Ring of Lies (24 page)

Too weary to unpack, she
flopped down on the bed
, and buried her head in
the pillows
.
T
ears she’d fought so hard to
contain
spilled down her cheeks.

Coming to Miami had been a mistake.
If she’d been thinking straight she
’d
have stayed
at home
and instructed the family solicitor to sell the house
.
But her strict upbringing had instilled such a strong sense of right and wrong
in her
tha
t she had
no option but
to uncover the truth.

And then there was Jack.

One minute he was full of concern
and
hinting
that he cared for her,
the next he was pushing her away
.
Her skin tingled whenever he touched her, and
she couldn’t deny the gravitational pull he exerted on her
, but allowing her feelings to exceed the bounds of friendship would be
dangerous
.

And lying
t
here
wall
ow
ing
in self-pity didn’t help her situation.
She knuckled her tears away, conscious that her hosts were waiting to serve dinner.
A quick shower and a change of clothes at least made her
feel
more
human
but did nothing to
calm her swirling emotions.

When
she emerged from her bedroom twenty minutes later,
she found Frank and his wife
waiting for her in the
lounge
.

A small, plump, brown-haired
woman
came forward and wrapped her arms around Grace.
‘
I’m Maisie, and you must be Grace, Jack’s friend.
It’s a pleasure to meet you.
’

Unprepared for the show of affection, Grace withdrew.
‘
It’s good to meet you
too, and I’m sorry if my sudden appearance has inconvenienced you.
’

‘
Don’t be silly.
Now, I hope you don’t mind, but Frank and I usual
ly eat in the kitchen
.
’

‘
Please don’t go to any trouble just for me.
’

‘
C
ome on through.
Dinner’s nothing fancy,
just
red snapper
and fresh greens.
Frank!
Are you going to sit reading that newspaper all night?
’

He folded it up and tossed it aside.
‘
I’m coming, ma.
I w
ouldn’t want to ignore ou
r
lovely guest!
’

The kitchen was warm and homely.
The aroma of
freshly
baked
biscuits
filled the air and Grac
e
realize
d that she was hungry.
At the end of dinner Maisie produced what
G
race
determined
was the largest
key lime
pie she’d ever seen.

‘
It’s our speciality,
’
said Maisie.

Frank beamed at his wife.
‘
This is
citrus
country
.
Maisie makes the best key lime pie in the state, so y
ou can imagine how many wayfaring strangers flock to us to get a little
taste.
’

Grace took a bite.
‘
It’s absolute heaven.
I’m a fair baker, but I’ve never tasted anything like this.
You must give me the recipe.
’

Maisie beamed.
‘
You’re awfully sweet, dear.
Just enjoy it.
’

‘
H
ave you known Jack
long
?
’
asked Grace.

‘
Since he was a baby,
’
Frank replied.
‘
His daddy
, Hank,
and I worked in the same precinct.
Jack
was six when his
mom
took ill.
She died three years later.
Hank found it hard to cope with two boisterous youngsters, so Maisie and I kind of stepped in.
Jack and Lottie
,
that’s what we’ve always called his sister
Charlotte
,
came
here after school.
Maisie would feed them, see that they did their homework, and if Hank was working the late shift they stayed over.
Jack was fifteen,
when Hank passed on
.
Charlotte was
away
at university by then, and rather than bring her home to look after her baby brother, Maisie and I took him in
until he was old enough to go to college
.
’

‘
He’s been like a son to us,
’
Maisie smiled.
‘
Never forgets my birthday, and spends Thanksgiving with us whenever he can.
We don’t often see Charlotte.
She’s married now and living in Buffalo.
Three kids too!
She’s a heck of a mom.
What about you, Grace?
Are your folks still alive?
’

‘
They died in a boating accident while on holiday in Thailand
some years ago
.
I have a sister,
Catherine
.
She was
six
teen
at the time
of their death
.
I gave up university to look after and support her.
A year
later
,
I married my husband, Daniel.
Jack’s probably told you
h
e
died
a few weeks ago.
’

‘
How tragic for you, child,
’
Maisie said.
‘
Are you and your sister close?
’

‘
We were
, but l
ately she’s been
busy with her career.
She’s a marketing executive for a pharmaceutical company.
Her work is very involved,
and
s
he spends a lot of time on the road
visiting hospitals and attending conferences
.
’

‘
It’
s sad when siblings grow apart,
’
said Frank.
‘
Your sister should be supporting you at a time like this.
Do you have any children?
’

Grace
felt a twinge of disappointment.
‘
No.
I’ll have to hope that
Catherine
settles down one day and gives me lots of nieces and nephews.
’

Frank placed the coffee tray on the table and poured Grace a cup.
‘
Has Jack shown you the pictures of his daughter
,
Emilia?
She’s a real cutie.
’

Grace’s heart stopped.
‘
No
,
he
hasn
’t as a matter of fact.
’

‘
Oh, she’s going to be a heartbreaker, that one.
Six weeks old and already she’s got him wrapped round her little finger.
He’ll be riding shotgun by the time she’s old enough to date.
’

Grace’s hand shook, spilling hot coffee into her lap and all over the white lace
tablecloth
.
She jumped to her feet, her face a vivid scarlet.
‘
Oh, I’m so sorry.
I…
I’m not
usually so clumsy.
’

A war of emotions raged within her.
Jack had a
daughter
, a
six-week-old
baby daughter.

She tried to do the math, and was
shocked
to
realize
that
Rosa
was already pregnant when she and Jack met at Wimbledon.
No wonder he didn’t invite her to stay at the condo
—
he was married and
his wife and daughter were living there.

Frank grabbed the roll of paper towel and started mopping up the brown
liquid
.
‘
No harm done.
I’m
ham-fisted
myself at times.
’
As he passed her chair on the way to the
trashcan
,
Maisie glared at him
,
a silent, ‘How could you’ message in her eyes
.