Eleven
Felicity took a shower, got dressed for the day and tiptoed into the kitchen at six, certain she was up before Gabe, but he greeted her by the coffeemaker. “I see we’re both up with the crows,” he said.
“I thought you’d sleep in a bit longer. You had a later night than I did.”
“Did I?” He flipped on the coffeemaker switch. “Thought you might have stayed up late, with the boot camp today.”
“There are often last-minute changes to accommodate, but so far, so good for today.”
“That’s great to hear. My party and Nadia Ainsworth aren’t causing you trouble, then.”
Felicity got mugs down from the cupboard. “Well, we’ll see. What about you? Any butterflies?”
“Nope.”
She smiled. “Why am I not surprised?”
“Because you know me. What about you?”
“A few, I guess. I’ve managed big, high-profile events, so it’s not that.”
“It’s because this one’s in Knights Bridge and involves friends and neighbors.” He opened up the bread box and pulled out whole-grain English muffins. “Am I right?”
“In a nutshell, yes. People remember great content but they really remember late coffee, bad food, cold rooms, long lines, impenetrable programs, bathrooms without proper supplies—you get the idea.”
“A lot of moving parts with an event like this.”
“Yes.”
“Do you celebrate afterward?”
His question caught her off guard. “Celebrate?”
“You know. Kick back with a six-pack or a bottle of champagne.”
“I have a Jane Austen tea tomorrow at Rivendell. I can’t—”
“I was thinking you’d share the six-pack and bottle of champagne.” He popped two halves of the English muffin in the toaster. “It’s good to celebrate a job well done.”
“Did you celebrate selling your company?”
“I took off to New Zealand for a vacation.”
“By yourself?” She held up a hand. “Don’t answer—I didn’t mean—”
“Yes,” he said. “By myself. Alone. Just me, myself and I for a week seeing the sights and decompressing.”
“It must have been intense, selling the company. Look, I’m going to wait and grab coffee and a bite to eat at the barn.”
“Not going to drive over there with me?”
Felicity shook her head. “I need to get there early.”
“Okay.” He grabbed the carafe and poured coffee. “Do you have a to-go mug? I can send you off with coffee.”
“In the cabinet,” she said, pointing. “Top shelf. I still have it from when I went into an office. I hardly use it now.”
He filled the mug, splashed in half-and-half from a bottle he already had on the counter. “I figure you must still take your coffee with half-and-half since it’s in the fridge. I’ll drink it if I jumped the gun.”
“You didn’t.”
He screwed on the top and handed her the to-go mug. “Need help carrying anything out to your Rover?”
“No, all set, thanks.” She held up the mug. “And thanks for the coffee.”
“Anytime.”
“Help yourself to whatever you want here. I’ll see you later at the barn.”
He nodded. “Looking forward to it.”
“Good,” she said absently, heading outside.
As she got in her old Land Rover, she saw she had a text message: Good luck tomorrow!
Nadia Ainsworth. It’d come late last night, but Felicity hadn’t noticed it until now. Answer? Don’t answer?
She deleted it without answering. Something was off about Nadia. Best not to encourage any level of friendship or intimacy. She was Gabe’s problem.
Felicity took a few sips of coffee and backed out of her driveway, past Gabe’s BMW. She dismissed a few knots in her stomach. It’d been a while since she’d felt such pressure to make an event perfect. She always had perfection as a goal but seldom felt a small glitch here or there would sink an event—or her. Today wasn’t different on that score. She knew it, even if her stomach didn’t.
By the time she reached Carriage Hill Road, she was focused on what she had to do for the day. Maggie Sloan’s good cheer and utterly relaxed attitude when she greeted Felicity in the kitchen didn’t hurt. “Do you ever get pre-event jitters?” Felicity asked as she downed the last of Gabe’s coffee.
Maggie, red hair pulled back, apron on over a simple knee-length dress, shook her head. “Not since the food-poisoning incident in Boston.”
“Food-poisoning? No way.”
“Not buying it, are you?” Maggie grinned. “You’re right. There was no food-poisoning. It’s what I tell myself before an event. If I don’t poison anyone, anything else can be managed.”
Not a bad way to manage any jitters, Felicity thought, and it fit Maggie’s personality.
Her older sister, Phoebe, came into the kitchen, her fiancé, Noah Kendrick, a few steps behind her. They’d arrived last night from Noah’s winery on California’s Central Coast and had stayed at Phoebe’s former home in the village, a cottage around the corner from the library. She’d been the library director for several years and had always expected to stay on until she retired.
Felicity had known Phoebe forever, but it was her first time meeting Noah, a lean, quiet man, a tech genius and a billionaire. “I’m not much on public speaking,” he said, as if he, too, had a few butterflies.
“I imagine the attendees today will be interested in anything you have to say, even if you stumble here and there,” Maggie said.
“Just don’t make any jokes,” Dylan said, joining them. “You’re the worst.”
Noah grinned. “Now you tell me. All these years and you’ve never hinted I’m not funny.”
“I hinted. You just didn’t take the hint.”
The two longtime friends laughed, and Phoebe shook her head, smiling at her sister and Felicity. “I’m imagining bad jokes at board meetings.”
“Many bad jokes,” Dylan said. He sipped coffee from a mug he’d brought with him.
Noah winced, good-humored. “You’re not kidding.”
“Best to stick to relevant anecdotes—like how you found me sleeping in my car and asked me to join you at NAK because you needed my instincts about people to offset your cluelessness.”
“Utter cluelessness,” Noah added. “Except about Phoebe here.”
Felicity left them to their friendly banter and went into the main room to check on the setup for the day. Maggie joined her, but everything for the coffee and muffins that would get the day started was laid out. Whatever she might say, Maggie was an experienced professional. She wanted everything to be perfect today, too.
Satisfied things were in order, Felicity slipped out the kitchen door and to a pebbled path behind the barn. She followed it along the field and an old stone wall down to Olivia’s inn. She slipped through a gap in the stone wall and took her time walking up a mulched path among the lavender and mint.
Russ Colton waved to her from the terrace, as if he’d been waiting impatiently for her to get there. “I heard you were on your way.” He pointed at a padded envelope on the wood table. “That arrived for you.”
“Here?”
“Yes. Here. It’s not something you’re expecting?”
Felicity shook her head. “No, it’s not. How did it get here? Did someone drop it off?”
“It was on the steps at the front door when I got here. I haven’t asked if anyone saw who delivered it. I wanted to talk to you first. If it’s nothing, great.” He fastened his gaze on her, a reminder that he was an experienced security consultant. “Who’s Nadia?”
Felicity peered at the handwritten label:
For Felicity MacGregor.
From Nadia.
“Gad, Russ,” she said. “I’m sorry. I should have told you.”
“Told me what? Is she helping you today? What’s going on, Felicity? This woman’s name isn’t on any of my lists. Am I overreacting? I’d rather overreact than underreact.”
“Her name is Nadia Ainsworth. She used to work with Gabe Flanagan. She was in town yesterday. We met for lunch.”
Russ’s eyes narrowed. “Your body language suggests she’s a problem. Is she?”
“I don’t know if she is or she isn’t. Is it okay if I open the package?”
He nodded, standing to one side as Felicity picked up the padded envelope. It was soft, as if it held fabric. She pried it open and, under Russ’s watchful eye, withdrew a folded tea towel depicting Knights Bridge’s one-and-only covered bridge.
“There’s a note,” Russ said.
It was tucked in a red ribbon tied around the towel. She lifted it out and opened the small, folded white card. The note was handwritten in deep red ink, perhaps to match the towel and ribbon.
Dear Felicity,
Have a wonderful time today! I’m sure everything will go well. A pleasure meeting you yesterday. Look me up if you’re ever in Malibu. We’ll do lunch again.
Best wishes,
Nadia
Felicity handed the note to Russ. He read it quickly and tucked it back into the ribbon. “Seems innocuous,” he said, some of his tension visibly easing. He paused, studying her. “Not to you?”
“I really don’t know.”
“What’s your gut say?”
“That she’s got a hidden agenda, but that’s only my gut take on her. I only met her briefly yesterday. Gabe’s the one to ask about her.”
“Where is she now?”
“I have no idea. She mentioned she’s settling her grandmother’s estate somewhere in the area.”
“I’ll ask Gabe. You focus on the boot camp and let me handle this, okay?”
“Sounds good to me,” Felicity said.
And that was that. Russ stuffed the towel and note back into the envelope, not taking any particular care, and held on to it. “In other news, how are the badgers coming along for Kylie’s launch party?”
Felicity knew Russ wasn’t looking for an actual answer—he just wanted to change the subject and lighten the mood. “Coming along great.” She motioned toward the kitchen. “I should get to work.”
“Take care today,” Russ said. “Give me a shout if you need me. Don’t hesitate.”
She smiled. “Overreact rather than underreact.”
“You got it,” he said, almost smiling back at her.
Russ stayed out on the terrace while Felicity went through the mudroom into the old house’s spacious country kitchen. It was quiet now, but that wouldn’t last. She pushed a hand through her hair, realizing she hadn’t pulled it back yet. She dug a clip from her bag and headed through the dining room and living room in the original part of the house. Mark Flanagan hadn’t been involved in the house’s first major contemporary renovation, several years before Olivia had bought the property, but he’d designed the addition that was in progress.
She ducked into a powder room off the main hall and, using Olivia and Maggie’s goat’s milk liquid soap, washed her hands and dabbed water on the back of her neck to cool off from her walk and the tension of finding Nadia’s package. She felt awkward more than upset or angry. She’d let Russ and Gabe deal with her, should any problems arise.
Maybe the covered-bridge towel had been a genuine, well-intentioned gift.
Best, Felicity decided, drying her hands, to let it be and not read anything into it. She hoped Nadia had dropped the package off on her way out of town.
A glance in the mirror told Felicity that her tension was showing in her face. She practiced a few cheerful smiles and did thirty seconds of deep breathing, then clipped her hair back, freshened up her makeup and returned to the kitchen.
Her phone rang. She expected it was Maggie but recognized Nadia’s number on the screen. She almost let the call go to voice mail but decided to answer. “Hello, this is—”
“Felicity MacGregor. Hi, there. It’s Nadia Ainsworth. I wanted to call before you got too busy. Did you get my package?”
“I did—I just opened it. Lovely. Thank you.”
“I know what it’s like to be in your position with so much going on. Dylan McCaffrey, Noah Kendrick and Gabriel Flanagan all speaking today. That’s pressure. And that’s just for starters. It’s a diverse group of men and women for a relatively small event. These boot camps are going to be special, I think.”
“I think so, too,” Felicity said. “Can I call you back later? I really can’t talk right now.”
“Of course. I understand.” Nadia didn’t sound the least bit put out. “You need to focus. You don’t want to screw up this event. Believe me, I know.”
“Where are you now?”
“I’m in my car.”
“Heading to your grandmother’s—”
“Why don’t you call me when the party’s over? There’s no urgency. I got a real kick out of the covered bridge towel, I have to admit. I bought it at the country store in your sweet little village center. It’s so quaint. Okay, talk to you later.”
Felicity exhaled in relief when she realized Nadia had disconnected. Next time she’d let the call go to voice mail. Whatever Nadia’s true intentions, her behavior was verging on intrusive and inappropriate. The call didn’t strike Felicity as a genuine effort to reach out in solidarity and appreciation. Nadia had no reason to reach out. They’d only met yesterday. They didn’t know each other.
“This isn’t about me,” Felicity said under her breath. “This is about Nadia and Gabe.”
She heard voices and went back outside. Russ was chatting with Gabe on the terrace. She felt Gabe’s gaze settle on her and knew Russ had already told him about Nadia’s present. He’d changed into a sleek, medium-gray suit since she’d left him in her kitchen. He looked like the successful entrepreneur he was.
Gabe followed her into the kitchen. “Are we in your way?”
Felicity shook her head. “No, not at all.”
“Russ showed me Nadia’s gift.”
“A covered-bridge towel. Makes a good gift.” Felicity debated whether to tell them about Nadia’s call. It didn’t add to what they already knew, but they’d want to know. No question. “She just called, actually. Wishing us well today. She didn’t say where she was.”
Russ stood still next to the table. “You asked?”
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry about this,” Gabe said. “I don’t know what her game is, or if she even has one. She texted me to tell me she’s flying back to California today. I came down here to let you and Russ know.”
“What about her grandmother’s estate?” Felicity asked.
“Something came up at home, and she has an offer on her grandmother’s house.” Gabe patted Buster, who’d stirred from his spot in the shade. “She must have dropped off the package on her way to the airport. If she calls again, find me. I don’t care if I’m speaking.”
Russ shook his head. “Find me, Felicity. I’ll handle Nadia. Gabe, you’re here to share your wisdom with aspiring entrepreneurs. I’m here to make sure someone like Nadia doesn’t cause trouble.”
Gabe stood straight, Buster flopping back into the shade. “Fair enough. Thanks.” He paused, nothing about him suggesting he’d relaxed. He turned to Felicity. “Don’t let Nadia get inside your head.”
“No problem.”
“Right.” He gave her the faintest of smiles. “Not saying you can’t handle yourself. I’m doing my best not to let Nadia get inside my head, too.”
“I think she’s already there, don’t you?”
“That’s part of her game right now,” Russ said. “She’s messing with you to keep herself from thinking about her own life.”
“I think she wants something from Gabe,” Felicity added.
He picked a stray dog hair off his expensive suit coat, but there was nothing casual about him. “She hasn’t said anything to me.”
“Sometimes people don’t say so outright.”
“I’m not good at mind-reading,” he said.
“I’ll head up to the barn,” Russ said. “See you two later.”
He was off, down through the garden and the gap in the stone wall to the path up to the barn. Felicity watched him, trying to ignore a twinge of irritation with Gabe—his take-charge attitude, his crack about mind-reading, his impossible-to-miss physical presence. The rush of pure physical awareness got to her more than the rest of it. It wasn’t helpful, this rekindled attraction to him. She wasn’t eighteen anymore.
She hit the pass code on her phone and handed it to him. “That’s Nadia’s number, right?”
Gabe glanced at the screen. “Yes.”
“Then it wasn’t someone pretending to be her. She’s never done anything scary, has she? Threatened to hurt you, someone else—in theory, even. For example, the girl you slept with in high school who’s now a successful event manager in your hometown.”
“No. Nothing like that.”
“Good. I didn’t think so. If she’s on her way to the airport, she isn’t going to crash today’s boot camp. She’s just...” Felicity paused, wondering how frank she should be. “She wants your attention. Why, I don’t know. Does she think you have any influence with her ex-husband? Could she want you to intervene on her behalf?”
He tapped her temple. “Can’t read minds, remember?”
“I’m talking about interpreting cues, Gabe.”
“Cues such as when you were camped out on my couch eating cold pizza and pad thai and I was supposed to know you didn’t want advice? Never mind. We have work to do right now. I don’t know what Nadia is thinking or why she left you a towel.”
“Do you suspect she’s lied to you about her reasons for coming out here?”
“Probably, but she did lose her grandmother a few months ago.” He sighed, looking less tense. “I’m sorry she zeroed in on you.”
“It’s okay, Gabe. I’ve dealt with worse.” Felicity took her phone and slipped it in her tote bag. “You can have the towel. Put it in your condo powder room or something. It can remind you of Knights Bridge. You and Mark used to fish off that bridge, didn’t you?”
“First time was with Gramps. I must have been four or five.”
“And you remember?”
“Yeah. Mark and I got after him for throwing his cigarette in the river.” Gabe grinned suddenly, winking at her. “The Flanagans are an incorrigible lot. That’s what my mother used to say.”
“I remember,” Felicity said with a smile.
“Gramps did quit smoking.”
“Good for him. Gabe...” She considered her words. “You just sold a company for a lot of money. You’re not an unattractive guy. Do you think Nadia has set her sights on you now that she’s divorced? She’s—what, ten or twelve years older than you? That’s not unheard of.”
“Nadia was married the entire time she did work for me, and I hardly ever saw her. We were never together, and we’re never going to be together. Whatever her reasons for pestering you, that’s not one of them.”
“Got it. Right. None of my business, anyway.”
Gabe studied her. “Are you sure Nadia didn’t say anything else?”
“I’m sure. I just hope she gets on her flight—for her sake, too. Don’t worry, okay? I’m fine. Russ is on the case. We all have work to do today.”
“I speak for an hour. You work behind the scenes for hours and hours. Doesn’t seem fair.” Gabe grinned at her. “I’ve got it a lot rougher.”
She laughed, genuinely amused at his teasing. She waited, watching as he made his way through the garden and out to the pebbled path. No question the man was good-looking, sexy and damn near irresistible—but resist she would.
She returned to the kitchen and acknowledged a surge of relief when she found Maggie Sloan bustling around, preparing for her part of today’s inaugural entrepreneurial boot camp.
On with the day’s work.
* * *
Once he arrived at the barn, Gabe conferred with Russ on Nadia as the two of them grabbed a quick cup of coffee before attendees started arriving. “We don’t know where she is now,” Russ said. “We don’t know what flight she’s on. It’ll take her a couple of hours to get to the airport, and she’ll need to arrive early to get through security. I would guess she’s on her way to Boston, but I don’t like to guess.”
“Do you want me to call her?” Gabe asked.
Russ shook his head. “Don’t stir the pot. Do you have a photo of her in case she turns up here?”
“I don’t. She’s always been a pro, Russ. She’s going through a hard transition right now, but she’s never made any threats, overt or implied, and she’s never disrupted an event.”
“How well do you know her?”
“She’s freelanced for me for several years from her home in Malibu. We’ve met face-to-face no more than a dozen times.”
“And her husband bought your company and filed for divorce,” Russ added. “I don’t like that she’s contacting Felicity the way she is. Is she obsessed with you?”
“Felicity basically just asked me the same question,” Gabe said. “I don’t think so. We’ve never had a relationship if that’s what you’re asking. It’s never entered my mind, and as far as I know it’s never entered hers.”
“Professional contact only?”
“Totally. I’d tell you if it were otherwise. Nadia believes I have influence over David, her ex-husband, but I don’t. I had no idea their marriage was on the rocks. I’m not sure she did, either. He seemed to dump her out of the blue. He’s one of those narcissistic asses who can turn on the charm when it suits him, but I don’t have anything to do with him.”
Russ nodded thoughtfully. “Sounds as if Nadia’s had a lot come at her at once. What about you and Felicity?”
Gabe drank some of his coffee. Yeah, he thought, what about him and Felicity? It was a damn good question. “We grew up together,” he said finally. “We stayed friends after we both left Knights Bridge. We drifted apart. This is the first time I’ve seen her in a few years.”
“Any big falling-out or just less and less contact?”
“There was a falling-out,” Gabe said, downing the last of his coffee. He set the mug on the counter, where one of Felicity’s helpers, already on duty, swept it away. “She got mad at me for giving her unsolicited advice.”
“Ah.” Russ pointed his mug at Gabe. “But you hired her to plan the party today.”
“Sort of. It was through Mark.”
Russ grinned. “I have a meddling big brother, too. He’s out in Hollywood pouring drinks and writing screenplays. Hates to fly or he’d come out here for a visit. Does Nadia know about your past with Felicity?”
“I didn’t tell her. My assistant knows, but she’s not one for spreading gossip, just listening to it. A lot of people in Knights Bridge know we grew up together and were friends.”
“Easy to find out that sort of history in a small town,” Russ said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if people here know more about what happened between you and Felicity than you two do yourselves.”
“And you’re only half kidding.”
“Not kidding at all.”
Gabe laughed, relaxing for the first time since he’d heard about Nadia’s package on the doorstep. “You’re getting to know your new town.”
“Bit by bit.” Russ turned serious again. “If Nadia is looking for reasons to be jealous, a history between you and Felicity could do it.”
“Nadia has a lot going for her. She doesn’t need to be jealous of anyone.”
“It’s not necessarily about that kind of need, Gabe. Maybe she just wants to see your life screwed up since hers is so screwed up. Maybe she doesn’t want to see you reunite with old friends in your hometown because she feels alienated and alone.” He set his mug on the counter. “I could go on, but I’m only speculating. Don’t worry about anything today, okay? That’s what I’m here for.”
Gabe nodded. “Thanks,” he said. “It’s got to be hard to get worked up about a present of a towel with a covered bridge on it.”
“You’d be surprised,” Russ said. “If you hear from Nadia, let me know.”
“Will do,” Gabe said, irritated that Nadia had inserted herself into today’s event.
“And don’t contact Nadia yourself,” Russ added as Gabe started toward the main room.
“No chance of that.”
When he entered the main room, Gabe noticed several people arriving for the day. Felicity was at the front entrance to greet them. He glanced back toward the kitchen, but Russ had slipped away to do his thing. Gabe had an urge to disappear, too. He didn’t like the limelight. He liked his work, and he wanted to help people—but he wasn’t a big networker. From self-made billionaire Noah Kendrick’s uncomfortable expression as he arrived, Gabe figured at least he was in good company.
He resisted an impulse to call Nadia and tell her to back off, but he’d do as Russ, the security pro, recommended and avoid contact. He didn’t want to think about her. That, he was certain, was at least one thing she wanted. Sending notes and towels to Felicity was Nadia’s way of exerting control. She might not be aware of what she was doing, but that didn’t matter.
He made eye contact with Felicity and smiled at her. She smiled, looking relaxed and confident. He figured now wasn’t the time to point out he was right about her not following her parents and brother into finance. She loved her work as an event manager. He could see it.
Or maybe her smile was meant for him—she was relaxed because her old friend Gabe was in town?
He grinned.
Not a chance.