Jennifer Lewis – A Trap So Tender (страница 7)
It rang the inevitable four times before he answered with a gruff, “Hello.”
“Hi, Dad.” She smiled at the sound of the words. She’d longed all her life to have a relationship with her father. She’d gone almost twelve years without even seeing him, and she was still angry with her mother for insisting that it was best to leave him alone.
“Who is it?” He did have an abrasive tone. She could see he wasn’t a good match for her bubbly, artistic mother.
“It’s Fiona.” Who else could he think it was? He didn’t have any other children. He was funny. “You won’t believe where I’m calling from.”
Suddenly she wondered if she should tell him. Would he believe she’d come all the way to Scotland just to help him out, or would he suspect she had entirely different motives in climbing into James Drummond’s bed? Or one of them, at least.
“Where are you, Fifi?”
The term of endearment made her smile. If anyone else called her that she’d knock the person flat, but every conversation with her dad was a dream come true. “I’m in Scotland. At James Drummond’s estate.” She held her breath, waiting to see if he’d explode in a volley of abuse at the man he hated so much.
But dead silence hung in the air. She heard noise, like something happening at the other end of the line.
“I’m here to get your factory back, Dad.”
“What? You can’t do that. It’s gone. That bastard stole it.” His words burst into her ear, so loud she almost dropped the phone.
“He owns it, yes, but he hasn’t done anything with it. As long as it’s still standing, I can buy it back.”
“He won’t sell it.”
This was true. She’d had a local real estate agent approach him and met with a firm refusal. But hopefully getting to know him would change things. “Every item has a price at which it becomes disposable.” Even she had her price when they finally offered her so much money for Smileworks that she couldn’t say no. “I’ll convince him.”
“He’s an evil man.”
“Not evil.” She frowned. “Just misguided.” Not unlike her father. Her mom had told her unflattering stories about him when she was growing up. Not all at once, but a little at a time. How he never uttered anything but criticism, worked twenty-three hours of the day and put every penny he earned back into the business so she had to make meals with rice and broth. Not the existence a young bride dreams of. Now that Fiona was an adult, she understood that everything worth achieving required a sacrifice. Her father and mother were just cut from different cloth: her mom’s soft and flowery and her dad’s crisp and tailored. She knew she was more like him. “He’s not so bad, really.”
“Why did he invite you? Is he trying to take advantage of you?”
“You be careful around that snake.”
“Don’t worry, I will.” She’d have to put a double lock on her chastity belt. His hard, serious gaze had a disconcerting effect on her libido. “I’m trying to get to know him better so I can come up with a good plan. I’m currently leaning toward telling him I need to buy a building in Singapore as part of my next business. If he’s as ruthless as they say, he won’t mind selling as long as he’s screwing me over.”
“Don’t give your money to that demon. He stole it from me.”
“I know. Did you call the lawyer I told you about?” Surely if it was illegally obtained, her dad could get it back through the courts.
“Pah, lawyers. They’ll just take more of my money and keep it.”
“So he paid your taxes and got to keep the building? I don’t really understand how that can happen.”
“I was a little late with them. Not much, you understand. Just a little late.”
How late? The government office she’d contacted said he’d lost the property through nonpayment but wouldn’t reveal the details. Her dad firmly maintained that James had stolen it. Her relationship with her dad was still in a delicate, early stage and she didn’t want to do anything that might embarrass him and drive him away. “I’ll figure something out. Anyway, I wanted to let you know where I am so you don’t worry.”
“It sounds like I have good reason to worry, Fifi. You watch out for yourself with that
“I will.” She wanted to protest that James didn’t have red hair, but of course the term
“I’d love that, Fifi. It’ll be my treat.”
She swallowed. She wasn’t sure he could even buy her dinner at McDonald’s at the moment, but he’d be terribly upset if he knew she knew that. She had to come up with all kinds of creative stratagems to pay for their meals and buy him presents. His pride had no doubt played a part in his fall—a lesson she could learn from. “Great. You’d better not call me here, just in case. I don’t want them to figure out I’m your daughter. I’m keeping everything secret.”
He laughed, obviously delighted by the subterfuge. “My lips are sealed.”
“I’ll call again soon.” She hung up, with a sudden rush of emotion and happiness that she had a second chance to grow close to her father. She wasn’t going to blow it. He’d always wished for a son to carry on his name, but she’d show him that a daughter could be even better.
Her next encounter with James came at the breakfast table. Bored and restless alone in her room, she grew brave and ventured downstairs by herself. She hadn’t fallen back to sleep after her conversation with her father, and now she was starving. Dishes of bacon, a rack of cold toast with butter and marmalade, a vat of jellified oatmeal. All very austere and aristocratic. She wolfed down some toast and bacon, and three cups of brutally strong tea, and was feeling fairly human by the time he strode in.
“Sorry I wasn’t down first. I was more tired than I thought.”
“No worries. I found my way here. I might get used to having breakfast waiting for me every morning.”
“Would you like coffee? We do have some, way up in a cupboard somewhere.”
“I’ll survive on tea. I like to go native when I’m in a new place.”
“Katherine emailed me pictures of the other two parts of the cup. I’ve just sent them to you.”
She pulled out her phone and looked at hard-to-read images of dark metal against a white background. “She’s very excited that I’m finally looking for it. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that I’m using security guards to prevent people from combing the estate for it and claiming her reward.”
Fiona smiled. “We’d better find it quick before she raises the reward to attract more people.”
“Too true.” James was more annoyingly handsome than ever. He wore loose riding breeches with tall leather boots and a checked shirt, which should have looked silly but made him seem tall and dashing and like the lord and master of all he surveyed. “I’m going riding this morning and I thought you might join me, if you’re interested.” His eyebrow lifted slightly. Was he calling her bluff? Maybe he didn’t believe she could ride.
“I’d love to.” She smiled coolly. “I hope it’s not against the law to ride in jeans and loafers.”
“We have so many old laws here I just assume everything’s forbidden and go ahead with it anyway.” He piled bacon, toast and some bright orange scrambled eggs onto a plate. “Luckily the place is so big and remote there’s no one around to stop me.”
“Good.” Her pulse had quickened. Possibly from the prospect of galloping through the Scottish countryside, but more likely from the early-morning vision of James, with his dark hair wet and slicked back, and droplets of water still clinging to his neck and dampening the collar of his shirt. “Do you miss riding when you’re in Singapore?” She still found it odd that he chose to spend most of his time there when he had his own grand empire here in Scotland.
“Not at all. I play polo at least twice a week.” He drank some tea.
“Oh.” Of course. No wonder he looked so fit and muscular.
“Do you play?”
“No. I’ve never tried it. I’d love to, though.”
He raised a brow. “Really? We’ll have to look into that when we’re back in Singapore.”
Her heart beat faster. Damn, she wished she could take him up on his offer. She’d always wanted to play polo but never had the chance. Going for trail rides and the occasional jumping competition was a pretty exclusive experience back in Cali, and she’d felt privileged to do that. But of course by the time they were back in Singapore, James would likely know who she really was and probably hate her guts, so she wouldn’t be invited to his polo club.