“That’s ridiculous.” Linc sounded calm, almost bored. “Claire works for me. That’s all there is to it.”
They were talking about her. Shock and panic swamped Claire’s lighthearted mood. She nervously rubbed her arms.
“And if she didn’t?”
“She’s still hung up on her dead husband.”
“Are you so sure about that?”
“Yeah. Why would you think otherwise?”
“Because there’s the way she gobbles y
ou up with her eyes.”
Claire shook her head, rejecting everything Knox was saying. It had been bad enough indulging her fantasy about sleeping with her boss, but that her interest in Linc was so obvious...
The heat of humiliation threatened to turn her to ash. What could be worse than having Linc’s best friend point out her secret crush on him? She scooted forward on the chair, perched on the edge of the floral cushion. But instead of fleeing the room, she stayed to hear what Linc had to say about her in reply.
“She doesn’t.” Linc sounded doubtful. “You’re making stuff up to mess with me.”
“Only partially. I wanted to see your reaction.”
And in turn, Claire wanted to pummel Knox. How dare he put ideas like that in Linc’s head. The last thing she needed was for Linc to start questioning her reactions to him.
“And?”
“You might not be sleeping with Claire, but you want to.”
Claire’s thoughts flashed once again to the moment they’d shared before dinner. By the time she’d put the finishing touches on the dessert course, she’d convinced herself that she’d completely misread his signals.
“And what’s so surprising about that?” Linc asked. “She’s beautiful, sweet, and we get along great.”
“She’s also your housekeeper.”
“Men have been known to fall for their secretaries and nannies. Why not a housekeeper?”
“Fall for?” Knox sounded surprised, but no more so than Claire.
Had she stepped into some sort of alternate universe where she had a shot with someone as wealthy and socially connected as Linc Thurston? Claire didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
“Figure of speech. Sounds better than ‘sleep with.’” A pause and then, “Damn. I’m back in Charleston only a few weeks and my Southern manners kick in.”
Jolted by the realization that she’d heard too much, Claire got to her feet and moved like a ghost from the room. Heart pounding, she stood in the kitchen, an empty wine glass in her hand, her thoughts reeling. She poured herself a second glass and sat at the breakfast bar to ponder what she’d overheard.
You might not be sleeping with Claire, but you want to.
Was that true? It seemed impossible. Especially after she’d glimpsed the beautiful, socially connected women who’d come to his party. Surely he’d be more likely to settle on one of them. Each one was sophisticated and, if not wealthy, they sure dressed and shopped as if the words on sale and discounted were not in their vocabulary. They had grace and manners. Or if they didn’t, at least they’d been raised knowing how to behave in Charleston society. Claire thought back over some of the conversations she’d heard Linc have with his sister and Knox.
One thing about being a housekeeper, she was often taken for granted. Like the furniture. People rarely guarded their conversations around her, speaking of anything and everything without fear of the information going anywhere. And why not? She was good at keeping secrets. Her own and those of others.
Besides, what did she have to gain by taking gossip to the media? Nothing. Why risk her job? And Linc had been good to her and Honey. She’d never do anything to harm him.
She’s beautiful, sweet, and we get along great. What’s not to like?
Like being the operative word. He liked her. She liked him. They’d become friends. To misinterpret something he said during a private conversation was foolish. Men talked about women and sex all the time. No need for her to go all stupid over it. She’d bet that every single one of Linc’s friends had considered hitting on her at one point or another. Part of the reason she’d put on a wedding band and let everyone believe she was a widow was to avoid such awkwardness. If a man showed any interest in her, Claire merely whipped out her grief over her late husband and it shut down any advances.
Her status as a military widow had also lulled London’s objections. Claire doubted that Linc would’ve been allowed to hire an attractive single mom as his live-in housekeeper, but a wife who was mourning the love of her life could be expected to keep her thoughts and hands off her employer.