And if Claire decided to quit and pursue a career as a chef? Linc fought down a rising uneasiness. The idea that his house would no longer ring with Honey’s silver giggles or be filled with Claire’s beautiful smiles made his gut knot.
“She won’t leave me.”
“What if she does?”
Something in Knox’s tone snagged Linc’s attention. He turned from his contemplation of the pool and noted his friend wore a concerned expression.
“She won’t.”
* * *
With Linc’s guests gone, Honey finally succumbed to sleep. Although the rooms Claire and Honey occupied were on the third floor, noise from the boisterous dinner party had filtered up the stairs and the unusual activity in the house meant her curious daughter had resisted settling down for the night. Even though Claire had been the one to finally get Honey to fall asleep, she’d given the babysitter a little extra for her trouble.
Confident Honey was down for the night, Claire descended to the quiet kitchen to survey what still needed to be done. Since they’d finished most of the cleanup, she probably could’ve left the balance for the morning, but with euphoria pumping through her body on the heels of the successful dinner party, there was no way she was going to be able to sleep.
So, instead of pacing around her room or lying in bed and staring at the ceiling, Claire decided to wash the table linens and put away the crystal and china in the butler’s pantry off the kitchen. With Honey’s ever-increasing climbing ability, the sooner Claire could secure the breakable items, the better.
Claire padded barefoot into the kitchen. She’d exchanged her chef whites for what served as pajamas for her: a pair of blue-and-green-striped drawstring pants and a light camisole. Because it was cooler downstairs, she’d also slipped on a thin hoodie.
Under-cabinet lighting softened the stark white cabinetry and marble countertops, giving the kitchen a cozy feel. When Linc wasn’t home, Claire often put Honey to bed and then came back to the first floor to fix a cup of herbal tea or enjoy a rare glass of wine. As much as she loved spending time with her daughter, Honey’s high energy level left her needing a little peace and quiet at the end of the day.
She set the linen napkins to soaking in the laundry room and then carefully dried and placed all the china and glassware back where it belonged. Deciding she deserved a glass of wine after all her hard work, Claire chose one of the crystal goblets and poured some of the crisp leftover Soave that she’d paired with the scallops. A dry white from northern Italy, this particular vintage had notes of peach and marjoram. Savoring the flavor, Claire wandered into the dark sunroom and sat in her favorite chair overlooking the pool.
Several windows were opened to allow the cool night air to filter in. Cigar smoke drifted toward her on the breeze. Obviously, Linc hadn’t gone to the bar with the rest of the party. And from the sound of things, he wasn’t alone. Claire recognized the second voice as belonging to Knox Smith.
“Tonight at dinner,” Knox said. “I saw the way you looked at her.”
“How was that?” Linc asked, his tone light and unconcerned.
Claire knew she shouldn’t stick around to overhear her employer’s conversation, but curiosity kept her in place. Which of tonight’s guests had piqued Linc’s interest? From her brief glimpse of the assembled women, if she had to bet, Claire’s money was on Landry, the stunning brunette with the green eyes.
It would be another adorable L and L combination. Linc and Landry. Like it had once been Linc and London. Plus, her rich sable hair would make for a nice contrast with Linc’s blond all-American looks. The media would eat them up.
“Like you couldn’t wait for the rest of us to get the hell out of your house so you could be alone with her,” Knox replied, his tone dry.
“That’s ridiculous.” Linc sounded calm, almost bored. “Claire works for me. That’s all there is to it.”
They were talking about her. Shock and panic swamped Claire’s lighthearted mood. She nervously rubbed her arms.
“And if she didn’t?”
“She’s still hung up on her dead husband.”
“Are you so sure about that?”
“Yeah. Why would you think otherwise?”
“Because there’s the way she gobbles you up with her eyes.”
Claire shook her head, rejecting everything Knox was saying. It had been bad enough indulging her fantasy about sleeping with her boss, but that her interest in Linc was so obvious...
The heat of humiliation threatened to turn her to ash. What could be worse than having Linc’s best friend point out her secret crush on him? She scooted forward on the chair, perched on the edge of the floral cushion. But instead of fleeing the room, she stayed to hear what Linc had to say about her in reply.
“She doesn’t.” Linc sounded doubtful. “You’re making stuff up to mess with me.”
“Only partially. I wanted to see your reaction.”
And in turn, Claire wanted to pummel Knox. How dare he put ideas like that in Linc’s head. The last thing she needed was for Linc to start questioning her reactions to him.
“And?”
“You might not be sleeping with Claire, but you want to.”
Claire’s thoughts flashed once again to the moment they’d shared before dinner. By the time she’d put the finishing touches on the dessert course, she’d convinced herself that she’d completely misread his signals.
“And what’s so surprising about that?” Linc asked. “She’s beautiful, sweet, and we get along great.”
“She’s also your housekeeper.”
“Men have been known to fall for their secretaries and nannies. Why not a housekeeper?”
“Fall for?” Knox sounded surprised, but no more so than Claire.
Had she stepped into some sort of alternate universe where she had a shot with someone as wealthy and socially connected as Linc Thurston? Claire didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
“Figure of speech. Sounds better than ‘sleep with.’” A pause and then, “Damn. I’m back
