Chapter 7 Intrepid
Intrepid
Kate smiled at the whirlwind before her.
“I think,” Kate said, her voice hitching with an emotion she couldn’t quite name, “that’s a wonderful idea, Mémé.
Shame on your boys for not cooperating! Though I’m just a guest, not a girlfriend.
I’m Kate.” She glanced at Nick as she said it to see a flicker cross his face—disappointment? No, surely she imagined it.
Her heart sank a little as she glimpsed a trace of sorrow in Marguerite’s eyes—a dimming of that brilliant sparkle. Marguerite’s expression was so sincere, with such earnest hope, that Kate felt she’d somehow failed this woman she’d just met.
“Pfft!” Mémé brightened and waved a dismissive hand, her bracelets jingling.
“Details, ma chérie, just details. You have kind eyes. Good eyes. You are here for breakfast, yes? These boys need more softness in their lives, too much business, business, business.” She patted Kate’s cheek with a tenderness that made Kate want to lean into the touch.
“Yes, Marguerite. She’s joining us.” Nick said, the smile in his voice caring and indulgent. “We were getting to know each other.”
“Bon!” Mémé clapped her hands together. Her soft French lilt curled around each word like a gentle embrace, making the simplest phrases sound musical
Nick brought Marguerite’s attention back to him with the smooth efficiency of someone well-practiced at redirecting this particular whirlwind.
“Weather delayed our trip to the island, so we detoured here. We arrived late last night and didn’t want to wake you, and just in time to assist Kate with her reservation issue. She’s staying in the guest suite.”
His voice carried an executive cadence—measured, authoritative—but softened at the edges when he looked at Marguerite.
“We uncovered a bit of an issue we must resolve, but we’ll fill you in later.
It looks like you are heading out on a brunch date with your beau,” he teased, an impish grin transforming him from CEO to mischievous boy in a heartbeat.
Huh, who would have thought the commanding CEO could be so gentle?
Marguerite wagged her finger at Nick, who towered over her by a full foot, and Zach was even bigger. Yet somehow, the tiny woman commanded the space, diminishing them with a single gesture.
Kate fought to stifle a giggle at the absurdity of their dynamic, at the way these dominant men became almost sheepish under a wagging finger’s censure.
“James is not my beau,” Marguerite scolded. “I have told you this many times. No one could ever replace my Bill.” Her voice caught on the name, a hairline fracture in her cheerful demeanor speaking of old grief worn smooth by time. “But he is a nice man, and I enjoy our brunches together.”
“Shall I stay?” Marguerite’s eyes sparkled with mischief as she looked between the two men. “I can reschedule! We retirees can always reschedule!”
Nick hugged her again, enfolding her in his arms carefully. “No, please enjoy your brunch. We can catch up at dinner tonight.”
“I can do that, and you will explain later.” She shook her finger at him again, although love saturated her tone. “Always something with you boys! If you promise you will be here when I return, I will run off now.”
Zach’s voice was so tender Kate couldn’t believe it came from the powerful man. “We’ll be here, we promise. Probably not this afternoon, but no matter what you might hear otherwise, know we’ll be back here tonight.”
The careful distinction in his words—the promise layered with warning—made Kate’s curiosity spike. What were they planning?
Marguerite smiled, every wrinkle on her face conspiring toward happiness. “I will go now. Prepare to tell me the complete story. It sounds intriguing.”
She turned to Kate and drew her in for another quick hug. “Anything you need, you come knock on my door—it is the first door on the left down the hall. I am almost always here.”
She pulled back, cupping Kate’s face. “And I truly do not understand what their problem is. How can they not recognize what a beautiful and intelligent lady you are? What am I going to do with them? I will never be a grandmère at this rate!”
Kate giggled as Marguerite rushed out the door, still muttering about her mischievous sons under her breath.
When the door closed, a fragile quiet rose in her absence, charged with something Kate couldn’t quite name—anticipation, maybe, or possibility.
Nick and Zach exchanged one of those long, weighted looks that made Kate feel like she was missing half a conversation. Something passed between them—a decision reached, an agreement made—all without a word spoken.
“You do that a lot,” she observed, settling back into her seat.
“Do what?” Nick asked, though his slight smile suggested he knew exactly what she meant.
“Have entire conversations without speaking. It’s like you’re telepathic or something.”
Zach’s expression flickered with something Kate couldn’t quite read. Nick’s smile widened, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Years of working together. You develop a shorthand.”
Nick grinned sheepishly. “Sorry about Marguerite—she’s a force of nature.
She was our housekeeper when we were teens and adopted us as her babies, as you heard.
” His expression softened. “She treats us like we are still ten years old one minute, but the next, she’s on us about giving her grandchildren! ”
His laughter faded into a rueful shake of his head. “She’s an amazing lady, and we love her. Don’t let her tease you too much, though. She’ll take over your entire life if you allow her.”
Warmth bloomed in Kate’s chest. “Not a problem! She’s lovely. I enjoyed meeting the whirlwind who turned you big, strong men into little boys!”
She let her gaze sweep over Nick, appreciating the breadth of his shoulders before meeting his eyes again. The air between them crackled.
Kate shook her head, still grinning, enjoying the easy camaraderie.
“So, to return to our conversation,” Nick said, leaning forward. “You came here to write?”
“Yes. My publisher extended my book tour, so in exchange, they agreed to pay half of my stay here to make sure I finish my current manuscript on time. The extension put me behind schedule, and I had this vacation already planned and booked.”
“The suite works for you? You’ll be able to make up the time?”
“Are you kidding? It’s perfect!” Enthusiasm surged through her.
“Right now, my mind is buzzing with ideas for finishing the story. I don’t think I’ll have any problems. I need to average about four hours a day to make my deadline, which should be easy here without any distractions.
” She paused, catching his gaze. “That will still leave me plenty of time to explore the resort and its amenities.”
“You’re planning on exploring?” He sounded pensive, and she nodded, confused by the shift in his energy. Of course she was. Why else would she be here?
“Any chance you might put your enhanced perception to work and play detective while you’re here?”
The moment the words left his mouth, Nick’s expression shifted—a barely perceptible tightening around his eyes. He turned toward Zach with a glare sharp enough to cut glass.
Zach’s face remained impassive, but Kate caught the barest lift of one eyebrow.
“Did I miss something?”
“Just Zach being Zach,” Nick said, turning back to her with a smile that seemed forced at the edges. “He has a talent for putting things... more bluntly than I might.”
Kate studied them both, her curiosity sharpening, but let it go. “Enhanced perception. Is that what you call it? Makes me sound like a superhero or something.”
“Isn’t that what authors are?” Nick’s smile turned more genuine. “People who see what others miss and weave it into truth?”
She couldn’t argue with that, but the deflection didn’t escape her notice.
Nick continued. “Right now, all we know is that an offshore LLC paid Victoria, and possibly others, to undermine our reputation.” His jaw tightened—the first true sign of anger she’d seen from him.
“According to Victoria, ‘they’ are planning to build a resort on the island, whoever ‘they’ are. Perhaps they think it isn’t big enough for both of us, so they’re trying to drive us out. ”
He shook his head. “Anyway, one of our core competencies is anticipating guests’ needs and desires and delivering them before they know they want it. They paid Victoria to undermine us right at the first impression, at check-in.”
When he sipped his coffee, Kate raised her hand like a student in class. “Before you go any further, I have a few questions. First, is that what you guys were doing all night, researching this LLC?”
Zach spoke, surprising her. “Partly. David, who you met last night—our Chief Technology Officer—scoured the computer system for unusual activity from Victoria’s ID and the fake Lena ID as well as checking for other employees with more than one ID. That won’t happen again.”
He continued, methodical. “I turned over rocks on Victoria to see what slithered out, and Nick combed land transactions for the island to find a location they might be planning on. And we investigated Lena’s background and Emma’s hiring record.”
“Busy night. Though I’m starting to think you three have some kind of hive mind.”
She’d meant it as a joke, but Nick’s coffee cup paused halfway to his lips.
“Good organizational systems,” Nick said after a beat too long. “Shared databases, project management software. Very boring, very corporate. Anyway, our strength is in anticipating guest needs. Victoria was attempting to undermine that right at first impression—check in.”
“Uh-huh.” Kate didn’t believe that for a second. “If I were an unscrupulous competitor, it would make perfect sense to attack your strengths and turn them into weaknesses. But here’s my real question: Why? This doesn’t sound like normal, healthy competition.”