He tamped down his irritation. “What did Nadia want with you?” he asked.
Felicity tilted her head to one side, eyeing him, then stood straight and sighed. “Steam’s coming out of your ears, Gabe. Did this Nadia step out of the lines by contacting me? Did I step out of the lines by meeting with her?”
Of course she’d seen through him. “It’s the humidity,” he said, not bothering to try to sound as if he was serious. “I’m not used to it. I was in California too long.”
“The humidity. Good one.”
He ignored her light sarcasm. “Where is Nadia now?”
“Enjoying Smith’s peach pie, I think. She had a turkey club but didn’t seem inclined to resist pie. Does she work for you or did she make that up?”
“No one except Shannon works for me since I sold the company.” He took a moment to soak in the breeze, listen to the birds. Didn’t help particularly. Steam probably was coming out his ears. “I’ll speak with Nadia. She must be confused about her role. I’ll straighten things out. I’m sorry she troubled you.”
“It wasn’t any trouble, really. I needed lunch, and I love Smith’s turkey clubs. I love their pie, too, but I’ve been into the brownies. Anyway, it worked out. I got the impression Nadia was fishing for information more than anything else. There was only so much I could tell her.” Felicity put one foot on a step and leaned forward, as if giving her thigh a stretch. She straightened, eyeing Gabe again. “You don’t have a good expression. Nadia isn’t some deranged stalker who’s going to boil your pet rabbit, is she?”
“Don’t worry about her.”
“Is she going to boil my pet rabbit?”
“Felicity, you don’t have a rabbit. I don’t have a rabbit. It’ll be fine.”
“Is she an ex-girlfriend?”
“No, but I’ll take care of the situation. She’s not your problem. She’s excellent at her work, and she’s smart. She understands the necessity of getting immediate feedback from customers and using that information to revise products and plans. She knows how important it is to pivot quickly in the business we were in.”
“Doesn’t sound like an event planner,” Felicity said.
“She coordinated with resorts on a couple of small corporate get-togethers.” He changed the subject. “Do you have anything you need to do here? If you need a hand, I can carry a box inside—”
“No boxes.” She stood in a patch of bright sun and squinted at him. “I’ll check on a few things here at the barn and then walk down to Olivia’s inn. That’s where we’re having your party.”
“Perfect. Thanks.” He motioned toward the parking area, where he’d left his car. “I’ll go see if I can find Nadia.”
“Good luck.”
Madly curious. That was Felicity, always digging, probing, a natural for ferreting out people’s secrets. Interested in people, she’d say. Gabe had no intention of further discussing Nadia with Felicity, no matter how curious she was. He didn’t need to explain. What he needed to do was to find Nadia, settle her down and draw some clear boundaries she couldn’t miss.
Felicity started up the steps, paused and glanced back at him with a knowing sigh.
He bit. “What?”
“You and Nadia. You weren’t straight with her, were you?”
“Straight with her how? She’s a terrific customer development specialist. She knows that.”
“She has some kind of personal interest in you.”
“Not that kind, Felicity. Trust me.”
“Maybe, but I know you, Gabe. You’re the guy who says he’ll call even if it’s bad news and then doesn’t, and when people get upset, rationalizes his behavior by saying not calling is easier on the other person. Your way of letting people down gently whether in a personal or a business relationship. Let them figure it out on their own instead of telling them straight what the score is.”
“Didn’t we part company because I was too straight with you?”
“That’s different. We’ve known each other since nursery school.”
“I can’t remember back that far,” he said lightly. “It’s possible that not keeping a promise to call allows the other person the chance to realize what’s going on and come to terms with the situation in private.”
“Spares them, huh?”
“It could.” He had no idea what he was saying but was arguing to argue. He and Felicity used to have back-and-forths like this all the time. “Someone who’s going to freak out and be emotional might rather have a chance to regroup before a conversation happens.”
“Told you,” she said with a note of victory. “You’re that guy.”
He grinned at her. “You’re as big a know-it-all as ever.”
“Me?” She snorted. “That’s a good one. My advice—not that you asked—is to be straight with Nadia. Don’t leave her guessing or twisting in the wind. It’s too easy to read things between the lines that aren’t there, and if they are there—then get them out in the open.”
“A lot of assumptions in that advice.”
“What’s between you two is none of my business. I don’t want it to be. I’m not sticking my nose into your life. If Nadia’s a problem, she’s your problem.”
“I’m sorry she contacted you. I’ll handle the situation.”
“Good.” Felicity continued up the barn steps. “See you later.”
Gabe waited until the door shut behind her. Then he cursed under his breath and stalked along the stone walk to his car. He noticed Felicity had parked her Land Rover crookedly. She’d been agitated but not upset. Nadia had stuck her nose in Felicity’s business, but she hadn’t made any threats. The woman was a mess but not that kind of mess. Her grandmother had died, her husband had dumped her and Gabe had sold the company she’d helped
