Danielle nodded. ‘It is rather bright, isn’t it?’ She sighed as she sank into the depths of an ancient, floral-print sofa. ‘I thought you said this place was old and charming.’
‘Well, it’s old, anyway,’ her cousin said, smiling as she turned around, ‘you have to admit that.’
Danielle stood quickly, looked at the sofa cushion, then lifted one high-heeled golden sandal out from beneath her. ‘And cluttered,’ she said, depositing the offending shoe on top of a magazine-littered table.
Val grinned. ‘Like old times, right, Danni?’
‘Yes,’ Danielle said after a pause, ‘like old times.’
‘I meant to clean up a bit, but I’ve been awfully busy.’ Val moved quickly through the boxy sitting room, snatching up handfuls of discarded clothing. ‘Anyway, what’s the point? We’ll be moving on in another week or so anyway, right?’
Danielle sighed as she collapsed on to the sofa again. ‘I wish you’d told me about the location change, Val.’
‘Why? It doesn’t change anything; you’ll still have a summer in Europe, only now you’ll get to see more of it.’ Val smiled prettily. ‘And I’ll still have my favourite cousin by my side.’ Her heels tapped sharply against the wide-planked floor as she crossed the room and sat opposite Danielle. ‘It really will be like old times, Danni. But at least you don’t have to pick up after me, the way you did when we were kids.’
Danielle smiled pleasantly. ‘I don’t intend to,’ she said.
Val glanced at her. ‘Anyway,’ she said after a pause, ‘I thought we’d keep to separate rooms this time. You can take this sitting room—the sofa opens into a bed that Madame swears is comfortable—and I’ll keep the bedroom—how does that sound?’
Danielle shifted her weight on the creaking sofa. The hidden mattress was probably as uncomfortable as the cushions on which she sat, but the quick glimpse she’d had of Val’s cluttered bedroom had been enough to make the decision easy.
‘That sounds fine,’ she said.
Val nodded. ‘Good. You can put your things in the chest near the fireplace. And you can hang your dresses and stuff on the rod just behind the bathroom door.’ She shrugged in apology. ‘I meant to empty one of the wardrobes, but they’re so full that—well, it seemed silly to take my things out of one place only to hang them in another. You don’t mind, do you?’
Danielle got to her feet and walked to the chest of drawers. ‘No,’ she said, pulling open a drawer and peering inside, ‘that’ll be all right.’
‘Good. That’s settled, then.’ The two women looked at each other and then Val smiled. ‘So,’ she said, ‘how have you been?’
‘Fine,’ Danielle said, leaning back against the chest. ‘And you?’
‘Oh, fine. Just fine.’
They nodded foolishly at each other in the silence that followed, until Danielle cleared her throat. ‘Ginny sends her regards.’
A little frown appeared between Val’s pale green eyes. ‘Who?’
‘Ginny. Virginia Stanton, remember? She went to school with us.’
‘Did she?’ Val shrugged her shoulders. ‘I can’t seem to put the name with a face.’
There was another silence and Danielle cleared her throat again. ‘I can hardly wait to get a look around Ste Agathe. The town looks charming—all those tiled roofs and timbered houses. And those walls—I had no idea there were Roman ruins here.’
Valerie yawned. ‘Are there?’ she said, and she yawned again. ‘Sorry. I was out late last night.’ She smiled as she brushed a fall of blonde hair from her eyes. ‘A bunch of us went to this fantastic new disco in Nice—we had a blast.’
Silence stretched between the women again. Finally, Danielle sighed, walked to where her suitcase lay, and lifted it.
‘I might as well unpack,’ she said, carrying it across the room. ‘My things are probably all wrinkled by now.’
‘I should think you’d want to get some sleep before you did anything else. Aren’t you exhausted?’
‘I should be, I know,’ Danielle admitted as she heaved her suitcase to the top of the chest and unzipped it. ‘But I’m not. I suppose it’s all the excitement.’
‘Yes. That was quite a close call you had.’
Something in Val’s voice made Danielle look up. Her cousin was watching her through narrowed eyes. There was still a smile on her face, but it had undergone a subtle transformation.
‘I wasn’t thinking of the accident,’ Danielle said quickly. ‘I meant all the rest—the long flight, the time change, seeing you again…’
‘And meeting Lee Bradford,’ Val said, her eyes still on Danielle. ‘Don’t tell me that wasn’t exciting, too. After all, he’s quite well known.’
Danielle lifted a stack of cotton sweaters from the suitcase and bent to the bottom drawer. Instinct told her this conversation was going to be unpleasant. Still, she’d been expecting it ever since she’d seen that moment of undisguised anger on Val’s face when she’d found Danielle and Lee so close together in his car.
‘Is he?’ she asked casually. ‘I’m afraid I’d never heard of him before.’ She straightened up and burrowed in her suitcase for another pile of clothing. ‘But then I never did follow sports very much.’
Val nodded. ‘No, that’s true, you didn’t.’ There was a creak of sagging springs and then the sound of her heels tapping across the floor. Danielle looked up as Val leaned against the wall next to the chest of drawers, her legs crossed delicately at the ankles, her arms folded over her rounded breasts. ‘Still, I’d have thought even you would have heard of him, Danni. He’s famous, like Mario Andretti.’
Danielle smiled. ‘I don’t know who that is either,’ she said, closing the drawer and pulling open the one above it. ‘Would you hand me those scarves? Thanks.’
Valerie watched Danielle in silence for a few moments and then she cleared her throat. ‘You never did say how you and Lee met.’
‘I told you—he overheard my conversation at the car-rental counter, and—’
‘That hardly sounds like my little cousin,’ Val said pleasantly. ‘Letting a strange man talk her into his car.’
A slow flush rose to Danielle’s cheeks. ‘I’m not your little cousin any more,’ she said quietly. ‘Hadn’t you noticed?’
‘No,’ Val said after a moment, her voice cold, ‘you’re not, are you?’
Danielle looked up. It would be foolish to get into an argument; she hadn’t come all this distance for that. And it would be especially foolish to argue over a man like Lee Bradford.
‘As for accepting Lee’s offer—well, I didn’t have much choice. It was either that or spend a small fortune on a taxi. And it wasn’t as if we were really strangers…’
Val’s breath hissed as she inhaled sharply. ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
It means I’ve put my foot in it, Danielle thought. She looked at her cousin and smiled brightly. ‘We met in the VIP lounge at the airport in New York. A friend of mine—a friend of Ginny’s, really—got me a pass. I wasn’t supposed to be there, of course, not on a second-class ticket, but Ginny said—’
‘Ah,’ Val said, ‘that’s it, then. You met in the lounge and got to talking, and you told Lee you were coming here to visit me and he said he knew me, and—’
‘Well, no. Actually, he was just being kind to a fellow American in distress. He heard me tell the clerk I had to get to Ste Agathe and he offered to help. Thank goodness he did. I mean, without him, I’d still be standing at the airport—’
Danielle clamped her lips together. She was running on like a fool, and all she was doing was digging the hole deeper and deeper. Why was she on the defensive? Her part in all this had been innocent.
‘He’s quite a Boy Scout, isn’t he?’ Val laughed, but it was an artificial sound. ‘I wonder if he would have been as eager to offer a helping hand if you’d been twenty years older and sporting a moustache.’
A hanger slipped from Danielle’s hands and clattered loudly against the wide-pl
anked floor. ‘Did your boss give you the afternoon off?’ she said as she bent to retrieve it. ‘That was nice of him. I hoped we’d have some time together today. It’s been so long since we—’
‘Lee should have been more careful on that road. He knows it twists and turns like a snake.’
‘It wasn’t his fault. The goat—’
‘Yes. So he said.’ Valerie stepped away from the wall and walked slowly to the centre of the room. She smiled coolly as she sat down on the sofa. ‘What on earth was going on when I got to the car, Danni? Lee looked as if he was playing doctor.’
Danielle flushed. ‘I suppose—I guess he was just trying to make sure I was all right.’
‘Was he?’
It was a statement, not a question, and Danielle suspected it might be best not to respond. But the look in Val’s eyes reminded her of a cat Aunt Helen had once owned. It had had a habit of purring gently, then reaching out and slashing you with its claws. ‘Slap it sharply on the nose,’ Aunt Helen had said, ‘that’s the only way to let the fool thing know you’re on to its tricks.’
Danielle looked directly at her cousin. ‘Listen, Val,’ she said softly, ‘I’m not in the least bit interested in your Mr Bradford. Have you got that straight?’
Val smiled. ‘Aren’t you?’
‘No. He’s all yours, believe me.’
The other woman’s smile twisted a little. ‘Yes, indeed he is.’ She stared at Danielle, and then she sighed. ‘I have your best interests at heart, Danni,’ she said gently. ‘How can I put this so your feelings won’t be hurt? You see, I’ve known Lee for a while now; I’ve seen how foolish women can be when they’re around him.’ She smiled. ‘It’s not always their fault, of course. He’s the kind of man who can’t resist a pretty face. Not that I hold it against him. I mean, the racing circuit’s loaded with groupies. And then, he’s so good-looking…’
Colour flared in Danielle’s cheeks. ‘Val, I just told you—’
‘We were in Cannes last weekend and he gave an autograph to some girl. She was awfully cute, and Lee just couldn’t resist a little harmless flirting. It’s like a game to him, you know?’ Val tossed her head and laughed. ‘Would you believe she phoned half the night? It kept both of us awake—not that we were really asleep,’ she said, her brows arching delicately. ‘If you know what I mean.’
‘You don’t have to paint pictures for me, Val,’ Danielle said quietly. ‘I’m not a child.’
The two cousins looked at each other for a few seconds and then Val got to her feet.
‘I think you need a rest, Danni, no matter what you say. Take it from someone with experience, jet lag will catch up with you when you least expect it.’ She crossed the room quickly and put her hand lightly on Danielle’s arm. ‘I just want you to know that I’m glad you’re here,’ she said, smiling.
The warmth in Val’s voice surprised her. Danielle looked at her and smiled tentatively. ‘Are you really?’
‘Yes. Of course.’
Danielle’s smile broadened. ‘You know, on the plane coming over, I kept thinking that it’s years since we spent any time together. I’m glad I decided to—’
‘Mmm, so am I.’ Val patted her absently, then moved past her to the mirror. ‘Barney’s French translator quit. Did I tell you?’
Danielle shook her head. ‘No,’ she said slowly, ‘you didn’t.’
‘Well, he did, the awful man, and without any warning. Barney hasn’t hired anyone else yet, so I’ve been working my butt off.’ Their eyes met in the mirror. ‘You will feel up to a bit of work by tomorrow, won’t you?’
Danielle sighed. ‘Sure.’
Val smiled and spun towards her. ‘Good. Well, I’ll see you later, then. Oh, by the way—if you want a shower, just remember to make it a quickie. There’s not an awful lot of hot water. And don’t worry if you oversleep. I’ll ask Madame to send you a tray.’
‘Don’t bother doing that. I don’t want to put your landlady to any trouble on my account.’
Val made a face. ‘It’s good practice to bother the dragon-lady from time to time. Anyway, she might as well earn what you’ll be paying her.’
Danielle’s hazel eyes widened. ‘What do you mean?’
‘She wants something for the extra linen and towels you’ll be using.’
‘But I thought—’
‘I know. That’s what I thought, too. Well, don’t worry about it. It won’t come to much. You’ll still come out ahead—I told you, my per diem will cover almost all our meal expenses, and—’
‘What do you mean, “almost”? You said “all”. Val, I don’t think you understand, I’m operating on a really tight budget…’
‘Stop worrying, will you? Living is really cheap here. We’ll be fine, you’ll see.’ Val glanced at her watch. ‘Oh, boy, am I in trouble! Barney gave me an hour so I could get you settled in—he’ll be foaming at the mouth by now. Look, if you wake up before six, come on down to the set and I’ll introduce you around. Anybody can tell you where it is—we’re the only action in this godforsaken place. See you later, OK?’
Danielle sank to the edge of the sofa as soon as the door swung shut. What a disaster this was turning out to be! First the encounter with Lee, now the run-in with Val—and, to top it off, it looked as if her ‘free’ vacation was going to cost even more than she’d expected.
Sighing, she leaned her head back and stared at the water-stained ceiling. There was always the coward’s way out—she could turn tail and head straight back to the States. But it would be awful to try and explain things to Ginny and the others. Besides, her bargain airfare was round-trip; the return ticket was non-refundable and good only on the date it had been issued for, a date some eight weeks from now.
Danielle stood up, then walked slowly across the room to Val’s bedroom. She was tired, more tired than she’d realised. What she needed was a nap to clear her head. First, she’d find a space in one of the wardrobes for her empty suitcase, and then she’d take that shower Val had mentioned.
We could climb into a shower together, Lee had said.
Danielle shook her head as she pushed open the bedroom door. Yes, she needed some rest. Definitely.
The room was shadowy. Dark shutters were drawn over the windows, enclosing the room in unnatural twilight. Centred in the midst of the room, sheets rumpled, was a huge four-poster bed.
Slowly, Danielle set down her suitcase. The bed looked almost like a stage set; the linens were white, the canopy lace. Pillows were strewn against the headboard. At the foot, Val’s nightgown—black, very sheer—lay in stark relief against the white bedcover.
A hand seemed to close around her throat. ‘You can take this sitting room and I’ll keep the bedroom,’ Valerie had said, and she had thought only that it was a good idea, a way to keep her cousin’s clutter contained.
Now Danielle wondered how she’d been so simple-minded. This bed—Val’s bed—wasn’t meant for one. This must be where Valerie and Lee Bradford came together. Did his dark head lie on those white pillows, did his golden skin gleam with sweat when…?
Her head felt light. Quickly, she slipped from the room and sank down in a chair outside the door. She was trembling. God, what was the matter with her? Val was an adult and so was she. Men and women slept together; it happened all the time. Eddie had teased her about being naïve, but she wasn’t ignorant.
After a moment, Danielle rose and made her way to the sofa. She sat down slowly, then drew her legs up and stretched out. A tremor went through her again. I’m cold, she thought, I must be, even on this warm afternoon, and she reached up and drew down the afghan that lay draped across the back of the sofa.
In a little while, the trembling stopped. Danielle let out a long breath, then closed her eyes. She was exhausted, that was what was wrong with her, it was why all her reactions seemed exaggerated. After a nap, things would look better. Things would look…
Her lashes drifted to her cheeks and she slept.
* * *
&nb
sp; When she awoke, early evening shadows were falling across the walls and floor. Yawning, stretching her arms overhead, Danielle pushed aside the afghan and swung her legs to the floor. There was a tray on the table in front of the sofa; it held coffee, cream and sugar, along with a plate on which were two croissants and jam. Her stomach growled at the sight.
The coffee was cool, but she drank it thirstily. The croissants were delicious. She ate one, gazed wistfully at the other, then shrugged her shoulders and ate it as well.
She felt a thousand times better when she’d finished. The nap, the food and drink, had restored her spirits and her energy. France, she thought, I’m in France. Smiling, she went to the window and peered out.
The sitting room overlooked the town square. Below, a black cat crouched in a patch of late sunlight, the tip of its tail twitching gently as it eyed a sparrow. Two old men sat at a scarred wooden table, their heads bent over a backgammon board, their gnarled fingers wrapped loosely around glasses of red wine.
Danielle drew a deep breath. The air was redolent with the scent of wild flowers and fresh bread. It was, she thought suddenly, a wonderful day to be alive and to be in this place she had for so many years longed to see.
The problems of the morning seemed far simpler now. Money would be tight, but she would manage. She was an old hand at pinching pennies; her parents had left her nothing but loving memories and her aunt and uncle hadn’t had any money to spare. If anyone could find a way to get through the summer without going broke, it was she.
As for her relationship with Val—well, she’d known all along she was too old to believe in miracles. Val was Val; she was self-centred, she was selfish—and she still had an eye for the best-looking men.
Poor Val. It was hard not to feel sorry for her. She could say all she wanted about not being jealous, but anyone could see it wasn’t true. No matter what she claimed, she didn’t like the—what had she called it?—the little game Lee Bradford played with women.
Danielle drew a deep breath. No wonder she’d felt uncomfortable with Lee, right from the start. He hadn’t been flirting, he’d been playing a different game. It was one she’d never played, and she wasn’t about to start now.
The Ruthless Billionaire’s Redemption Page 5
