Double Life Page 9

  “Perfectly. But you don’t need to worry about me. I did exactly what you told me to do.”

  “I told you to stay the hell put until the time was right,” Tobias growled.

  “Would Ash Corbett wait for you to give him the green light before seeing his grandmother?”

  Tobias said nothing.

  “That’s what I thought. You and I both know he would have done exactly what I did.”

  “That may be, but I still don’t like it. Any deviation from the original plan is an unnecessary risk.”

  “And you know as well as I do that for this plan to work, a certain amount of improvisation is necessary. You told me once that I had to live, breathe, sleep Ashton Corbett. That’s what I’m trying to do. And evidently it’s working because, like I said, Helen Corbett believes I’m her grandson.”

  “How do you know she’s not just putting on an act to try and trip you up?”

  “She’s not.”

  “How can you be so sure? What exactly did you say to her to get her to accept you so quickly?” The suspicion was back in the attorney’s voice. He was not going to let this go.

  “Look, if you want me to be Ash Corbett, you’ve got to stop reminding me that I’m not. You’ve got to let me do this my way or Helen Corbett’s going to see through both of us.”

  “That can’t happen.”

  “Then give me some room to maneuver. Ease up with the threats and don’t expect me to remember every conversation word for word. If something comes up that you need to know about, I’ll get in touch with you.”

  “My, my,” the lawyer murmured sardonically. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were Ash Corbett. And we both know what happened to him when he crossed the wrong person, don’t we?”

  A chill slid over him. “What do you mean? I thought you said he left home of his own accord.”

  When the lawyer didn’t respond, the chill inside him deepened. But it was too late for second thoughts. He’d gone into this thing with his eyes wide open. He’d had his own reasons for accepting Tobias’s terms, but with the darkness suddenly closing in on him, he was once again plagued by doubts.

  “So what comes next?” he finally asked.

  “Now we wait and see how the others accept your homecoming.”

  “We won’t have long to wait. They were all here tonight. You’ll probably be hearing from one or both of the uncles in the morning. If not sooner.”

  “Wesley and Brad were at the house tonight?” Tobias asked in alarm.

  “Helen called the family together after your meeting with her this afternoon. She planned to announce the news of my homecoming after dinner, but my unexpected arrival threw a monkey wrench in her plans. I took everyone by surprise.”

  Tobias swore. “I still don’t like this.”

  “So you said. But everything went down just the way you said it would. Maris was happy enough to see me. She’s in my corner, but the uncles are going to be trouble.”

  “Because they have more to lose,” Tobias said. Suddenly, he was all business again, as if his previous threats and cryptic remarks about Ash had never been uttered. “Especially Wesley. He’s going to feel threatened by your homecoming so you’ll have to be careful how you deal with him.”

  “Yeah, I got that impression. But somehow it’s Brad that concerns me the most.”

  The lawyer scoffed. “Forget about Brad. Wesley is the one who holds all the power.”

  “That may be, but I sensed some pretty strong hostility in old Brad, and I don’t think those hard feelings are all about the company or the power. If you ask me, he has a personal ax to grind with his nephew. You wouldn’t be holding out on me, would you?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Is there something about Ash’s relationship with his uncle that you aren’t telling me?”

  “So far as I know the two of them had very little interaction. Both Wes and Brad had already moved out of the mansion when Ash came there to live. And then a couple of years later, Helen shipped the kid off to boarding school so he was barely even around except in the summers. If Brad had a problem with Ash it was probably a jealousy thing. Reese was always Helen’s favorite, and then after he died, she turned to Wesley. When Ash came to live with her, she transferred her affections to him because he looked so much like Reese. Wesley didn’t care so long as Helen gave him free reign at the company, but Brad has always been pushed aside. It’s not surprising he’d be resentful.”

  “You sound sympathetic,” he said. “Could it be that Brad is the one signing your check?”

  Tobias gave a low laugh. “Nice try, but I told you before the identity of my employer—and yours—is not your concern.”

  “I like to know who I’m doing business with. You know the old saying. Lie down with dogs…”

  “It’s a little too late to worry about that,” Tobias said.

  “You just do as you’re told and everyone walks away with what we want,” the lawyer told him.

  Everyone…except Emma Novick.

  “Listen, there’s something I need to tell you—” A rustle in the bushes startled him and he broke off.

  “What’s the matter?” Tobias demanded.

  “I thought I heard something.”

  “Where are you?”

  He didn’t answer. Instead he sat very still peering into the shadows. Someone was out there. He could feel invisible eyes on him and the adrenaline that had been coursing through his veins all night spiked.

  Had someone been listening to his conversation with Tobias?

  Something shot out of the bushes toward him, so quick he jumped in alarm, and then he laughed.

  “What’s going on?” Tobias said anxiously.

  “Nothing. I thought someone had overheard us at first, but it was just a cat.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah. The damn thing is sitting in the doorway of the gazebo staring at me.”

  Tobias was silent for a moment, then he laughed, too. “You sound spooked.”

  “Let’s just say, I’m not exactly a cat person. I’m allergic to them.”

  “Well, watch yourself, especially around Helen. You may have to take an antihistamine or something. You start sneezing she might get suspicious.”

  They talked for a few more minutes and then hung up. The cat was still watching him from the doorway and he said tentatively, “Here, kitty, kitty.”

  The cat got up and walked over to where he sat. Pausing briefly to sniff his ankles, the feline jumped up on the bench beside him, and then a moment later, resettled himself in Ash’s lap.

  Chapter Seven

  Emma got up early the next morning and hurried downstairs, hoping that she could put in an hour or so at her desk before Helen made an appearance. She wasn’t looking forward to facing her employer. Helen’s warning the evening before still rankled, and if Emma had only herself to consider, she might have tendered her resignation on the spot.

  But she had to worry about her father, too. After the scare with his heart attack, she wanted to be near him so that she could keep an eye on his health. The job with Helen was ideal because Emma could look in on him almost daily without compromising his privacy. And she knew that she would be hard-pressed to find a local position that paid as well, even if she relocated to Corpus Christi.

  Besides, she’d already decided that running away wasn’t a viable option. For one thing, that was probably what Helen expected her do.

  The woman could be extremely intimidating, even a little frightening, but her not-so-subtle coercion made Emma want to dig in her heels. It galled her that Helen apparently had no qualms about using her father’s job as leverage after all the years of loyal service he’d given to the Corbett family.

  Helen didn’t want her grandson in a relationship with the hired help. Fine. Emma could deal with the woman’s snobbery, but threatening her father’s employment was beyond the pale.

  And now Helen had created an awkward situation that was totally u
nnecessary because Ash had made it very clear last night that whatever had happened between him and Emma was in the past.

  Emma had gotten the message loud and clear. She and Ash were over and it was time for her to move on. Helen had nothing to worry about in that regard.

  But when Emma walked into the study that morning, she was met with Helen’s cold, accusatory stare.

  She decided not to let it throw her. Shaking off her lingering resentment and anger, Emma mustered up a thin smile. “Good morning, Mrs. Corbett. You’re up early I see.”

  “Which is more than I can say for some people,” Helen snapped.

  Emma made a point of glancing at her watch. She wasn’t due at her desk for another hour or so and Helen knew that as well as she did.

  Emma continued smiling through her irritation. “Well, I guess we’re both early birds today.”

  Helen had been reading some contracts, but now she slid the legal documents aside and took off her bifocals. “You know that Ash is here.”

  It was a statement, not a question.

  Emma nodded. “Yes. I saw his car in the driveway earlier.”

  Helen’s mouth tightened almost imperceptibly at the corners. Carefully she sheathed her fountain pen. “Have you seen him?”

  Emma was tempted to fib and say that she hadn’t, but it was possible Ash had already said something to his grandmother.

  “Only for a few moments. I was on my way back from seeing Dad last night when he drove up.” That was true enough, although she supposed some might consider it lying by omission not to mention the summerhouse meeting. Emma considered it self-preservation.

  Rising from her desk, she said, “Would you like for me to get you some coffee?”

  Helen’s lips thinned in disapproval. “No, thank you. I had my morning coffee with breakfast.”

  “You don’t mind if I have some, do you?”

  Without waiting for her to answer, Emma crossed the room to the silver coffee service that had been placed on a table near the window. She poured herself a cup, grateful to note that her hands were quite steady this morning. Surprising, considering everything that had happened in the last twelve hours.

  She’d been threatened by her employer, her dreams had come crashing down around her and a woman she despised had tried to blackmail her into seducing her long-lost love.

  Yes, that was quite a streak she was on.

  She carried the coffee back over to her desk and turned on her computer as she sat down.

  “Well?” Helen demanded.

  Emma lifted an inquiring brow. “I’m sorry?”

  “You said you saw Ash last night. I want to know what he had to say to you.”

  None of your business. “As I said, we only spoke briefly. He seemed anxious to see his family and I didn’t want to keep him.”

  Helen smiled at that. “He’s a far different young man from the one who left here twelve years ago. You must have noticed it, too.”

  “Yes, I did.”

  Helen’s gaze sharpened as she glanced at Emma. “It seems he finally has his priorities straight.”

  Her meaning couldn’t have been plainer. Anger shot through Emma’s bloodstream and she felt her cheeks color. Opening a file on her computer, she deliberately counted to ten before she responded. “Shall we get back to the letter we were composing yesterday when Mr. Tobias arrived? You wanted it to go out before the next board of directors meeting.”

  “The letter can wait.”

  “But the meeting is next week. If the letter doesn’t go out today, the directors won’t have much time to consider your points.”

  “That’s not my concern at the moment.”

  Emma glanced up to find Helen’s gaze still on her. “Is something wrong?” she asked hesitantly.

  “You seem different this morning, Emma.”

  “I don’t know why.”

  Helen continued to regard her from across the room. Her expression seemed benign, but there was something in her eyes…in the set of her mouth…

  Emma knew that look and she didn’t trust it at all.

  Helen was leading up to something, and it was a good bet that whatever was on her mind had to do with Ash.

  Helen reached for her cane. Emma watched her struggle to her feet and make her slow, painful way over to the windows to glance out.

  It was a long time before she spoke, and when she did, her voice was hard, cold. Resolved. “When Wesley told me that he’d made arrangements for you to come here and work for me, I wasn’t enthusiastic about the prospect. To be truthful…” She turned to face Emma. “I told him that I would not have you in my home.”

  Her bluntness was a little hard to swallow, but Emma managed to hold on to her poise. “Why did you change your mind?”

  “I didn’t, but Wesley was adamant. To appease him, I agreed to give you a try, but I had every intention of letting you go when things didn’t work out. I hadn’t forgotten what had gone on between you and my grandson the summer before he left home.”

  “I had nothing to do with his leaving,” Emma said, letting some of her anger creep into her tone.

  “That may be, but I still had reservations about having you live here. My personal considerations aside, I also doubted that you would be able to handle the responsibilities. I remembered you as a young woman who always had her head in the clouds, and even though your work has been satisfactory these past few weeks, your manner has done nothing to disabuse me of that notion. I’ve never had much use for dreamers.”

  Emma folded her hands on top of the desk. “Are you firing me, Mrs. Corbett?”

  The older woman lifted an eyebrow. “Firing you? No, I don’t think that will be necessary. I can tell from your demeanor this morning that I got my point across last evening.” She smiled slightly. “Or could it be that Ash got his point across?”

  How did she know that? How the hell could she know about Emma’s conversation with Ash last evening? No one had been in the summerhouse besides the two of them. The only person who could have told her was Ash himself.

  Emma knew that it was crazy, but his betrayal was like a slap in the face. She had to struggle very hard not to show Helen how deeply her words affected her.

  Helen walked back over to her desk and sat down. “Wesley needs these contracts before noon today,” she said briskly, as if their previous conversation had never taken place. “I told him that I would have you drop them by his office this morning.”

  “Of course.”

  “You may as well count on taking the rest of the day off. Have lunch in town, shop, whatever you wish to do,” Helen said magnanimously. “I won’t need you for the rest of the day. I have plans with my grandson.”

  “Whatever you say, Mrs. Corbett.” Emma stood. “I’ll just go grab my purse.”

  She hurried out of the study, resisting the urge to glance over her shoulder to see if Helen watched her. Emma doubted it. Now that Helen had “gotten her point across,” she wouldn’t give Emma another thought.

  ONCE IN HER ROOM, EMMA HURRIEDLY changed out of her business attire into a more casual skirt and sandals. If she was going to take the day off, she didn’t want to be stuck in heels and a suit.

  As she descended the curving staircase a few minutes later, she saw Ash in the foyer gazing up at her. In spite of her earlier resolve, Emma’s heart fluttered in awareness.

  And in trepidation because under the cover of darkness, the changes hadn’t been as noticeable. But now she understood why David Tobias had warned Helen to proceed with caution. The man who stood at the foot of the stairs was very different from the Ash she remembered.

  Her Ash had been a devastatingly handsome eighteen-year-old, but now at thirty, he was older and harder looking.

  However, his physical appearance wasn’t the most stunning change. This Ash had a presence about him that was magnetic. Emma could feel the pull all the way down the stairs, and she clung tightly to the banister to make certain she didn’t trip.

  Was he As
h?

  He had to be, didn’t he? How would an imposter know about the gazebo?

  She answered her own question. The same way Pamela Corbett had known.

  He smiled as she neared the bottom of the stairs, and for one split second, Emma saw the old Ash in that smile. And then he was gone again.

  “Good morning,” he said.

  “Good morning.”

  He nodded to her purse. “I see you’re on your way out.”

  “I have an errand to run for your grandmother. I don’t want to keep her waiting, so if you’ll excuse me…”

  “Emma.” He touched her shoulder as she walked past him, then dropped his hand to his side.

  Her heart skipped a bit as she paused and gazed up at him. “Yes?”

  He wanted to say something to her. She could see it in his eyes, but he hesitated so long that Emma feared the moment was lost.

  “What is it?” she prompted.

  “About last night…”

  She didn’t want to talk about last night. She didn’t need to experience that humiliation all over again. “I think we said all there is to say.”

  “Yes, that’s the problem. Maybe I said too much. I didn’t mean to imply that you don’t belong here. This is your home as much as it is mine.”

  Her smile turned wry. “We both know that’s not true.”

  “It is as far as I’m concerned. You and your father are an important part of this family. You have every right to be here. Maybe even more than I do.”

  Emma shook her head. “My father and I work for your grandmother. We aren’t part of your family, Ash. We’re only here for as long Mrs. Corbett finds our work satisfactory. And since I don’t want to lose my job, I’d better not keep her waiting.”

  “Emma—”

  She didn’t stop this time to find out what he wanted to say, but Emma had a feeling she’d be wondering about it for the rest of day.