It shouldn’t surprise him that Lauren had, as well. Somehow, though, it did. When he’d heard that she’d be offering a week’s worth of her services as a personal chef at the auction, he’d wondered what it would be like to see her again, had wondered if she’d be married or single, changed or the same. He’d pictured her in loose sweaters and baggy jeans, hair pulled away from a pale makeup free face. He’d thought she’d stand quietly in the background, a little mousy, a little shy. What he hadn’t imagined was the self-assured professional she’d become, the stunning beauty she no longer tried to hide. Where she’d once been content to hide in the shadows of her sister’s popularity, she now seemed determined to shine, her understated sophistication exactly what Seth would have expected from any other woman in her profession.
He just hadn’t expected it from her.
As if she sensed his thoughts, she turned her head, scanning the tables, her gaze drifting from person to person and finally coming to rest on Seth. For a moment, their gazes held, a million memories passing between them. Then she looked away, her smile fading just a bit, some of the animation and vitality seeping from her expression.
He’d done that to her. And a lot worse. Though, as she’d said earlier, that had been years ago. He’d apologized for the way he’d broken off their relationship and then he’d put it behind him.
At least he’d thought he had.
“You’re going to bid on this aren’t you?” The stage whisper came from Jeannine Maynard, a retired employee of Magnolia College and Seth’s busybody neighbor. She’d been the one to tell him about the renowned chef from Savannah who planned to auction off a week’s worth of allergen-free meals.
“It’s why I came, Ms. Jeannine.”
“Then get to it before the auctioneer closes the bid and you lose out.”
Seth raised his card, topping the previous bid and noting the slight widening of Lauren’s eyes. She wasn’t happy, but he hadn’t expected her to be. Unfortunately for both of them, Seth’s son Jake’s dietary needs took precedence over anything else.
“You’re going to pay a pretty penny if you want to win this one, Seth. Quite a crowd showed up tonight.”
“There’s no surprise there.” An older gentleman seated next to Jeannine spoke up. “Everyone is hoping there’ll be some mention of the investigation into the body that was found at the college.”
“Skeleton. Not body. Buried under the sidewalk of all things. You’d think someone would have noticed while they were pouring the cement.” Jeannine flashed her own card, upping the bid and smirking at Seth.
“Not if the body was under a layer of dirt.” Seth flashed his card again, caught Lauren’s glare, but chose to ignore it.
“Do they have any idea whose body it was?” The woman across the table leaned in, her eyes wide behind thick-lensed glasses.
“If they do they aren’t saying.” Seth flashed his card again, driving the bid higher.
“From what I hear, they think it’s a woman. Young. Maybe a student who was attending the college.” Jeannine spoke quietly, and everyone at the table leaned toward her. Except for Seth. He’d heard the information before, had spent way too much of his time speculating about who it could be. A woman. Someone who’d disappeared ten years ago.
Ellen.
His half sister and his parents had had a big blowup the year Jake was born. Ellen had stormed out of the house and never returned.
That had been ten years ago. About the same time the first renovations had been done on Magnolia College’s library. About the same time the sidewalk had been poured. She’d had friends in Magnolia Falls and a job doing freelance photography for the public relations department at Magnolia College. And now she was gone.
Seth flashed his number again, trying to block out the conversation and his own morbid thoughts. Sure Ellen had had a lot of friends in Magnolia Falls. It was possible she’d visited there after the blowup with their parents, but that didn’t mean she had. It certainly didn’t mean her body had been hidden under a sidewalk for the past ten years.
Seth bid a final time, winning Lauren’s chef services and then following her progress as she made her way through the crowded room. She took a seat at her table, whispering to her sister, Deandra, who wasn’t quite as restrained. She shot Seth a look filled with malice. Obviously, she wasn’t going to let bygones be bygones. Jennifer, Cassie and Kate were at the table, too, and glanced in Seth’s direction before leaning forward and beginning what looked like an animated conversation.
They could talk all they wanted. Seth had accomplished his goal. The only person he had to explain things to was Lauren, and he’d have plenty of time to do that while they worked on the menu for Jake. As for the rest of the ladies, they’d just have to hear the details from her.
Steff announced the next item up for auction and another bidding war began. This one over a summer’s worth of lawn service. Lauren’s sister made a bid, the woman next to her saying something that made the rest of the table laugh. As Lauren’s companions turned their attention to other things, Lauren whispered something in Deandra’s ear, grabbed a small handbag from the floor and stood, moving quickly toward the door and out of the room.
Five minutes passed, then ten as Seth tried to convince himself not to follow. He didn’t do a good job of it and finally gave up the effort, pushing back his chair and standing.
“Are you leaving already?” Jeannine looked up from a dinner roll she was slathering with butter.
“Just going to call and make sure my son isn’t giving the babysitter grief. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
“As if that sweet young man could ever give anyone trouble.”
“I won’t tell him you called him sweet.” Seth strode away from the table.
The lobby was empty, the sounds of laughter drifting in from the events room barely disturbing the refined air the inn worked so hard to maintain. He pulled his cell phone from his pocket, dialing his home number as he stepped outside into cool September air, his gaze scanning the parking lot.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Reese. It’s Seth.”
“Is everything okay?” Reese sounded as bubbly as ever. Apparently her ten-year-old charge hadn’t worn her out yet.
“Everything is fine. I just thought I’d check in. Make sure my son wasn’t giving you trouble about his bedtime.”
“You know he is. He wants more time to read the book I brought him.” A junior at Magnolia College, Reese had been Jake’s babysitter for two years. Seth had come to value her dependability. Being a single parent was hard. Having reliable child care made things easier.
“How much time do you plan to give him?”
“You know me too well. Is a half hour okay?”
“Works for me, but tell him that if he values tomorrow’s fishing trip, he’d better not push for more.”
“I will. See you when you get home.” The phone clicked as Reese disconnected, and Jake shook his head, smiling a little as
