Kitabı oku: «Catching Her Rival»

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

Dear Reader

Title Page

About the Author

Dedication

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

EPILOGUE

Extract

Copyright

CHAPTER ONE

ALLIE MILLER’S MOTHER was of the mindset that lives were meant to be lived in pairs.

“What about that nice boy you’ve been seeing?” her mother whispered between bites of spinach salad. “I’m sure he’d love to be your date for your brother’s wedding.”

How had she ended up seated next to her mother at this ridiculous bridal luncheon for Allie’s soon-to-be sister-in-law? She answered through clenched teeth. “I told you, Mom, we broke up.”

“This is a special occasion.” Her mother brushed a crumb from the mint-green sleeve of her suit jacket. “Surely you can put your feelings aside and get along for one day?”

Tough to invite the guy to a wedding or anywhere else when he’s currently in federal prison.

Her mother didn’t need to know that, though. Moreover, she didn’t need to know that Allie had nearly ended up in an adjoining cell.

“I don’t need a date for Scott’s wedding.” She softened her tone. “I mean, if I don’t have to worry about entertaining a date, then I can be of more help behind the scenes, right?”

Her mother’s scowl was all the answer Allie needed. She turned to the sister of the bride sitting on her other side. “So what do you do?” She didn’t recall her name other than it was something like Hope or Charity or Faith.

The young woman, who looked to be close to Allie’s age of twenty-nine, said, “Well, I’m married to a wonderful man, and we have three little girls.” Her mouth twisted as if she had to pull the information from deep within her brain. “I’m the room mother for my kindergartener, I teach an adult Sunday school class and I’m learning to coupon.”

“Coupon?” Isn’t that the discount code you apply when you order shoes online? What is there to learn?

“Yes, I’m studying several websites to learn how to save money using coupons.” Her excitement grew as she spoke. “Last week our grocery bill was only twenty-two dollars and ninety-one cents.”

“Please, share your secret!” The woman seated directly across the table joined the conversation, asking the bride’s sister multiple questions. Allie gave a silent thanks to her for providing the opportunity to exit the conversation.

She didn’t care how the woman saved so much money by couponing. Allie was too busy keeping her newly formed advertising agency afloat. Buying laundry detergent at a discount wouldn’t help her pay the rents on her small office in downtown Providence, Rhode Island, and her apartment.

She ate her salad quietly. They were in the smallest of the private dining rooms at a Newport restaurant. She hadn’t been to Newport in years, even though it was only about forty-five minutes from where she lived and worked.

The walls were a golden oak, and a stained-glass window on the wall at the end of the table muted the room’s lighting. The white linen tablecloth touched the floor. The table was set with fine ivory china and etched crystal, accented by pink napkins and matching roses in small vases. Of course the roses were pink. What other color would a traditional June bride choose?

Despite her soon-to-be sister-in-law’s penchant for everything girlie, including marriage and raising a family, Allie really did like her. Emily was personable and smart, and she made Scott very happy.

He was the youngest of her four siblings and the last to marry. Scott and her sister, Rachael, had been adopted from China, her older brothers from Russia, and Allie herself from the United States.

Allie looked around the table. She was surrounded by women like Emily. Women who were married or engaged to be married. Women who probably thought they needed their other half to complete them.

That would never be Allie. She’d thought like them at one time, but not anymore. Yes, she knew men had their uses, but even great sex wasn’t worth the trade-off. In Jimmy’s case, that trade-off had been the threat of prison.

Jimmy had promised everything would be fine. He’d told her there was no need for her to worry about getting the account. Said he had the client wrapped around his little finger. Now he was behind bars and Allie had almost ended up there, too.

“Allison, dear.” Her mother never shortened her name. Allie had been named after her mother’s Aunt Allison, who would never have answered to a shortened version of her name. “Would you please pass the water pitcher?”

She refilled her mother’s glass.

“It really is a shame you’ll be coming to the wedding alone.” Her mother’s disappointed tone was one Allie had heard regularly over the years, but she couldn’t give in.

She was definitely off men. No other half, no soul mate, no partner for life.

No ball and chain.

* * *

JACK FLETCHER READ the details on the wedding invitation again. He’d replied six weeks ago to say he’d be there with his girlfriend.

Brenda had been his ex-girlfriend for several weeks now, but he hadn’t yet let his cousin Emily know that he’d be coming alone to her wedding. It wasn’t as if he thought he’d get back together with Brenda. He’d merely forgotten. Work had been his priority.

The break-up had been a mutual decision. And in truth, theirs wasn’t what most people would call a real relationship. More like just having fun. But it turned out Brenda was anxious to have a domestic life in the suburbs with kids and a minivan—he wasn’t. End of story, as well as of their short-lived time together.

He focused on the invitation. The wedding was tomorrow. Too late to tell his cousin there would be one fewer guest at the reception. She’d probably already given the caterer a head count. And he knew better than to upset a bride right before her big day. As kids, he and Emily had been close, but they had grown apart somewhat as adults. It would be nice to see her again.

He could ask someone else to go with him, but most women would take an invitation to his family wedding as a precursor to a relationship. Or at least a second date.

He refilled his coffee cup and stepped out onto the front porch of his home, located in The Point neighborhood of Newport. He enjoyed the warm June breeze and the sight of fresh potted flowers on several porches and window boxes up and down his street. Forsythia had turned almost completely from yellow blooms to green leaves, and the hydrangeas were about to bloom.

He never thought he’d be happy in anything but a high-rise apartment in downtown Providence, close to where he worked at his grandfather’s advertising agency, but here he was. He’d bought the property a little over a year ago as an investment, expecting to fix it up and rent it out. Somewhere along the way, he’d begun spending nights at the house, away from work pressures. Before he could change his mind, he’d given up his Providence condo and moved to Newport.

“Hi, Jack.”

He hadn’t seen Charlotte Harrington sitting on her porch on the other side of the narrow street.

“Hey, Charlotte, what’s up?”

“Not much.” She gave him a sad smile, wiping what he assumed was a tear from her cheek. She’d lost her mother less than a year ago, not long before she moved in. She’d been raised an only child and had recently experienced her first Mother’s Day since her mom’s death. It had hit Charlotte hard.

Jack had met her when she bought her house. Charlotte was an artist, he’d discovered, and a somewhat successful one according to what he’d read on the internet.

“What are you working on?” Jack called out as he descended the side steps from his porch, crossed the street and ascended hers.

“A new project,” she said softly, closing her laptop and setting it on the floor next to her rocking chair. “I told you I’m adopted, right?”

At his nod, she continued. “I never had the urge to track down my biological parents, but lately I’ve been thinking that I should at least find out my medical history.”

Her adoptive mother had died of pancreatic cancer. He figured that must be an unrelenting motivator.

Jack nodded. “Any luck?”

She shrugged. “I just started this morning. ‘The first day of the rest of my life’ and all that.” Her mouth twitched ever so slightly, and she tucked her chin-length dark hair behind one ear.

“Sounds like a step in the right direction.”

“I guess so. Want to sit?” She pointed to the rocker that matched hers.

He pulled out his cell phone to check the time. “Sure, I have a few minutes before my conference call.”

“You’re working from home today?”

“Kind of. After the call, I’m going to visit my grandfather in Providence. He’s in the hospital.”

“Oh, no. Is it serious?”

“I’m not sure.” He sipped his coffee, placed it on the table between their rockers and sat down. “He was admitted with heart problems. That’s all I really know. I’m hoping to get more detailed information when I’m there in person.”

“This is the grandfather you work for?” She drank from her plastic tumbler. Even her careful movements screamed grief stricken.

He nodded. His granddad had started the advertising firm forty-five years ago, and Jack was expected to take over the reins one day.

“Tell me about this search,” he said. “How do people find their biological parents?”

Jack felt comfortable asking Charlotte these rather personal questions. The two of them had become friends the day she moved in. He’d come home from work exhausted and there she had been, sitting in the same rocking chair as now on an unusually warm fall day, enjoying a beer from the bottle. From across the street she’d offered him one, before asking if he knew anything about plumbing. So he’d taught her how to replace the insides of a toilet and get it to stop running constantly. She, in turn, always had a cold beer ready for him.

“I don’t really know yet. I’ve been reading websites that explain how to start the search. They say things like, ‘Ask your adoptive parents about the adoption agency or lawyer they went through.’ I wish I could. Mom went so quickly that I never had a chance to bring up the subject. And until recently, I never even thought about finding my biological parents. But after losing my mom to cancer, I really need to know what might be in store for me, medically speaking. Not only for me, but for any children I might have.”

“Sounds like a good idea. Did your mom have a file or anything where she might have kept that information?”

Charlotte’s eyebrows rose. “Good point. I haven’t been through everything yet. She saved every piece of paper that came her way. There are boxes and boxes to go through. I’ll look for an adoption file next.”

He’d never had a woman friend before, but he enjoyed Charlotte’s company. He felt strangely brotherly toward her—a novelty since, like her, he’d been raised as an only child.

Charlotte wasn’t anywhere close to the type of woman he dated. And even if there had been a slight hint of sexual attraction between them, he certainly wouldn’t get involved with a neighbor. How awkward would it be when they stopped seeing each other?

Luckily Charlotte wasn’t the type to make assumptions... Suddenly he had a brilliant idea. Charlotte needed cheering up and he needed a plus one. “What are you doing Saturday?”

Her eyes narrowed. “This Saturday? Like tomorrow?”

“Yeah.” He grinned. “Are you free?”

“That depends.”

“Depends on what?”

“It depends on why you’re asking me if I’m free on Saturday.” She folded her hands on her lap, waiting for him to explain.

“I need a date for my cousin’s wedding.” He held up a hand. “Not really a date. A plus one.”

“You’re asking me with one day’s notice?” She cocked her head and waited for him to continue.

He let out a breath. “A few weeks ago, when I sent back the RSVP, I told Emily—my cousin—that I’d be bringing a date. You remember I was dating Brenda, right?”

Charlotte coughed to cover her laugh. “Oh, yeah, I remember Brenda.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“Yes, you do. Tell me.”

She hesitated. “Well, she was just a little too much for me.”

“Too much?”

“She wasn’t real, personality-wise. She was one person with you and quite another when you weren’t around.”

He thought about it for a second. “Go on.”

“Did she ever tell you to stay away from me?”

“Stay away from you?” He scratched his head. “No. Why would she do that?”

“That’s what she said to me. She made it very clear that I was not supposed to have anything to do with you. Although I’m not surprised that she never brought it up with you.”

This time he was the one cocking his head. “She told you to stay away from me?”

Charlotte nodded. “I don’t think she understood that our relationship is friendly, neighborly. She saw me as a threat.”

He chuckled. “Do me a favor. Next time you meet someone I’m dating, please let me know stuff like that. I would have dropped her sooner if I’d known she had such a jealous streak. That trait, along with the dominant domestic gene, are a deadly combination.”

They laughed together, trading stories of past dating disasters. He was glad to see Charlotte smile.

“So will you go to my cousin’s wedding with me?” he asked. “Anyone else I bring will expect a second date.”

She winked at him. “I guess this means I’m off the hook for any other time you need a plus one.”

“No, no! I didn’t mean—” He glimpsed the twinkle in her eye that was rarely seen. “You’re teasing.”

“Of course I am.” She sipped her drink. “I’d love to go. I barely leave the house since I work at home. This will be good for me.”

He was glad she saw it that way. “Great! We’ll have fun. I’ll make sure of it.” He checked the time on his cell phone and got up from the rocker. “I better go make that conference call. I’ll email you the wedding details.” He picked up his coffee cup.

“Sounds good.” She rose, as well. “I’m going to go dig out Mom’s old files that I haven’t been through yet and then figure out what to wear on our nondate.”

He smiled. As he turned and went down the steps, he saw her sketch pad propped against the porch railing. The ocean was churning and the sky was dark, as if a storm was brewing. He turned back and asked Charlotte, “Is this yours?” At her nod, he said, “It’s so different—darker—from what you’ve done in the past.”

She nodded, her expression thoughtful. “No matter how much I try, I just can’t seem to make myself use color in any of my art these days. I’m drawn to charcoal, as if my world is black and white.”

He considered her statement a moment and said in a terrible British accent, “I take that as a challenge, my lady.” He swept off a pretend hat and bowed in the middle of the street, as if he were a prince and she his princess-to-be. “Until tomorrow...”

She smiled, giving him hope that someday soon she would be the happy person he knew she could be.

He gave her a little wave and a wink. “See you later,” he called, and he took his porch steps two at a time.

* * *

SATURDAY MORNING DAWNED bright with sunshine, but Allie’s mood didn’t match the weather. Morning had come too quickly after her late night, and she craved a few more hours of sleep. But no, her mother was adamant Allie have her hair done with the other girls. She wasn’t in the wedding party, thanks to some fast-talking when her sister-in-law-to-be brought it up. Allie was merely a reader at the ceremony. Regardless, her mother had insisted on her presence at several wedding-party functions.

Allie had attended the rehearsal last night like a good little girl, followed by a catered dinner at the Chinese Tea House on the Bellevue House grounds. Thanks to the bride’s parents, who were members of the preservation society, Emily and Scott would have their wedding reception at Bellevue House, one of Newport’s glamorous, historic mansions, recently donated and restored for members’ functions. And getting married at St. Mary’s Church, the same church as John and Jackie Kennedy, wasn’t too shabby, Allie supposed.

If you were into weddings, that is.

After the rehearsal dinner, Allie spent hours working on her presentation for the client who could rescue her advertising agency. She had a meeting scheduled for Monday, and there was too much preparation necessary to do it all on Sunday. Now she wasn’t quite done, but she’d gotten far enough along to be able to enjoy her brother’s big day.

After a group breakfast with the females in the wedding party, Allie was getting her hair washed and “done” at Crystal’s Salon and Spa. Allie wasn’t sure what the “spa” part of the title meant. There didn’t seem to be anything to the shop but a large room for washing and styling hair, a back room to mix coloring chemicals and a dryer that was presumably tumbling towels.

“I don’t want anything too extreme,” she told her stylist, Shari. The young woman had a blue streak in her hair and a prominent tattoo on her bare right shoulder and down her arm.

“You have gorgeous hair,” Shari told her as she combed through Allie’s dark, wet tangles. “Do you want an updo like the rest of the party?”

“I’m not a bridesmaid,” Allie said. “I’m not sure exactly how I want my hair done.” Her hairstyle had been the least of her concerns recently.

Before Allie could decide, Shari said, “I think we keep it down and do a crimped version of your style.” She scrunched Allie’s chin-length hair a little to give her an idea of where Shari was headed. “What do you think?”

“That’s good,” Allie said. Much better than an updo, which would make her feel like she was attending her high school prom.

“So, where do you fit into all this?” Shari asked as she rubbed a squirt of mousse between her hands and applied it to Allie’s hair. “If you’re not a bridesmaid, then what are you?”

Allie couldn’t help smiling at Shari’s openness. “I’m the sister of the groom. I passed on the bridesmaid role,” she said in a loud whisper over the whir of the hair dryers. “It’s not really my thing, and the bride didn’t need one more anyway. I’m sure she asked me only to be polite. She already had six bridesmaids, two junior bridesmaids and two flower girls.”

“Wow! No wonder everyone’s booked this morning.”

Shari kept up a running conversation while she worked on her hair, complimenting Allie’s great skin and the striking blue of her eyes next to her milky-white complexion.

This girl was definitely jonesing for a large tip. By the end of their time together, Allie was much more relaxed and decided Shari certainly deserved that tip.

Next stop, back to the downtown Newport hotel where they were all staying so she could get dressed and apply makeup. Another group event she’d taken a pass on, deciding to do these tasks on her own.

At least her mother hadn’t made an issue of that, too.

* * *

ONCE CHARLOTTE FINALLY figured out what she was going to wear on this nondate with Jack, her excitement grew. She hadn’t done anything for the fun of it in...well, she couldn’t remember the last time.

Since her mother’s cancer diagnosis a little over a year ago, Charlotte had been with her mom nearly 24/7 until her passing. Her mother had no other living relatives. After being left all alone, Charlotte’s focus had been settling her mother’s estate and buying the historic home she’d fallen in love with on sight. She had an art studio set up in one of the bedrooms, and she rarely left home except for necessities.

She wasn’t even sure she remembered how to have fun.

She finished her makeup and spent some extra time curling her dark hair into soft waves that came just below her chin. According to the clock on her nightstand, she still had twenty minutes before Jack would come by for her. She was about to slip on her dress when she heard her cell phone.

A text message from Jack.

Running late. Visiting Granddad and he passed out. He’s fine now. Will be there ASAP.

She texted back.

Glad he’s OK. Do you want me to meet you at the wedding?

Jack’s grandfather was in a Providence hospital, which meant Jack was about forty-five minutes away. St. Mary’s church was only a short drive from her house if tourist traffic wasn’t too heavy.

No. I have to change for the wedding. Didn’t expect to stay this long.

When she was ready to go, Charlotte made herself comfortable on her porch. She didn’t want Jack to have to wait even a second longer on her account.

The wedding was scheduled to begin at two, which was almost the time Jack’s black sports car came down the street. He spotted her immediately and waved as he ran from where he’d parallel parked his car on the street to his front porch steps that he took by twos. “I’ll be right out.”

Charlotte checked her small silver clutch to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything and then locked her front door. She walked carefully down her porch steps to the sidewalk with its cracks and bumps, and then crossed the street. She wasn’t used to wearing the four-inch heels that went with the sapphire-blue dress she’d chosen, but she’d manage. Her dress was gathered on one side under the bust with a glittery silver buckle, and her strappy silver shoes completed the outfit.

“All set?” Jack appeared on his porch, straightening his gold tie and securing a gold tie bar. His dark suit jacket was folded over one arm. He locked his front door and stopped abruptly at the top of his steps. “Wow! You clean up real nice.”

Charlotte’s cheeks heated. She wasn’t used to being complimented on anything but her artwork, even in such a flippant manner. “Thank you.” She couldn’t help noticing he didn’t look half-bad either. “So do you.”

“What, this old thing?” He grinned as he opened the passenger-side door for her and then came around the car to lay his jacket in the backseat before getting into the driver’s seat. “I’m really sorry we’re so late.” He checked the silver watch on his wrist. “By the time we fight the Saturday tourist traffic and park, we’ll probably have missed the ceremony completely. Why don’t we head directly to the reception?”

“Hey, she’s your cousin. No one will miss me,” she teased. “How’s your grandfather? You said he passed out?”

Jack nodded as he pulled out of his parking spot and drove up their street. “I waited until the doctor examined him. The doctor said it was probably low blood sugar because everything else checked out. Turned out Granddad didn’t eat much for lunch today. I guess he’s not thrilled with the food they serve.”

“That’s too bad. Can you bring food in for him?”

“He’s on a low-sodium diet, which makes that difficult.”

“No wonder he doesn’t like the food, if they’re leaving out the salt.”

A few more minutes of small talk and they were at Bellevue House, being directed where to park.

“It’s a beautiful day for a wedding,” Charlotte commented as she exited the car. “They could have had an outdoor wedding. Not that planning an outdoor wedding in this area would be a smart idea.”

“That could be a disaster with the wind gusts off the ocean alone, but I’m sure a lot of brides risk it when you can have the Atlantic Ocean or Narragansett Bay as a backdrop.” Jack put on his suit jacket and then held out his bent arm for her. “Shall we?”

She slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow, and they headed toward the mansion with its manicured gardens and huge round fountain. “Tell me how you’re related to these people. You said the bride is your cousin?” At his nod, she asked, “And the grandfather you just visited?”

“He’s my mom’s father. The bride is my dad’s niece.”

“Will your mother be here?” She hadn’t thought about how much family he would have at the wedding. His grandfather had raised him, but Jack had never mentioned what had happened to his parents.

“No.” He paused. “She passed away a long time ago.”

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know. I should have...”

He stopped walking and looked at her. “It’s okay. I haven’t mentioned it because of your situation. She died when I was about ten.”

He put a hand on the small of her back, and they continued walking.

Charlotte blinked away the tears that threatened. It didn’t take much for her to remember her own mother.

“I always forget how impressive the mansions are,” he said in an obvious attempt to change the subject.

She nodded. “Such a romantic place to have a wedding.”

“If you’re into those things.”

She glanced sideways at him. “I take it you’re not?”

“Definitely not.” He grinned and then winked. “I’m not a good candidate for marriage, so a wedding is nowhere in my future plans.”

Before she could ask about his plans, they reached the mansion and were directed to the terrace for drinks and hors d’oeuvres.

There must have been more than two hundred people in attendance, mostly standing in groups under the large, striped awning, while a few others sat. There were small, round tables with floor-length tablecloths and six cushioned ladder-back chairs at each. Two bars were set up, one at each end of the terrace, and both had long lines.

“What would you like to drink?” He guided her in the direction of the closest bar.

“A soda would be fine for now.” She wasn’t used to drinking in the middle of the afternoon. The last thing she’d want to do was drink too much and make a fool of herself.

“Oh, there’s my cousin Frank and his wife.” Jack scrunched his face. “I can’t remember her name. Anyway, Frank’s a lot of fun. I’ll introduce you, and you can sit with them while I get us drinks.”

Charlotte wasn’t a “talk to strangers” kind of gal, but since Jack was the only one she knew in the room, she’d try her best to fake it. And it would give her an excuse to not have to stand in her high heels, which were already being troublesome.

* * *

JACK HATED LEAVING CHARLOTTE, but the whole idea of inviting her was to get her out amongst people. Ideally his cousin could engage her and keep her thoughts away from her grief better than Jack had. He should have known the subject of his parents would come up when they were attending a family wedding. At least Charlotte hadn’t asked about his dad, too.