“Sean mentioned that Ms. Conroe is here,” Gordon said, hurrying over. “I know she’s favorable to spicy food. Would she be agreeable to me preparing something off menu for her? And for you, naturally.”
Zack had the distinct impression that “and for you” was an afterthought. At a guess, he was still earning his way back into the chef’s good graces.
“I’ll ask, but I’m sure she’d be pleased. The same for me.”
“Send word with Sean.”
In another moment, Gordon was in the flow of his kitchen while Zack departed in relief. There was no disaster to address. He hadn’t told Gordon that he’d invited Jamie to the resort in case the arrangement fell through. An unhappy chief chef made an unhappy kitchen.
“Major crisis?” Jamie queried as he regained his seat.
“Not even a small one. Gordon wanted to know if you were interested in eating something off menu. It’s a compliment. He’ll usually make a special for the day, but not for individuals.”
She appeared uncomfortable for some reason, but simply nodded. “That would be great.”
Signaling Sean, Zack said to let Gordon know they’d be pleased to have whatever he chose to prepare.
The wine steward brought the bottle Zack had ordered that afternoon and poured their glasses. Jamie sipped from her goblet and made a low sound of approval. “This is a Sonoma Valley wine, isn’t it?”
“One of my favorites. Mar Vista carries a selection from around the world, but we specialize in California wines.”
“Brad says you both grew up in Virginia. How did you end up in Warrington?” she asked.
“The weather is better on the West Coast for a year-round resort—no hurricanes or heavy snow. I scouted locations for a decade before I found this one.”
“Hawaii’s climate is even better.”
“The land is too expensive and staying in the continental United States makes us more accessible for short stays. Besides, the California coast has character, and I didn’t want a typical location.”
“Define typical.”
As the conversation continued, Zack was relieved by how the evening was going. Kim came in after seven and was seated several tables away. She waved at them, but deliberately fixed her attention on the nearby clamshell fountain made of iridescent glass.
“Isn’t that your lawyer?” Jamie asked, obviously tensing.
“Not right now,” he answered with a wry chuckle. “Kim informed me in no uncertain terms that she’s here to relax and I’m not allowed to discuss anything legal. She did the same thing last weekend.”
“She comes up that often?”
“No, just the past few weeks. I’m glad she likes the place. She isn’t a golfer, but we offer other recreation.”
A half smile played on Jamie’s mouth and he wished he knew what she was thinking. The woman could give lessons to Mona Lisa with her enigmatic expressions.
It was strange. Feature for feature, Jamie was no more attractive than Kim. Yet when he looked at his former lover, he felt only a warm friendship. Jamie, on the other hand, was making his blood rush in a southern direction with the speed of a heat-seeking missile. Was his desire for her simply because she was so different from the women visiting the resort? No artifice, no attempt at sophistication, just annoying and stubborn. Her uniqueness had to be the explanation, along with his lack of a social life for so long.
“Mr. Denning?” It was the maître d’. “I have a message from the front desk.”
Sean gave him a sheet of paper; there’d been a mix-up in reservations and they were asking how he wanted it handled. He almost excused himself again, then changed his mind.
“Please tell the desk to take whatever action they feel is appropriate.”
“Certainly, sir,” Sean answered, clearly surprised, and Zack realized that ordinarily he would have charged in and dealt with it himself. In fact, he almost had. It was an odd shift and he wondered why he didn’t feel his usual fierce need to supervise the situation.
Jamie raised her eyebrow when they were alone. “I don’t mind if you have to take care of something.”
“No, it’s minor. They can figure it out. Anyway, I’m sure our appetizers will arrive soon.”
* * *
THE APPETIZERS WERE DELICIOUS, though it was hard for Jamie to relax and appreciate the food. She couldn’t forget they were on display, and how could she be comfortable with Zack in any case? More than anything she wanted to get everything resolved and stop having him around.
His explanation for Kim Wheeler’s presence sounded genuine; he’d been too chagrined. Besides, Jamie had a strong suspicion as to why the attorney was visiting Mar Vista...Brad Denning. The funniest thing was that neither Kim nor Brad nor anyone else seemed to have a clue what was going on. They were either in love, or very close to it, and nobody was admitting a thing to anybody, including to themselves.
“Why are you smiling?” Zack asked warily.
“Was I?”
“Yeah, it’s a cat-who-sneaked-into-the-cream kind of smile.”
“Really?” Jamie’s smile widened. “I thought you didn’t know about cats. You told me you’d never had a pet.”
“I know enough to recognize that smile,” he retorted.
She laughed. “I was simply enjoying the appetizers. These egg rolls are terrific. Have you tried the Thai peanut sauce with them?”
“Not yet.”
Jamie drank more wine, her gaze drifting again to Kim. She felt an age-old urge to play matchmaker between the lawyer and the healing marine, but it wasn’t her business and what could she do anyway?
* * *
KIM DIDN’T MIND dining by herself, but it was frustrating knowing Brad could be sitting across the table from her.
While he’d insisted they go horseback riding that afternoon, she could tell he was in pain but she couldn’t say anything.
The trip into town had been more enjoyable than the horseback ride, and she’d managed to apologize to him, even if he hadn’t thought it was necessary. As for having dinner together, he’d excused himself. Perhaps it was because he was too tired from the ride, or from pride over the question of who would pay...a question tangled by his brother owning the place. Honestly, she’d never fully understand the male ego.
After ordering her dinner, she went to the powder room and found Jamie Conroe there, dabbing a spot on her skirt with a towel.
“Hi, Jamie. Don’t worry. I’m not at Mar Vista as an attorney.”
“That’s what Zack said.”
Kim looked to be sure the attendant couldn’t hear. “Brad mentioned you’ve been having problems with vandalism. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. It’s nice of you to ask.”
“He—he was worried whether—that is, if someone at Mar Vista...”
“I’m sure it isn’t,” Jamie assured her quickly.
“What did the sheriff’s office say?”
“I reported it and they drive by as part of their patrol, but they can’t stay and guard the place. That’s why I’m trying to gather evidence myself.”
Kim suspected Zack and Jamie’s very public dinner was a different kind of effort to stop the vandalism, but that subject was off-limits in case it was misconstrued as a lawyerly inquiry.
“By the way, I saw a wonderful seabird sculpture in Warrington by your grandfather,” she said. “Is his work for sale anywhere?”
“Probably not. Most of his pieces sold as soon as they went on the market. I’m not sure how many he completed over the years. Art was a hobby by the time I came along. He enjoyed trying various mediums, such as silver. The earrings I’m wearing are some he made for my grandmother.”
“May I see?”
Jamie obligingly removed one and handed it to her. The delicate desig
n was distinctive and had been crafted and finished with equal care.
“He was quite an artist. Did he do much jewelry?”
“No. He sculpted, which is where the silver casting began, but he preferred working on larger pieces.”
“Is silver casting what you do?” Kim asked, returning the earring.
“Yes. I became interested because of Granddad and took classes in college.”
“May I come over and see your work sometime?”
Jamie grinned. “Sure. Give me a call and we can meet up.”
“I’ll unblock my number so you know it’s me,” Kim said, remembering Jamie didn’t take calls from shielded numbers, and wondered why she was so careful. Of course, more and more people screened their calls, particularly if their cell-phone plan had limited minutes.
Jamie dried her hands. “I’d best get back.”
“Talk to you later.”
* * *
ZACK HAD WATCHED uneasily when Kim headed toward the powder room at the same time as Jamie, almost jumping up to stop her. Fortunately, he realized it would draw undue attention from the dining room, and if Jamie came out and saw them talking, she’d go ballistic.
The salads arrived as Jamie returned to the table, her expression unruffled, so he kept his mouth shut about her potential encounter with Kim.
The food that Gordon kept sending out was extraordinary. Each course seemed to have a culinary influence from a different part of the world, some quite spicy, which didn’t faze Jamie in the least. In fact, she even ate an extra serving of the fiery sauce that came with the chicken dish.
“Your mouth must be coated with asbestos,” he finally commented. His own use of the sauce was far more modest.
“I love bold flavors—I sometimes have to remind myself that subtle is good, too.”
“I’ll have to keep that in mind,” he said without thinking.
She glanced up and flushed slightly.
Dessert came, a tiramisu confection of custard and whipped cream layered with sponge cake.
Jamie stared at it. “Gordon has an inflated idea of the size of my stomach. I’ll have to take most of this home.”
She managed a third of the dessert, then Zack signaled the server to have the kitchen put it in a container.
Jamie checked her watch. “I’m pretty beat. Do you think we can call it a night?”
“Of course.”
He stood and held her chair. At the door, Sean handed her a box. “With the chef’s compliments.”
She beamed. “I don’t want to interrupt Gordon, but will you tell him it was fantastic?”
“It would be my pleasure.”
As they went to the SUV, Jamie waved at Brian, who discreetly gestured back at her. For a powder keg, she made friends easily.
Once in the Mercedes, there was silence as Zack drove her home.
“Well, thanks,” she said, climbing out before he could open the door for her. “After our show tonight, I don’t think there’s a need to keep watch any longer. And it will be awfully nice to spend the night in my own bed.”
“Agreed. The trailer isn’t as bad as I thought it would be, but it’s not king-size, either.”
“Right.”
She closed the door and hurried into the house. Suspicious, Zack drove a short distance down the drive, parking out of sight before sliding out and heading toward the house. There was a spot where he could see the place without being too obvious. Sure enough, within minutes Jamie came through the door, carrying a tote bag. She didn’t go to her car, but hiked in the direction of the beach.
With his longer legs, it wasn’t hard to catch up.
“What happened to sleeping in your own bed?” he demanded.
Jamie gasped and spun around. “Cripes,” she exclaimed. “Did you have to scare me half to death?”
“Apparently I do. Why are you hiking out to the trailer?”
“Whoever is doing the vandalism might have figured out that someone is guarding the stand because of the cars.”
Zack made an exasperated sound. “You said spending the night in the trailer was unnecessary. Good Lord, Jamie, the message that we’re friends is already rampaging through my staff at the speed of light. With so many employees from Warrington, the word will spread there almost as quickly.”
“And what if the vandalism isn’t related to the resort?” she countered. “I’m protecting my business, the same as you would. The same as you are now, since I know you don’t want it getting around to your high-toned guests that some of your employees might be vandals. But you’ve done enough. I’ll handle it from here.”
She kept walking, so he had no choice except to keep up.
Her remark had startled him. He’d never truly looked at it from her standpoint...yet it was a business. Tiny compared with Mar Vista, but hers. He’d only seen its temporary nature and the fact she could make more money if she moved to another location, up near the highway. Her stubborn refusal to leave had seemed unreasonable, but Zack had to admit that if he was selling vegetables for a living, he’d rather do it with a million-dollar view. As it turned out, that view was worth more than any amount of money to Jamie since her grandparents had met on the beach. He sighed.
On Monday he’d have to talk with Rick about having hedges installed on the shared property perimeter. It would be an expensive solution, and less than optimal, but it seemed to be the only option.
His shoreline purchase had a permanent hole in it.
CHAPTER NINE
JAMIE MARCHED ALONG the path that had served for decades as a foot route from Granddad’s house to the beach property. Admittedly, after passing through the gate a few hundred feet from the house, she was now cutting across Denning property, but Zack didn’t seem to be complaining about that at the moment.
“Go away,” she told Zack when he kept following her.
“If you’re keeping guard, so am I.”
She ground her teeth and kept walking. She’d debated whether she should wait before heading to the trailer, but dinner had taken longer than expected and she hadn’t relished the idea of going in the dark. Besides, Zack had left; she’d checked to be sure. He must have returned and watched the house from a vantage point. Stubborn ass.
“Where does this path come out?” he asked.
“Close to the place where we were parking the cars those first couple of nights. I used to walk back to the house this way if Granddad was busy and couldn’t take me.”
“So you could sneak a little TV, right?”
“’Fraid not. Granddad didn’t like television and never had one in the house. I felt funny bringing one in, but I’m an old-movie buff and enjoy history programs. Of course, Granddad...”
“Yes?”
“Nothing.” Jamie didn’t want to finish what she’d started to say...that her grandfather had never been truly alone. He’d said once that he could hear Leah singing to him from heaven, and he would rather listen to her than a silly box. Other people might have thought he was crazy, but not Jamie.
The sun was dropping low, casting a rosy light across the landscape, and Zack pointed to a crane winging across the clearing. “That’s amazing. Out here you feel a million miles from civilization. How did your grandfather get all this land?”
“He bought it,” she said. “Piece by piece. It wasn’t expensive back in the forties and fifties, and he purchased some of it from the county.”
“Why? I mean, did he have a purpose for so much land, or did he just want to keep people away from his home?”
“It was partly that, but mostly he wanted to keep it natural. The salt flats aren’t an official bird sanctuary, but they’ve wanted to create one for a while, and Granddad thought it would help if these parcels weren’t developed. But when he got older, he also want
ed to leave something to David and me. Selling a portion was the only way he could save the rest.”
Zack nodded thoughtfully. “Since your name isn’t Jenkins, I’m guessing your mother was his daughter. She’s...gone? Is that why he left it to you?”
“Oh, no. Mom is fine, but my parents didn’t need it, and Mom told him to give what he had to us. She has some of the paintings and sculptures and Leah’s jewelry as remembrances. To be frank, Mom was never crazy about living here. I guess it was lonely for a girl growing up without a mother and having an eccentric father.”
“You don’t mind calling your grandfather eccentric?”
“Granddad would’ve been the first to admit it. Mom adored him, but her feelings toward Warrington are another matter. My brother feels the same.”
“You seem to like it well enough.”
Jamie had never really thought about it, but she did like Warrington. It was home to her happiest childhood memories, and the person who’d understood her best.
“My mother wanted us to know Granddad as individuals, so they sent me here each August, while David came in July,” she said slowly. “The month with Granddad was what I looked forward to all year. I played and dreamed to my heart’s content. It’s when I thought anything was possible.”
“You don’t think so any longer?”
“Life can get in the way of dreams.”
“If you let it.”
That was fine for him to say—apparently Zack Denning didn’t let anything get in the way of what he wanted.
She stopped. “Look, you should go back. I can handle this. There’s still time for you to get to your car before it’s completely dark.”
“No.”
“I’m not a child,” she said in frustration. “You wouldn’t even know there was vandalism if it weren’t for Brad walking out here every day. And you wouldn’t have gotten involved then if he hadn’t been recovering from his injuries.”
“Maybe, maybe not, but I’m involved now. I won’t let you stay alone in the trailer as a target.”
Throwing her hands up in disgust, she wheeled and stomped ahead. The last thing she wanted was to spend more time with Zack, especially in private. Her gut churned, her nerves teetered on the edge of a cliff, and she resented feeling that way about a guy she didn’t even like that much.
Harlequin Superromance January 2014 - Bundle 1 of 2: Everywhere She GoesA Promise for the BabyThat Summer at the Shore Page 68
