Prelude of Lies (19 page)

“Oh. Graham cleaned? I didn’t think he knew how.” Daisy shook her head.

“He did a good job. I don’t think he’s as prissy as you believe. Of course, he’s the only guy here who looks perfect no matter what he’s been doing.”

“I was thinking he pretty much fits the ‘metrosexual’ description. Don’t you think? So not my type.” Daisy turned her head so Sydney couldn’t see her face.

Sydney wasn’t sure if she’d done that on purpose. “I think that when the love bug bites, types and what you thought you wanted doesn’t matter anymore.” Ha. Had she really said that?

Daisy only grunted.

The contractor turned out to be a big, muscled man with long hair tied in a ponytail at the base of his neck. Tattoos lined both arms and a braided goatee completed the picture. Sydney was a little skeptical, but Daisy warmed right up to him.

After listening to him talk about his twin sons and beautiful wife, Sydney couldn’t shake the guilt. Had she really been so shallow that she’d judged the man on his appearance?

Allowing Daisy to show the contractor through the house and explain their plans was fine with her. Sydney didn’t know if she wanted to cry or throw up. She waited in the living area, lost in her self-pity when they finally came back from the tour.

“Pick out your fixtures, but don’t purchase them yet. I’ll have an estimate by tomorrow. I love your ideas. This place is going to be great, trust me.” He smiled, revealing perfect white teeth and dimples on both cheeks.

Why hadn’t Sydney seen how attractive the man was? Had her twisted vision only allowed her to see the tattoos and earrings? She already knew the answer to that. She was as shallow as they came. Daisy tugged her arm and she followed outside. After saying the appropriate goodbyes, Daisy turned on her.

“What the hell is your problem? You turned into a moron in there.” The anger didn’t quite reach Daisy’s eyes but still, Sydney knew her sister wasn’t happy. “What? You’re going to say we can’t hire him because he has a tattoo of a snake?”

Sydney burst into tears.

Daisy dragged her into the house. “What is wrong with you?” Daisy demanded, though her voice was soft and comforting.

“I’m going to turn into a cat lady.” Sydney sobbed. When her tears finally subsided, Daisy just stared at her.

“Why do you think you’re going to turn into a cat lady?” Daisy asked with patience, as if Sydney was a distraught child.

Sydney sniffed and explained her thoughts from last night. How she’d decided that romance was stupid and not for her, and how she should probably start collecting cats. And then how Prince had shown up and insisted his name be Prince. By the time she finished, Daisy laughed hysterically.

“You’re not right. Coincidence. That’s all.” Daisy hugged her though she continued to laugh.

“What if it’s not?” Sydney couldn’t help but lose some of her distress.

“Then I’d say that’s up for you to decide. Are we going to hire Lloyd?” She stepped back.

“Tattoos and all. I really am a shallow, judgmental person, aren’t I?” Sydney asked, the laughter leaving her system.

“Not really. Only sometimes. Lloyd’s a great guy. I loved the way he described his wife. It was so sweet. Why can’t all men be like him?”

The description had been sweet. Romantic and almost sickening, but Sydney kept that to herself. “You have two gorgeous hunks fist fighting over you. Some would call that sweet.”

“They’re jackasses and you know it. Let’s get out of here.” Daisy hooked her arm with Sydney’s and closed the door behind them.

Tucker approached the car and asked where they were going. Graham was nowhere in sight.

“We have some errands in town and we need to take care of our laundry.” Daisy gave him a bright smile and Sydney watched how he responded.

“Be careful.” Tucker stepped back, but didn’t seem to want to leave yet.

Marshal approached from Sydney’s side and she really didn’t want him to see her tear-streaked face. “Let’s go. I don’t want him to see me like this. You don’t even understand. I’d never expect him to.”

Daisy hit the gas, spinning the new stones behind them as they left the guys in a cloud of dust. “They’re going to be upset with us.”

“Why? They’re not our guardians.” Sydney couldn’t help the belligerent tone.

“Actually. They are. They’ve done more for us than anyone else has, without expectations or demands. We owe them a lot.” Daisy’s expression dared her to disagree.

Sydney stared out the window for a few minutes before turning back to Daisy. “You’re right. Let’s do something to show them how much we appreciate them.”

Daisy smiled and hit the gas. “Now you’re talking. What do we do?”

They discussed different ideas, finally settling on the barbeque they’d talked about when Tucker’s crew first came on. Sydney took notes as Daisy spouted off ideas and what they’d need.

“We’d better call and let them know not to make plans for dinner.” Sydney reviewed the list.

“I got it.” Daisy dialed after parking in front of the bank.

Sydney watched her face as she told Marshal to spread the word about the evening and asked what brand of beer would be the best to bring home. This little party just might do them all some good.

CHAPTER 18

By the time they stopped for lunch, Daisy’s concerns about Sydney had eased. What happened to her this morning, Daisy wasn’t quite sure. As the plans for their appreciation party solidified, Sydney managed to get herself together and act almost normal.

Getting the money into the bank and the documentation tucked away in a safe deposit box had eased both of their minds. They’d breathed a huge sigh of relief upon leaving the bank.

“Let’s forget shopping for anything but the party stuff,” Sydney said as she settled into the booth across from her.

“Okay but why?” Daisy didn’t want to admit that the shopping trip had lost some of its appeal.

Sydney shook her head. “I don’t know. It just doesn’t feel right.”

“Okay. Good enough.” Daisy would be worried if she didn’t have the same feelings.

Marshal and Graham looked at them as they drove by, but made no move to approach the car. She’d had enough of being worried over. Sydney constantly questioned her about the status of her head and other aches.

“Where should we set this shindig up?” Sydney asked as they got out of the car. “The barbeque people will be here soon.”

Even though they’d decided to cancel their all-out shopping trip, what they did purchase and arrange took far longer than either of them had wanted. Daisy stopped and stared, amazed at the transformation the campground had taken on since her ordeal. The stones were spread, the trees around the campsites trimmed to accommodate larger vehicles and there wasn’t a trace of poison ivy. At least in this area, the campground was ready for business.

“Let’s set up right here.” Daisy motioned to the grass between the cabins. “We can move the vehicles to the empty sites and use the whole area.”

Sydney nodded, grabbing an armful of bags from the trunk. “Sounds good to me.”

Daisy joined her, picking up a can of cat food that had fallen out of one of the bags. “We’d better feed Prince first. I’ll bet he’s starving.”

“I’ll bet he’s gone. I told you, he’s a ghost.” Sydney had that spooked sound again.

Daisy followed her inside. Prince circled Sydney’s legs with a loud meow. Sydney stood by the box where the money had been. Nothing seemed touched.

“Okay, but how did he get inside?” Sydney seemed wary of the orange cat, but still pulled the lid off a can of cat food and dumped it onto a paper plate.

Without waiting for her to place the food on the floor, Prince jumped onto the counter and went to work on what must seem like gourmet fare.

“Ghost cats wouldn’t be starving. I don’t know how he got in. Maybe there’s a hole some place. Maybe he followed us in and we didn’t see him.” She dropped the litter box onto the table, figuring she’d best get the kitty potty set up before they started finding cat presents all over the cabin.

Daisy sniffed. Checking the cabin and couldn’t believe they’d stupidly left the animal locked inside all day. When she found nothing, she sat the pan in the bathroom and brought Prince to show him his new throne.

The cat scratched for a moment, then turned to look at her as if to say
Leave me alone now
.

He arrived back in the main room with a meow before plopping down on the chair where she’d left him this morning. Daisy shook her head. She’d never admit it to Sydney, but there was definitely something weird about that cat.

Two hours later, delicious aromas chased Daisy during her inspection of the bathhouses with her constant guards, this time Ron and Eric, who probably wouldn’t notice if anyone tried to sneak in and grab her again. The caterers, friends of Kay’s, arrived shortly after they’d unloaded the car and went to work.

As she approached the designated party area, the transformation amazed her. The scene was like something out of a magazine and the exact vision of the party she’d always wanted, but had never been able to achieve. Twinkling lights and beautiful potted flowers hung from the trees, torches had been placed at the edges of the space, and there were candles on the tables. She clapped her hands and gave Sydney a thumbs-up. The tension of the past few days eased away and she felt free and alive again. With a smile, she went to get dressed.

Closing the cabin door, she called for Sydney, hearing the water turn off in response. Prince meowed from his upholstered throne, an answering meow catching Daisy off guard.

Two cats?

Sydney emerged from the bathroom, a towel around her head. She had the same expression she’d had this morning when Prince helped choose his name, kind of like she’d seen a ghost.

“Where did this one come from?” Daisy asked, reached out to pet the mostly white calico.

“She was here when I came in to get ready. It’s a sign.” Sydney stepped back with a wary sigh.

“A sign of what?” Daisy had to admit, the growing cat population concerned her as well.

The calico was clean and appeared in good health. Not once since they moved in had they even seen a stray cat. Now they had two healthy-looking felines magically appearing in their home.

“A sign I’m going to be a cat lady.” Sydney eyed the cats with a wary shake of her head. “I should probably buy cat food in bulk. Maybe litter, too.”

“You’re nuts. So, okay, we seem to be attracting cats. Maybe Violet thinks we’re allergic and is sending them to make us sick.” Too bad neither of them had ever had an allergy to anything.

“That’s good. I hadn’t thought about Violet doing this. Kind of lame, don’t you think?” Sydney appeared to relax.

“Yeah, but who knows? She might be grasping at straws.” Daisy doubted that, but her suggestion had helped Sydney out of whatever freak-out mode she’d been about to embark on.

Sydney tried to accept Daisy’s theory, but couldn’t. Violet hadn’t sent the cats to make them allergic and sick. She supposed Daisy would never make such an outrageous statement if Sydney had hidden her reaction better.

To her, the new cat was a sign.

The only problem was, she didn’t know exactly what to do. Did this sign relate to Marshal and Jace, or something else entirely? Was it her attitude toward romance and true love or the way she treated all people?

Sydney didn’t think she routinely treated others badly. She always tried to be nice even if she didn’t feel like it. So why the cats? And where had they come from? She opened another can of food, placed it on the floor next to the self-watering dish Daisy insisted they buy, and went to get dressed, her emotions as tangled as her wet hair.

When the guys emerged from their cabin, showered, clean-shaven, and handsome, their expressions made the day of planning and shopping worthwhile. Daisy stood on a chair and asked them all to gather around, pulling Sydney up on the chair beside her.

“We just wanted to thank you all for everything. Your kindness touches us more than we can ever say.” A tear slipped out of Daisy’s eye.

“And we want you to know that you’re not obligated to stay on here. We know you each have your own lives and though we appreciate everything, we understand if you have to move on. Just know that we’ll never forget what you’ve done.” Sydney meant every word and struggled not to cry.

“Do you really want us to go?” Graham asked, looking up at them in confusion. “Is this what this party is about?”

“No. We didn’t want you to think that. We wanted to give you a night off after everything you’ve done for us. Marshal, Graham and the crew only came to find evidence of ghosts and ended up helping with heavy labor. Tucker and his crew came for training and have helped with stuff not even in their realm. Jace, though Jace is really only here to piss off his Grandmother, Jace has done more in a few days than Sydney and I have managed in two weeks. We wanted to say thank you. That’s all.” Daisy stepped down, surrounded by laughter and hugs.

Jace offered his hand as Sydney went to step down. “I guess she figured out I’m not here to sabotage the campground?”

His smile melted some of the ice that had taken hold since the cat arrived. “She’s pessimistically optimistic.”

“Fair enough. Thanks. This is a really great setup. You should have seen how excited everyone was all day.” Jace carried the chairs to the fire ring.

“I’m glad. We’ve all been under a lot of stress. Daisy’s ready to call the funny farm on me.” She tried for a laugh, but knew the statement was more true than not.

“I won’t ask. Okay. I will. Why?” Jace moved in. Too close.

His scent filled her senses and she swayed toward him, wondering again why it was a bad idea to sleep with him before she decided if she even needed a man in her life. Catching herself and her errant thoughts, she bent to pick up a stick and tossed it in the already burning fire before answering.

“Have you seen any cats around here?”

He appeared confused and she didn’t blame him.

“Not a one. Why?”

“Look in our window.” She pointed at the two sets of cat eyes watching the party from the front window.

“Where’d they come from?” Jace studied the cats and Sydney felt a surge of relief.

If he had said he didn’t see them, she’d be on her way to check herself into that mental health facility.

“We don’t know. The orange one arrived this morning. The calico when we came back today. They’re clean, healthy, and friendly and seem already acquainted with each other.” She watched as Prince licked the calico’s back.

They’d have to name her, but the idea sort of freaked her out. What if she wanted to be called “Princess?”

“Weird. They have to be someone’s pets. Maybe they were displaced in the storms?” Jace turned back to her.

“Oh. I never thought of that. We should call the humane society and see if anyone is missing them.” She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “Thanks.”

“For what?” His eyes softened. He reached up and placed his hand over where she’d touched her lips to his skin.

“For your logic.” She held his hand for a brief moment.

The idea the cats were storm victims made her feel a little better. Not because they were lost from homes that had obviously loved and cared well for them. It meant that no one was trying to send her a sign from above. Maybe she wasn’t in danger of being a crazy cat lady after all.

“Who’s that?” Sydney asked Daisy as a dark-blue van drove into the area they’d designated for vehicles.

“A surprise.” Daisy grinned.

Daisy had hired a local band to come and perform for them. Kay and Ed arrived next, smiling and glad to be invited. Kay had recommended the band and most of the guys in residence had gone into town to hear them play more than once. Sydney was out of the loop, but that was okay. She was about to join the fun.

By the time the caterers cleaned up, packing the food into coolers for them and some for Kay and Ed, Sydney had danced with every guy in camp, except for Marshal and Jace.

She felt guilty. If she danced with one, what would the other think? She was better off steering clear of both.

But then, Kay called Jace over for some legal advice. The next thing she knew she was in Marshal’s arms. And she was melting.

“You’ve been ignoring me,” Marshal whispered in her ear, sending awareness through her whole body.

“Not on purpose. There’s been a lot going on.” Did he know she was conflicted between him and Jace? How could he not?

“I know. I’m glad you and Daisy planned this party. I think we all needed it. And I’m here for as long as you want me.” The low timbre of his voice rumbled against her chest, comforting and arousing.

Sydney was pretty sure that last sentence had more to do with her personally than the campground. She couldn’t respond. Instead, she looked into his eyes and realized he meant the statement. And she felt like crap.

She wanted him. And she wanted Jace. How could that be?

Weren’t you supposed to know when the man of your dreams arrived? More fairy tale bullshit. How she’d held onto that notion after rejecting the happily ever after was beyond her. This wasn’t about romance. It was about practicality. Who was best suited for her based on personality, hobbies, and habits, not anything else.

There was no magic chemistry or knowing. Relationships happened and thrived because both people wanted them to. Marshal was her opposite. At least what she used to consider her opposite when she denied her place in the paranormal world. Now that she’d re-opened herself to her gifts, they were well suited for each other.

And so were she and Jace. Both men had all of the qualities she admired and wanted in a man, but which one?

Jace was pretty much how she’d dreamed of her ideal man. Professional, handsome and kind. Everything else was a bonus. And Marshal had each of those qualities as well. They were equals, evenly matched in a confusing playing field.

What the hell was she going to do?

For now she was going to enjoy this dance, the closeness that felt right. The feel of Marshal against her. She kept the melancholy away. She could cry over how to make her decision later. For now, she was going to live in this moment and love every minute.

Daisy watched Sydney dance with Marshal and had to admit she was a little jealous of how easy her sister seemed to be taking the situation. She smiled, talked, and laughed with both men throughout the evening, without looking guilty.