“Thanks, Mrs. Finch. Can’t wait for those cookies.” Fiona left the car keys with her to pass on to Denton to park the car. Then she ran up the grand staircase that curved off to the left and right. Its polished walnut banister accented the crisp white stairs. Her hand glided along the wood with appreciation for the perfect slide it had made back in the day for her and her cousins. The prohibited activity was also the reason for her many time-outs when she was caught by Mrs. Finch or, worse, by her grandmother. She smiled at the memories.
Fiona opened the bedroom and entered her personal space. All three cousins would stay on the same floor in side-by-side rooms. The aunts and uncles and her parents would stay in the other wing on the same level. But she wondered where Leo would lay his head. How hospitable was Grace feeling? The house was large enough for him to stay in one of the many guest rooms, but there was also the cottage off to the side of the property that could be used.
A knock on the door interrupted her reacquaintance with the room.
“Come in.”
A maid entered with the tray. “Hi, Miss Fiona, I’m Shawna. I’m new here.”
“Hi, nice to meet you. I’ll take the tray.” She crossed the room and retrieved the platter with all the tasty indulgences that Mrs. Finch had promised. She put it down on her bed.
As soon as the maid left, Fiona stripped off her clothes, grabbed the tray and headed for the bathroom. In no time, Fiona prepared her bath. The water steamed the mirrors and the suds were pleasantly thick, filling the room with a wonderful vanilla scent. After a bit of maneuvering, she had the tray set on a small table next to the tub.
Fiona sank down into the tub until the water covered her breasts. Her sigh was loud and full of her satisfaction. She reached for the sandwich first and bit into the warm bread and welcomed the gooey cheese. No doubt she’d be spoiled by Mrs. Finch’s staff before her two weeks ended.
Her phone rang. She gingerly pushed the talk button with her pinkie finger.
“Fiona? Where are you?” Dana’s question had a shrill edge.
“In my favorite bathtub. Eating my favorite sandwich—”
“I can’t believe you headed out early. And didn’t tell us. You’re wrong for that.” Dana carried on with her complaints.
“It’s not as if we were riding together.”
“Yeah, but you’re in that fab house. And I’m eating a Chinese dinner by myself. I miss Kent.”
Fiona took another bite of her sandwich. “Stop whining. Just come out early in the morning.”
Dana mocked her by echoing her statement.
“Uncalled for. And I’m about to hang up.” Fiona eyed the other half of her sandwich, which she wanted to consume in peace.
“Wait. I’ve got some details about your guy.”
“Not my guy.”
“Then you don’t need to know. Never mind.”
Dana’s teasing irritated Fiona’s resolve to maintain indifference under her cousins’ scrutiny.
“What’s going on?” Fiona gritted her teeth over Dana’s laughter.
“The reason for him being at the Hamptons is definitely a big secret.”
“You are really messing with my vibe.” Fiona put down the sandwich that she’d just picked up and waited for her annoying cousin to cough up information. “So Grace told you why Leo will be there?”
“I did ask and was told that it didn’t concern me. When it was the appropriate time, she would tell me. Then I got the dial tone.”
Fiona chuckled. “I give you points for going straight to Grace. But that’s not really clarifying anything.”
“I didn’t say that I was done. I asked Grandpa Henry.”
“So now you’re ready to get him kicked to the couch.” Fiona reached for a cookie instead. This conversation was getting better.
Dana laughed. “Grandpa knows how to handle his wife. Anyway, he said that Grace was meddling in stuff that she shouldn’t be. He also said that we’d need to remember that we are a family.”
“That sounds ominous.”
“He looked worried, but I’d say that he was more...um...introspective, and a bit sad.”
Fiona didn’t like secrets. The burden to hold them close could be unbearable. And her grandmother was the perfect type to have a bank vault of secrets. The Meadows matriarch was a planner and oftentimes a manipulator, but she was also a woman who’d had to work her way up in a man’s world. No doubt Grace had probably seen and done her share of the unmentionable.
“And what has that got to do with Leo?” Fiona didn’t bother to shade her curiosity with subtlety.
“Is he good with secrets?”
Fiona didn’t have to ponder the question. She had firsthand knowledge of their secret relationship and how Leo had done everything to keep it under wraps. He was always so concerned about his career and doing something to mess with his plans to fast-track the career ladder. “Good luck with trying to find out anything from Leo.”
“That’s why you’re the one to pry it from him. This is important.” Dana would not let her interrupt. “I’m not doubting Grandpa Henry’s feelings. Whatever is going on sounds as if it involves the family.”
Fiona felt a momentary pulse of panic. “I don’t need you giving me a job while I’m here. I’ll probably barely see Leo. And we don’t know when he’ll arrive.”
“Grandpa Henry clamped his mouth shut when I pushed about Leo. Can’t tell if he likes the man.”
“What’s there not to like?” Fiona blurted with a heavy dose of defensiveness.
“I don’t know, Fiona—tell me. You walked away from him.”
“My bathwater is cold. Time for me to get ready for my comfy bed. Enjoy the drive.” Retreat was a wiser choice.
Dana sucked in a breath. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to pinch your nerve. See you tomorrow, cousin.”
“Drive safely.” Fiona hung up.
Her mood, like her once-heated water, had cooled, turning stormy and restless with what was to come. Instead of wondering how her first meeting with Leo would turn out, now she was wondering more about why he had been invited to the family retreat. If Grandpa Henry was troubled, then the problem had to be a doozy.
“Leo Starks, what have you gotten yourself into with the Meadows family?”
After dressing for bed, Fiona parted the thick drapes at the window with her hand and peered out into the inky darkness that blanketed the wide expanse of land. The house sat recessed from the main road with its backside close to the bay. Tomorrow she’d catch up with her grandmother.
