Wine & Roses (6 page)

Abby tilted her face up to him, her amber eyes glimmering. “I’ve been meaning to tell you, we’ve already had a report of ghostly activity at the inn. An overnight guest said she heard weeping in her room, and later the sound of footsteps in the hall when no one was there.”

Jason quirked an eyebrow. “What do you make of that?”

“I chalk it up to an active imagination, but in any case it’s good for business. People can’t get enough of a good haunting. But the funny thing is, Rebecca’s portrait keeps falling off the wall.”

“On its own?” He remembered she had hung it in the upstairs hallway, in a carefully chosen spot between two of the guest rooms.

Abby nodded. “I can’t figure out why. There’s nothing wrong with the hook. But the manager keeps finding it on the floor in the morning.”

“Perhaps Rebecca doesn’t think it’s a good likeness,” Jason suggested, a teasing smile playing on his lips.

Abby replied with an appealing wrinkle of her nose. “Stop it. You don’t believe in ghosts, do you?”

“I like to keep an open mind,” he said, though he wondered whether staff at the inn might be playing a joke on the guests, and Abby as well.

“She
is
your ancestor. Perhaps you should spend the night there and see if you can feel her presence.”

“Perhaps you’d like to join me,” he added, his tone still light, though the words stirred up images from his imagination that were far from innocent.

“I think I will spend the night there sometime, to see for myself. In my own room, of course.” Her evocative smile sent a warm quiver down his spine.

“Naturally. I’d never suggest anything untoward.” His hand drifted up to smooth back several wisps of hair that had fallen loose to float about her ear. Lingering for a moment, in an impulsive gesture his fingertips lightly skimmed the curve of her cheek. At once he saw her colour deepen, and felt her arm grip his shoulder a little tighter.

“I didn’t expect so, being the gentleman that you are,” Abby said, her tone low and tinged with anticipation.

Cradling her hand against his chest, Jason could feel his heart pounding fast and heavy, and wondered if she could feel its beat through his shirt and jacket. He was beginning to feel too warm, his tie too tight around his neck. His gaze lingered on her delicate, full mouth, painted an enticing deep mauve, the lips slightly parted.

“And you being a proper lady,” he murmured, bending closer to breathe in her scent in a long, heady breath; as he did his lips grazed her cheek.

He felt her shiver, and then she turned her face to brush her mouth over his. Needing no further encouragement, he gathered her closer, his lips claiming hers in a soft, slow kiss. As her eyes fell closed, she let her head tilt back, allowing him to explore the soft sweetness of her lips at his leisure. Her uninhibited response in this public venue both surprised and excited him, and as the length of her body pressed closer to his, liquid fire surged to his groin.

The music seemed to stop abruptly, although Jason realized the piece had simply come to its end. As couples broke away from each other to applaud the musicians, Abby followed suit, drawing away from him awkwardly. She glanced around, then up at Jason. Her cheeks were flaming, her lipstick smudged at the corners of her mouth.

“People are staring,” she whispered.

Jason saw them, too, slanting stern looks in their direction. Well, he supposed it was a trifle unseemly to make out with one’s dance partner in the middle of a posh gala event.

“Let them,” he said, dabbing the lipstick smudges from her mouth with his thumb.

Once the music began again, Abby nestled against his shoulder as they resumed dancing, her posture relaxed and contented. His nerves still pulsing from the kiss, Jason drew air deeply into his lungs, reminding himself that he had a long night ahead before there was any chance of the two of them heading elsewhere to be alone.

Then his gaze fell on a couple across the floor, dancing close as he and Abby were. As the couple turned, and Jason caught sight of the woman’s face over the man’s shoulder, he felt his heart drop like a stone.

At first he thought he must be imagining things, his brain superimposing her face onto a stranger who resembled her. But it
was
her. He knew that sheet of honey-blonde hair and those cat-like green eyes all too well.

Noticing Jason stiffen, Abby turned her head to follow the direction of his gaze.

“Who’s that?”

“Brianna. My ex-fiancée,” he said tightly.

“Oh.” A frown creased Abby’s brow as she took another quick glance. “Who’s she with?”

“Stephen Blaine, the pharmaceutical magnate. Looks like she’s hit the jackpot this time.”

Indeed, Brianna looked ecstatic, her dazzling teeth on full display as she tossed her hair and laughed at some apparently clever quip from her dance partner. Jason’s stomach clenched as he observed her slender arm draped affectionately over Blaine’s shoulder, her gaze locked onto his as though he were the most fascinating man she’d ever known. At one time she had looked at Jason that way, and he’d fallen easily for the guileless adoration in her pretty eyes. Young and idealistic, he’d let her play on his ego to win his devotion, and his implicit trust.

“Is he the one—”

“No. I’ve never seen them together before, though I’ve heard she’s been angling for him for some time. He was married, until just recently.” Jason’s biting tone suggested Brianna might have had something to do with the divorce, though it was nothing more than speculation.

“Does it bother you to see her?”

Returning his attention to the woman in his arms, he glimpsed the concern in her eyes, and silently reprimanded himself for reacting to Brianna’s presence at all. “No.” After a pause he admitted, “Maybe a little.”

“Do you want to go outside and get some air?” she suggested. “You’ll feel better.”  

Releasing a sharp breath, Jason nodded, allowing Abby to nudge him off the dance floor, through the foyer and out the front door of the hotel.

“I’m so sorry, Abby.” He set his hands in his pockets as they wandered toward the gardens beyond the parking lot. Dusk was settling in, casting a pale sheen over the manicured grounds. “I shouldn’t let it upset me. It’s been long enough, I should be over it.”

Beside him, Abby clasped her hands behind her back as she walked. “It can take a long time to recover from betrayal, Jason. Even after you no longer love the person, the self-doubt can linger.”

“I haven’t loved Bree for some time,” he told her truthfully, wondering whether what he’d felt for Brianna had been love or something more like infatuation. What he knew for certain was that he’d intended on spending the rest of his life as her husband. The only time he’d come close to wanting someone else had been the night he met Abby, and his intense attraction to her had caused him deep pangs of guilt when he returned home that evening.

At the time he’d been blissfully unaware of Brianna’s rendezvous with another man that same evening, involving much more than flirting.

Abby was right, of course. Though he no longer cared for Bree, Jason still distrusted himself. “To this day I wonder why I didn’t see it,” he said, struggling to explain the fracture that lingered in his heart. “Not just the infidelity, but the type of person she is, and the way she manipulated me. It seems so clear now.” He drew a shuddery breath, as fresh anger surged through him. “God, I wish she hadn’t shown up tonight. I didn’t want you to see me this way.”

Abby’s slim shoulders lifted. “To be honest, I’m relieved to see a vulnerable side of you. It’s good to know you’re not actually perfect.”

“Perfect?” he echoed, her response surprising him.

“You always say just the right things, Jason. It’s lovely—you’ve made me feel very special, but it doesn’t help me get to know you. And I really would like to.”

Jason slowed his pace and then stopped, turning to face her under the canopy of an elm tree. Her words settled warmly in his chest, drawing a soft smile to his lips. “When you do, maybe you can tell me why I’m so pathetic as to even notice what my self-serving ex-fiancée is up to, when I’m here with someone sweet and genuine—who, until now, has thought of me as
perfect
.”

Abby laughed, errant curls fluttering around her face in the warm evening breeze. “You’re only human, Jason. At least you had the courage to put an end to things when you found out Brianna wasn’t who you thought she was. I wish I’d known when to cut my losses with Colin.”

Jason stroked her arm lightly, feeling goose bumps stipple her flesh under his fingertips. “You must have known, Abby. But I suspect Colin hurt you somehow. I think that whatever he did must have eroded your confidence, and that he did this to keep you from leaving. Am I right?”

She looked at him sharply, the raw emotion in her eyes startling him. Her lips parted, but it took her a moment to reply. “You’re not wrong. But I kept thinking I could fix it. My parents had such a solid marriage, I suppose I expected the same. When it didn’t work out that way, I felt I’d failed.”

The pain of the memory was plain in her shimmering eyes and in the subtle quiver in her voice, and Jason suffered an echoing ache in his own chest. He realized he had been just the same, expecting to recreate the ideal marriage his parents had enjoyed—or, at least, his memories of what they had shared before his mother passed away when he was fourteen. Maybe he’d wanted it a little too much, and Brianna had been a convenient choice. He would have saved himself the heartache had he followed his father’s example after his mother’s death, pursuing a series of relationships but choosing never to commit himself long-term to one woman. Owen Brinleigh had, after all, died a confirmed and very contented bachelor.

“Never mind, Abby.” Jason felt eager to comfort her. “You’re a beautiful, kind, talented woman. You can start over now. Don’t let Colin Bennett stop you from being who you are.”

“I’m trying my best,” she said, blinking back her tears. “But starting over isn’t easy. It’s true that I’ve achieved the success I always dreamed of with my writing. But I also imagined I’d be settled in a home with my husband and kids by now. I was so ready for it, prepared to make up for all the mistakes my parents made with me. But look at me now—I have the house but I’m living alone there, a child-less widow. Certainly not what I pictured.”

“You’re lonely?”

Her shoulders jerked up, as though she were reluctant to admit it. “I have my friends, but they go home to their own families. I feel a bit left behind.”

“Life is full of possibilities.” Compassion for her pressed on Jason’s heart. “Something unexpected and wonderful could be around the corner. There are always new dreams to find and fulfill, if you can leave the past where it belongs.”

“You could take your own advice.” Abby cast a sideways glance toward the hotel.

“I could, yes,” he admitted.

A ghost of a smile touched her lips, and she glanced down at her elegant gown. “You know, all this really isn’t me. Remember how I looked when you first walked into The Roses? That’s how you’ll find me most days, dressed for comfort. It’s fun to be glamourous once in a while, but it’s not my world.”

She clasped her hands tightly together, as though afraid he might be disappointed. Quite the opposite was true.

“I’m the same way, Abby. I invited you here because you’re the only person I could think of whose company would make this evening tolerable.”

Her smile broadened as her hands relaxed. “I hope I’ve achieved that.”

“Without a doubt.” Drawing her to him, Jason held her gently, stroking her back as he planted a soft kiss on the bridge of her nose.

She smiled up at him, her cheeks rosy. “You know I’ve got another party to go to next Friday in Toronto, a little launch party for my new book.”

“Are you looking forward to it?”

“Not really. It’s nice to be recognized, but I’m uncomfortable being the focus of attention. I find it stressful, actually.”

“If you insist on looking this gorgeous, you’ll have to get used to the attention.” His hand drifted up to settle at the back of her neck.

“I won’t be dressed to the nines like this. We’ve rented one of those harbour cruise boats.”

“Sounds nice.”

“All my friends will be there. Having them there helps to put me at ease. You could come, too. If you’re free.” Her dark lashes swept up as her gaze searched his, the setting sun sparking flecks of gold in the depths of her amber eyes.

Jason hesitated, growing uneasy. If he hadn’t meant to get deeply involved with Abby, accompanying her to an event attended by her close social circle would rapidly unravel that plan. True, he’d already kissed her passionately in front of high society, but that was different; the people at the gala weren’t Abby’s friends. Escorting her to this more intimate party, where he’d be introduced to the people who truly cared about her, would surely mean something more. The thought of it set his mind scrambling for escape.

“I’m pretty busy at the winery,” he said. It wasn’t a lie; he’d been planning to catch up on some work he’d been neglecting, and he had a late meeting scheduled with his distributor that he shouldn’t cancel. “But call me after you get back, and we’ll have a celebratory dinner.”