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“Welcome.” He waved a hand, directing her to precede him to the front door.
“What are you doing?”
“What does it look like?”
“Qasim—”
“You’ve got questions. I’d like to answer them, Vec.”
She wasted no more time and went to an obscenely big potted fern that rested on a tall, large base. Qasim watched her stoop before the brick column and wiggle a loose brick free. From the space it left, she retrieved a key.
“Inconspicuous, huh?” he chided.
“And amazing security,” she reminded him.
Qasim bit his tongue, stifling the urge to tell her that amazing security was no excuse for carelessness. The main house at Carro Vineyards was a vast construction possessing an open floor plan that played to its natural environment. The place had been erected almost dead center of the healthy crops, so views of the coveted vineyards met the eye from every direction.
As exquisite as the place was, Qasim wasn’t overly fond of all the bay windows. They provided an onlooker with an unobstructed view of the home’s interior, which was a warm, beckoning sight thanks to the golden light that filled all the rooms on the lower level.
He didn’t like the idea of just anyone being able to peer in on Vectra when she was there alone.
“Where’s your staff?”
“Oh, they always have the weekends off unless there’s some event in progress. In that case, we have a skeleton crew on board. That’s all I was able to get Dad to go for when he hired this staff I don’t need.”
“Are you serious? You mean you’d try shutting off all these lights by yourself?”
She laughed. “It wouldn’t be a problem. The lights are timed to engage at night and shut off at dawn.”
“I see.” Qasim peered through the entrance. “And are your windows open this way all over the house?”
“No, I keep it darker up there.” She pointed upward, smiling at the way he studied the high ceilings after they entered the house.
They then ventured beyond the brick-and-stone foyer and into the attached library.
“Haven’t you seen the entire house?” A dubious frown claimed her face when Qasim shook his head.
“My meetings with your father usually took place at his condo in the city.” He kept his gaze fixed on the high beams and recessed lighting. “The few times I met him here with Oliver, we kept to the patios or had a meal set up in the vineyard. I’ve only been inside a few times.”
Vectra smiled in understanding. Despite their budding friendship, there had never been occasion to bring him there. She guessed they were actually more along the lines of close acquaintances than friends. A friend would have some idea of what the inside of their friend’s home looked like, right?
She dismissed the idea, deciding whatever “answers” she wanted from Qasim could wait at least until she’d given him a tour. She took a seat on a settee nearest the library entrance.
“I hope your shoes are comfortable,” she warned him while slipping out of her sandals for the second and final time that night.
At the party, she’d finally taken to socializing from a comfy spot in the Dazzles dining room. There, she’d removed her shoes after having had her fill of the chic heels.
“So have you seen the library?” she asked him.
“I know the lower level.”
Nodding, Vectra pushed to her feet. “Two more floors to go, then. Follow me.”
* * *
Qasim felt much better about the elaborate and way too “open” home by the end of Vectra’s impromptu tour. The upper level was where her office, a second den and an astonishing pool room were located. Guest rooms and a bar occupied that floor, as well.
The second floor actually branched off into a third level that only housed Vectra’s master bedroom suite and a sumptuous spa and hot tub area.
“And I thought I’d reached the top with my place at Sea Cliff.” He grinned, realizing Vectra had overheard him and started to laugh.
“My folks didn’t buy it like this.” She looked up and around, as well. “If you can believe it, the property was nothing but acres and acres of uncultivated land when they came here as newlyweds. They added on to the place brick by brick the more successful they got with the vineyard.”
Qasim’s gaze softened. “I can tell you’re proud of them.”
“They’re easy to be proud of.” Vectra’s cocoa-rich stare took on a faraway look. “Everyone should have parents that great.”
“You’re right.”
He’d agreed, but Vectra could tell that his heart wasn’t totally in it. She figured there was an unhappy story there, but she decided that it wasn’t the time to pry. “You said something about giving me answers?”
