Susan Mallery Page 0,42
one-week stay. I like to really get to know a place. Talk to the people and see what their everyday lives are like. Not that I don’t love a beautiful sandy beach like everyone else.”
Alec took his mother’s now-empty glass and rose. “Where have you traveled to?” he asked Margot.
“I spent a month in Thailand while I was in college,” she said, leaving out the part where she’d nearly flunked all her classes because of it. “I’ve been to Germany a few times, and in the did you really category, I’ve hiked through much of Patagonia.”
“Very eclectic,” Wesley said. “I’ve never been to Patagonia.”
“It’s beautiful. Rugged and impressive.”
She rose and walked to the food table, then carried several serving plates to the large coffee table in front of the sofa. If Bianca was going to keep downing martinis, she was going to need some food in her stomach.
She offered Bianca the crab puffs. The older woman took two and ate them, but wouldn’t meet her gaze. Margot knew there was important information to be had, if only she could figure out what it was. Later, she promised herself. Later she would make some notes and brainstorm what on earth was happening. It was just the four of them—Bianca shouldn’t be this nervous.
Conversation shifted to where everyone else had traveled. There was a second round of drinks for the three of them and a fourth round for Bianca. After an hour, Wesley rose and thanked them for the invitation.
“My love and I have dinner reservations.”
Margot told him it had been lovely to meet him, then let Alec walk him to the door. She carried the food back into the kitchen, thinking there was enough for twenty and not only would this be her dinner, but her lunch tomorrow and there would still be a ton leftover. Alec joined her a couple of minutes later and set down the platters he’d brought in.
“Your thoughts?” he asked, setting them on the counter.
She hesitated. While she wouldn’t discuss her client with him, she could certainly speak in generalities without violating any privacy. After all, he’d been right there.
“She was so much more nervous than I expected,” she admitted. “I know having me observing can be nerve-racking but I didn’t expect her to be so out of sorts.”
“Or drink so much? That happens sometimes. Not often, but it’s never a good sign. It means trouble is coming, although tonight that’s going to be Wesley’s problem.”
He sounded more resigned than judgmental. Margot would guess he was long used to Bianca’s idiosyncrasies.
“This gave me some material to work with,” she said.
“You’re very diplomatic.”
“Part of the job.”
He flashed her another of those sexy-to-her smiles, then opened a cupboard and pulled out a couple of plates. “Want to join me for an appetizer dinner? There’s plenty to go round.”
“I can see that and thank you for the invitation.” She probably should take her food upstairs, as per her policy, but this was just one meal. “As long as you don’t mind if I take off my shoes. They’re really uncomfortable.”
“Then why did you buy them?”
“They’re gorgeous.”
“That is a thing I will never understand.”
“It’s because your gender isn’t judged on its shoes. You get to be all powerful and successful simply by slapping on a suit.” She stepped out of her shoes and then picked up a couple of platters and carried them to the table by the window.
“How exactly does one slap on a suit?” he asked, his voice teasing.
“You know what I mean.”
He chuckled.
While she collected flatware and napkins, he pulled a bottle of wine from an under-counter cellar and opened it. She set out glasses and they sat across from each other, the food between them.
Margot put both kinds of bruschetta on her plate, along with a couple of crab puffs, then added a few carrot sticks and slices of red pepper for balance.
“Tell me about the travel,” Alec said. “How did you spend a month in Thailand? Just as a tourist?”
“Not exactly.” She sipped her wine as she debated what to say before settling on the truth. “I went with the bad boyfriend.”
Alec drew his eyebrows together. “Ah, what did you call him? A piece of...”
She laughed. “Yes, that would be him. His name is Dietrich. He’s from Germany and was an exchange student in high school. He fell in love with the States and LA in particular and ended up studying film at USC. He’d just graduated when I met him. He was doing documentaries