worst he could do in a few hours?
Well, he repaired the bathroom…
Right, so he fixed something. Where was the damage in that again?
There were too many voices in her head. “Stop it!” she said out loud, which wasn’t any less crazy. She tossed her book into her tent—another sign of probable insanity—and grabbed her purse.
She needed to track down the lawyers in New York. And it wastime for her to confess her secret to her best friends, because she couldn’t figure this out on her own.
~
“T HERE ’ SAGORGEOUSMANORDERINGYOUTOKISSHIMANDYOU ’ REHERE … WHY ?” Arielle blinked at her.
“Because he’s also a threat to my job.” Cara groaned and took another long sip from her drink.
On the other side of the bar, Daphne clucked her tongue in that way she did, warning a talking-towas about to happen. For once, Cara didn’t mind. Her friends could see the situation clearly, she hoped. She definitely didn’t have that ability right now. “You have to…” Daphne trailed off, then rolled her lips together. “Do something.”
“Wow. I wish I’d thought of that,” Cara said, reaching for her glass again. Drowning herself in the rum cocktail seemed wiser and wiser with each passing second.
“Well give us a second.” Arielle laughed. “We’re still trying to process the fact that you’re hiding a sexy beast at the plantation.”
“He’s here in town somewhere,” she muttered. “Maybe the internet cafe.”
Arielle hopped off her stool. “Then I’m going—”
“Nope!” Daphne pointed to the vacated seat. “Sit your butt down. We are not spying on the man. Not until we have a plan.”
Cara snorted. “Thatrhymes.”
Daphne grabbed her drink. “And you’re drunk.”
“That’s Arielle’s fault.” Cara had downed two of the cocktails in the time it took Arielle to arrive at the resort where Daphne was working an afternoon shift.
“Excuse me for not leaving school children unattended,” Arielle snorted. She taught history and social studies at the town’s only high school. “With storms threatening, I neededto make sure everyone left the building before I rushed to a bar to drink with my friends. It’s called job security.”
“They’re teenagers. They can fend for themselves. And job security is exactly the topic at hand.” Cara sighed. “I’m only tipsy. Give that back.”
Daphne slid the glass back into her hand, and Arielle sat back down.
Daphne leaned both hands on the bar. “Okay, so the plantationmight not belong to the Historical Society after all. Let’s assume that’s the case, and plan for worst case scenario. What are your options?”
Cara eyed her phone. She’d called the law offices in New York. If they’d just call her back…right now…and tell her there was nothing to worry about, they wouldn’t need to have this conversation.
Her phone didn’t ring.
“I don’t know,” she said miserably.“That’s why I’ve come to you guys.”
“So right now it sounds like you guys are working under the same assumption—that whoever gets the estate can do whatever they want with it. And if that’s you, then that’s probably true. But if it’s him…” Arielle trailed off, her forehead wrinkling. “Can’t you intervene or something? Protect the building?”
Cara shook her head. “The board is pretty set againstanything that requires legal action. That gets expensive really quickly.”
“It’s a shame there isn’t a lawyer on the board,” Daphne mused.
There were a lot of problems with the board makeup. Cara groaned. “Tell me about it. There’s been an empty seat for months, too. But the nomination process—”
“What?” Arielle interjected. “There’s an opening on the board? Let’s fill it.”
“With a lawyer,”Daphne added. “One who’s under the age of fifty and totally switched on.”
Cara laughed. “Just like that.”
Daphne nodded. Cara turned and looked at her other best friend. Arielle nodded.
Well, he repaired the bathroom…
Right, so he fixed something. Where was the damage in that again?
There were too many voices in her head. “Stop it!” she said out loud, which wasn’t any less crazy. She tossed her book into her tent—another sign of probable insanity—and grabbed her purse.
She needed to track down the lawyers in New York. And it wastime for her to confess her secret to her best friends, because she couldn’t figure this out on her own.
~
“T HERE ’ SAGORGEOUSMANORDERINGYOUTOKISSHIMANDYOU ’ REHERE … WHY ?” Arielle blinked at her.
“Because he’s also a threat to my job.” Cara groaned and took another long sip from her drink.
On the other side of the bar, Daphne clucked her tongue in that way she did, warning a talking-towas about to happen. For once, Cara didn’t mind. Her friends could see the situation clearly, she hoped. She definitely didn’t have that ability right now. “You have to…” Daphne trailed off, then rolled her lips together. “Do something.”
“Wow. I wish I’d thought of that,” Cara said, reaching for her glass again. Drowning herself in the rum cocktail seemed wiser and wiser with each passing second.
“Well give us a second.” Arielle laughed. “We’re still trying to process the fact that you’re hiding a sexy beast at the plantation.”
“He’s here in town somewhere,” she muttered. “Maybe the internet cafe.”
Arielle hopped off her stool. “Then I’m going—”
“Nope!” Daphne pointed to the vacated seat. “Sit your butt down. We are not spying on the man. Not until we have a plan.”
Cara snorted. “Thatrhymes.”
Daphne grabbed her drink. “And you’re drunk.”
“That’s Arielle’s fault.” Cara had downed two of the cocktails in the time it took Arielle to arrive at the resort where Daphne was working an afternoon shift.
“Excuse me for not leaving school children unattended,” Arielle snorted. She taught history and social studies at the town’s only high school. “With storms threatening, I neededto make sure everyone left the building before I rushed to a bar to drink with my friends. It’s called job security.”
“They’re teenagers. They can fend for themselves. And job security is exactly the topic at hand.” Cara sighed. “I’m only tipsy. Give that back.”
Daphne slid the glass back into her hand, and Arielle sat back down.
Daphne leaned both hands on the bar. “Okay, so the plantationmight not belong to the Historical Society after all. Let’s assume that’s the case, and plan for worst case scenario. What are your options?”
Cara eyed her phone. She’d called the law offices in New York. If they’d just call her back…right now…and tell her there was nothing to worry about, they wouldn’t need to have this conversation.
Her phone didn’t ring.
“I don’t know,” she said miserably.“That’s why I’ve come to you guys.”
“So right now it sounds like you guys are working under the same assumption—that whoever gets the estate can do whatever they want with it. And if that’s you, then that’s probably true. But if it’s him…” Arielle trailed off, her forehead wrinkling. “Can’t you intervene or something? Protect the building?”
Cara shook her head. “The board is pretty set againstanything that requires legal action. That gets expensive really quickly.”
“It’s a shame there isn’t a lawyer on the board,” Daphne mused.
There were a lot of problems with the board makeup. Cara groaned. “Tell me about it. There’s been an empty seat for months, too. But the nomination process—”
“What?” Arielle interjected. “There’s an opening on the board? Let’s fill it.”
“With a lawyer,”Daphne added. “One who’s under the age of fifty and totally switched on.”
Cara laughed. “Just like that.”
Daphne nodded. Cara turned and looked at her other best friend. Arielle nodded.
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