Drop Dead Gorgeous (30 page)

“Is it Sue?
”
Sean felt Ricky’s eyes on him.

“I knew her,” he said quietly.

“Is it Sue?” Gillespie asked.

He shook his head. “I knew her, but no, this isn’t Sue Nichols.”

“Then, who the hell is it?” Gillespie demanded.

20

A
t nine o’clock, just after she returned from taking Brendan to school, Lori received a call from Jeff Olin. “Hi, Lori. Listen, the guys from the security company will be over at about ten, if that’s all right.”

“The security company—”

“To put in your alarm system. Your brother, your cousin Josh, and Sean are all in on this, so don’t go giving me any arguments. You’ll make me look really bad.”

“Jeff, but—”

“The guy who owns the alarm company
owes me, so we’re getting a great deal. And you’ll be safe, Lori. Everyone thinks you need an alarm. Andrew, Josh, Sean, Brad, Jan, your folks—everyone.”

“Didn’t Sue have an alarm system?” she asked.

“I think so.”

“Sue is gone.”

“Right, but it appears she’s off on a romantic vacation.”

“She wouldn’t just leave.”

“How can you say that? How well do any of us really know each other anymore?”

“Sue’s cat was dead, Jeff.”

“I know.”

“She didn’t strangle her own cat.”

He sighed. “There’s still hope for Sue,” he told her.

He didn’t believe it, not for a minute. He was just trying to reassure her.

“All right, fine, thanks. I appreciate your help, and your concern,” Lori said.

“Hey, what are friends for? The company is called SafeHome, and it will be two guys in a blue van.”

“Thanks.”

She worked on her design sketches, attaching bits of fabric to mix and match as she did so. Right before ten, she heard a car pulling into her drive. Assuming it was the alarm people, she went to the front. She was surprised to see that Michael Black had driven up in a white van with a big dolphin painted on the side.

“Company vehicle!” he called to her cheerfully.

“Cute,” she told him.

He walked to the door, smiling, blue eyes a lot like Sean’s, dark hair a little longer now, wild from the wind since he had
apparently
been driving with the window down.
“My
brother here?”

She shook her head.

“Do you know where I can find him?”

“No, Michael, I’m sorry, he didn’t tell
me
where he was going.”

“Hmm. Do you imagine he’ll be back any time soon?”

“I don’t have any idea.”

“Do you care if I wait around a while?”

“No, of course not. Come in.”

Even as she stepped back, allowing Michael to enter her house, she felt a sense of unease.

Sean himself thought that someone from their past was involved in all this. Naturally, he wouldn’t want it to be his own brother. Just as she wouldn’t want it to be hers. Or her cousin Josh, or
…

Or any of them.

“Want something to drink?” she asked him.

“Sure.”

She poured him a glass of iced tea. He sat at the kitchen table with her, smiling. He was as cute as could be, with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“So
…
there was an argument last night?”

“An argument?”

Michael shrugged. “Oddly enough, I do know my brother. Something strange was going on at Jan’s and thinking back—and
being the observant chap that I am—I put two and two together. I think that maybe, yesterday, a lot of people put two and two together.”

She sighed deeply. “Michael—”

“Sorry. None of my business. Maybe it is. He’s a great kid. Lori, is he my nephew?”

“Michael, I—
”

“Sorry, really. Honestly. I guess that isn’t open to discussion yet. But I hope we are related. I really like your son.” He glanced at his watch. “Where the hell is that brother of mine? I’ve a meeting
again with Seaquarium people…
” He looked at her. “Want to come for a ride?”

“What?”

He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. “Come for a ride with me. In my van.”

“Where?”

“The Seaquarium. We’ll open the windows, feel the breeze. It’s a nice day. Maybe you’ll relax.”

“I am relaxed,” she lied. She felt ridiculously tense, afraid. She didn’t want to be in a van with Michael, she realized.

Alone.

To her relief, she heard another vehicle in the road. “Sorry! I can’t. The alarm people are here.”

“You’re having an alarm put in?” he asked her sharply.

“Yes.”

“Jeff Olin’s friends are doing it?”

“Yes, why?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. I
don’t particularly trust Jeff.
”

“Why on earth not?”

Michael wrinkled his nose. “He’s an attorney.”

She laughed. “So is Brad!”

“Did I ever say I trusted Brad?”

“What about my cousin, Josh? You couldn’t find a nicer guy.”

“Really? You should ask a few of the women he’s dated about that.” Michael stood. “I guess I’m just not fond of attorneys—knew too many when I was young. Prosecutors, mostly, I’ve got to admit.”

“Jeff does good work, defending the innocent—”

“And not so innocent, I imagine. Anyway, kid, tell Sean I was by. And watch out for any alarm Jeff Olin’s friends install.”

“I think he’s done very well—Michael, what’s up with you?”

“Sorry. I like do
l
phins; lawyers are sharks! Just my opinion. And if you’ve got a houseful of other men, I’m leaving.” He grinned. “Watch out, now,” he warned.

“I’ll watch out,” she promised, humoring him. At the door she waved good-bye, wondering how long he would have stayed if the men from the alarm company hadn’t arrived, and why she had felt so terribly uneasy in his presence.

As the two men started working, she realized the irony of the situation—she was letting two strange men into her house so that strange people couldn’t break into her house. Michael had warned her to watch out, right
when
she had been thinking that she needed to watch out for Michael. She decided that absence was the better part of valor, gave her treasures up to thieves if that’s what they proved to be, and drove to the fabric store for more samples while they worked in her house.

She came home to find Ted, Jeff, and Andrew standing around,
watching the work
mens’ progress.

“Lori, you’re not supposed to let strangers in your house and leave them there,” Jeff told her.

“I thought I was being smart by leaving, so that I wouldn’t be alone with strangers.”

“You wouldn’t have been alone with them; I was coming over to be here with you,” Andrew chastised her.

She realized she wanted to smack her brother. He meant well, she supposed, but he was irritating her to death at the moment. He had added to the uncomfortable situation with Brendan, and now he was behaving as if nothing had happened.

“It’s okay, Lori,” Ted told her. “I’ve checked everything out; the van is empty—they haven’t taken any of your household treasures!—and these guys are licensed and bonded.”

“They can show you how to work the alarm,” Jeff volunteered.

“Great,” Lori said.

The two men installing the system were young, polite, and efficient. But when she had to give them a number code to punch in to set the alarm, she realized that Jeff, Ted, and
Andrew were all right behind her shoulder.

One technician seemed to understand her dilemma, and he took her aside to speak privately. “No one should know your code, and certainly not Dave and me here. Just remember the number you pick. Once you punch it in, it’s recorded at the office.”

By noon she had her alarm system. Jeff left to return to work, Ted returned to his patrol car, and she was alone with Andrew.

In the foyer he closed the door slowly, then turned to stare at her. “Lori, look, you’re my sister, my friend, we’ve kept secrets from one another, but I know that you’re angry right now
…
and I’m sorry. I can’t imagine
how Sean could have heard me…
I was upset, because I didn’t know the truth. I thought my nephew was about to get heavily involved with his half sister or something. I knew that you had just married Ian Corcoran to give your baby a father, and since you hadn’t shared the fact that you’d had an affair with Sean Black with me—”

“It wasn’t an affair.”

“Then, what the hell was it? Never mind, I don’t want to know. At the moment Sean and I just don’t get alon
g anyway. If he did something…
wrong with you—”

“He didn’t force me into anything, Andrew. It was just one occasion, rather accidental, and not an affair, that’s all.”

“So he really, truly, is Brendan’s father.”

“Yes.”

“If I caused you a lot of trouble—”

“Andrew, you didn’t cause anything.
Sean
knew before you started carrying on. And
he
was bound to find out anyway.”

“Why hadn’t you told him?”

She arched a brow. Then shrugged. “At the time, I couldn’t. He was gone. And now
…
now, I guess I just hadn’t gotten to it.”

“Did you tell Brendan?”

“Not yet.”

“Are you going to?”

“Eventually, yes.” She lowered her head and bit into her lower lip. If she didn’t, Sean would. Eventually. For now, Sean seemed determined to hold his peace. If he had lost faith in her, he had not done so with Brendan.

“I’m sorry, kid, really.”

She nodded. “You didn’t do anything, Andrew. Really. I’m a big girl—with an alarm system now. I can manage my life. So, out. I’ve got some work to do before I pick up Brendan.” Obligingly, he left, telling her to turn on the alarm as soon as he was gone. She did. She returned to her work, becoming so involved that she didn’t even turn the stereo on. At three she went to pick up Brendan. She stopped at an art supply store to buy Brendan some of the things he told her he needed for a drafting class, and then they drove to the Grove, where she was to meet Jan.

“Think Tina and I can still walk around alone together?” Brendan asked her defensively.

“In the right areas,” she assured him gravely, trying not to smile. Ah, young love. She remembered it well.

Far better than she wanted to.

It was nearly five when they got to the bookstore and Brendan asked Jan politely if it was all right if he and Tina took off alone together. Jan said of course, if they stayed smart and on the main streets. “And behave!” Jan chastised them.

“Oh, Mom!” Tina protested.

Brendan didn’t utter a word.

When they had gone, Jan took Lori’s arm. “I need a drink. And surely, you must, too. Just no champagne.”

“All right. But you love champagne?”

“Well
…
I really overindulged. It was the only way I could do it.”

“Do it?” Lori said, puzzled. Then she gasped. She’d been so wound up with her own fears and personal traumas, she’d forgotten about her friend’s dilemma. “Jan! You—you went through with Brad’s fantasy?”

“I told you, I need a drink,” Jan said firmly. “If you want me to talk, I need a drink.”

Lori couldn’t help but smile. “You didn’t say a thing to me yesterday!”

“I didn’t have a chance.”

“Of course I want you to talk. I’m dying of curiosity. Let’s go over to the place on the first floor at Mayfair.”

“Fine. I’ll talk—and you can tell me about Brendan’s daddy.”

“I don’t have much to tell. And how you and Brad knew that anything was going on—”

“Easy. You should have seen your face!” Jan said, winking. “Come on.”

A few minutes later they were seated in the restaurant at the bar, sipping pina coladas. “Well?” Lori asked.

Jan went crimson. “You first.”

“Quick easy story. He was mad.”

“Naturally. You had his child, and neglected to tell him.”

“It wasn’t that simple.”

“Of course not. But I don’t want to know about last night. Tell me how on earth you managed to have his child when no one—I mean no one!—ever had the slightest inkling that you two were ever anything but friends. Want to hear something funny? Brad’s ticked—all these years later—that you cheated on him. But then again, he was glad to hear it was Sean when he realized that many of us thought that Brendan might be his.”

Lori shook her head. “People shouldn’t think.”

“They have no choice when other people don’t tell them the truth,” she remonstrated softly.

Lori sighed. “Jan! I was seventeen years old.”

“You were always hung up on Sean.”

“Maybe. I went to see him when he was down after his brother Daniel died. One thing led to another. That was it.”

“That was it? Something that charged and emotional must have been traumatic. You never told me.”