The Heart of Lies

chapter 8



The next morning, Emily woke with a splitting headache. She had endured another night of restless sleep, a jumble of thoughts about Evan, visions of Colin, and dreams about Maggie and Lucas that did not end well. Several times in the night she sat up, spooked and wide awake, checking the clock. Once she even checked for her gun in the nightstand.

She hardly remembered the details of the dreams, just the ominous, unnerving mood they left behind, especially the unsettledness about Maggie and Lucas. She and Isabel had had a bad feeling about Lucas from the start, but what she overheard Maggie’s brother say, continued to prick her like a thorn in her side.

Emily glanced at the clock. Six thirty. The sun was just starting to come up as she padded barefoot down the hallway. The dawning light cast uneven shadows which gave her a chill that slithered up her back as she remembered that someone had recently invaded her quiet domain. She glanced around, then stepped into the kitchen, and turned on the coffee maker. She moved to the breakfast bar and perched on a stool to wait.

Tapping her nails on the counter while the coffee sputtered into the pot, she wondered what she could do to find out what Lucas was really up to. She’d make a point to talk to Isabel today.

Soon, a fully caffeinated Emily slipped into her jeans and t-shirt and decided to hit the shooting range to get in some practice. She half-wished she had a self-defense class that morning or a kick-boxing session to work out some of her tension.

~*~

As Emily left the shooting range, pleased with the close cropping of bullet holes on her paper targets, she received a call from Camille. Maggie had phoned Camille first thing in the morning, she said, and asked her to plan an engagement party for the coming weekend.

“It’s going to be a casual affair, just close friends and family. Maggie wants a barbecue—chicken, ribs, the whole thing. I’m having the party at my house this Friday night at seven. You’ll be there, won’t you?”

“I’d love to come. I know I’m not the best cook, but is there anything I can bring?” Emily asked, trying to sound pleased.

“I think I have everything covered.”

“Camille, can I ask you something?” Emily’s voice grew serious.

“What is it, Em?”

“Don’t you think this is kind of sudden?”

“It is rather fast, I have to admit, but Maggie’s no spring chicken. She says she’s met the man of her dreams and she’s ready to take the plunge. Why do you ask?”

“Just seems awfully soon to me. We don’t actually know Lucas very well. What if he’s not what he seems?” Emily asked, trying not to expose all of her concerns.

“Do you think you might be feeling that way because you discovered your Evan was not who he said he was? Perhaps you’re projecting your suspicions about Evan onto Lucas?”

Camille’s question stung, but Emily had to consider that she might have a point. “You could be right. Maybe they’ll have a long engagement.”

“Oh, Em, hasn’t Maggie told you?”

“Told me what?” Emily asked nervously.

“They’re getting married two weeks from this Saturday.”

“Oh, Camille, that’s too fast. What’s the rush? She’s not pregnant, is she?” Emily asked, praying the answer was no.

“No, she’s not pregnant,” Camille chuckled.

“Whew! That’s a relief,” Emily sighed.

“It’s funny you should say that, though. I asked her the same thing. She told me they haven’t even slept together yet.”

“Really?” Emily was glad for that bit of news.

“She said Lucas told her he was old fashioned and wanted to wait for the wedding night.”

“Old fashioned?”

Camille ignored Emily’s query, not offering further comment on it. “Oh, and the best part, I almost forgot to tell you—Maggie said she called Josh last night and told him about the engagement. He told her he’d already planned to be here in the next day or two, and he’ll be able to stay for a couple of weeks or so. That might be why Maggie wants the wedding so soon, so her son can be there.”

“Could be. It’ll be great to see that kid again. I’m sure Maggie is thrilled.”

“Over the moon is how she put it,” Camille replied.

“What about Lucas’s friends and family? Can they get here that quickly?”

“Don’t know, Maggie didn’t say. I guess we’ll see.”

~*~

As soon as she finished her conversation with Camille, Emily phoned Maggie.

“Hey, Em, I was just fixin’ to call ya,” Maggie said. “I wanted to invite y’all to my engagement party Friday night.”

“I just got off the phone with Camille and she filled me in.”

“Then y’all already heard that the weddin’ is goin’ to be two weeks from Saturday?”

“Yeah, Cam told me. Where are you holding it?” Emily asked.

“Well, that’s another reason for my call. I was wonderin’ if we could have it in y’all’s backyard. You have such a beautiful garden, all the flowers and rose bushes, and that lovely white gazebo that Evan built would be perfect. It’s goin’ to be a small, intimate weddin’ and I just thought…”

“Absolutely, Maggie, anything for my friends.” Although Emily was happy to offer the garden, the truth was she hadn’t been back there to enjoy the beauty of it for quite some time. She’d paid a local landscaper to keep it mowed and trimmed because it had been too painful to be out there after Evan’s death. Together they had planned it out and planted all the flowers and trees, and he had built her the most beautiful white gazebo for their third anniversary.

In the spring months, when she dated Colin, before he left for San Francisco, she never once took him out to the garden. She had physically and emotionally shut the door to that place, and now she wondered how painful it might be to watch her friend get married in Evan’s gazebo.

“Looked like Lucas was selling a lot of those resort condos last night after the presentation.” Emily changed the subject.

“Yes, they were sellin’ like hotcakes. Quite a few people put deposits down on their units. I’m so proud of my Lucas. Oh, and we have a special event set up next week where Lucas has chartered two luxury buses to take prospective Whitetail Resort members up to the mountain. He’s gonna show them around so they can see the lake and where the golf course is gonna be and all that. I think the foundation may even be poured for the first set of condos.”

“Wow, Maggie, that sounds exciting.”

“Lucas did take a lot of deposits last night, about thirty I think, but there were some people who said they just couldn’t visualize the resort from a drawin’. I think he’ll sell more of the condos if people can actually see the gorgeous scenery and the project underway.”

“Makes sense.”

“Would y’all like to go?” Maggie asked.

“I might,” Emily answered, thinking it may give her an opportunity to see what he’s really selling. She wanted to believe he was a great guy, honest and sweet, but something wouldn’t let her jump onboard. Maybe it was Isabel’s suspicions—maybe it was her own.

“He’s goin’ to be very successful with this resort, Em, and I’ll have the life I’ve always wanted.”

“Sounds like it,” Emily agreed. “Will all that money make you happy, Maggs?”

“Oh, it’ll be nice not havin’ to worry about payin’ the bills for a change, but I’ll be totally happy to have a wonderful man in my life, that loves me. I couldn’t be happier if I was twins, as my daddy used to say.”

“Then I’m happy for you, too.” That wasn’t a total lie. Emily was glad to see Maggie happy, but she hoped Lucas wasn’t setting her up for a fall. She resolved to keep digging.

~*~

His mother and her new boyfriend picked Josh up at the airport on Thursday around noon. She’d been so excited. On the phone, she’d told Josh that she couldn’t wait for her son to meet the man of her dreams.

Josh saw his mom and went to give her a big bear hug and then he politely shook Lucas’s hand.

“I thought you’d be wearin’ your uniform,” his mother said.

He shrugged. “It’s in my bag. I thought I’d go casual today and blend in.”

They went to lunch at the Blue Moon Café, which gave Josh a chance to get to know his mother’s future husband. The visit was pleasant and Josh could see his mom was happier than he’d seen her in a long time.

There had been other men, other boyfriends, but none she had committed to marry. He’d been surprised by the swiftness of their courtship and the rush to the altar, but if marrying this man was going to make her happy, he was going to be pleased for them and do his best to like her new man.

Once lunch was over, Lucas said he needed to get back to work. Josh thought he might drop by Lucas’s office later and have a man-to-man talk with him, without his mother there. In private, he would be able to talk more freely with Lucas.

~*~

Late that afternoon, Lucas sat at the desk in his office going over the Excel spreadsheets he had spent hours designing to keep track of the condo units and the sales. Twenty-nine units sold that first night. He looked at the screen with a satisfied grin.

“Total sales of nine million, four hundred and fifty thousand,” he said as Fiona walked into his office from the front area where she worked.

“So how much in deposits from Tuesday night’s meeting?”

“Let’s see…at twenty-five percent…that would be two million, three hundred sixty-two thousand and five hundred dollars.”

“That’s a lot of money, Lucas.”

“I thought I’d have to hang out in this town and make friends with these people before they’d trust me enough to invest, but I guess we were right in picking Maggie and Sully as our connections.”

“Maybe it’s not Maggie or Sully at all. Maybe it’s just that these people were ripe for a new resort nearby, somewhere new and exciting to spend their time and money.”

“You could be right. I think we can get another forty or so under contract after our trip up the mountain next week, which should be more than double our haul. At least a handful more by the time the wedding rolls around and then we’re out of here.”

“Have you heard from the boss lately?” Fiona asked.

“No, but I’m sure our progress reports are expected. Even though the boss came up with the initial idea, I’m doing most of the work.”

“Hey! What am I? Chopped liver?”

“Sorry, babe, I just meant—”

“I know what you meant, that you’re the top dog and I’m here to back you up, handle all the finances, and watch you romance another woman.” She turned her face away.

“It’s just a role I’m playing. You can’t think I’m actually falling for Maggie.”

“I don’t know what to think,” she snapped, turning back to face him, “but you’re making it look awfully believable. It’s hard for me to watch.”

“Do you think we’d be raking in millions if I didn’t make it look believable?” he shot back. “You think her brother would have invested in this project if he thought for a nanosecond that I was a fraud?” His voice rose with irritation at having to explain this all to her again.

“You’re right,” Fiona said, waving her hands in surrender. “I’m sorry.” She walked around behind him and began to gently massage his shoulders. “I just love you so much.”

“You shouldn’t be doing that. Someone could walk in and see us.”

“I know. I just need to touch you.”

“Keep your eye on the prize. In two weeks, you and I will be sipping mojitos on the beach with millions in the bank, leaving Paradise Valley, and the boss, in the dust.”

Fiona leaned her head down next to Lucas’s.

“Lucas!” Josh hollered from the doorway. He had walked in on them, finding Fiona with her hands on him and the side of her jaw touching Lucas’s sandy brown hair.

Lucas stood up and displaced Fiona’s hands.

“Josh.” Lucas’s mouth went dry and a sheen of sweat covered his face. “It’s not—”

“It’s not what?” Josh cut in, asking through clenched teeth. The vein in his neck was bulging as his hands balled into fists.

Fiona backed away from Lucas, and sidestepped Josh, as she slinked out of the room.

“It’s not what you think.” Lucas’s gaze went beyond Josh to Fiona standing in the outer office as he searched for a believable story. “Fiona and I were going over the numbers from the sales so far. I complained about my shoulders being stiff from sitting at this computer and she offered to massage them. That’s all.”

“That’s not what it looked like to me.” Josh’s eyes narrowed as he stared into Lucas’s face.

“That is what happened.” Lucas’s voice moved from shaky to calm. “You just misunderstood what you saw. I would never cheat on your mother.”

“I want to believe you, but somehow I don’t. I’m going to be watching you. If there’s any funny business going on, I won’t stand by and let it happen. You hurt my mom, you’ll deal with me.”