Love With A Stranger (28 page)

Jason reached across the table, grasped her hand, and gave it a gentle squeeze. He sent her a reassuring smile as he murmured, “Relax, Cass, I won’t let anything or anyone harm you. If Johnson doesn’t settle this matter for you soon, I’ll hire a lawyer who can do the job.”

She pulled her hand from his grasp and said, “You can’t do that, Jason. If you get involved, that might look odd to Mutt & Jeff. I don’t want your reputation getting tarnished.”

“Don’t worry about me, Cass; I’ll be fine. The most important thing is protecting you. But who are Mutt & Jeff?”

Cass couldn’t help but laugh before she explained about the cartoon characters and how she had labeled Beals and Killian with their names.

Jason chuckled in amusement. “Well, at least you haven’t lost your sense of humor.”

“Thinking of them in those roles keeps me from allowing them to intimidate me. But I have to admit, they made me nervous and wary today. If they’re watching me, I have to be careful of everything I say and do so it can’t be misconstrued. Beals would like nothing better than to make a name for himself and take sadistic pleasure out of accusing me of my husband’s murder.”

“I won’t let that happen, Cass, I promise.”

“Maybe I’m overreacting to their visit and crude personalities, but I know my imagination isn’t running wild and crazy; Beals was too clear for that to be true. He thinks he’s so clever, but he’s despicable and mean. Now, let’s drop this subject so we can relax and enjoy our meal. Tell me about your meeting last night; that should distract us.”

Later, they sat together on the sofa, watched television, talked, and kissed a few times. Yet, they were cautious not to
arouse their passions, each wondering if Beals was parked outside and observing the house.

At ten o’clock, Jason said with reluctance, “I best get going. I’ll call you tomorrow to make certain you’re okay. If you don’t settle down and can’t get to sleep tonight, take one of those tranquilizers you have left over.”

“Thanks, but I’ll be fine.”
You’re the only medicine I need. I’d love to let you calm me down and lull me to sleep, but that’s too risky.

She walked him to the front door, and said, “I’ll talk with you tomorrow. Thanks for giving me a shoulder to lean on tonight, and I’ll be in a better mood the next time I see you. I had a good time.”

“So did I, but I won’t steal a good-night kiss in case Beals is around. Sleep well, Cass, and my shoulder is available any time you need it.”

Wednesday evening, Peter phoned from his apartment to let Cass know he had returned home. “As soon as I grab a quick shower, I’d like to come over and talk, if you don’t have other plans.”

“I don’t, and that’s fine with me. Have you eaten or do you want me to prepare you something? It’s no trouble.”

“I’ve already eaten, but thanks. I could use some bourbon and Coke, Wild Turkey if you have any, when I get there.”

“I’ll have it setting out on the kitchen counter.”

“See you in about thirty minutes.”

“See you soon, Peter,” she replied, having no idea of the shock in store for her during their impending conversation.

After Peter arrived and was preparing his drink at the kitchen counter, Cass studied him on the sly as she poured herself a diet cola. Peter was dressed in a casual outfit: a mint-green knit shirt with matching pants, a medium-hued brown belt, and the same tone of brown loafers without socks. Curly black hair peeked from the opening at his collar where he had left all three buttons unfastened and the shirt’s edges flapped aside.

It was obvious why so many women found Peter Wesley Grantham irresistible. He was traffic-stopping handsome. He emitted a sensuous, earthy, animal magnetism and radiated selfassurance, managing to avoid an arrogant or cocky impression. Without a doubt, she concluded, Peter was six feet of enticing masculinity. Considering his wealth and prominence, he was one of—if not the—most sought-after, bachelors in the area and probably beyond it.

Peter was cognizant of her stealthy study. Maybe, he reasoned in spiteful pleasure, she was getting aroused after being a widow for almost two months. He was aware of his enthralling effect on women and—when it suited his purposes or needs—used
it to the hilt to ensnare them. Yet, in these times when so many nasty bugs were running loose and particularly that lethal one, a man had to be extra careful. He knew Cass would be a safe partner for him, because he had ordered Hines—in light of their knowledge of his father’s secret lifestyle—to run certain blood tests on her to rule out an STD or AIDS. As he replaced the top on the bourbon, he glanced at her and asked, “So, how have you been doing? How do you feel? You certainly look fantastic and well.”

So much had happened to her during his absence that Cass wondered if Peter sensed the changes in her. She smiled and picked up her glass. “I’m doing fine, thanks. Why don’t we sit in the den to talk?”

“Suits me, because those no-see-ums are roaming outside. I’d rather relax in the house instead of beating and clawing my scalp to death fighting them off on the terrace.” As he followed her into the other room, Peter’s gaze drifted over the brunette from head to feet. Cass was wearing a white jewel-neck sleeveless top with pearlized buttons down the front and slit pockets near her small waist. It traveled to below her firm buttocks, partially covering black georgette pants with quarter-size white dots. She wore black sandals, and her toenails were painted dark mauve, the same as her fingernails. She had pearl studs in her pierced ears. As she moved, he detected the teasing scent of her perfume, She was beautiful and sexy, especially for a woman her age. Yet, he didn’t consider his thoughts and feelings incestuous because she wasn’t his mother, wasn’t any blood kin to him. And he wasn’t betraying his father since the bastard was dead, cold and buried. If he told her the repulsive truth about her husband, would she sleep with him out of revenge?

Cass sat in the overstuffed chair, not wanting to be to close to him on either the sofa or loveseat. She held on to her glass to have something to occupy her trembly hands and to drink from as a stall tactic if she needed to think about a question before responding to it. To appear deceptively calm and poised,
she rested her feet and legs on the ottoman and propped her elbows on the armrests. She smiled. “How did your business trip go? Did you enjoy yourself and get a lot accomplished?”

Peter lazed back against the sofa and, crossed his legs. “It couldn’t have gone better, Cass; the deal’s signed, sealed, and delivered, earning us a nice profit. But
I didn’t plan
on being away for a week, even had to pick up a few extra clothes to tide me over. I suppose I should train somebody to take over for me here to be prepared for when I’m delayed out of town again.”

“Is there anything I can do to help out in that area?”

“Thanks, but no. It has to be somebody who’s already familiar with the business or things could get screwed up badly in only a day or two. It’s not the type of job you or anybody else could train for in a short time because it includes knowing all about shrimp and shrimping, and other seafoods. I have a man in mind to promote to that position. As for the electronics firm, we have an excellent office manager over there: Pat Marlowe.”

“Do you need me to fill in or take over anywhere else in the company?”

“No, but thanks again for the offer. All positions are filled with good workers. Besides, it could be distracting for employees to have you there. You wouldn’t be the boss’s wife, but you’re still his widow and the new boss’s stepmother. That would make staff members and workers uneasy, make them feel as if they’re being watched for me. Understand?”

So much, she scoffed, for getting involved with companies she partly owned and as Peter had hinted she could do a few weeks ago!
Let it pass unchallenged for now.
“Of course, I understand, and I’m sure you’re right. But if an emergency arises and you need my help, I’m willing to pitch in for as long as I’m needed. As it stands, I certainly have plenty of free time.”

“Thanks, Cass, I really appreciate that. I’ll tell my secretary to keep you in mind when she can’t find a temp or can’t reach
me. Now, there are a couple of things I should tell you about today.” He sipped his drink before relating, “I put all of the other residences and their furnishings up for sale on Monday. Since I won’t be using them, it’s foolish to let them stand empty and cost me money for maintainance and taxes.” His plan was to prevent her from wanting to vacation in or move to any of them when he needed to keep her close for other reasons. “I’m also putting Smooth Rider on the market next week. I don’t have any interest in owning or running a golf cart company and the competition there is fierce. It looks as if one of those other two companies is interested in merging it with theirs, so our employees’ jobs won’t be jeopardized.” That action was being taken to prevent her from wanting to move out of his reach by returning to Augusta. “I’ll keep you informed of Smooth Rider’s sale, and you should have a fat check from it to deposit in your account very soon. Now, tell me about the trouble between you and Inez and about your new housekeeper. She came to work on Monday, right?”

Cass was surprised by his quick discard of the other four properties and one company, but his explanations were logical, and he had the power to make those decisions. “Yes, and I got the information from Mary that you requested about her Social Security and taxes; I’ve already phoned it in to Mr. Dredger,” she began, then responded to his other query.

“Since Inez worked for us for nearly three years, that’s a shame, but it sounds as if she provoked the trouble and deserved to be fired. She never gave me problems, but that’s probably because I wasn’t around her much and I’m a man.”
She’s doing fine, sitting on her ass and earning her regular salary from me until she finds another job.
“You certainly don’t need or have to put up with such aggravation and tension. I’m hiring a cleaning service next week to do my place, so don’t worry about inconveniencing me. How did you find Mary Ellis? You said a friend recommended her?”

Cass worked hard to look and sound casual as she answered, “Yes, Doctor Burkman.”

“You were fortunate,” he said and smiled, though he didn’t like the fact that Jason was the person supplying and surrounding her with
his
staff and friends too often these days.

“When I spoke with Simon this morning, he told me you’ve been harassed by those two detectives again. What did they want this time?”

Cass revealed the episode in detail. She didn’t exclude their question about Jason, since they might ask Peter about that relationship and he might wonder why she had kept that fact a secret. Besides, she had told him on the phone about their dinner at the Cloister, but she didn’t mention being with Jason at his home on Sunday and hoped it wasn’t exposed.

“Perhaps you should be careful about being alone with any man for a while; it sounds as if they might be watching you and could misinterpret such a friendship. It shouldn’t be for much longer, Cass, because Simon said he’s going to squash this matter for good very soon. Those two creeps don’t have any reason to suspect us of wrongdoing and I don’t believe my father was murdered. You have them pegged right, and we’re going to halt their foolishness fast. As soon as we do, we’ll settle with the life-insurance company.”

“I’m glad, Peter, because it’s nerve-wracking. Why do they want to speak with your mother and Miss Lowery?”

“With Miss Lowery, I suppose because she was with him shortly before the accident and they want to know how he was behaving and if he said anything about having trouble with somebody. It’s a waste of time because he wouldn’t have discussed anything personal with a mere model. As for my mother, she’s been long gone for a long time and I don’t know her address. But if she hated my father and wanted him dead for any reason, she wouldn’t have waited until now to do him in, right?”

“I suppose so. Tom didn’t talk about her. I don’t even know
her name; Tom said it was too far in the past to matter to either of us.”

Peter decided to win Cass’s sympathies and draw her closer to him by tugging on her emotions. He took a deep breath, stared at his shoe, and murmured, “Allegedly she ran off with another man. She hasn’t written or called me since she left, so I have no idea why she felt it necessary to abandon us without a trace or second thought; the note she left behind for me certainly didn’t give me any answers. For a long time I kept thinking she’d come back or contact at least me, but she didn’t. My paternal grandparents died a long time ago and Mother’s parents are in a fancy nursing home up North. Their minds and health are so deteriorated that they don’t know who or where they are, who she is, or who I am. They have perpetual trust funds taking care of their expenses, so they’ll have the best care possible until their deaths; then the funds revert to me as their only grandson and because my father was the one who provided them.” He summoned a fake tone and expression of anguish to dupe Cass. “I stopped going to see them and phoning them years ago because it didn’t help them any and it upset me every time I saw them like that.”

Cass was surprised to learn that fact about Tom, reminding her he had had some good traits. Unless, she reasoned, those trust funds had been his first wife’s idea and part of their divorce agreement. She was touched by the sufferings of the young man before her and assumed those ordeals had helped to mold him into the contradictory person he was. “I’m sorry, Peter; that must have hurt you deeply.”

“Yep, but time is the healer it’s proclaimed to be; you’ll see.” He looked at her and feigned a wry smile. “I practice that old adage about changing the things you can and accepting the ones you can’t. To do otherwise would drive one nuts.”

“That’s excellent advice, and I’ll take it to heart. I have been staying busy as you suggested.” To change the topic to one less hurtful, she told him about redecorating the bedroom.

“I bet it looks wonderful; I’ll go up and see it before I leave if that’s all right.” She nodded. “Send the bills for those items to the bank, Cass; they shouldn’t come out of your monthly allowance. They weren’t really personal purchases; they were home improvements; that’s covered under your living expenses and reasonable needs. If you have any problem convincing the banker to pay those charges, I’ll talk to him and straighten him out.”

“Thanks. I put the old bed and linens in the garage. If you don’t want them, I’ll give them to a local charity.”

“I don’t need them, so donate them wherever you wish.”

“As you see,” she said, motioning to the mantel, “I took down Tom’s portrait and the pictures of him and us; they were painful reminders of him every day. Would you like to have the portrait, his scrapbook, and photo album? It seems more appropriate for you to have them instead of me.”

“I think it would be nice to have the portrait hanging in one of the businesses; I’ll decide which one gets it later. As for the scrapbook and album, I’ll pack them away for my future family. Thanks.”

So far, so good, he’s taking everything well.
“Do you want to go through your father’s clothes before I box them up and donate them to a charity? He has some expensive, good-looking things.”

“I’ll take a peek at them this weekend when we aren’t busy. There might be something among them I’d like to keep and use. Dad did have good taste, and he never looked at a price tag,” Peter added with a grin.

“Do you want anything from his office: furniture, papers, books?”

“Yes, I do need to make certain there’s nothing important in his desk and files. I’ll store the furniture until I can use it later. That reminds me: I returned the bracelet he bought you. The jeweler said it was too long since its purchase to give a refund, but he allowed me to exchange it for a necklace that I
think you’ll like. If not, and don’t worry about hurting my feelings, I’ll put it in my safe and pay you for it. I’ll bring it over tomorrow so you can see it and decide. I assume he purchased it for your birthday in June. He was probably holding on to it for months; he always was one to be prepared in advance for everything.”

Or he bought that little trinket for one of his lovers.
“Thanks for taking care of that matter for me. I would always feel as if it were a parting gift, and it would make me sad to wear it.”

“Glad I could help. As I said, I’ll bring it over tomorrow or Friday, and I’ll go through the clothes and office over the weekend. Just let me know later what’s a convenient day and time.”

Cass nodded before she told him about the real estate agent’s call, then asked him if he was planning to stay in the guest house.

“Are you thinking about selling this house and want me to move?”

Don’t let him see you’re lying about the last part.
“No, but I thought you might want to distance yourself from sad reminders of your father.”

“That isn’t necessary; I’ve accepted his death. But if you decide you want to sell out or you just want privacy, let me know and I’ll find something else.”

“I’m not planning on moving, not unless the house seems too large for me or too much of a reminder of my life here with Tom. What I plan to do is a little more redecorating; I need something to occupy my time.”