Together they walked out, Fred lumbering along with them.
Alone, Derek let out a sigh and turned back toward the kitchen. He’d left the burned pan soaking and he needed to try to clean it, but the telephone rang, interrupting him.
“Hello?”
“Derek?” Gabrielle asked in that breathless way she had.
Just hearing her voice sent tremors of awareness rocketing through him. “Hey there.” He tightened his grip on the receiver.
“I only have a minute,” she said, talking low. “I came home to pick up a few things and Sharon’s in the other room. I need to see you tonight. It’s important.”
He didn’t hesitate. “Sure. Do you want to come here?”
“I don’t want Holly to hear what I have to say. Could you come by my room? Say around seven?”
“Sure thing. Can you give me a clue what it’s about?”
She laughed. “Wish I could, but you’ll have to wait until tonight. It’s serious, though.”
His body tensed immediately. “Did you receive another threat?”
“Not exactly. I promise I’ll explain everything when I see you, okay? Hang on.”
He heard her say something to Sharon in the other room.
“I’m back. Oh, one more thing. Can we get dinner? There’s nothing to eat at Mrs. Rhodes’s inn and I’ll be starving,” she said, drawing out the word.
“Not a problem.”
“Thanks!” She disconnected the line.
Dinner with Gabrielle tonight.
He’d heard the urgency in her voice, so he knew she had something big on her mind. But he’d also been intimately acquainted with the seductress side of Gabrielle and he was certain dinner had nothing to do with her needing to speak to him—and everything to do with a need of another kind.
DEREK ARRIVED AT GABRIELLE’S room to find her waiting with a picnic basket in hand. He decided not to question her intentions and drove them in his SUV to the public beach as she’d asked. Although there were still people enjoying the end of the day, they managed to find a quiet spot.
From the minute he’d picked her up, he couldn’t tear his eyes off the strapless sundress she wore—or rather the bare skin she revealed. She was more tanned than he’d realized, and her shoulders glistened beneath the setting sun. Despite all his good intentions, he was all wrapped up in her again. He was finding it damned hard to say he minded.
They ate the chicken-salad sandwiches she’d picked up at the café in town and made small talk.
Once they’d finished, he asked, “So what did you need to talk to me about?”
At the same time, she said, “I really need to talk to you.”
They both laughed.
“Great minds think alike.” She wiped her mouth and helped him put the remnants of the food and garbage back into the basket. “There was a time we used to finish each other’s sentences.” She met his gaze as if daring him to remember.
He did.
“Anyway, I thought you should finish eating first because this situation isn’t pretty. I didn’t want you to lose your appetite.” Then Gabrielle launched into a description of Sharon’s past, her unsavory ex-boyfriend, the pornographic pictures and how Sharon had thought it was all behind her. Then Gabrielle finished by explaining that the photographs had resurfaced and Sharon was being blackmailed.
He clenched his jaw, his blood boiling. “What kin
d of scumbag does that to a woman?”
“Beats the hell out of me,” she muttered. “But not only does Sharon refuse to tell her fiancé about the blackmail but she’s insisting on dealing with this guy herself.” Gabrielle’s voice rose in pitch. “She’s going to the Wave tomorrow night to exchange money for photos, if you can believe that!”