The Heart of Lies (9 page)

“Hey, Em, I was just fixin’ to call ya,” Maggie said. “I wanted to invite y’all to my engagement party Friday night.”

“I just got off the phone with Camille and she filled me in.”

“Then y’all already heard that the weddin’ is goin’ to be two weeks from Saturday?”

“Yeah, Cam told me. Where are you holding it?” Emily asked.

“Well, that’s another reason for my call. I was wonderin’ if we could have it in y’all’s backyard. You have such a beautiful garden, all the flowers and rose bushes, and that lovely white gazebo that Evan built would be perfect. It’s goin’ to be a small, intimate weddin’ and I just thought…”

“Absolutely, Maggie, anything for my friends.” Although Emily was happy to offer the garden, the truth was she hadn’t been back there to enjoy the beauty of it for quite some time. She’d paid a local landscaper to keep it mowed and trimmed because it had been too painful to be out there after Evan’s death. Together they had planned it out and planted all the flowers and trees, and he had built her the most beautiful white gazebo for their third anniversary.

In the spring months, when she dated Colin, before he left for San Francisco, she never once took him out to the garden. She had physically and emotionally shut the door to that place, and now she wondered how painful it might be to watch her friend get married in Evan’s gazebo.

“Looked like Lucas was selling a lot of those resort condos last night after the presentation.” Emily changed the subject.

“Yes, they were sellin’ like hotcakes. Quite a few people put deposits down on their units. I’m so proud of my Lucas. Oh, and we have a special event set up next week where Lucas has chartered two luxury buses to take prospective Whitetail Resort members up to the mountain. He’s gonna show them around so they can see the lake and where the golf course is gonna be and all that. I think the foundation may even be poured for the first set of condos.”

“Wow, Maggie, that sounds exciting.”

“Lucas did take a lot of deposits last night, about thirty I think, but there were some people who said they just couldn’t visualize the resort from a drawin’. I think he’ll sell more of the condos if people can actually see the gorgeous scenery and the project underway.”

“Makes sense.”

“Would y’all like to go?” Maggie asked.

“I might,” Emily answered, thinking it may give her an opportunity to see what he’s really selling. She wanted to believe he was a great guy, honest and sweet, but something wouldn’t let her jump onboard. Maybe it was Isabel’s suspicions—maybe it was her own.

“He’s goin’ to be very successful with this resort, Em, and I’ll have the life I’ve always wanted.”

“Sounds like it,” Emily agreed. “Will all that money make you happy, Maggs?”

“Oh, it’ll be nice not havin’ to worry about payin’ the bills for a change, but I’ll be totally happy to have a wonderful man in my life, that loves me. I couldn’t be happier if I was twins, as my daddy used to say.”

“Then I’m happy for you, too.” That wasn’t a total lie. Emily was glad to see Maggie happy, but she hoped Lucas wasn’t setting her up for a fall. She resolved to keep digging.

~*~

His mother and her new boyfriend picked Josh up at the airport on Thursday around noon. She’d been so excited. On the phone, she’d told Josh that she couldn’t wait for her son to meet the man of her dreams.

Josh saw his mom and went to give her a big bear hug and then he politely shook Lucas’s hand.

“I thought you’d be wearin’ your uniform,” his mother said.

He shrugged. “It’s in my bag. I thought I’d go casual today and blend in.”

They went to lunch at the Blue Moon Café, which gave Josh a chance to get to know his mother’s future husband. The visit was pleasant and Josh could see his mom was happier than he’d seen her in a long time.

There had been other men, other boyfriends, but none she had committed to marry. He’d been surprised by the swiftness of their courtship and the rush to the altar, but if marrying this man was going to make her happy, he was going to be pleased for them and do his best to like her new man.

Once lunch was over, Lucas said he needed to get back to work. Josh thought he might drop by Lucas’s office later and have a man-to-man talk with him, without his mother there. In private, he would be able to talk more freely with Lucas.

~*~

Late that afternoon, Lucas sat at the desk in his office going over the Excel spreadsheets he had spent hours designing to keep track of the condo units and the sales. Twenty-nine units sold that first night
.
He looked at the screen with a satisfied grin.

“Total sales of nine million, four hundred and fifty thousand,” he said as Fiona walked into his office from the front area where she worked.

“So how much in deposits from Tuesday night’s meeting?”

“Let’s see…at twenty-five percent…that would be two million, three hundred sixty-two thousand and five hundred dollars.”

“That’s a lot of money, Lucas.”

“I thought I’d have to hang out in this town and make friends with these people before they’d trust me enough to invest, but I guess we were right in picking Maggie and Sully as our connections.”

“Maybe it’s not Maggie or Sully at all. Maybe it’s just that these people were ripe for a new resort nearby, somewhere new and exciting to spend their time and money.”

“You could be right. I think we can get another forty or so under contract after our trip up the mountain next week, which should be more than double our haul. At least a handful more by the time the wedding rolls around and then we’re out of here.”

“Have you heard from the boss lately?” Fiona asked.

“No, but I’m sure our progress reports are expected. Even though the boss came up with the initial idea, I’m doing most of the work.”

“Hey! What am I? Chopped liver?”

“Sorry, babe, I just meant—”

“I know what you meant, that you’re the top dog and I’m here to back you up, handle all the finances, and watch you romance another woman.” She turned her face away.

“It’s just a role I’m playing. You can’t think I’m actually falling for Maggie.”

“I don’t know what to think,” she snapped, turning back to face him, “but you’re making it look awfully believable. It’s hard for me to watch.”

“Do you think we’d be raking in millions if I didn’t make it look believable?” he shot back. “You think her brother would have invested in this project if he thought for a nanosecond that I was a fraud?” His voice rose with irritation at having to explain this all to her again.

“You’re right,” Fiona said, waving her hands in surrender. “I’m sorry.” She walked around behind him and began to gently massage his shoulders. “I just love you so much.”

“You shouldn’t be doing that. Someone could walk in and see us.”

“I know. I just need to touch you.”

“Keep your eye on the prize. In two weeks, you and I will be sipping mojitos on the beach with millions in the bank, leaving Paradise Valley, and the boss, in the dust.”

Fiona leaned her head down next to Lucas’s.

“Lucas!” Josh hollered from the doorway. He had walked in on them, finding Fiona with her hands on him and the side of her jaw touching Lucas’s sandy brown hair.

Lucas stood up and displaced Fiona’s hands.

“Josh.” Lucas’s mouth went dry and a sheen of sweat covered his face. “It’s not—”

“It’s not what?” Josh cut in, asking through clenched teeth. The vein in his neck was bulging as his hands balled into fists.

Fiona backed away from Lucas, and sidestepped Josh, as she slinked out of the room.

“It’s not what you think.” Lucas’s gaze went beyond Josh to Fiona standing in the outer office as he searched for a believable story. “Fiona and I were going over the numbers from the sales so far. I complained about my shoulders being stiff from sitting at this computer and she offered to massage them. That’s all.”

“That’s not what it looked like to me.” Josh’s eyes narrowed as he stared into Lucas’s face.

“That is what happened.” Lucas’s voice moved from shaky to calm. “You just misunderstood what you saw. I would never cheat on your mother.”

“I want to believe you, but somehow I don’t. I’m going to be watching you. If there’s any funny business going on, I won’t stand by and let it happen. You hurt my mom, you’ll deal with me.”

CHAPTER 9

Friday evening rolled around and Emily made a dash to her favorite bookstore before heading over to Maggie and Lucas’s engagement party. She had parked on Main Street in front of the shop, and as she was reaching for the handle of her car door, she heard someone call out.

“Miss?”

Emily turned to see the woman, maybe mid-sixties, with grayish blonde hair coiffed just above her shoulders. She was driving a late-model silver Mercedes that she had stopped in the middle of the street with her window rolled down. “Can you tell me where I can find the Graystone Building?”

“Sure, it’s just down the block. My office is in that building,” Emily replied. She noticed the woman was smartly dressed in a red suit and an abundance of gold jewelry.

“Oh, I’m looking for my son, Lucas Wakefield. Do you know him?” she asked.

Emily walked closer to the car and motioned to the three cars stacked up behind the Mercedes to squeeze around her. “Yes, I do. And you’re his mother?” Emily was stunned. She hadn’t heard Lucas’s mother was coming to town.

“I am,” she nodded. “Gloria Wakefield.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Wakefield, but Lucas is not at his office right now.”

“Oh no? Where can I find him?” the woman asked sweetly.

A car honked and Emily gestured for the driver to go around the Mercedes, too.

“I’m sure he’s at his engagement party by now,” Emily said, a little surprised the woman didn’t know that. “You are coming to the party, too, aren’t you?”

“Engagement party? Why, yes, of course, I’m going,” Mrs. Wakefield replied. “I just thought we were meeting at his office first and then I’d go with him.”

“I’m headed over there myself. Why don’t you follow me?” Emily offered, thinking the elderly woman must have just gotten mixed up.

“Thank you, dear. That’s so nice of you.”

The party was in full swing when Emily arrived with Gloria Wakefield in tow. Everyone was out in the backyard with tiki torches blazing, conversation and laughter competing with the blaring country music emanating from a large black boom box.

Emily escorted Gloria from the front porch to the back of the house, and they stepped through the French doors leading to the expansive back deck. The lawn beyond the deck was set up with a ping pong table at one end and a fire pit with patio chairs at the other.

Lucas and Maggie stood on the deck, not far from the French doors, talking to Alex and Isabel.

“Look who I found?” Emily announced, watching Lucas’s face for a reaction. His mouth dropped open, then a wide smile spread across it. Maggie turned to Emily with a quizzical expression.

“You must be Maggie,” the woman said, putting her hand out. “I’m Lucas’s mother.”

At first Maggie looked stunned, but then she opened her arms and hugged the woman warmly. “Lucas, shame on you,” she scolded with a bit of a frown, then her face blossomed into a smile. “Why didn’t you tell me your momma was gonna be here?”

“Um, I, well, I wasn’t sure she could make it,” he mumbled. Emily noticed a flash of a frown and then it was gone. In its place Lucas plastered a polite smile. He stepped toward her, leaned down, and kissed her lightly on the cheek. “I’m glad to see you found the place, Mother.”

“It is so nice to meet you, Mrs. Wakefield,” Maggie declared.

“Please, call me Gloria.”

“All right, Gloria.” Maggie beamed.

Maggie took Gloria’s arm and introduced her future mother-in-law to her friends, just as Fiona walked up to the group.

“Mother,” Lucas said, “this is Fiona, my assistant. She’s helping me with the Whitetail Resort project I told you about.”

“Fiona, so nice to meet you,” Gloria said, shaking Fiona’s hand.

“And this is my brother, Sully,” Maggie introduced. “He’s the mayor of Paradise Valley.”

“Well, this is an honor, Mr. Mayor,” Gloria said, taking his hand in both of hers.

“Thank you, ma’am, but I’m just a regular guy,” Sully replied, dressed down in jeans and a collared shirt. “Tonight, I’m just the brother of the bride.”

“I’m sure you and my Lucas will become great friends,” Gloria gushed.

“Like brothers,” Lucas agreed with a grin.

Sully turned to Lucas. “Say, can we talk privately?”

“All right,” he replied. “If you all will excuse us, we have a little business to discuss.”

“No, Lucas, not tonight,” Maggie pleaded.

“Just a few minutes, hon. We’ll be right back.”

Emily watched as Lucas and Sully stepped off the deck and moved to a private corner of the backyard.

~*~

“What’s up?” Lucas asked.

“I hate to do this to you, but I need that hundred thousand back,” Sully said in a low tone, glancing around.