marked bone meal.”
Clive was eyeing the teenager with dark suspicion. “Did you break your fingernail?”
“No, and I never wear fingernail polish.”
“Several of my employees who help with the roses do,” Stephen said. “Obviously, one of them broke a nail.” He stuffed his hands into his pockets. He had to do something, otherwise he might cross over there and slap the girl.
“They garden in nail polish?” Annabelle made a face. “That’s stupid.”
“It’s also stupid to make quick judgments,” Clive said. His face had gone from pale to mottled with anger. The situation was quickly escalating out of control.
Stephen couldn’t bear to think about the effect this ugly confrontation would have on his grandfather or his rose babies.
And then there was Lily. What would her nosy daughter tell her?
“The Gator’s outside.” Fortunately it was the full-sized crossover series that could easily seat all three of them. “Let’s go back to the office and all dry off, Annabelle. Then I’ll show you how the business end of Allistair Roses works.”
“I’m done for the day. I’ll walk.”
Stephen wasn’t close enough to stop her as she whirled out of the greenhouse and into the pouring rain. He could probably overtake her, but then what? A confrontation would only make a bad situation worse.
He and Clive stared at each other as the rain pounded the glass house. It sounded like somebody trying to get inside.
“Did she take it with her?” Clive said.
Stephen walked to the bucket of bone meal. The lid was off and his fertilizer was there, beautiful as ever except for an indentation where Annabelle’s hand had dipped inside and dug out something she called a blue fingernail. He squatted and swept his hand over the floor around the bucket.
There. Wedged near the edge of the bucket.
“It’s here.” He straightened up and dropped the tiny bit of blue into his pocket.
“She’s going to be a problem.” Clive stood up and reached for his raincoat and hat.
“I know. I’ll take care of it.”
He helped his grandfather to the Gator, and they rode back to the office where he put Glenda Jane in charge of making sure Clive got dried off and warmed up. Afterward, he would have a private talk with her about tromping around in his kitchen garden at all hours of the night, anytime she pleased.
Clive had indulged her craziness for years, but not out of guilt. Clive never let that useless emotion color his judgment. His grandfather put up with her behavior because she knew the business side of Allistair Roses from top to bottom, and she reveled in long hours every day plus overtime, even on holidays. They would never find another assistant like her.
Still, Stephen couldn’t have her crazy behavior scaring off the woman who was going to give him an heir to the Allistair throne.
“Glenda Jane, come into my office when you’ve finished with Clive.” She nodded as he headed to his office. He closed the door and pulled out his cell phone.
Lily answered on the first ring. Though she didn’t sound happy to hear from him, he could overlook it considering the circumstances.
“Darling, I just wanted you to know Annabelle decided to come back to the house by herself. In the pouring rain. Is she okay?”
“I don’t know. I’m at my desk in my suite and didn’t hear her come in. Is everything all right?”
“Would you check? Clive got a little testy, and I wanted to make sure Annabelle didn’t take it personally.”
“Sure. Hang on.” He followed her progress upstairs by the sounds she made. Then he heard a door opening, Lily’s voice saying, Annabelle are you okay? And her daughter’s answer, Sure, Mom. Why wouldn’t I be?
The click of Lily’s heels, then her voice again. “She’s fine, Stephen. She’s on her computer.
Stephen congratulated himself on how easy it was to control her. Clive had taught him well. Plus, years of being the company’s spin doctor hadn’t hurt.
“I suppose the greenhouse is less appealing than social media.”
“Who knows? She could be scoping out a movie she wants to watch or researching something that has captured her imagination. She’s a smart girl, Stephen.”
“I know. That’s why I have a surprise for her. I’m afraid I’m going to miss dinner again tonight, but can you make sure she’s in the library afterward? And Toni, too.”
“A surprise? How unlike you, Stephen.”
That sounded sarcastic to him. Was Lily showing some rebellion? “Just have them there to please me, darling.”
Another long silence. What on earth was going on? Finally she heaved a big