Chapter 18 #2
Furious, I hurried back to the stairwell before they could see me.
I’d never liked Billy Wayne. And I wasn’t a huge fan of Iris, either.
Yet I somehow felt betrayed. I reminded myself that I hadn’t been wronged in any way, that June was right, and it wasn’t any of my business.
But my image of the perfect harmony among the residents of Dawes House was tarnished.
And if that had been a lie, what else wasn’t as it seemed?
Was any of it true? The friendship? The love they’d shown me and Henry?
I shook my head, forcing all the doubts away.
It didn’t matter. My stay at Dawes House was temporary, just a couple of months more.
It was probably just as well that I’d found out about Billy Wayne and Iris.
That was just two fewer people I’d miss when I was gone.
Really, it was only Pearlie and Junior I’d really miss.
And quirky little Addie with her unruly curls and frank, matter-of-fact way of talking.
June and Earl had been kind, but I would be glad to have some distance, remind June that she wasn’t Henry’s grandmother, no matter what she told him to call her.
At least there was Whit. Whatever happened, whatever lies and drama lay beneath the overtures of kindness and the empty promises of “family,” at least I knew what we were building was real.
When Thursday finally arrived, I was so nervous about my date with Whit, that I’d barely eaten anything and was so distracted I burned Henry’s toast at breakfast, setting off the fire alarm again, much to my son’s amusement.
“Are you sure you don’t mind spending the night with Ms. June and Mr. Earl again?” I asked as I packed Henry’s backpack for the night. “I can tell Mr. Whit that we need to be home sooner. You’re more important than any fancy dinners.”
Henry came to me and gave me a tight hug around my neck and kissed my cheek. “It’s okay, Mama. I don’t want you to be sad anymore.”
“Sad?” I repeated, frowning. “What do you man, baby? I’m not sad.” I gave him a playful little shake. “You make me happy every single day!”
He laughed and hugged me again. “But you were really happy when you were at Mr. Whit’s house, too.”
I shook my head, confused. “I’ve never been to Mr. Whit’s house. Do you mean his apartment down the hall?”
“No,” Henry said as he gathered a few of his action figures and put them in his bag. “His house by the ocean. The big one with the pointy thing.” He lifted his arms over his head and pressed his palms together, simulating a triangle. “At the top of the house.”
“When have you seen his house?” I asked, baffled.
“In my dream,” he said, as if it should’ve been obvious. “It was me, and you, and Mr. Whit, and Addie. And we had a little puppy. She was so cute! I can’t wait to see her.”
Now it all made sense…
I grinned. “A puppy, huh? Did she have a name?”
He nodded, grabbing his teddy bear. “The tall lady said her name was Daisy.”
“Who’s the tall lady?” I asked, a ripple of unease just beneath my skin. “Is she another…friend?”
“No, ma’am,” he said. “I need my toothbrush!”
Deciding “the tall lady” was a mystery to solve another day, I dropped Henry off with June and hurried back to my apartment to get ready.
I’d finished doing my makeup and arranging my hair—not nearly as expertly as Merilee had, but still a decent attempt—and checked the time. Whit would be arriving any minute.
I hurried into the bedroom to slip into the dress but came to an abrupt halt as soon as I entered the room. It wasn’t hanging on the door where I’d left it.
“What the heck?” I muttered.
I rushed to the closet door and swung it open, rifling through the clothes hanging there. Which was ridiculous. I knew I’d seen it hanging on the closet door just that morning. And of course, it wasn’t in the closet.
Frustrated, I dropped onto the bed and covered my face with my hands, trying to retrace my steps. But that revealed nothing.
I glanced at my phone again.
“Damn it!” I pushed off the mattress but froze.
A corner of crimson fabric peeked out from under the bed.
Remembering all too well the last time I’d had to check under my bed for anything, I swallowed hard and eased down onto my knees, and then darted my hand underneath, yanking the dress out as fast as I could.
Fortunately, nothing sinister made an appearance and the dress was undamaged, just a little dusty.
Trying not to think about how the hell it had ended up there, I slipped into it and added the jewelry borrowed from Merilee.
I was just searching for the shoes that should’ve been sitting next to my closet when the doorbell rang.
Finally locating the shoes on the other side of the room as if someone had flung them there, I scooped them up and hurried to the door. “Just a sec!” I called, slipping them on.
I pulled the door open, my face flushed with excitement. But my smile faded instantly when I saw that it wasn’t Whit.
The man standing there was young, Hollywood-handsome, and dressed like he was preparing to set sail on his private yacht.
“May I help you?” I asked, closing the door halfway between us.
“Just introducing myself,” he said, extending a hand. “Carter Dean. I reckon you knew my grandfather.”
I blinked, confused. “I didn’t think Mr. Dean had any children or grandchildren. He wasn’t exactly fond of kids, from what he told me.”
Carter laughed lightly. “Sounds about right. We weren’t particularly close, but I’m the only family left.”
I could see a family resemblance. He could’ve been a much younger, much less bitter and cantankerous version of Old Man Dean. But something about him made me uneasy.
“I was told Mr. Dean didn’t have any family around,” I said, remembering my conversation with Whit about funeral arrangements. “Why didn’t you come sooner?”
Carter shrugged. “Like I said…not close. I only found out about my inheritance when Mr. Briggs contacted me.”
I frowned at the familiar name. “Mr. Briggs?”
Carter smiled, a smooth, bright smirk that hinted at silver-tongued assurances that ended in unkept promises. “Yes, my attorney. Do you know him?”
“Monty’s—Mr. Proffitt’s attorney was named Briggs,” I told him. “What a coincidence.”
“No coincidence at all,” Carter explained, leaning against the doorjamb.
“It’s the same person. Mr. Briggs made a point of mentioning that he’d represented the late, great Mr. Proffitt.
” His eyes took on a predatory look as his gaze slid along my body from head to foot and back again.
His voice dropped, thick with insinuation. “And you are…?”
“Not interested.”
My attention shifted over Carter’s shoulder where Whit had come up behind him and was now glaring daggers at the man’s back. Carter, however, only smirked and leisurely turned to face him.
“Whit,” he drawled. “A pleasure.”
“What do you want?” Whit asked, stepping around Carter to stand in front of my door, putting himself between us.
“Well now,” Carter drawled, “you wound me, Whit. I do not want anything at all except to introduce myself to this lovely woman. We are neighbors after all.”
“Fine,” Whit snapped. “You’ve done what you came to do. No need to stay.”
Carter’s smile tightened, hostile beneath the charm. “I see you all have plans, so I will excuse myself. I need to go put my grandfather’s affairs in order anyway. You know how it goes, I’m sure, having so recently lost your daddy and all.”
“Best get at it,” Whit said, jerking his head toward the stairwell.
Carter turned back to me and gave a two-finger salute before sauntering away.
“Do you know him?” I asked. “He said he’s Mr. Dean’s grandson.”
“Yes,” Whit said, “I know him. He won’t bother you anymore. I’ll handle it.”
I studied Whit as he stared down the hall after Carter Dean. There was clearly no love lost between them, but there was something more…territorial in the tension.
“He’s not my type,” I assured him. “I prefer tall, dark, and handsome.”
A smile tugged at his mouth, and he gave a short laugh as he turned toward me. But the smile faded, and for a heartbeat I saw a flicker of light in his eyes, something primal and hungry in the way he looked at me.
It sent a shiver through me—part desire, part fear. “What’s wrong?”
“My God, you’re beautiful,” he breathed. He stepped closer and caught my hand, drawing me to him. “I don’t think I’ve told you that lately. I should have. I meant to.”
“Well,” I said, my face growing warmer from the desire I saw in his eyes, “you have now.”
He brushed a soft kiss to my lips then groaned and pressed his forehead to mine. “We should go now,” he murmured, his voice rough. “Otherwise, we might never leave.”
I smiled. “Never leaving sounds tempting. But I didn’t get all dressed up in Merilee’s borrowed clothes just to sit at home.
” I took his hand and walked backward toward the elevator, pulling him along with me, lifting my brow in unspoken promise.
“Come on, Mr. Proffitt. We can pick up this line of conversation later.”
That hungry look in his eyes bordered on ravenous as we entered the elevator. He pulled me to him, his lips hovering over mine as he whispered, “You’d better believe we will…”