Sara clapped her hands as she hopped onto the bed. “I knew it!” But then she sobered. “Sorry. All that was for the ‘best weekend’ part. Was it dreamy?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“That’s all I get? C’mon, Allie, I haven’t had dreamy sex in so long I’ve forgotten what it’s like.”
Allie raised her head. “You?”
“Well, you don’t have to act like I’m a major slut. Yes, I was a bit wild in my youth, but I’ve calmed down considerably in my old age. No more cozying up to guys I couldn’t possibly have any future with.”
“But that’s the thing, don’t you see?” Allie said. “Cooper and I couldn’t possibly be together in the future. When someone’s beaten you in court and deprived you of something you believe is yours, how can you even exist in the same room with them?”
“Do you think he’s going to win?” Sara whispered.
“No! I think
“You don’t know that for sure. Maybe you guys could work it out somehow. Share ownership or something.”
Allie raised her head and peered suspiciously at Sara. “Have you been talking to Cooper?”
“What? No. I came straight in here as soon as I got home. Why?”
“It’s just that he proposed the exact same thing. He bought me those beautiful clothes, he put me up in a luxury suite at the Hotel Alexander-”
“You stayed there? I’d give up all my Guns n’ Roses CDs to stay there!”
“Sara, focus. He wined me and dined me, he…took care of me when I got a little freaked out about a small fire at the hotel-”
“The Alexander burned?”
“Just a couple of rooms.” Truthfully, she’d forgotten about how understanding he was during that incident. That couldn’t have been part of his evil plan. Even Cooper couldn’t risk burning down his family’s hotel just to put her in a vulnerable situation so he could look like a hero. And he’d been so sweet when she’d injured her finger, going out and getting her bandages.
She refused to dwell on that. “Then he cinched the deal by…by seducing me-”
“Oh, Allie, don’t be so Victorian. You can’t tell me you weren’t a willing participant.”
Allie bit her lip, trying not to remember how utterly wanton she’d been. “Okay, yes, I did my part. But you’re missing the point. By this morning I was nothing but a glob of quivering goo, and then he springs it on me-as if it had just occurred to him. He proposed a fifty-fifty partnership.”
Sara stared at her blankly. “And…?”
“Don’t you get it? He buttered me up, then tried to catch me in a weak moment. He planned it from the start.”
Sara scratched her head, her brow wrinkled in thought. “Let me get this straight. The man dumps a bunch of money into your business with no guarantee of any return.”
“Because he expects to win,” Allie insisted.
“Fair enough. He’s so sure he’s going to win that he invests thousands of dollars into your business. He whisks you off to Houston, puts you up in the acknowledged best honeymoon hotel in town, wines you and dines you-did you wear the dress, by the way?”
“As a matter of fact, I did. I assume you had something to do with that, and I’m not sure whether to thank you or curse you, but it did come in handy.”
“Okay. So he wines you and dines you and you have great sex with him-I’m assuming it was great sex, right?”
Allie nodded miserably. She couldn’t lie about that. Not that she was any expert when it came to bedroom Olympics, but there was no mistaking good sex when she had it.
“And after all this, he offers you fifty percent of a business he’s positive he’s going to own, anyway. Do I have it right?”
“He was hedging his bets. He’s trying to get half my business because he…thinks…” Oh, hell. There seemed to be a large error in her thinking.
Sara smiled triumphantly. “Exactly. All of his actions have indicated that he thinks he’s going to win the
“I…I just don’t know. But he must have an angle.”
Sara picked up a pillow and whomped Allie on the head with it. “You dolt! What were you thinking?”
Allie sat up. “I don’t know! He got me all confused.”
“No, it’s that rat fink uncle of yours who messed you up. He’s the one who was out to grab everything he could from you, legally or not. But that doesn’t mean every man is out to do the same. I’ll admit, it’s suspicious how the Remingtons haven’t shown their faces in Port Clara until there was money and property involved. But something tells me this situation is not all black and white.”
Chapter Thirteen
Allie had hoped that by showing up at the breakfast table as early as possible, she would miss Cooper and his cousins. But no such luck. The man hadn’t slept five hours over the weekend, yet he looked as polished and alert as always, decked out in his yuppie casual.
His cousins were with him, and their heads were bent together in whispered discussion that halted the moment she entered the dining room.
Max was the first to offer her a smile. “Morning, Allie.”
“Good morning, Allie,” Reece chimed in. “Cooper says the trade show went very well.”
Allie selected a chair as far as possible from the Remingtons. “I think so. I’ve never done a trade show before, so I have nothing to compare it to. But people seemed interested, thanks to Max’s video and brochures.”
“It was pretty basic stuff,” Max said. “I could have done better if I’d had more time. But I’m glad they went over well.”
Allie returned her attention to Reece. “So, how’s the audit going?”
“Almost done,” he said with an uneasy smile, eyes flicking to the kitchen door. “You keep very good records. Do you have any accounting experience?”
Allie laughed. “No, I never went to college or anything. I just keep the books the way my dad taught me. Johnny’s wife-your aunt Pat-had a pretty good system set up. Johnny had made a mess of it after she died, but I got it straightened out.”
Cooper looked up at her then. He’d been studiously ignoring her, but now there was no doubt where his attention lay. Nor was there any doubt as to his feelings toward her this morning. Animosity shot out of his eyes like fireworks on the Fourth of July.
“I’ll bet you did.”
So, they were back to being suspicious that Allie was some kind of gold-digger con artist. She ignored his baiting comment as Sara entered the dining room with a tray laden with all kinds of tasty goodies. She set plates down in front of each of the Remington cousins in turn.
“Denver omelet for Max, fresh fruit and oatmeal for Cooper, and a Belgian waffle for-” Somehow, the plate with the waffle managed to slip out of her hand and fall straight into Reece’s lap. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry!” She squealed as Reece bolted out of his chair. She grabbed a napkin and tried to wipe the syrup off him but he quickly took the napkin away from her.
“It’s okay, Sara, accidents happen.”
“I’ll make you another one. I’m so sorry. I’m not usually so clumsy.”
No, she wasn’t. Sara had served a lot of drinks and meals over the years with her frequent waitress gigs. She was one of the most graceful and self-possessed people Allie knew. So why had she just become a blithering idiot?
