Retribution

by Jasmine White

  ~ ~ ~

  Wednesday had come around fast, bringing with it the sun, shining brightly as it warmed the chill from the morning. The mirrored hallway of Wesley’s penthouse reflected the lime green of Katherine’s dress, her white scarf hung loosely around her neck.

  McNab, Wesley’s man that moved him between his “cottage” and his penthouse, showed her into the living room where Wesley stood by a mahogany bookshelf, dressed in slacks and a pullover sweater. His eyes brightened when he caught sight of Katherine. He let out a low whistle. “Nice haircut, although it’s going to take me a while to get used to you with short curls. Sophisticated, that’s word for it.”

  She smiled and pulled off her gloves, an action which to her seemed like the shedding of events, including Drake’s death a week prior, from her mind. This was work now. She had to focus on work and not let her personal preoccupation with Johnny interfere.

  “It felt like time for a change. Besides, I don’t want to embarrass you in front of your sweetheart—and my potential future boss.”

  “No need to worry about that.” The words had barely left Wesley’s lips before the buzzer rang and she followed him back down the hall where McNab held the door open; in swept an attractive, petite brunette with sparkling black eyes and smooth olive skin. Her draping green dress was the latest word in fashion.

  “Wesley, good morning.” The woman literally skipped across the remaining expanse of the floor over to Wesley, reminding Katherine of a child bouncing up and down waiting for candy. No wonder she was so slim; she didn’t give the impression of being able to sit still for long.

  “Finally here?” Wesley winked at Katherine. “We’ve been waiting forever.” He surveyed her and the enveloping green dress. “What, out of mourning already?”

  “Yes.” The motion with which her hand swept the mossy dress was as though she were clearing away an unseen cobweb. “Well, it’s not like he was blood related, just a close family friend. I think it’s quite appropriate.”

  Katherine’s eyes held an unspoken question as they met Wesley’s. His gaze held hers as he responded, “Pamela’s family came up here for Professor Drake’s funeral.” Katherine was startled. She had no idea that Wesley’s friend would’ve known Phillip as well. It seemed as though she couldn’t escape for today, after all.

  Pamela pivoted as he spoke and saw Katherine standing awkwardly next to the door. “Oh my! I’m so sorry—I didn’t see you standing there.” She released Wesley, walked at a more normal pace over to Katherine, and extended her hand, flashing a genuine smile. “I’m Pamela. You must be Kate? Wesley speaks often of you.”

  Kate shook Pamela’s hand, instantly liking her but slightly overwhelmed by the woman’s vibrant personality. “Only good things, I hope.”

  “Oh, of course. Nothing but the best. He’s always raving about how talented you are . . . but he somehow left out how pretty you were, though. I wonder why.” She looked up coyly at Wesley.

  “Yes, Wesley, tell us why.” Katherine teased. “Were you afraid it would overshadow her perception of my architectural skills?”

  “Perhaps he sees you in a different light than the rest of us.” Pamela laughed.

  “I should’ve known you two girls would be dangerous together.” A dull red color crept up his face as he edged towards to the door. Katherine's eyebrows rose in amusement at his evident uncomfortable state. It wasn’t like Wesley to be bashful.

  “Yes, let’s go,” Pamela agreed, following his movement for the door. “If we hurry we can finish in time to grab some dinner downtown.” And with that suggestion she slid her arm underneath Wesley’s and chatted the entire way down to his convertible.

  Pamela kept up such a consistent monologue that, by the time they reached the car, Katherine felt as though she’d known her prospective client for years. Nothing seemed too guarded or private to share. By the time they’d left the parking lot, Katherine knew all about Pamela’s mother, her father, and her stepbrother whom she rarely saw. But another question was bugging Kate that she didn’t dare ask: what else Pamela knew about Drake.

  The city’s high-rises gave background to the burning curiosity in Katherine's mind, and, as Wesley maneuvered the auto, she tried to satisfy it by directing questions to Pamela. “Where is your new place?”

  “Oh gosh, I’m so terrible with directions.” Pamela paused for an instant, her brow creased as she mentally drove to the beach house. “We go up the highway for a bit, then turn off towards the bay . . . then the turnoff is close to the water on the left.”

  And all the while Pamela continued describing her house to Katherine until she finally realized Wesley had pulled the convertible to a stop—several minutes prior. Stepping out of the car in relief, Kate held the door for Pamela, who instead clambered out Wesley’s side.

  They’d pulled off onto a small sandy inlet which lay practically on the beach, but Kate couldn’t at first see any house. Then she saw it. Hidden behind a cluster of palm trees and some natural landscaping, a large Spanish-style stucco sat almost directly on the sandy beach. A steep treelined cliff led up to the highway behind it.

  “Every time I see it I just want to run up to it and hug it!” Pamela squealed excitedly.

  “How do we get there?” Katherine asked, noting no appearance of a driveway.

  “That’s part of the problem.” Wesley informed her. “The previous owner was a bit eccentric . . . valued his privacy quite a bit and took some measures to make sure he’d keep it. The lack of a road is one of them. Only way to the house is on those small stepping stones or through the sand.” He motioned to blue, purposefully misshapen stonework that formed a little winding path down the hill, then to the sandy stretch of beach winding around in a semicircle. “The house is situated in such a way that when the tide is up, the house is virtually inaccessible, unless you want to swim, of course, though the water never really actually reaches the house since its protected by the cove.”

  “This man sounds intriguing. Wesley, almost sounds like something you’d do.” Katherine playfully nudged him with a wink before she continued. “Must have been quite an eccentric, as you put it. What was he, a movie star or something?” She was pulling off her heels to walk in the sand, and, looking at Wesley from the corner of her eye, saw him putting out his arm to assist Pamela.

  “Something like that.” He paused. Pamela continued walking ahead, and Kate looked up at him; their eyes met and he said with a grin, “But no, he couldn’t be anything like me. I’m far too dashing.”

  “Uh huh.” She laughed and took a step into the sand, only to grimace as she glanced down at her legs. Another pair of silk stockings ruined. Lifting her skirt several inches, she examined the damage. No wonder Pamela hadn’t worn any.

  “Should be able to write off a new pair of stockings as a tax-deductible expense,” Wesley commented, joking aside, his eyes on her legs.

  Katherine flushed and straightened, at the same time pulling her skirt down quickly over her knees.

  He laughed at her surprised expression, and she thought his eyes looked rather smoldering to her as they met hers. “I know business better than you think.”

  Uncomfortable, she glanced away and forced her voice to remain on a light note. “Forgive me. Apparently I was grossly mistaken about your business abilities.” The last sentence she dropped behind her back as she made a mental note to be more careful in the future about how she teased Wesley and hurried to catch up with Pamela, who stood impatiently in the sand before them.

  “Well? What do you think of my beach house?”

  Katherine hoped her face wasn’t flushed as she pulled her thoughts away from Wesley and turned her attention to the house. “It going to have an amazing view, I can tell. Does not having a garage or better parking bother you?”

  “Oh, not particularly.” Pamela giggled as they reached the door and she pulled out a full keychain. “It’s exciting for me to have to walk somewhere. I can almost hide out here. Except it’s
almost a bit creepy. ” She shivered at the last.

  Only half of what Pamela was saying registered with Kate, who was having a hard time keeping her attention on the house. Was Wesley making a play for her? He seemed different in a way she couldn’t quite put a finger on. It was almost like he was more down to earth, more accessible and yet—sort of reckless? She tried the last thought on for size and it seemed to fit like the key her potential boss was inserting into the lock; the grating noise snapped her wandering mind back to the present and she mentally warned herself to focus on her job.

  Pamela pushed open the door and stepped inside; then Wesley stepped back to allow Katherine to enter before him. Pausing inside the hallway, Kate took in the sleek polished wood finishing contrasted by colonial furniture and floral patterns against a backdrop of traditional architecture. The large beach-facing window was the center of attention, spanning the upper and lower levels where it was flanked by a spiral staircase. Intricate crown moldings formed into archways breaking the large space up into smaller sections. The house had a friendly, if not mismatched vibe and she looked around in pleasure. No wonder Pamela said she felt like hugging it.

  In the northeast corner stretched three tall bookshelves in front of which two leather chairs lounged casually. A lonely door with a rustic handle, slightly ajar, peeked from a yellow expanse of wall on the left side of the bookcases, and a glimpse of the kitchen with its terracotta floor was visible through it.

  They moved through a Pamela-led tour of the house, passing through the first story before making their way up to the second story. As they started down the spiral staircase, Katherine paused, catching her breath at a view of the ocean perfectly framed in ebony window trimming. “The view really is marvelous. I can practically smell the salt water.”

  “That’s because the window is open.” Wesley pointed to a lower, separate piece of the window, which was cracked several inches.

  Katherine rolled her eyes and instead directed another question to Pamela, who was giggling at Wesley’s comment. “What exactly did you want done with the place? It’s charming and has a unique personality of its own. I’m not sure I’d want to change much structurally.”

  Pamela puckered her brow and surveyed the room as though for the first time. “I don’t know. It might be more of an interior designer that I need. It looks great—that’s why I bought it—but something about it just looks old to me. I want it to feel more modern, not so nineteenth-century-ish. I tried bringing in a bunch of new furniture, but it still feels old to me.”

  “In other words. Change everything but don’t change anything.”

  “Shut up, Wesley.” Pamela giggled again. “She knows what I mean.”

  “I believe I get it. You want me to redesign the interior. Mostly decorating, maybe move some structural elements if necessary, but you want to keep the quaint cozy feeling that drew you to the house in the beginning.”

  “See?” Pamela playfully poked Wesley’s side as they reached the bottom of the stairs. “She does know exactly what I want.”

  “Apparently she can read your mind all right, but she seemed to have a hard time reading mine. ” Grant’s eyes met Kate’s. She quickly looked down, afraid of the intensity she saw there. What was he getting at? Did he still have feelings for her? She thought that was over between them long ago. He was acting so jovial today she couldn’t figure out if he was joking or not.

  Trying to ignore him, Kate said, “A new paint job would be ideal. Maybe switch around the placement of some of the rooms—it looks a bit odd to me having that little library section over there. Perhaps we should give the library an area of its own?”

  But by now Pamela’s attention was waning as she casually glanced around. “Sure, sounds good. Could you show me a sketch or model of it before you start working?”

  “Of course. I’ll make some watercolor renderings of everything. Naturally I’ll have to come back and measure all the interior rooms. You don’t happen to have a copy of the original floor plans? That would save me a lot of time.”

  Pamela’s face went blank and Katherine realized she’d almost lost her attention completely as the woman thought for a moment. “No. I don’t believe I do. I think the realtor mentioned something about them, but I don’t remember exactly what he said.”

  “Oh. That’s okay.” Katherine assured her, now wanting to finish up the work discussion equally as bad. “It just would’ve been nice to have something to go off of.”

  “But you really don’t need them, do you?” Worry tinged Pamela’s voice. “Those old drawings. Can’t you just think up something new?”

  “Of course. I can take my own measurements for what’s needed.”

  “Great. Then we should go for a swim! It’s a lovely day for a swim.” Pamela squeaked with excitement.

  Katherine looked longingly at the inviting beach. “If only I’d brought my suit. I had no idea you were planning on swimming.”

  “Oh, it’s okay,” Pamela said. “I always have extras for guests. I’m sure you can find your size.” Indecisiveness trapped Kate between spending time with Pamela and Wesley and wanting to see Johnny. She thought about her promise to call him if it looked interesting, about him not liking to be left alone.

  “There’s plenty of time for you to work.” Wesley said, obviously attributing her hesitation to her work ethic. “Pamela is going to give you a spare key anyway. You can come here to work whenever you like, Just not when we’re around wanting to have fun.”

  “All right.” She finally conceded, flashing Pamela a quick grin. “Swimming sounds great. Mind if I call Johnny and see if he wants to join in?”

  Wesley was shaking his head when Pamela answered, “Of course! You can invite anyone you like. There are plenty of swimsuits to go around.”