Page 7 of A Man for Amanda
“Not interested,” Sloan agreed as he tapped out his cigar. “Fascinated. Don’t stop now, Mrs. McPike.”
“Oh, call me Coco. Everyone does.” She fluffed her hair. “The house passed along to my father, Ethan. He was their second child, but the first son. Grandpapa was very adamant about the Calhoun line. His—Ethan’s—elder sister, Colleen, was miffed about the arrangement. She rarely speaks to any of us to this day.”
“For which we’re all eternally grateful,” Amanda put in.
“Well, yes. She can be a bit—overwhelming. That left Uncle Sean, my father’s younger brother. He had a spot of trouble with a woman and sailed off to the West Indies before I was born. When my father was killed, the house passed to my brother, Judson. After his marriage he and his wife decided to live here year-round. They adored the place.” She glanced around the parlor with its cracked walls and faded curtains. “Judson had wonderful plans for revamping the house, but tragically he and Deliah were killed before he could begin to implement them. Then I came here to care for Amanda and her three sisters. Have another canapé.”
“Thanks. Can I ask why you decided to convert part of your home into a hotel?”
“That was Trent’s idea. We’re all so grateful to him, aren’t we, Amanda?”
Since she accepted the fact that there would be no winding down Aunt Coco, Amanda smiled. “Yes, we are.”
Coco sipped delicately from her glass. “To be frank, we were in some financial distress. Do you believe in fate, Sloan?”
“I’m Irish and Cherokee.” He spread his long fingers. “That doesn’t give me any other choice.”
“Well then, you’ll understand. It was fated that Trent’s father would see The Towers while he was sailing in Frenchman Bay, and seeing it, develop a deep desire for it. When the St. James’s corporation offered to buy the house and turn it into a resort hotel, we were torn. It was our home after all, the only home my girls have ever known, but the upkeep...”
“I understand.”
“Things happen for the best,” Coco put in. “And it was really very exciting and romantic. We were on the brink, the very brink, of being forced to sell, when Trent fell in love with C.C. Of course he understood how much the house meant to her, and came up with this marvelous plan of converting the west wing into hotel suites. That way we can keep the house, and overcome the financial difficulty of maintaining it.”
“Everyone gets what they want,” Sloan agreed.
“Exactly.” Coco leaned forward. “With your heritage, I imagine you also believe in spirits.”
“Aunt Coco—”
“Now, Mandy, I know how practical minded you are. It baffles me,” she said to Sloan. “All that Celtic blood and not a mystical bone in her body.”
Amanda gestured with her glass. “I leave that for you and Lilah.”
“Lilah’s my other niece,” Coco told Sloan. “She’s very fey. But we were talking about the supernatural. Do you have an opinion?”
Sloan set his glass aside. “I don’t think you could have a house like this without a ghost or two.”
“There.” Coco clapped her hands together. “I knew as soon as I saw you we’d be kindred spirits. Bianca’s still here, you see. Why, at our last séance I felt her so strongly.” She ignored Amanda’s groan. “C.C. did, too, and she’s nearly as practical minded as Amanda. Bianca wants us to find the necklace.”
“The Calhoun emeralds?” Sloan asked.
“Yes. We’ve been searching for clues, but the clutter of eight decades is daunting. And the publicity has been a bother.”
“That’s a mild word for it.” Amanda scowled into her glass.
“It might turn up during the renovation,” Sloan suggested.
“We’re hoping.” Coco tapped one carefully manicured finger against her lips. “I think another séance might be in order. I’m sure you’re very sensitive.”
Amanda choked on her wine. “Aunt Coco, Mr. O’Riley has come here to work, not to play ghosts and goblins.”
“I like mixing business and pleasure.” He toasted Amanda with his glass. “In fact, I make a habit of it.”
A new thought jumped into Coco’s mind. “You’re not from the island, Sloan.”
“No, Oklahoma.”
“Really? That’s quite a distance.” She slid her gaze smugly toward Amanda. “As architect for the renovations, you’ll be very important to all of us.”
