Chapter 21
Ashley couldn’t believe they expected her to be the maid of honor and wear some cheesy chiffon dress and matching shoes. Probably in a disgusting pastel shade of green or lavender or something. And because the wedding would take place in less than a week, she didn’t even have time to get used to the idea.
They rushed it because neither Jude nor May wanted a fancy affair that might alert the paparazzi. Other than Ed Burton, no one but family and their closest friends knew of the impending nuptials. Jude’s money and influence made it possible to organize in such a short time.
Ashley couldn’t wait to see Denny in a tux. As the best man, he’d look smashing, even with the silver tooth and the tattoo on his head. What May’s parents would think…now that made her laugh.
Until she remembered Denny bitching at her, insisting that she needed to get a date. Lighten up, have some fun, he’d said. According to Denny, he was sure she could have her pick of men. They’re probably lining up for a cute kid like you.
Cute? Ha. No one had called her that…ever.
If he only had any real idea how limited her choices would be.
And speaking of choices…Ashley forced herself to get off the elevator when the doors opened. It wasn’t quite time for her to work yet, but she thought she’d ease Quinton into the idea of escorting her to a wedding by taking him to eat first. Surely, he wouldn’t mind that? He’d asked her out, more than once, and been fairly insistent. He’d even made her world spin with that bone-melting kiss.
So what that she’d blown him off? She could change her mind, right? Something about a woman’s prerogative and all that. Especially when the woman couldn’t get a man off her mind.
Stride long and lanky, Ashley went down the dark hallway to the office Quinton used. Just as she’d suspected, he was still there. From beneath his closed door she could see a faint stream of light.
Picturing him at his desk, his laptop opened, Ashley smiled. And Denny thought she worked too much.
Before she lost her nerve, Ashley raised her hand to rap on the wood. But her fist was still in the air when the door opened and Quinton almost stepped into her.
He was laughing, relaxed—and he wasn’t alone.
A blond woman hung on his arm.
It was a toss-up who was more surprised, Ashley or Quinton. The laughter in his gaze faded to something else entirely.
Wanting, quite simply, to disappear, Ashley said, “Oops.”
Piercing green eyes zeroed in on her. “Ashley.”
“Yeah, uh, hey. Sorry for interrupting.” Damn you, Denny. She’d kill him for putting her up to this. “My bad.”
Quinton’s brows came down in a frown.
Ashley started to ease the door shut. “Carry on.”
Flattening a big hand on the wood panel, Quinton held the door open. “Wait one damn minute.”
Not on his life. “No can do.”
Somehow, in the two seconds it took her to say that, he disengaged from the blonde and stepped into the hall in front of her. “Not another step.”
That got her back up. Glaring at him, she took a deliberate step to the side. Then another.
“Ashley,” he warned.
She grinned with provocation. “Really, seriously, I don’t want to…stop whatever you had going on. I mean, I shouldn’t have dropped in like that. Blame the bad manners on the finishing school I didn’t attend.”
“Will you just be quiet a moment and let me explain?”
She glanced at the blonde, who smiled back at her, then returned her gaze to Quinton. “Okay, sure.” Ashley lifted her brows. “Go right ahead.”
He put his hands on his hips, opened his mouth, and closed it again. “Damn, this is awkward.”
The blonde stepped out. “Should this be my cue to leave?”
Both Ashley and Quinton said, “No.”
Putting a good face on it, Ashley said, “There you have it. You stay, and I’ll skedaddle.” And again, she started to ease away.
Quinton caught her arm. “At least tell me why you came to see me.”
She’d eat raw eggs first. “I forget. It was nothing. If I think of it later, I’ll let ya know.”
“Damn it to hell, Ashley. You sought me out for a reason.”
“Temporary insanity?”
The blonde laughed. “Why do I have the feeling that my timing really sucks?”
Since Ashley had no idea what she meant by that, and it was her timing that was off, she just shrugged. “Look, I’ve gotta get to work.”
“You’re early,” Quinton accused. “You came to see me.”
Never in a million years would she admit that. “Wrong. I was just making up for being late last time, that’s all.”
“As I recall,” he murmured, “you made it with a few seconds to spare.”
Why the hell wouldn’t he shut up and let her go? To her profound relief, Quinton’s cell phone rang, providing all the escape she needed. With a salute, Ashley said, “Later.”
She was halfway down the hall when the blonde said, “What a lovely young lady. And I adored her jeans. I wonder where she got them.”
Ashley glanced down at her vertically stripped turquoise, purple, and black jeans. The bimbo had good taste—but that didn’t make Ashley like the other woman much.
Then again, maybe she was the other woman. Or at least she might have been if she’d asked Quinton for a date, since an obvious association existed between him and the blonde.
Thank God, she’d missed that trap.
So if it was such a good thing, why did she feel like someone had just ripped her lungs out of her nose holes?
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
All but stomping, Ashley went to the elevator, stepped inside, and punched the button for the floor where the cleaning supplies were kept. Denny Zip could harp all he wanted, but hell would freeze over before she considered asking out another man.
For the wedding, she’d go solo—just as she’d always done. If that wasn’t good enough for everyone, then too bad. As of this moment, Quinton Murphy was off her mind. One way or another, she’d make it true.
The ostentatious restaurant chosen for the rehearsal dinner pleased May’s parents. Or rather, the cost of the meal pleased them. They’d been gleeful as they ordered the most expensive items, refusing to wait for Tim to join them. Olympia was a chain-smoker, so the hostess had tucked them away in a smoking area, away from the majority of guests.
As May had guessed, Stuart and Olympia saw Jude as an open door for advancement in their own lives. Even for them, they’d sunk below a gross lack of manners by grilling Jude on his finances, making privileged requests, and outright snooping about his business affairs under the guise of parental concern. She’d tried to shush them but without much success.
To Jude’s credit, he dodged the inquisition with finesse while bouncing his gaze back and forth from May to Ashley, her father, and back to May. Whenever he chanced to meet her eyes, he took her hand, kissed her knuckles, and smiled very much like a man in love. Everything was almost perfect. Except…
May glanced at her parents once again.
Missing the ashtray by a good two inches, Olympia flicked away her ashes while finishing off her fourth glass of wine. Stuart was too busy eyeing every waitress who went by to pay attention to his wife’s gaffes. Tim was now over twenty minutes late, and May was the only one worried.
Leaning close to her ear, Jude said, “Grin. It’ll confuse them.”
And she did, more than able to dismiss her family’s current transgressions in light of everything else blossoming in her life.
Seeing that grin, Stuart complained for the umpteenth time, “I’m telling you, May, your brother should be your best man.”
“My brother hasn’t even shown up for the rehearsal dinner.”
“Besides,” Jude said, “I don’t like Tim all that much.”
Somehow, he made the comment sound teasing enough that Olympia snorted a laugh. Or maybe she’d just reached her limit in wine where everything amused her. A few more glasses and she’d hate the world and everyone in it.
Denny rubbed his hand over his head. “How can I show off my tat with a tux if I’m not the best man?” His silver tooth flashed in the muted light. “I can’t let anyone deprive me of such a grand opportunity.”
The men began a conversation on tattoos and fighting. May watched Ashley and wished she knew what ailed her. Ashley made as many snide jokes as ever, but a light had gone out of her eyes. Now that May was so happy, she wanted Ashley happy, too.
May started to question her, when suddenly Ashley stiffened. Like a deer caught in the head lights, she stared at a beautiful woman who had just walked in.
Denny, so attuned to everyone and everything, stopped talking long enough to follow Ashley’s gaze. His brows shot up. “Speaking of dates—”
“We weren’t,” Ashley snapped.
“—here comes mine.”
“What?”
Ignoring Ashley’s disbelief, he pushed back his chair and stepped around the table. Everyone stared, most especially Ashley.
Jude wondered if he was the only one not surprised by Denny’s involvement with a very sexy, voluptuous female. She looked to be a few years younger than Denny, maybe in her early forties, rich and feminine from her perfectly styled hair to her painted toenails.
She smiled from ear to ear and came to Denny with open arms. “Denny! I’m so sorry I’m late.”
While May and Ashley gaped, Denny embraced her, lifting her an inch off her high heels and planting a smooch on her painted mouth.
May giggled.
Ashley looked hostile and uncomfortable.
Jude wondered at them both. Just because Denny was more protective than most dads didn’t make him a eunuch. Jude had known him a long time, and just as Denny liked a well-organized routine, he liked female company. A lot.
Smiling broad enough to flash his silver tooth, Denny turned to the table. “Everyone, this is Zara Trilby. She and I met a month or so ago at the grocery store.” His big hand opened on the side of her tiny waist in male possession. “Can you believe that?”
“Everyone has to eat,” Zara teased. She looked directly at Ashley. “Hello, Ashley.”
Jude thought Ashley might slide beneath the table. Instead, she bucked up and produced a megawatt smile. “Hey. Nice to see you again.”
“You two know each other?” Jude asked, saving May the trouble.
Zara gave a robust laugh that had plenty of heads turning in the restaurant, including Stuart’s. “Ashley caught me schmoozing a prospective client in his office. It looked very indiscreet, but only because I can be so…determined when I want something.” She said the last while touching Denny’s chest.
Denny grinned. “Your brand of determination is one of the things I admire most about you.” He pulled out a chair at the table. “Join us.”
As if Zara’s presence hadn’t started enough buzz, Tim came barreling in the doors next, flustered, eyes wide, breathing hard.
What the hell? Jude thought. He squeezed May’s hand as he stood again.
Tim wore a suit, sort of. His white dress shirt remained untucked and only half buttoned with his tie loose around his neck. His hair hadn’t seen the touch of a comb, and he had a five o’clock shadow.
“He got away,” Tim shouted from halfway across the room.
Jude cursed softly, stepped away from the table, and greeted Tim. “Keep your voice down.” He led him toward the others. “Who got away?”
Even before he spoke, Jude knew what he’d say, and his muscles clenched.
“Elton,” Tim wailed.
Denny grabbed Tim’s shoulders. “Take a deep breath and calm down. You’re causing a scene.”
“But he’s out there somewhere.”
More than ever, Jude wanted to rattle some sense into Tim. “I thought they picked him up right away.”
With Denny’s insistent eye on him, Tim gulped two deep breaths. “That detective…the one you spoke with, the one who had Vic. He came by the house.”
“My house? You let him in?” For the most part, Tim had remained with him. Which Jude didn’t mind since Denny had taken him under his wing.
“No. I was at home. My home. I needed my damn suit.”
Denny patted Tim’s shoulder. “Keep breathing, son.”
Jude noticed that neither of Tim’s parents had bothered to raise their sorry butts from their seats. Olympia stared toward her son bleary eyed, and Stuart looked mildly annoyed.
Tim swallowed more air, ready to hyperventilate. “They haven’t been able to find Elton anywhere. The detective said that at first they figured they were just missing him. They had other cops watching for him. Something like an APB or something.”
“All points bulletin,” Denny supplied.
“Whatever. When they couldn’t find him, they figured he skipped town, so they checked with the authorities back in Hollywood. He hasn’t been to any of his establishments, or his house. No one’s seen him. No one’s heard from him.”
“Shit.” Jude glanced at May, but like a trooper, she held it together. She even managed a smile for him.
Denny pushed Tim into a chair. “Sit down. Try to relax.” To Jude he said, “I’ll call the detective now and find out what the hell’s going on.”
“Thanks.” Jude watched Denny touch Zara’s cheek in apology, then dig out his cell phone while stepping toward the entrance.
“So much for our rehearsal dinner.”
He came back to May’s side. “I’m sorry, honey.”
“It doesn’t matter.” She turned her face up to his. “I’m not going to let anything ruin my happiness.”
Such an incredible woman, Jude thought. And she was all his.
May’s mother waved her glass for the waitress to see. Stuart leaned close to smile at Zara, who had her gaze trained politely on Ashley. Tim heaved and trembled in his seat, more rattled than a grade school girl who’s just found a snake in her lunch box.
Paying no mind to Stuart’s sleazy attention, Zara said, “I seem to have walked into the middle of something here.”
Jude muttered, “Old business. I’m sorry. Could I order you something to drink?”
“You can get me another glass of wine,” Olympia insisted.
“No, thank you.”
Zara still watched Ashley. “I’m afraid I gave you the wrong impression the other day.”
Ashley shook her head. “No.”
“You came to talk with Quinton, but then saw me and left. But, dear, we weren’t together the way you think.”
May perked up. “Quinton?” She looked at Ashley, who shook her head, denying anything and everything May might conjure in her mind.
“Quinton Murphy,” Zara explained. “A very nice man who considered throwing me out a window after Ashley went off in a huff.”
“No one would dare throw you out a window,” Stuart crooned.
Jude felt like throwing Stuart out a window—except that the restaurant was only street level.
“I don’t huff, ” Ashley huffed, shocking May and making Jude smile despite the disturbing news of Elton’s disappearance. So Ashley had a love interest? Nice.
“Oh, dear, you do,” Zara told her. “You huff quite well, actually. I was very impressed.”
“Don’t be,” Ashley said through her teeth.
“But it really put Quinton in a tailspin. Very well done. You should give him another chance.”
Ashley pushed back her chair to stand. Jude still couldn’t get over seeing her in a dress. This one was glittery in shades of tangerine, lavender, and teal. She looked lovely, and with her hair up and back, she resembled May more than ever.
In two days, when the wedding took place, she’d looked even more like May in her maid of honor gown.
“Oh no.” May reached for her friend’s hand. “Where are you going?”
“To contact Quinton?” Zara asked hopefully.
Ashley’s fists landed on her slim hips. “No. I have no interest in contacting him.”
“You had interest before you saw me.” Zara preened, as if the idea of making someone jealous pleased her.
Ashley rolled her eyes, ready to spit. Or curse. She controlled herself with visible effort. “Wrong. I was temporarily misguided, that’s all.”
“Quinton was so upset.”
“Oh good grief.” Ashley’s face colored. “I was going to ask him to be my date for the wedding. That’s all. And that’s only because Denny was being a pain in the ass about me coming alone. Trust me, Quinton will be glad he missed it.”
“Gee, thanks,” May said, her tone dry.
“You know what I mean, May. Only for you would I wear a pale pink dress with lace.” She shuddered.
Tim perked up. He cleared his throat. “Hey, Ash. If you’re still dateless, I could—”
Jude said, “No,” horrified at the thought, given he suspected Tim and Ashley could be related.
At the same time, Ashley snorted a laugh. “Not in this lifetime, Timothy.”
Denny returned to the table. “They assured me they should have Elton soon. With more than one division alerted, he won’t be able to access his funds, visit anyone he knows, or go any place where he’s recognized. A marshmallow like him won’t last long on the street.”
“Great.” Ashley scooped up her purse and slung the strap over her shoulder. “Glad that’s settled.” She bent to hug May, grabbed Jude next, and then headed for Denny.
May jumped out of her seat to follow her, protests coming fast and furious.
Stuart caught Ashley as she started to pass. “May listens to you. Tell her that Tim should be the best man, not this other fellow.” He gestured as if Denny didn’t stand right there, listening. Idiot.
Ashley paused on one side of Stuart, with May on the other. They debated the issue, and to Jude’s amusement, the two women looked like bookends. Granted, one bookend was a little taller and slimmer, and one had enough cleavage for two females, but other than that…
“Oh, shit,” Denny whispered, drawing Jude’s at tention away from his soon-to-be wife. Denny looked between May, Ashley, and Stuart.
Jude knew the moment he put it together. Leaning close, he whispered, “Not a word.”
“But they’re…”
“Yeah, I know.”
More rattled than Jude had ever seen him, Denny asked, “Do they know?”
“I don’t think so.” May understood that her father had a lot of shortcomings. She accepted them, just as she accepted so much in her life.
But what would she think if she found out that Ashley was her half-sister, not just a best friend? Given Ashley’s upbringing, would May be able to forgive her father? It amazed Jude that May hadn’t noticed the similarity on her own. Sure, she and Ashley shared a close resemblance.
But most of all, they each looked like Stuart.
Jude couldn’t prove it, so it seemed wise to let it go for now.
“That son of a bitch,” Denny growled low.
May glanced up. “Don’t you worry, Denny. You’re the best man, and that’s that.”
Denny smiled. “Thanks, hon.”
“We were talking about Elton,” Jude lied. “I doubt he’s any real threat right now, but until he’s found, I intend to keep a very close eye on you.”
“Is that a joke?” Olympia lit another cigarette, then eyed Jude through the smoke. “As if you aren’t already. You look so lovesick it’s enough to turn my stomach.”
May went bright red, but her father jumped on the topic with calculating eagerness. “Tim should stay at your place, too. God knows you can afford the security. Now that he’ll be your brother-in-law, you owe him some protection. After all, if it wasn’t for you, none of us would be on the shit list with this Elton person.”
Denny took an aggressive step toward Ashley. “You need a little watching too, missy.”
She frowned. “From what?”
“Elton,” Denny said, exasperated. “Maybe he knows you’re the one who first identified him in the restaurant. Maybe he knows you’re May’s…best friend.”
Maybe, Jude thought, he even knew they were sisters. Anyone with eyes could see it, and Elton wasn’t above using it.
“Good God. Why don’t we all just move in with Jude?” Olympia snatched up May’s half-empty glass. “You know, it could be this Elton bozo is totally innocent in all this.”
“He’s not,” Jude said.
“I recall that lots of people considered you guilty of stuff, too. I should think you’d want solid proof before persecuting some other poor guy.”
Jude kept his calm with an effort. “We can’t get solid proof until Elton is apprehended, and the fact that he ran says a lot. But thanks to Vic’s confessions, we know he was responsible.”
Ashley acted the smart-ass as usual. “Hey, as G.I. Joe would say, knowing is half the battle.” And with a wink, she took off, balls to the walls as usual.
Jude strode over to put his arm around May and spoke close to her ear so only she could hear. “Don’t worry. I’ll call in some men to keep an eye on her.”
“Ashley won’t like it if she finds out she’s being watched.”
“I know.” He bent and kissed her, unmindful of the way her mother complained, oblivious to any one else in their vicinity. “But will my fiancée like it?”
The worry disappeared as May bloomed beneath a smile. “Your fiancée will love you all the more for it. Ashley is very important to me.”
Jude nodded. “Like a sister.”
“Closer than a sister.”
“Then I won’t let anything happen to her.” He kissed her again. “Keeping you happy is the most important thing to me.”
May laughed. “Then your life should be easy. Because as long as I’m with you, I’ll be happy.”