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“Oh, well, of course.” Constance looked surprised and then a bit abashed. “I guess I went a little overboard. We’re just so overjoyed to have you home.”
At long last Paul took pity on Lia. “Mother, why don’t we leave Lia to unpack.”
The grateful look she shot him prompted a frown. Honestly, there seemed to be no way to get on the man’s good side.
“Of course,” Constance said, her gracious smile returning. “Join us downstairs when you’re ready.” She’d taken several steps toward the door when she suddenly stopped and turned. “I almost forgot. There’s a little welcome-home present for you on the nightstand.”
Lia’s first reaction after glancing at Paul’s set expression was to protest that she didn’t need any gifts. Then she realized that she could leave behind whatever they gave her. “That’s lovely. Thank you.”
Left alone, she started to fill the dresser drawers with her meager belongings, but then succumbed to curiosity about the gift. A small, flat box sat beside an elegant sheet of linen notepaper.
This belonged to your grandmother. We thought you should have it.—Constance.
Lia slipped the ribbon off the box and opened it. Nestled on a bed of black velvet was an antique locket. Her heart contracted as she opened the locket and saw that it contained a picture of Ava as a teenager. She sank onto the bed and stared at the photo, pondering all the events that had led her to this moment, wishing she’d done a dozen things differently.
“Hey.”
Lia lifted her gaze and spied Ethan standing in the doorway. He looked authoritative in an elegant navy suit and lavender tie.
“Hi.”
“Are you okay about staying at the estate for the next two weeks?” Ethan asked as he entered. “Both my mom and Aunt Lenora can be very determined and I don’t want you to feel pressured.”
Lia blew out her breath. “I plan to spend most of my time with your grandfather so I should be able to handle it for a couple weeks.”
Ethan came over and took her hand in his. “I know this isn’t what we originally planned on. I owe you a huge debt for helping out like this.”
“You really don’t,” Lia said, some of her angst melting away. “I just want to bring your family some peace.”
“You’ll definitely be doing that.”
“Can you please talk your mom out of introducing me all over Charleston as Ava’s daughter, though? That’s just going to end up complicating everything and I don’t think you want your family to be the subject of gossip.”
“Sure, that makes sense.” Ethan tugged at the knot on his tie, loosening it. “I’ll deal with it.”
“Thank you because your brother was no help. I thought for sure he’d want to keep me out of sight.”
“I know it’s hard to believe, but I think that Paul will come around once he gets to know you.”
“I hope so.” The memory of their kiss sent heat rushing into her cheeks. Longing spiraled through her. “Because it’s daunting how much he dislikes me.”
Five
With the successful completion of a year-long investigation into a data breach of one of his company’s clients, Paul knocked off early and headed to the estate to see how Grady was doing. Before Lia Marsh had entered their lives, Paul rarely worked a standard eight-hour day. He loved what he did and despite the number of bad actors he and his staff tracked
down, there was always another puzzle to unravel, another hacker who’d stolen information. But these days he couldn’t concentrate on his day-to-day activities.
When he wasn’t following the trail she’d left all over the country, he caught himself ruminating over that stolen moment at his beach house when he’d surrendered to his desire to kiss her. At various times over the last several days, he’d have given anything to escape the distracting memory of how she’d felt in his arms. To forget the softness of her lips as they’d yielded beneath his. To stop imagining his hands gliding over her silky, fragrant skin.
He’d intended for the impulsive act to rattle her, but the aftermath hadn’t offered him any insight into her nefarious plans. Nor in the last week had she made any misstep to confirm she wasn’t as genuine as she appeared. The dry facts that summarized her life gave him no sense of her character or her motivation for interrupting her life to act as Grady’s granddaughter. He hadn’t yet ruled out money, but nothing about the way she dressed or the things she talked about gave her away.
It also occurred to Paul that maybe he was concerning himself with the wrong thing. With only a week left to go in their arrangement, Grady continued to improve. But once they told everyone their story that a mistake had been made at the genetic testing service and Lia wasn’t his granddaughter, would Grady’s health fade once more?
There was no doubt that her presence had galvanized his recovery, but neither Paul nor Ethan could predict whether Grady’s progress would slow or stop when she left the following week. Lia persisted in her belief that once she’d gotten the ball rolling, Grady would continue to improve on his own, but what if she was the oxygen that kept the flame burning on Grady’s will to return to full health?
Paul stepped out of his SUV, intending to head straight to the carriage house for a cold beer and more brooding about Lia, when he spotted a flash of yellow coming toward him along the garden path. If he retreated without saying hello to whoever was coming, he’d never hear the end of it. Even as that zipped through his mind, he registered the sound of humming above the crunch of gravel and recognized the source.
Lia.
