by Fiona Grace
Mia could not believe her eyes. Jeffrey had dressed in a tight pinstripe suit that somehow made him appear shorter. On one side of his forehead was a large purple lump that made him look like Quasimodo. But since Mia had last seen him in Room 17, things had gotten worse. He now had a black eye that had made his face seem lopsided.
“Oh my goodness, Jeffy, what happened to you?” Brynn gasped.
“I told you! I slipped in the shower. There’s something screwy about that room,” he said, his body coiled and tight.
“I suppose this must be our host,” Jeffrey said, staring at Graham Stone. A flare of jealousy appeared in his eyes.
“Wow, that shiner looks pretty bad,” Graham said and extended his hand.
“Jeffrey Costa, I’m a lawyer, by the way.” Jeffrey squeezed Graham’s hand until his knuckles were white.
“Quite a grip you have,” Graham said, pulling his fingers away and turning his focus back to Brynn. “You are so gorgeous and classy,” he said. “You could be an actress! I know some agents, if you’re interested?”
“Me? An actress?” Brynn giggled at the thought.
“I’m telling you, you’d be great! Look at those cheekbones,” Graham said, admiring Brynn’s chiseled features.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Jeffrey said, staring at Graham with daggers in his eyes.
Mia glanced at Johnny, who seemed amused by the exchange. Mia smiled back at him. It was nice to have a friend at the high-maintenance Middleton dinner. A waiter started to shove menus into the dinner guests’ hands.
“Upscale pub food,” Daniel whispered to Madison and Reynolds.
“How quaint,” Madison said.
The waiter shuttled drinks to the table as they all ordered.
Jeffrey kept looking over his shoulder at the door, expectantly.
Mia noticed his strange behavior and looked in the direction of his gaze.
A man was approaching the table, dressed in a dark blue dinner jacket over an argyle sweater. He was tan and built like a football player. Mia gasped in alarm. She knew that blond, blue-eyed jock anywhere. It was her ex-fiancé, Mark. Despite his angelic looks, he was selfish and inconsiderate. He’d broken up with her on the same day she got kicked out of her apartment and lost her job. She didn’t like to think about it because it still shook her up. And now, for some reason, he seemed to be stalking her.
Mia shot Brynn a questioning look. But her sister only shrugged and shook her head helplessly. She was obviously out of the loop. Mia had already told Mark she wasn’t interested and she’d warned her family not to interfere with her new life. How could they have invited him? Mia’s nostrils flared with indignation. She tried to hide her reaction but Johnny caught her distress.
“Everything all right?” Johnny whispered.
“Fine,” Mia whispered back. “This is just a bit awkward.”
Mark sat down across from Mia.
“Hey, babe,” Mark said. “You look absolutely amazing.”
“I thought you had to go back to New York,” Mia said testily, drumming her fingers on the wooden table.
“Nah, I stayed to see my girl,” Mark said and took his seat. He eyed Johnny suspiciously. “Are you going to introduce us?”
“Johnny—Mark,” Mia said, annoyed and exasperated.
“Oh, the co-host,” Mark said. “Well, I’m the boyfriend.”
“Ex-boyfriend,” Mia said, cheeks flaring red.
“Come on, Mia.” Mark grinned. “We have unfinished business, don’t we? I was thinking after dinner we could go get a drink—”
Mia could not believe this was happening. She had been ambushed again! This was getting ridiculous. She needed to find a way to stop her family from interfering in her life. The time had come to do something drastic.
“Johnny, can I speak to you for a second?” Mia whispered.
“Of course,” he said.
“We’ll be right back,” Mia said and stood up. “I want to show Johnny a possible location.”
“Great! Always on the job, that girl,” Graham said and turned back to Brynn as Jeffrey stewed.
Mia and Johnny disappeared into the lobby and Mia walked over to a large ficus tree in a stone pot. She was nervous as she turned to face Johnny.
“You have to help me,” she said.
Johnny held her gaze, his face serious.
“Of course, what do you want me to do?” he said, hands tucked casually into the pockets of his slacks.
“This might sound a little crazy,” Mia said nervously, twisting the ring on her finger.
“You know me, I’m good with crazy,” Johnny said.
“Could you pretend to be my boyfriend?” Mia blurted out.
Johnny’s eyes widened slightly at the proposal, although his expression remained serious.
“Because of that Mark guy?” Johnny said.
“Yes,” Mia said. “I know it’s a lot to ask.”
“So, Mark isn’t your boyfriend?” Johnny said.
“No! He’s my ex and he’s stalking me at this point. I can’t stand it. And my family keeps dragging him along. I’ve already tried putting him off and here he is again.”
“Okay, I’m game,” Johnny said. “But if you really want to get rid of him, we need to make it look good, okay?”
Mia looked into Johnny’s deep hazel eyes and nodded. “Whatever you think will work, I’ll play along.”
They turned to walk back into the dining room.
“Wait,” Johnny said and stopped at the green carpet.
“What?” Mia said.
Johnny slipped his hand into hers. His fingers were cool as they twined through hers intimately and a tingle moved along her body and raced to her stomach, releasing a flock of nervous butterfly sensations.
“You’re my girlfriend, remember?” Johnny said and winked. Mia felt the full heat of his charm and nodded.
They walked back to the table together holding hands. As they crossed the carpet Mark furrowed his brow and stared at the new development with a growing look of annoyance.
Daniel, Madison, and Reynolds also noticed the body language. Daniel’s eyebrows shot up while Madison and Reynolds smiled and whispered.
Mia steeled herself. Words had not worked with Mark or her family. A performance would have to do. Jeffrey and Brynn were too distracted by Graham’s relentless attention to Brynn to notice.
Johnny pulled Mia’s chair out for her and then slid into his seat, letting his body press against hers. Just as they sat down, the waiter placed a New England cheese board with tiny slabs of goat cheese, hard cheddar, and gouda and slices of artisan bread, and small bowls of fresh olive oil and local honey in front of Daniel; crab cake sliders with arugula, tomato, and chipotle sauce in front of Jeffrey, who barely noticed as Graham attempted to get Brynn to share his nacho plate. In front of Johnny and Mia, the waiter set warm cinnamon-spiced crostini topped with melting Brie, cranberry, and crumbled pecans and drizzled with honey.
“You’re dating this guy?” Mark said, annoyed.
Johnny smiled and turned to Mia, who took a delicate bite of her crostini.
“We’re more than dating, aren’t we, darling?” Johnny said and scooped up her free hand. He brushed his lips against her fingertips. Mia blushed and felt her heart flutter. “We’re quite involved.”
“Well, Mia, this is a surprise. Why didn’t we hear anything about your new boyfriend?” Daniel said.
“Honestly, Daniel, you have more important things to think about than my love life,” Mia said pointedly.
“And is this young man an actor?” Daniel said with an edge in his voice.
“I like to think of myself as an entrepreneur, Daniel. I have a production company. I’m what’s known as an influencer on Twitter and Instagram. I have several lucrative contracts with big corporations and I’m an associate-producer on Bell, Book, and Candle. Thanks to Mia, I think we have a good chance of getting a deal with a cable network. She is stunning, isn’t she? Beauty and brains.�
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Mia’s eyes widened and her cheeks flared red. Johnny was laying it on a bit thick, wasn’t he? The fantasy he was creating made her tingle.
Daniel’s expression shifted from haughty know-it-all to suitably impressed, while Mark’s eyebrows knitted together in distress.
The main courses arrived and suddenly the air was filled with spices. The plates sizzled with their entrees. Daniel had baked haddock seasoned with sherry on a bed of sautéed spinach. Madison chose the fennel and peppercorn-crusted grilled swordfish dressed with stewed tomatoes and jasmine rice. Graham, Jeffrey, and Mark all ordered thick gourmet hamburgers while Brynn’s seared salmon was garnished with winter citrus salsa and herbed butter.
Mia’s raspberry flame-grilled chicken salad on mesclun greens with mandarin orange slices and spiced pecans was savory and sweet with a drizzle of crimson raspberry vinaigrette. Johnny’s coconut-curry bowl was an assortment of sautéed vegetables on a bed of sticky rice topped with creamy curry sauce. Reynolds’ penne pasta had a rich, red wine sauce, and was tossed with freshly shaved Parmesan. There was little conversation as each happy diner savored the delicious meal. After they finished eating dinner, the desserts came and Mia and Johnny shared a flourless chocolate torte. Johnny scooped up a spoonful of the black cherry compote with whipped cream.
“Here, darling,” he said and slipped the spoon into her mouth.
The taste was absolutely divine.
“Mmmmmmm,” Mia said. “Yum.”
At this point a red rash flooded up Mark’s neck and his cheeks flushed.
“I have to go,” Mark said and threw his napkin down on the table. He stood up abruptly and stomped off.
“Mark?” Jeffrey said and turned to Mia. “What have you done?”
“Nothing,” Mia said sweetly. “What have you done?”
After dessert, Graham paid the bill with all the bravado of his toreador shirt. Then he made Brynn promise she would call his agent friend.
“Oh, Graham, that’s silly,” Brynn said.
“Why not? This guy does commercials and you’d be great, I’m telling you,” Graham said.
Everyone began dabbing their mouths politely and collecting their handbags and other items to leave.
“Are you coming to the room tonight?” Jeffrey said.
“No, Jeffy, that room is haunted,” Brynn said. “I’m going to stay with Mia.”
Jeffrey looked like he was about to have a meltdown.
“You should probably leave too,” Graham said. “Brynn said you were in room seventeen. That’s the one with the ghost that hates men.”
“There’s no such thing as ghosts,” Jeffrey said. “The whole thing is ridiculous.”
“Well, you look pretty rough,” Graham said. “If you don’t mind my saying. I didn’t believe in ghosts either, but after some of the things I’ve seen in Salem—”
“Suit yourself, Brynn,” Jeffrey said, throwing his napkin on the table. “Thanks for dinner, Stone.”
“Sure, thing,” Graham said as Jeffrey stormed off. He immediately turned his attention back to Brynn. “Now, promise to make that call?”
“Promise,” Brynn said and giggled.
Johnny pulled Mia toward him to embrace her.
“Mark’s gone,” Mia said. “You don’t have to keep pretending.”
“We need to make it look good,” Johnny said and brushed his lips against hers lightly. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Mia felt a tingling, breathless confusion sweep through her body. Then Johnny released her and left. She turned to find Brynn staring at her.
“What is going on between you two?” Brynn said.
“I’m not sure,” Mia said, trying to shake off the emotional fog.
Now that the evening was over, she had one more thing to do and she couldn’t let her stirred up hormones interfere. The Hawthorne Hotel was where her real father, Frank Bold, had stayed when he was in town. She needed to see if there was some clue to his existence.
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
Mia walked up to the front desk of the Hawthorne Hotel with Brynn in tow. A young woman with dark hair drawn back in a ponytail and a gold name tag that read “Janet” was typing on a computer.
“Can I help you?” she said as Mia stood at the desk.
“I’m not sure,” Mia said. “I’m looking for a guest that stayed at your hotel. He stayed here about a month ago. Maybe you could tell me whether you remember him?”
“Are you related to the guest?” Janet said matter-of-factly.
“Yes, I’m his daughter,” Mia said.
“Name?”
“Frank Bold.”
The moment Mia uttered his name, Brynn gasped and Janet looked up in surprise.
“Could you wait here for a second?” Janet said and disappeared into the back room. Brynn grabbed Mia’s arm and squeezed.
“Your dad?” Brynn said. “I thought he’d been missing for years?”
“Well, he turned up in Salem,” Mia said.
“Oh my gosh, Mimi. That’s crazy!”
Through a crack in the door, Mia saw her dialing a phone and whispering into the receiver. Then she returned to the front desk.
“Is everything okay?” Mia said.
“The concierge will be right with you,” Janet said.
Across the lobby, a tall, slender man appeared. He was wearing a suit jacket and a gold tag like the desk clerk. As he came closer he smiled broadly. His name tag read “Concierge: Samuel Reed.”
“So, you’re Mia Bold? We weren’t sure if you really existed,” Samuel said. “Will you excuse me? I just need to get something from the safe.”
He walked past Mia and Brynn and stepped behind the desk before slipping through the office door out of sight.
Brynn tugged at Mia’s sleeve.
“What’s going on, Mimi?” Brynn said.
“I’m not sure,” Mia said.
After a second, Samuel reemerged as Janet looked on from a safe distance.
“Do you mind if I see some ID?” Samuel said. “Just a formality, so I can be sure it’s really you?”
“What’s this about?” Mia said, fishing through her bag for her wallet. She pulled out her driver’s license.
Samuel nodded and reached in his pocket. He extracted a pale envelope and handed it to Mia. Scrawled across the surface was her own name. She recognized the handwriting immediately. The refined cursive belonged to her father and seeing it took her breath away. He wrote me a letter? Mia thought, nervous to open the envelope.
“Your father said you’d turn up here and ask about him, so he left us strict instructions to deliver this message to you.”
Mia looked up at Samuel in shock. Her blood seemed to freeze in her veins. Frank had known she would show up at this hotel?
“Does my father come here often?” Mia said.
“Indeed,” Samuel said. “The laird visits us every year. It was a pleasure to meet you,” Samuel said. “You look just like him, but prettier of course.” He smiled, made a slight bow, and disappeared.
“Why would he do that, Mimi?” Brynn said.
Mia was tempted to open the envelope right there, but she couldn’t trust her emotions. She tucked the letter in her bag.
“Let’s go find out,” Mia said and headed for the valet.
***
Back at the apartment, Tandy and Rose were excited to see Mia and Brynn. Tandy jumped up on Mia, kissing her face, and Rose did a turn around the cat run, hopping lightly from board to board before jumping onto the mantelpiece and down to the ground. Then she padded across the room to greet Mia and Brynn with little mincing steps. Mia walked to the kitchen and made two cups of hot chocolate with marshmallows. She brought Brynn her cup and they both settled down in the living room.
Mia took the letter from her father out of her bag and spread it open on the coffee table. It was written on thick, creamy stationery with the logo of the Hawthorne Hotel in one corner. Mia remembered her dad’s handwriting and the sight
of it made her feel deeply emotional. Her eyes stung with tears and she sucked in her breath. After all this time she’d finally gotten a message from her father, but it was so strange, she wasn’t sure what to think.
“What does it mean?” Brynn said.
Mia reread the words.
Dear Mia,
When I heard you moved to Salem, I realized it was only a matter of time until you found my trail.
You were always a clever girl and worthy of the name Bold.
By now you know that the people of Salem consider me to be Laird Frank Bold. And though there is a mystery here, not all deceptions are lies.
The reason I’ve been gone all these years is to protect you, Mia. I will always love you and be your father, but you need to give up the search.
Forces bigger than you and I are at play here.
So, look no further.
With love, always.
Your father,
Frank Bold
Tears welled up in Mia’s eyes as she read the words. Brynn scooted over beside her on the couch and hugged her. Although Mia fought the tears, they started to flow. How long had she dreamed of her father telling her that he loved her? But the words were also cryptic, and created more questions than answers.
“Oh Mimi, it’s going to be okay,” Brynn said. “I know it.”
“It’s just the shock, I’ll be fine,” Mia said and dried her eyes.
“He’s alive though,” Brynn said, patting her back. “And you’re good at solving mysteries.”
Brynn handed Mia her cup of hot chocolate. Mia wiped her tears away and took a sip of the warm, comforting drink. Tandy snuggled under Mia’s arm, sensing her distress. She petted him while she considered what to do next. The letter was certainly strange. What did Frank mean by “not all deceptions are lies” and “forces bigger than you and I are at play here”? Why was he known in Salem as a Scottish lord? One thing had been cleared up: Frank was lost on purpose—apparently to protect her.
From what? Mia wondered, frustrated. The letter seemed to be a warning.
“I just can’t figure out why he was here,” Mia said. “Or what he’s trying to protect me from.”
