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“You underestimate me, darlin’.”
I folded my arms, giving him a haughty look on purpose. “Then explain it to me. I dare you.”
“A dare, huh? Well, how can I resist a lady issuing a dare?” He laughed softly then pulled my arm free, purposely entwining our fingers. “Let me think.” He gave me another mischievous look before staring out at the ocean as if the rolling waters would provide him with answers.
“When you were younger, you fixated on the color red, every outfit you had crimson or scarlet. You recently accused me of thinking all you did was sitting and eating Chunky Monkey ice cream, and I doubt you would have mentioned it if that wasn’t your favorite flavor. You once told me you wanted to live by a beach after we took a walk near the water near the house in N’awlins. I admit I guessed on the movie and popcorn, although when you were a kid, you once told me that your favorite thing to do was watch a movie with your dad,Die Hardthe one you two watched the most often together, insisting it was a Christmas movie. You probably don’t remember, but you won a contest for reading the most books one year, something you proudly told me, including two that were your favorites depicting Italy and some tropical location I don’t remember. Red wine and bourbon are both obvious choices, given what you’ve indulged in around me. And,” he offered, holding up his index finger, “since you berated me for not wearing jeans more often, I took another educated guess.”
He didn’t bother turning his head in my direction. Had he done so, he would have seen my mouth had dropped open. “You remembered.”
“I forget nothing. I have a big brain too.” He pressed the tip of his index finger against his temple. When he acted as if it was a weapon, pulling the trigger, I immediately grabbed his hand.
“Don’t do that. Your life is important, at least to me.”
He chuckled. “Someone else tried to have me off myself, sugar. I don’t plan on going down that road.”
“Who the hell would do something like that? Do I need to hunt them down?”
His laugh was followed by a slight shake of his head. “We all have crosses to bear, sweetheart. Margaret was mine.”
“The love of your life?”
“I thought so at the time. That wasn’t the case.”
“Who was she?”
“She was a gold digger, in the most traditional sense. She sought me out, playing coy. She was the perfect con artist, pulling me into her lair. After I fell in love, allowing myself to trust her, she betrayed me by stealing money from my accounts, nearly destroying a portion of my business in the process. She even made up lies with the police, trying to get them to arrest me. It had been a smokescreen so she could get out of the country with millions of dollars.”
“Are you kidding me?”
“I wish I were. I fell for it right up until the end, even when family members were telling me I was out of my mind.”
I could hear the anger in his voice, but more than that, the sadness and anger at trusting her. “I’m so sorry but that doesn’t mean there aren’t decent women in the world. Besides, my father taught me that when two powerful people developed a relationship, they could feed off each other’s power, creating a ruthless empire. If only my father had followed his own advice.”
“They loved each other once, Delaney. They just grew apart.”
“I thought you hated my mom.”
“No. I wanted to hate every woman.”
“And you don’t any longer.” I pushed against him, forcing him to look me in the eye.
“No, I do not.”
I gave him another look, only this time one that was laced with naughtiness. “Am I going to be given some credit for helping you achieve that goal?”
“What makes you think it was a goal of mine?”
“Because I know a thing or two about you as well.”
“Please, share with me what you’ve learned.” He shifted his hip against the railing, peering down at me with delicious amusement in his eyes.
“You were always a daydreamer, wishing that you could be a sailor on the open waters. You were fascinated by Moby Dick, selecting that as your favorite book. Blue is your favorite color, cobalt blue to be exact. You prefer bourbon. Duh. Right?” I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Not too bad, beautiful doll. Continue.”
“Hmmm… You like fast cars with powerful engines. You would prefer to indulge in blood-rare steak than chicken, which you call peasant food. You hate McDonalds, preferring Wendy’s as your fast food of choice. Oh, and let me think.” I tapped my finger across my lips exactly as he’d done. “You adore Jimmy Buffett.”
“Now, the last one isn’t fair at all. You already knew that one.”
