As You Wish (The Summerhouse 3)

When he turned his back to her, she admired his deeply tanned skin. But when his boxers dipped down on one side, it took her a moment to realize that she wasn’t seeing contrasting white skin. Good heavens! she thought. He’s getting a tan all over. Somewhere on this old plantation Christopher Montgomery was running around naked.

He quickly pulled on his clothes, and when he looked back at her, Olivia was absorbed in the book.

She stood up. “Great,” she said, “you’re clean and I’m a mess. I can’t go anywhere looking like this.”

“I could boost you up the rose trellis to get into your bedroom.” His eyes moved down her in a suggestive way.

Olivia couldn’t help smiling. “Thanks, but maybe when we go into town we could stop by my parents’ house. I need some clothes.”

Kit’s face changed to serious. “You want to introduce me to your parents? The lowest of the low? Aren’t you afraid I’ll contaminate them?”

She had to work not to laugh. “It’s Tuesday afternoon. Dad will be out fishing and Mom is at her bridge club.”

“I should have known.” His tone did make her laugh. “After you.” He motioned to the tunnel.

“How are you going to get out without messing up your clean clothes?”

“That’s a secret.”

Olivia got down and made her way out through the vines. The ground was damp, but her dress was already dirty so it didn’t matter.

Turning, she watched Kit come out. He snaked out by using his forearms and his feet. His knees and his clean trousers didn’t touch the ground. It was a movement she’d never seen before and she was startled by it. To do that, he had to be in truly excellent physical condition.

She followed him across the plantation, again going from tree to tree so they wouldn’t be seen, to where the old truck was parked. Kit picked up a rock. Under it was a tin can and inside were the keys.

“The kids haven’t found my hiding place yet, but I’m sure it’s only a matter of time.”

Smiling, Olivia got into the truck and they pulled out. When they reached the road that led into town, they looked at each other and burst into laughter. They had escaped!

“So why do you have this job?” Kit asked.

Since Uncle Freddy and Mr. Gates loved gossip, she was surprised that no one had told him everything about her. “I grew up in Summer Hill. I’m a small town girl. We take what jobs we can get.”

Kit looked away from the road to glance at her. “You’re about as much a housekeeper as I am a gardener. Why are you here?”

She was pleased with what he’d said, but she didn’t want him to see that. “Actually, I do have another job. But the theater caught fire and it was postponed until the fall.”

“Theater?” When Olivia was silent, he said, “Are you going to make me guess?”

She shrugged one shoulder.

“In Richmond?”

“Not quite.” She put on her haughtiest look.

“Something local. Did you get the lead in a play about the history of Summer Hill?”

“No! I—” She saw that he was teasing her. “On Broadway.”

“Where is that? Virginia? North Carolina?”

She sat in silence while she waited for him to realize what she meant.

His eyes widened in a very gratifying way. “That Broadway?”

Olivia smiled sweetly. “The very one.” For the rest of the drive, she told him how she’d won the lead role at the auditions, shared an apartment with her costar for the rehearsals, and finally, how the fire had caused the delay.

He pulled into the driveway of her parents’ house, turned off the engine, and looked at her. “I am impressed. Really, I am. Now I see why you were so angry when I got there.”