Читать книгу Married Under The Mistletoe - Linda Goodnight - Страница 9

SURREPTITIOUSLY, Daniel watched the stunning red-haired woman from behind his teacup. The moment she’d opened the door he’d lost his breath, knocked out by the sheer beauty of her long legs, slim, shapely body, and the long, wavy just-got-out-of-bed hairstyle. Though her dress was mid-calf and modest, his first, very wayward thoughts had been of sex, a natural male reaction that he’d reined in right away. Mostly. He’d once had a penchant for redheads and, if his body’s reaction was an accurate indicator, he still did. But he was here on business. And business it would remain.

A few minutes in her company, however, had told him what the old man hadn’t. That she wasn’t all that thrilled to have him here. But he was here and planned to stick around. And it didn’t hurt at all that his flatmate was gorgeous and smelled incredible as well. He could look, but that was the end of it.

Long ago, he’d come to grips with his own shortcomings where women were concerned. He liked them, enjoyed their company, but he’d never been able to fall in love. After too many years, he’d finally faced reality. Thanks to his mother, he lacked the capacity to love anybody.

“I need to get back down to the restaurant.” Stephanie’s teacup rattled against the saucer as she set it in place. “There’s more tea if you want it.”

“Thanks, but no. No time like the present to get started on the telephone contacts.”

She reached for his cup and he handed it over.

“You should consider getting a mobile phone.”

“Hmm. Possibly later.” Right now he was conserving funds.

“I have a computer if you need one.” She motioned toward the hall. “Sometimes I work on orders and supplies at night.”

“I’ll probably take you up on that.” He pushed up from the chair and came around the bar to stand beside her at the sink. “Let me help with this.”

Wariness flickered across her pretty face. “I have it.”

“Okay.” He backed off, wondering if his size intimidated her. She wouldn’t be the first, though she reached his shoulders. He propped his backside against the blue granite counter several feet away from her. The tension eased.

With a grace that had him watching her hands, she washed the cups, dried them and placed them, handles aligned to the right, inside the cupboard. The orderliness of her flat was almost amusing. His idea of domestic order was keeping the mosquito net untangled around his face at night.

She tidied up, putting everything away until the kitchen looked as if no one lived there. In fact, the entire flat had that look. As if it were a photograph, a perfect, sophisticated, contemporary ad of an apartment. Not a lived-in place.

Folding a snowy tea-towel into a precise rectangle, she hung it neatly over a holder, straightening the edges while she spoke. “Is there anything else I can show you before I go? Anything you need?”

“I’m not a guest, Stephanie. No need for you to fret over me. I can find my way around.” Hadn’t he fended for himself as long as he could remember?

“Right. Of course.” Her hands fidgeted with the edge of the towel. “I’d better go, then. The evening crowd begins soon.”

“I may go out this afternoon myself. Do you have an extra key to the flat?”

She clasped the butterfly hands in front of her. “I’m sorry. I never thought of having another key made.”

“Give me yours and I’ll go to the locksmith.”

“I’ll get it.” She looked none too excited about the prospect of sharing her key with him, but she disappeared down the hall and was back in moments, key extended. “This also fits the doors leading out onto the balcony. In case you didn’t notice, there are two entrances to the flat. A staircase up the outside as well as the elevator in back of the restaurant.”

“Good to know. Thanks.” He pocketed the key, keeping watch on her fidgety movements. She’d relaxed somewhat since his arrival, but Daniel had the strongest feeling her tension was more than the normal discomfort of acquiring an unfamiliar flatmate. Though good breeding or schooling gave her the right words to say, her real feelings lay hidden behind the serenely composed expression. And yet, her hands gave her away.

With an inner shrug, he dismissed the idea. Stephanie’s problems were her own. He wasn’t interested in getting past the pretty face and tantalizingly long legs. His business here was exactly that—business.

“You’re welcome to come down to the restaurant later and get acquainted if you’d like,” she said, heading for the door. “Some of your family may come round. They often do.”

The comment brought him up short. He still had trouble thinking of the Valentines as family.

“Is Dominic working today?” He’d had little time with his twin since returning to England. Discovering that Dominic had become a part-time employee of the restaurant below added to the appeal of living here. They’d been apart a very long time.

Stephanie glanced at her watch. “He should be in his office about now. I’m sure he’d enjoy a visit.”

And so would Daniel, though he was every bit as eager to begin setting up appointments. The list of contacts in his bag was impressive. With it, his business should be up and running in no time.

His flatmate was halfway out the door when she stopped and turned. “Oh, one more thing, Daniel.”

“Yes?”

Cool aqua eyes assessed him. “If you don’t mind my asking, how long are you planning to be here?”

“Why, Stephanie—” he playfully placed a hand over his heart “—I’m crushed. Already trying to get rid of me?”

“No, no, of course not. I didn’t mean that at all. I was just thinking…”

He knew exactly what she was thinking, but he couldn’t accommodate her. “New businesses take a while to get off the ground. A year. Perhaps longer.” He watched her, hoping to gauge her true reaction, but she gave nothing away. “That won’t be a problem, will it?”

“That will be…fine,” she said.

Daniel didn’t believe a word of it.

Several hours later, Daniel exited the tube in high spirits, returning to Knightsbridge after a successful afternoon. He’d found a locksmith to cut a new flat key and afterwards had spent an hour chatting up a former university mate about business prospects. All in all, a good beginning.

Above ground, the rain had begun in earnest. Though he’d failed to bring an umbrella, the smell of rain in the air and the feel of it on his skin were a pleasure after years in the African sun. He resisted the childish urge to lift his face and catch the drops on his tongue.

At the back door of the Bella Lucia, he shook himself off to spare the floors a puddle. A kitten, no bigger than his hand, meowed up at him in protest.

“Sorry there, little one.” He scooped the ball of fluff into one hand and slid her inside his jacket while he looked about for a dry place. She snuggled close, a warm, damp ball against his shirt, and turned her motor on. Daniel spotted an overhang and withdrew the kitten from his jacket. She meowed again.

“Hungry?” he asked, crouching down to set her beneath the overhang. Her yellow eyes blinked at him. With a final stroke of the small head, he decided to steal a bite for her later, and then went inside the Bella Lucia to find his brother.

To the right of the wide entry were the lift and a door marked “Storage.” On his left were the offices. Taking a guess, he tapped at the first one and went inside. Dominic sat at a desk, intently staring at a computer screen.

Daniel stood for a moment, observing his brother at work. Fraternal twins, they had once shared similarities, but now, beyond the blue eyes and tall stature, they bore little resemblance. Domestication and long hours in a high-pressure accounting firm had taken a toll on Dominic’s once powerful physique.

“Careful there, brother. You’ll be getting eye strain from all that hard work.”

The balding head lifted with a smile and a brotherly jab. “No chance of that happening to you, now, is there, mate?”

“Not if I can avoid it,” he joked in return. Hard work was all he’d ever known, as Dominic well knew.

A bit wearily, Dominic removed a pair of reading glasses and rubbed at his eyes. “Are you settled in, then? Finding the flat upstairs to your liking?”

Daniel flopped into a chair. “You know I don’t care about the flat. Why didn’t you warn me about my flatmate?”

“Warn you?” Humor glinted on Dominic’s tired face. “About what?”

“That she was young and beautiful. And not nearly as willing to have me move in as John let on.”

A slow smile crept up Dominic’s cheeks. “You always were a sucker for redheads.”

“Getting this business off the ground is my first priority. The flat is just a step in that direction.”

“Then why is Stephanie a problem? Did she try to toss you out?”

“No, nothing like that.” Quite the opposite, actually. “She was polite, accommodating.” She’d put on the pretense of welcome, but her fidgety movements told a different story.

“Then what’s the problem?”

He wasn’t sure how to answer that one. “I make her nervous.”

Dominic guffawed. “Look in the mirror. You make everyone nervous.”

Daniel shoved a hand through his unruly hair. He never could figure out why his appearance concerned people. Just because he didn’t care about the usual conventions of dress or style, people sometimes shied away. Or maybe it was the darkness. Dark skin, dark hair. Bad attitude.

But this wasn’t the feeling he had with Stephanie. “I think the problem is deeper than the way I look.”

“Shave. Get a haircut. See if that helps.”

He’d skip that advice. Unlike his conservative, by-the-book twin, Daniel had never been a suit-and-tie kind of a man. Perhaps that was why he meshed with Africa so well. That, and the fact that Africa needed and appreciated him.

“Is there a boyfriend lurking around to punch my face for moving in with her?”

“I thought you weren’t interested.”

“I’m not dead either.”

Dominic chuckled. “Good. You were starting to worry me.”

“I gave up on love, not on life.”

Dominic knew better than anyone about Daniel’s empty heart.

“Sometimes they’re one and the same.”

The profound statement stirred the old restless longing, the feeling that, no matter how much good he did, life was passing by without him.

“Are you going to annoy me about my nonexistent love-life or tell me about Stephanie Ellison?”

“Well, let’s see.” Dominic gnawed at the earpiece of his glasses, pretending to think. “She doesn’t allow staff to smoke anywhere near the restaurant. Says it projects a bad image to the customers.”

“That’s not exactly the kind of information I meant.”

“None of us know much about her before she came here. She’s a mystery really.”

A mystery. Hmm. Better steer clear of that. He had enough puzzles to solve with the new business. “What kind of manager is she? Demanding? Difficult to work for?”

Though Dominic had only been in this job just over a week, he was good at gathering information, a knack that also made him a good accountant. Most of the time he knew more about a company than the owner.

“Stephanie’s a bit of a workaholic, a real control freak about tidiness,” Dominic said, “but she treats employees well. She gives every appearance of being an excellent manager.”

Daniel heard the subtle hesitation. “What do you mean by ‘gives every appearance’?”

“Nothing really. She’s doing a fine job.” Dominic glanced away, fidgeted with his glasses. He was holding back.

“I know you, Dominic. What are you not saying?”

“I don’t want to spread unsubstantiated rumors.”

“I’m your brother. I’ve just moved in with the woman. If she’s trouble, you have to tell me.”

“All right, then, between you and me.” He sighed and rolled a squeaky chair back from the desk. “You’ve heard about the money missing from the restaurant accounts?”

Daniel nodded, frowning. John had mentioned the problem. “You think Stephanie’s involved?”

“No. I don’t. Someone kind enough to take sick waiting staff to her flat, give them an aspirin and take over their shift while they rest isn’t a likely thief. Plus, she’s meticulous to the point of obsession about every detail of running this place. I can’t see her dipping into the till.”

“Yet, someone is responsible.”

“Right. And she’s the newcomer, the outsider.”

“Not the only one,” Daniel pointed out.

Dominic blinked, clearly shocked at the suggestion. “You think I—”

Daniel laughed. “Not in a million years.” His straight-down-the-line brother was so honest, he’d often confessed to childhood mischief before being confronted. “Have you talked to John about it?”

“Actually, the first clue came from him. He asked me to balance the dates when the money disappeared with all the other transactions filtering in and out of the three restaurants. There were some interesting inconsistencies, but nothing definite yet.”

“So what’s your decision? Is our pretty manager guilty?”

“I’m still watching, but, like I said, I don’t want to think Stephanie is involved. She isn’t the type.”

Daniel didn’t think so either, though he barely knew the woman. He’d much rather believe her anxiety around him was personal than an embezzler’s guilty conscience.

The idea gave him pause and, before he could stop the words, he asked, “What about her personal life? Does she see anyone?”

Dominic tossed his glasses onto the desk and tilted back, his gaze assessing. Daniel shifted in his chair. Okay, he’d admit it. He wanted to know about his flatmate as a woman, not as a restaurant manager.

“She goes out now and then, though the gossip mill says she never dates seriously.”

“Why? Too busy with work?”

“That’s my guess. But Rachel thinks she’s had her heart broken.”

“Rachel?” Daniel frowned. “Employee or relative?” He was having trouble keeping track.

“A cousin. Our uncle Robert’s daughter. Her sister, Rebecca, is a close friend of Stephanie’s. I think she may know more about your lovely manager than anyone.”

“She’s not my anything,” Daniel groused. “I was just asking.” And he didn’t know why, so he decided to let the subject of his flatmate drop. “So, tell me about you, Dominic. How’s the job? The family?”

Dominic’s gaze flicked to the computer screen. He picked up a pen and twirled it in his fingers.

“Alice is pregnant again.”

Daniel tried not to let the surprise show. Dominic looked stressed enough without being reminded that his other kids were nearly grown. “How many does this make? Four? Five?”

Daniel spent so little time in England that he couldn’t keep up. Never fond of his brother’s wife, he hadn’t tried too hard. Alice’s well-to-do family had vigorously protested when she had married a nobody like Dominic, and since then she had maintained an air of superiority that rankled Daniel.

“This makes four.” Dominic ran a hand over his face, and Daniel noticed again how much his brother had aged. “Alice is thrilled. She thinks another baby will keep us young. And a new addition also gives her a reason to shop.”

As if she needed one. Daniel remembered his sister-in-law’s propensity for spending. Luckily, his brother had done so well that his family could afford the best of everything. They lived in a fashionable area of London. His children attended private school, and both Dominic and Alice drove a Mercedes. Holidays in Rome or Madrid or anywhere they fancied were the norm. Daniel was glad for his brother’s success.

Dominic had only taken the extra position here at the restaurant as a way to get acquainted with the family he’d never known, and now to help ferret out the thief in the ranks. He certainly didn’t need the money.

“What about you? How do you feel about a new baby?”

Dominic drew in a deep breath and let it slowly out. “Stunned. I never expected to be a father again at forty.”

“Forty’s not too old.”

“Easy for you to say,” Dominic said with a rueful grin. “You aren’t losing your hair.”

Daniel returned the grin. “Is Alice all right, then? The pregnancy going well?”

“Sure. Everything’s fine. Great. You’ll have to come to the house for dinner one night and see for yourself.” He gave a self-conscious laugh. “Get that haircut first, though.”

In other words, Alice would have a fit if her uncivilized brother-in-law embarrassed her in front of her friends.

“How about one night next week?” Dominic went on. “I’ll invite John as well.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Come on, Daniel. Don’t be a hard case. We wanted a father all our lives and now we have one. He wants to get to know us.”

Tension coiled in Daniel’s gut. John Valentine was not his favorite subject. “He has a daughter—he adopted Louise; he wanted her. Why would he want to know us?”

“Because we’re blood. You and I have a right to be in this family.”

“Not according to Ivy.” John’s wife had thrown a fit to discover her husband had two sons with a former lover. “And maybe she has a point. Being adopted is better than being illegitimate.” The word left a nasty taste in his mouth.

“Louise doesn’t think so. She’s very upset. She’s even started one of those birth-parent searches. Has John worried sick. He says she’s not herself at all.”

“Do you blame her? This must be a terrible shock to her.” It had been to him. And he blamed the parents, not the children. Though he’d only briefly met Louise, she seemed nice enough, a quiet, accommodating woman dedicated to her family. She didn’t deserve to be blindsided by two long-lost brothers and the revelation that she had been adopted by John and Ivy Valentine.

“Maybe.” Dominic lifted a doubting brow. “Maybe not.”

“Meaning?”

“John phoned earlier, fretting over her as usual. Which is very bad for his heart, by the way, and she well knows that. Says Louise is planning to leave for Meridia tomorrow for some nonsense. A make-over, I think he called it, for Emma.”

Daniel searched his memory banks but came up empty, sighing in resignation. “Am I supposed to know Emma?”

“Cousin. Yet another of Uncle Robert’s numerous offspring. Emma’s the chef. Quite a renowned one, I hear. She was commissioned for a king’s coronation. That’s why she’s in Meridia though who knows why Louise thinks she needs a make-over.”

“Ah.” Not that Daniel comprehended any of this. After living a lifetime with a handful of family to his name, he was now swimming in relatives he didn’t know. From Dominic, he knew that their father John and his half-brother Robert were at odds. He also knew that the recent death of their grandfather William had increased the rivalry and battle for control of the restaurants. Beyond that, Daniel was lost. Even if he cared, which he hadn’t yet decided if he did or not, sorting out all the Valentines would require time and exposure. “So how does this relate to our sister?”

“Our father thinks Louise is going off the deep end and needs him more than ever.” His nostrils flared. “I think she’s an attention seeker, drumming up sympathy to keep a wedge between John and his blood children.”

“You and me.”

“Right. She’s on the defensive, trying to hold John’s allegiance. After growing up in the wealth and society that actually belonged to us, she’s unwilling to share. I, for one, think it’s time you and I reaped the benefits she’s had all her life.”

The answer bothered Daniel. Though he didn’t necessarily feel the same, he could understand his brother’s emotional need to embrace their birth family. But he and Alice were well set. They didn’t need the Valentine “benefits”, either social or financial.

Settling back against the plush office chair, he studied his twin. They had always been different, but in the years since they’d spent any real time together the differences had increased tenfold.

Daniel wasn’t sure he liked the changes.