by Nan Dixon
“You have a chance to make sure this little girl doesn’t go through what you went through.” Granddad’s slate-blue eyes were filled with regret. “You can make a difference. Make up for my screwup.”
“You didn’t screw up. My parents did.” And so had he. He hadn’t kept his brother safe. Could he keep Issy safe or would he make the same mistake? “I’d have to work undercover.”
“I’ve never told anyone what you do—just like you asked.”
“The secrecy policy is for the safety of our families. I would never forgive myself if someone hurt you because of me.” Kaden rubbed the back of his neck. “The Fitzgeralds think I followed in your footsteps for work.”
“Construction?”
“That’s what they assumed.” Kaden squeezed his grandfather’s hand. “Saving people is what I meant.”
“It’s important that you do this.” Smiling, Granddad touched his heart.
Love warmed his soul. “I love you, too.”
“If you have the possibility of getting one more drug ring out of commission,” Granddad said, “that’s more important than pushing my wheelchair around this rehab center.”
“I’ll...think about it.” But with Granddad’s support, Kaden already knew the answer. He was going to keep his eye on Isabella Forester.
* * *
“YOU WANT TO pick up Nigel’s duties while he’s healing?” Abby pushed the plate of cookies and bars closer to him and topped off his coffee.
“It was my grandfather’s suggestion.” Kaden picked up a tiny filled cookie. “He’s worried about the B and B.”
“Nigel is so thoughtful.”
“I think so.”
“Okay.” Abby tapped the table. “You could move into the apartment next to Cheryl and Nathan.”
“Where’s that?”
She pointed across the courtyard. “The second story of the carriage house.”
“But I thought a restaurant was going in there?” He took a bite and raspberries, cream and sugar filled his mouth. He moaned and took another cookie.
“The restaurant takes up about half of the building.” She pushed her ponytail off her shoulder. “If it really takes off, we’ll expand to the remainder of the first floor. But right now there’s an empty apartment.”
“That would be great.”
“There are two bedrooms, but no washer and dryer.” Abby grinned. “And one bedroom has this incredible princess-and-castle mural. You should like that.”
“Right.” He couldn’t help smiling. Abby was the kind of woman who made a man relax. Unlike her sister-in-law, Courtney. “Let me show you the apartment.” Abby pulled a key from a rack.
He followed her across the courtyard and past a set of stairs. “When does the restaurant open?”
“Nathan has promised I’ll be able to have a guest week right after Labor Day.” She unlocked a side door. “I’ll open the week after that.”
They headed up wooden steps that creaked and moaned. “Good security.”
“What?” She frowned.
“Creaking stairs. Hard to sneak up on anyone.”
She laughed, but he wasn’t kidding.
Abby unlocked the door and flipped on the light. “There’s furniture, too.”
The apartment was clean and included a reasonable-size living room and a small kitchen, including a table. The first bedroom was indeed fit for a princess. The mural was a work of art. A castle filled one corner of the wall. Princesses in bright gowns danced on a hill with bunnies and ponies.
“You can sleep in here.” Her eyes twinkled.
Kaden just shook his head. “Let’s see the other room.”
The bed in there was large.
“This should work. Thank you.”
Abby handed him a key. “I should let Nathan know I won’t need his crew to fill in at the B and B.”
“I can do that.” It gave Kaden a chance to tell Nathan his real purpose.
Abby headed back to Fitzgerald House and Kaden went down to the restaurant and found Nathan.
“Any place we can talk in private?” Kaden asked.
“Sure.” Frowning, Nathan led him to a room behind the bar. “What’s up? Is there news on Heather?”
“No, but since I’m here, my superior wants me to keep an eye on Issy. We think Bole will come back for her daughter.”
Nathan paced the long narrow room. “I won’t let her near Issy.”
“Understood. But if the only access to Isabella is here, I want to be around to catch Bole.” And put the evil woman away. “That’s why I’m taking over my grandfather’s duties at the B and B.”
“Good, good. I want her safe.” Nathan tugged off his cap and ran a hand through his hair. “Issy’s just coming out of her shell. I don’t want that bitch anywhere near her. What do you need from me?”
“Her schedule.” Kaden nodded. “I’d like to talk to the person in charge of her day care and any other place she goes each day.”
“Of course.” Nathan’s voice cracked.
“I’ll be undercover. No one can know I’m with the FBI.”
Nathan winced. “I can’t keep this from Cheryl.”
Kaden tapped his fingers against his thigh. “Will she keep this secret?”
“She can. She will,” Nathan vowed.
“Fine. I should spend more time with Issy.” He didn’t let Nathan see the shiver that ran down his back. “Maybe tonight?”
“Let’s have dinner again,” Nathan suggested. “That way she’ll know you’re a good guy.”
“Okay.” This better not be a mistake. He didn’t want Issy hurt. Not on his watch.
* * *
“COURTNEY?” GRAY CALLED. “Let’s go.”
“Almost ready.” She rubbed lotion on her pink skin. She’d sat in the garden reading, not noticing the time. Apparently, she’d stayed past her sunscreen expiration. She cringed at the idea of getting wrinkles or dry flaky sun-toughened skin. Mother would have scolded her soundly.
She’d gotten about half of her clothes unpacked, including the sundress she wore today, and then started reading and that was that. The book was wicked good.
Don’t use that expression. It is not how we talk.
Well, she wasn’t wicked smart like Gray.
She dressed and headed down the hall. Time to face her brother.
Gray waited in the entry, wearing a slate-blue polo shirt and shorts with enough pockets in them to go wilderness hiking. He stood with his legs spread, his arms crossed and a scowl on his face.
She blurted out, “You look like Father.”
“Thank you.” He raised one black eyebrow over his blue eyes, eyes that were the same color as the ones she saw in the mirror every day. It wasn’t fair. She couldn’t achieve her brother’s lush eyelashes without careful layers of mascara.
As they moved through the courtyard, Gray waved at two couples sitting at a small table.
“Do you know them?”
“They’re guests.”
But customer service was Abby’s job. She frowned, then blurted out, “You’re...different here.”
“What do you mean?”
She pushed out a breath. “When you and Gwen were dating, she always complained you never made time to do the things she wanted to do.”
“Gwen didn’t acknowledge I worked for a living.” He snorted. “I couldn’t be at her beck and call for parties and outings.”
It still irritated Courtney that he’d thrown over her best friend for a gold-digging Fitzgerald sister. She and Gwen had grown up together. They were best—
Courtney blinked. She hadn’t spoken to Gwen since leaving Boston. Shouldn’t her best friend have checked in? Told her how devastated she was without her?
&n
bsp; What were her friends doing? She hadn’t checked social media, not wanting to know life continued while she hid in Georgia.
She and Gray stepped into Fitzgerald House. The kitchen bustled and the smells were amazing. It reminded Courtney of her favorite Mexican restaurant over in Back Bay. Salad plates lined every surface and Cheryl, Abby and someone she didn’t recognize worked side by side.
“Hey, handsome,” Abby called out.
“How’s the event going?” Gray asked.
“They loved the appetizers. Salad course is going up now.” Abby tipped her head and Gray bent and dropped a kiss on her lips.
“We’ll head into the library.” Gray brushed hair off Abby’s cheek. “We could eat someplace else.”
“Give me a half hour or so.” Abby nodded at Cheryl. “Nathan and the kids are coming. And Kaden will be here, too.”
Kaden. The handyman’s hot grandson. Courtney straightened her shoulders. Time to get her flirt on.
“Come on, brat.” Gray moved to the swinging door. “We need to talk about why you’re really here in Savannah.”
Uh-oh. She didn’t let the irritation in Gray’s voice alter her small smile.
In the library she stalled, perusing the offerings. Peeking at Gray’s stony expression, all she wanted was a drink and a place to hide. Preferably in Boston.
She put an enchilada on her plate and added a stuffed pepper, chips and salsa. When she spotted a pitcher of margaritas, she poured a glass. Hard alcohol might get her through Gray’s inquisition.
“Front parlor.” He didn’t wait for her response, just led the way, carrying his own plate, and took an armchair. She sat on the edge of a small sofa, across the coffee table from him.
“This smells so good.” She took a chip and ran it through the salsa. “Num. Your wife is so talented.”
“Don’t suck up. I know your tricks.” His gaze was glacial. “When were you going to ask me about a job?”
Never. She sampled her drink and let the sweet taste slide down. Darn it, Abby even made great mixed drinks. “A job?”
He leaned across the table. “I talked to Father.”
“Oh.” She needed to regroup. “Mother’s working on him. He’ll relent.”
“I don’t think so.” He sipped his drink. “Father wanted to know how you were working out.”
“Just fine. It was a long drive, but I’m recovering.” She looked at her brother over the rim of the glass.
“He wanted to know how you were settling into my new office.” He pointed at her with a stuffed jalapeño. “Stop playing stupid. You know what I’m talking about.”
She shoved her plate out of the way and stood. She paced to the doorway and back. Maybe she’d taken the wrong tack. Maybe Gray could help her out of this mess. “He was mad because of some shoes. Shoes.”
“Five thousand dollars’ worth of shoes.”
She waved her hand. “You have to pay for quality.”
“And you ran into the gate again.”
She slipped back into her seat. “It was because of an animal this time.”
“Right.” Exasperation wrinkled his face. “You have to do something with your life.”
“With my fabulous literature degree?” She rolled her eyes.
“You chose your major,” he snapped.
“But I didn’t choose my school.”
“Sure you did.” He frowned. “You chose Mother’s alma mater.”
“I wanted Yale.” She bit her lip.
“With our history there—” his black eyebrows formed a straight line “—you didn’t get in?”
“I was accepted.” Of course her brother would think that she hadn’t had the grades, that she hadn’t been smart enough. “I test very well.”
Gray rattled his drink. “I don’t understand.”
“Father wouldn’t allow me to go to Yale because I wasn’t a serious student.” She stared at her food, not wanting to see the pity on Gray’s face.
“I didn’t know. I would have argued for you. Helped you.” Gray tipped up her chin with his finger, forcing her to stare into sympathy-filled eyes. “But that doesn’t mean you couldn’t have had a different degree program.”
Arguing with Father for months on end had sucked the motivation right out of her.
“So, you’re working for me.” He tapped her nose.
It was something he’d done when she was young, when she’d been upset. He’d been good at cheering her up. She tried to smile. “I could lay low until Mother convinces Father that this is ridiculous.”
“You work for me, or you leave.” He forked a piece of enchilada into his mouth. “Since I haven’t finished the build-out on my office space, we’ll work out of the house. You start tomorrow.”
He would make her leave? “Can’t you tell Father I work for you, but I don’t actually do anything?”
“No.” Pity filled his face again. “We start at seven thirty. That means you’re up, moving and have eaten your breakfast.”
“Lovely.” She had to keep this from happening.
He pointed at her plate. “Are you going to eat that?”
Her appetite was gone. “It’s all yours.”
She headed into the library and refilled her margarita glass. Lord let her catch a horrible disease by tomorrow.
* * *
KADEN STEPPED INTO the Fitzgerald House kitchen and sniffed. Then sniffed again. His mouth watered at the scent of peppers, limes, tomatoes and onions.
Nathan waved from the table. “You got my message.”
“Hey, Kaden.” Abby set a dish on the table. “Grab a chair.”
He took a seat across from Issy, hoping she would get comfortable with him.
Gray and his sister came in through the swinging door. Damn, Courtney was gorgeous. His system absorbed the hit of her beauty like Kevlar absorbed the energy of a bullet.
Courtney’s gaze slipped over to him. She looked shell-shocked. Then her smile emerged like a mask. Odd. She hadn’t smiled much last night.
Gray sat next to Kaden and slapped him on the back. “Good to see you again.”
“Thanks.”
“Kaden’s taking on Nigel’s duties while he’s recuperating,” Abby called over. “He’ll stay in the carriage house apartment.”
Cheryl pulled out pans of enchiladas from the oven and nodded to Kaden. “It will be nice to have you nearby.”
Courtney’s pretty mouth dropped open. “Don’t you have a job?”
“I’m...between assignments.”
Her lips pursed, making an almost perfect pink circle. She touched a line forming above her eyebrows and it disappeared. “You’re a handyman?”
She made it sound like it was worse than selling drugs on the street.
“I learned from the best,” he said. “My granddad.”
Gray glared at his sister. “Abby will feel better knowing you’re handling Nigel’s work.”
Kaden turned away from Courtney’s derision and back to Issy. “I saw the beautiful mural in your old bedroom. Did you paint it?”
She giggled. “Daddy did.”
Josh stuck his thumb to his chest. “I helped.”
“It’s wonderful.” And pink. Very pink.
“Daddy’s painting a mural in our new house,” she whispered.
“Your daddy’s very talented,” Kaden said.
She tipped her head against her father’s chest. “I love Daddy.”
How could Heather have ever put this little girl in jeopardy?
“Eat,” Abby insisted. “Your next course is almost up.”
They dug in. Kaden asked Issy about school, but Josh answered for her.
Courtney caught his eye from across the table and winked at him. Wink
ed? What was going on? Then she put her hand on Josh’s arm and asked, “How did you learn to draw so well?”
Courtney and Josh tucked their heads together, leaving Kaden free to talk to Issy. He envied Courtney’s ease with the kids.
“So when do you go to kindergarten?” he asked Issy.
“Not ’til I’m...” She held up her hand, fingers spread out.
Her father rubbed the girl’s back.
“Five?” Kaden asked, to keep the conversation going.
She nodded and ate more of the mouthwatering food Abby and Cheryl kept bringing to the table.
What else could he ask a kid? “Josh says you’re getting a puppy when you move.”
Issy nodded. “Like Carly.”
He shook his head. “Who’s Carly?”
Nathan explained, “My brother’s dog.”
“Love Carly,” Issy whispered. The kid never spoke very loud.
“That should be nice.”
“We won’t get a dog that big, right, short stuff?” her father said.
The girl tipped her head at her father and batted her eyes. “Maybe.”
Everyone at the table broke out laughing. Even Courtney. He frowned. She hadn’t laughed the previous night. She’d worn a stunned expression on her beautiful face. Now it was more...sultry. He’d never described a woman that way.
With a head full of ebony curls and brilliant blue eyes, Kaden imagined Courtney had flaunted her own childhood cuteness. She’d probably wrapped adults around her finger back then and men now.
Gray and Nathan talked about the restaurant construction. Courtney chatted away with Josh.
Kaden was stumped. How did you talk to a kid? What else could they talk about?
“Josh, no drawing at the table.” Cheryl brought something fragrant to the table. “Pollo verde.”
“What’s going on?” he asked Abby.
“There’s an engagement party in the ballroom.”
“That’s why we’re eating here,” Nathan added. “Abby and Cheryl always make enough to feed the crew so we benefit.”
“And Mrs. Gonzalez gave me some of her family recipes.” Abby wiggled her eyebrows. “The pollo verde is hers.”
