Josh rubbed the key card between his fingers, clearly deep in thought. “Do you know how they finally got Al Capone? What finally brought him down?”
Al Capone? What did this have to do with anything? If they’d talked about him in history class, she hadn’t been paying any attention.
“Bootlegging or murder, I would assume.”
Josh shook his head. “Tax evasion. They had an FBI agent who was an accountant. This guy combed through Capone’s books and found that he hadn’t been reporting his income. It’s in the movie The Untouchables. You’ve never seen it? Sean Connery and Kevin Costner? Fantastic movie. You have to see it.”
“I’ll put it in my Netflix queue. Now what does this have to do with Evandria?”
“Honey, a little mousy accountant brought down an organized crime empire. I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility that you and I learn a few secrets. We’re not trying to destroy Evandria. We just want a little information.”
Willow wasn’t so sure they could have one without the other.
“Are you okay?” Willow asked Peyton. It was later that afternoon and she’d put off calling her friend for as long as she could. Ellis had already sent a text to Josh that he’d told Peyton everything they’d found out.
“I’m fine,” Peyton assured her. “I know you probably think I’m shocked or crying or something even more dramatic but I’m actually quite calm. I’m not really all that surprised. Greg has done some really shitty things to our marriage over the years and this is just one more. If what Ellis showed me is true, I actually feel sorry for the other woman. She’s not legally married to him and they have children. From what I can tell, she didn’t inherit any money to help raise those kids. Greg was just as much of a deadbeat with her as he was with me. Hell, maybe more.”
It didn’t go unnoticed by Willow that Peyton said Greg had done bad things to “their marriage” and not to her specifically. Peyton had the good sense to separate herself from her late husband’s behavior. It didn’t matter who Greg was with, he would have acted that way no matter what.
“I’m glad you’re taking this so well. Honestly, I didn’t want to tell you because you’ve been through so much lately and this was one more piece of crap that you didn’t need.”
“Greg lived for himself and his pleasures. Drinking, gambling, women, and painting. He was the quintessential tortured artist who thought that he was owed something by the world because he suffered for his art. Only he made others suffer around him. The fact that he was selfish enough to involve two women and by God, two small children into his games sadly doesn’t shock me in the least.”
“Do you want to find her and talk to her?”
A heavy sigh on the other end of the phone. “That’s the big question, isn’t it? I don’t really have the answer yet. I think I should do something for those kids. Set up a trust fund or buy them some stocks. Something that a father would have done if he’d had the sense God gave a goose. Greg wasn’t a person who thought about tomorrow much. He lived entirely in the present.”
“You’re taking this way too calmly.”
Peyton laughed. “Probably. Maybe I’ll have some sort of breakdown later but I’m just so happy that I’m gaining strength and getting better that I can’t be all mad. Surviving a bomb blast gives a person perspective. Greg had been lying to me for years. All this does is up the ante a little.”
It was an interesting contrast. Alex had done his dirty deeds pretty much out in the open in their little town. Even if he had tried to hide them, he wouldn’t have been able to. The gossip mill was ruthless and Willow had heard her share of raunchy tales starring her one and only beloved.
Greg, on the other hand, had tried to hide what he was doing. Making up stories, lying about every little thing, and yet feeling as if he was due the life of debauchery he had lived.
Both men had a warped sense of entitlement while Frank, Bailey’s husband, had pulled away from people. Kept to himself and never reached out to other human beings.
These three men had once been like brothers. They still didn’t know what had pulled them apart. Another mystery to solve.
“All I know is if I were in your shoes I’d be pissed off. Of all the secrets our husbands kept from us, this one is pretty crappy.”
“No, what he did to those kids was crappy,” Peyton said. “I can’t even imagine what he was thinking having children. He never wanted kids with me and he made that clear from the day we met practically. Were they both accidents?”
“Too much wine and no drug store nearby? Probably.”
Willow sounded cynical but after her years with Alex, it sometimes reared its ugly head.
“He liked his wine,” Peyton laughed. “And he loved the attention from women.”
“All men like that. You should have seen Josh this morning on the tennis court lapping up the giggles and batted eyelashes of some redhead. It was nauseating.”
There was a beat before Peyton replied. “Oh really? Now that is interesting. Was she attractive?”
Willow shrugged, even though Peyton couldn’t see her. “I suppose so, although I think she might have had too much Botox.”
Clearing her throat, Peyton choked out a laugh. “Catty. Are you sure you aren’t maybe a little jealous that he was enjoying her attention?”
“I was not. No way.”
“You know, it’s okay to be attracted to a man,” Peyton explained, patience in her tone. “From what Chase has been saying Josh is a great guy. He’d never treat you like Alex.”
There it was. The elephant in the room that had been nudging her with its trunk. She didn’t want a repeat of her marriage. She simply could not do that again.
“I’m sure he wouldn’t but I’m not interested. Josh is not my type.”
There was a clearing of a throat behind her and Willow whirled around to see Josh standing there in his khaki shorts and blue t-shirt. His own clothes. He must have snuck them into his suitcase when she wasn’t looking.
He didn’t say a word, simply walked round the sofa and heading straight for the wet bar where he grabbed a beer from the little refrigerator. Feeling her cheeks suffuse with heat, she spun back around so she was looking out of the windows where a few raindrops were beginning to fall. Summer in Florida. Sunny one minute, rainy the next.
“Peyton, I need to go. I need to start getting ready for the party tonight.”
“Have fun. Ellis and I are going to watch some television. You know, he’s not the asshole we thought he was. I think he’s just sort of a social misfit.”
No, he was a jerk but he was a nice jerk. He wasn’t mean, just grouchy.
“Get some rest. I’ll call you and Bailey tomorrow.”
Hanging up, Willow snuck a peek at Josh who was now sitting at the table drinking his beer and reading the paper. He looked completely unperturbed and a few days ago Willow would have bought the facade. But now that she knew him better, she could feel the hurt practically radiating off of him. She’d hurt his feelings and she felt like a total bitch. Here he was risking his life and she’d basically said he wasn’t good enough for her, which wasn’t it at all. Now what?
She could pretend she’d never said anything and let this whole situation blow over. Sort of The Less Said, Soonest Mended adage.
Or she could talk to him and tell him why she couldn’t ever be interested in him or anyone else. It was something she barely understood herself but it would require talking about her past and that was something she wasn’t prepared to do.
Decision made. She’d ignore the hell out of it and hope for the best.
Chapter Fourteen
Willow was tiptoeing around the suite as if Josh was going to roar like a lion. Sure, he’d heard what she’d said to Peyton and it had hurt. There was no denying that. But it was par for the course with this woman. Two steps forward and one step back. Skittish and scared, with good reason, she wasn’t going to run willingly into a relationship with anyone.
L
east of all him.
He wasn’t like the men she socialized with. He wasn’t from money. He had an excellent education but he didn’t play the stock market like Chase or hunt down bad guys like Ellis. His life was quiet, tame, and filled with fur and slobbery kisses. He liked it that way but Willow had to decide if she was okay with that. Right now, it looked like she wasn’t but her fear was blinding her to what they might be able to have together. If she could conquer that then maybe she could make a real decision.
He set the paper down on the table. “I have good news.”
Popping the top on a can of soda, she gaped at him. “You’ve been back for fifteen minutes. When were you planning to tell me?”
“The plan was to tell you the minute I saw you but then you were acting so strangely I decided to see what was up with you.”
It wasn’t often Willow was speechless so it was fun when she was. Her mouth opened and closed a few times but nothing came out. She was going to try and pretend he hadn’t overheard her with Peyton and that was fine with him. Until she was ready to face the attraction they had for one another, it was the best course of action.
“Cat got your tongue? Maybe this will loosen it. I have two pieces of news. Let’s step into the bathroom and I’ll tell you.”
That had been one room that hadn’t been bugged in any of the homes so they’d decided to risk talking in the suite as long as they were in that room. Luckily, it was large and spacious. Willow perched on the edge of the huge tub and Josh leaned against the vanity.
“The first is that I saw Grant Hollister. He was coming in from a round of golf.”
Her eyes round, she blew out a breath. “You saw him? How did you know it was Grant Hollister?”
“I overheard one of the resort employees greet him.”
“Did you talk to him?”
Josh shook his head. “I couldn’t think of a good reason to speak with him. I guess I could have made something up on the fly but I was so surprised that nothing came to me. James Bond, I’m not.”
She wasn’t saying anything, just staring off into space, her thoughts somewhere else.
“Honey, are you okay?”
Her gaze came back to him and she nodded. “I am. I was just wondering…does he look like Alex? Even a little bit?”
Josh had only seen pictures of her late husband so he wasn’t the best judge of whether they resembled one another. Plus it bugged him that she was even asking. Did it matter? Was she hoping that the birth certificate wasn’t real?
“Not to me, but I only saw him for a few minutes and I have only looked at photos of Alex. I think you might want to see for yourself. I’ll point him out at the party tonight.”
Actually, it was a ball. In a ballroom. Willow had an elaborate dress and jewels. He would get to wear a tuxedo again, but this time the suit with tails that Willow had forced upon him. Lucky him. He was now the proud owner of not one, but two expensive tuxedos. Just what the overworked veterinarian needed in his life.
“Good. That’s good. What’s the second thing?”
He dug into his pocket and pulled out a key card, holding it up for her inspection. “This is what made this trip worth the hassle.”
“A key to our room? Or is that a key to Archer’s room? I’d love to see what he has hidden.”
Josh smiled, a surge of triumph running through him. He might not be Ellis but he’d managed to pull this off and he was damn proud of it.
“Better. This is a key card to The Clubhouse.”
She blinked a few times, her mouth hanging open. “What? How on earth did you get a key to The Clubhouse?”
“I went for a jog around the property and decided to run by The Clubhouse. A woman was exiting the building so on a whim I followed her. She went up to the resort for a drink and I sat down at a table next to hers so I could hear her phone conversation. She told whomever she was talking to that she was done working for the weekend and she would be headed home in a few minutes. It sounded like maybe a friend or roommate on the other end. They have plans to go see a band tonight.”
“And you stole it,” Willow interjected, a smile of glee on her face. “Did you bump into her and pick her pocket?”
“I’m not the Artful Dodger. No, the original plan was to talk to her and find out about The Clubhouse so I approached her and asked her a question about the building in progress that I’d passed. She was open to talking so I offered to buy her a drink. Things progressed from there and soon we were talking about her job with Evandria.”
Josh had thought Willow would have been thrilled but instead she looked furious, her cheeks pink with anger. Was she upset that she hadn’t been there? It had been completely fortuitous.
Her fingers drummed on the porcelain. “Progressed from there? You bought her a drink and she just spilled her guts about her job? It must have been one hell of a cocktail.”
“She had iced tea, and she didn’t spill her guts. I think she thought I was a member so it was fine to talk to me. She works as the office manager in the Administration department and she’s been here two years. That’s pretty much all she said other than she likes the outdoors, camping and hiking.”
Willow snorted and rolled her eyes. “I’d bet cash money that she doesn’t. Not really. Girls always say that to a guy but it’s not really true. She was only trying to impress you.”
Josh wasn’t sure how to take that remark.
“Because she thought I was wealthy?”
“No, because she liked the way you looked,” Willow replied shortly. “Plus you were all charming and sweet. Just like you were with Janice this morning. Laughing at their jokes when they aren’t even funny.”
Janice? What did she–
A grin broke out on Josh’s face and his heart beat a little faster. His sweet Willow was jealous as hell. He tossed the key card on the marble vanity. He could finish the story later. This was going to be much more fun.
“Does my behavior with Janice and Alexa bother you?”
“Who the hell is Alexa?”
“The office manager I met this afternoon,” he explained, enjoying this more with each passing second. She had her arms crossed over her chest and her lips pressed together. The only thing missing was a stamp of her foot and then she’d be having a tantrum fit for a toddler. “Do you even want to hear how I got the card?”
“I don’t need to. You seduced it out of her, clearly. Whatever, the ends justified the means, although I thought you of all people would be above that.”
“Me, of all people? You mean you thought I was too socially awkward to flirt. That I was only comfortable with animals.”
“That’s not what I meant. I just thought you had too much integrity to flirt you way into her pockets.”
“Integrity? You’re questioning my integrity? If you want to know what happened, Willow, I’ll tell you. Her friend worked in the kitchen and asked her to taste something he was trying out for the first time. She excused herself and said she’d only be a moment, leaving her purse with the key card tucked into an outside pocket on the table. I thought it was the universe talking to me so I snatched it. When she came back we chatted some more and then she told me she had to leave. End of story.”
Looking somewhat mollified, Willow sipped her ginger ale, holding her head up like she was wearing a tiara. “That’s good then. When are we going to check out The Clubhouse?”
Josh pointed to Willow. “You aren’t going anywhere. You are going to keep Archer Caldwell busy at the party tonight while I check out The Clubhouse. Use your charm.”
She stood and stomped over to shelves of towels, studying them like she’d never seen a washcloth before. “Maybe I will.”
He didn’t follow her, knowing she needed space to come to grips with her emotions. She clearly wasn’t happy about what she was feeling. “We do whatever we have to, right? We’re in this to get the truth and what’s a little flirting in the big scheme of things.”
She shrugged. “Right. It’s no big de
al.”
“Except that it is,” he countered. “You were pissed at me this morning with Janice and you’re mad again now. Why don’t you just admit that you don’t like to see me with other women?”
He’d stepped out on the limb. Way out. Now to see if she planned on sawing it off.
“That’s ridiculous. It doesn’t bother me at all.”
Denial wasn’t just a river in Egypt.
“Are you sure? Because you’ve been snarling at me all day. I think you’re jealous and I think you don’t want to admit it because that would mean you might have some feelings for me, and you don’t want that at all. Do you? You’ll go down fighting, honey, but that isn’t going to make you happy.”
She whirled around, spitting angry. “I am happy, and I am not jealous. That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”
Josh shook his head. He’d opened this can of worms and he was going to see it through no matter what. Ten minutes ago he’d wanted to be patient, but now it was the furthest thing from his mind.
“You are not a happy woman, honey. I wish you were but you’re not. I can see the sadness in your eyes. I’ve seen the same fear and hope in the eyes of the animals I’ve rescued from abusive homes or ones that have been strays for a long time. Who do you have to care and love you, Willow? You’re not exempt from having needs.”
Her fists clenched and relaxed, then clenched again. “I am not one of your mangy strays, Josh.”
“You’re much prettier than most of the dogs and cats that come to me tired, hungry, and frightened but you’re not much different. You want so badly to be loved but you’re terrified of being rejected. If Alex were here I’d like to punch him right in the jaw. He did a number on you and damn if you deserved the shit he gave you.”
“He wasn’t that bad–”
“Don’t you dare try and defend him,” Josh interjected, anger churning his gut. Alex hadn’t earned Willow’s loyalty. He’d given that up the first time he’d cheated. “You think if you defend him that it makes you staying with him okay. You weren’t stupid for not leaving him, Willow. You took vows and you kept to them. Hell, I respect you for that. But don’t try and make him into something he wasn’t.”
Midnight Of No Return (Midnight Blue Beach Book 2) Page 10
