by Debra Webb
He simply watched, assessed and gave one succinct nod or shake of his head by way of a final decision. He made no comments, which infuriated Eddi all the more. She knew it was ridiculous. That it made no sense whatsoever. But she wanted to know what he really thought.
Did she look okay? Didn’t that last outfit make her look fat? She’d always heard that redheads weren’t supposed to wear pink. What was up with the pastel-pink slacks outfit? She had liked it, that was true…but…she sighed. What did she know about what did or didn’t look chic? That determination, she supposed, was best left to the discriminating taste of the saleslady and the man in charge.
Finally, Eddi wore the last outfit and stood waiting for Doug’s yea or nay. Abruptly he motioned for the saleslady, just the slightest twitch of his fingers and she rushed to his side as if he were the Messiah and was about to tell her of the Second Coming.
Eddi’s gaze narrowed as she watched the woman lean in closer for Doug to whisper something in her ear. The hag. She was flirting with him. Eddi was certain her breasts must be brushing his arm the way she hovered over him. Well, she fumed as she folded her arms over her chest, some people would do anything for a commission.
“Yes, sir,” the lady enthused and hurried away.
Eddi glowered at Doug, who still sat in that stupid chair looking at her. “What’s she going for now?” Eddi’s right foot started to tap. She gritted her teeth and forced the tapping to stop. “Surely all this is enough.”
“The pièce de résistance,” Doug informed her in that all-silk-and-charm voice that made her heart beat a little faster, despite her current annoyed state.
Before Eddi could ask what he meant, the woman rushed back into the room with what looked like a ball gown. “How is this, sir?”
She held the gown under Eddi’s chin and waved her arm as if to say voilà. Doug nodded in that same vague yet somehow succinct motion.
“Let’s try it on,” the saleslady urged, propelling Eddi toward the dressing room.
Doug waited, not moving, scarcely drawing a breath. He wasn’t sure he could tolerate one more moment of watching Eddi twirl around in those ultra-feminine ensembles. To merely say she looked beautiful in each and every one would have been a gross injustice. His entire body had tensed to the point of pain simply looking at her. With the overalls, toolbox and braid out of the way, she was incredibly beautiful. Her sweet innocence only added to the perfection. It seemed that even without the elite upbringing, posh prep schools and haughty attitude, Eddi had the makings of the right stuff—an infinite grace and beauty that came straight from the heart and soul.
She was extraordinary.
But he had to stop thinking about her that way.
Just then the dressing-room door opened and she stepped out. His breath stalled somewhere in the vicinity of his chest and he was sure his heart had stopped beating altogether.
The gown was simple and yet more elegant than anything he’d ever seen. Strapless and formfitting, it flowed down those long legs as if it had been designed with her in mind. The rich fabric and royal-blue color were exquisite. It was perfect…just as she was.
“That’s the one,” he said, surprised at his ability to actually speak.
“Wonderful,” the saleslady cheered, most likely tabulating her grand commission already. “Will there be anything else?”
Eddi’s expression turned to one of absolute misery. She was the only woman Doug had ever met who didn’t care for power shopping.
“We’ll need all the accessories,” he directed. “All the accessories.”
EDDI HADN’T KNOWN UNTIL today that it was possible to buy matching underwear for every outfit. But it was. She now owned enough silky, lacy undergarments to last a lifetime, not to mention shoes and matching purses for every single getup, even the gown. Heck, the saleslady had even insisted upon jeweled barrettes and clips for her hair. Then there had been luggage to purchase. Eddi didn’t own the first garment carrier or overnight case. She’d never needed any. Again, Doug had insisted on buying only the best. She didn’t want to know how much all this cost. She wondered if Mrs. Solange D’Martine would take one look at her and decide she’d wasted her money.
For the first time since she learned the truth about her conception, Eddi considered all that her mother had given up to protect her. She’d walked away from college to be a full-time mom and she’d turned her back on tremendous wealth because she feared for Eddi’s safety. If her mother had chosen the more self-serving path, her entire life could have been different. Easier in many ways. But then, Eddi wouldn’t have been blessed with the wonderful man she called Dad. And her mom would have missed out on sharing her life with a man who adored her.
Eddi blinked back a rush of tears. Everything happened for a reason. Though she wished things had turned out differently for Edouard D’Martine, she would never regret her life as it had been and was. Never.
“I need to spend some time with my mom and dad tonight.” She met Doug’s gaze when he glanced at her. “There are some things I need to say before I leave tomorrow.”
“I understand.”
A surge of affection welled inside her as she watched him for a long while after he turned his attention back to the road. He did understand and she was so thankful for his presence. Though she knew that he was being paid for his services, Eddi wanted to thank him personally. She hadn’t decided how to do that yet. But she would.
Soon. Very soon.
EDDI SPENT THE REST of the afternoon and well into the evening with her parents. Doug stayed in the background, giving them all the space they needed. Saying goodbye, if only for a few days, was going to be tough for Eddi. She’d never been away from home for more than a night. But even a world traveler would have emotional misgivings in this instance.
The new world Eddi was about to venture into bore no resemblance whatsoever to the one in which she’d grown up. It was true that the coming change held numerous benefits, but Doug wasn’t so sure the cost was worth it. Admittedly, he erred on the cynical side of the issue. His view was skewed. This was about Eddi, not him. She would do fine, he suspected. Besides, he had no part in the decision-making process. His sole responsibilities were to keep her safe from any and all threats and to facilitate the transition as he had today with the shopping spree.
She was a job…an assignment. He watched her share a final embrace with her parents before starting toward where he waited by the SUV. A job, he reminded himself as his eyes feasted on the way she moved…the fit of her jeans. A job, yes. And the most amazing woman he’d ever met.
“You’re sure I can do this?” she asked as Doug pulled out on the street to drive her home. “I mean, what if I really screw up?”
“You’ll do fine.” He maneuvered a turn and flashed her a supportive smile. “I have complete confidence in you.”
As was habit for her, she nibbled on her lower lip, making him want to touch her there and soothe the tortured flesh.
“I still don’t get the fork thing,” she said reflectively. “What if I use the salad fork for something other than the salad? They’ll know how unrefined I am if I do that.”
He cleared his throat to head off a chuckle. “Just start on the outside and work your way in. You can’t go wrong. I’ll be there, watch me if you get confused.”
“Swear you won’t leave my sight for an instant,” she urged. “Swear it or I won’t go.”
He parked in her driveway and settled his gaze on hers, infusing all the assurance he could summon. “I won’t let you out of my sight for a moment.”
She exhaled a worried sigh. “Okay. As long as you’re with me I can do this.”
Ignoring the warning going off in his brain, he reached for her hand. Held it tenderly and reveled in the rush of desire that burned through him. “I’ll be right there with you every step of the way.”
Before he could fathom her intent, she leaned across the seat and kissed his cheek. In that infinitesimal moment before she drew away,
it took every ounce of discipline he possessed not to kiss her back. Not to draw her into his arms and kiss her the way she deserved to be kissed.
“Thank you,” she murmured and hustled out of the vehicle before he could climb out and reach her door and open it for her. She didn’t look at him as he approached. He felt sure she was embarrassed by her unexpected boldness and that only made her kiss all the more endearing.
“Uh-oh.”
Doug followed her gaze to the yellow Cadillac parked half a block away. “Isn’t that—”
“Yes,” she hissed before he could finish the question.
Irene Marlowe, Ella Brown, Minnie and Mattie Caruthers marched up the sidewalk in their direction, arms loaded with items not readily identifiable. All looked prepared to fight some sort of battle. A twinge of apprehension went through Doug. This couldn’t be good.
“Ms. Irene, Ms. Ella.” Eddi looked from one to the next. “Ms. Minnie. Ms. Mattie. What’s going on?”
“We’ve reached a decision,” Ms. Ella said solemnly.
“Oh, yes.” Minnie picked up where she left off. “We’ve spent the entire day talking about it.”
Doug’s apprehension escalated, sending his pulse into hyper mode.
“And we’ve determined that an intervention is in order,” Mattie summed up.
The frown currently distorting Eddi’s lovely features no doubt matched Doug’s own. What the hell were these women talking about? Then he got a closer look at the articles they held in their arms, videos with titles that could only be X-rated. Several risqué magazines, the kind he’d sneaked peeks at back in junior high school. What in blazes was this about?
“Intervention?” Eddi asked, her tone uncertain.
Irene nodded firmly. “Mr. Douglas Cooper is the one. We’re sure of it. Our cause shall not be averted simply because he has chosen the wrong path. We believe there’s hope.” She winked and tapped the quart-size mason jar she carried. “And just in case he needs some loosening up, we brought along a little Remedy as well.”
Now he was really worried. He’d wager this had something to do with last night and their scheming to find a mate for Eddi.
“What’re you talking about?” Eddi prodded warily. “What do you mean the one? What wrong path?”
Mattie jostled her videos to one arm and planted her free hand on her hip. “Why, the one for you, of course. We’re not going to let a simple thing like his being gay stop us.”
Doug tensed inwardly. This was worse than he’d thought.
“What?” Eddi demanded, clearly as frustrated and concerned as he was.
“We’ve devised a cure,” Irene said with a look of sympathy in Doug’s direction. “Now, there’s no time to waste. Let’s go inside and get started.”
“Ladies,” Doug admonished gently. “I’m afraid there’s been some misunderstanding.”
“Let me explain,” Eddi offered with a reassuring hand on his arm. “This is my fault anyway.”
Doug acquiesced to her lead and ordered his runaway libido not to overreact to her simple touch. His order was promptly overruled.
“Come on inside, ladies,” Eddi offered, waving the group toward her door. “There’s something I need to tell you.”
Thirty minutes later, with coffee served all around, and the ladies squeezed together on the sofa, all stared agog at Eddi as she finished her story.
For several moments no one said anything. Doug resisted the urge to reach across the small table that separated them and take Eddi’s hand. She badly needed the support of her friends right now.
“So.” Ms. Irene was the first to recover. “You’re an heir to the D’Martine fortune?”
Eddi nodded.
Irene’s hand flew to her throat. “Well, that certainly explains a lot of things.”
Eddi frowned. “What do you mean?”
Irene smiled knowingly. “Honey, I always knew there was something special about you. I just couldn’t put my finger on what it was. The way you help people…work for free more often than not when someone is in need. Knowing full well you’re in need most of the time yourself. The D’Martines have always been generous with their wealth.”
Eddi gasped. “You know them?”
Irene inclined her head toward one shoulder in a hint of a shrug. “I know of them. The family used to make headlines all the time.”
“And your father has known all along?” Ella wanted to know.
“Yes.” Eddi added quickly, “But he loved me and raised me just like his own.”
“Well, of course he did,” Minnie charged. “I’ve never known a man who loved his family more.” She fanned herself with her handkerchief. “What a story, my dear!”
“You’ve all got to promise that you’ll keep my secret a while.” She glanced at Doug. “There are things I have to do before this thing goes public.”
“We understand,” Ella assured. The other three ladies nodded their concurrence.
“I knew I was right about him from the beginning,” Mattie piped up, tossing Doug a knowing look. “I said he was a spy and I was close.”
“He’s a bodyguard,” Irene protested irritably. “Not a spy, Mattie. There’s a difference.”
Mattie pooh-poohed the comment with a wave of her hands. “Spy, bodyguard, whatever. I never believed he was gay for a second. No man who was gay would look at our Eddi the way I’ve seen this young fellow looking at her. Why, I’d bet he’s—”
“More coffee, anyone?” Doug asked, cutting her off before she could get him in any deeper. It was time for an intervention of his own. One that included getting Meadowbrook’s matchmakers out the door.
The last thing he needed was Eddi taking note of his mistake. Bodyguards weren’t supposed to lust after their charges.
Her startled look in his direction told him he was already too late.
Chapter Eight
By noon on Sunday they had arrived at a small air-field aboard the D’Martine private jet, rented a car and driven to Woods Hole where they caught the ferry to Martha’s Vineyard.
Eddi had never seen anyplace more beautiful in her life. Roughly shaped like a triangle, the island’s coastline defied adequate description, with its sand dunes and beach grasses and craggy cliffs, it personified rugged beauty. The view of the white sandy beaches and scattering of summerhouses was nothing short of breathtaking. The homes ranged from gingerbread cottages to large estates. Some, according to Doug, were lived in full-time, but most were summer homes.
After the ferry docked and while Eddi waited for Doug to see to the unloading of the rental car, she inhaled the sharp scent of salt air and coastal vegetation. The breeze and sun were warm against her skin and the call of birds helped to ease the agitation that had been building since she boarded that plane this morning.
Her parents hadn’t come to the airport to see her off, which was good. It would have proven too emotional and she hadn’t needed that. Bolstering her courage to take her first-ever flight was tough enough. But Doug had been right beside her, just as he’d promised. He’d talked her through the rocky parts and made her laugh too many times to recall.
She watched him now and smiled. Though clearly he was not used to handling a group of meddling old ladies like the members of the Club, he managed to roll with the punches exceptionally well. Eddi was convinced that all four of the ladies were infatuated with him already. And they weren’t alone. She blinked and looked away. This was business for him. She had to stop letting those foolish thoughts surface. Just because Ms. Irene and her crew thought he was “the one” for her, didn’t mean he was. Eddi felt confident that he merely tolerated them all for the sake of the job and would have a good laugh when his assignment was over.
Eddi’s chest constricted painfully when she thought of his leaving. Boy, was she in a pickle. She didn’t know how in the world she was going to get over losing the man when he’d never even been hers.
The drive to Chilmark, the small town where the D’Martine estate was located
, went a long way in keeping Eddi’s mind off her troubles. Rolling hills and gorgeous coastline were only the beginning. The landscape unfolded like that of a fairy tale. Stone fences and sheep farms ribboned the hills. A lovely old church and village school marked the center of town as they passed through it. The farms and fishing villages they encountered along the countryside were spectacular, but it was the coastline, bar none, that made this part of the island magnificent. Elegant private yachts lay along the docks side by side with draggers and the more rustic vessels of lobstermen.
Just when she was certain nothing she could see would prove more beautiful, Doug took a right and drove up a winding road that led to the D’Martine estate. The house had the look of an English manor and it sat high on a bluff overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Surrounded on three sides by acres and acres of forests and then encircled more intimately by a wrought-iron security fence, the mansion definitely dwarfed into insignificance all else she had seen.
Doug entered the code, which had been provided to him by Mr. Thurston, and the forbidding security gates opened wide for them to enter.
“Holy smokes,” Eddi murmured.
“Remember,” Doug said, drawing her attention to him as he slowly rolled up the cobblestone driveway, “it’s only a house, just like yours back home.”
“Only bigger,” she breathed, her gaze swinging back to the house that loomed before them. “A whole lot bigger.”
He parked in front of the house and hesitated before getting out. “The people inside, Eddi, are only people. Keep that in mind. Okay?”
She nodded, too mesmerized by all that she saw to bother with words. This was where Edouard had been born and raised. Her heart was suddenly beating too fast and Eddi felt the overwhelming urge to demand that Doug take her back home. What was she doing here? She didn’t belong here. This wasn’t who Eddi Harper was.
