AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“What, give away the ending? Tell you and spoil the surprise? I don’t think so.”
Mike glared at him. “It’s not going to be a happy ending.”
“I’m not after rave reviews.”
“Only revenge.”
“Which always makes for good motivation, ergo a good plot. Now, are you finished?”
“Not quite. What about Maris?”
“She’s definitely a plot device.”
“You’re using her, aren’t you? In spite of who she is.”
“Because of who she is.”
Mike must have sensed Parker’s unshakable resolve. Or maybe his imperious tone reminded the older man that he had overstepped his bounds. Or maybe he simply wore out. Whatever the cause, Mike’s anger dissolved. His angry posture settled back into its elderly sag. “Parker, I implore you to give this up. Let go of it. Tell Maris everything. For your good as well as hers. Tell her.”
“Tell me what?”
* * *
At the sound of her voice, the two men turned quickly. Evidently she had walked into a spirited exchange, and it felt like a quarrel. “Tell me what?” she repeated.
“I’ve written some new pages,” Parker said. “They’re printing out now.”
“I’ll get them.” Mike gave Parker a look that was rife with meaning. But whatever the meaning was, Maris couldn’t decipher it. He went into the solarium, leaving them alone.
“He just made a fresh pot of coffee,” Parker remarked.
“Thanks, but I’ve passed my limit. If I drink any more this morning, I’ll be swinging from the chandelier along with your ghost friend.”
“I’d pay to see that.” His smile was forced and the attempted humor fell flat.
Maris couldn’t account for the mood in the house, mainly because she couldn’t define the mood. It had started last night when she and Parker returned from the beach. Mike, who had arrived in their absence, had been on the veranda watching for them, standing with his hands on his hips and looking perturbed. He’d admonished them for getting soaked to the skin. He said he expected that kind of nutty, irresponsible behavior from Parker, but Parker had no right to subject Maris to his zaniness.
He had then hustled Parker into his bedroom at the back of the house. Maris knew which room it was, but she’d never been invited to see it, not even when Mike had conducted her on a guided tour of the house, including his suite and the unfinished rooms on the second floor.
Feeling slightly downcast over the abrupt conclusion to the romantic evening, she had returned to the guest cottage. She sensed that it wasn’t their getting caught in the rain or even their unexplained absence from the house that had upset Mike. He was more than slightly annoyed, more concerned than the situation had warranted.
She couldn’t figure out what they had done or hadn’t done to provoke him.
If it were anyone else, she would guess that the personal valet was jealous of the newcomer. It stood to reason that someone in Mike’s position would resent an intruder into the comfortable life he had made for his charge. Their days had a rhythm that he wouldn’t want disturbed.
Understandably the interloper would be regarded as a threat. His first instinct would be to protect his position and importance. He would also want to shield the individual he cared for against any potential harm.
But Mike hadn’t behaved jealously toward her. He didn’t treat her as a danger who might damage Parker. On the contrary, he seemed genuinely pleased that she had entered their lives. He’d shown her every kindness, and, in even the most insignificant disputes, he took her side over Parker’s more often than not.
Nevertheless, she couldn’t help but feel that Mike had a general idea of what they’d been doing down at the beach and that he disapproved. Whatever else had factored in, this was the basis of his indignation. When she returned to the guest cottage, she’d discovered that she hadn’t buttoned her shirt correctly, that in her haste, she’d skipped a button. A dead giveaway to hanky-panky.
Still, she was more mystified than embarrassed. She and Parker were well beyond the age of accountability, and it should have been clear to Mike that whatever had transpired on the beach had been consensual. Could it be a moral issue with him? Not knowing the present state of her marriage, did Mike think Parker was romancing another man’s wife?
In any case, their return to the house had quelled any plans either she or Parker had for continuing what had been started on the beach. She prudently remained in the guest cottage until this morning, and although she’d lain awake for a long time half expecting Parker to come to her, he hadn’t. This morning at breakfast, he’d been testy and irritable. More so than usual. And he’d acted as though their time on the beach together had never happened.
All this was weighing heavily on her mind. She was trying desperately to stave off a bad case of the blues. Despite the tender lovemaking last night, her relationship with Parker was still unspecified and tenuous. At any moment, she feared a geocentric shift of emotions that would plunge her headlong into despair.
She’d been made a fool of by one man. She didn’t want to repeat that particular mistake. Ever. But certainly not within the same week.
