White Lies (8 page)

“In the whole time we were together we never had a single fight.”

“What’s wrong with that?”

“I’m not sure,” Clare admitted. “But it started to get irritating. We always did what I wanted to do. I made all the decisions. I picked the restaurants where we ate. I chose the shows. He always let me set the pace in bed. It got old.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Elizabeth waved her hand in Clare’s face. “Back up to the part where he always let you set the pace in bed. I thought that was one of the things you liked about him. You told me you appreciated the fact that he let you control things in that department.”

“Sometimes you just want someone else to take charge for a while.”

“Really?” Elizabeth smiled knowingly. “And just when did you come to that little epiphany?”

“I don’t know,” Clare admitted. “The thing is, I could only allow someone else to take charge if I trusted him completely.”

“You will recall that I did warn you that it was probably a mistake for someone with your level of talent to marry someone who could never in a million years understand your true nature,” Elizabeth said.

“It seemed like a good idea at the time,” Clare said.

“Famous last words.”

“In fairness to Greg, my paranormal issues aside, I’m just not the type who can hand over the reins to someone else.”

“You can say that again.” Elizabeth chuckled. “In your case I think someone will have to come along who is strong enough to take the reins away from you.”

Clare winced. “Not sure I like the sound of that.”

“See? You’re resisting the very thing you say you want. That control streak in your personality probably goes with your level-ten trust issues.”

“Probably. Catch twenty-two, I guess.”

Elizabeth sobered. “Well, I for one will always be profoundly grateful for your particular talent. I don’t want to think about what would have happened if you hadn’t seen through Brad’s wall of lies.”

“Luckily we don’t have to worry about Brad anymore.”

“Thank heavens,” Elizabeth said. “But I’m starting to get concerned about Valerie Shipley.”

“I think it was seeing me last night that set her off. Once I’m out of town, she’ll calm down.”

“I’m not so sure of that. In fact I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that she’s the one who picked up the phone and spread the gossip that got you fired and caused Greg to end your engagement.”

“I wouldn’t dream of arguing with your intuition,” Clare said. “You may be right that Valerie got me fired from the Draper Trust. But I don’t know for certain that it was the rumors about my connection to Brad’s murder that caused Greg to dump me.”

“Hah. You asked him why he was ending things, remember?”

“Yes,” Clare admitted.

“And what did he do?”

“He told me there was someone else.”

“Which was?”

“A lie,” Clare said.

“I rest my case.”

The voice mail message from Jake was waiting for Clare when she turned on her cell phone after leaving the resort restaurant. It was brief and to the point.

“This is Jake. When you’re ready to pick up your car let me know. I’ll come and get you and take you out to Stone Canyon.”

Clare punched the key to erase the message. “Talk about a take-charge type,” she said. “I think Jake Salter could give me lessons.”

Elizabeth pulled dark glasses out of her purse. “What was that all about?”

“He just left me a message telling me, not asking, mind you,telling me that he will come and pick me up and take me back to Stone Canyon.”

“I’m sure he was just trying to be helpful.”

“Oh, yeah.”

“I sense undercurrents,” Elizabeth said.

“So do I,” Clare said. She put on her own dark glasses. “But darned if I have any idea what’s going on.”

They waited while the parking attendant brought Elizabeth’s Mercedes around. When it arrived Elizabeth slipped behind the wheel. Clare got in beside her.

“For what it’s worth,” Elizabeth said, driving out of the resort and onto Camelback Road, “I really don’t think you need to worry too much about Jake Salter. Dad trusts him and that says a lot.”

“Can’t argue with that,” Clare said. “Are you sure you don’t mind running me out to the house?”

“No problem. I don’t have any appointments until this afternoon. Are you bound and determined to fly back to San Francisco tomorrow?”

“That’s the current plan.”

“Well, if you change your mind and stay over another day or two, I’m free tomorrow afternoon. We could go to the spa.”

“Thanks, Liz, but I wasn’t kidding when I told you that my budget isvery tight at the moment.”

“My treat.”

“I really don’t—”

“Oh, for pity’s sake. This is me, your sister, remember? I’m not Dad. It’s okay to let me treat you to an afternoon at the spa.”

“We’ll see,” Clare said.

The compact was waiting precisely where Jake had left it in the otherwise empty driveway in front of the Glazebrook house. The fractured windshield glittered in the hot sun.

Clare got out of the car, hitching her bag over her shoulder. She leaned down to look back at Elizabeth.

“Thanks,” she said.

“Call me when you find out whether or not you’ll be staying for another day or two.”

“I will.”

Clare closed the door. Elizabeth drove back down the driveway.

The front door of the big house opened. Archer came out onto the veranda.

“Thought Jake was going to bring you back here this morning,” he said without preamble.

“Elizabeth and I had breakfast. She offered me a lift. It was more convenient. I called the rental company on the way here. They’re going to deliver a replacement car and send a tow truck for this one. They said the new car will be here in about an hour.”

“Good. Too hot to sit out by the pool. Let’s go inside.”

“I thought you would be at the office by now.”

“Been waiting for you.”

Might as well find out what this is all about,Clare thought. She tightened her grip on her purse and walked toward the veranda.

“Sorry about Valerie last night,” Archer said gruffly. “She’s got a problem with the booze these days.”

“I noticed.”

She followed him warily into the house.

“Where’s Myra?” she asked.

“There’s a meeting of the board of directors of the Arts Academy this morning. She’s the president.”

“I see.”

They sat opposite each other on two leather chairs facing the view of the pool and the mountains. The housekeeper brought iced tea.

“I’ll get right to the point,” Archer said. “I know you’ve had trouble finding a new job.”

“Something will turn up sooner or later,” she said, stirring her iced tea with the long swizzle stick.

“Like what?”

“Well, I hear there are a lot of opportunities selling time-shares in Las Vegas.”

“I’m asking you a serious question, damn it.”

She hesitated and then gave a mental shrug. “I’m thinking of opening my own business.”

Archer frowned. “What the devil do you know about running a business?”

“Not much.” She smiled blandly. “But it sounds like fun so I thought, what the heck, why not give it a whirl?”

He narrowed his eyes. “Do you always have to be so damned sarcastic?”

“No. I only get that way when I’m feeling pressured.”

Archer settled deeper into his chair. “Look, I know that the reason you lost your job and your fiancé was probably the gossip that went around after Brad got killed.”

“It didn’t help, that’s for sure.”

“Figured the rumors would die down fairly quickly, to tell you the truth.”

“So did I,” she admitted. “But it doesn’t seem to be working out that way.”

“That’s why I want to offer you a job,” Archer said.

She choked on her iced tea. It took a minute to catch her breath.

“No thanks,” she said automatically.

“Hell, I knew you were going to say that. So damned stubborn.”

She set her half-finished iced tea on the coffee table. “Maybe I should go now.”

“Hear me out first. It’s the least you can do.”

She smiled a little at that. “Theleast I can do?”

“You’re my daughter, damn it. Not my fault I didn’t know you existed until a few months ago. Your mother had no right to keep that secret from me.”

“She thought she was doing what was best for everyone concerned.”

“Yeah, well, she was wrong.”

Clare exhaled slowly. “I didn’t come here to argue about a decision that was made more than three decades ago and over which I had no control.”

Anger and frustration flashed across Archer’s face. “Why did you come, in that case?”

“Mom insisted.”

Archer grimaced. “Should have guessed.”

“Maybe we should change the subject.”

“Fine by me,” Archer said grimly. “Here’s the deal. I’m thinking of setting up a charitable foundation and I want you to take charge of it.”

She was too flabbergasted to respond. She just sat there, staring at him.

“Well?” Archer said, scowling. “What do you have to say about my offer?”

“I think,” she said, spacing each word with exacting precision, “that setting up a charitable foundation is a terrific idea. You’ve got more money than any one human being needs. You could do a lot of good with it.”

Archer seemed satisfied. “Right.”

“I’m sure you’re aware that foundations require large endowments.”

“I’m not stupid, Clare.”

“Really, reallybig endowments,” she emphasized. “The kind that can have a serious impact on what is left over for your heirs.”

For the first time he seemed amused. “Starting to worry about your inheritance, after all? I thought you told me you weren’t interested in my money.”

“Now who’s being sarcastic?”

He made an obvious bid for patience. “Yes, Clare, I’m aware that setting up a well-endowed foundation will cut into the inheritance I plan to leave for my heirs. Don’t worry about it. There will be plenty left over for them and for any children they might have. Matt will take the company into the future and make even more money for the next several generations. Trust me, I can afford to fire up a foundation.”

“Have you discussed this with Myra?”

“No. I talked it over with Owen but I asked him to keep quiet about it until I had a chance to discuss it with you.”

“Why the secrecy?” Clare asked, opening her parasenses cautiously.

“Because I wanted to get you on board first.”

The pulse of truth reverberated in the words.

“You’re not planning to set up this foundation of yours just so you can give me a job, are you?” she asked.

“It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while.”

Not an outright lie, she decided. But Archer was not telling the whole truth, either.

“Since when?” she asked.

His mouth twitched a little. “You’re the skeptical type, aren’t you?”

“I have trust issues.”

“The idea came to me a few months back.”

“Right after you found out that I got fired from my job at the Draper Trust and it became obvious I was having trouble finding a new position?”

Archer moved one hand negligently. “I’m not saying that there was no connection. I’m telling you that it all came together in my head a few months ago.”

“Far be it from me to discourage you from giving away some of your money but I honestly don’t think it would be a good idea to put me at the head of your new foundation.”

“Why the hell not?”

“Well, for starters, you’d want to be in charge,” she said. “My ultimate goal has always been to be my own boss.”

“I’d give you your head. It’s not like you haven’t had plenty of experience in the field. You’ll know what you’re doing.”

“Let’s not kid each other, Archer. We both know that you’ve dedicated your life to building your empire. You’ll certainly want the final word when it comes to deciding who gets your money and what they spend it on.”

He snorted. “Well, it would bemy foundation, after all. I ought to have some say in where the money goes.”

She picked up her tea. “I agree.”

“Doesn’t mean you wouldn’t be in charge.”

“Yes,” she said. “It means exactly that.”

Annoyance hardened Archer’s sun-weathered face. “Doesn’t look to me like you’re going to get a better offer anywhere else.”

Clare’s stomach knotted. “Please don’t tell me you’re the one who’s been calling every potential employer I’ve contacted in the past six months and warning them not to hire me.”

“Hell, no.” Archer slammed his hand flat on the table. “You really think I’d do something low-down and nasty like that just to get my way?”

“If it was sufficiently important to you, yes.”

For a few seconds she thought he was going to explode. Then he heaved a heavy sigh. “Your mother told you a little about me, huh?” he said.

“She said you could be ruthless. At least you were in the old days.”

“You don’t build the kind of company Owen and I built unless you’re willing to play hardball.”

“I don’t doubt that for a minute.”

“I did what I had to do,” Archer said. “But I had my own rules and I stuck by them. As God is my witness, I never took advantage of anyone who was weaker than me or anyone who didn’t know how to play the game.”

He was telling the truth, Clare decided.

“That sounds fair enough to me,” she said quietly. “But you have to admit those rules do leave some wiggle room.”

“Won’t argue with that. But I didn’t use that wiggle room to call up people in San Francisco to tell them not to hire you.”

“Okay. I believe you.”

He looked at her. “Be reasonable, Clare. It doesn’t look like you’re going to get a better offer anywhere else.”

“I know. That’s why I’m thinking about setting up my own business.”

“Why did you get into the charitable foundation field?”

“It wasn’t my first choice, but I have to admit that it turned out to be a reasonably satisfying alternative.” She paused. “At least until recently.”

“What was your first choice?”

She hesitated and then decided there was no harm in telling him the truth. “For the past several years, I’ve dreamed of going to work for Jones & Jones.”