“And this person has asked you to … what? Keep your hands off me?”
“Yes.”
Alix looked back at the water. “I want to get this clear. You owe someone—or multiple people—big time and they know both of us.”
“Yes, but I really can’t tell you more than that.”
“That’s okay. I may be able to guess some of it. There have been a lot of fairly recent repairs on Kingsley House, things like the roof, and they’re expensive. But I couldn’t help noticing that some of the repairs were very deep, which means that at one point the house was allowed to deter
iorate rather extensively. Am I right?”
Cocking his head to one side, Jared looked at her and gave a quick nod.
“To allow a house to get into that state means either the owner doesn’t care or couldn’t afford the repairs. Obviously, your family cares very much about that old house.”
“We do,” he said.
“And then there are the other houses. You said your family owns the one Lexie lives in, and it also owns where Dilys lives, where you grew up. You told me you were all of fourteen when that remodel was done, and it was obviously your work.”
He was watching her in fascinated silence.
“The year I was here with my mother, that was when you were fourteen. Now, who in the world would allow a teenage boy to plan a remodel? And who would pay for it?”
“Aunt Addy,” Jared said, smiling at her.
“If she could afford that, why didn’t she repair her own house?”
Jared was smiling broader. “Okay, Miss Sleuth, what’s your theory?”
“I think my mother has written all her books based on your family, and for compensation she paid for the remodels, and …”
“And what?”
“I think she probably helped with your schooling.”
Jared didn’t answer, but she could tell by his eyes that she was right.
“The question is,” Alix said, “why would my mother forbid you to touch me?” As a truly shocking thought came to her, her eyes widened. “It’s true! You and my mother were lovers.” Her voice was full of horror.
“No. Never,” Jared said and smiled. “But when I was seventeen and your mother kept wandering around in the garden in a red bikini I did visit Aunt Addy more often than usual.”
Alix narrowed her eyes at him.
He lost the smile. “I can assure you that Victoria and I never came even close to anything other than friendship.”
She looked away from him. “What does my mother have to do with the will?”
“Nothing that I know of,” Jared said honestly. “She was as shocked by it as I was.”
Alix thought for a moment. “I want to be clear on all of this, since I think you’re right that I’ve been lied to for most of my life. Is it true that you like me for something besides helping you draw plans?”
He started to protest that, but then smiled. “I think I can handle the business by myself.”
She ignored his joking tone. “You did all that with Wes because …?”
“You think I’m going to let a lech like him spend the day with my girl?”
“Your …?” She took a deep breath. “While we’re being honest, I’d like to add my own piece of truth. My father is also an architect, although he mostly teaches now, and he’s been on my case about you.”