Lucky Charm

CHAPTER ELEVEN

DEREK’S MORNING HAD BEEN a success. An older couple whose money he’d been managing for the past six months brought their newly married son and daughter-in-law to meet with him. They had a substantial sum from their wedding, and with both parties working high-end jobs, they were a definite bonus to his portfolio. Of course he’d had a difficult time concentrating on business when all he could think about was the night he’d spent in Gabrielle’s bed.

By the time he returned to his father’s house to pick up Holly, he was on a definite high.

He let himself inside. “Who wants lunch?” he called out with Holly in mind. He was in the mood for a celebration.

“Dad!” She came running, skidding in front of him on the hardwood floor.

“Whoa!” He held out a hand in case she didn’t stop in time.

“You’re just in time!”

“For what? What’s the hurry?” he asked.

“Grandpa’s radio went off!”

“What radio?”

“My police scanner,” Hank said, joining them.

“You have a scanner?”

“From my days as a volunteer fireman.”

“Day,” Derek said. “You lasted one day.” Derek shook his head. “Never mind. What’s burning?” Derek asked.

“Nothing’s burning. Gabrielle’s in trouble!” Holly said, her voice rising.

Derek’s nerve endings went on alert. “What?”

“The chief said something about a break-in at Mrs. Rhodes’s inn,” Hank said, translating for Holly.

Derek refused to panic. “There are three rooms at Mrs. Rhodes’s place. It could be one of the other people staying there.” But even as he suggested it, he vetoed the idea. Gabrielle had already had her car vandalized and received a threatening note. This wasn’t a coincidence.

He curled his hand tighter around his keys.

“Chief mentioned a home invasion at the famous writer’s room. Want me to watch little missy here?”

Holly shook her head. “Oh, no. I’m going with you to check on Gabrielle.” She folded her arms across her chest and a mutinous look crossed her face.

Derek grasped Holly’s forearms gently and lowered himself to her level. “Listen to me. I know you’re worried about Gabrielle. I am, too. But if I take you with me I’m going to worry about you, as well, and then I won’t be any good to either of you. What if I promise to call you as soon as I know she’s okay?”

“I guess.” She glanced down. “If you won’t take me, take Fred with you.”

He paused. “Dare I ask why?”

“Lots of reasons. Protection, for one thing.” She raised a finger in the air. “And he can be your drug-sniffing dog, for another.”

Derek stiffened. “Who said anything about drugs? Dad, have you been letting her watch your Scarface DVD again?”

Hank ignored him, placing his hand on Holly’s shoulder. “Want me to take you for that lunch in the meantime?”

She shook her head. “I won’t be able to eat until I know Gabrielle’s okay.” She glanced up at Derek. “What are you still doing here? Go!” she ordered him, pointing her finger at the door.

She didn’t have to tell him twice.

BY THE TIME THE POLICE arrived, Gabrielle had gotten over being scared and had moved on to being furious. This was the third time someone had threatened her since she’d returned to town and she was finished putting up with it.

After examining her room, the police had two pieces of evidence to work with-the door that had been jimmied and a message left in the bathroom, which Gabrielle hadn’t gotten close enough to see when she’d first walked into the room.

You were warned! The words had been scrawled in red lipstick on the bathroom mirror.

“Ma’am?” a young police officer, the one who’d already questioned her when he arrived, asked.

Gabrielle turned. “Yes?”

“Are you okay?”

She nodded. “What did you find?”

The officer scratched his head. “Nothing at a glance. We’ll have to see what Forensics uncovers.”

Gabrielle hoped Forensics was sophisticated in her old hometown.

“In the meantime, I suggest you don’t stay here.” He tipped his head toward her room. Two other officers remained inside.

“I thought as much myself.” But she didn’t want to go home.

Going back to Boston would be tantamount to admitting defeat. Giving the person trying to run her off exactly what they wanted. She didn’t see that she had much of a choice, though.

“I’ll need to know where I can reach you,” the officer said.

“She’ll be staying with me.”

Gabrielle turned at the unexpected sound of Derek’s voice. She might be an adult capable of handling things herself, but she couldn’t deny she was happy to see him.

“I’ll be right back,” she said to the policeman.

“Take your time.” He nodded and returned to her room.

Once the police were finished investigating, she’d have to pack up her things, but for now, everything she owned was on display for prying male eyes.

She took Derek’s elbow and led him to a private spot outside, beneath a tree. “What are you doing here?” she asked.

“Checking on you.” He cupped her cheek in his hand.

She turned her face into his palm, letting his strength calm her. “How did you know I needed checking on?”

“Intuition.”

“Seriously.”

“Dad’s police scanner. What happened?”

She shrugged, still not sure herself. “I dropped Holly off with your uncle Thomas and then I came back here. Someone had broken in while I was gone, tossed stuff all over and left a lipstick-scrawled message on the bathroom mirror.”

Derek clenched his fists. “What did the note say?”

“Nothing important.”

“Gabrielle…”

“It said, You were warned. But-”

He shook his head. “But nothing. Did you tell the police about the first note on your windshield?”

She nodded.

“And your car?”

She nodded again. “But we can’t be certain those things are related.”

“No, they’re coincidence,” he said, his sarcasm making his frustration clear.

“Fine.” She splayed her hands in front of her. “I’m just trying to calm you down. You’re getting all worked up.”

He was. His heart was beating hard against his chest and his palms sweat at the thought of someone wanting to hurt her in any way.

“Gabby, you’re coming home with me.” Where he could keep an eye on her. “I won’t take no for an answer.”

“As much as I appreciate your concern, you need to think this through.” She propped her hands on her hips, obviously ready to chastise him. “Someone is obviously after me. I don’t want to bring trouble to your doorstep.”

“I can handle it,” he said.

“You can, but do you really want to put your daughter at risk?”

That took the wind out of his argument. He ran a hand through his hair and groaned. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of Holly first.”

Her gaze softened. “You’re worried about me and I appreciate your concern. I do. But it’s better for everyone if I go back to Boston.”

He took her words like a punch in the stomach. Having just found her again, he wasn’t ready to let her go. “How do you know you’ll be any safer at home?”

“Because leaving is exactly what my tormenter wants me to do.” She bit down on her lower lip. “I can’t say it’s what I want to do, but I don’t see that I have any choice.”

He racked his brain for an alternative, but he couldn’t come up with one, either. “Maybe you’re right.”

She stepped closer, tipping her head back and meeting his gaze. “Will you miss me?”

He pulled her close and planted a long, sizzling kiss on her lips. One that made her light-headed and dizzy.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” she said, when she’d finally come up for air. “It’s a good thing I’m only an hour away. I might sleep at home, but I’ll be in town during the day. I still have research to do.”

He frowned. “I’m guessing that’s going to make someone even more unhappy.”

She nodded, a pleased smile on her face. “Exactly what I’m hoping for. I want to push them into showing their hand. How else can I find out who’s behind this unless I keep doing what I’m doing?”

“Unless you bait them, you mean?” Derek was beginning to like this scenario less and less.

“You might call it that.” She clasped her hand behind her back and swung from side to side, apparently pleased with her idea.

“I don’t like it. You’re deliberately trying to provoke this person?”

“I’m going to do my job. In the meantime, if you’re nice and supportive, you can visit with me while I’m in town.”

And keep an eye on her while he was at it.

He waited with Gabrielle until the police let her back into her room. In the meantime, Mrs. Rhodes had returned from her grocery shopping. The older woman was overcome by the news, so the police took her inside and they called her sister to come help her.

Now Derek sat on the bed while Gabrielle began packing up her things.

It shouldn’t feel final, but it did.

He shouldn’t be upset. But he was.

Neither one of them mentioned the words on the bathroom mirror or the mess she had to clean as she sorted through the clothes and papers that had been tossed around the room.

“I don’t have all that much to pack. I’ve been living out of a suitcase since I got here.”

He’d already taken all of her toiletries out of the bathroom and placed them on the edge of the bed so she wouldn’t have to go in there and see the bold words again.

She paused at the foot of the mattress and sealed each bottle in its own bag before placing everything in the female version of a dop kit and laying it on top of all her clothes.

She zipped the suitcase closed. “That’s it.” She turned back toward him.

“Let me help you to your car.”

To his surprise, she let him lift the suitcase off the chair and haul it out to the street. He wedged it into the back of the trunk and slammed the door closed.

“Thank you.” She treated him to one of her sweet smiles.

“I didn’t think you’d let me help.” She’d always prided herself on her ability to do things on her own.

“Do you want the truth?”

“Of course.”

“After last night, I’m a little sore in body parts I didn’t know I had.” She curled her hands around his shirt and pulled him closer. “Since you caused it, I figured it’s only fair that I let you do the heavy lifting for me today,” she said playfully.

Leaning forward, she planted a kiss on his lips.

He cupped his hands around her face and reciprocated, his tongue slipping easily inside her willing mouth. His heart kicked hard inside his chest and he tilted her head to the side, delving deeper into her sweetness.

She broke the kiss first. “I think you’re going to miss me,” she said, sounding extremely pleased.

She should be, Derek thought. Because he wasn’t just going to miss her, he was going to worry every second she wasn’t in sight. Which meant he’d be thinking about her.

Day.

And night.

DEREK ARRIVED BACK HOME in no mood for an inquisition, but resigned to answer Holly’s questions, anyway.

Sure enough, she greeted him as soon as he stepped in the front door. “How is Gabrielle?” his daughter asked. “What happened at her place? Did someone really break in? Did they take anything? Is she hurt?”

He slung an arm over his daughter’s shoulders and steered her toward the kitchen. “Gabrielle is fine. Someone ransacked her room, but the police don’t think they took anything of value. Does that cover all of your questions?” he asked, unable to contain a grin.

“Just the first few. Where is she? Is she scared to stay alone? I can’t imagine being by myself after something like that happened to me.”

He lowered himself into one of the kitchen chairs. “Gabrielle went back to Boston,” he told her.

“What? Why?”

“Because it’s safer there for her. Besides, that’s where her home is.” He glanced at Holly. “Would you mind getting me a Diet Coke?”

She shook her head and headed to the fridge, pulled out a plastic bottle and handed it to him.

“Thanks.” He twisted off the top and took a long, cold drink.

“Dad, why didn’t Gabrielle just come back here with you?” Holly looked up at him with her big, inquisitive eyes and asked the question he’d hoped she wouldn’t think about asking.

“I offered, but it seemed smarter for her to go home.”

Holly narrowed her gaze. “Smarter how?”

Sometimes he really wished she wasn’t so darned bright. “She didn’t want to bring trouble to our doorstep,” he said carefully, trying to find a way to phrase things without making her feel guilty.

“You mean, whoever broke into her place could break in here if she was staying with us?” Holly asked.

“That’s right.” He lifted the bottle for another drink.

“But you could handle anyone who broke in! So could Grandpa Hank,” she said, pride and certainty in her expression. Just as quickly, the light in her eyes dimmed. “She was worried about me, right? I’m the reason she didn’t come back to stay here?”

Derek ran a hand through his hair. “Baby, she lives in Boston. She belongs at her place. She was never going to stay here permanently, anyway.”

“But she never took me to Target like she promised.” Disappointment tugged at Holly’s lips. He hoped she wasn’t about to cry.

“Hey! Boston isn’t the other end of the world. Gabrielle has every intention of coming back here often. She’s working on a book and she has people to interview here. And I know she’ll take you shopping. She wouldn’t miss that.” He rose and ruffled Holly’s hair, hoping he was cheering her up.

It was difficult to force a smile when he was worried about Gabrielle going home alone. Still, whoever had a grudge against her obviously wanted her gone from Stewart. They’d have no reason to bother her in Boston.

“Uncle Mike can look after her in Boston, right? He kicks bad guys’ butts all the time!”

Derek shot her a warning look, but he let her get away with the comment. Because for an eleven-year-old, she was smarter than her dad. “Yeah. Uncle Mike can keep an eye on her.”

Derek might not like the distance between them, but he had to admit she was safer in Boston than she would have been here.

GABRIELLE PLANNED TO GO home, get some sleep, wake up and be back in Stewart the following morning. Life and routine got in the way.

She awoke, showered, made herself a cup of coffee and called her mother, just as she did every day. She’d spoken to Juliette while she was in Stewart, but now that she was home, her mother had plans for them.

“So I thought we’d have an early lunch at Le Petit Croissant and then we could go shopping at Neiman’s at Copley. Your father is teaching summer classes and so he won’t be joining us.”

“I won’t be able to make it, either, Maman. I have interviews I have to do back in Stewart.” Gabrielle tucked the phone between her ear and her shoulder, wrapping her hands around a big mug of coffee as she spoke.

“Then we can have breakfast early and you go do your interviews later in the day. I miss you,” her mother said.

Gabrielle smiled. “And I miss you, too. I’ll meet you in an hour.” Breakfast with her mother turned into a two-hour chat fest centered around Derek.

The small café was a favorite of her mother’s. Even when Gabrielle was a little girl, they’d often come into Boston and stop here on their shopping trips. Now that her parents lived in the city, her mother frequented the quaint café almost daily.

Juliette reached across the table and placed her hand over Gabrielle’s. “He hurt you badly,” her mother said, concerned.

She didn’t need the reminder. She’d lived it. “Not because he didn’t love me. I know what I’m dealing with now.” At least she hoped she did.

“Well, I always liked him. Derek was a nice boy. He treated you well while you were together. He made you happy and that is what counted then,” she mused. “But now? I want for you what your papa and I have.”

Gabrielle smiled. Her parents had a happy marriage. They understood each other. It was exactly what she wanted for her own life, Gabrielle thought.

Just as their brunch ended, her father called and invited his favorite women to dinner, which Gabrielle ended up accepting. She was an independent woman who lived her own life, but when her parents invited her, she always felt compelled to go. As if she didn’t want to miss out on any time with them.

But spending time with her parents didn’t mean she’d forget about Derek. And she certainly didn’t intend to let him forget about her.

Her first night home, she climbed into bed and called him before falling asleep.

The phone rang and rang. She was about to hang up when she heard his voice. “Hey, there,” she said.

“Hi, yourself.” His voice sounded huskier than usual.

“Did I wake you?” she asked.

“Not really.”

Gabrielle grinned. He never used to admit she’d woken him in the past, either. “I’ll take that as a yes. I’m sorry. I just didn’t want to go to bed without hearing your voice,” she said honestly.

“I’m glad you called.”

She curled on her side and snuggled into her pillow, the phone cradled against her ear. “And why’s that?”

“Your voice will be the last thing I hear before I go to sleep.” His deep tone rumbled through her.

Closing her eyes, she let herself imagine him lying in his bed, wearing nothing but the boxers he favored. She could almost feel her fingertips gliding through the coarse hair on his chest.

“Gabby?”

His voice brought her back to reality. “Hmm?”

“I asked how your parents are doing. Are you falling asleep on me?”

She licked her dry lips. “Not a chance,” she murmured. “My mother is fine. We had a nice breakfast. And we talked about you.”

He let out a groan. “I can only imagine how she feels about me these days.”

“She remembers you as a nice boy. I assured her that hadn’t changed. And my father is doing well, too. He loves teaching and I think he finds the summer even more challenging because the classes are smaller and his students really want to learn.”

Derek chuckled. “I do remember him trying to engage me in academic debates. I wasn’t much good against him.”

“Don’t feel bad. Nobody is. Anyway, they both said to say hi,” she said, fudging the truth.

In reality both of her parents were wary about her getting involved again with the man who’d broken her heart years ago. It didn’t help that he now had a child. An eleven-year-old child who only reinforced their opinion that he’d moved on and she hadn’t. Since Gabrielle wasn’t about to get into personal issues-or curses-with her academic-oriented parents, she decided to let it go. They’d been critical of the beliefs most of the people in town had even back when they’d lived in Stewart. She wasn’t about to assume their feelings had changed.

She’d just have to let time and Derek prove them wrong. Or so she hoped.

“Tell them I say hello, too.”

“I will.”

“When are you coming back?” he asked.

A touch of longing sounded in his tone. It matched the way she felt, too. She missed him. His laugh, his smile. His touch.

“Tomorrow. I’d like to conduct some interviews for my book.” And she hoped by stirring the pot, she’d smoke out whoever was after her.

He cleared his throat. “With whom?” he asked gruffly.

She curled her hand into a tight fist as she answered, knowing he wouldn’t like her reply. “I called Mary Perkins’s office today to make an appointment. Her granddaughter, Elizabeth, answered the phone. She said the mayor was out of the office and she didn’t have access to her appointment book.” But Gabrielle didn’t believe it for a minute. Elizabeth was totally anal, Gabrielle doubted the mayor could breathe without the younger woman knowing about it. Gabrielle knew she was being stonewalled and she’d decided to just show up tomorrow and wait until the mayor made the time to speak with her.

Derek expelled a harsh breath. “Why would you bother with her? She’s an old, bitter woman with an unreasonable hatred for my family and an unbelievable need for power.”

“That’s exactly why. She masquerades as a politician who wants the best for her town and constituents, but the more people I talk to, the more I learn that she’s almost universally disliked. She uses her family name to manipulate people. It’s part of the ramifications of believing in curses. I want to get into her psyche,” Gabrielle said.

“What you’re going to end up doing is upsetting whatever nutcase ransacked your room.” His voice rose in frustration.

“Shh! You’re going to wake Holly,” she said, hoping to calm him.

She pulled herself into a half-sitting position in bed, leaning against the headboard and pillows. “You knew I was going to interview people affected by the curse. I can handle myself. I promise.”

“I’m not sure I can handle you,” he muttered.

She smiled, knowing he’d given in. He might not like her choices, but his tone indicated he wasn’t going to fight them.

More relaxed, she eased back down into the bed. “I think you can handle me just fine.”

More important, he obviously still wanted to.

“How’s Holly?” she asked.

“Fine. I kept her busy planning her birthday party. Since her school friends are in New York, it’ll mostly be family, but she seems happy with it.”

“When is her mother coming back?”

“Two weeks.”

Gabrielle nodded. She understood how important this summer with his daughter was for Derek. “I’m happy for you.”

“Thanks. I’m pretty happy myself, considering things were so different this time last year.”

“Tell Holly I haven’t forgotten about our shopping trip.”

“Even if you had, she wouldn’t hesitate to remind you,” he said, chuckling.

Unable to control herself, Gabrielle let out a yawn. Her eyes were growing heavier with each passing minute.

“You should go get some sleep,” he said.

“No. I’m fine.” She wasn’t ready to let go of him just yet.

“Call me when you get to town tomorrow, okay?”

“’Kay,” she said sleepily.

“And remember if you have any problems, call my cousin Mike. You have the number I gave you?”

“Mmm-hmm.”

“Gabby?”

“Hmm?”

“Remember when we used to talk like this back in high school?”

She smiled at the memory. “We’d argue over who was more tired. Neither of us wanted to hang up first.”

She always used to fall asleep thinking that she loved him but couldn’t ever say so. He feared the word as much as the men in his family feared the curse. But she hadn’t had to say it. In her heart, she believed Derek had known she loved him back then.

Just as she loved him now…

GABRIELLE AWOKE WITH A start as the first rays of sunlight flowed through her bedroom window. She stretched and rolled over, her hip hitting a hard object.

She reached down to move…the telephone.

She’d fallen asleep while still on the phone with Derek last night, just as she’d done so often in the past. Smiling, she climbed out of bed, showered, put on her makeup and was getting dressed when her cell phone rang.

She dug her phone out from her purse and answered. “Hello?”

“Hi. It’s Sharon.”

“Where are you? I haven’t heard from you since you left for the conference. You librarians must be heavy-duty partiers,” Gabrielle said, laughing.

Sharon didn’t laugh. “I’m not at a conference.”

“Just where are you, then?”

“At the moment? I’m about half an hour from Stewart. My car broke down at the motel I’m staying at and I need you to come get me. I’ll explain when you get here.”

Gabrielle grabbed a pen and a pad she kept next to her kitchen telephone. “Give me the address. I’ll be right there.”

Sharon repeated the name of the motel and then, reluctantly, gave Gabrielle the address-which just happened to be in the same town she and Derek had found Sharon’s ex, Tony.

Gabrielle expelled a long breath, holding back from chastising her friend until she could do it in person. “Sit tight. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“I knew I could count on you,” Sharon said.

Almost an hour later thanks to traffic and a miscalculated exit, Gabrielle pulled into the motel parking lot where Sharon’s car had died. Sure enough, Sharon’s sedan was in one of the parking spots.

Sharon walked out of a side motel entrance. Dressed in dark pants and a black tank top, sunglasses perched on a baseball hat, she joined Gabrielle. “I called AAA and they should be here soon. We can leave after they’ve towed my car.”

Gabrielle nodded. She seated herself on the curb and waited for Sharon to do the same. “Since we have time, do you want to explain why you look like a cat burglar? And make it good because I’m about to have you committed.” She raised an eyebrow and waited.

Sharon took a long breath. “I went to stalk Tony,” she said on a rush.

“You what!” Gabrielle jerked around to stare at her friend.

“It’s more rational than it sounds, I swear. I just wanted to see what he was up to. What his life is like. If it’s possible he’s reformed, as he claims.”

Gabrielle opened her eyes wider in disbelief. “Why didn’t you say something? I would have come with you!”

“That’s why. I had to do this for myself. I had to see for myself.”

“And?”

Sharon met her gaze. “He has a wife and a child!”

“Whoa. He said he lived with his sister. He lied?”

Sharon nodded. “Apparently so.”

“Now, that’s a shock. A convicted felon who’s also a liar.” Gabrielle bit the inside of her cheek. Now she understood why he’d stepped outside and hadn’t wanted to let them into the house. “So if he lied about that, what else is he lying about? He obviously didn’t want his family to know what he did to you.”

Sharon shook her head. “I don’t think so. It’s weird, but I’ve watched him for a couple of days and he’s different. Mellow. More at ease than he ever was before. I actually do think he’s changed.”

“Or maybe he hasn’t and this life is a cover.” Gabrielle placed her hand over her friend’s.

“I considered that, too. There’s only one way to find out.”

“And that is?” Gabrielle was almost afraid to ask.

Sharon smiled grimly. “I’m going to have to confront him.”

Before Gabrielle could respond, the tow truck pulled up in front of them. She couldn’t continue this talk now, but once the car situation was settled, Gabrielle had every intention of nixing Sharon’s suicidal idea.