by Sonia Parin
“Being Earnest.” Theo shook his head. “And that’s one way to ensure I leave immediately and never return.”
“Oh, this is precious. I’ve discovered your kryptonite,” she said and sent her eyes on a happy dance around his face. “There has to be a story to that. School theater production gone bad?”
For as long as Theo could remember, his parents had taken turns at trying to entice him into the fold. As far as they were concerned, life was not worth pursuing unless part of it could be immortalized on the big screen, or in his mother’s case, on the stage.
Theo had rebelled, throwing himself into a lifetime of academic pursuits, earning one degree after another. From an early age, his trust fund had provided him with the freedom of choice. He’d chosen to learn how to increase it, never touching the principal and only living off what he could make, which over the years, had become a substantial amount. While he also dabbled in film production, nothing could have enticed him to follow in his parents’ footsteps, not even the megabuck earnings. He simply didn’t have the ego for it.
“Something like that,” he said. “The thought of standing in front of a crowd and pretending to be someone else...” he shrugged, “I’m not into putting myself on display.”
“And yet you don’t seem to disapprove of all public displays.”
“Meaning?”
She laughed. “Women are scheduling their morning coffees to coincide with your jogging.”
“I haven’t noticed.”
“And I’m not surprised. You look in the zone. Actually, you look preoccupied. Makes one wonder what you’re churning in your head. Plans for world domination?”
Theo would settle for controlling the outcome of at least one scenario. While he’d managed to leave a message for Claire Muldoon, he doubted she would get back to him any time soon. She hadn’t heard him out. When she’d leaped to conclusions and had warned him to stay away, he should have done something to change her mind right then and there. Instead, he’d sat back and had watched her stumble into the hairdressing salon, closing the door with so much force he’d heard the windows rattle.
“How was your day off?” he asked trying to give himself a break and find his way back to a place where he could relax and refocus.
“Full of mischief. A friend is getting married and we’ve been trying to come up with a memorable send off.”
“I suppose you’ve considered the obvious.”
“A male stripper?” she asked.
“A decadent spa retreat.”
“With a male stripper?”
“Sounds like you should choose a venue far away from your regular haunting ground.”
“A trip to Melbourne,” she mused. “That’s a great idea.”
She dug inside her back pocket and pulled out her cell phone. Theo watched her smile brighten as she began keying in a message. Within seconds, her phone beeped with incoming text messages.
“We’re onto a winner here. Everyone loves the idea.” She frowned. “They want to know if you can be our chaperone slash bodyguard slash master of ceremonies.”
“I doubt the groom will approve.”
“He doesn’t need to know.”
“That’s asking for trouble.”
“Don’t be a killjoy. What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”
He watched her as she skimmed through the messages. “Whatever you just read made you blush.” And moisten her lips...
“I’d tell you but I’m sure you’ll disapprove.”
“Try me.”
She shook her head sending her curls into a playful dance around her shoulders. “It’s too provocative.”
“Does it involve me becoming part of the entertainment?” The flush of crimson on her cheeks deepened.
She pocketed the phone and smiled. “Give and take, my friend. If I tell you, you’ll have to give me something in return.”
“You’re bartering for conversation?”
“Well, since I’m the one standing behind the bar, I’m traditionally supposed to be the one doing the listening. So spill. What’s troubling you?”
Theo had to pull his gaze away from Eddie before he could even try to recall the previous day’s encounter with Claire Muldoon, the one he’d been thinking about only a few moments before. However, even as he stared into his cup of coffee he could still feel the effect of Eddie’s smile. Like a soothing stroke of a hand offering comfort. No, actually it felt more like the tingling of fingertips dancing across his chest—
“Most people try to find answers in the bottom of their shot glasses, not a cup of coffee.”
Even the tone of her voice carried her smile. Not on that first day, he thought remembering her curtness.
“I haven’t been driven to drink yet.”
“I bet it’s a woman.”
Theo checked his cell phone. Claire had had twenty-four hours to make the next move and return his call. Mention of his father’s name had sent her fleeing in the opposite direction. It didn’t make sense. Jon Kendrick was an A-list movie star and even at fifty years of age, women clamored for his attention. The tabloids had long ago accepted the fact they’d never get a ripple of sex scandal from him, labeling him Sweet Lothario. No one had a bad word to say about him, not even Theo’s mother. His parents’ divorce had been amicable and to this day, they still got together for Christmas. Never mind that it took Theo months of negotiating schedules to get them all in the same place at the same time. Jon Kendrick had never married again and, despite his lack of commitment, he always stayed sweet with his ex-girlfriends. What had happened with Claire Muldoon?
Would another twenty-four hours be long enough for her to change her mind and hear him out? And what would he do in the meantime? Sweat it out?
“What time do you get off?” he asked.
“Are you wondering when you can finally have some peace and quiet?”
“I can’t stop thinking about that coffee you taunted me with. Care to show me where I can get some?”
She took his empty cup and placed it in the sink behind her. “You want me to come along with you?”
“I would appreciate the company.” He slid off the barstool and stashed his cell phone inside his pocket thinking a watched phone never rang. When he looked up again, Eddie was biting the edge of her lip.
“You want an answer right now?”
“Do you need time to weigh the pros and cons of being seen with me?”
She gave the edge of her lip another nibble. “Since you put it like that... Yes, I suppose I should give it some thought. Spending any time together outside of this strictly business environment could be construed as—” she frowned. “You’re doing it again.”
“What?”
“Not blinking. Did you just tune out? My brothers do that and, you might as well know, I hate it.”
“I heard every word you said.”
“Prove it.”
“Where’s the trust?”
“I have three brothers. They beat it out of me.” She shrugged. “Not literally, but even to this day they have this uncanny ability to pull the wool over my eyes.”
“Coffee?”
“Yes. And for the record, they also use diversionary tactics to get me to drop whatever bone of contention... Oh, never mind.”
* * *
“A good looking guy asks you out for coffee and you waste your time calling me?”
“This is a courtesy heads up, get ready for a close up look at Theo Kendrick call.” Otherwise known as a panic attack with a bit of feet dragging thrown in because she hadn’t stopped thinking about Sophie’s suggestion she have a fling. “He wants to try your coffee.”
Joyce laughed. “I’ll bet anything you’ve checked your hair and tried on two different outfits.”
“Wrong. I’m still wearing my work jeans.”
“Would it kill you to wear one of the two dresses you own?”
“It would be too obvious. Besides, I need to get back out there again. I’ve already ta
ken too long. I told him I needed to powder my nose.”
“And that’s not obvious? Add everything you’ve just told me together and I’d bet anything you’ve got a case of tingles.”
“What are you talking about?”
“That flapping of butterfly wings in the stomach sensation you feel when your body reacts to the presence of someone you’re attracted to. How far do the tingles go? Is your thinking slowing down? Are you taking longer to process information?”
Eddie frowned. “Is that what attraction does to you?”
“I can’t remember. It’s been so long. Okay, I’m going to grind some fresh coffee beans. I’ll see you soon.”
* * *
“This is not what I expected.” Theo stood in the middle of Joyce’s Café, his eyes skating from one end to the other. “It’s like an indoor garden.” With wrought iron furniture, dainty antique tea sets and paintings of landscapes, gardens, and flowers hanging on every available wall space not taken up by bookshelves. “Joyce obviously caters to a more gentile clientele.”
Eddie snorted. “As opposed to the roughnecks who frequent The Gloriana?”
“You have a boar’s head hanging over the fireplace.”
“A well-earned trophy. It took me three hours of stalking before I could get a decent shot at it.” She laughed. “You better sit down before you fall down.”
They settled at a table by the window, all eyes following their progress. “Is that the only one you’re responsible for?”
“I didn’t shoot Bambi’s dad, if that’s what you’re asking. That came to us courtesy of Charles Granger. He owns Willoughby Park, a deer farm not far from town. He’s the local venison supplier.” She frowned. “Your mouth is gaping open. What’s wrong?”
Theo shook his head. “I’m still trying to picture you hunting a wild boar.”
“I didn’t do it for fun. It tore apart Grandma Wilson’s vegetable garden. There was a lot of brouhaha over who was going to hunt it down, when and how. You know, typical male strategic game planning—” She looked up and smiled. “Here’s Joyce.”
The café owner approached them with a ready megawatt smile. She wore a red and white polka dot dress and a red bandana around her pitch-black cutie pie bob, clearly favoring some sort of fifties revival style.
While Eddie did all the talking, Theo noticed Joyce’s eyes narrowing.
“Theo will have what will no doubt become his usual. A double shot espresso, and I’ll have some tea. I’ll let you chose the blend.”
Joyce tapped her pen against her chin. “I don’t mean to stare, but there’s something familiar about you. I can’t quite put my finger on it.”
Eddie gave him a lifted eyebrow look. “Your secret is about to be uncovered. Care to say something in your defense?”
“What am I being accused of?”
“Joyce recognizes you from somewhere. It’ll come to her and when it does, it’ll be too late to offer explanations because we’ll have formed very strong opinions about you.”
“That’s harsh.”
Eddie smiled. “We’ll go easy if you fess up now.”
“I’m not hiding anything and you’re assuming the worst about me.”
She shrugged. “It’s a small town. We have to make our own entertainment, preferably the type that doesn’t put me in the spotlight.”
Joyce gave him a knowing smile and strode away to prepare the drinks, something she did while casting her gaze his way.
“Something tells me I’ve been brought here under false pretences.” Theo turned his attention back to Eddie. “About that boar—”
“Changing the subject and choosing to live on the edge? You must be a man on the run. Hiding out? Or on a stakeout. Are you looking for someone?”
“It’s a throw of the dice risk. This could go either way. Joyce might, or might not be right about her hunch about recognizing me. I’ll take my chances.”
“Your secret means that much to you?”
His gaze dropped to his phone. “This is what I get for wanting a cup of coffee.”
“Why do you keep looking at your phone? Are you expecting a call? Waiting for instructions?”
“Tell me about the boar. Why you, why not someone else? And yes, by that I mean a man.”
“You’re waiting for something but you’re patient enough not to rush.” She drew in a breath. “All right, I’ll tell you. Grandma Wilson refused to have anyone else set foot on her property. I used a double barrel shotgun. It was the only one she had and it nearly dislocated my shoulder. Your turn. What brought you to Eden?”
Theo sighed.
“Sighing is a stress reliever. I read that somewhere,” Joyce said as she set their drinks down.
“Joyce is our local trivia queen,” Eddie explained, “And if she hasn’t put her finger on where she knows you from, she will... eventually.”
Theo raised his hands in a gesture of surrender and laughed.
“We’ve backed him into a corner,” Eddie said. “Any minute now he’ll break into a sweat and start singing like a canary.”
His cell phone rang bringing the conversation to a halt, but before he could excuse himself to answer it, the call disconnected. Moments later a message came through.
* * *
As Theo excused himself and turned his attention to the text message, Eddie looked around the café the way one did when trying to offer a token show of privacy. She made eye contact with a few people, smiling and nodding while sipping her drink.
Sending her gaze on another round of the café, she noticed Claire Muldoon sitting at the far end corner. The pretty brunette held her cell phone between her hands as if waiting for a call… or a reply. And she was looking directly at Theo.
From the corner of her eye, Eddie saw Theo brush his hand across his chin before keying in a message. No sooner did he hit send, than Claire Muldoon’s gaze dropped to her phone.
Okay. That didn’t look like a coincidence.
But what did it mean?
Claire had been born and raised in Eden and apart from a year spent traveling around the world, she’d always lived in the same house a short distance from town. There had been a time when Eddie had thought Claire would leave Eden for good and had wondered what she’d do with the house which sat on a couple of acres of land with an uninterrupted view of the mountain ranges and the lake. But apart from a few trips to Melbourne every now and then, Claire had chosen to make her life here. In fact, soon after her yearlong trip overseas, she’d started working at Eden’s one and only hairdressing salon and had eventually bought out the owner who’d wanted to retire and travel.
“Don’t take this the wrong way,” Theo said, “But from now on, I’ll be having my breakfast here. The coffee is the best I’ve ever had.”
“You’re so polite about it.”
“And you’re overwhelmingly cheerful about my news. If I didn’t know better, I’d say I’ve just made your day.”
She cupped her chin in her hand and smiled. “You’re all take and no give, so you can keep guessing.” Eddie held her smile in place. She should have been overjoyed to hear she wouldn’t have to avoid him in the morning but, over the last couple of days, they’d made some progress. Now she wouldn’t mind getting as much Theo time as she could before he left. Then maybe she’d find out why he was exchanging text messages with Claire Muldoon.
The thought was drowned out by another stream of messages.
“Sorry, I wouldn’t normally do this while I’m with someone…”
“Well, that puts me in my place. I’m not someone worthy of your full attention,” she said keeping her tone light even as her stomach dipped. What was that about, she wondered? It felt like disappointment… or worse. Anxiety. A fish getting away type of anxiety...
He shook his head. “I’m sorry, I really need to take care of this. Under different circumstances, I’d try to postpone it, but it’s the reason for my trip here and it’s...” he frowned.
“Not going the
way you want it to?”
“I was going to say time sensitive. And it could be going better, but I guess I’ll have to bide my time,” he said. “Okay. All done for now.” He set the phone down and smiled at her.
“Oh, goodie. I have you all to myself again.”
Chapter Five
“The last customer of the day just left, so we shouldn’t have any interruptions. I’ll put the closed sign on the door just to make sure. Come in.”
“Thank you for agreeing to see me.” Theo strode inside the hairdressing salon before Claire Muldoon could change her mind, and she looked about ready to do just that with her arms crossed over her chest and her face set in granite.
This was a move in the right direction, a step closer to sealing the deal, he thought trying to remain in a positive frame of mind. Claire had sent him a text message suggesting an appropriate meeting place and time. Her choice, of course. The fact she hadn’t wanted anyone overhearing their conversation made sense. Insisting they meet at the salon, however, made him wonder why she was reluctant to meet him in private. He had expected to visit her at home…
“This will look more convincing if you get a hair cut,” she said and gestured to one of the chairs.
“I only recently had one.”
“No need to look so worried. I’m qualified—”
“I’m sure you are.”
“Well, it’s either my way or…”
He sat down. The hard set of her mouth didn’t bode well. Nor did the fact she’d been reluctant to speak with him. That rang too many warning bells. He hoped it didn’t mean she had good reason to not want anything to do with Jon Kendrick. If she had gone to all this trouble to tell him face to face…
Never take no for an answer. Even from a woman about to wield a pair of sharp scissors.
She stood behind him, her arms still crossed and pressed against her chest. “I rarely watch TV so I had no idea Jon had been in an accident.”
It had taken a couple of text messages to establish that fact. “I was in London when it happened. At first, it was touch and go. The internal bleeding—”
