“I’m not bringing twenty grand, no, but I do want to hear what he has to say.”
“What makes you think he’ll tell you anything if you don’t have the money?”
“My knowledge of human nature?”
“Try again.”
“I think he wants to talk. He’s an opportunist, sure, but just from the hints he dropped, this is a guy with a story to tell.”
Will checked his watch. “Look, I’ll do my best to get back in time to go with you. I’m still in Encinitas.” He glanced at David, who was watching attentively, and realized, awkward or not, he could not risk this looking like anything but the accidental meeting it was. “I ran into David when I stopped for lunch.”
“Of course you did,” Taylor said. “Well, don’t let me rush you, but it would be nice to have some backup.”
“You’re damn right I’m going to back you up,” Will said. “If you have to leave before I get back to the office, I’ll meet you at the beach. You said lifeguard tower eleven?”
Taylor said briskly, “Be there or be square,” and hung up.
Will reached for his wallet and rose. “Sorry. I’ve got to go.”
“Lunch is on me,” David said. “I had no idea MacAllister was so insecure.” His expression was sympathetic.
Will felt a flash of irritation. “This isn’t anything to do with that.”
“No? I have to say, from my end, it kind of sounds that way.”
It occurred to Will that the moment had come to draw a line in the sand. He liked David a lot, but he loved Taylor.
“He isn’t insecure, generally speaking. But in fairness to him, you haven’t made any secret of the fact that you’d like to get back together. That you think it’s a possibility.”
“In fairness to me, I can’t make that happen without cooperation on your part.”
“That’s true. But we both know—all three of us know—that what you and I almost had together was something we both thought might be serious.”
David stopped smiling. “Yes,” he said. “I believe we had something special together. But I’d have to be deaf, dumb, and blind not to realize that you and MacAllister have something pretty special too. I don’t think there’s any getting in the middle of that, and I wouldn’t try. I’d like to stay friends, but if you don’t think MacAllister can handle it—”
“I think he can handle it, so long as he’s confident everyone’s on the same page.”
David raised his brows but said nothing.
Will said quietly, “I hurt him in Paris. That can’t ever happen again.”
“You can’t be blamed for what happened in Paris. Nor is there a likelihood of those circumstances ever being replicated.”
“He doesn’t blame me. He knows none of it was deliberate or even in my control. But the pain I inflicted? Never again. So long as I have the power to prevent it, nothing will hurt him like that again.”
David’s dark brows rose. “That’s very admirable. I don’t know how realistic it is. People do hurt each other. But I can see you mean every word. I only hope MacAllister appreciates what he has in you.”
Will’s mouth curved without humor. “One thing he wouldn’t appreciate is me telling you any of this, and it’s the last time I discuss him with you. But I feel it’s only right to let you know that if I did offer mixed signals or seemed divided in my feelings, that was a mistake. I know exactly who and what I want, and that’s Taylor and our life together.”
“Message received loud and clear.”
Will nodded. “Thanks for lunch.”
“My pleasure,” David said. His smile was rueful. “Next time we’ll try to arrange it so MacAllister can join us.”
His cell phone rang while he was merging onto the I-5 N. Traffic was always a snarling mess this time of the afternoon, and the heavy rain made it that much worse. Will was starting to fret he would never make it back to Ventura, let alone reach the office before Taylor left.
Ordinarily, that wouldn’t have been cause for sweat beading his hairline or warming his underarms, but he’d had a sense of foreboding ever since Ashe Dekker walked into their office, and it was a feeling that grew stronger by the day, stronger by the hour.
AMERICAN EAGLE appeared on his screen. He pressed to accept.
“Nee. Anything yet?”
Euphonia said crisply, “License Number: 6 Golf Tango X-ray 534. Make: Honda Accord. Registered Owner: Anne or Michael Zamarion, 3000 Foothill Road, Carpinteria, California.”
Will blinked, stared unseeingly at the gleaming roadblock of cars in front of him. “Say again?”
Enunciating clearly, she repeated, “The car is owned by a Michael Zamarion.”
Chapter Six
“I thought you’d call last night,” Ashe said. His laugh was strained. “Hell, I thought for sure you’d come by.”
He pushed away from the front door frame, walking down the long hall, bare feet soundless on the distressed hickory wood floor. Taylor stepped out of the rain, followed him, conscious that he was leaving wet boot marks on the hardwood floors.
“I didn’t have anything to report last night.”
Ashe threw a bleak look over his shoulder. “That’s not what I mean and you know it.”
Taylor smothered a sigh. “Ashe.”
“Forget it. It’s just lonely here.” He glanced back again, but now he was smiling. “It’s haunted, you know. The house. Lots of ghosts. Including yours.”
Taylor quelled his rising impatience. “Ashe, we need to talk.”
“Sure. Did you want coffee?”
“Coffee would be great. But just coffee. I’ve got a lot to do today.”
Ashe shivered. “Is it cold in here, or is it just me?”
Now that he mentioned it, it was cold. It felt like a window was open somewhere and a rainy wind was blowing through the house.
“It’s December. Even in California, that’s cold,” Taylor said.
Ashe said nothing, so he probably had not been referencing the weather. Taylor followed him into the long airy kitchen with its vaulted ceiling and incredible views of the fog-shrouded ocean.
“Do you still take sugar?” Ashe asked, pouring coffee into red mugs.
“No. Not usually.”
Taylor was not one
