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“Okay. Nick?”
“Yeah?”
“Sleep well,” she said feelingly.
There was a stretched pause. “You, too.”
* * *
Nick hit the disconnect button on his phone and set it on the desk.
“I didn’t hear you knock,” he said, leveling a stare at John Kellerman, DuBois Enterprises’s chief legal officer. He stood several feet in front of Nick’s desk. John was a formidable figure with iron-gray hair and an unparalleled knowledge of corporate law.
“I just came in to have a word with you. I knocked but you were obviously too wrapped up in your conversation to notice.”
Nick didn’t reply. He sincerely doubted John had knocked. He’d overheard Nick talking to Deidre. Nick waited patiently in order to see the direction of John’s attack. John suddenly smiled and shook his head.
“There must be some explanation. I know you too well to think this anything other than brilliant maneuvering. You know precisely what you’re doing, I suppose, sleeping with the enemy?” he asked with a bark of mirthless laughter, waving at Nick’s cell phone. “Not that I’m arguing with your choice—she’s a tasty one, there’s never been any argument in that direction.”
“Shut up, John.”
John flinched back at his quiet words.
“You’re playing too close to the flame, Nick. I understand getting closer to Deidre Kavanaugh will only help you to manipulate this nightmare of a situation with Lincoln’s will, but be careful of getting burned. We only have to look at Lincoln as evidence for the fact that Deidre has the power to thoroughly befuddle a man.”
“Speaking of someone flying dangerously close to the flame,” Nick said, his voice cold.
John’s expression flattened at Nick’s obvious warning that he was treading too close to personal territory. “I see,” he said stiffly. “You’re telling me that you can handle this on your own. I suppose you’re right. I have every reason to trust your opinion on how to get things done. You’ve never failed DuBois Enterprises before.”
Nick watched silently as John sat down in the one of the leather chairs in front of his desk.
“At least I can say one thing for you, Nick—you’re willing to go to any extreme to make sure our interests are protected. I think it’s time we start to firm up our plan of action if we should receive the news from GenLabs that Deidre Kavanaugh is, indeed, Lincoln DuBois’s biological child, don’t you?” John asked.
* * *
The next morning, Deidre did some shopping and unloaded the groceries at Cedar Cottage, watered the plants at Liam and Natalie’s house and met Colleen for lunch. Afterward, she went over to the Harbor Town Public Library and found some references on DuBois Enterprises infrastructure and product lines. She read for three and a half hours straight before her back started to ache. She returned the material to the librarian, amazed to realize she’d barely scratched the surface in regard to learning about the company.
By the time she returned home, the sun was dipping into a frigid-looking Lake Michigan and Cedar Cottage was draped in shadow. Her fingers felt chilled once she’d removed her coat. Without turning on any lights, she went into the living room and turned on the gas fireplace, warming her hands. She went completely still when she heard a door squeak down the hallway.
Someone is in the house.
She spun around in alarm, only to see a tall shadow enter the living room. For a few seconds, she just stared, sure she must be dreaming.
“Deidre?”
“Nick?” she managed in a thin, amazed whisper.
He came closer, the light from the flames making his familiar features resolve out of shadow. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I just got here before you did. I was just checking to make sure you weren’t around. Your car wasn’t here, but the front door was unlocked.”
“It was?” she whispered. She’d inserted her key and twisted when she’d entered just now, not noticing the lock hadn’t been fastened. Nick stepped closer. She stood transfixed, studying every nuance of his face as if she hadn’t seen him in years. His expression was sober and tense. “I must have left it unlocked when I brought the groceries home earlier. What are you doing here? Is something wrong?”
“Yeah,” he said gruffly, stepping toward her.
“What?” she asked in confusion and rising alarm, only recognizing the telltale heat in his eyes after he grasped her shoulders and drew her against him. “Nick—”
He silenced her with his mouth.
He kissed her, a little rough...a lot sweet.
