by Debbie Mason
“Right, because hanging out with Daniel, his daughters, and grandchildren will be so restful.” She blew out a breath and shook her head. “Isn’t there another way? You know how I feel about this, Caine.”
“I know, and I’m sorry to have to ask you to go against your principles again. It’s just that you’re the only one I trust to do this.”
She’d heard that before, and it was getting old. Even if she knew it was the truth. Caine must have sensed she was teetering on the edge of refusing because he said, “I’ll give you a thousand dollars for every extra day you have to stay.”
“Done.” Holden’s oldest wanted to go to college in the fall. Had he survived the accident, her naval flight officer would have made sure his son had everything he needed. Now it was Theia’s job to see that he did.
“I should have known. People would think I don’t pay you well. What do you do with all your money?”
“Save it for a rainy day.”
He cocked his head to study her. “No, I don’t think so. One of these days I’ll figure out what—” He broke off when a bolt of lightning crackled above them. “Skies are going to open up any minute now. You want me to call you a cab, or do you want to hitch a ride with Marco?”
“You’re not funny.”
“I know, but you love me.” He looked over her head. “Looks like your ride is here.”
She glanced over her shoulder to see a tall, silver-haired man in a well-tailored black suit rounding the plane, an umbrella in hand. He lifted it in greeting. The man’s name was Jasper. He was a mainstay at the manor and ran the show behind the scenes. He was also Kitty Gallagher’s love interest.
Caine drew the brim of his hat lower. “I’d better take off before he gets a good look at me.” He kissed the top of her head. “I owe you above and beyond the bonus, T. Take it easy tonight, and call me if you have any of those symptoms Marco mentioned.”
“Where are you going?”
“I’ll rent a car and check on some business I have in Boston. Keep your ears open about the Main Street development. The town hall meetings are scheduled for the fall, and I want to know which way the citizens of Harmony Harbor are leaning.”
Caine and his grandmother were developing a modern office tower on Main Street. It was like the Elliots were determined to oust the Gallaghers as first family of Harmony Harbor. But major opposition from the town’s business community had shelved the deal until the citizens of Harmony Harbor had been consulted.
“Gotta go,” Caine murmured as Jasper approached. He acknowledged the older man with a brief nod and then headed for the terminal at a jog.
Jasper’s intent gaze followed Caine before he turned to Theia with a smile. “It’s good to see you again, Ms. Lawson. Although I wish it were under better circumstances.” His tone was as clipped and proper as she remembered, with a whisper of a British accent underneath.
“I wish it were too. Daniel’s daughters and grandchildren were shaken up.”
“Quite. But without you in the cockpit, it could have been much worse. Was that your co-pilot you were speaking with?”
“Yes. Yes, it was.” She welcomed the splat of raindrops on the tarmac. “We should probably get going. It looks like it’s about to pour.”
“Quite.” He opened the umbrella with an expert flick of his wrist, then held it over their heads. “Kitty is having a room prepared for you as we speak. She’s delighted you’ll be staying with us again. Would you like a room prepared for…? What’s your co-pilot’s name?” he asked as they walked across the tarmac.
No matter how casually he asked his question, she got the feeling Jasper knew more than he let on. He made her nervous. He was always alert, taking in what was going on around him without appearing to do so, turning up where you least expected. Those traits, combined with his bearing, made her suspect he was former military or law enforcement or, if she was given to fancy, an international spy. If anyone could blow her cover, it would be him.
“James…” She caught herself just before Bond popped out of her mouth. “…Moneypenny.” And that’s so much better, she thought, rolling her eyes at herself. Two and a half years out of the navy and she’d lost her game.
“I’m almost certain I’ve heard that name before.”
“He gets that a lot. We better hurry…Ow.” She brought a hand to the back of her head.
“Oh dear, stay still. I’ll untangle your hair.” He gave a sharp tug, pulling out several strands as he freed them from the metal tip of the umbrella. When she objected with a cranky “ouch,” he grimaced. “All good now. We’d best be off.” Placing his free hand in his pocket, he set off at a fast clip.
Theia glanced at the tarmac to get a look at just how much hair she had lost. There was nothing there. She frowned. He didn’t pocket them, did he?
* * *
It isn’t easy being a ghost, Colleen Gallagher thought as several guests walked through her while she waited impatiently in the entryway of Greystone Manor for her great-granddaughters’ arrival.
She’d been dead for two years, eight months, and one week. She’d died on All Saints Day in the manor’s elevator at the age of one hundred and four. She’d been ready to join her family on the other side, but the good Lord had other plans for her.
She had a few of her own.
At the top of her list was to see her great-grandchildren happily married and settled in Harmony Harbor—preferably at the manor. The estate had to be protected at all costs. Founded by William Gallagher, it had been in the family for centuries. She wasn’t about to have it lost on her watch. And things were coming to a head. She could feel it in her bones.
Caine Elliot, the CEO of Wicklow Developments, the man who wanted to get his greedy hands on the manor, had set his most dastardly plan yet in motion. He was using Colleen’s grandson Daniel against them.
She knew what Daniel was about as soon as she spied him out the window of the tower room on the Fourth of July. He’d been in the middle of the harbor on one of those paddle thingies, pretending to have an attack. He needed money for an archaeological dig, so he’d do whatever Caine asked of him. Even if it meant selling out his own family.
She’d been haunting the turncoat ever since she’d discovered what he was up to. Only that hadn’t worked out as she’d hoped. The other day he’d moved from the manor to one of the cottages.
No one else had the slightest inkling what Daniel was up to behind their backs. But at least her daughter-in-law Kitty had shared her suspicions about Theia Lawson with Jasper, Colleen’s old friend and confidant.
While Theia had been staying at the manor last fall, they’d noticed a resemblance to the man they believed to be her father. She had the Gallaghers’ blue eyes, you see. And just like Daniel, the voice of an angel. But more telling had been the story of her mother singing for their supper throughout the pubs of Ireland with the father Theia had never known. And then there was her uncommon name. Obviously Daniel had shared his fondness for the goddesses of Greek mythology with Theia’s mother, as all his daughters had been named after one.
Colleen wished she could share her thoughts on how to deal with both Daniel and Theia. Jasper and Kitty had the best intentions, but things didn’t always go as the couple planned.
And Colleen couldn’t order the adults in the family to do her bidding like she used to. For one, they didn’t see or hear her. There were exceptions to the rule though: Young children could see her, and Simon, her boon companion, could both see and hear her.
The black cat had arrived within days of her dying. Lately, she’d come to believe there was more to Simon than met the eye. He wasn’t your average cat. Of that she was certain.
Wondering where he’d gotten to, she turned and spotted him padding after her daughter-in-law, who hurried from the study. Kitty wore white capri pants paired with an ice-blue top with the shoulders cut out. Despite being in her late seventies, the woman was still as style conscious as she’d always been. Kitty patted her elega
ntly coiffed hair, looking nervous as she went to open the door.
She’d planned to go to the airport to pick up the girls, but at the last minute, Jasper had suggested she stay behind. Colleen suspected it had to do with the phone call Jasper had received from Kitty’s son Colin, the fire chief, just moments before they were to leave for the airstrip.
“It looks like they’ll be here any minute now, Simon,” Colleen said. Then, remembering how some of her great-great-grandchildren had reacted upon seeing her for the first time, she looked for a place to hide. The door to the closet just down from the entryway stood half-open, providing her with the perfect hiding place.
Well, it would have been perfect had Kitty held her horses and let the girls and the twins come inside. Instead, her daughter-in-law let out an excited squeal at the sound of a siren and hurried outside, closing the door behind her. Apparently, Simon was as excited as Kitty because he hightailed it after her, slipping out the door before it closed.
No matter how much she wanted to, Colleen couldn’t follow after them. If she tried to leave the manor, she’d only bounce off what felt like an electrical force field. It wasn’t a pleasant experience. She’d tried at least fifty times with the same shocking result before she’d given up.
She considered hurrying to one of the offices that had a view of the front walkway and parking lot but decided to bide her time. It turned out to be the right call. No sooner had she had the thought than the front door opened.
Marco DiRossi appeared in full firefighter gear with what could only be Penelope’s boys in his arms. The children had strawberry-blond hair, a smattering of freckles on their handsome little faces, and mischief in their Gallagher-blue eyes. It was clear they were a handful. No wonder their mother was having a hard time of it.
But at that moment the twins were having themselves a good giggle over something Marco had said. Colleen wasn’t surprised that the lad had a way with children; it was the same with the ladies, as Penelope proved when she followed them inside, smiling up at Marco like he was a hot-fudge sundae with a cherry on top.
Colleen studied her great-granddaughter. It had been so long since she’d last seen her. The gangly, awkward teenager she remembered had become a beautiful woman with a lovely peaches-and-cream complexion, bright blue eyes, and honey-blond hair. She wore a flowy floral top and an ankle-length skirt, which seemed to indicate she was still the sweetly feminine and quietly introspective girl Colleen remembered. She hadn’t been surprised to learn she’d become a marriage counselor.
Marco crouched to set the boys on the ground. “You guys were a big help today,” he said to the twins.
When he stood to say goodbye, the little boys wrapped their arms around his legs. “No, don’t go,” one of them said at almost the same time his brother said, “We want to go with you.”
“Are you kidding me? The station is boring compared to this place. Besides, you guys haven’t spent any time with your great-grandma Kitty.”
Kitty gave Marco a grateful smile. As happy as her daughter-in-law was that Penelope and the boys were finally here, Kitty looked ill at ease, perhaps afraid to say the wrong thing and send them packing. Colleen understood her concern.
Prior to Daniel’s deathbed summons, the girls had shown no interest in visiting. Even learning they were beneficiaries in Colleen’s will hadn’t been enough to entice them to come two years before. But they’d both been happily married and doing well at the time and obviously saw no benefit in holding minor shares in an entailed estate. At least until now. Colleen had a feeling it was more than their father’s deathbed summons that brought the girls to Harmony Harbor.
“I’m sorry,” Penelope said to Marco as she attempted to unlatch the boys from his legs. “William, Weston, let go.”
Kitty must have picked up on the frustrated weariness in Penelope’s voice and intervened. “Boys, Cook has made a special treat for you.” She held out her hands. “Would you like to come with me to see what it is?”
The boys looked at each other and then up at Marco. “Can you come?”
He ruffled their hair. “I have to get back to work. How about I drop by for a visit another day, okay?”
Just as the twins opened their mouths to deliver what looked to be a protest, the door opened and in walked Penelope’s sister Daphne. With her beautiful café-au-lait skin, Gallagher-blue eyes, and rich dark-brown hair, Daphne had shown signs of the stunner she’d become early on. A pair of diamond-studded sunglasses held her glossy hair back from a face that wore a distinctly unimpressed expression. Taking that into account as well as the elegant white crop top she wore with form-fitting black pants and high heels, it appeared her great-granddaughter hadn’t changed much. Supremely confident and razor sharp, she’d always had a bit of an edge.
Perhaps picking up on the same, Kitty restrained some of her obvious delight at seeing her granddaughter for the first time in years. “Daphne darling, it’s so good to see you.” She seemed to weigh whether the coolly elegant woman in front of her would welcome a hug.
Daphne solved that by kissing Kitty on both cheeks. “It’s good to see you too, Grandmama.” She looked around, gave Marco a smile as he said goodbye and headed out the door, then asked, “Papa isn’t here to greet us?”
“He hasn’t been well, darling. But I’m sure we’ll see him this evening. He’s as happy as all of us that you’ve come for a visit.”
“Unwell, my eye,” Colleen scoffed. “You’re not doing Daniel any favors making excuses for him like you do, Kitty.”
Jasper and Theia walked in, loaded down with suitcases. Colleen chuckled. The girl was a right mess in her wet uniform, her face pale, and her dark hair standing up at the crown. Even though she’d obviously had a difficult morning, she managed a warm smile for Kitty. As Colleen had noted the last time she was at the manor, Theia Lawson seemed like a nice woman despite the fact that she was working with their enemy.
Kitty greeted her as warmly as she had her granddaughters, which seemed to make the girl uncomfortable. Perhaps picking up on her discomfort, Jasper suggested she retire to her room and freshen up.
“We should do the same,” Penelope said, and then glanced at Kitty. “Would you mind sending the boys’ treats to the room?”
“Not at all,” Kitty said, despite her obvious disappointment.
Daphne took her luggage from Jasper. “I’ll do the same if you don’t mind.”
“I’ve got it,” Theia said when Penelope offered to take their luggage. She lifted her chin. “Lead the way.”
“Just give them time,” Jasper murmured to Kitty as they watched the women and children head across the lobby. “Come; I have some news you’ll want to hear.” He took her hand and walked with her down the hall off the entryway.
Curious about Jasper’s news, Colleen followed after them.
Kitty turned to Jasper as soon as he closed the door of the study behind them. “Is Theia staying?”
“I believe so, and I have even better news.” He held up a plastic baggie. “Not only did I manage to get several strands of her hair, but there’s blood on one of the samples. We should be able to get an accurate DNA reading.”
Kitty stared at the man openmouthed. “Jasper! What did you do?”
Colleen wanted to know the same.
“As if I’d harm the child. She was hurt earlier. They had a rough flight. One of the twins nearly brought the plane down. It sounds like they take after their grandfather.”
Colleen prayed the twins were nothing like their grandfather. They had enough to contend with this week.
“How soon will we know if Theia is Daniel’s daughter?” Kitty asked.
“We should have the results back within two weeks.”
She chewed on her thumbnail. “Do you think we can get her to stay that long?”
He didn’t look hopeful but no doubt realized that wasn’t the answer Kitty needed or wanted to hear at the moment. Ever since Ida Fitzgerald had suddenly died a few months back, K
itty had become obsessed with ensuring her family was happy and settled.
“I’ll do everything in my power to ensure she does, my love.”
Since it was the first time she’d heard Jasper utter an endearment, Colleen surmised he had been as affected as Kitty by the loss. If only they could hear her, Colleen would set both of their minds at ease.
Theia Lawson wasn’t going anywhere. She was Caine Elliot’s right-hand woman and confidante. He’d no doubt sent her here to ensure Penelope and Daphne signed over their shares to either him or Daniel. They were all in for a very big surprise if they thought they could settle the matter in a few days.
Colleen chuckled. Sometimes she amazed herself.
Chapter Five
Theia awoke to someone knocking on the guest room door. She turned blurry eyes to the alarm beside the double bed and jolted upright, disgusted with herself. It was nine o’clock. She hadn’t slept past five since she’d moved in with her uncle and aunt at the age of twelve.
After being raised by a mother who adopted a hedonistic lifestyle and had no problem sleeping past noon, her uncle’s early-morning wake-up whistle had taken some getting used to. Now she embraced it. Not the whistle—never the whistle. But she did love getting up at the crack of dawn and knowing she had the whole day ahead of her.
“Coming,” she called to whoever was knocking on the guest room door.
She flipped back the covers and got out of bed. She’d slept in her bra and panties, drying them with a blow-dryer before crawling into bed around nine last night. Her mother would have laughed at Theia’s inability to sleep naked.
Theia hurried to the bathroom and grabbed the hotel robe off the hook on the back of the door. As she stuffed her arms into the sleeves, she cast a frustrated glance at her phone, sitting in a bowl of rice on the white marble counter.
Her phone was the reason she’d slept in. Since leaving the navy, she’d gotten used to being woken up by her alarm. Something else she had to thank Marco DiRossi for. Not only was he responsible for her dead phone, but he was the reason she’d ignored the alarm going off in her head, rolling over to dream about him some more. She was beginning to think the blow to her frontal lobe had done more damage than she’d thought. Since when did she allow a handsome man to mess with her head and interfere with her assignment?
