Cinderella Busted (The Cinderella Romances #1) (11 page)

“Garrett told me Rhett met the Foster woman on the afternoon of my party for Horning. Rhett met her at a nursery called Bloom & Grow, so I went back to the nursery to find out who she was and where she lived. I told some grubby gardener there that I had her scarf and wanted to return it, and he told me everything I wanted to know.”

“My smart little girl,” he repeated. “Anything else?”

She sighed. “No, other than she lives in a tiny house at the back of the nursery. She’s not Rhett’s type, and I’m betting he doesn’t even know what she does for a living. I’m also betting she is after his money and intends to run some kind of scam.”

Chester leaned back, looking very pleased. “Agreed. But here’s another tidbit about the fair Ms. Foster that you don’t know.”

“Don’t keep me in suspense, Daddy.”

“Well, it seems her little nursery is the last chunk of prime real estate in Jupiter between U.S. 1 and the Intracoastal Waterway capable of supporting a sizable golf course resort or community.”

“So?”

“So, Buchanan’s lawyers are after the parcel.”

“No!” Delia clapped her hands gleefully. “Maybe she’ll move away after she sells.”

“It’s a little more complicated than that, my dear.” He grinned deviously. “You see, Rhett lets his real estate team and attorneys make initial site selections since he’s too busy with all his globe-trotting and other investment ventures. He doesn’t become involved, other than assisting with the choice of general locations, until the closing when the site is ready to go to design and construction. Often parcels are purchased as investments and then sold off later without ever being developed, so he needn’t concern himself with them.”

“So what are you saying?”

“I’m saying his attorneys are pursuing that nursery property, and Rhett doesn’t even know to whom the parcel belongs or exactly where the parcel is located.”

Delia felt her jaw start to sag and quickly snapped it closed. “But she’s already told him, I’m sure.”

Chester shook his head slowly.

“No?”

His grin widened. “The fair Ms. Foster isn’t even aware.”

“You’ve lost me again.”

“She hasn’t put her land on the market. The attorneys found the parcel, the attorneys want the land, and they’re jockeying with the Code Enforcement Board on recent zoning changes to squeeze her out.”

“Can they do that?”

“Good attorneys can do anything, and Carstairs Whittenhurst is superb. Carstairs has a legal brief ready to go to Tallahassee to the Department of Community Affairs arguing Ms. Foster’s ability to use her grandfathered-status exemption to live on-site. That exemption is her only argument against recent Jupiter zoning regulation changes, which preclude residents from living within commercial property boundaries inside city limits. He expects his legal brief to be accepted and her grandfather-status exemption to be summarily denied, or rather revoked.”

Delia stared wide-eyed. “And she will want to sell, or have to sell, if she is forced to move?”

He grinned wickedly. “That’s what Carstairs is counting on. If not, then he has code violations at the nursery property he is ready to pursue, which will tie up even more of her funds.”

“Oh, this is choice. Rhett is going to run his little sweetheart out of town, and he doesn’t even know it.”

Her father nodded slowly.

“She’ll hate him for it.”

“One can only hope. But I’m sure you’ll be there to pick up the pieces. Won’t you, my dear?”

“Of course.” She gave him a delicious smile. “Did you help Carstairs with this, Daddy?”

“I might have given him the proper direction to proceed to accomplish his directive. But not a word of this to anyone,” he admonished, “or I might have to recuse myself from any votes the City Council may take in the matter on the advice of the Code Enforcement Board.”

“Never.”

Tuesday afternoon, Lily busied herself steering the ancient nursery tractor toward the laydown yard while dragging a string of carts loaded with bedding plant containers to be staged for shipment the following day. Her cell phone vibrated, so she pulled the unwieldy train off the nursery drive and shut off the engine in order to hear.

“Miss me?” a deep voice asked when she answered.

Rhett
.

Her heart did a little flip-flop. “Of course, I did.”

“Whew!” he said and chuckled. “Now I can sleep tonight. Did I catch you in the middle of something?”

“No, no. I’m so glad you called. How was your trip?”

“Long and lonely, and I’m still here. I’m sorry I had to send you back early.”

“Stop,” she said, smiling. “I had a wonderful time and loved seeing
Beauty and the Beast
with you.”

“Well, you’re going to see more of me if you’ll have me.”

Her heart rolled over. “I sure hope I do.”

“Listen, Lily, I only have a minute. I’m meeting my VPs from the London office for dinner here at the hotel. We’re making good progress, and I’m booked on a flight out of here early tomorrow morning. My plane gets in at four.”

“That’s wonderful.”

Oh, please want to see me
soon
.

“Are you free tomorrow night?”

She silently pumped a fist in the air.

Then panic struck. He would want to pick her up.

“I, uh—”

“You’re not free,” he said flatly.

She couldn’t hide. She needed to see Rhett Buchanan like she needed to breathe. Never in her entire life had she felt like this, and she wanted it to last forever. Or at least for one more night.

“No, I
am
free,” she said quickly, “but I have a late meeting. What did you have in mind?”

“Dinner.” He sounded relieved. “And I’ll take you anywhere you want to go.”

She couldn’t tell him she’d be happy with Chili’s and tried to think of a somewhat expensive, yet reasonable, restaurant a socialite would consider. If such a thing existed in Jupiter.

Inspiration dawned. “How about Jetty’s at the Lighthouse? I love their crab cakes.”

“Great, that’s close for both of us.” He paused. “At least, I think it is. It just dawned on me I have no idea where you live.”

“In Jupiter, silly,” she said, hoping she sounded casual and not panicked like she felt, “just like you. I’ll meet you there at 6:30, okay?”

He hesitated.

“I’ll have to come straight from my meeting,” she quickly added.

“Sure, that’ll be fine.”

“Be careful over there driving on the wrong side of the road.”

Rhett laughed. “I’m not doing any driving, so you don’t have to worry. My guys just walked in. I have to go.”

“Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said, sad to have the conversation end so soon.

“Lily?”

“Yes?”

“I-I miss you.”

Her heart thumped hard. “I miss you, too, Rhett.”

More than you know
.

Chapter 5

On Wednesday morning, the greenhouse buzzed with activity, and Rob stood at the center like an army commander with his troops.

“I brought the truck around back as ordered, Herr General,” Lily called to him.

“Don’t just stand there. Come help us with the sleeving,” Rob called back, as he lowered a
Chamedoria
palm into the open-ended paper cone held by a nursery worker.

“Sure thing,” Lily said and grabbed a stack of the thick brown-paper cones to start in on the dozen giant
Spathiphyllum
lined up along the greenhouse wall. “This is a big order.”

“Yep!” He grinned boyishly. “And Tammy’s been taking more orders every day. This interiors line could get out of hand.”

Lily loved seeing her friend so excited, and the interiors line was Rob’s baby. “You know if we can just make it through the fall, when things wind down for the winter, we’ll have time to build the new two-acre greenhouse on the back corner of the property west of the cottage.”

Rob stilled, his gaze intent on her face.

“Say something.”

“Are you serious?” he asked.

“Of course I am. Tammy and I ran the numbers this morning, and we can find the funds.”

“Two acres?”

She nodded.

“Specialty inside stuff?”

“All the
Aralias
and
Alternifolius
your heart can stand,” she said.

“Hoo-whee!” he hollered, then grabbed her and swung her in a circle. “My profit-sharing account will go through the roof.”

“It better!”

He set her down, and they hustled to wrap the remaining greenery for the delivery.

“Who do you have to help with the delivery?” Lily asked, sleeving the last
Spathiphyllum
. “Enough hands?”

“Just Jason. He and I can get it done alone. We’ll be fine.”

Jason Graber was Lily’s shipping supervisor and one of her favorites. A hard-working young man in his early twenties and eager to do anything to help Lily.

“No, you won’t be fine,” Tammy called, stepping into the greenhouse. “Your father just called and told me to send you over to Jupiter Savings & Loan immediately. Something about your trust fund and some account papers that have to be signed. Your father is going to meet you there.”

“Aw hell.” Rob ran a hand through his hair. “I gave Bob the afternoon off to get the estimates on his car accident for the insurance claim, and I don’t have anyone else to send with Jason.” He turned and stared. “Lily?”

She opened her mouth and wanted to cry, “No!” She had a date with Rhett at six-thirty, and it was after two now. She had wanted to take her time getting ready for Rhett, but poor Rob looked a hair short of full panic. This was his first big interiors delivery for a private customer, and the delivery had to go perfectly. Jupiter Island word-of-mouth could make or break his new interiors line.

“All right,” she said resignedly, “but I have a date at Jetty’s at six-thirty.”

Rob beamed. “Don’t worry. You’ll get there, and you can borrow my Porsche. Tammy, go get Jason and then help them sleeve the rest. I’ll line up the plants for the truck before I leave.”

Lily climbed into the passenger side of the truck cab. “Do you have the purchase order?”

“Yep.” Jason threw the truck in reverse and steered toward the nursery drive.

“You have the address?”

“Yep.”

“Is the owner home?” Lily didn’t want to drive all the way out to Jupiter Island for nothing.

“I called her. She’ll meet us at the residence. The house isn’t hers, but she has a key. The plants are a housewarming gift,” he said.

Lily gave him an incredulous look and hooked a thumb over her shoulder. “
All
those plants?”

He nodded.

“Good grief! The lady must be rich.”

“It
is
a Jupiter Island address, Lily.” He grinned and stomped on the accelerator. “All the better for us. And don’t worry about your date tonight. I’ll get you home in plenty of time.”

“Rob told you.”

Jason grinned. “Jetty’s at six-thirty, right?”

She nodded. “And make that with plenty of time for me to get ready and not the amount of time you would need to get ready.”

He laughed and hung a right at Bridge Road. Lily’s cell phone chimed, and she snatched it off the console. She checked the readout and gasped.

Jason laughed. “Is it Lover Boy?

“Hush!” She waved at him to be silent.

“Hello, this is Lily,” she said, trying her best to sound calm.

“I’m back,” Rhett said.

A wave of relief swept over Lily, so strong she leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes. Until that moment, she hadn’t realized just how worried she had been about Rhett flying overseas.

“Safe and sound,” she said and glanced at the clock on the dash that read 3:30 p.m. “Early, too.”

“We made good time. Were you worried about me?”

“A little,” she admitted.

“I’m glad, Lily, because I sure as hell missed you.”

Her heart performed a neat little flip-flop. “Good,” she teased. “Serves you right for going off and leaving me.”

“I had to,” he said soberly. “There were problems at my London office.”

“I’m teasing,” she said, trying her hand at flirting.

“Hell, I’m acting like that insecure high-school boy again. You make me crazy, and I mean that in a good way. The best possible way.”

“Are we still on for tonight?” she asked and promptly rolled her eyes.
Talk about insecure
. She sucked at flirting, always had. No practice.

“Hell, yes!” he responded. “Six-thirty, right?”

“Six-thirty at Jetty’s.”

She smiled at Jason who rolled
his
eyes and kept very quiet. Thank goodness. No telling how long that would last, so she had better cut the conversation short.

“I’d tell you to wear something sexy, but you’d look sexy in rags, Cinderella.”

Her heart lurched.
Cinderella?
He couldn’t know, could he? Of course, he could. Powerful men ran background checks. Would Rhett have done that?

All coherent thought left her head, and she could only stare at the pavement rolling beneath the truck tires. For one brief instant, she got a taste of what it would feel like to lose Rhett.

“Are you there?”

“I’m here,” she said, hating that her voice sounded so weak. “Wh-Why did you call me Cinderella?”

“Because you ran away on our first date like you had a pumpkin coach to catch,” he said, as though that made all the sense in the world.

“Oh,” was all she could manage.

“Are you all right?”

She distinctly heard concern in his voice. He
didn’t
know her secret. Her imagination had run wild again.

“I’m fine,” she answered, with more assurance than she felt, “and I can’t wait to see you.”

Too much too soon? Too bad.

She made up her mind in that instant that tonight she would tell Rhett the truth—over drinks at Jetty’s, before they even ordered dinner. Her one short taste of what loss could be like was enough to convince her the pain could only get worse from here on out.

“Lily, I—”

“What? What is it?” A little frisson of panic quickened her nerves.

“Don’t be late,” he said, his voice sounding suddenly gruff.

He clicked off, and she stared straight ahead for several long moments, keeping the phone at her ear as though she could still feel the connection, inexplicably needing to maintain that connection. Omen or insecurity?

Slowly, her senses reeled back in from the scattershot blast his phone call created. Her gaze shifted to the passing landscapes, and she recognized the road and the nearby estates. Rhett had brought her down this road on Saturday night. A sign for Sea Turtle Park pointed straight ahead.

“Are you sure you know where you’re going?” she asked Jason.

He nodded. “2110 Beach Road.”

Lily frowned. “You’re sure it’s Beach Road on Jupiter Island?”

He rolled his eyes in response.

Minutes later, he pulled into the driveway of the last residence before the entrance to Sea Turtle Park. She and Rhett had skated down that very property line, just inside the hedge border, on their first date. Her heart beat a mad rhythm in her chest. What an odd coincidence!

Immediately, her imagination swept her back to the romantic moonlit beach, and she could see Rhett with his dress slacks and shirtsleeves turned up, giving her glimpses of his well-muscled arms and legs. Her mouth went cotton dry, and she felt her resolve weakening. How long would she be able to resist Rhett’s sensuous overtures?

Damn Hank for his meddling so long ago and convincing her to wait for love.

“Are you all right, Lily?”

She glanced over at a worried Jason. “I’m fine. Just trying to remember everything I have to do today,” she fibbed.

“Stay here where it’s cool. I’ll go see if anyone’s home.”

“They better be,” she muttered and watched her shipping supervisor stride to the front door.

In the light of day, the mansion looked nothing like the shadowy fortress she remembered from that Friday night. But then, she’d only had eyes for Rhett. The mansion’s cream-colored exterior looked radiant in the late afternoon sun and resembled an Italianate Palladian villa, its windows bearing the familiar semicircular arch.

Jason knocked, and the front door swung open, but Lily couldn’t see the occupant. Jason remained in place, nodded a few times, reached through the open door to retrieve a paper, and returned to the truck as the front door swung shut.

“Well?” she asked when he opened the driver’s door.

“We’re good.” He grinned. “She’s busy in the library and won’t bug us. We’re to do the interior first and finish up on the back terrace. And best of all?” His grin widened, and he held up the paper he’d been handed at the door. “We have a floor plan where everything goes.”

Lily’s jaw dropped. “Amazing. That’s something I would do.”

“Come on. We’ve got to hurry, so you can make your date.”

Delia stared through the library window and quivered with anticipation. Little Miss Foster was going down today, and Delia was going to watch. Her plan had worked to perfection. Choosing the afternoon of Rhett’s arrival back in Jupiter had been a no-brainer. His secretary had been more than happy to share Rhett’s travel plans with Delia. Talking her father into creating some sort of paperwork snafu for Foster’s head grower had required some wheedling on her part. Thank goodness, her daddy’s bank handled Rob Shaw’s trust fund.

Her devious plan also counted on a little luck. She’d assumed that with an order as large as hers, either the head grower or the sales manager or the owner must supervise the delivery. She guessed that with Shaw out of the way and a sales manager being the logical one to remain behind, Foster would become the delivery girl, and Delia had guessed right.

If Foster hadn’t made the delivery, Delia would have come right out and told Rhett where she bought the plants and who owned the nursery. This way would be so much more fun.

She giggled as she peered between the slats in the library shutters. The blonde’s hair looked sweaty and stringy, pulled back in a loose ponytail with plenty of strands flying free. Her clothes, arms, and even one cheek were smudged with the nice, dark potting soil nurseries loved so much.

The little slut thought she was Cinderella hobnobbing with the rich and famous of Jupiter Island, but this would be Delia’s
coup d’état
. Rhett would arrive home any minute to find his grubby little gardener and cast her out on her lying derriere. Delia would remain innocently oblivious, reading her novel in the library and waiting to surprise Rhett with his housewarming gift.

His little hussy couldn’t even point fingers since she didn’t know Delia was here. Delia had been careful to stand well back from the door when the deliveryman rang the bell. Another bit of luck that the slut had remained in the truck and not come to the door herself. Delia had even used her middle name on the purchase order in case the slut came across the document and grew suspicious.

Delia hugged herself. This was all so perfect, and she had a front row seat, just waiting to console Rhett. She even planned a few new moves she had learned from Raoul to complete Rhett’s resurrection from his recent gutter playground.

Lily gaped at the two-story frescoed ceiling in the foyer when she and Jason carted in the sleeved
Chamedoria
and
Phoenix
roebelenii
palms.

“Whoa!” Jason said, his eyes as wide as hers probably were.

Head back, she stared up and could only nod.

Jason’s tug on the cart brought her head back down. Flanked by Doric columns, the grand staircase with its banisters of slick polished mahogany rose majestically on the left side of the fabulous foyer.

They wheeled their cart to the open arch beyond the staircase and entered the most enormous living room she had ever been in, far larger than her entire house, and large enough for a full bar, a grand piano, and enough room left over for three living rooms.