by Peggy Jaeger
He had to. He couldn’t risk caring for someone again, no matter how much he wanted to. It hurt too damn much when it didn’t work out.
For now, he’d concentrate on the task at hand.
Do what he’d pledged to do.
* * *
They met in the gym at the appointed morning hour, both beginning their run at the same time. Kandy’s iPod was in place and Josh turned the television to the news. After forty minutes, he heard her machine switch to the cooldown mode. It didn’t take his investigative skills to recognize she was averting her gaze.
Realizing she might be upset about what had almost happened in the kitchen, he wanted to explain, to apologize, but she didn’t give him the chance. When the machine stopped, she hopped off and said over her shoulder, “We have to leave in a half hour.”
“I’ll be ready.”
All thoughts of her being upset with him vanished when she smiled straight at his face and said, “No surprise there,” before tossing a towel over her shoulder and leaving him alone to finish his run.
Relief washed through his system as her cute butt strutted out the door. Either she hadn’t realized what his intention had been, or she’d put it from her mind, choosing to ignore it. Whatever way she’d decided to play it, Josh was grateful she wasn’t angry.
* * *
“Kandy, these are the best muffins I’ve ever eaten,” the reviewer said, rolling his eyes and smacking his lips together.
“I’m so glad you like them.” Kandy smiled.
So far he’d consumed half the loaf of bread she’d buttered, in addition to the muffins. The pot of Sophie’s blend was almost empty as well.
“If he keeps this up, he’ll explode before the interview is over,” Stacy whispered to Josh as they stood off to one side of the set.
Stacy had suggested the studio kitchen for the setting of the magazine interview, thinking it might give a homey air to the food critic’s mind-set when he wrote his article and book review.
Kandy effortlessly answered all the questions posed to her while refilling the reviewer’s coffee cup frequently and catering to all his gustatory needs.
“He looks like a food reviewer,” Josh said, taking in the man’s ample girth.
Stacy bit back a giggle. After a moment she looked up at him and asked, “How was she last night? Was she okay after…everything?”
He didn’t tell her about the phone call or the visit to Daniel.
“Fine. She started baking the second we got back to her place. It kept her occupied for most of the evening. Then her mom called. I went to do some work and Kandy went to bed.”
Stacy’s sigh was heavy. “Good. Cooking and baking are Kandy’s therapy. At least it took her mind off all this for a while.”
Josh nodded. “Like clockwork, she was in the gym this morning.”
A smile traipsed across Stacy’s face, full of mirth. “You get up at that ridiculous hour, too? What is it, four thirty?”
Josh winced, remembering how little sleep he’d actually gotten. “Yeah. Right on time.”
“Like I told you, she’s a creature of habit. But it works for her.”
Kandy and the reviewer rose at the same time, the man’s hand outstretched. She clasped it and pulled him forward to plant a chaste kiss on his cheek. The man, flustered and caught off guard, nonetheless beamed like a lit Christmas tree as he pumped the hand he still held. Stacy took this as her cue and came forward to escort him from the set.
When they were out of hearing, Kandy came over to him and laughed. “I was worried I didn’t make enough food.”
Josh chuckled while his eyes raked over her.
She appeared relaxed and worry-free, as if the horror of the past few days had been erased from her mind.
“Oh well, at least I know he’ll write a good review of the book, so it was worth it.”
Josh followed her as she made her way to her dressing room.
“I’ve got just one segment to film before we leave,” she told him in the elevator. “I want to be at the house by two at the latest to start Ellie’s cake.”
“The way you drive we’ll be there by one,” he mumbled.
“I heard that. Do you have beach clothes with you?”
“What, like bathing trunks?”
She nodded. “Shorts, sandals. Beachwear. We’ll be there until Sunday morning.”
“No, but it’s okay. I’m not big on swimming. I’ll be okay with slacks and shoes.”
She shrugged and said, “Suit yourself.”
He walked her into the makeup room, enjoyed the flirting of the aunts for a few minutes, and then listened as they all began talking about the birthday bash.
More than a hundred people were descending on Kandy’s hospitality this weekend and she was responsible for the entire menu. Games were planned for the kids, and a bonfire idea was tossed around for Saturday night.
As Kandy was made-up, primped, and fluffed, Josh excused himself to make a few phone calls. He didn’t go far, just retreating to the empty hallway outside the makeup room.
The first call was to his friend at the city’s CSU lab.
“Got anything on that knife for me, Paul?”
“Nothing useful,” Paul said. “I lifted a clear set of prints but I couldn’t find a computer match, so your guy’s never been in the system. Knife’s a standard kitchen issue, probably from a steak set.”
“So, not really traceable.”
“No. One interesting thing, though, with the rodent.”
“What?”
“It didn’t die from the stab wound or the decapitation. It was poisoned first. Routine rat poison. Stab and slice was made postmortem.”
“Anything else?”
“Not now.”
“Okay. Thanks. I appreciate it.”
“Don’t mention it. Just buy me a couple beers sometime when you’re free. It’s been a while.”
“You got it.”
After breaking the connection, Josh called his office. He’d made several calls the day before, doing background checks on a few of Kandy’s associates, and was awaiting results.
Rick answered on the first ring.
“Got anything for me?”
“Yup,” his partner said. “First, this Mason guy?”
“Yeah?”
“He’s got a long acting history in his background. Did some Broadway, a couple films, before the switch to directing.”
“So what does that give me?”
“Nothing, but he went to an all-boy’s school straight up until college. Was the lead in a bunch of plays and musicals. The female lead in a few.”
Josh’s ears perked up.
“The reviews I could find in the local papers said he made an excellent Maria in the Sound of Music and a pretty good Emma. Know what I’m thinking?”
“Yeah. He can sound like a woman if he wants to. Interesting.”
“I thought so. I’ve still got some feelers out on the others you asked for. Should have them by later this afternoon.”
“I’ll check back then.”
After he put his cell back in his pants’ pocket, Stacy got off the elevator and made her way toward him.
“I can guarantee she’s going to get a four-star review,” she told him with a big smile. “He couldn’t stop talking about how great everything tasted. He asked me twice if Kandy would divulge the secret blend of her coffee.”
“What did you tell him?”
“The truth. It’s a secret from everyone except Kandy, and she’s not about to tell. Not in this lifetime, anyway.”
Josh nodded. “I wanted to ask you something and I’d prefer not to do it in front of an audience.”
Her happy face grew serious at his tone. “What’s the matter?”
“Nothing. I just wanted to get a bead on some of the people who’ll be at the party this weekend. I heard your mom and aunt say there’s about a hundred guests.”
“Uncle Peter, too?”
Her eyebrows rose at the question. “I don’t really know. Aunt Hannah was in charge of talking to him about the party.”
Josh nodded. “Anyone not family invited?”
“The Masons, although I don’t know if they’ll make it. According to Cort, Alyssa doesn’t like the beach. I know Reva’s coming, and she’s bringing her live-in. Some of the crew. Kandy gave Ellie the option of inviting some of her friends, and I think there’s about twenty of them coming. But they’re all college kids. They’re not connected in any way to Kandy, other than she’s Ellie’s sister.”
“Anyone else?”
Stacey shook her head. “Kandy doesn’t really have any girlfriends outside of her sisters and cousins.”
“No college roommate? No cooking school buddies?”
“No. Look, you’ve seen for yourself how her life is. When does she have time for friends? When does she even have time for herself?”
It was a question he’d asked as well. In the brief time he’d been with her, Kandy had basically gone to work and then home, with the book bash a brief stop along the way. Other than himself, Daniel, and her chauffeur, she’d seen no one else except her working crew and family. She’d spent long hours at the studio and then gone home. No dinner engagements, no trips to the movies, or shopping.
It was a hard, lonely life, to his mind, for such a young, vibrant woman.
Speaking to Stacy made him realize his life was much the same. All work and nothing much else.
Kandy emerged from the makeup room a moment later.
“What are you two conspiring about?”
Once again he was taken by how beautiful she was, even under the heavy studio makeup. Her lustrous, healthy skin shone right through it, the dramatic lining of her eyes to accentuate them on screen made the blue color more intense, more striking, like winking crystals.
Lucy had chosen a floral short-sleeved shirt for her to wear over a slim-fitting pale blue skirt. White sandals graced her feet and Josh noticed for the first time the ruby-red nail polish accenting her toes. Her thick, curly hair was pulled back at the sides, secured in the back with a pink rose barrette.
She looked like a teenager and a society maven all rolled into one.
“Nothing,” Stacy said. “You ready?”
“Yup.”
“I just spoke with Cort. He’s got the kitchen all lit and ready to go. It’ll just be the premiere intro for today. He wants to shoot the finale when everything else is done and edited together.”
“Okay. That’s what we discussed yesterday.You coming?” she asked him.
He nodded. “Joined at the hip.”
Chapter Thirteen
They’d finished earlier than expected and she’d taken the opportunity to cut out for the weekend. After telling the crew to take the rest of the day off, she’d washed away Aunt Callie’s makeup, changed into jeans and a T-shirt with a cashmere sweater tossed over her shoulders, and pulled her hair into a ponytail.
Her chauffeur had driven the Corvette over from her garage and was waiting downstairs to hand over the keys.
“I’m driving,” Kandy declared once they were in the elevator.
“I’d like to get there alive,” Josh told her, his overnight bag in one hand, her small one in the other.
“You will,” she said. “Anyway, I know exactly where my house is. You don’t. The turnoff to my lane is very tricky and you can easily miss it, so it just makes sense for me to drive.”
“You can navigate,” he said. “I’m very good at taking direction.”
“Oh really?” she countered. “I haven’t seen you do anything but give orders for the past few days.”
He stared at her lovely face, now free of everything but moisturizer. Her lips were delicately curved upward at the corners and he could see the playfulness mixed with steel in her eyes.
“Then you’ll be relieved to know I’m not stopping now. I’m driving. No arguments.”
It was her turn to stare at him. The small smile vanished and a mote of anger blossomed in its place.
“You can be very overbearing, you know that? It’s not an attractive trait.”
“Part of the job, Kandy. You can rest for a while. I know my way out there. I’ll just need you for the final detour.”
“Let me make myself clear, Josh.”
He saw the warmth in her eyes drop several degrees and felt his insides flash hot at her ire.
Since when did anger turn him on?
“My car. My house. I’m driving. No arguments.”
With his own words thrust back at him, he tried valiantly to stifle the grin threatening to erupt across his face. The elevator doors opened and she sprinted out on those long legs into the lobby without another word.
Josh knew she wasn’t a woman used to being challenged. She threw her purse over her shoulder and he watched, engrossed, the haughty sway of her hips as she galloped out of the elevator. Without a moment’s hesitation he got hard as a stone at the look of her cute butt in those tight jeans.
He’d probably lost the driving fight, but it had been worth it to see the temper surface on her. He hadn’t thought she could be lovelier than she already was, but the heat in her eyes and fire on her cheeks proved him wrong.
He alighted from the elevator in time to catch Evan Chandler jog up to Kandy, startle her, and grab her upper arm.
All carnal thoughts vanished. She was a good twenty feet ahead of him, and the lobby was busy due to the hour, but, like a rocket firing, he covered the space in seconds.
Chandler seemed to be pleading with her, his hand still on her upper arm. Kandy tried to pull away but as she yanked backward, he tugged her forward, never stopping his speech.
Josh took it all in as he bolted toward them. The one goal in his mind was protecting Kandy. Getting Chandler to release her was the main objective in that goal and he had the advantage of surprise on his side. Seizing Chandler’s arm, he spun her ex-lover around. The astonishment on the man’s face would have been humorous if Josh had been in the mood for comedy.
He wasn’t.
The only thing on his mind as he dragged Chandler off was to hurt him. In a nanosecond his fist connected with the man’s face.
Sprawled on his back, blood shooting from his nose, Chandler screamed and cursed.
Ignoring him, Josh turned to Kandy. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”
She stared at him with such intensity, such severity, he thought she might faint as she had on the roof. Her color had turned to chalk and her pupils were so constricted, all he could see was blue ice.
“Kandy?” He reached for her and, when she recoiled, snapping her arm out of his reach, he flinched.
“No. Don’t touch me.” Her voice was deathly low and raw.
Two security guards ran up to them and began helping Chandler to his feet.
“You asshole,” he screamed, clutching his hand to his obviously broken nose. “Look what you did to my face. I’ll sue your fat ass.”
“Go ahead,” Josh told him. “And while you’re filing the police report, I’ll be filing one for the harassment and stalking of Miss Laine.”
“I wasn’t stalking her, you dumb fuck. I was talking to her about something and you cold-cocked me. You attacked me for no good reason. I have witnesses.”
“Calm down, sir. Want us to call the police, Miss Laine?” one of the guards asked.
A small flock of onlookers had gathered around them, whispering and pointing. Several cell phones were pointed at them, their built-in cameras recording everything.
Still stunned, Kandy took a moment before she answered. She was still staring up at Josh, her mouth a silent O.
“Miss Laine?”
“What? No—no. No police. I don’t want them called. Just…just make sure he gets out of here.”
&
nbsp; Her voice trembled with nerves.
“Kandy, please.” Chandler’s annoying whine would put a three-year-old to shame. “Please. I need to talk to you.”
Ignoring him, Josh bent and retrieved her dropped, forgotten purse and the bags he’d let go of. “Come on,” he told her, a hand at her back to propel her away from Chandler.
He shouldn’t touch her. Her reaction when he’d tried to take her arm proved it. She didn’t want his hands on her, pawing her as Chandler had.
Kandy glanced once over her shoulder as the security guards began walking Chandler to the opposite doors. No one had bothered to give him a handkerchief and his nose was still spouting blood like an open faucet. He was ranting about being attacked, but the guards were paying him no heed.
Outside, the Corvette waited at the bottom of the steps, Kandy’s driver, David, leaning against it.
His wide, open smile vanished the moment he caught sight of them.
“What’s up?” he asked Josh.
Without embellishing, he related the scene in the lobby as he stored the overnight bags in the trunk.
“Between you and me, I never liked that guy,” David said, closing the hatch.
“That’s the general consensus.” Josh took the proffered car keys.
Kandy stood on the passenger side, her back against the closed door, arms crossed in front of her chest.
“Do you still want to drive?” Josh asked.
Turning to face him, the wind came up and whipped her ponytail into her face. She looked exhausted and beaten down since seeing Chandler, and Josh’s heart turned over as he came to stand next to her.
“I trust you to get us there alive,” he said, dangling the keys in front of her.
“I don’t,” was her small reply. She opened her door and got in.
“You need a ride anywhere?” Josh asked the chauffeur before doing the same.
“Nah. I’m meeting someone for lunch around the corner. Have a good weekend, guys.”
Both were silent for the first few minutes as Josh maneuvered them through heavy midtown traffic and out of the city. When they were through the tunnel and aimed for the Long Island Expressway, he looked over at her. “Why don’t you close your eyes? I’ll wake you when we get off at the exit.”
