The shadows remained in her deep green eyes but she smiled. Deep grooves appeared beside the fullness of her lips, as if humour was something that hadn’t come easily to her recently.
And Xander doubted that it had. To Chloe, he knew, the seduction of the man who had come to their home as a landscape gardener had all been a game. A game she had played more times than even Xander was aware of. Or cared about. Although in Sam Bridges’ case Chloe had very quickly decided that she wanted to take their relationship to the next level—so the two of them had left their partners and set up home together.
The fact that at the same time she had robbed this woman of her husband, and six-year-old Josh of his father, wouldn’t have been of interest to the spoilt and wilful Chloe. She had seen something she wanted, and taken it without hesitation.
‘Fast asleep,’ Casey acknowledged ruefully. Then she flushed slightly. ‘Er—would you like a biscuit or something to go with that coffee?’
As he had checked all the cupboards in the kitchen while she was upstairs, and found them all bare—just like Old Mother Hubbard’s in the nursery rhyme—Xander didn’t hold out much hope of there being anything for him to actually have.
‘No, thanks—I ate earlier,’ he said easily. ‘Shall we go through to the sitting room, or would you prefer to stand in here and talk?’ Either way, only one of them would be able to sit!
Once again Xander wondered what the hell had been going on in this woman’s life these last four months. There was no food in the house, and very little furniture, either, and Casey Bridges looked as if a strong gust of wind would knock her off her feet.
‘Here is fine.’ Casey took one of the steaming mugs of coffee from him, her hand carefully avoiding coming into contact with his as she did so.
It was ridiculous, she told herself impatiently, to be so aware of this man. So physically aware of him. But there was no denying that her hands were trembling slightly with that awareness.
Perhaps she was just missing having sex?
Surely not! The physical side of her marriage to Sam hadn’t been that good in the first place, and had been completely nonexistent for the last six months they’d been together. No, it had to be Xander Fraser himself who had awakened all these sensual longings within her…
Her mouth tightened at the knowledge. ‘What did you want to talk to me about—?’
‘That can wait,’ he cut in abruptly. ‘First I would like you to tell me why there’s hardly any furniture in the house, and why the fridge is also bare, except for a bottle of milk and a piece of cheese.’
Her eyes widened with incredulous anger. ‘You’ve been looking through my refrigerator?’
‘I needed milk for your coffee,’ he pointed out with a sardonic smile. His own coffee was black.
‘Oh.’ Casey felt her cheeks warm at the rebuke. ‘But, still, what I do or don’t have in my refrigerator is none of your concern—’
‘When did you last eat, Casey?’ Xander Fraser asked bluntly, ignoring her attempt to put him in his place.
‘I don’t have to—’
‘Yes, you do,’ he interrupted again, his tone brooking no more denial or evasions.
She frowned her deep irritation at his autocratic attitude.
‘I cooked lamb chops, new potatoes and vegetables for tea before I went out—’
‘I’m prepared to accept that Josh had lamb chops and vegetables for his evening meal. Unlike you, he looks robustly healthy,’ he added pointedly. ‘Besides, I saw the bones from two chops in your pedal bin just now—’
‘Mr Fraser, you really do not have the right to question me like this!’ Casey gasped. ‘Let alone go poking around in my pedal bin!’ she added indignantly.
No, he probably didn’t, Xander acknowledged grimly. And he really couldn’t say that he had given this woman, or her son, much consideration during the last year, either. He had been too busy for most of that time trying to deal with the trauma that Chloe’s desertion and subsequent death had caused his own daughter to worry about Sam Bridges’ family.
But all that had changed since his conversation with Brad Henderson, Chloe’s father, four days ago…
Since arriving at Casey’s home a couple of hours ago, and seeing the frugal way she lived, Xander was inclined to think the claim Lauren had made once that ‘Josh’s mummy is so poor she can’t buy him any new toys’ was probably a true one. Not that it gave Xander any pleasure to know that; it just meant, as he had hoped, that Casey might be the answer to his own dilemma.
In fact, if Casey were willing to be co-operative and agree to what he was about to suggest, she would be vastly improving her own situation at the same time as she helped Xander turn this whole situation around on Brad Henderson.
If Casey were willing to be co-operative…
Looking at her now, he could see just how completely exhausted she was—both physically and emotionally. He didn’t think that it was all due to the trauma of the events of the past year alone; from the little Xander had bothered to learn about Sam Bridges, the man hadn’t exactly been the perfect husband and provider for his family even before he’d become involved with Chloe.
No wonder his ex-wife had been so drawn to the man. They’d been two of a kind. Spoilt users, the pair of them.
Xander shrugged unapologetically. ‘Perhaps if you stop treating me like an idiot and answer my questions honestly I might stop poking my nose into your pedal bin and your business.’ Despite the mildness of his tone, he was nevertheless determined to have answers to his questions. ‘Where were you this evening, Casey?’ He was pretty sure now that she hadn’t been out for an evening of frivolity—the woman didn’t look as if she even knew the meaning of the word.
Casey looked up at him in a slight daze, still having no idea what had prompted this man’s visit, or why he was questioning her so intently. She was only aware that she was simply too tired to argue with him any longer…
‘I was at work,’ she sighed. ‘I work four evenings a week in the restaurant of a local hotel.’
Xander Fraser scowled darkly. ‘Wouldn’t it have been more convenient, with Josh still so young, for you to have found a job in the day—?’
‘I do have a job in the day!’ she told him impatiently, feeling at a distinct disadvantage as his body, with its superior height, loomed over hers; Xander Fraser was at least a foot taller than her own five feet two inches. ‘I work five days a week cooking at a local café as well as the four evenings at the hotel,’ she revealed, still reluctant to discuss her personal business with this man who exuded such wealth and power.
‘Why?’ he probed.
Her cheeks flushed. ‘That is none of your—’
‘Business?’ Xander finished for her. ‘What if I’m making it my business?’ he added softly, becoming more and more convinced as he talked to Casey that he had found the answer to getting out of the corner Brad was pushing him into.
That what he was about to propose would solve Casey’s problems, too…
She gave a disbelieving laugh, at once looking younger, even if the expression in her green eyes was derisive rather than genuinely amused. ‘And why would Xander Fraser, multimillionaire film producer, want to do something like that?’ she scorned, highlighting the immense gulf between their vastly different circumstances.
Not that she wanted to be mega-rich. Comfortably off would be nice. But the garden centre and the money that her father had left her when he died were long gone—the first bankrupted in a year under Sam’s management, the second frittered away as he had struggled to make a success—played at?—landscape gardening.
The only thing Sam had succeeded at was ending their torturous marriage once and for all by meeting Chloe Fraser!
‘Well, Mr Fraser?’ she said belligerently.
His mouth thinned at her tone of voice. ‘I have—a business proposition to put to you,’ he finally bit out.
Casey shook her head. ‘I’m afraid you’ve misunderstood my cooking abilities, Mr Fraser. I don’t cater for dinner parties—’
‘Not that sort of business proposition!’ he growled, pacing the small confines of the kitchen, his gaze narrowed to vivid blue slits. ‘Are you familiar with Brad Henderson?’
Her eyebrows raised at the mention of the rich, retired owner of a Hollywood film studio. ‘Not personally, no.’
‘I am,’ Xander said.
Casey shrugged. ‘You’re both in the same business.’
‘He’s also Chloe’s father,’ Xander expanded. ‘And therefore Lauren’s grandfather.’
Casey hadn’t known that—although it probably went a long way towards explaining why Chloe had always been so sure of having her own way. A privileged, over-indulgent father, followed by marriage to an even richer husband—what choice had the other woman had but to be spoilt and selfish?
All of which was of absolutely no relevance whatsoever now that Chloe was dead.
Was it…?
Casey put up a tired hand to brush her hair away from her brow. ‘I really don’t see what this has to do with me.’
‘I’m getting to that,’ Xander assured her impatiently. ‘Lauren and Josh are already friends. Things obviously aren’t going too well with you if you have to work at two jobs in order to remain even this financially solvent—’