Embezzled Love (19 page)

"You're kidding! I nearly beat that cat to death with the broom, and now you're telling me I should have been whacking your sister? Just wait till I see her."

Cassie realized her mistake. "Oh, Mom, you can't tell her. She'll never trust me again." The image of Gloria on the angry end of Mom's broom made Cassie smile. She'd been there a few times during her younger years, and that was definitely not a place anyone wanted to be.

With hands clasped beneath her chin, Cassie looked at her mother. "Promise me you won't tell her."

"Okay, I won't tell. Just to let you in on a secret of my own…I knew all along."

Cassie's mouth gaped for a moment. "I guess there's no fooling you. You have that mother's second sense thing going on."

Concern dulled the sparkle in Mom's eyes. "Kids always think the best idea is to hide things from their parents. That's not always the case. Just remember, I'm here if you ever need to talk." She turned and went inside.

Cassie stood on the footbridge, stared into the water, and pondered her mother's words. Something prompted the invitation to talk, but what. She must know about the finances, after all she was the one who usually retrieved the daily mail and answered the phone during the day. Surely, she'd noticed the recent tension between Cass and Evan. Hopefully, after Las Vegas and the ensuing argument, things would improve. They had to.

The back door slammed, disturbing Cassie's moment of serenity. She looked up from the beauty of the bubbling pond and glanced toward the house. Evan, his hair still rumpled from sleep, ambled toward her in sock-clad feet. Creases from the blanket lined his face.

"Did you and Mom get the fish?"

"Come see." She pointed toward a darting school of gold, black and white swimmers.

"Wow," he said, hanging over the railing. "You picked some big ones. Now the pond is complete."

Cassie nodded toward the almost-finished construction. "If only that was done. I'm tired of walking through the mess."

"Won't be long now. In fact, we should probably be thinking of what type of furniture we want…oh, and carpeting."

She raised her brow. "Furniture? I have what I need in my current office."

"Not really."

"What do you mean? I already have a desk and computer."

Evan turned and rested against the railing. "We need another desk and computer for me, preferably a system with a design program. Having my own will keep me from interfering with your end of the business, and I assure you I'll put the equipment to good use."

What exactly was her end of the business—certainly not making any decisions? "I assume you're referring to the growing mail stacks we receive daily as my role." She couldn't resist being snippy, resigning herself to being the paper-pushing partner.

He shrugged. "Someone has to be responsible for bookkeeping. I did that part in my other business, but not very well. Wearing all the hats is far too hard. I'll do the selling, coordinating work crews, and making sure everything stays on track. You handle the contracts, bills and payroll. Sounds like a fair split, don't you think?"

"Yeah, but I wish I didn't have to see my work pile up on my desk. Your tasks are almost invisible in comparison."

He didn't have a chance to respond. Mom stuck her out head the door. "Evan, you have a phone call."

Chapter Twenty-Four

Evan hobbled back through the construction debris, careful of his almost bare feet, and went inside. Cassie remained on the bridge over the fishpond, snickering at the mass of hungry mouths gathered at the water's surface just below. Evidently it was dinnertime.

She'd barely had time to feed the Koi before Evan returned.

"Guess what, baby." His eyes sparkled with the same excitement his voice possessed.

"What?" Cassie held her breath, hoping for something good."

"That was my brother, Billy. You know the one I've not seen in a long time. He's coming west and wants to see me. I can't believe he called. Musta got the number from my sis."

Evan's glee was contagious." Cassie smiled. "That's great, babe. So, when's he coming?"

"Next week." His grin spread from ear-to-ear. "I can't believe I'm finally gonna see my baby brother. Been far too long 'cause we've both been too damn bullheaded." Evan clasped Cassie's hands and danced her in a circle until dizziness consumed her.

She pulled away. "Okay, okay, I'm happy you're getting together with your brother," she pushed back wisps of stray hair from her face, "but no more spinning unless you want me to throw up."

Despite her cheerful façade, her heart ached at the thought of her own siblings and fences she needed to mend.

Evan pulled her close and nuzzled her neck, then straightened and stared squarely into her eyes. "My life is so great. Billy is coming, the yard is done, I'm finishing the office, I'm waiting to hear from Bud about working on the homepage for Star Strung, and best of all, I have you. What more could any man want?"

Cassie kept her smile. Evan claimed he had everything he needed to make him happy, and if Billy coming to visit added to the delight, she welcomed him. Lost in thought, she envisioned meeting the first of Evan's family, and what kind of impression she might make. The only thing she needed to do to prepare was change the sheets in Carson's old room…and tell Mom.

"Let's go inside and check the Internet for computer prices." Evan switched gears so fast, she got dizzy again. He yanked on her arm. "We need to get things ordered. The room's gonna be done this week."

Weaving through the construction, Cassie shook her head. No more rubble? Everything back to normal? The concept was almost as hard to imagine as the completed projects Evan kept presenting to her. It seemed like the back of the house had been in shambles for ages.

Inside, she toted a kitchen chair into the office and perched at Evan's side in front of the computer monitor. He perused page after page of office equipment, furniture and computers. She had no idea what he searched for. When her eyes blurred, she leaned back. "Baby, what exactly do you want for the new office?"

His eyes remained focused on the screen. "I'm not sure, but I'll know when I see it. A combination of both our tastes…something up to your standards, but comfortable too. Then of course, I'll be doing lots of design work, so I'll need a program for computerized landscaping. And don't forget that means a second computer for me, and maybe even a third."

She bolted forward in her chair. Dollars signs cascaded through her mind like water over the fall in the pond. "A third? Whatever for? Then we'll have to have another desk to put it on."

He didn't take his gaze off his search. "That'll work. When Bud gets our Star Strung page designed, he'll probably be more active in the business. We'll need a place for him when he's here."

Cassie swallowed hard. She'd never even met the man, and now she was buying a computer for him. Was Evan being overly optimistic, running two businesses at once, especially when the first had barely left the ground? She rested her elbow on the corner of the desk and supported her throbbing head. Billy coming for a visit, Bud working in the office with them? How much more could she stand to hear?

"Exactly what will Bud be doing besides the web pages?" She massaged the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes to dull the pain.

Evan glanced at her. "You okay?"

"Yeah, fine. Just a little headache." She opened her eyes and her gaze met his baby blues. The excitement sparkling there was enough to calm a storm sea.

"Baby girl, I'll need Bud's help to run Star Strung. He knows all about guitars and their value. He'll be the brains behind the brawn." Evan smiled and flexed his bicep.

Cass straightened. That little boy grin won her over every time. She released a loud breath. "Okay, but he won't be staying here, will he? Doesn't he live in Texas?"

Evan shook his head. "Nah, he won't live here, but he'll be making frequent trips back and forth. Besides needing photos to verify who signs the guitars, someone has to research where the stars are performing and make arrangements to get us there."

"So there'll be lots of travel involved? Tell me again how things work."

"We buy a guitar, take the instrument to a concert where the star is performing, ask that person to autograph the instrument, have Bud take a picture," Evan bent back a finger as he named each step. "then, voila…the cost of the guitar just went up a few digits."

Cass leaned on her elbow again. His Texas diction usually charmed her, but the whole idea of selling guitars perplexed her more than his explanation about landscaping. "Okay, let me see if I understand. If we've succeeded in everything you've said, now we own a more expensive guitar. How do we sell it, and to whom?"

Evan screwed his mouth to the side and shook his head. "Bud will post the information on our website, and of course make sure we're listed with as many…hmm, what do you call those thingies that help people find shit on the computer? Oh, yeah, search engines…make sure we're listed with all of 'em. When a collector finds out we have an autograph they just have to have, we'll be raking in the bucks."

Cassie stood and arched. Her back ached from leaning forward with no support. She peered down at Evan. "It sounds too easy. I can't imagine anyone buying a guitar simply because someone famous signed it. Are you sure people even do that?"

"You just wait. Folks will buy anything. How do you suppose Graceland stays in business?" He stared vacantly into space. "Just imagine if ol' Elvis was around to sign a shiny new Fender for us."

Her mind spun. Fender…of a car? She was too tired to ask. Probably a brand name she'd never heard before. "Okay, I guess you know what you're doing. Elvis still has a ton of fans, for sure." She yawned. "I'm going up and get ready for bed. You coming?"

"I'll be up in a few. First, I'm going to order a couple of things."

Common sense screamed at her. You'd better ask him what and how much. Tiredness prevailed, and she slogged upstairs. He kept asking for trust, so… Besides, once the office was complete and all the equipment in, the spending would surely slow down. Evan's words resounded in her head. You have to spend money to make money.

Chapter Twenty-Five

The doorbell sounded. Cassie grumbled as she made her way to the front door. She'd just gotten home and wasn't expecting company. Beyond Mom's door, the TV blared so loud, she never would have heard the chimes.

Cassie's nylon-clad feet almost slid out from under on the sleek tile entry. She steadied herself and opened the door, expecting to find someone from UPS or another mail service.

Her widened gaze locked on a familiar massive chest, encased in a white dress shirt and navy blue sport coat, before drifting up to a chiseled jaw and chocolate brown eyes.

Definitely no deliveryman. She swallowed hard. Well, Detective Green, isn't it? How can I help you?"

"Hello again, Ms. Fremont." His deep voice reverberated on the porch.

"What brings you here?" She held her breath in anticipation, worried about why he came, but her caring lost in the pleasure of looking at him. The term 'eye candy' applied without doubt, but she chastised herself for even thinking such things.

His crooked grin made her heart flutter. "I'm following up on the case about the Rolex, remember."

Mention of the dreaded watch snapped her out of her infatuated fog. "Oh, not that again." She scowled. "Did you make any progress on finding out what happened?"

"Absolutely not. The department routinely works with pawn shops to find missing or stolen items, but no trace of your friend's Rolex has surfaced. Without evidence to implicate anyone, I'm officially closing the case. I've already notified the watch's owner and wanted to let you know in person since the alleged theft occurred at your place of residence. Do you have any questions?"

Although he sounded like someone playing a role on a TV police drama, his perfect lips and straight, white teeth captivated her. Egad, she acted like a star-struck teenager. What had come over her? She cleared her throat. "Ah, no, no questions, Detective Green. I'm happy to have this whole problem go away. That stupid watch caused nothing but trouble. I apologize for wasting your time."

"No problem, ma'am. It's all part of the job."

She heard only one word in his entire sentence. Ma'am? Was she old enough to warrant that title, especially from someone apparently close to her own age? "No, Sir," she countered, "it's not a problem at all, Sir."

His wide smile indicated he got the message. He reached into his breast pocket and then extended his hand. "I don't believe you have one of these. Here's my business card. Please feel free to call me for any reason." His left lid dropped in a noticeable wink.

Cassie accepted his card. "Thank you." For any reason? Her heart fluttered. "Thank you, Detective—"

"Bryan, please." His eyes sparkled. "This ma'am and sir stuff seems a little unnecessary." He turned and strode down the sidewalk.