Crystal nodded. “I remember. It’s too late to reschedule now, so follow through with that. Hand me the other, and I’ll reassign it. Margaret knows you have been given a new confidential assignment, and she’s been tasked with making your travel arrangements, hiring you a car, and booking your accommodation. Check in with her today for details. I’d like you to leave tomorrow.”
Crystal must think there was no way Ally would refuse, as she’d already set things in motion. Thank god she had no cat, no dog, nothing to stop her from picking up and going at a moment’s notice. “Tell me more about this guy.”
Crystal leaned against the wall. “Jace owns a coffee roasting company based in a small town outside Portland. I’ve known him for a couple of months, and we meet when both of our schedules allow.” Her expression went dreamy. “He’s a straight up, divorced guy with a child. I’ve already investigated his history, and he seems perfect.”
It was impossible to avoid the obvious question, so Ally approached it bluntly. “I may not be his type. You and I couldn’t be more different.” Ashley was a more obvious choice—the two women had blonde, polished and sophisticated in common.
“I’ve done preliminary research on the women he’s dated. He’s never been involved with anyone like me before. His regular type is sweet, hometown, girl next door, especially redheads, and I know you can carry that off.” She indicated Ally’s outfit. “Even more so today, you’re exactly right in that outfit.”
And here she was thinking she was rocking sophisticated.
“What’s the ideal pickup location?”
“He doesn’t go to the gym, or clubs. He drinks at the local bar on Saturday nights, so that would be a good place to initiate the first meeting.” Crystal rested her hand on Ally’s shoulder. “I know this is a big ask. I understand how awkward my request is, but I need you onboard, Ally. I have to be sure. Tell me you’ll do it.”
TWO
The glimpse of Crystal’s vulnerable side and the assignment’s location, sold it.
Near Portland. A perfect opportunity to catch up with her sister Belle. To see her nephew Phil, and niece Megan. To try to heal the rift that had fractured her family. Ally hurried back to her office. Her ankle turned in her haste—stilettos looked good but were useless at speed. She kicked them off under the desk, rubbed her ankle and dialed her sister’s number.
“Belle! Hi! It’s me.” Her mouth was dry. She swallowed and pressed her lips together in response to the nerves tightening in her gut. She hadn’t seen her older sister for months, and either of their parents for even longer. She’d tried to deny how much she missed them, but now, on the phone, the longing to be in front of her sister, to be in the same room, almost consumed her.
“Hey, Ally! Long time no hear. How’s everything?”
The warmth in Belle’s voice let her relax a fraction.
“Good. Good. Listen, I’m in your part of the country tomorrow for a while, and thought we could get together. I’d love to come and visit, maybe stay for a weekend and see you all.”
“Ah…”
Ally’s stomach dropped, like an elevator in freefall.
“I’m not sure that will be possible. Our spare room is occupied at the moment.” Belle sounded guarded, reticent to reveal more.
“Who’s staying?”
Silence for a long moment. Then, “Mom. She’s been with us for a couple of weeks. She’s not coping very well at the moment, Ally, she’s lonely, you know?”
Pain numbed Ally’s heart. Guilt at being the cause of her mother’s loneliness.
“I didn’t know. She’s still not taking my calls.” It had been over a year, a time period that should have at least started to heal the standoff between them.
“I know.” The sound of Belle puffing out a breath was audible even through the miles between them. “She’s decided to sell the house and move to be closer to us. We’ve been viewing real estate nearby.”
“I thought—I thought there were tenants in her house.” After the incident, their mother had been desperate to get away. She’d put her stuff into storage, and blown her savings on a round-the-world cruise.
“There are, but the rental agreement is due to expire in a couple of weeks, then the house is going on the market. She’s made our home her base for the time being.” Belle sounded apologetic but resolute.
Ally gritted her teeth. Damn. But maybe it was time to grasp that particular nettle. “I could still visit. You know me, I’m happy to camp out on the sofa.” She forced her tone to remain neutral.
The silence on the other end of the line stretched too long to be comfortable. Then Belle spoke, “I don’t think that’s a good idea. This is my home, Ally. It’s home to Lewis and the kids. I can’t subject them to drama, and Mom needs us at the moment.” Unsaid, but implied was the suggestion that Ally was responsible for their mother’s suffering. It might be true, but Belle’s unwillingness to help resolve the situation still hurt.
“And you know Lewis doesn’t approve of your job. He thinks a visit from you wouldn’t be good for the kids. They’re at a difficult age right now. He says trying to explain to them that you trap men for a living would be confusing for them.”
“I don’t trap men for a living.” Ally’s hands curled into fists. Belle knew why her job was so important; why was she still in denial? “I expose men who cheat on their partners. I uphold truth.”
“By lying about who you are.” Belle’s voice rose. “By dressing up and tempting them to cheat.”
“By being a woman.” She gulped air. “I really want to see the kids, Belle. And you. I haven’t seen any of you guys all year, I miss you.” She squeezed her eyes tight shut. Lewis excepted. “The kids don’t need to know what I do—I could just tell them I’m a private investigator, that’s all.”
“There’s still Mom.” Belle sighed. “I’ve tried to get her to talk to you, but she says she’s not ready. Forcing the issue will reopen old wounds. I wish you’d move into another area of the business.”
She wanted to tell her sister to grow a pair. To stand up to her much older husband, and insist he welcome his sister-in-law into their home. But there was no point. If she pushed it and visited anyway, the atmosphere would be so toxic that no-one would have any fun.
“Will you ask her?” She sounded desperate, but hell, she felt desperate. Once upon a time, they’d been the perfect family, so close it seemed nothing could destroy them. Now she refused to talk to her father or talk about him, and she’d been pushed so far out of their family unit she ached with rejection. “I want to tell her I’m sorry. I want to try and make things better.”
She needed to reach out, to keep lines open. The loss of her mother was bad enough, but this widening rift with her only sibling was tearing her apart.
“I’ll mention it to her, but I don’t hold out much hope.”
“Does she talk about me at all?”
Belle’s silence was more eloquent than any reply could have been.
“Okay, well look, I’ll be half an hour away for the next week or so, and I’d love to meet up with you. If Lewis doesn’t want me to see the kids, and Mom doesn’t want to see me either, maybe you and I could meet for coffee or something.”
“Yeah, maybe.”
Code for “we’ll see,” the phrase their mother always used when she meant, “no, but I don’t want to deal with your disappointment.”
The murmur of a man’s voice in the background.
“I’d better go. I’ll call you again in a few days. Take care.” Ally hung up, and reached under the desk for her shoes. Swiping away tears before they had a chance to fall.
“It’s only ten days.” Jace Carter made his body language relaxed, while inside irritation flared. “You wanted to go on this trip.”
“I don’t want to go now.” Rory glared, his eyes only an inch or two from his father’s. At seventeen, he was still growing. In another year he’d be matching Jace’s six-one, or even exceeding it. He glanced away. “It
’s a waste of time. A waste of my vacation.”
“You’ve had weeks of vacation. A trip away will be good for you, and I’ve already paid for it. I haven’t a hope of getting my money back. And your friends are going. Mac and Carl would be bummed if you bailed.” It wasn’t just about the money—Rory’d changed. The happy, outgoing kid had become a moody teen who never wanted to talk. He’d spent the first weeks of summer stuck in his room, glued to his computer. When he had ventured out, he met up with some older kids who’d already graduated. Graduated to drinking and hanging around street corners.
“I’ll pay you back.”
Jace raised an eyebrow.
“I’ve met a girl I want to spend more time with before school starts.” A flash of red colored Rory’s cheekbones. No doubt talking about a girl with his dad was mortifying.
“I’m sorry, man, but you’re going.” Jace snatched his keys from the countertop. “There’ll be plenty of time to make it up to her. Just tell her your father is being a hardass.” He checked his watch. “I have to go. Pack everything ready for the morning. The bus is leaving at ten.”
Rory switched from confrontational to wheedling. “Come on, Dad. Cut me some slack.” His mouth curved in his most persuasive smile. The one that had emptied out Jace’s wallet more than once. “I really like her.”
“I get that.”
Rory gave him an I doubt it look. He didn’t say anything, but it was obvious that he thought his father had no idea what it was like to want to date a girl. That at the age of thirty-five, he was well past his sell-by date as far as dating was concerned. Learning that his dad had not only met a woman, but was considering marriage would be one hell of a shock.
He had a shit day in front of him. They had to pack up a shipment to a new supplier, have a long-overdue meeting with their promotions company to settle on a budget and advertising plan for the next six months, and he’d have to stay late in the office tonight with Ben to take a conference call.
He was late. But he couldn’t leave until this was settled. Jace sucked in air, then breathed out slowly. “Rory…”
Rory shrugged. “You’re not going to change your mind, are you?”
Jace shook his head. “Camping with the guys will be fun. You need to stop staring at your computer and spend time outside. Summer’s almost over, and this is your only chance at a vacation. There’ll be time to see your girl after.”
“Okay.” Rory stepped away. “I’ll talk to her online.” The tension left his face, and he almost smiled. “And I’ll tell her you’re totally unreasonable.” The way he emphasized the last two words hinted he’d say worse.
“You going to be okay here all day, buddy?” He eyed Rory with concern. “Do you want to have dinner with Gran? I can give her a call…”
“I can manage getting myself dinner.” Rory grinned.
“There’s pizza in the freezer.”
“And ice-cream?”
“Always.”
“Cool. You want me to save you some?”
Jace shook his head. “I’ve got a conference call tonight; I’ll probably won’t make it back until eleven. Lock the front door after me.” Jace patted Rory’s arm then headed for the door.
Was Rory right? The question bugged Jace all the way to the office. He’d been one lousy year older than Rory when his girlfriend became pregnant—no, scratch that—he’d been Rory’s age. Rory was born when Jace and Amanda were both eighteen. She’d been four months gone before she even realized there was a life growing inside her.
They were young. And stupid. He’d curled his hand around hers and told her they could get married. Could be a family. They’d barely been married a couple of months before Amanda started to question their future. She wanted to go out with her friends, dancing and drinking. Wanted to go away to college—and couldn’t work out how a kid could fit in with her planned future.
She’d suggested giving the baby up for adoption. And that was the moment Jace really knew what he wanted. He wanted his child, with a heart-deep conviction that wouldn’t be shaken. He’d grown up with an absent father; his kid wouldn’t suffer the same fate.
It hadn’t been easy, but his mother had been there to help. She looked after Rory during the day while Jace earned his business degree, and celebrated with him when he got his first job.
He’d held out hope that Amanda might come around right up to the moment Rory entered the world. Surely once she saw her baby, once she held him… Those dreams died when she refused to see Rory. Refused to hold him.
She moved away with her family, and never came back. Days after leaving, she served him with divorce papers and relinquished her parental rights.
Jace rubbed the ache in his chest with a clenched fist. When Rory was old enough, he tried to explain. But how the hell do you explain to a kid that one of their parents doesn’t want them? Doesn’t want to even know anything about their lives?
There was a dark place inside Rory where that knowledge lived. Jace recognized it, because he had one too.
Shit. Lighten up. He flicked off the radio, and drove into the lot behind Carter Coffee.
Small town was one hell of an understatement. Shepherd’s Crook was a one-horse town that had barely changed since the early 1900s. The only thing lacking was dry tumbleweed blowing down the main street.
She’d done her research. The population of just under three thousand swelled in the busy tourist season. As it was summer, Ally could pose as a tourist. Normally honeytraps were set as chance meetings—strangers passing through was a ploy that worked well.
Crystal wanted Ally to act the sweet girl next door. To be the type of girl Jace dated before he met Crystal. To do that, she wanted their meeting to happen naturally. Which was why Ally would spend the day checking out Jace’s favorite haunts, looking for an opportunity.
First stop was the Sunrise Diner. According to Crystal, Jace lunched there most days.
It was a diner straight out of Grease. Long leatherette banquettes with tables between them were lined up along the full-length expanse of glass frontage. Every table could see and be seen by anyone walking the street. Round stools covered in the same red leatherette were fixed into the floor at the counter. Behind it a couple of waitresses poured coffee, and bustled about fetching orders.
Ally scanned the room. There was no sign of anyone who matched Crystal’s description of her target. Crystal didn’t have a picture of Jace, so instead provided a detailed description, and promised to forward a picture on when she had one. Barring that, if Ally saw someone she thought might be him, she would surreptitiously take a picture and send it to Crystal for confirmation. There were only two men in the diner, and neither of them was the right age, so she chose an empty booth with a view of the door. Her mouth watered at the scent of fresh-brewed coffee in the air.
A waitress dressed in a pink gingham uniform partly covered with a white apron walked over. Graying curls framed her angular face. Her eyes were pale, summer skies blue, and her smile welcoming. A nametag clipped above her generous chest said Mary.
“Good afternoon.” There was genuine interest in Mary’s steady gaze. “New in town?”
“I just got in last night.” Ally smiled back.
Both of them were distracted by the swinging of the door, which opened to admit a group of working men. Ally scanned them—too old, not tall enough, not drop dead gorgeous—none fit the description.
“What can I get you?” Mary flipped to a new page in her jotter, and placed the tip of her pencil to it, like an athlete primed at the starting grid.
“A cheeseburger and fries.”
Maisy smiled. “Good choice. If you said an egg-white omelet you’d have broken my heart.”
“No chance.” She glanced at a slice of pie another waitress carried past her table. “I’m barely resisting a piece of that pie too.”
“Could a little thing like you manage pie too?” Mary’s gaze flickered to Ally’s waist, revealed in the crop top under her unbuttoned
plaid shirt. “Because if you could, I’d say go for it. It’s to die for. Make fresh this morning with local peaches.”
Ally had arrived at the rented house late last night. There’d been nothing much open, apart from a small store where she’d stocked up on basics—milk, bread, peanut butter—and she’d been too bushed to do much more than make up the bed and crawl into it. Breakfast had been a PB sandwich; she had plenty of room for peach pie. “That sounds great.”
“Coffee?”
“Coffee.”
“Coming right up.”
Ally turned her gaze to the world outside. It was a beautiful day, bright, crisp, with a light breeze cutting through the heat. Shepherd’s Crook smelled different to Seattle. There was traffic on the streets, but less of it than at home. And rather than rushing, the residents of the town took time to greet neighbors. To look around, rather than be focused on their cell phones, or plugged into their MP3 players.
The idea of Crystal living here—striding Main Street in her heels and Armani—well, Ally couldn’t imagine it. But then, what did she really know about the woman who’d given her a job two years ago? Everyone in Honeytrap Inc. kept their own counsel. Hid their secrets. And even though they all had the ability to run background checks and discover each other’s histories, maybe even uncover secrets, it was an unspoken truth that no-one would do that.
Crystal had shared scant details of her disastrous marriage. All Ally knew for sure was that Crystal’s husband had cheated on her repeatedly. From things Crystal had let slip, Ally learned he was a master of deception. Someone who used every manipulative trick he could to guilt Crystal into believing their marriage implosion was her fault. It was hardly surprising she was reticent to trust again. It didn’t take a genius to reckon many of her fellow agents had similar histories.
The Fiancé Trap: A Honeytrap Inc. Romance Page 2
