Stranger in the Moonlight (Edilean 7)

“Don’t dance around me, boy! What have you done?”

Cautiously, Travis told him of renting every room in the two inns in the little town.

Joe gave a low whistle. “Did your dad teach you to take over everybody’s life?”

“I think it’s more that I was born with it in me than that I learned it,” Travis said gloomily.

Joe almost laughed but didn’t. “I’ll get Kim to go to that town, but you have to take it from there. Think you can manage that?”

“But Kim said she never wants to see me again,” Travis said, his voice full of his despair.

Joe snorted in exasperation. “And that’s going to stop you? Haven’t you ever had a woman tell you to get lost?” To him it was a rhetorical question requiring no answer. Of course women had said that to Travis, to all men.

“No. Not actually,” Travis said. “Never.”

“What a world you live in!” Joe muttered, then said louder, “That’s because Kim sees you and not the Maxwell name. Try being yourself with her.”

“But . . .” Travis said, then trailed off. “Will you see that she gets home all right?”

“Of course,” Joe said and hung up. He took a deep breath, spent a few minutes looking at the stars and wishing he was snuggled up with Lucy, then went back into the shop. He was going to have to say the sentences that women so loved to hear. Every male chromosome in him fought against it, but he had to say them.

“Kimberly,” he said when he got inside, “I think you need to do something good for yourself. Take care of you. You should treat yourself to a weekend away. Get your nails done, buy yourself some new shoes.”

Joe stood there looking at Kim and wondering if she’d fall for it. Jecca would know he was up to something, but would Kim?

Instantly, some of the misery began to drain from Kim’s face. “I think you’re right,” she said. “I’m not going to cancel my reservation. I’m going to Janes Creek and spend the whole weekend thinking about my jewelry and my ancestors. No men anywhere.”

She went to Joe and kissed his cheek. “I understand why Jecca loves you so much.” She was smiling even though her eyes were still red. “Thanks for everything.”

She left by the front door and Joe sat down heavily in his big chair. When did he become the man who solved other people’s love problems? He couldn’t even solve his own.

In the next moment he picked up his phone and punched the button to reach Lucy.

“Where are you?” she asked. “I just got out of the tub and I have on my—”

“Lucy,” he said firmly before he lost his nerve, “I think it’s time you and I talked about your son. And your husband.”

She hesitated. “All right,” she said softly. “I’ll be waiting for you.”

Joe let out his breath, and the tension left his big body. “What were you saying about what you have on?”

Kim did her best to sleep that night, but too much was going around in her head. Her dreams were of Travis and in each one, he left. Just walked away as he’d done so many years before.

She got up at two, started to get some milk, but then poured herself a shot of single malt. She tried to watch a movie but couldn’t keep her mind on it. She told herself it was absurd to compare something a twelve-year-old boy did while hiding with his mother from an abusive father to the man he was now. And when it came down to it, Travis had the right to not tell anyone his last name. She’d never been around anyone who had to deal with paparazzi, so who was she to judge?

But no matter what her thoughts, or how rational she was, she still felt betrayed.

When she’d come back from Mr. Layton’s she’d seen that Travis had moved out of the guesthouse. He’d locked the door and left the key on her kitchen countertop.

She looked at the key but didn’t touch it. To touch it would make his leaving seem real.

She took a shower, washed her hair, and told herself that everything was for the better. Travis had found out what a snake Dave was; Kim had found out that Travis . . . She wasn’t sure what she’d discovered about him. Finding out that he was the son of some rich, powerful man hadn’t surprised her in the least.

At 4:00 A.M. she went back to bed and slept until eight. She felt better when she woke up and knew that the last thing she wanted to do was go to work. For one thing, she couldn’t bear to see Carla. It was going to take a while before she could trust the woman again. Yesterday morning, Carla had confessed to what she’d done. In defending herself, she’d said that Dave had been so very persuasive as he talked about how much he loved Kim. And Carla had fallen for it. She’d taken the ring out of the display case and given it to him because he’d said he was going to present it to Kim on their weekend together. He’d elaborated on how there would be candlelight and he would be on one knee. Carla’s sense of romance had overwhelmed her.

It was Carla’s date with Russell Pendergast Wednesday night that had made her rethink what she’d done. He’d leaned across the table and looked at her with his beautiful dark eyes and coaxed the truth out of her. Afterward, he’d been clear that he didn’t think what she’d done was in the least romantic. In fact, he’d said that if she didn’t want to go to prison, she had to tell Kim the truth.

It had taken all her courage but Carla had told Kim the next morning.