Read Trouble In Triplicate Online
Authors: Barbara Boswell
Trouble In Triplicate (6 page)
❧
It was a dreary, silent ride home. When they arrived at the Posts' house, Miranda ran upstairs to her room and closed the door. A few minutes later the sound of heartbreakingly melancholy music drifted down the stairs to where Juliet, Olivia, and Bobby Lee sat glumly in the living room.
"Oh, no!" Bobby Lee groaned. "Not 'It's Over' again! Randi's going to drive herself cra2y if she keeps listening to those songs."
"Wouldn't it be ironic if Grant ended up with Darla Ditmayer, after all?" Olivia said gloomily. "Oh, poor Randi! It just isn't fair! She really loves Grant."
"And people in love are sometimes irrational." Bobby Lee frowned. "If only we could do something to get them back together. I think Grant is still in love with Randi too. It's a real shame we were all in that living room tonight. I have a feeling there would've been a different outcome if they'd been alone."
Juliet looked thoughtful. "Do you really think so. Bobby Lee?"
"Sure do, sugar."
❧
When the telephone rang at ten-thirty that night Juliet hurried to answer it. somehow knowing who was calling. Her instincts proved correct.
"I want to speak to Juliet," Caine Saxon said.
Her heart gave an odd little leap. "This is Juliet. Not one of the other ones impersonating her." she added with a smile.
"I'm calling from Grant's house, Juliet." Caine sounded grim. "Earlier tonight I got a call from Carl Watkins, the bartender at the Charade Lounge. Grant was downing double Scotches and in no shape to drive anywhere. He stood Darla Ditmayer up and went out to get loaded. I brought him home and put him to bed. He's up in his room now, listening to 'Send in the Clowns.' '
"Ohh!" Juliet groaned.
"I think he's starting to lose it, Juliet. He's in terrible shape. How's Miranda?"
"In the same miserable shape, I'm afraid. It's affecting all of us, Caine. Even Bobby Lee is starting to get morose, and he's always been the jolliest person imaginable."
"Juliet, I have a plan, which I hope will have a better outcome than tonight's debacle. Are you interested?"
"I'll do anything if it means making Randi happy again," Juliet said fervently.
"Good. I thought we'd arrange a meeting between them at the Apple Country Inn out on Route 250. Do you know the place? It's very romantic, very secluded—and there are rooms available if one wishes to . . . er, prolong the evening till the next morning."
"You'd know all about such arrangements, wouldn't you?" Juliet was appalled to hear herself say that. Good heavens, she sounded almost . . . jealous! she thought. Nothing could be further from the truth, she quickly assured herself.
Caine chuckled. "Let's deal with Grant and Miranda first, Juliet. Then we'll move on to the infinitely more interesting subject of us."
"There is no 'us,' Saxon!" She was thankful that she was sitting alone in the darkness and no one, not even she herself, could see how flushed she was.
"Do you agree with my choice of locale?" he asked. "In such a setting, with such opportunities available, how can they miss?"
"I think you're being overly optimistic. Saxon," she said dampeningly. "Our first goal should be to get them to say a civil word to each other."
He ignored her comment. "I'll make dinner reservations for eight tomorrow night. Now, how do we get them there without either becoming aware of our little scheme?"
"I could ask Randi to drive out to ask the chef for a recipe," Juliet suggested. "We sometimes do ask various restaurants if they'll share recipes with us to use in our business."
"Their cold strawberry soup is delicious," Caine said. "Tell her to ask for that recipe."
"Strawberry soup?" She made a face. "It sounds positively poisonous!"
"Someday I'll take you to the Apple Country Inn and buy you a bowl. After your sister and my brother are safely reunited."
"Forget it! When I go to dinner I make it a point to be home well in time for breakfast the next morning."
"There you go again, talking about going to bed with me. I merely invited you for a bowl of soup, my sweet. You do have a one-track mind, don't you?"
"Stop it, Saxon!"
He laughed, a husky, sexy laugh that sent a sensual quiver along her spine.
"How are you going to get Grant to the inn?" she asked in a desperate attempt to change the subject.
Thankfully, Caine allowed the change of topic. "Maybe I could use the same line about the strawberry soup recipe. I could say that I felt The Knight Out absolutely has to have it on our menu and that the chef will only give it out in person. Grant is so out of it these days, I don't think he'll even question it."
"I don't think Randi will, either."
"Good. Then it's set for eight o'clock tomorrow. Shall we unobtrusively make an appearance at the inn to see how it goes between them?"
She would be dying of curiosity—and anxiety, Juliet acknowledged to herself. And if things went wrong, Randi might need her. "Maybe I will go," she said slowly.
"It's very important that we stay out of sight. I'll pick you up tomorrow at seven-fifteen."
She really should drive out herself, she thought. There was no need to go with Caine Saxon. "All right. Seven-fifteen." She bit her lip in vexation. Why on earth had she said that? She quickly reversed herself. "Never mind, I'll drive myself."
"You are scared, aren't you, honey?"
"Of you? I most certainly am not!"
"Maybe you're afraid of the way I make you feel." That laugh again, that low laugh that made her tingle with a primitive sexual excitement. "It's quite normal, you know. Women are often afraid of the men that they're powerfully attracted to. I'm told that virgins are apt to be especially antagonistic."
"And from where do you draw your facts?" she demanded hotly. Her whole body was one heated blush. She refused to admit it, but his suggestive supposition actually made sense to her in an odd sort of way.
"I made them up." he replied cheerfully.
"Oh! You!" Juliet glared at the phone as if it were to blame for her discomfiture. "You're—You're—" Why did she have to become incoherent at a time like this? No doubt the cleverly scathing retort she longed to throw at him would occur to her a few hours from now.
"I'm going to pick you up at seven-fifteen tomorrow, partner," Caine finished calmly. "Juliet?"
"What?"
"It may interest you to know that Sophia never made her date tonight." There was a particular satisfaction in Caine's tone. "I intercepted the guy as he pulled into the driveway. Told him that Sophia must have gotten her dates mixed up, that she'd already left with another man. He drove off in a huff."
"You really told him that?" Juliet exclaimed, instantly diverted by the tale.
"I felt I owed it to Grant—and to Miranda. And that's just what I told Sophia."
"I bet she turned purple!" Juliet said gleefully.
"A ferocious shade of mauve. Good night, sweet Juliet, my fair accomplice."
She smiled. "Good night, Caine Saxon."
What did one wear on a sisterly surveillance mission?
Juliet wondered as she looked over the contents of her wardrobe a half hour before Caine was due to arrive. One would naturally dress up a bit to go to dinner at the Apple Country Inn, but was this an actual dinner date? Caine had offered to buy her a bowl of strawberry soup at some unspecified future date, but he hadn't mentioned dinner tonight.
Juliet pondered the question before finally selecting a silky royal blue dress with a jewel neck, dolman sleeves, and full skirt. It must be a dinner date, she decided. Unless Caine planned for them to lurk outside and spy on Grant and Miranda through a window. She glanced out her own window at the rain pouring down. No, they wouldn't be lurking outside in this weather. The sky was already dark and the rain showed no signs of abating. The National Weather Service had predicted severe thunderstorms for tonight. It wasn't the best weather for a romantic evening, Juliet thought with a frown. Not that she was planning to indulge in one, of course, but Randi and Grant needed all the help they could get.
With a small sigh, Juliet slipped into a pair of high-heeled black pumps and affixed dangling blue and silver earrings to her earlobes before starting to apply her makeup.
"Julie?" Olivia burst into the room, carrying a saucepan and a spoon. "Taste this. What's it missing?"
Juliet sampled a spoonful of the thick, green, pasty looking liquid.
"What's it supposed to be?"
"Cream of artichoke and avocado soup. I'm kind of making it up as I go along. I thought it might be an interestingly different appetizer to serve at the Friends of Mr. Jefferson Lawn and Garden Club luncheon. What do you think?"
"I think this is too interestingly different, Liwy." Juliet handed her sister the spoon.
"It's that awful, huh? Should I throw the whole batch away?"
Juliet grinned. "Unless you can get Bobby Lee to eat it."
A bolt of lightning flashed in the sky and both sisters went to the window to stare at the rain. It seemed to be getting heavier. A sharp crack of thunder sounded in the distance.
"I'm worried about Randi driving into the mountains in this rain," Olivia said, frowning. "I wish the Apple Country Inn wasn't so far out on 250. ..." Her voice trailed off as she continued to watch the rain.
"If Randi doesn't feel like driving up there tonight, we can always reschedule the reconciliation," Juliet said. "Do you think she suspected anything when we sent her on those errands tonight?" They'd had to come up with a reason to get Randi out of the house before Caine arrived at seven-fifteen, and had concocted a list of errands, culminating in the trip to the Apple Country Inn.
"She was too preoccupied to suspect a thing." Olivia sighed. "Poor Randi. Oh, I hope it works out for her and Grant tonight."
"Me too."
"Julie, what about you and Caine Saxon?"
Juliet's cheeks pinked. "He's as concerned about Grant as we are about Randi, Liwy."
Olivia raised her brows. "I see. And that's all there is between you? This mutual concern for his brother and our sister?"
Juliet avoided her sister's eyes. "Uh-huh."
Olivia laughed. "If you say so, Julie. But you look absolutely terrific tonight and I think you're going to bowl Caine Saxon over."
"There have been so many women in his life, Liwy. You've seen the pictures on the walls of The Knight Out. Beauty-contest winners, actresses, models. There's no way I could bowl him over." Juliet's voice was unconsciously wistful, and Olivia stared at her sister.
"Julie, Bobby Lee thinks that Caine Saxon is trying to get you into bed."
"We've all read about Charlottesville's famous, professional-league lover boy, Liwy. Caine Saxon tries to get every woman he meets into bed. He isn't going to succeed with me," she said succinctly.
Olivia's blue eyes sparkled. "Bobby told me to tell you to hold out for a ring. Like Randi and I did."
"Tell Bobby Lee that he's becoming as fiendishly scheming as Sophia Saxon!" Juliet picked up the small stuffed Siamese cat that sat on her dresser and threw it at her sister. Olivia ducked, and the cat hit the wall and landed upside down on a chair.
"I feel as fiendishly scheming as Sophia Saxon myself," Olivia said with a sudden frown. "Making up that list of errands for Randi, sending her out to a remote country inn in the middle of a terrible storm. Do you really think we're doing the right thing, Julie?"
Juliet sighed. "I hope so, Liwy. We'll know tonight, I suppose."
There was a sudden, hard rap at the front door. "Caine!" Juliet's stomach lurched as her heart did a triple somersault in her chest. She forced herself to take a deep, calming breath. "Liwy, will you answer the door?" She needed another few minutes to compose herself.
"While you pull yourself together?" Olivia cast her sister a knowing look.
Juliet smiled sheepishly. It was difficult, if not impossible, for any of the triplets to hide their emotions from the others. They'd been too close for too long.
Juliet waited at the top of the stairs as Olivia opened the door to Caine. "Hi, Caine!" Olivia greeted him cheerfully.
"Hi, uh . . ." Caine hesitated, and Juliet smiled to herself. Caine didn't know which sister Olivia was. That unnerved him, she knew. Her smile broadened as she remembered his indignant diatribe the time she'd pretended to be Miranda. Caine Saxon liked to keep the players straight on his game card.
Bolstered by her amusement, she started down the steps. And halted midway to stare at Caine. He was wearing jeans, sneakers, and a gray hooded sweat shirt, she saw in dismay. He must have planned to lurk, after all! And she was dreadfully overdressed for it.
Caine was staring at Olivia, who was wearing jeans and a pink and white striped sweater. Juliet's mind went into overdrive. She didn't want Caine to think that she'd dressed up for him, that she'd thought this was a real dinner date, their first date. Never mind that she had. She didn't want him to know it!
"Sissy," she called to Olivia, using the childhood name the three sisters had used interchangeably among themselves. Olivia looked up at her in surprise. They hadn't used the old nickname in years. "I need you upstairs for a minute," Juliet continued. She could quickly change into Liwy's jeans and sweater and come back down and Caine would never know the difference. He would think it had been Olivia on the stairs in the blue dress.
