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That seems reasonable. I check my watch and see it is a quarter to nine. Paige has gotten my package by now and I have a few minutes before the fire inspector will arrive, so I try out our new means of communication.

I take out the phone meant only for Paige’s calls and dial her number. She must have had the phone in her hand because she answers on the first ring. “Good mornin’, Mr. Henry.”

“Good morning, Miss Beckett.”

“Are you wondering how I knew it was you?” I could hear the amusement in her voice.

“Could it possibly be because I’m the person who sent you the phone and I’m the only person with the number? Or because my name came up on the caller ID?”

She laughs. “None of the above.”

“No, huh?” Though I’d been in a hurry before leaving this morning, I had taken the time to program a personalized ringtone. “Maybe it was the ‘Talk Dirty to Me’ ringtone.”

“That’s the more likely reason.”

“Liked that, did you?”

“Very much so. You deserve extra points for that.”

So, she’s keeping score? “I was unaware of the extra point system. What does a personalized ringtone earn me, Miss Beckett?”

“I haven’t chosen a reward system yet, but I’ll let you know once I decide.”

She has another decision I am way more interested in than a points-and-reward system. “Please do. I might want to work harder on earning extra points if the reward is worth the work.”

“My prize is always worth the effort, Mr. Henry. Have you solved your problem at the vineyard yet?”

“Yes and no. There was a fire last night so the imminent danger is over, but I’m waiting for the fire inspector to come out so he can tell us what happened. I’ll be tied up with this mess most of the day. Since it’s a four- to five-hour drive, I won’t be back until late. I was hoping to get a rain check on our plans, possibly tomorrow?”

“Hmm, I’ll have to check my social calendar. It seems to be pretty full at the moment.” She hesitates. “Looks like I can work you in.”

I wonder if I’ll ever get used to her playfulness. “Same plan? Pick you up at ten?”

“I’ll be waiting.”

I see a vehicle coming up the drive and assume it’s the fire inspector. Good. He’s early. I’m ready to be done with this so I can get back to Avalon. Back to Paige. “Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

We end our call and I meet the inspector outside my office. He explains the evidence he’ll be collecting and how it’ll be used in the investigation. I follow him to the site and stay out of his way as he gathers the proof of someone trying to burn my vineyard.

Seeing the damage is painful, but I remind myself of how it could’ve been much worse if any of my people had been injured.

“I’m sending this evidence for testing because I have to, but I don’t need the results to tell you this was arson. There’s accelerant all over the scene, so you might want to be thinking about who your enemies are. They could try this again.”

I don’t have to think about it; I know who did this. “I’ll do that.”

I walk the investigator back to his car and then go into my office where Clyde is waiting to hear the verdict. He’s sitting in one of the chairs across from my desk, so I walk around and fall into an exhausted slump in my leather chair. “He said he didn’t need to see the results from the evidence to know it was arson.”

“Do you have any idea who would want to do something like that?”

We went back a long way, but I couldn’t tell Clyde about the knee-deep shit I’d gotten myself into, so I lie to the man I thought of as a second father. “No. You have any suspicions?”

“The only thing that pops into my head would be a competitor, but they wouldn’t have struck this early in the season or after a rain. That is amateur work.”

Or the work of a sociopath trying to get my attention.

11

Laurelyn Prescott

During our girls’ day shopping spree, Addison and I visit a lingerie shop at a plaza of boutiques near Ben’s apartment. They have everything from naughty to nice, including a wide variety of sex toys.

Addison couldn’t be happier as she admires a Santa-themed bra with matching panties and garter belt complete with the red and white candy cane-striped thigh-highs. She stands in front of a mirror and holds it up to herself. “Damn, Zac would have a very merry Christmas if I were wearing this.”

“Speaking of Christmas, what are the plans? Are we cooking at the apartment?”

She twists so I can’t see her face and it’s my first clue that something is going on. “Umm, about that.”

There’s my second clue. When she stutters and stalls, it’s never good. “What exactly does ‘umm, about that’ mean?”

She has this please don’t be pissed off look on her face. So, what do I do? I get pissed off. “Don’t freak out, but Zac wants to take me home with him for Christmas so I can meet his family.”

Worst. Friend. Ever. “Addison! You’re not leaving me by myself with Ben. You know how he’s been with me since I met Lachlan.”

“I wouldn’t leave you alone with him. Both of you are invited to Zac’s.”

No freakin’ way. “You and Ben can go without me. I’d rather spend Christmas by myself than be uncomfortable around a bunch of people I don’t know.” She knows I hate feeling like I’m imposing. I can’t believe she’s asked me to do this.

“You don’t think Lachlan will invite you home with him?” This is Addison’s way of trying to feel better about ditching me.

That would be a negative. “Definitely not. We just met.”

She puts her hands on her hips as though I’ve offended her. “Why do you say it like that?”

Maybe because I don’t even know his real name—that would be my first reason. “We don’t know each other well enough to spend the holidays together.”

“I haven’t known Zac much longer than you’ve known Lachlan.”

Maybe not, but she’d been banging him since the day we arrived. Okay, it was day three. “You and Zac are different. You’ve spent almost every minute together since we got here. I’ve only been out with Lachlan on a couple of dates. It’s apples and oranges.”

She holds the sexy Santa lingerie out for me. “Wear this for him and I guarantee you’ll get an invite to his family’s for the holidays. Maybe even a marriage proposal.”


Tags: Georgia Cates Beauty Billionaire Romance