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MILLS & BOON
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To Emma Grace, daughter and ally in our house
filled with men—I love you just because you’re you.
And to Jessica Alvarez, editor extraordinaire, who
helped make sense of this wonderful continuity.
Thanks!
Special thanks and acknowledgment are given to
Shirlee McCoy for her contribution to the
REUNION REVELATIONS miniseries.
CONTENTS
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
EPILOGUE
PROLOGUE
She wasn’t angry. She wasn’t even mildly annoyed.
And Lauren Owens figured if she told herself that enough times she just might believe it.
Okay. Maybe angry wasn’t the right word. Maybe irritated was a better fit. Perturbed. Frustrated.
She only had herself to blame. She’d been such a pushover. Why hadn’t she refused when Steff asked her to participate in the Magnolia College fund-raiser dinner and auction?
Because she hadn’t wanted to disappoint her friend, that’s why. Instead, she’d managed to add two very unwanted complications to her already complicated life.
Seth.
His son.
Her hands tightened on the steering wheel of her Mustang convertible, the blackness of the night beyond the car’s headlights reflecting her dark mood.
Up ahead, her sister Deandra’s house beckoned, a light shining in an upstairs window spilling out into the darkness. Dee was probably waiting for a rehash of the evening’s events. Unfortunately, that would have to wait. Lauren wasn’t in the mood to talk.
She pulled around to the back of the house, following the driveway to the small converted carriage house at the edge of the property. Trees loomed over it, dark shadows against the night sky, hulking figures that looked like giant men waiting for the unwary to step beneath their grasping arms. Lauren shivered, her gaze riveted to the front of the carriage house. She’d left the light above the front door on, but it was out now, the large bushes on either side casting deep gray shadows over what should have been a well-lit area.
A warning raced along her spine and lodged at the base of her skull, but she ignored it. Bad things didn’t happen in small-town Georgia.
Didn’t they?
The question whispered through her mind as she stepped out of the Mustang and started toward the door. A woman had died in Magnolia Falls, her body hidden for ten years and just recently found during Magnolia College’s library renovations. That was proof enough that bad things did indeed happen in small towns. But that was a long time ago and right here, right now a burned-out lightbulb was more likely the cause of the darkened stoop than some faceless, nameless murderer.
Right?
A breeze brushed against her hair as she moved toward the carriage house, ghostly fingers that trailed along her skin and made her shiver. She could almost imagine someone watching from the darkened windows or shadowy corners. Almost hear the raspy breath of the watcher.
“Stop it!” She hissed the words, refusing to allow the timid mousy creature she’d once been to take hold. Ten years living alone, ten years building her reputation as a premier Savannah chef, ten years learning who she was and where she belonged had made her strong. Independent. A woman who didn’t panic, didn’t overreact, and did not allow her imagination to get the better of her.
She shoved open the carriage house door, flicked on the living room light and froze. Shredded fabric. White stuffing pulled from once-pristine sofa and chairs. Books strewn across paint-splattered hardwood floor. Framed photos trampled and torn. To the left, the bathroom door yawned open, light spilling across the floor and reflecting off a slick, wet substance that might have been shampoo, lotion. Blood. To the right, the lone bedroom door was closed. She’d left it open. She was sure of it.
A sound drifted into the silence. The pad of feet on carpet. The brush of a hand against the wall. Lauren didn’t wait to hear more. She stumbled backward, away from the subtle sound and from the chaos. Then turned and ran toward Dee’s house and safety.
ONE
Three days earlier
Fund-raiser Dinner and Auction, Mossy Oak Inn
Late summer painted the sky in shades of gold and purple, the setting sun sliding toward the horizon in a final blaze of light as Lauren eased out of her sister’s car and smoothed her hand over the simple lines of her black cocktail dress. “Ready or not, here we go.”
“I’m definitely ready, but you look like you’re going to chicken out.” Dee’s words held a hint of humor, but her gaze was somber as she rounded the car and put a hand on Lauren’s arm.
“Chicken out of what? It’s just a dinner.”
“And an auction.”
“Which I said I’d participate in.”
“And which we both know you regretted doing two seconds after the fact.”
It was true and Lauren didn’t bother denying it. Her older sister knew her too well to be fooled by anything she might say. “It’s not that I don’t want to help raise funds for Magnolia College. It’s just that this stuff isn’t my thing. I’d rather not have all the attention.”
“You’d rather let other people take center stage while you hide in a back room somewhere.” Dee smiled, her perfectly applied makeup showcasing flawless skin and vivid blue eyes—the only feature the two sisters had in common. Pretty and popular in high school and college, Dee had never seemed to mind being in the spotlight. Lauren always had.
“There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“No, but this will be good for you and good for your business. Just think of all the clients you’ll gain.”
“I don’t need any more clients. I’m busy enough.” Her personal chef business had taken off in the past year, word of mouth expanding her clientele enough that she was considering hiring another chef.
“Then skip out. I can tell Steff you’re not feeling well. You can go back to my place and chill. Come back and pick me up when the fund-raiser is over.”
“You know I can’t do that.”
“I know you won’t do it, which is why there’s no sense standing around here talking about it any longer.” Dee tightened her hold on Lauren’s arm and started toward the door of Mossy Oak Inn.
Lauren wanted to pull back, take a minute to study the people moving in groups toward the entrance. She wanted to search their faces, looking for the one person she didn’t want to see. If he wasn’t there, she’d be fine. If he was…
She’d still be fine.
After all, she’d agreed to participate in the auction knowing that Seth Chartrand might be there. That’s exactly what she intended to do. If that meant coming face-to-face with a past she’d just as soon forget, so be it.
A few yards ahead, two women and three men neared the door, laughing and talking, their easy camaraderie drawing Lauren’s attention. The tall broad-shouldered man walking just a step ahead of the rest kept it. Purposeful stride, taller than the other two men, he had an easy confidence that made Lauren slow her pace and pull against Dee’s hold.
Maybe she wasn’t as ready to face Seth as she thought she was.
Dee shot her a look, raising one perfectly arched eyebrow. “Relax. That’s not Seth.”
“I didn’t think it was.”
“Sure you did, but you don’t have to worry about running into the jerk. He never attends alumni events. Probably too embarrassed to show his face after what he did to you.”
“What happened between Seth and me happened eleven years ago, Dee. We’re both over it now, so there’s no need to call him a jerk.”
Dee shrugged slender shoulders. “Any guy who talks marriage with my sister and then breaks her heart will always be a jerk to me.”
Lauren laughed, her sister’s support easing some of her anxiety. She still didn’t want to see Seth tonight. Jerk or not, he had been a huge part of her high school years. Their breakup during college had been heart shattering. It had also forced her to grow up and face the world alone.
But that wasn’t something she wanted to worry about tonight. Tonight she wanted to relax and enjoy the company of old friends, the ease of having no clients to cook for, no menus to plan. She refused to let anxiety about seeing Seth ruin that for her.
Dee tugged her across the parking lot, pulling her along at a swift pace, her perfume wafting on cool September air, her stride brisk and confident despite the high heels she wore. Lauren’s own heels threatened to trip her up and send her spilling onto the pavement. “Slow down, Dee. You know I can’t walk fast in these shoes.”
“You can’t walk fast in anything higher than a tennis shoe, but I forgive you. Now, hurry up before we miss something good.”
“Like what? Two hundred people all gossiping about someone just out of earshot?”
“Not someone. The skeleton that was found near the library. That’s all anyone in Magnolia Falls is talking about lately.”
“Yeah? It sounds like a pretty morbid topic for dinner conversation.”
“Morbid doesn’t bother people nowadays. They want information and they don’t care how or when they get it. The more they have, the more important they feel.”
“What’s to feel important about? That poor woman’s death has nothing to do with anyone here tonight.”
“We’ll see. I plan to find out what people are saying, what they’re thinking. How it’s going to affect Magnolia College.” An employee at a successful public relations firm, Dee was always interested in how information could affect the reputation of organizations. It didn’t surprise Lauren that her sister was interested in hearing what was being said about the human remains that had been found on Magnolia College’s campus.
Lauren, on the other hand, cared more about the menu than the gossip. Balance and aesthetics, temperature, taste, those things could be controlled and predicted. People could not. “I don’t see how something that happened years ago could have any effect on the college.”
“How could it not? Finding a body on campus is sure to bring bad publicity. It already has. You’ve seen the papers. All the talk about safety on campus and whether or not Magnolia College is doing enough to make sure its students are protected from predators.” Dee was moving even faster now, her body nearly humming with excitement and energy. It had been that vibrancy that had made her popular in high school and college, and still made her the center of any gathering.
“I thought all publicity was good publicity.”
“Maybe if you’re an actress. What parent is going to want to send a son or daughter to a school where a body lay buried and unnoticed for ten years?”
“Good point. I guess that’s why you’re a publicist and I’m a chef.” Lauren pushed opened double-wide doors and stepped into the warmth of the inn. Muted light illuminated the spacious foyer and gleamed off rich mahogany furniture. The elegant simplicity made it the place to be, and most high-class Magnolia Falls functions were held there.
“You’re here! I was worried you weren’t going to show.” Stephanie Kessler hurried toward them, blond hair bouncing as she moved, violet eyes reflecting both worry and relief.
“Have you ever known me to not do something I said I would?” Lauren smiled and leaned forward to embrace her friend.
“No, but the way things have been going lately, I wouldn’t have been surprised if you broke with tradition.”
“The way things have been going lately? It seems to me they’ve been going pretty well for you. You’ve met the man of your dreams and are desperately in love. What could be better?” Dee air kissed Steff’s cheeks.
“Being in love and not having to worry about things at the college.” Steff smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes.
“You’re always worrying about that.”
“Now more so than ever.” Steff glanced around, then spoke quietly. “I’m getting enough e-mail to crash my computer and phone calls all day long. Someone’s body was under that sidewalk. Everyone wants to know whose.” She shook her head.
“The police aren’t any closer to identifying the remains?”
“No, but I can’t help wondering—”
“If it’s someone we knew.” Lauren had been wondering the same.
“There were a lot of people missing at the reunion. Payton Bell. Josie Skerritt. Angela Heaton.” She shrugged, turned toward the corridor that led to the ballroom. “I guess now isn’t the time to talk about it. Dinner’s going to be served soon. Then the auction. You’re up first, Lauren.”
“Up first?”
“I’ll introduce you and the service you’re offering. All you need to do is stand there and look gorgeous while people bid.”
“Gorgeous is more Dee’s thing than mine.”
“Give yourself a little credit, Laur. You look beautiful. Even if you can’t walk in those shoes.” Dee smirked and hurried down the corridor with Steff.
Leaving Lauren no choice but to follow.
She walked more slowly, her wobbly heels twisting under her as she headed for the ballroom muttering under her breath. “If I make it through tonight without falling on my face and completely embarrassing myself it’ll be a miracle.”
“Still talk to yourself? I thought you’d have outgrown the habit by now.” The gruff voice came from behind her, deep, quiet and filled with humor and warmth. And a million memories Lauren refused to acknowledge.
“Seth.” She schooled her features as she turned to face him, pasting on the cool, professional smile she’d perfected over the years. “I wondered if you’d be here tonight. It’s been a long time.”
“It has been. So long I wondered if you’d even remember me.” He looked the same, but older. The fine lines at the corner of his eyes, the serious expression in his gaze speaking of a maturity and depth he hadn’t had when he’d been a young, brash high school student, or a law-school-bound young adult.
When he’d been the man she’d put her hopes and dreams in. The man she’d loved.
“How could I forget?” The words slipped out, and Seth smiled, the slow, deliberate curve doing exactly what it had the first time they’d met—weakening Lauren’s knees, speeding her pulse, muddling her thoughts. Fortunately, it was eleven years and a broken heart too late for her to feel more than mild surprise at her reaction. “What I mean is—”
“I know what you mean. It’s hard to forget what we had.”
“And how it ended.”
“That, too.” He smiled again. “Are you here with your sister? Or do you need a dinner companion?”
Was that an invitation? If so, Lauren had no intention of acknowledging it. “I’m here with Dee and a few friends.”
“Let me guess—Steff, Jen, Cassie and Kate.”
“That’s right.”
“Then I’d better get you inside the ballroom before they miss you and come looking.” He reached for her arm, but Lauren sidestepped, avoiding his touch. Seeing him was bad enough. Feeling the warmth of his hand would be a hundred times worse.
“I can manage on my own. Thanks.”
His gaze locked with hers, then dropped to the simple black cocktail dress she wore. She’d planned her wardrobe to reflect how she wanted to portray herself—elegant, in charge, independent. Strong. Much different than the shy young woman she’d been in high school and college.
Maybe he saw that. Surprise flashed in his eyes. Then speculation, as if he were trying to match the woman he was speaking to with the one he’d known so long ago. “I’m sure you can. It was nice seeing you again.”
She nodded, but didn’t say the same. Nice wasn’t the word she’d use. Uncomfortable. Strange. Even a little alarming. Not nice.
“Lola?”
She’d already turned away, but his voice, the pet name he’d used so often when they were young stopped her in her tracks. “Don’t call me that, Seth.”
“Why not? It’s how I think of you.”
“I’d rather you not think of me at all.”
“That’s a little cold.” He moved up beside her, relaxed and at ease. Confident. Just as he’d always been.
“I didn’t mean it to be. I just meant that we stopped thinking about each other years ago. There’s no reason to start again.”
He stared into her eyes for a minute, searching for something. Forgiveness? Acceptance? Neither was Seth’s style. At least it hadn’t been.
Finally, he nodded. “Point taken.”
“Good. Now I really had better go find my sister and friends. Enjoy your evening.” She smiled, hoping he wouldn’t see how shaken she felt, how off balance. Seeing Seth had been harder than she’d thought it would be, but it was over and the rest of the evening could only get better. Right?
Right.
Except for the part where she’d have to stand up in front of the ballroom while people bid for her chef services. And the part where she’d have to explain to Dee and the other girls why it had taken so long to get to their table. Not to mention the whole being-in-a-room-filled-with-people-she-didn’t-know thing.
At least she’d have Dee and the gang close by. They were always good for conversation, laughs and distraction. For now, she’d let that be enough.
TWO
Lauren had changed. That much was obvious. Seth watched as she moved to the front of the ballroom and took her place next to Steff, her fitted black dress hugging slender curves and long lean lines. Dark hair, longer than she’d worn in high school or college, fell past her shoulders in thick waves. She hadn’t tried to tame it as she had so often when she was younger. That in itself was a surprise. What surprised Seth more was her direct gaze, the confident way she held herself, smiling out at the crowd as if she enjoyed being there.
And maybe she did.
Seth had certainly grown and changed during the past decade. It shouldn’t surprise him that Lauren had, as well. Somehow, though, it did. When he’d heard that she’d be offering a week’s worth of her services as a personal chef at the auction, he’d wondered what it would be like to see her again, had wondered if she’d be married or single, changed or the same. He’d pictured her in loose sweaters and baggy jeans, hair pulled away from a pale makeup free face. He’d thought she’d stand quietly in the background, a little mousy, a little shy. What he hadn’t imagined was the self-assured professional she’d become, the stunning beauty she no longer tried to hide. Where she’d once been content to hide in the shadows of her sister’s popularity, she now seemed determined to shine, her understated sophistication exactly what Seth would have expected from any other woman in her profession.
He just hadn’t expected it from her.
As if she sensed his thoughts, she turned her head, scanning the tables, her gaze drifting from person to person and finally coming to rest on Seth. For a moment, their gazes held, a million memories passing between them. Then she looked away, her smile fading just a bit, some of the animation and vitality seeping from her expression.
He’d done that to her. And a lot worse. Though, as she’d said earlier, that had been years ago. He’d apologized for the way he’d broken off their relationship and then he’d put it behind him.
At least he’d thought he had.
“You’re going to bid on this aren’t you?” The stage whisper came from Jeannine Maynard, a retired employee of Magnolia College and Seth’s busybody neighbor. She’d been the one to tell him about the renowned chef from Savannah who planned to auction off a week’s worth of allergen-free meals.
“It’s why I came, Ms. Jeannine.”
“Then get to it before the auctioneer closes the bid and you lose out.”
Seth raised his card, topping the previous bid and noting the slight widening of Lauren’s eyes. She wasn’t happy, but he hadn’t expected her to be. Unfortunately for both of them, Seth’s son Jake’s dietary needs took precedence over anything else.
“You’re going to pay a pretty penny if you want to win this one, Seth. Quite a crowd showed up tonight.”
“There’s no surprise there.” An older gentleman seated next to Jeannine spoke up. “Everyone is hoping there’ll be some mention of the investigation into the body that was found at the college.”
“Skeleton. Not body. Buried under the sidewalk of all things. You’d think someone would have noticed while they were pouring the cement.” Jeannine flashed her own card, upping the bid and smirking at Seth.
“Not if the body was under a layer of dirt.” Seth flashed his card again, caught Lauren’s glare, but chose to ignore it.
“Do they have any idea whose body it was?” The woman across the table leaned in, her eyes wide behind thick-lensed glasses.
“If they do they aren’t saying.” Seth flashed his card again, driving the bid higher.
“From what I hear, they think it’s a woman. Young. Maybe a student who was attending the college.” Jeannine spoke quietly, and everyone at the table leaned toward her. Except for Seth. He’d heard the information before, had spent way too much of his time speculating about who it could be. A woman. Someone who’d disappeared ten years ago.
Ellen.
His half sister and his parents had had a big blowup the year Jake was born. Ellen had stormed out of the house and never returned.
That had been ten years ago. About the same time the first renovations had been done on Magnolia College’s library. About the same time the sidewalk had been poured. She’d had friends in Magnolia Falls and a job doing freelance photography for the public relations department at Magnolia College. And now she was gone.
Seth flashed his number again, trying to block out the conversation and his own morbid thoughts. Sure Ellen had had a lot of friends in Magnolia Falls. It was possible she’d visited there after the blowup with their parents, but that didn’t mean she had. It certainly didn’t mean her body had been hidden under a sidewalk for the past ten years.
Seth bid a final time, winning Lauren’s chef services and then following her progress as she made her way through the crowded room. She took a seat at her table, whispering to her sister, Deandra, who wasn’t quite as restrained. She shot Seth a look filled with malice. Obviously, she wasn’t going to let bygones be bygones. Jennifer, Cassie and Kate were at the table, too, and glanced in Seth’s direction before leaning forward and beginning what looked like an animated conversation.
They could talk all they wanted. Seth had accomplished his goal. The only person he had to explain things to was Lauren, and he’d have plenty of time to do that while they worked on the menu for Jake. As for the rest of the ladies, they’d just have to hear the details from her.