Page 13 of Between the Lines

Okay, that wasn’t quite fair. Morettihaddragged him out of the water when he’d felt like a lost sock in a particularly vicious spin-cycle. He felt awkward about losing his temper, but Moretti had looked so smug standing there in his sunglasses, the handsome lifeguard smirking as he hauled Theo to his feet.

Most people say “thank you” when a lifeguard pulls them out of the water...

Patronizing sod. He’d made Theo feel stupid and graceless, and the familiar humiliation had lit the blue touch paper. Lashing out, he’d found himself blinking back tears of frustration because everything was so bloodyeasyfor men like Moretti, and so bloody difficult for him. It wasn’t fair and Theo wanted to—

His alarm went off, reminding him he’d been in the shower for twenty minutes. Before he got distracted, he turned off the water and climbed out of the slippery tub. At home he had a fantastic walk-in shower, but this was a full-size bath tub with an ancient shower overhead and a creepy fabric curtain that kept sticking to his skin. Quaint, maybe, but begging for someone to slip and crack their head open. He’d have to be careful it wasn’t him.

When he was dressed, he hot-spotted his laptop off his phone—no Wi-Fi at the Majestic, of course—and lost himself in his in-box until his stomach began to demand attention. He was surprised to find the sky outside turning dusky, having hardly noticed the time slip past. It happened, sometimes; he got hyper-focused and lost track of the world. Still, he’d blasted through all his emails and handed off everything he couldn’t cover during his forced vacation. Miranda was on top of the rest. A good day’s work.

Stretching his back, he pulled off his computer glasses and moved to gaze across the garden toward the ocean. The horizon was already dark, a few stars visible in the deep blue, and when he opened the window and stepped out onto the narrow balcony he could hear the roar of the surf. It was a comforting sound, like the endless hum of a Manhattan night, only more gentle—and with fewer fumes. He inhaled a deep breath and felt the peace of the place sink into his bones. For a strange moment he found himself wondering what it would be like to belong here, to have that peace for himself. Impossible, of course. As the morning’s disaster had demonstrated, New Milton was not the place for him.

Needing food, he headed downstairs to investigate what the Majestic had to offer. The grand staircase, like something out of an old movie, opened out into the large circular foyer and he couldn’t deny the Majestic Hotel earned her name. He paused halfway down and cast his eyes over the marble floor, took in the softly ticking grandfather clock by the reception desk, and the stained-glass windows in the door that caught the light of the setting sun. Charming.

He’d just reached the bottom when he heard voices, one raised and the other less distinguishable. They were coming from the small office behind reception, and the loudest voice was Jude’s.

“...mountain out of a molehill, Don. It’s nothing to worry about.”

Ears pricking, Theo drew closer. He wasn’t eavesdropping,per se, he was simply passing. Slowly.

Don spoke then. Theo could scarcely make out his words, because he was talking so softly. “The doc wouldn’t have suggested the tests if she thought it was nothing, sweetheart. I think you should go ahead and have them done. And the sooner the better.”

“But the cost—”

“It’s only money, Jude.”

“Money we don’t have right now.”

He heard a sigh, a rustle of clothing: an embrace? After a pause, Don said, “If anything happened to you...”

“Honey, hush now. Dr. Mira said the tests are only a precaution.”

“I bet Luca would agree with me if I told him—”

“Don’t youdare.”

That was loud enough to stop Theo in his tracks, silence ringing in the wake of Jude’s sharp words. After a long pause, Don spoke again. “I promised I wouldn’t, and I won’t. But, sweetheart, don’t you think he’s got a right to know? He’d want to help.”

“Know what? That I’m getting older? Because that’s all this is, Don.”

Don sighed, a long huff of breath. “I wish we were in Miami, already. I don’t want you to have to go through another winter here.”

“There’s nothing wrong with me that a little rest won’t fix, Don. You don’t need to worry...”

Jude went on but Theo lost the thread of the conversation because his mind was busy turning over those unexpected revelations: Jude had health issues, and money was tight enough to be a worry. His father would call this information leverage. Beyond the medium-term business need to sell the Majestic, it appeared Don and Jude had a more pressing short-term financial imperative. And Theo could use that. Heshoulduse that.

He didn’t want to use that.

With luck, he wouldn’t need to. If he convinced Jude he understood the legacy she wanted to protect, it would allow her to do what was already in her best interest. And then everyone would be happy. Pondering this, lost in thought, he was embarrassed when Jude emerged from the office. He turned clumsily toward the dining room, but he was too slow and she called after him.

“Theo! How was your day? I hear you’ve been to the beach. Luca brought your bodyboard back, by the way. It’s out on the porch.”

“Right.” He tensed, mortified by the thought of Moretti telling her he’d been drunk. “Thank you.”

“It was a pretty day for it.” Jude watched him with a look he couldn’t interpret. Did she expect him to say something more? To tell her what had happened with Moretti? When he didn’t speak, she said, “Well, anyway, I hope you’re not vegetarian.”

The non sequitur derailed him even further. “Um, no?”

“Wonderful! Because I’ve persuaded Luca to make his specialty. You’ll eat with us, of course?” She turned to smile at her husband, who stood in the doorway behind her. “Don’s going to take care of our other guests tonight, so we’ll have plenty of time to talk.”

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