by Nan Dixon
Gray nodded to Kaden. “How’s your day going?”
“Good. I’m catching up on Granddad’s backlog.”
“Kaden is going to help Nathan with the restaurant security,” Abby said.
“You’ve worked with security systems?” Gray said.
“Yes.”
“Maybe over a beer I could tap your knowledge on security for my warehouse and office?” Gray grinned. “I’ve had problems at the River Street condos.”
First working as a handyman and now security? “You can always bounce ideas off me.”
“Thanks. I’ll take you up on that offer.” Gray got his own mug of coffee and brushed a kiss on Abby’s forehead. “I’d better see what Courtney has messed up this afternoon.”
“Don’t be too hard on her.” She walked him to the door. “Do you want to join us for dinner, Kaden? Seven again? Cheryl and Nathan will be here, too.”
And the benefits of this case multiplied. Abby hadn’t blinked about him working on the security system, and he was getting another meal. “Sounds good.”
* * *
DONE. COURTNEY PUSHED the last box over to the stack by the wall and checked the time. Eight hours plus. She was done, too.
For the rest of the evening she planned to curl up with a book and a glass of wine. Unfortunately, Gray said they were eating at Fitzgerald House—again. At least Issy and Josh would be there. When she talked with the kids, she didn’t have to worry about what they were thinking. Not like the hot handyman.
He may have pushed her away last night, but he’d checked her out today. She flipped her hair back. She could handle him.
She needed affirmation that she wasn’t losing her touch with men on top of her father destroying her life. If she lost her ability to control the male species, her life was officially over.
Her friends didn’t care she’d disappeared. Gwen had taken up with the man Courtney had refused to date. Courtney was stuck in Savannah working. What circle of hell would Dante consider this?
She freshened her makeup and brushed her hair, smoothing the skin between her eyebrows. If she didn’t stop frowning she would need Botox. She shivered, hating the idea of needles piercing her face. Somehow this was Kaden’s fault—or Gray’s, or her father’s.
Grabbing her sun hat, book and a glass of wine, she headed to the carriage house’s private patio. She could at least escape to Italy with the hero and heroine of this book. Since she wouldn’t be flying off to Venice without her father reinstating her credit cards, she’d have to do it through fiction.
Twenty pages later, the hero was hiring a gondola. Goody. She’d been waiting for the characters’ first kiss.
“Hey.” Gray rapped the glass tabletop. “It’s after seven. Abby’s waiting for us.”
Gray brought her back to Savannah and reality. She wasn’t in sultry Venice or even familiar Boston. Tears backed up in her eyes. “Already?”
“Let’s go,” Gray said.
She left the book in her room and hurried to Gray’s side. She should probably apologize again. “Are you still mad?”
He stopped, pulled in a deep breath and exhaled. Twice.
Uh-oh. Father did the same thing. She widened her eyes, going for her most innocent look.
“Don’t,” he warned. “I know your tricks.”
She swallowed, but the lump in her throat didn’t move.
“You cost me money today. I have to pay for the time the subs wasted coming to the office.”
“I thought you wanted me to call everyone on the list.” She bit her lip.
“If you’re not sure of things, you have to ask questions.” He waved her next to him and they headed to Fitzgerald House. “Maybe working for me isn’t the answer.”
“What?” It had to be. Her hands shook, so she hid them behind her back. “Give me another chance. Please.”
He shook his head and sighed. “I don’t know, brat.”
“It was my first day, Gray-ray.” Her life was imploding.
She was using the nickname she’d called Gray when she was four and begging for a job she didn’t want. “Please.”
He didn’t look at her, just held the door. “We’ll see...”
She forced her feet to shuffle into the kitchen. If her finishing-school instructor set a book on her head right now, it would crash to the ground and be trampled by the people around her.
Hearing male voices, she straightened, but it was harder than normal. Curling into a ball sounded like more fun than dinner with people who knew she was useless.
When Gray swept Abby into a kiss, everyone called out his name. No one noticed her or said hi. Her breath caught. What was she doing wrong?
Since the adults ignored her, she headed to the kids, who were playing a board game in the sitting area. “What’s this game?”
“Quarto.” Josh handed a wooden piece to Issy. “You have to get four pieces the same all in a row.” He pointed. “Either tall. Short. Round. Square. Light. Or dark. I pick what piece Issy has to use and she picks what I have to play.”
Issy shrugged. “Josh always wins.”
“It sounds like fun.” Courtney examined the board and rubbed her hands together. A strategy game. “Issy, do you want help?”
Issy’s brown eyes sparkled. “Yes.”
Josh grinned and wiggled in his chair. “I can beat you both.”
Courtney scooted around and sat with Issy. “Let’s see what we have.”
The door opened. Kaden walked in. Everyone greeted him.
She swallowed and shook out her hair. It didn’t matter that no one wanted her here.
“That looks fun.” Kaden stepped close, staring at the board.
Josh explained the rules again.
It gave Courtney time to figure out where to place the piece. Issy pointed at one of the sixteen spaces on the board and Courtney nodded. Now there were three round pieces in a row. Josh would have to block so they didn’t win. She and Issy selected a square piece to hand to Josh.
Kaden stood behind Josh. Was that to make her nervous or was he watching the game? Or maybe he was checking out her cleavage. Again.
Josh started to place the piece on the board, but Kaden, the jerk, knelt next to the boy. “Hang on. They’ll win if you do that.”
The two of them whispered to each other. Josh nodded his head so hard, his hair whipped around. “I missed that.”
Courtney scooped Issy onto her lap. “Guess we don’t get the easy win, pumpkin.”
Kaden glanced at her and grinned, a dimple flashing in his cheek.
Oh, my. He’d never smiled at her. Wow. She might have to change his moniker to Hottie Handyman.
Issy tucked her head under Courtney’s chin and giggled. Courtney wrapped her arms around the little girl. Contentment streamed over her like warm massage oil. This was better than a massage. Her perfect job would include playing with kids.
Not happening. She didn’t have early childhood training or teaching skills. All she had was a love for children and two months of nanny experience in high school for her cousins. Father wouldn’t agree that babysitting was a worthwhile job.
The boys picked their spot and handed them a piece. She and Issy whispered their strategy and Issy placed the piece. And they continued with the game.
“Hey, you four,” Abby called. “Dinner.”
“We’re one piece away from winning,” Courtney complained.
“What?” Kaden frowned at the board.
Issy bounced up and down. Courtney and Issy had two ways to win and Josh would only be able to block one.
“She’s right, kid.” Kaden stared at Courtney, an assessing look in his eyes. “I didn’t see that coming.”
Courtney wiggled her eyebrows. “We did.”
&nbs
p; Josh sighed and held up his fist for his sister. “Good game.”
The little girl wrapped her arms around Courtney. “We won.”
“That’s really fun.” Kaden helped Josh put the pieces in the box. “We’ll get them next time.”
Them?
“Issy, hop up,” her father called.
Issy tugged on Courtney’s hand. “Sit with me.”
Courtney let Issy pull her to the table. The little girl was the only one who wanted her here. God, she missed her friends. Missed the easy life. When she helped Issy into a chair, she looked up. Kaden watched her, a frown marring his smooth forehead.
“How was your first day at work?” Cheryl asked Courtney as she served Josh a pork chop.
She shot a look at Gray, but his face was blank. “I—I guess okay.”
Abby glanced at her husband, her eyebrows arched. Great. Awesome Abby knew about her problems.
“Cut please,” Issy sang.
“Sure.” At least Courtney couldn’t screw that up.
“So who won the game?” Nathan asked.
Issy set her head on Courtney’s arm. “Us.”
“What?” Abby asked.
“You’re kidding,” Dolley said.
Could they be more insulting?
“You beat the champ?” Nathan asked his daughter, a smile breaking over his face. “No one beats Josh at Quarto.”
Josh pouted.
“We beat Josh and Kaden,” Courtney said.
Kaden nodded in her direction. But there wasn’t a smile there. She couldn’t fathom why he wasn’t behaving like other men. She forced her face muscles to relax. Being stuck in Savannah would add ten years to her looks.
For the rest of dinner she chatted with Issy. When everyone finished, she pushed away from the table.
“Color?” Issy asked her.
“Sure.” Courtney started to move back to the sitting area.
Gray grabbed her arm as she moved next to him. “Help with the dishes.”
“Dishes?”
Her brother shook his head. “They aren’t going to magically place themselves in the dishwasher.”
“But...”
His eyes went cold. “Help clean up.”
“Sorry, Issy,” she whispered. “Later.”
“You could thank Abby and Cheryl for the delicious dinner, too,” Gray said.
Why was her brother so mean? Her face burned. “Th-thank you.”
Abby and Cheryl nodded.
Everyone knew where everything went. Even Kaden. She hung back, then tried to imitate Bess and Dolley. She brought her plate, wineglass and silverware over to the counter. She bent to set her plate in the rack, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her.
Kaden jerked his thumb to the back of the kitchen. “You need to scrape your plate over there.”
She looked around. “Where?”
He grabbed another plate with leftover food on it. “Follow me.”
He used a fork to scrape stuff into a barrel. Yuck. She tipped her plate, trying to shake everything off.
He rolled his eyes, and then used a fork to get the remains. “A farmer picks up the scraps and feeds it to his livestock.”
“That’s just...gross.” She didn’t want to know this stuff. She wanted to go to her happy place, either playing with Issy and Josh, or reading her book. But she trudged back to the massive dishwashers and stuck her plate and the others inside.
“I think that’s it.” Abby hung a towel on a rack.
“Great dinner,” Kaden said. “Thank you.”
And he walked away. Without giving Courtney a glance or a goodbye.
Gray took the opportunity to hug his wife. “Fabulous, as usual.”
Nathan did the same to Cheryl and she blushed about thirteen shades of pink.
“Thank you again,” Courtney added, tapping her feet. Had anyone in their family ever thanked Marcus or the cook for a meal? She was sick of not understanding how people expected her to behave.
“Can we play again?” Josh asked.
Cheryl shook her head. “Time to head home.”
“We’ll play another time.” Courtney ruffled his hair. The kids were the only bright spot in her life in exile.
She followed the Foresters to the door.
“Courtney, hang on a minute,” Gray called.
Gray and Abby sat at the table. Her brother pointed to a chair.
This felt like the time she’d ended up in the principal’s office in grade school for pulling a girl’s hair. Instead of sitting, she stood behind the chair, holding on to the rounded back. “Yes?”
“Clerical work isn’t your strength.” Gray’s blue eyes locked on hers.
“It was my first day. I already said I was sorry.” Hadn’t she?
“Maybe part of the problem is I’m your brother,” Gray said. “Maybe it’s better if I’m not your boss.”
“But...” What would she do now?
Abby was close enough to pat her arm.
Courtney pulled away from her sister-in-law’s touch and tucked her trembling hands behind her back. Did her brother have to humiliate her in front of his overachieving wife? “I’ll...do better.”
Gray shook his head. “If you don’t like what you’re doing, you won’t.”
She didn’t like the idea of work.
Sympathy filled Abby’s green eyes. “Why don’t we try you in the B and B?”
“Here?” Courtney locked her knees so her legs didn’t give way. “In the kitchen? I don’t know anything about cooking.”
“No.” Abby shook her head. “In housekeeping.”
Cleaning? Her legs went limp. The chair squeaked as she pulled it over the tiles and collapsed into the seat. “I don’t know how.”
Sympathy filled Gray’s face. “You’ll learn.”
“Marion will train you,” Abby said.
Courtney grabbed Gray’s hand. “Call Father. Ask him to let me go back to my real life.”
“Working is good for you.” He squeezed her fingers. “You need to make something of your life.”
“I have! I’m a pretty little ornament,” she snapped. “I’m exactly what Father made of me and now he wants me to change. How is that possible?”
Pity filled Abby’s and Gray’s faces.
She couldn’t take it. She yanked her gaze so it landed on the table.
“Is that all you want to be?” Abby asked.
Did she? Her life was a train wreck right now. Her lip quivered. “I don’t...”
Gray leaned forward. “Then do something about it.”
“This is all Daddy expected of me.” Courtney sniffed. God, she couldn’t cry in front of them. “If he could have sent me to finishing school instead of college, he would have.”
“Prove him wrong.” Gray slapped the table and she jumped. “You’ve got a brain in that pretty head.”
“Cleaning toilets will prove him wrong?” She couldn’t stop the tremor that raced over her body.
“It’s a start,” he insisted.
“I’ll talk to Marion.” The pity hadn’t left Abby’s face. “You should be here by seven.”
“Fine. Great.” Courtney pushed away from the table. She had to get out of here.
Her body shook like it was twenty below. The door banged behind her. She stumbled through the courtyard, bumping past Kaden.
“Courtney,” he called. “What’s wrong?”
She ignored him. Everything was wrong. Everything.
CHAPTER FIVE
“SOMETHING’S BLOCKING THE view on the left,” Kaden called to Boyd, the FBI agent Roger had sent to help install the security equipment.
“I... Yup. Got it,” Boyd re
plied from up on the ladder. “Try again.”
Kaden moved around the courtyard, watching his actions on his iPad. This was the last camera they’d installed. And the coverage was just what he’d envisioned.
Boyd clattered down the aluminum ladder. “That good?”
“Excellent.” Kaden nodded. “Thanks for coming down with the equipment.”
“You know how Roger is.” Boyd raised his eyebrows. “He didn’t want you calling his ex for assistance.”
“I know.” Roger and his ex-wife’s problems better not get in Kaden’s way. “Have a safe drive back.”
“I don’t need to leave yet. I could stay another night and check the visibility.”
“We did that the last two nights.”
“I was hoping the work would last longer.” Boyd sighed. “This B and B is incredible. I could be your backup and stay.”
Kaden shook his head. Two people might look suspicious. “Sorry, not my call.”
“You sure? The Statesboro authorities spotted Salvez near campus. That’s only an hour from here.”
“I know.” Which made getting the cameras and software up and running a priority.
“Apparently, one of Salvez’s cousins goes to school there.” Boyd raised an eyebrow. “Think the kid is in the family business?”
“Probably.” But they had bigger fish to fry, namely Salvez and Bole.
“I think you need me here.” Boyd packed up his toolbox. “If something changes, mention my name first?”
“Sure.”
“We could check the facial recognition software again?” Boyd wasn’t giving up.
“It’s working perfectly.”
“What was the name of the woman you practiced on?” Boyd looked around the courtyard. “She lives on site, right?”
Kaden’s hands formed fists. It had been a mistake to test the software using Courtney’s picture. Boyd needed to stay far away from her. “I never said, and she’s just visiting.”
“She’s hot.”
She’s trouble. And troubled. Boyd’s reaction to her shouldn’t make him...jealous. Ridiculous.
The last time he’d been close to her, she’d pushed past him in the courtyard looking like her best friend had died. Courtney wasn’t working for her brother anymore, either. She was working in the B and B.
