Cold Deception (His Agenda 4): Prequel to the His Agenda Series

by Lavelle, Dori

  Terence raised a hand, curling it into a tight fist that showed off white knuckles. Lacey backed away until she hit the wall and closed her eyes, waiting for the punch to land on her face, bracing herself for the pain. Instead, his punch landed on the wall inches from her head. She jerked at the sound of the impact, and her eyes flew open.

  He was facing away from her now, his hands clutching his head, his shoulders rising and falling like waves.

  A tear trickled down Lacey’s cheek. “You’re a coward,” she spat. “The fact that you’d even consider beating your wife shows me what a weak man you are.”

  Chapter Thirty-One

  “Mr. Big Tipper is back. Want to take his table?” Florene whispered to Lacey as they both filled their serving trays with drinks.

  Lacey shook her head. “No, go ahead. I’ll take table six. I think he likes you. Look how he’s staring at you.”

  The man they dubbed “Mr. Big Tipper” came to eat at the restaurant for the first time on Lacey’s first day. He had been the unfortunate customer whose jacket she had spilled beef and vegetable soup on. Thank God it hadn’t burned him too badly. Lacey had been horrified and attempted to wipe off the brown liquid with napkins, but he stopped her, assuring her it was not a big deal. He’d simply shrugged off the suit jacket and slung it on the back of an empty chair. When he paid for his meal, he shocked Lacey by giving her a huge tip—money that later allowed her to buy most of the makeup Florene had recommended.

  “Wrong. It’s you he’s looking at.”

  Lacey lifted her tray and balanced it on her hand. “I’m married, remember?”

  “To a man who wants you to stay home and be his slave. You’re brave to stay with someone like that. Brave or crazy.” Florene rubbed a smudge off a wine glass. “Besides, Mr. Big Tipper has no idea you’re married, does he? I’m not taking the table. I have a lot of regulars tonight, and so does Keith.” Florene walked off, her slim hips swaying from side to side.

  Yesterday morning, while they changed into their uniforms, Florene had noticed that Lacey looked sad and insisted on knowing what was wrong. Lacey had told her just enough, leaving out a few of the most important pieces of her home life. Florene had been shocked that her husband would demand Lacey stay home, and encouraged her to stand her ground. What Lacey didn’t tell Florene was that her husband was starting to scare her.

  Lacey decided to be professional. After serving desserts and drinks to one of the corner tables, she walked over to Mr. Big Tipper.

  “Good evening.” She pulled out a pen and notepad from her pocket. “What can I get you today?”

  “Surprise me.” His deep and silky voice touched something inside her, something she forced herself to push down. He was a handsome man, his eyes the warmest shade of chocolate that complemented his tanned skin and black hair. She normally didn’t find beards attractive, but she couldn’t imagine Mr. Big Tipper without one. It was short, well-trimmed, and made him look mysterious.

  She dipped her head so he wouldn’t see her flushed cheeks, focusing on her notepad. “How about today’s special? Spare ribs with baked potatoes and salad?” She looked up again.

  “That sounds perfect.” His teeth looked as if they had been whitened and then polished one at a time.

  When she served him his food, her heart raced like crazy. What was wrong with her? Terence was the man she loved, the only man who had ever knocked her off her feet. She wasn’t supposed to be attracted to other men. Yet here she was.

  The tip he gave her after the meal was double the amount from last time.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, shaking her head as he got up to leave. “This is too much. I can’t take it.”

  “Why not? Fantastic work should be rewarded. Please have it.”

  “Thank you.” Lacey wiped the sweat off the top of her lip and nodded. “But next time you come in, I won’t take a tip from you. You’ve given me more than enough already.”

  “It’s my money and I can do what I like with it. If I want to give it to a beautiful, hardworking woman, I will.” He pulled a business card out of his pocket, followed by a silver pen. He jotted something on the back and stood. “Have a wonderful evening. I hope to see you again soon.” Then he pressed the card into her hand and walked out of the restaurant.

  Lacey cleared the table and at the end of her shift, went to the staff room. As she read the note, a dizzying current ran through her.

  I’m in town for business. I’d love to take you out for a drink. Call me. I like you. Winston

  The front of the card had a cell phone number.

  “What’s that?” Florene asked when she walked in.

  Lacey jumped. “Nothing.” She crumpled the business card and tossed it into the trashcan.

  Holding Lacey’s gaze, Florene picked up the trashcan and retrieved the card. She read it and smiled at Lacey.

  “So I was right. Mr. Big Tipper does like you. How big was the tip this time?”

  Lacey snatched the card from Florene’s hand and threw it back in the trash. “None of your business.”

  “That big, huh?” Florene opened her locker to change out of her uniform. “Well, are you going to join him for that drink?”

  “Very funny.” Lacey laughed. “You know I can’t do that. Why do you think I threw the card in the trash?” Lacey opened her own locker.

  “Maybe he wants to be friends.”

  “I find that hard to believe,” Lacey said, and then changed the subject until they had finished getting dressed.

  Florene’s twin sister, Gabriele, was waiting for Florene at the bar when she and Lacey came out of the staff room. The three of them walked out of Classico together.

  “Since you won’t be going out with Mr. Big Tipper, do you want to join us for a drink?”

  “Who the hell is Mr. Big Tipper?” Gabriele asked.

  Florene and Lacey exchanged glances and burst out laughing.

  “A sexy businessman who likes to give Lacey huge tips. He has the hots for her.”

  “Too bad for him. I’m not on the market.” Lacey pulled her handbag close, her heart sinking. “Thanks for the offer, but I’d better get home.” Her stomach churned at the thought of going home. Her life was certainly not the fairytale she had imagined when she married Terence.

  When she let herself into the house, he wasn’t there. As she did most nights before bed, she worked on a crossword puzzle, wishing this time it would unknot the anxiety in her stomach. It didn’t help.

  She finally fell asleep. It wasn’t Terence she dreamed of.

  When she opened her eyes and found herself alone in bed, she showered, ate breakfast, and went over to Classico, even though she wasn’t working today. But she didn’t go there to work. She had forgotten something in the trashcan of the staff room. She held the crumpled business card in her hand, and a combination of guilt and exhilaration washed over her.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Terence

  Terence popped a painkiller and planted it on the tip of his tongue. Finding no water in the fridge, he downed the tablet with a cold beer. He was angry, in pain, and in desperate need of sleep. The night he’d spent on the couch had tortured his back.

  Now that Lacey had left the house, he went to their bedroom, slammed the door shut, and threw himself onto the bed. He slept for three straight hours. When he woke up, he showered and went online. It only took him a few minutes to find the address of the restaurant where Lacey said she worked. He drove there and parked the car on the other side of the road. He thought of barging in and dragging her out, but decided against it. As he waited, he took some calls, using the time to get some work done.

  Lacey walked out of the restaurant at 7 p.m., followed by two women. He watched her throw back her head and laugh at something one of them said.

  Terence gritted his teeth as something inside him exploded. Lacey looked happy and relaxed—happier than when she was at home with him. He didn’t like that one bit.

  Chapter Thirty-Thre
e

  Terence groaned when the blanket was yanked off his body. He turned in time to see it being thrown onto the floor beside the couch, next to Marion’s feet.

  “Get your ass off my couch.” Marion’s voice was cool and firm. “Get back to your wife, and sort out your life.”

  “Fuck my life.” Terence buried his face in the pillow and groaned at the pain of the damn headache that wouldn’t go away.

  “You’re the one fucking up your own life. Stop burying your head in the sand and take responsibility for your actions.”

  Terence turned onto his back and laughed bitterly. “What are you trying to say? You don’t want me here, is that it? What exactly do you want from me?”

  Marion pulled his cell phone from his pocket, glanced at it, and tossed it at Terence. It landed on his bare chest. “I need you to call your wife. Ignoring her calls and sleeping on my couch, drinking all the time won’t sort out your problems. So what if she wants to work. What’s your problem with it anyway? It’s been a week. It’s time for you to go home.”

  Terence pushed Marion’s phone aside and sat up. “I didn’t come here for advice.” He scratched the back of his head. “I just needed a place to crash. But you’re right. I should get out of here.” He stumbled to his feet, picked up his own phone from the floor, and headed for the bathroom.

  Leaning against the basin, he switched on the phone and a barrage of notifications flashed across the screen. Lacey had called him twenty times last night.

  He switched off the phone without bothering to listen to the voice messages and got into the hot shower.

  Half an hour later he found Marion in the kitchen, having breakfast with his girlfriend for the week.

  “I’m heading out,” Terence said, standing in the doorway.

  Marion followed him to the front door. Before stepping out, Terence turned to Marion. “Thanks for letting me crash at your place. Sorry about earlier.”

  “You’re my brother. You’re welcome here anytime. But please, make things right with Lacey. She’s a good woman. Don’t let your ego chase her away.” He leaned against the doorframe. “And for fuck’s sake, stop drinking.”

  “I’m not heading home. I have to go to Madison for a few days. A new client wants me to look into something.” He had to find proof that a lawyer’s wife was not visiting her sister in Madison as she said, but was going there to meet her lover. While at Marion’s place, Terence had turned down a number of jobs because his head wasn’t in the right place. He was ready to return to work now, but not to his wife. Not yet.

  He’d thought being away would give him time to clear his head, to find a way to adjust to Lacey having a life outside their home. But he was finding it damn near impossible. Being a working woman was changing her, as he’d feared it would. How could he accept that?

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Lacey

  Christmas Day came and went without a word from Terence. Lacey had no idea of his whereabouts. She’d called him what seemed like hundreds of times and left endless messages on his phone. He never called back, and didn’t return her texts. She would have called the cops to report him missing if Marion hadn’t answered one of her calls and assured her that Terence was all right. He’d come home when he was ready, Marion said.

  It broke Lacey’s heart to spend Christmas without her husband. The festive meal she prepared went cold and the candles burned out as she sat alone at the table. Still, Terence didn’t show up.

  Out of anger, frustration, and desperation, she found herself reaching for the business card with Winston’s—Mr. Big Tipper’s—phone number. He had come to Classico a few times since he gave her the card, and they had talked more. She was always the one to serve him, and she enjoyed their small talk. Kellie encouraged her staff to talk to the guests, saying that people came to the restaurant for more than food. Sometimes they needed a friendly ear.

  Lacey listened and talked, but she still hadn’t accepted his invitation to go out for a drink.

  Winston revealed that he lived in New York but was in Serendipity for a few months on business. He was an architect, working on a new mall project, which he told her bits and pieces about. He hardly knew anyone in Serendipity. He figured out which days Lacey usually worked and often showed up, knowing she’d be there.

  Two days ago he was the last guest of the evening. He’d ordered one cup of coffee after another until her shift was over and the restaurant was closing. He offered to walk her to her car. She agreed, and they strolled side by side, her telling him about all the places he had to see before leaving Serendipity.

  “I’d love for you to show me around,” he said when they arrived at her car.

  Lacey had to remind him yet again that she was married, and it would not be appropriate for her to be seen around town with another man, even though there was nothing going on between them. He’d agreed to respect her marriage, and accepted her friendship if that was all she had to offer. But he refused to withdraw the offer of a drink.

  Tonight she wiped away her tears and reached for her phone. First she called Florene, who had asked Lacey to join her, Gabriele, and some friends at their Christmas party. Lacey accepted. Next, she bit the bullet and called Winston, who was happy to hear from her. She was stepping into dangerous territory, but she was too furious with Terence to care. Also, no one deserved to be alone for Christmas. Not her nor Winston.

  Thirty minutes later, Lacey pulled up in front of Florene’s apartment building, wearing tight jeans and a black silk top underneath her thick winter coat. She found Winston already parked outside, waiting for her.

  ***

  Lacey took another sip of her martini and smiled at Winston. His presence made her comfortable. For a while he told her about his job, even showing her his building plans on his phone. They talked like ordinary friends.

  After another martini, she no longer heard what he was saying. She saw his lips move but didn’t understand a thing. The alcohol was getting to her. She was not much of a drinker. A few drops normally made her woozy. Tonight she had gone way beyond her limits. That was fine. She wanted to forget about her husband taking off without saying anything. She wanted to enjoy herself for once.

  Winston leaned closer to her on the couch and asked her the question that had plagued her mind for a while. His lips brushed her ear. “Do you love your husband?”

  Lacey placed her almost empty cocktail glass on a side table, next to Winston’s beer. She was suddenly alert again. “Why would you ask me that?” She leaned back so they were no longer almost touching. She looked over at Florene, who was talking to her date, an extremely tall man with jet-black hair and movie star looks.

  Winston leaned in again so she could hear what he was saying over the noise. “There’s something unhappy about you. So, do you love him?”

  “I do. I think—I do.” She did. She loved Terence even when everything was falling apart, even though she wasn’t sure if he had left her for good. She hoped he would return, but how would she forgive him? Was it even possible to repair their bond? Their marriage was like a broken china cup whose pieces were scattered, some of them lost. Even if they glued them back together, it would never be the same again.

  “Are you happy with him?” Winston’s warm eyes soothed her.

  Lacey relaxed and sank back into the couch with a sigh.

  “I can’t answer that question because I don’t know. All I can tell you is that I’ve been happier.” She shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s complicated.”

  “Marriage is not the bed of roses some people think it is. I’m divorced, by the way.” Winston picked up his beer and took a deep swig. His gaze turned distant. “I was married to the love of my life—at least I thought she was at the time. We had a few good years of marriage, two beautiful kids, and then everything changed.” He looked back at Lacey. “I learned something from it all. I learned that if love is meant to be, it shouldn’t be that painful, that complicated.”

  “But life isn’t al
ways easy.” Lacey smoothed down her hair. “Situations occur and they have to be sorted out. It’s not all smooth sailing. If everybody gave up at the first sign of trouble…”

  “I get that. It’s just that you should be able to work through those problems together. When a couple is drowning, they should be able to hold on to each other. If they find they’re working on those problems separately, it’s hard to get back to one another. Even once the complications have been removed.”

  “True. So, how long will you be in town?” She had to change the subject. He was getting too close to the truth.

  “At least another six months. There’s still lots to do.”

  “Do you like it here? Do you see yourself staying or working here in Serendipity permanently?”

  “If I had a reason to stay, maybe I would. But I do love my life in New York. My whole life is there, my company, my kids. But I’ll definitely be coming back here often after this project is completed.” He gazed at her for a long time and blinked. “Would you like to see me again after tonight?”

  “I’m pretty sure you’ll continue eating at the restaurant, won’t you?”

  He laughed and pushed up the sleeves of his shirt. “You’re right about that. I love the food and the company.” He rubbed his chin. “But I’d love to see you again away from Classico. It’s such a breath of fresh air to talk to someone I’m not doing business with. It doesn’t have to be more than what you want it to be.”

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Lacey didn’t see Winston for three days, and she felt guilty wishing she could see him again. The longer Terence stayed away, the more nights she spent crying herself to sleep, the more she found herself hoping Winston would show up at the restaurant, and felt her heart sink at the thought of never seeing him again. Every chance she got, she glanced at incoming customers, searching for his face.