Page 64 of Trick of Light
“You don’t want to know. And I mean that sincerely.”
She kept on walking, past the kitchen, and he realized she was heading for the bedroom where he and Gabby had slept last night. “Wait—” he called, but it was too late.
Gabby emerged from the room, nearly colliding with Celine. At least she was fully dressed, though not quite finished buttoning her blouse.
“Well then,” said Celine, sounding genuinely surprised.
“Hi, Celine. We met once before, at the inn. Gabby Ramon.” Gabby offered her hand in an oddly formal way. Taking the dignified approach.
“Yes, I remember it well. You quizzed my husband about everything related to the hotel’s history, and the whole time you intended to sabotage us.”
Gabby dropped her hand, but not her smile. “I’m sorry, don’t you mean ex-husband?”
Barnaby wanted to laugh out loud at the expression on Celine’s face. No need to jump to Gabby’s rescue. She could handle herself.
“Such a smart girl.” Changing her approach, Celine shifted to her patented breathy coo. “You’ve chosen the cream of the Carmichael crop, haven’t you?”
“Excuse me?”
“Well, Carson’s a lost cause, Luke’s taken, Fiona likes men for the most part, and the twins are a little young for you. Nice work snagging the one good option. I just hope there’s something left for you two after the divorce and the fund and all that nonsense.”
Such poison, delivered in such a soft voice. Had Celine always been that way? He didn’t think so, because in the beginning, she’d been different. Sweet. But maybe it had all been an act. Access to money could change people, he’d seen it many times.
“Then again,” she went on, “I doubt there’s much to worry about. Barnaby will never settle down. That’s not his jam. And a Black Carmichael? That would be the day. It would almost be entertaining to see the family deal with that. It might be a bigger scandal than our little shenanigans.”
Barnaby felt a sense of shame come over him. Being spoken about like an object to be acquired, rather than a human being, was demeaning. But not quite as offensive as what she’d said to Gabby. If not for him, she wouldn’t be subjected to Celine’s nastiness.
“If Gabby agreed to become a Carmichael, it would be the best thing to ever happen to our family.” His intense tone made her draw back in surprise. “And you have no idea what I will or won’t do. You should stick with worrying about your court case.”
He didn’t dare look at Gabby, since you could interpret what he’d said as a kind of ass-backwards proposal—definitely not what she’d be after right now. Was he going to make her run for the hills by coming on too strong?
But he shouldn’t have underestimated Gabby.
“Yes, how’s that court case coming, Celine? Last I heard, the settlement conferences weren’t going well. Something about breaking the prenup with those misdemeanor charges? My guess is that’s why you’re here right now. There’s something in this condo you want to use to help yourself.”
If possible, Barnaby’s admiration for Gabby went up another notch. Not only did she keep her cool, but she’d turned the tables on Celine. She’d caught his stepmother by surprise with that move. “I don’t know what you mean,” she snipped.
“That’s cool if you want to play it that way.” Gabby shrugged and leaned against the door jamb, blocking the entrance to the bedroom. “But we’re still using that room you’re headed for. I haven’t even finished changing from all that hot interracial sex we just had.”
Barnaby nearly choked at that one. So did Celine. “Just who do you think you are, anyway?”
“Gabby Ramon. Didn’t I already cover that?”
Barnaby stepped to Gabby’s side to emphasize her claim to the room. “What are you after, Celine? Maybe if you come clean we can help.”
“Why would you do that?” Looking sullen, she cocked one hip, resting a hand on it. Her manicure was perfect, a pale oyster shade that showed off the subtle shine of her stack of rings. Even if she came away with nothing in the divorce, she’d keep her jewels. Maybe that was what she wanted from the bedroom.
“I’m not promising anything. But you’re still negotiating your settlement with Dad. With the position I’m now in, why would you want to alienate me?”
Her glance flicked between them a few times. Finally, she threw up her hands. “Fine. But don’t say I didn’t warn you. There’s a reason I said you don’t want to know what I’m looking for.” All of her floaty, flirty mannerisms gone, she looked directly into Barnaby’s eyes. “It’s about you and your mother. Now let me in.”
Celine took advantage of his shock by pushing past him, into the bedroom. Gabby followed close behind her, nudging Barnaby with her elbow on her way past.
“What does that mean?” he demanded. “What about me?”
“And your mother.” She crossed to a painting on the wall, an airy watercolor of a generic lighthouse that maybe looked vaguely like the one in Lightkeeper Bay. She pushed it aside to reveal a safe embedded in the wall.
He caught Gabby’s questioning glance and shook his head. No, he hadn’t known there was a safe back there. Just another secret in the Carmichael world.
