“Don’t look too pleased,” he said, hating the frown in his words.
“I’m not unhappy about this news.”
He rolled his eyes. “I have my defenders, too. And you might like to know I can count on the entire Inn staff as my allies. Don’t drum up support for a coup.”
“I guess we’ll just have to see how popular you really are. Now that I’m back, your staff has a choice in leadership. They didn’t before my return.”
Do they have a choice?Again, he fought to keep a curt response to himself. She might think she had the upper hand, but she stood on shifting sand. She didn’t understand the work involved. He could appreciate her side. She considered the property her birthright. But he’d poured everything he had into the business. He wasn’t mad that the resort wasn’t left to him outright. Xavier would want to maintain appearances. But Christopher’s labor made the business successful. Without him, the Inn would crumble. He didn’t want to come in later and rebuild. He intended to stay and continue on the upward trajectory.
“Fine,” she said. “Let’s get back to right now. What is your plan? You must need something from me, or you wouldn’t have reached out this morning. I figured you’d leave me to languish in here until I got desperate and gave in to letting you have the Inn.”
Tempting.“For the time being, we both need each other, and what I propose is two parts. A public display and a private investigation. You need to arrive in an over-the-top way. Let everyone know you are back and are determined to make your mark. Be openly hostile to me.”
“That part is easy.” She folded her arms over her chest.
“Then I’ll make a show of involving you in the business, and you can interrogate the townsfolk on my behalf. I have no doubt you’ll find the truth about who started the fire.” He wasn’t certain she’d learn the why. “I have an idea I’d like your help with for the Inn. Help me turn the lighthouse into a private suite.”
“I could be interested in part of that offer.” She tapped a finger to her chin. “But what do we do about the inheritance?”
“If we don’t solve this problem first, we will have nothing to fight over. You believe someone committed arson.”
“I already know who started the fire and why.”
He drew his brows together. Was Ashley in communication with someone from town? Was it Zach?
“It’s a ghost. Believe me.”
“No. We are not going down this path again. There has never been a ghost on the property. No one has ever died of mysterious causes.”Except for your father.Xavier’s death was untimely, but with his unhealthy diet and stress-filled life, his demise wasn’t totally out of the realm of possibility. Ghosts needed to be the victims of a grisly murder or other tragedy. Why would a spirit hang around if not to avenge themselves?
He curled his fingers inward until his nails bit into his palms. Less than twelve hours into their reunion, he was following her flights of fancy again.
“I had an encounter that cannot be explained away,” she said, her voice firm.
He drew in a deep breath and counted to ten. Reasoning with her was futile. He knew from plenty of experience. She sidestepped logic at every turn with her quick wit and sassy comebacks.
“Okay,” he said slowly, placating, “while we attempt to contact the other side, can we also eliminate those alive right now? I don’t want to involve law enforcement if we don’t have to. I’m not anxious to have the sheriff interviewing guests on their vacations. That won’t be good for business.”
She nodded. “Fine, but I know what happened. My ribs were squeezed.” She placed her hands on either side of her waist and gripped, her knuckles turning white.
He studied her, fighting the desire building as she tightened the velour fabric over her figure. The v created by the robe’s collar deepened, flashing a little lower. Was she wearing anything underneath?Not helpful.
He slipped a hand into his too-tight shirt collar, pulling the fabric off his Adam’s apple. “What happened was a fire. A very destructive accident that could have been tragic.” He stood and strode toward her, extending a hand. “We have to find the culprit before they can destroy anything else. Can we take care of the Inn before declaring a winner?”
She frowned, looking at his hand.
He had the urge to stretch his limb even further into her personal space. But he didn’t. That was growth and maturity.
“Agreed.” She accepted his hand and shook it.
A tremor shot through him from her slender fingers rippling down to his toes. The zing was still there. His head would win the day this time. “Great. Let’s sneak your bags out, and you can make your grand, notable entrance. Meet me in my office when you’re ready. I’ll leave the door unlocked.”
“Can you bring me my clothes?”
His mouth went dry, and his skin burned. He’d spent too much time handling her garments, imagining why she’d need such pretty dresses and dainty undergarments. “Fine. Sure. I’ll drop them off.”
“Thank you.” She offered him a placid smile.
He tipped his head to her and let himself out of her temporary quarters, heading the short distance down the hall to his kingdom. Back to the old patterns of her putting on the show while he dealt with the repercussions. At least he was well-rehearsed.
