Jude Deveraux (17 page)

'Hello,'
said a voice behind Eden before she could answer McBride. She turned to see a
young woman, not much taller than she was, with lots of crinkly red hair and
blue eyes that were dancing with delight. 'I hope I didn't interrupt anything.
I'm Minton Norfleet, Minnie to everybody, and I'm Braddon's right-hand man.'

Through
this entire speech, Minnie's eyes had never left Jared. At first, he was
looking only at Eden, but when Minnie kept staring at him, he drew his eyes
away and looked at Minnie.

When
McBride's eyes softened as he looked at Minnie with what could have been
thought of as a sexy look, Eden rolled her eyes in disgust. 'Yes,' she said too
loudly, 'Brad mentioned you.'

'Did
he?' Minnie said, her eyes still on McBride. 'I hope he said good things, as there
are lots of very good things about me.'

'I bet
there are,' Jared said under his breath.

Eden
stepped between the two of them and held out her hand to shake. 'I'm Eden
Palmer.'

'Yes,'
Minnie said absently, shaking Eden's hand but not looking at her. 'And this
is?'

'I'm
Jared McBride, Eden's cousin. I'm staying at her house. Farrington Manor. Would
you like a map?'

'I know
where it is, and I've always wanted to see the inside of that house,' Minnie
said.

'Come
for dinner tonight,' Jared said, looking over the top of Eden's head at Minnie
and holding out his hand to shake.

'She
can't,' Eden said, looking up at McBride. Her eyes were telling him to remember
that the house had been torn up, that there was furniture lying in the hallway,
cut cushions in the living room — and who knew what was still in her bedroom?
Besides that, what right did he have to invite people to
her
house?

'I'd
love to,' Minnie said. She was still holding Jared's hand.

He was
the one to pull away. 'I think you ladies have things to discuss. Ms. — uh,
Eden, if you need me, I think you know that I'll always be close by.' With that
he walked away from them.

'Who is
he?' Minnie asked, her eyes wide. 'I mean, I know he's the man you beat up,
everyone in Arundel heard about that, but I thought he must be a wimp.
Obviously, I was wrong. So who is he?'

'Uh,
cousin,' Eden managed to mumble, then she brightened. Maybe Minnie could take
McBride off her hands for a while. 'He's a retired policeman,
very
early
retirement, and he doesn't know what to do with himself.'

'I
could show him a few things to do,' Minnie said, then waved her hand in
dismissal. 'Don't mind me. It's just that I haven't had a man in three months,
and the bedposts are beginning to look good. Is he married?'

'No.'

Minnie
smiled at Eden, and Eden smiled back at her. It was an instant friendship. 'You
know, don't you, that Brad wants you to speak.'

'Speak?
What do you mean? Not, like in: Give a speech?'

'That's
exactly what I mean. Oh, dear. Sometimes Braddon forgets the most important
things. Last night he came home and — '

'You
live with Brad?'

'Not
like that. Utterly platonic. Like you lived with Mrs. Farrington.'

'But
she was an old woman, and Brad is ... '

'A
hunk?' Minnie smiled. 'Maybe he is to you, but he's like a grandfather to me.
Look, he lives alone in an enormous house, and I have a daughter to take care
of by myself. I had the misfortune to fall madly in love with a man I met on a
cruise ship and married him the next week. Two months after my daughter was
born, my slimeball husband ran off with a woman who worked in his office, so I
returned home to Arundel. Brad helped me get a divorce and child support from
my ex's family. He helped me get full custody and my maiden name. You might
have noticed that names are important here in Arundel. Anyway, after the
divorce I was pretty stressed out with trying to raise a child alone.'

'Been
there, done that.'

'Right.
I'm not sure how it happened, but I ended up living in Braddon's big old house
and taking care of everything in his life. Believe you me, if you want to marry
him and let me move into some nice condo where the windows don't leak, let me
know. Anyway, the point of all this is that I think Brad wants you to give a
speech in about thirty minutes. Last night he was very happy about your taking
over the landscaping. People can hire their own outside landscapers, of course,
but Brad is afraid that they'll end up ... ' She hesitated as she searched for
the right words.

'Letting
some guy talk them into a Japanese garden with raked gravel, while the
next-door neighbor has junipers in three colors, and the next house has gnomes
in the flowerbeds.'

'You
sound just like Brad. Exactly like him, in fact. Are you sure you two aren't
related?'

'Sure of
it. Would you tell me what I'm supposed to speak on? And why didn't Braddon
tell me himself that he wanted me to speak?'

'I have
no way of knowing for sure, but my guess would be abject terror. He doesn't
want to do anything to frighten you away. As for what you're to speak on, I
think he just wants you to sell the people on whatever kind of gardens they're
supposed to have. I'm sure it won't matter to them, because all they want to do
is play golf and drink gin. As long as they don't have to pull weeds, they'll
be okay.'

'Maybe
I could talk to Drake. He seemed to be Brad's second-in-command.'

Minnie
snorted in derision. 'Don't believe Drake's smooth exterior. He went to
architecture school because his father made him, and he's here because Brad is
friends with his father.'

Eden's
mind was racing. She was going to have to do this by herself, but how to sell
herself and her ideas in just a few minutes? Was this how new authors felt when
they were given three minutes to present their ideas to her? Yes, of course it
was. 'I need a pen and paper and some time alone,' she said, her voice frantic.

Minnie
handed Eden a very pretty fake leather notepad holder. It was a dusky blue, a
color sometimes called Williamsburg blue. On the front were the words QUEEN
ANNE. Eden took the pad, then went to a quiet corner and tried to assemble her
thoughts. She didn't mind giving speeches when she had time to prepare, but
off-the-cuff like this was going to be difficult. Eighteenth-century gardening,
she told herself. What did she remember about it? Better yet, what did she
like
about it? What made it so appealing to her that she wanted to make other
people like it too? It had been a long, long time since she'd been involved in
gardening. Holding down jobs, trying to get her child to school and back, being
frantic when her daughter had a fever for three weeks in a row, all these
things in life had driven the pleasure of gardening from her mind. As for the
last few days, all she'd done was . . .

For a
moment she chewed on the end of the pen and remembered the last few days.
Snakes, two men who were no longer strangers to her, her house ransacked.
Closing her eyes, she tried to clear her vision of the turbulence of the last
few days. Think eighteenth century, she thought. Not the truth about the time,
of fighting for independence, but the orderliness. What was that motto she'd
loved so much? How could she have forgotten that? It was what she'd based the
garden she'd designed for Mrs. Farrington on. Something about nature being
tamed. Yes, that was it. Smiling, she began to write.

Standing
in the doorway, Eden listened to Brad's welcome speech. The notebook with the
few ideas she could dredge out of her memory was in her sweaty palm. When Brad
had asked if he could introduce her, she hadn't known what he meant.

She
came alert when he said that he wanted them to meet the new landscape designer,
Eden Palmer, who was an expert in eighteenth-century gardens. Can he be sued
for telling such a big lie? Eden wondered. How could she make these people want
a garden that went against all modern-day ideas of gardening? How could she
sell 'difficult to maintain' and 'wildly expensive'?

She
looked back at Brad and willed him to say they could meet Ms. Palmer another
day, but he didn't.

'Now,'
Brad said, talking easily, as though he were born with a microphone in his
hand, 'we're not saying that you have to put in a garden that G.W. might have
enjoyed. G.W is what we call George Washington here in Arundel, because he came
through here and slept around, so to speak. In fact, we're pretty sure that he
slept in Ms. Palmer's house, Farrington Manor. Of course he was only
twenty-three at the time, a long way from being president, and he was here
surveying the Great Dismal Swamp. And we do
not
want  to  tell 
you  what   he  said   about   the
accommodations in North Carolina or we'd never sell you a house.'

He
paused while the audience laughed politely.

'Today,
after lunch, you can consult with Ms. Palmer and decide what you want to do
about your own garden. If you like her designs and want to put one in, then we
have maintenance people to take care of it for you. By the way, the maintenance
company happens to be run by my son-in-law, so let me know if he doesn't do his
job and I'll tell his boss, my daughter.'

More
laughter, then Brad held out his hand to Eden, and she went to the podium.

*   *   *

Twenty
minutes later Eden stepped down from the podium and followed Minnie into a long
room where tables had been set up.

'That was
good,' Minnie said, referring to Eden's speech. 'Very good. ' There was a
respect in her voice that hadn't been there before, and it made Eden feel good.
She knew that in Minnie's eyes she'd gone from being just an extension of
Braddon to being a woman with her own mind.

'You
can sit here,' Minnie said, walking to the far end of one table.

'I have
nothing to show people,' Eden said. Her heart was still pounding from her
speech. Had she said the right things? Minnie had liked it, but did Brad?

'Don't   
worry    about    supplies.   
Brad    has everything that was left by the two landscapers he
fired.'

'If I'd
known I was to do this, I could have brought some books to show people what I
would like to do.' Eden grimaced. With the way her morning had gone, she should
have done a presentation on poisonous snakes of North Carolina.

The
tables had several seatings, each supplied with pencils, pens, pads, and
notebooks, all with the name of Queen Anne on them. It was all very nice,
elegant, even.

One
side of the room was all windows, and just outside sat Jared McBride, half
hidden under a shade tree. He had on dark glasses, and he was talking on his
cell phone, but he nodded at Eden when she glanced at him.

The door
to the room opened and a waiter brought in a tray of sandwiches and drinks.

'I told
Brad you'd probably rather eat in here,' Minnie said, glancing out the window
at Jared. 'But if you'd rather . . . '

'No,
this is great. I need more time to think about what the heck I'm doing here.'

'You
can't kid me. I've seen the Farrington gardens, so I know what you can do. Just
BS your way into it. Act like you know more than they do and they'll believe
you. Besides, you're saving Brad's life. He was going to have to hire someone
from outside Arundel or let his son-in-law do it. Brad would rather do it
himself than let Remi have any responsibility.'

'What
in the world did Remi do to make Brad dislike him so?'

'Married
his daughter,' Minnie said. 'Until she married, Brad and his daughter were very
close. They traveled together, worked together. She ran that big house of his
with an ease I'll never have. Between you and me, I'd like to burn it down.
Termites and peeling paint! Ugh! Anyway, after Cammie got married, Brad was
left alone. I doubt if any man could have pleased him as a son-in-law, but a
blue-collar hunk like Remi never had a chance.'

Once
again, Eden could see both sides. Remi seemed to be a good person, but Eden
knew what it was like to be ambitious for your child. She wondered if Brad
would rather that his daughter had married someone like the clean,
never-been-dirty young man Drake Haughton.

They
had just started their lunch when Minnie said, 'Everybody in town says that
Braddon has the major hots for you.'

Eden
nearly choked. 'I think it's much too soon to say that. And as for gossip — '

'Gossip,
ha! It's hope. If you knew what that man has been through with women you too
would want him to find someone!'

Eden
couldn't help the little rush that went through her. She knew she shouldn't
ask, but she couldn't help herself. 'And what exactly has he been through?'

'Didn't
anyone tell you about Braddon's wife?'

'Yes,
but only quickly.'

Minnie
took a breath, ready to settle into her story. 'They were married for over
twenty years, but I don't think they ever loved each other — at least that's
what Camden says.' Minnie took a drink of her sweet tea. 'Sourpuss, isn't she?
She's married to the biggest hunk to hit this town since Brad Pitt, but to look
at her, you'd think she was Woody Allen's new wife. Anyway, what did you hear
about Braddon's marriage?'

Eden
was cautious. 'That they were about to separate when she was diagnosed with
cancer.'

'You
were just told the bare bones. She was having an affair with a man who had been
Braddon's best friend since they were kids. The boys were born just a few days
apart and spent their whole lives together. Braddon had the brains, and Treddy
had the brawn. His name — '

'Let me
guess. Tredwell.'

'Right.
Tredwell Norfleet Pembroke. Anyway, they were a perfect match. When the boys
left Arundel, they went to some school up north where Braddon could study law
and Treddy could captain the football team. It was before my time so I never
saw him play, but I was told that Treddy was headed toward being one of the
all-time greatest football players in history. But in his freshman year he got
in the sports car his father had given him for high school graduation and ran
off the side of the road. He injured an elbow and a knee, and that was the end
of his glorious career. He returned to Arundel to heal and try to help run the
family businesses. But he wasn't any good at business. When Braddon came back
to Arundel with a Yankee wife, ready to open his law practice, he tried to
renew his friendship with Treddy, but by then Treddy was drinking too much and
had a deep anger inside him. You know what I mean?'

'Yes, I
do.' Eden knew a lot about deep anger, and that knowledge was held in her
voice.

Minnie
looked at her sharply.

Eden
looked down at her plate, not wanting to answer the questions that Minnie
looked like she wanted to ask. 'So what happened?'

'Treddy
and Braddon's wife had a long-term affair. They managed to keep it secret for
years, but Braddon finally found out about it and filed for divorce. Just days
after he filed, she was diagnosed with terminal cancer, and Treddy hightailed
it out of town pronto. Braddon stayed with her to the end, and three weeks
after she died, Treddy came back to town married to some model half his age.
There was a cocktail party to celebrate Treddy's marriage, and Braddon showed
up. He didn't say a word, just walked up to Treddy and hit him in the face. He
broke Treddy's jaw so bad it was wired together for months. Brad also broke two
bones in his hand. He and Treddy aren't friends anymore.'

'I
should think not,' Eden said, then lowered her voice even though they were
alone in the room. 'What I'm curious about is the woman Brad had an affair with
while his wife was ill.'

'That
would be my mother,' Minnie said, 'but don't look shocked. I used Braddon's
guilt feelings over not marrying her to get him to employ me and give my
daughter and me a place to live. It's tough being a single mother.'

'Yes,
it is,' Eden said, smiling at Minnie and understanding her 'use of guilt feelings.'
'I'm a single mother too.'

'That's   
great.    Maybe    our  
kids    can   play together sometime.'

Eden
started to explain, but then she laughed. She was sure Minnie knew all about
her daughter and how she came to be. She also probably knew Melissa's birth
date. 'You're very kind,' Eden said.

Before
Minnie could reply, the door opened and people began pouring in. Within
seconds, Eden was faced with her first client. She took a breath and did as
Minnie had advised: she acted as though she knew what she was talking about.

Throughout
the long afternoon, Jared sat outside, under the shade of the trees, always in
view, now and then on his phone. A few times Eden saw him frowning and his
conversation seemed to be angry.

Brad was
at the far end of the room, talking and smiling at people, and seeming to do it
all with ease. Once she looked up to see him watching her, and he gave her a
look and gesture that said he was exhausted. Eden nodded in agreement. At five,
Minnie efficiently and politely ushered everyone out of the room.

Brad
collapsed on the chair beside Eden. 'I don't know about you, but I need a
drink. A large one.'

'Me
too.'

He took
her arm and they walked outside, where Jared was waiting for them. 'Where we
going?' he asked.

Eden
felt Brad stiffen. 'Eden and I are going to dinner,' he said pointedly.

'Great
idea. I hear there's a great seafood restaurant in town.'

'McBride
. . . ' Brad began.

Minnie,
coming up behind them, put her arm through Jared's and looked at her boss. 'I'm
famished. Where are we going for dinner?'

Brad
was frowning, but Eden said, 'I think we're outvoted.'

They
all looked at Brad, and after a moment he relaxed and smiled. When he started
walking toward his car, his arm was still locked with Eden's. Behind them,
Jared and Minnie were also walking with linked arms.

'Why do
I feel like chanting, 'Lions, tigers, and bears'?' Eden asked. Brad laughed.

'We
could make a mad dash for my car and escape them,' he said.

'They'd
find us. Arundel isn't that big.'

'I know
a few secret places.' He leered at her in such an exaggerated way that she
laughed.

'Actually,'
she said, 'I want to spend some more time with Minnie. I want to hear more
about why she and her child are living with you.'

'Minton
sometimes has a very big mouth. What else did she tell you? No, don't tell me.
Let me have my innocence.'

Eden
smiled. 'Did your broken hand heal all right?'

Brad
groaned. 'I'm going to strangle her.' He glanced back at Minnie and Jared
behind them. 'You know, it's beginning to look like Minnie's setting her cap
for your cousin. Maybe she'll keep him so busy that I can have you all to
myself.'

Eden
looked at Minnie and Jared. She was talking   ninety   miles  
an   hour,   and  Jared   was listening, but
he was also very aware of where Eden was. She had no doubt that Jared was
directing Minnie's conversation toward whatever he wanted to know about
anything that had ever happened in Arundel.