, bowing our heads as Steve said a brief grace. Dinner progressed and everyone seemed to enjoy it. I had my fair share of ham, hot rolls, sweet potatoes, heavy on the marshmallow, and oyster stuffing.

After more polite conversation, Ari turned as he placed his silverware across his plate.
“So, Evelyn, I have spoken with your mother, and was wondering if you might consider a position as my assistant for several months. Seeing as how you are between jobs, and I have a need for a capable, educated person to assist me with arranging my estate and with some acquisitions, would you be interested?” He took a bite and waited, wide-eyed for my response.

“Yes.
It sounds fascinating.” I wasn’t lying.

“Good
. Well, if you have a resume, I’d like to see it. Perhaps we could talk privately after dinner. I leave for Paris day after tomorrow, so if you accept and can arrange it, I would like for you to join me. It would be of great help to me if you were on this particular trip.” He stared down at me with a look of satisfaction in his gleaming eyes.

My mother interjected excitedly, “Oh, of course, you both take your time.
We’ll have coffee and dessert in the living room when you’re done.” She practically yanked our plates away and kicked us out of the room.

“Evelyn, the animals are in the library, use the office upstairs,” Steve yelled after us as I led Ari thro
ugh the house for my interview with a thief.

Chapter
18. A Gift

“So, other than giving me a job, why are you here?”
I had settled into the burgundy leather love seat. Ari, after pulling the rolling armchair from behind the desk, instructed me on what to say to my parents with regards to my new position. We shifted to the next reason he had given for showing up at my door — his concern.

“I can tell something has frightened you.
Tell me.” He folded his arms and waited.

“Ari, where and when did you last see me before I left for Boston back then?”

“At the Edinburgh train station the day before your flight. Why?” He looked almost nervous, and Ari didn’t get nervous.

“Did I look normal?”
I didn’t know how else to ask. I realized I was out matched with him as a sparring partner, but I was trying to find out as much as I could without giving too much away.

“Yes, what is this about?”
He responded, increasingly more alarmed.

“Kelly told me that when he flew me home, I had bruising on my face.
I blamed it on Raven and a boxing match, but how is that possible if she wasn’t in London or around me in Scotland?” I held my breath, praying my hunch was right and that he had no idea what I was talking about.

He moved closer to me, his expression almost desperate.
“Evelyn, please try hard. You don’t remember anything about arriving in London, sleeping at my house that night, boarding the plane the next day?” He was agitated, taking my hand, urging me to try and recall something, like his life depended on it.

“No, nothing.
I’ve tried. Why did I stay at your house?” That part was a new and interesting fact for me.

“Everyone was gone and you had a key.
There are a lot of bedrooms. We felt it was safer after the job. Anyway, you were going to take a cab to the airport from there. This was before we had Derek.”

“Where was Raven?”

“She was in Majorca,” he confirmed confidently.

“Why would I have had bruising and lie about it?”

“I don’t know, but I intend to find out.
Evelyn, the missing money and your accident, these things have always bothered me. I could never find any answers, but at least I knew you were out of any possible danger, living a quiet life in Newport. Now that you know about us, I have to keep you close… we all do. It might be overly cautious on my part, but when I heard the fear in your voice, it woke all the suspicion I had before. In the immediate future, please do what I say. I’m not sure what happened, but I’m not the enemy. Can you believe me?”

“I believe you.
I just wish I knew where the money was,” I sighed.

“I had Brinks look for cash deposits that matched your take at all the major banks.
I went to your apartment and searched my house. You wouldn’t have physically traveled home with it, but, if you did, it would have been lost in the accident. I don’t know what happened… only you do.” He continued to look into my eyes. The compassion in his own was genuine.

“It’
s so infuriating to not be able to answer a simple question.” I put my head down in my hands and cursed my luck. Ari moved to sit next to me.

“Evelyn, we’ll figure it out.
You can be sure of it.” The soothing sound of his low voice was calming. Ari always had a grace about him. Whatever passionate feeling I’d seen him communicate, he always held himself in check physically. When you are a person who can’t hide anything, you admire the ability in others.

“Where does Mirela think you are right now?”
It occurred to me that engaged couples typically spent holidays together. He slowly placed his hands in his lap.

“She knew I was going to be in Paris over the holidays.
She’s with her family. Our courtship is different than you are probably used to. She is much more… sheltered from me during the engagement than a couple would be in your culture. Still, she’s not aware of my detour.” There was a prolonged silence after that, neither of us looking at the other.

“We should probably go back downstairs.
So, you are okay with me coming to Paris and being with all of you?” I just wanted to make sure I understood the deal.

“Yes, having you back with us while we consider all the possibilities feels like the wisest choice.”
He smiled at me and got up from the couch, pulling me with him.

“What’s my salary?
Will there be benefits?” I laughed back at him and waited to negotiate my fake offer.

“Let’s start with free travel, room and board
, and go from there. And yes, there are benefits, more than a few.” He held the door for me and we went back downstairs to the others.

My mother allowed everyone to open one present on Christmas Eve
, and had even gotten Ari and Peter red, Chinese wedding bowls. They were handmade and sold in the museum gift shop. Peter listened politely to my mother and then turned back to Bridget. He was explaining the features of the expensive watch he had bought as a gift to himself. Ari rubbed his hands over the smooth bowl, admiring it, and thanked my mother sincerely. He handed it to me so I could get a better look. They were beautiful bowls. I just wish she would have left the whole title out of the description.

“This is really quite perfect, Sylvia, I am getting married next year.
Again, thank you very much.” Somehow, I actually thought I heard my mother’s heart break. It turned out to be a gasp that she tried to play off as a cough.

“Oh, well, congratulations.
Is she a local girl?” The letdown in my mother’s voice was almost saddening.

“No.
Her parents are old friends, back in London.” Ari smiled through the whole inquisition. It was good to mention it; at least it made it clear to my mother and Steve that he wasn’t whisking me away to Europe with darker intentions. My mother handed me a gift and I half anticipated opening a bridal tiara, but it was a framed picture of my mother, father and I on the beach in Newport. I didn’t remember it being taken, but the scene was one I recalled often, and one of the reasons I’d moved there to begin with. The three of us were holding hands in our swimsuits. We were laughing, wet and sandy. A tear fell onto the glass and I rubbed it in with my finger tip to hide the evidence.

“Thank you both very much.”
I looked to my mother and Steve as I said it. I didn’t say much more, as speaking always made my tears run harder.

“Don’t be upset, Evelyn.
Your father would have wanted you to be happy seeing us together. I found it in the attic last month. I figure you could put it up at your house, it being Newport and everything.” She patted my knee and then gathered the stray glasses from the room. Ari tilted it in my hand so he could see it more clearly. I looked up at him and met his eyes. His expression told me he wanted to reach out to me, but he couldn’t, not with others in the room.

“It looks like a beautiful place,” was all he could say.
From the tone of his voice, I knew he wished it could be more. He stood, signaling it was time for him to go. “Steve, Sylvia, thank you so much for welcoming me into your home for Christmas. I’m so glad my travel plans were delayed. Evelyn, I’ll be in touch tomorrow.”

My mother stopped him.
“Oh, Ari, please, come by tomorrow. You and Evelyn can talk more and you can have Christmas lunch. We would love to have you. We have so much food. Please. I’m sure you don’t have plans, what with the jet being grounded.” I’d wondered how he explained being in Boston for the holiday. The jet needed repairing, clever.

“I couldn’t impose, really.”
He played the game perfectly.

“No, I insist.
We’ll see you tomorrow at noon.” She, of course, was the game master.

“Thank you.
I look forward to it,” he said, and Steve escorted him out. Peter and the others weren’t far behind. After gathering up the gift wrap and throwing it into the fire, I poured myself some spiked eggnog and curled up by the tree, where Ari had sat earlier. He had delighted my mother and Steve. That was obvious. Steve had seemed a little on guard, but when Ari mentioned being engaged, his demeanor toward him became far friendlier. I was sure that was Ari’s intention. Conversely, my mother’s hopes were dashed, but she was still excited about the prospect of me working for a wealthy collector. She knew me well enough to know it would be hard to resist. It most definitely was.

“So, what did he say about the job?”
She joined me on the couch with some coffee.

“He said it was free travel, room and board for now, with a lot of assistant work to start.
He has a large estate in Scotland, apparently, and a fiancé with a wedding to plan. Between all of that, he has trips he is hoping to take and needs someone to make arrangements and assist him in some possible acquisitions. He knows a lot of people around the world in the art community.” I told her what Ari told me to say, verbatim. It was all true as well, which made me very happy.

“I don’t see how you can say no.
What a great opportunity for you. Plus, you have these friends you are getting to know in London. It’s just perfect.” She was decided.

“Yes, I know.
I’m sorry it ruins the New Year’s Eve at the club you were planning.”

“Oh please, we can go there anytime.
I’ll keep Brutus. He and the dog love each other anyway.” As if on cue, they each loped into the living room, Jackson a little less gracefully. Brutus came up on my mother’s lap and Jackson threw himself down in front of the fire with a thud. After more conversation and helping my mother with the dishes, I went up to bed, feeling very positive about my choices.

I kicked off my black suede pumps, anxious for bed.
It was past midnight and the evening had been more exhausting than I anticipated earlier that afternoon. After slipping on a nightshirt, I noticed a small box with a silver bow on the bed. There was a folded white card placed on top.

Evelyn, I was informed this evening that we may give one present on Christmas Eve.
A mutual friend told me you admired this. It suits you. Don’t worry — it was bought, not borrowed. Ari

I tore through the paper and opened the velvet box.
It was the vintage necklace from Harrods. Bounce or Raven must have commented on it to him. I’d never asked the price, as the sparkle of the diamond chips within the scrolled chain and pendant told me it was more than I was going to spend on myself. The dark green emerald in the center had a fire all its own against the platinum. It was breathtaking, but not in a gaudy, expensive way. It was a very simple piece. The giving of it was what astounded me.

Ari had been very generous with me, but more out of obligation.
Why would he bring me a gift? Then again, why was he really spending Christmas with my family? He had orchestrated the perfect getaway for me, but, as hard as it was to fathom, it seemed he cared for me more than I had thought. A friend would try to help, but a lover would wage a war for you if they had to. Ari acted like he was somewhere in between.

You can’t predict what he’ll do,
I decided. After marveling at the necklace for a long time and rereading the card, I put it inside of the velvet box, and placed it in my dresser for safe keeping. I scanned my room for any signs of entry. There were none. Nothing was out of place and no windows were ajar. I couldn’t remember when he wasn’t by my side in the evening. Bounce was right, Ari did have mad skills.

Christmas morning passed quickly as I waited for Ari to return.
Where, in the past, I may have been content to lounge in my pajamas, I moved faster with anticipation, getting ready for my new boss. I wanted to wear jeans, but I knew my mother would be horrified. I opted for beige wool trousers and a black turtleneck sweater. After ripping through the gifts, setting the table and straightening the living room, the doorbell rang. As excited as I was to see him, my mother eclipsed my enthusiasm completely.

“Welcome, Ari.
Merry Christmas!” She practically dragged him over the threshold and escorted him into the living room for round two. I greeted him as well and asked if I could bring him eggnog or a Bloody Mary, Steve had mixed up both for the four of us.

“Good morning, Evelyn.
A Bloody Mary would be great. Thank you.” He sat comfortably on the couch, watching me with some amusement. I heard my mother begin asking him more about his collection and where he planned to travel. I interrupted Steve picking at the turkey as I entered the kitchen.

“She might leave me for him if that wedding doesn’t go through.”
Steve rubbed a napkin over his hands, smiling at me.

“Yeah, she’s gone over the edge.
He is very impressive.” I laughed back, pulling the pitcher out of the fridge. His sense of humor had improved with age.

“I was wondering if you thought so.”
Steve placed four glasses on the counter for me and started doling out the ice. “You know, Evelyn, I certainly respect how resilient you are. The accident and then starting over in Newport, now this… it takes guts. I wouldn’t have known what to do with myself at your age if I hadn’t had the firm.”

“Thanks.
I’m not sure it’s strength. More like need, really. It seems too good an opportunity to pass up. Who knows what could come of it?”