“No,” Jean said, “I like the view.” She gave Colin a look that let him know that he was the view she liked.
Any doubts Gemma’d had about their being a couple were banished in that one look. Gemma kept her head down so no one could see her expression. She had the job, so she had no right to feel that she’d lost everything. But she did. It wasn’t easy to wait out what seemed to be an interminable meal. By the time they got to dessert, she was ready to run from the room. Part of her wanted to tell Isla that she wasn’t going to get the job, so she should stop making a fool of herself.
When the meal was finally over, Gemma was going to help clean up, but Mrs. Frazier dismissed the housekeeper and asked Isla and Kirk to “help.” She then left them with the entire job.
Gemma knew that when Isla and Kirk finished the cleanup, they were going to be in a foul mood. She didn’t want to be there. When she saw Shamus, an art kit under his arm, walk past the living room, she gave quick good nights to everyone and ran after him. He led her upstairs to Colin’s room and left her there. She was glad to escape the tension downstairs, but she was far from sleepy. When she was finally alone, she began to think about what it meant that she was going to work there. She hadn’t realized how much she’d been worrying about getting her dissertation done until the problem was solved.
She’d be living there two whole years, she thought as she undressed and put on her pajamas. And the more she learned about the job, the town, and the family, the happier she was with it all. The good time she’d had with Colin was just that. He’d be her friend, and that was going to have to be enough.
When she thought that tomorrow night she might be sleeping in the guesthouse, surrounded by all those original sources, she began to dance about the room. She’d have to fly home and pack up her belongings, then drive back to Virginia. All that would take at least a week, but as soon as it was done, she’d be able to start work.
She made herself stop twirling around and get into bed, but she couldn’t sleep, so she got her beloved Kindle out of her suitcase and looked up Luke Adams. Maybe if she read a little fiction, it would put her to sleep. She found his first book, pushed the BUY button, and the novel appeared on her screen about thirty seconds later. She started reading—and didn’t turn off the light until 3 A.M.
It was morning now, late for her, as she was usually at the gym by six or six-thirty every morning. She knew she should go downstairs, but if Isla and Kirk were still there and they’d been told they’d lost out to Gemma, they wouldn’t be gracious about losing.
“Gemma Ranford,” she said out loud, “you’re a coward.”
As she started to get out of bed, she glanced at her Kindle, with its black-and-white photo of Emily Dickinson, and she was tempted to slide the button and go back to reading. That this man, Luke Adams, wrote novels set in the eighteenth century fascinated her, and she really wanted to meet him.
She dressed quickly, then went down the outside stairs and into the kitchen. The housekeeper, Rachel, whom she’d met the day before, was there, but she wasn’t wearing a uniform. She had on jeans and a T-shirt and she was young and pretty, with dark hair and eyes. She didn’t look like anyone’s idea of a housekeeper.
“The winner!” Rachel said as soon as she saw Gemma in the doorway.
“That I am,” Gemma said as she sat down at the island. “Who’s up?”
“Scared of Isla’s wicked mouth, are you?” Rachel asked as she pulled a tray full of biscuits out of the oven.
“Terrified.”
“You can rest easy because Mrs. F ran them both out this morning. It wasn’t a pretty scene.”
“Really?” Gemma’s eyes were wide.
Rachel lowered her voice. “Seems Isla and Lanny did the naughty last night.”
Gemma laughed. “I could see that Mrs. Frazier wouldn’t like that.”
“Lanny is a flirt. Did he come on to you?”
“Not at all.”
“Oh, that’s right. Mrs. F put you under Colin’s protection, didn’t she? About the only thing that makes Lanny back off is whenever his big brother lays claim to something.”
“It was hardly that,” Gemma said, but she was pleased to hear it. “Colin and I went into town for lunch because I was late. Could I have one of those biscuits?”
“Nope. I was told that if you came in here I was to send you into the dining room to eat with what’s left of the Frazier family. Lanny’s been sent back to Richmond in disgrace.” Rachel grinned. “It’ll probably be three or four whole days before his mother forgives him. And Shamus is with his school buddies.”
“What about Colin and Jean?”
“Colin’s at work, and she’s gone. Jean just shows up, does something marvelous, jumps on Colin, then goes away to
be a lawyer.”
Gemma hid her disappointment at hearing that what she’d suspected was true, then she looked at Rachel in surprise. “You sound like you don’t like Jean.”
Rachel put a slab of ham in a skillet. “She’s great. She gave me a Prada bag last Christmas. I expect a pair of Manolos for my birthday. She’s always kind and considerate and she makes me laugh. I have nothing to say against her.”
“But . . . ?”