out in this town and make friends with these people before they’d trust me enough to invest, but I guess we were right in picking Maggie and Sully as our connections.”
“Maybe it’s not Maggie or Sully at all. Maybe it’s just that these people were ripe for a new resort nearby, somewhere new and exciting to spend their time and money.”
“You could be right. I think we can get another forty or so under contract after our trip up the mountain next week, which should be more than double our haul. At least a handful more by the time the wedding rolls around and then we’re out of here.”
“Have you heard from the boss lately?” Fiona asked.
“No, but I’m sure our progress reports are expected. Even though the boss came up with the initial idea, I’m doing most of the work.”
“Hey! What am I? Chopped liver?”
“Sorry, babe, I just meant—”
“I know what you meant, that you’re the top dog and I’m here to back you up, handle all the finances, and watch you romance another woman.” She turned her face away.
“It’s just a role I’m playing. You can’t think I’m actually falling for Maggie.”
“I don’t know what to think,” she snapped, turning back to face him, “but you’re making it look awfully believable. It’s hard for me to watch.”
“Do you think we’d be raking in millions if I didn’t make it look believable?” he shot back. “You think her brother would have invested in this project if he thought for a nanosecond that I was a fraud?” His voice rose with irritation at having to explain this all to her again.
“You’re right,” Fiona said, waving her hands in surrender. “I’m sorry.” She walked around behind him and began to gently massage his shoulders. “I just love you so much.”
“You shouldn’t be doing that. Someone could walk in and see us.”
“I know. I just need to touch you.”
“Keep your eye on the prize. In two weeks, you and I will be sipping mojitos on the beach with millions in the bank, leaving Paradise Valley, and the boss, in the dust.”
Fiona leaned her head down next to Lucas’s.
“Lucas!” Josh hollered from the doorway. He had walked in on them, finding Fiona with her hands on him and the side of her jaw touching Lucas’s sandy brown hair.
Lucas stood up and displaced Fiona’s hands.
“Josh.” Lucas’s mouth went dry and a sheen of sweat covered his face. “It’s not—”
“It’s not what?” Josh cut in, asking through clenched teeth. The vein in his neck was bulging as his hands balled into fists.
Fiona backed away from Lucas, and sidestepped Josh, as she slinked out of the room.
“It’s not what you think.” Lucas’s gaze went beyond Josh to Fiona standing in the outer office as he searched for a believable story. “Fiona and I were going over the numbers from the sales so far. I complained about my shoulders being stiff from sitting at this computer and she offered to massage them. That’s all.”
“That’s not what it looked like to me.” Josh’s eyes narrowed as he stared into Lucas’s face.
“That is what happened.” Lucas’s voice moved from shaky to calm. “You just misunderstood what you saw. I would never cheat on your mother.”
“I want to believe you, but somehow I don’t. I’m going to be watching you. If there’s any funny business going on, I won’t stand by and let it happen. You hurt my mom, you’ll deal with me.”
CHAPTER 9
Friday evening rolled around and Emily made a dash to her favorite bookstore before heading over to Maggie and Lucas’s engagement party. She had parked on Main Street in front of the shop, and as she was reaching for the handle of her car door, she heard someone call out.
“Miss?”
Emily turned to see the woman, maybe mid-sixties, with grayish blonde hair coiffed just above her shoulders. She was driving a late-model silver Mercedes that she had stopped in the middle of the street with her window rolled down. “Can you tell me where I can find the Graystone Building?”
“Sure, it’s just down the block. My office is in that building,” Emily replied. She noticed the woman was smartly dressed in a red suit and an abundance of gold jewelry.
“Oh, I’m looking for my son, Lucas Wakefield. Do you know him?” she asked.
Emily walked closer to the car and motioned to the three cars stacked up behind the Mercedes to squeeze around her. “Yes, I do. And you’re his mother?” Emily was stunned. She hadn’t heard Lucas’s mother