“I need a new start, Matthew. I know it’s symbolic, but symbolism matters.”
“So do patents. You are walking away from so much.”
“I walked,” he corrected, gesturing toward the file folder. “Past tense. It’s official now, right?”
“I have to file the paperwork, but yes.”
“Liam Brogan,” he said, testing his new name aloud. “My mother’s father would be proud that I’ve taken his name.”
“Your mother’s father would kick your daddy’s ass for his actions these past few months. But back to those patents …”
“No longer my property. It’s okay, Matthew. This is the way I wanted it. Don’t worry so much.”
“After the past two years, it’s a habit.” His attorney and friend shook his head. “You do know that selling your company and changing your name won’t keep the vultures away. They’ll track you down.”
“I expect they will, but living on the island won’t make it easy on them. Plus, I’m determined to be boring. They’ll lose interest, and pretty soon I’ll be old news.”
“I swear, the worship of celebrity in this world is a disease.”
“Look on the bright side,” Liam advised. “If not for my celebrity status, you wouldn’t have an open invitation to visit my island paradise any time you like. Now, I’d better hit the pool so I have a big enough appetite to do Margaret’s efforts justice. Want to join me?”
“Are you kidding?” Matthew looked appalled. “If I exercised I might lose my pudginess, and my bride might take a second look at you.”
“Damn. You saw through me.” Liam pushed away from his desk and stood. “Do I have half an hour?”
“Forty-five minutes, I’d say. She’s going all out.”
“In that case I’ll swim an extra couple of laps.”
He took the stairs two at a time to reach the master suite, sparing the spectacular ocean view out the west-facing window only a glance. Despite all the banter with his friend, today’s actions weighed upon him. A man didn’t turn his back on his very identity without it leaving a bruise or two.
He changed into his swim trunks, looking forward to the distraction of a good hard swim, a hearty breakfast, then a day on the water as he ferried his attorney and his wife up to Nassau so they could catch a plane back to the States. He exited the suite by way of the spiral iron staircase that led down from his bedroom verandah. A dozen varieties of tropical flowers perfumed the air, and thick green grass provided a soft path for his bare feet as he crossed the lawn toward the pool. There he discovered a couple of trespassers—two large lizards swimming in the water along with leaves and flower petals that had blown in during last night’s storm. He retrieved the skimmer pole from the storage shed and set about cleaning his pool.
His thoughts returned to the stack of documents and contracts he’d handed to his attorney this morning, and with his focus on paperwork, he didn’t immediately notice the noise.
The movement caught his attention.
A fluffy white dog dashed through the evergreen hedge at the far side of the yard just as Liam scooped a lizard into his net. The dog—a puppy—spied Liam and altered his course, heading directly toward him, yapping all the way. Liam started to grin at the puppy when another figure fought through the hedge. Liam instantly went on guard.
The woman was beautiful. Supermodel tall, tanned, and nicely curved, she wore a yellow bikini top, shorts, and flip-flops adorned with sunflowers. She’d pulled her dark hair through the back of a Colorado Rockies baseball cap into a ponytail. She did not have a camera in her hands or hanging around her neck, but experience had taught Liam that that didn’t mean a damned thing.
“Bismarck! Get back here!” the woman called as she plucked leaves from her ponytail. “You can’t just … Oh.” Her gaze meeting Liam’s, she flashed an apologetic smile. “I’m so sorry. Bismarck and I are still establishing who the alpha is in our little pack.”
The dog dashed up to Liam, then plopped down at his feet. The woman scowled down at the dog, who studiously ignored her. “It’s only been two days. It’s bound to get better.” Then she extended a hand toward Liam. “I’m Gabriella Romano. Gabi. I’ll be pet sitting next door for the next few months while the Fontanas are on an extended vacation.”
His neighbors were named Fontana, although he had yet to meet them. Maybe she wasn’t a paparazza after all. Maybe.
“I’m Liam.” He shook her hand, then spoke his new name publicly for the first time. “Liam Brogan.”
Sounds good, he decided. Not weird at all. An underlying tension about his name-changing decision that he hadn’t previously recognized evaporated. He had done the right thing.
“Nice to meet you, Liam. Do you service next door, too?”
He blinked. “Excuse me?”
She closed her eyes and her cheeks stained pink. “Oh, jeez. That didn’t come out the way I intended. Pool service. Are you the pool guy for next door, too? The Fontanas didn’t leave me that info amid all the other numbers. If you are, there is something growing in the water. I was really bummed because I wanted to swim this morning, but once I got a good look at the pool … it’s nasty. I’ve never owned a pool, so I’m not sure what it needs.”
“Oh. Well. I’ll figure it out. I’m resourceful.” Then she stared down at the dog and sighed. “Except when it comes to a certain Samoyed puppy, I guess.”
“He’s a Samoyed? I think of Sammys as cold-weather dogs.”
“Yes. Well.” Her lips formed a rueful smile. “Don’t get me started. He sheds everywhere. He jumps on everything. He barks constantly and chases and nips at everything that moves. He’s as stubborn as my brother Max, and believe me, that’s saying a lot.”
“Love your job, do you?”
“I sound awful, don’t I? I do love animals, dogs in particular, and he’s a sweet little guy … honestly … for about five minutes every hour. We’re in an adjustment period. He’s a puppy being a puppy. I’m sure it will get better.”
She reached beneath the lounge chair for the dog, but before she could grab hold of him, he scooted out the other side. With that, he was off. She darted after him. “Bismarck!”
Liam should have set down the pool skimmer and attempted to help, but two things prevented him. First, while he tended to think otherwise, the dog-sitter thing could be a ploy. Second, and of more immediate concern, he couldn’t drag his gaze away from the lovely sight of a scantily dressed, long-legged beauty racing across his lawn.
The dog ran back through the hedge, and before she dashed after him, Gabriella Romano paused and waved. “Nice to meet you, Liam. I’ll be seeing you around.”
Liam watched her disappear into the hedge, her voice bellowing out “Bismarck!” He set down the pool skimmer and prepared to dive into his pool, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.
Gabriella Romano. Dog sitter or snoop? It served his best interests to find out.
Of course, he could surely find out everything he needed to know in five minutes on the Internet, followed up by a couple of phone calls. But where was the challenge in that? Liam was a sucker for puzzles, and one had just blasted through his hedgerow. Maybe he’d play the game a little first, rather than skipping ahead to the finish line.
With that, Liam executed a sleek racing dive into the deep end of the pool, and before he’d completed his first lap, he had a germ of an idea for how to conduct his investigation. By the time he finished his swim, he had a full-blown plan.
Liam showered and changed in the pool house, then strode inside wearing gym shorts, a T-shirt, and a smile.
This was going to be fun.
