Moonlight on Monterey Bay (7 page)

“Since now, that’s when. And you can let me worry about the money, Maddie. There are a couple of papers Sam needs to sign. By the way, I hear he showed up while you were out
intuiting
his house a few days ago.”

“Don’t think I don’t know you’re changing the subject,” Maddie said sternly. And then she wrinkled her forehead in puzzlement and asked, “How did you hear that?”

“A little birdie told me.”

“Eleanor,” Maddie said as the light dawned.

Joseph smiled.

“And what else did he tell Eleanor?”

“That you’re slightly crazy, but I told her that was one of your charms.”

“I see.” Maddie leaned her head to one side and scrutinized Joseph closely. “And if I might be so bold as to ask, why were you talking to Eleanor?”

“When people have dinner together, they talk.”

“Joseph, you devil!”

Joseph eased himself into the chair on the other side of her desk. “Save your wild imagination for the Eastland home, Maddie,” he said. “I wanted to try that new restaurant in Capitola. You weren’t available, so what was I to do?”

Maddie smiled. She liked Eleanor, and this was definitely a move in the right direction. Since Sadie’s death, there had been a steady stream of eligible females knocking on Joseph’s door, but so far he had resisted all their efforts. Yet, Maddie knew, he had been terribly lonely. This development was a move in the right direction.

“Don’t look so smug, missy,” Joseph grumbled. “It was simply a dinner. Now, why don’t you fill me in on your little adventure?”

“Sounds like you already know all there is to know.”

Joseph smiled. “Eleanor said Sam Eastland is intrigued with you.”

“And thinks I’m crazy. Good, maybe that will keep him out of my hair so I can finish his house. It will be a relief when this job is over, Joseph. Eleanor must be a saint. I couldn’t work in the same office with that man for more than ten minutes!”

“Eleanor says he’s a wonderful man.”

Maddie frowned.

“And generous.”

“Did she mention sneaky and presumptuous?”

“She says he’s lonely.”

“Now that I can understand. He probably has no friends.”

“Maddie, you’re reacting a little strongly. Your cheeks are flushed. And it isn’t like you to be so judgmental.”

Maddie ignored the laughter in his eyes. “Sometimes, Joseph, I have to call it as I see it,” she said. “So … so what time is dinner?”

“No need to drive like a crazy man,” Eleanor said. She gripped the sides of the bucket seat of Sam’s car.

“This is a foolish waste of my time, Eleanor.”

“No, it’s not. This is
your
house Sam, and maybe if you’re involved in fixing it up, you’ll want to spend more time there.”

“Eleanor, I
plan
on spending more time there. But I don’t really give a damn if there’re black tiles or purple carpet on the floors. As long as the bed is comfortable and the place has plenty of Scotch—”

“Oh, hush,” Eleanor cut him off. “You care about that house and how it looks. You just don’t know it, that’s all. Besides, a gorgeous Saturday like this certainly shouldn’t be spent in an air-conditioned office building. And besides that, I needed a ride to my sister’s in Watsonville. My car simply gave up the ghost yesterday. So you see, dear Sam, this worked out for the best for everyone involved.”

Sam set his jaw. He had decided he’d steer clear of the beach house until it was completely finished. He had enough problems without coping with naked decorators on his deck. It was a moment frozen in time, and he couldn’t get away from it, that moonlight vision of her, dripping wet, naked as a jaybird, her eyes luminous, beautiful, deep … her skin as silky smooth as a fine imported fabric. And then the kiss that followed later—hell, it took a freezing swim even to begin to dampen it. And Lord knows he didn’t need it. He had plenty of women friends. He didn’t need to be obsessing about a strange young woman who communed with houses and dressed like a damn hippy.

“She’s a beautiful young woman,” Eleanor mused.

Sam shut off his thoughts, shut out Eleanor, and pressed down hard on the accelerator.

“They’ll meet us here,” Joseph announced as he ushered Maddie inside the restaurant.

The restaurant was on the edge of the Santa Cruz wharf, a quiet, casual place with great seafood and a wonderful view. Strollers sauntered out to the small shops and restaurants along the weather-beaten wharf.

“Cozy,” Maddie mused as Joseph held open the door to the restaurant for her.

“Come now, Madeline, let’s put aside this reluctance to have fun and relax a little.”

“Joseph, that’s my line.”

Joseph’s lined face creased in a grin. “That’s right. So I finally took you at your word, and what happens—you go and turn into a curmudgeon on me!”

Maddie touched his hand. “Not so. I’m okay now. I was a little preoccupied this afternoon, that’s all. I’m fine.”

“I understand. I was wrong to make plans for you, but I did think it wise to have Eastland approve the initial expenditures. We’re spending a hefty sum of his money, my dear.”

A waiter led them to a table near a wall of windows overlooking the ocean and took their drink orders.

Maddie looked out at the ocean, following a wave as it rose up into the air and curled back on itself, finally unraveling into a thin white strip along the beach. Even after nearly five years here, she was still mesmerized by the power of the sea. She loved it, found peace in it. She turned her attention to Joseph.

“This restaurant was a good choice. Since the view is the same as that at the Eastland house, it will be easy to talk about ideas.”

Joseph nodded. “I’m happy to see things are happening out there. The painters called and said they had gone back, left more sample strokes on the walls—”

“Good.” Maddie sipped her iced tea slowly, her brow creased in concentration. “We might need some minor carpentry work done too. I left a note on your
desk about it. And I want to green up the front and sides of the house with plantings.”

From the front door of the restaurant, Sam Eastland watched the conversation between Maddie and the older man. Her cheeks were flushed, her hands moving through the air like propellers. She wore a black hat tonight, one that fitted her head closely, then curled back in the front. And there were the flowers, yellow and blue and deep rose, tucked into the front of the hat. Her hair, dark and worn loose, wisped about her face and hung down over her shoulders and back in shiny black ripples. The top part of her dress fit closely and he could see the rise and fall of her breasts beneath the scalloped neck. He couldn’t see the dress, except for the top, but it looked silky and old-fashioned in a muted floral print. She was certainly unique, he mused as he waited for Eleanor to return from the rest room. She didn’t fit the professional-woman image; in fact she didn’t fit into any standard image, at least none he was familiar with.

“Shall we go in?” Eleanor asked, coming up behind him and touching his elbow.

As they approached the table Joseph stood, but not before Maddie caught the sparkle in his eyes as he welcomed Eleanor. She was instantly glad she had come. Seeing Joseph smile that way was worth anything, even an evening with Sam Eastland.

“Hello,” Sam said, coming up behind Eleanor and extending his hand to Joseph. “Eleanor has said good
things about you and your firm. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He looked over at Maddie. “Hello, Maddie.”

Maddie nodded and smiled politely. Polite. Nice. Gracious. Lord, it was going to be a long night!

“Did the house send out any more vibrations?” Sam asked as he took the chair next to Eleanor’s. He flagged a waiter and ordered drinks for himself and Eleanor.

Maddie couldn’t read between his words, but the half smile that lifted his lips—oh, those darn lips!—made her shift in the chair. She lifted her elbows to the white tablecloth, rested her chin in her hands, and smiled pleasantly. “Actually, no. No more vibrations. Something must have happened to deaden the air currents, because that next day—after you were there—there wasn’t much electricity. Nothing but dusty air. A shame.”

“I see.” Sam’s crooked smile stayed in place as he listened to Maddie trying to negate the kiss they’d shared with her double talk. Conversation with her was like playing chess, and oddly pleasurable as well. And it didn’t matter what she said. There was no doubt the kiss had aroused her. He had felt it in his fingers, in the quiver of her supple body as she pressed against him. His Scotch and water arrived. As he sipped it he realized that absurdly he was enjoying himself.

“We have some paint samples you might want to look at, Sam,” Joseph said.

“Paint?”

“Paint colors for the beach house, Sam,” Eleanor said.

“Anything is fine.”

“Well, you might want to take a look as long as you’re here,” Joseph said. “But that’s shoptalk and it’ll wait until after dinner.” He flagged a young waiter and the conversation switched to fish specials and the fine wine selection.

Maddie sat back in her chair and listened while Joseph and Sam discovered they shared a passion for sailing and at one time had lived in the same town in northern California. By the time they got around to the Key lime pie, the writing was on the wall. No matter how many flaws Maddie saw in Sam Eastland’s character, they were going to be swept away in broad generous gestures by Joseph’s obvious liking for the man.

Maddie toyed with the stem of her empty wineglass and listened to the light talk. Sam was solicitous of Eleanor in a way that surprised Maddie. There was light teasing between them, but running beneath it was a river of affection.

“Maddie has a wonderful flair for fresh design,” Joseph was saying, “as well as an unusual way of approaching projects.”

Maddie tuned back in at the mention of her name. She noticed the look that passed over Sam’s face, the slight lifting of his smile, the laughter in his eyes,
and she knew exactly which unusual approach he was remembering. At first it annoyed her, and then she decided it was a waste of energy. If he wanted to sit there after a fine dinner of soft-shell crab and think about her naked, that was certainly his prerogative. She lifted her chin, tilted her head slightly, and smiled brightly at him. “I do what works,” she said pleasantly,

In spite of herself, Maddie enjoyed the rest of the evening. Eleanor was a treat, a handsome energetic woman who had raised two children, buried one husband, and obviously kept Sam Eastland in line. She never hesitated to speak her mind to him, but it was always tempered with affection, and Sam obviously adored her. So that gave her and Sam one thing in common, Maddie thought: they both liked Eleanor.

“Well, my dears,” Eleanor said finally, “I hate to end this evening, but I need to be on my way.” She looked at Maddie and explained. “My sister lives in Watsonville. I’m going to spend the rest of the weekend with her.”

“I’ll drive you over,” Joseph volunteered immediately. “That way Maddie can show Sam what’s going on with the house before it gets too late.”

“Wait—” Maddie began, but it was a waste of breath. Joseph was already standing, his arm extended to Eleanor, and she was responding with equal enthusiasm. There was no way Maddie could thwart Cupid without it coming back to haunt her. She glanced at
Sam. The pensive look had come back to his face. He knew he was being manipulated, and he didn’t like it any more than she did. But when Eleanor bent low and kissed him on his cheek, she saw the sternness melt.

“Well, let’s get this over with then,” Sam said, pushing out his chair. “I need to get back to San Jose.” The thought of being alone with Maddie was having a distinct effect on him, and he seemed powerless to do anything about it. What was it about her? What he needed to do was get out of this place, get back to the city where his world was intact and logical.

Maddie agreed with Sam and quickly followed him out of the restaurant and to his car. As they turned in the drive to the beach house a short while later, Sam noticed that the spotlights in the front of the house had been replaced with new ones, and all along the winding drive, small ornamental lights caught the glare of his headlights and winked at them. “Nice,” he said.

“It was dark,” Maddie replied. “You needed them.”

“Good idea.” The lights gave the house a warm, welcoming feel, distinctly different from the way it had been. And he liked it.

Once inside, Maddie flipped a switch and the still-empty house was bathed in a soft golden glow. “We don’t want exotic paint colors,” Maddie explained, “so
this won’t take us long. The house is so beautiful all by itself that we’re using natural tones. The view and some artwork will fill in color.”

“Fine.”

“But in a couple of the bedrooms we could do something—”

“Okay.” Sam’s gaze traveled beyond the wall of windows to the sea. His limbs relaxed, his jaw loosened. It was a dark night, but a light fog rolled up off the ocean, casting an eerie spell.

Why hadn’t he come here more these past few years? Elizabeth had never liked it here, had preferred to spend her weekends at home with friends, entertaining; vacations usually meant going back to England. They had decorated the place to the hilt, then left it alone to gather dust, coming down once in a while with carloads of people for a catered meal. Suddenly that all seemed far away and unfamiliar, and in the clean unadorned beauty of the empty house, it seemed improper.

From the foot of the open stairway, Maddie watched him curiously. He was lost again, retreating somewhere inside his head. “We probably ought to get on with this,” she said finally. “It looks like fog is rolling in—”

“What?” Sam turned around, saw her on the steps with the light behind her haloing her thick black hair. For a brief second he thought it was a hallucination. And then his mind cleared and he focused on
her words. “Sure,” he said briskly. “Good idea,” and followed her quickly up the wide, winding steps.

In the master bedroom, Maddie had suggested one deep green wall, with the others in the off-white color that was spread through the downstairs. Sam found he liked it, liked the open drama without any frill. And he liked, too, the warm earth tones stroked on the walls of the guest bedrooms. They moved on to the room at the end of the hallway with the window seat and skylights. Sam walked in and stopped short. The swatches of color on the walls were bright coral and green, and a sample of carpet thrown onto the floor was multicolored, feminine, soothing.