Shadow of Love (6 page)

Emily needed to escape to the kitchen, and fast. She felt her whole body stiffen in resentment as she listened to Marlene telling everyone around her, in a voice loud enough to fill the whole room, what an amazing job Sophie had done and how lucky she was to have such a great daughter.

It was not as if she wasn’t expecting it, she thought as she quietly slipped away to the back door connecting the main room with the old-fashioned kitchen. Still, she had spent countless hours making the phone calls and sending out the invitations to whomever she was hoping was Marlene’s friend, while Sophie barely ever showed her face, let alone a pair of working hands. No wonder it hurt to be sidetracked so completely and irrevocably. Just being a part of it would suffice.

She pushed the door open and entered the large, low room that smelled so delicious her stomach growled, reminding her she had skipped breakfast. She sniffed appreciatively while greeting the cook who welcomed her into his kingdom. It had taken her some time to get used to the change he had brought into their lives and menus when he replaced the old cook Emily had remembered for as long as she lived. Still, Marlene reasoned and not without a point, they needed someone who actually knew a thing or two about the food of Italy, France, and Spain. Jenny Mc Allister, who had worked for her family ever since her granddad had hired her over thirty years before, was certainly lacking any knowledge in that department.

Alfonso Riveira, short and rather corpulent, was definitely a great hit with both the kitchen and the owners, she thought as she listened to his steady stream of superlatives describing the menu. He was very competent and experienced, his food earning them a steady reputation of a place worth trying. The fact that he adored both Marlene and Sophie didn’t hurt either, his typical southern exuberance when courting the two women soon winning them over as he stroked their egos to the point Emily had to bite her lips to prevent herself from laughing out loud.

‘
Alfonso, something smells great here,’ she said, only to see his round face break into a wide grin as he quickly grabbed a plate and handed her a sample of the crepes with mushrooms that were responsible for the divine smell saturating the kitchen.

‘
See, I made these for Señora Marlene.’ He smiled as she sampled the perfectly rolled up chewy crepe, the herbed mushroom filling perfectly complementing the golden wrap. ‘She likes mushrooms,
no
? ‘

‘
Absolutely so.’ Grinning, she finished off the delicious morsel, her eyes sparkling mischievously at the man who waited anxiously for her verdict. ‘These are by far the best crepes you have ever made, Alfonso. If I don’t disappear soon, I might just finish them off on my own.’

She was rewarded with his booming laughter, as he patted her shoulder with a familiarity that Marlene would find appalling but she personally enjoyed. She liked to be on good terms with the staff, seeing no reason to raise an artificial barrier between herself and people who were doing jobs just as important, if not more so. Marlene had tried to convince her a few times that it wasn’t good to be too familiar with people on their payroll, but Emily disagreed. After weathering some of Marlene’s irrational behavior during her lowest moments of depression, the staff remained in place only because of their sense of being a part of a family and more than just a hired workforce.

‘
Emily, where are you?’ Sophie’s voice interrupted Emily’s moment of peace as the former burst into the kitchen, her face glowing with excitement. ‘I was searching for you everywhere.’ A delightful pout accompanied the statement as she shook her golden mane, Alfonso’s eyes following her blond locks with an admiration he reserved for her and her mother.

‘
I want to introduce James to you, silly.’ An impatient hand grabbed Emily’s wrist and pulled her along, back to the room where the some of the company had already found their seating around the tables. A low hum of conversation was punctuated by short bursts of loud laughter and silvery giggles she recognized as Marlene’s. Groups of people still chatted standing around the buffet, the sound of silverware on plates cheerful and reassuring. So far, so good. She followed Sophie to her place at the table, remembering that James’s unexpected addition to the guest list had created the shuffle of seating arrangements . Hopefully it was worth it, she thought as she followed Sophie’s lead, preparing herself for chitchat with the new mystery man who fell barely short of Mr. Perfect.

‘
Here we are.’ Sophie smiled and moved to the side, her face glowing as she pulled Emily even closer, the pride in her voice unmistakable. ‘Emily, this is James, the man of my dreams.’ She moved lightly to his side, her arm going around his waist in a possessive gesture that was clearly meant to confirm her new status as an engaged woman. It was cute to see her so involved, Emily thought indulgently, ready to welcome him into their family.

Yet her expectant smile froze into place as she looked up into the face of the man who rose politely from his seat and to whom her sister was clinging to with such unashamed tenderness and love. She would have recognized these dark good looks and tall figure anywhere, she thought wretchedly, as she struggled for composure.

He was smiling pleasantly at her, his dark eyes warm and inviting. The corners of his beautifully sculpted mouth lifted with a familiarity she would have thought reserved for people he knew better than the stranger she was to him right then. Although they weren’t exactly strangers, were they? If one could count their silent exchange just a few moments before as more than just a coincidental twist of fate, they had already established a relationship—one that was anything but pleasant and friendly. She listened to his voice, bracing herself for the iciness and contempt that she was certain must still lurk somewhere deep inside him. One couldn’t change so completely and utterly in a span of barely more than a few minutes. She was disappointed yet again.

‘
So, you are the famous Emily, Sophie’s favorite sister.’ His voice was warm and soothing, matching the friendliness of his open gaze. For a second, she had felt ridiculous for expecting him to be something he obviously wasn’t, blaming her high-strung nerves for her overactive imagination. But the inexplicable sense of danger was still there, too potent to be dismissed, even in face of his visibly perfect behavior. It lingered alongside her nerve endings, making it impossible to relax properly, every muscle of her body wound tightly like a coil of a spring that was ready to explode at any given moment.

‘
I’m not so sure about the famous, but I will take the second part for sure.’ She smiled with effort, praying for Sophie not to notice her sudden awkwardness. She was in luck, since Sophie was too preoccupied with watching James with a smitten smile to even register that her sister wasn’t herself. ‘And you are the mysterious fiancé, isn’t it?’

The momentarily stiffening of his lips, however fleeting it was, did not escape her attention.

‘
I have to admit that I am extremely curious to find out more about the man who tamed my sister in such record time, James.’

So what if she sounded a bit cheeky, she thought as she watched his eyes narrow. There was something about him that didn’t sit right with her, and she was determined to find out more, even if it meant risking Sophie’s resentment. So far she was quite safe though, her sister’s happy smile firmly in place as she nodded and giggled like a little girl.

‘
I know, Em. I told you, James can be very persuasive when he wants to be.’ Leaning even closer to his tall frame, she looked up to him, batting her impossibly long, curly lashes. ‘Isn’t that right, darling?’

He smiled his dazzling, heart-breaking smile and kissed her golden hair in a swift caress. The way they were together seemed perfect in every possible way. Nothing in James’s behavior justified her suspicious attitude, Emily decided, determined to abandon her misgivings and accept Sophie’s fiancé without further ado. She had to let it go, even if it meant going against the instinct that screamed loudly that something wasn’t right. After all, it was Sophie’s choice, and unless Emily was suicidal or wanted to be left without any family at all, she’d better get her act together, and fast. Maybe she had just imagined the whole incident, her stress over Marlene’s homecoming and her reaction to the surprise party making her see things that weren’t really there. She would have to try harder, she decided, her smile friendlier as she looked at the couple again.

‘
Sophie, dear,’ Marlene interrupted, and suddenly Emily found herself alone with James McMaster, her sister’s breezy excuse as she left to attend to some matter with her mom hanging in the silence between them. She managed to look busy for a moment, her gaze following her sister weaving her way to the buffet, where Marlene was chatting animatedly with a group of friends, obviously in no rush to sit and eat.

Racking her brain to find some innocent topic, she avoided his eyes for as long as possible, without the risk of appearing intimidated or plain boring.

‘
Would you like to try some of those crepes?’ she managed finally, her usually smooth voice sounding husky even to her own ears. ‘I can assure you personally that they are the most praised item on our chef’s menu.’

‘
If it will make you stop looking at me as if I’m going to turn into something awful at any moment.’ He grinned at her, his white teeth flashing against the olive darkness of his skin. ‘Although Sophie warned me that it will be a tough act to get your approval.’

‘
Did she?’ What was the correct answer to such a statement, she wondered as she watched him load onto his plate one of the delicate rolls from the large platter in the middle of the table. ‘I just worry about her at times, that’s all.’ She decided on honesty, knowing that anything else wouldn’t do. She was a horrible liar and playing games where one pretended to be something else entirely had never been her thing. Maybe they could get past their first impression and become friends after all.

She decided to give it her best try. ‘Sophie is my only sister, and I care about her a lot. I was concerned about the speed of your courtship, James.’

‘
Why is it a bad thing?’ He was still smiling, but she could have sworn that he was carefully monitoring his words. ‘Haven’t you ever heard of love at first sight?’

‘
Heard, yes; found it actually working, no.’ She shrugged when she spoke, and his eyes followed the movement it produced in her shoulder-length hair.

For a second he seemed distracted before nodding again and admitting with a smile, ‘There are exceptions to every rule, Emily.’ His long, lean fingers played with the silver fork, absentmindedly tracing the intricate design of vine leaves carved into it. ‘What makes you think that knowing someone for a long time can guarantee love better?’

‘
Well, for one thing, it’s much easier to get along when you actually know the other person a bit more than you can after just having dinner together and possibly making out afterwards.’ She immediately wished she could bite off her tongue.

His quiet laughter made her cringe in embarrassment.

‘
I’m sorry, that was a wrong thing to say.’ She hurried to repair the damage, only to realize that it was too late. He was watching her intently, the darkness of his eyes even more disturbing from the short distance that separated them at the table.

‘
No, that’s quite all right,’ he reassured her, his long fingers coming forward to cover her hand for a split second. The touch was barely there before he leaned back in his chair, but it felt as if he had branded her with a hot iron, her skin tingling with electric current caused by his fingertips. ‘Sophie told me what a sensible, level-headed person you are,’ he continued, obviously unperturbed by their physical touch.

That realization made her feel even worse, her heart thudding unevenly against her ribs. Why was she so acutely aware of this stranger who would soon become a part of her family, marrying her sister and becoming her brother-in-law? Was it some sick twist of fate, a payback she had subconsciously created as revenge for Sophie stealing Peter?

‘
You make it sound as if it’s something wrong, James,’ she answered, her eyes veiled. ‘As if being sensible is bad.’

‘
No, not bad.’ He shook his dark head, a small smile playing around his mouth as he continued. ‘I’m all for common sense, actually. “It is not in the stars to hold our destiny, but in ourselves.” Isn’t that so?’

She couldn’t breathe for a second or two, her heart stopping for one horrible moment before it picked up again, beating furiously against her ribs. He didn’t know, of course, she told herself as she struggled to overcome her sudden weakness. How could he? It was just a saying, for God’s sake. People repeated phrases all the time. It was Shakespeare, after all.

Only, she remembered these words more than any others. They were forever etched in her memory with all the other things that she had tried so unsuccessfully to forget. They had haunted her for the last twelve years, buried under the surface of her peaceful existence, only to break through if she wasn’t careful.

She could see it clearly, her stepfather’s farewell words on the blood-splattered letter that lay with the gun next to his still body. She could hear herself scream, running to get help, her hands shaking so much she dropped the receiver twice before dialing the emergency number.

Most of all she remembered riding with him in the ambulance, helplessly huddled on the seat while she watched the paramedics performing CPR on his blood-smeared, ashen body.

She made an effort to pull herself free from those memories, aware of James sitting next to her, most probably wondering what was wrong with her, her terrified silence not something to be overlooked. Smiling was difficult, the muscles of her face fighting back as she tried to compose herself into an expression that was hopefully careless enough to keep him in the dark.