Rough Harbor (12 page)

Caitlyn was home early enough to get dinner started. Unlike Noah, she had learned to cook, at least a few go-to dishes, while she’d been in Paris. Tonight, she had planned steaks with a blue cheese sauce, a mixed green salad and some crusty bread she’d picked up from the market.

Before she did anything else, she went to her room and opened the lid of her jewelry box, the polished wood cover lifting to reveal the red velvet lining. It had once played “Greensleeves,” a long time ago, but it was broken, and she’d never gotten around to having it fixed.

She picked up the ring from the bottom of the velvet-lined drawer, where she had tossed it, carelessly almost. She’d kept it only because he insisted she should, a way to remind her, to force her to reconsider. But now she knew for certain there wouldn’t be any reconsideration. She didn’t need Michael or his promises, the allure of his perfect, well-ordered, elegant life. Deep down, he was a treacherous, cheating bastard. And she didn’t need anyone like that in her life. It was time to send it back.

<<>>

Noah showed up for dinner with a bottle of wine and more flowers. He kissed her, a passionate, hot, kiss, but through it she heard his stomach growl.

“Are you hungry?”

He nodded sheepishly as she handed him a glass of wine. “I kind of got caught up in things. I forgot to eat.”

She pulled him to the kitchen. “Come, we have all night. We can eat.”

Caitlyn had set the small pine table in the kitchen, and had their salads ready to go. The steaks took just a moment, and she watched as Noah nibbled on some of the cheese and olives she had put out as appetizers.

“This is nice,” he said.

“What do you mean?” she asked as she put the steaks on.

“Just sitting here, talking.”

She looked at him. “What are we talking about?”

“I don’t know. How about you? What have you really been up to the last few years?” His eyes strayed to her hands again, and she held them up.

“I guess you heard?”

“Someone mentioned you were engaged,” he said, his voice neutral.

“I was, and then I called it off.”

“Oh,” he said, his eyes questioning.

She sighed. She knew she needed to tell him, no matter how painful it was. Caitlyn took a sip of her wine, letting it roll off her tongue. “It’s nice, the wine.”

“I live near Napa,” he said, “and you’re avoiding the question.”

“Turns out he had an interesting notion of monogamy.”

“How did that come up?”

“Let’s just say that I got the picture.” Caitlyn picked up a knife and put it down, unsure what to do with herself.

“I’m sorry.”

She shrugged. “Better before the wedding than after. But our circle of friends was small, tight. It was his circle, really, and… well, things got nasty. There were other factors, and I started to feel a little lonely over there.”

She didn’t, couldn’t let her emotions show. “It seemed like a good time to return to the mother country, if you know what I mean,” she finished.

Noah nodded.

“And you? Ever married, engaged?”

“You would have heard.”

“I’m not sure that I believe that. You seem like you’d be quite a catch.” She meant it. She would have thought Noah Randall would have been off the market long ago.

“Internet billionaires are a dime a dozen out there in California. You have to be rich, spout poetry and speak five languages to really stand out,” he said, his eyes twinkling.

She laughed. “Ahh, the perils of success.” She took their steaks off her grill pan and set them on plates, drizzling her sauce over them and adding small heaps of onion straws on top.

“Wow, that looks fancy,” he said, as she placed it in front of him.

“I learned a thing or two about cooking in Paris.”

“My very own Julia Child,” he said, taking a bite. “Delicious.”

“Thanks,” she took a bite herself, chewed, swallowed and then asked, “And what else is going on with you, now that you’ve cashed out and are a man of leisure?”

“Well, I took a trip. Six months. Traveled the world, catching waves, eating, drinking, hanging out.”

“Then what happened?”

“I woke up one morning, bored.”

“I hear that happens to billionaires.”

“You’d be surprised. But I met some people on my travels. And I decided that it was time to start something new.”

“New?” Caitlyn’s eyes had lit up, matching his own enthusiasm.

“Well, not that new. Solar power.”

“Solar power?”

“It’s big out West, as you can imagine, and it’s catching on in the rest of the country. It’s because technology has advanced so that the solar panels are much more efficient.”

“Interesting.”

“Yes, well, they need someone who’s comfortable with technology to help them develop some custom software, the stuff that will help turn your home into its own little power plant. Plus, the fact that I have successfully built a company before doesn’t hurt.”

Caitlyn smiled. “No, I’m sure it doesn’t. It sounds good – good for you and good for the earth. Profits and passion.”

“Yes,” he agreed, excited. “It is. It’s what I’ve always dreamed of, and now it’s happening. All of the hard work, all of the choices paying off.”

“You mean dropping out of college…heading out West with a few friends and a laptop?”

His decision had created something that had never been fully addressed by them. He had thought she hadn’t wanted him to go because she didn’t believe in him or, worse yet, because she was a snob – that she wanted him only if he stayed in college, graduated, went to business school, worked at the firm.

But it hadn’t been like that. “I should have been more supportive of you,” Caitlyn told him. “You needed someone to believe in you, and what I said, well, you must have thought that I didn’t.”

Noah shook his head slowly. “I don’t need an apology, Caitlyn. I probably should be giving one to you. I called you snob, and worse.”

“I think ‘tease’ was another one of the insults.”

Noah reached out his hand and took hers, holding it tight. “And for that, I am truly sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.”

“It’s not that I didn’t want to be with you Noah, it’s just that…”

“You were young. I was older.”

“I never felt like you were taking advantage of me,” Caitlyn told him, and she hadn’t. The Noah then, just as the Noah now, had made her safe, wanted.

“Good. It’s just… I wanted you, badly. In case you couldn’t tell. My pride was wounded.”

“Not what I meant. I just got scared. And then my grandfather…”

He nodded, still holding her hand. “Bad timing. I know. I’m sorry. I was pretty self-absorbed back then. My dad wouldn’t give me the money I wanted, as an investment, and you were telling me to think it through. I see that now. I thought you were saying ‘don’t be stupid’ but you were really saying, ‘be smart’.”

Caitlyn nodded. Finally, he understood. “Yes.”

He kissed her hand gently, tenderly, and looked at her, “And are you scared now?”

She closed her eyes, swallowed. “Not about this.” She stood up, and he rose with her. Caitlyn led him to her bedroom, turning to face him, pulling him close to her. He kissed her deeply, slowly, savoring her, taking his time being gentle with her as they fell together on the bed, exploring each other, loving each other.

<<>>

They were lying in her bed when she finally asked him, “Have you ever heard of a Peter Flynn?”

Noah’s hand was stroking her bare back, sending pleasant shivers down her back. It stopped suddenly.

“What is it?” she rolled over and looked at him, propped up on her elbows. His brown hair was mussed, his eyes dark in the shadowy moonlight. She’d forgotten to pull down the shade, but her room overlooked the water, and there shouldn’t have been anyone to watch them.

“He came up to me at the funeral,” Noah said.

“He did?” She didn’t remember that, but then so many people had gone up to pay their respects to Noah.

“Yeah, why, do you know him?”

Caitlyn sat up, drawing her knees up and pulling the comforter up around her. “No, but he called.”

Noah rose up, too. “He’s a kook.” His voice was urgent.

“How do you know?” she asked, though she couldn’t disagree.

“I don’t know, something about him. I had my guy look into him. He writes some crazy blog, trying to sling dirt at anyone he can – mostly business people and investors.”

“I know; I saw,” Caitlyn said. “Wait, you have a guy? What kind of guy?”

“A lawyer, with a team of investigators.” He must have seen the expression on her face, even in the dark, because he explained, “Listen, I didn’t think I needed a guy like that, but you know, once you’re in the paper, people come out of the woodwork. People with ideas for the next big thing. Someone even claimed to be my mom’s long-lost third cousin three times removed and wanted ten thousand dollars.”

“Really?” Caitlyn said, not quite believing him. “You’re teasing.”

He ran a hand up her leg. “A bit. But still, I have a lawyer, his name’s Ted and he checked Flynn out. Seems like the guy had it out for my dad. And your grandfather. Sort of stalking us on the Internet.”

“Yeah,” Caitlyn agreed, her mind spinning. “Did you look at it?”

“What?” his voice came up to her sleepily.

“The blog.”

He snorted. “No. My guy said he’d take care of it. Send him a letter, get him to stop posting stuff about me. I’ll make sure he adds you to the list, sound good?”

“Sure,” Caitlyn answered. Noah’s hand had stilled, and she heard the change in his breathing. He was asleep, apparently comfortable that his guy, Ted, could handle it.

Heather delivered the deal book to Caitlyn a few days after Caitlyn’s conversation with Tommy.

“He asked me to make copies for you,” she said, dumping three large binders in front of her.

Caitlyn looked up from the papers that were spread all over her desk. She was still putting together Tony’s presentation, spending too much time on it. He was coming the next week. She had put Peter Flynn out of her mind, focusing instead on what she needed to do now.

“Don’t forget you have that meeting with Mrs. Smith-Sullivan,” Heather told her.

Caitlyn swore. It was this afternoon, and there was no way she was going to be able to make it. “Could you please call and reschedule?”

Heather nodded, and Caitlyn was pleased. A few months ago, Heather hated to speak to clients, claiming that they always yelled at her for some reason or another. Now she seemed better able to handle their complaints, learning that it was in people’s nature to be argumentative where money was concerned.

“Is there something I can do for you?” Caitlyn looked up. Heather was twenty-two, really just a few years younger than Caitlyn. Caitlyn could vaguely remember that age. She’d been living in London, sharing a flat, working, going out every night. She wondered what a girl Heather’s age did for fun in a town like Queensbay. Probably head down to the local hangout, The Dory, most nights when she didn’t want to watch TV.

Heather shook her head. “No. Do you want me to order you something for lunch?”

“Yes, that would be great. The usual. Thanks.”

There was another pause, and then Heather asked, “Did your grandfather really start the firm?”

Caitlyn looked up. Heather was looking at her, hands clasped together, as if that kind of question always followed a lunch order.

“What?”

“I just heard that, you know, your grandfather used to own the company.”

Caitlyn nodded, slowly, not sure why this was coming up now. She thought everyone already knew.

“He did, and then Maxwell bought it from him.”

“No one in your family wanted it?”

“Not at the time,” Caitlyn said evenly.

“Not your father?”

“My father?”

“Didn’t your grandfather want to give it to his son?”

“There was only my mother. She’s an only child, and she’s an artist.”

“But…oh.” Heather turned a little pink. “I didn’t mean to…”

“It’s okay. My mother and my father weren’t married for long. So that’s why I have the same name as my grandfather. My father lives down in the Caribbean year-round.” Caitlyn didn’t bother to explain that her grandfather had been more like her father anyway.

“I just didn’t realize until recently, until someone said. I’m not from here. My parents moved here after I went to college, so I didn’t know.”

Heather stood there for a few more moments, and Caitlyn looked at her. It had been an awkward conversation to have, Caitlyn thought, but better Heather got some of the truth, rather than whatever gossip was floating around.

“It’s okay. Old history by now.” Caitlyn said it lightly, hoping the girl would take the hint. “Anything else?”

“No, I’ll take care of lunch for you.”

“Thanks.” Caitlyn turned back to the work on her desk, focused on the information in front of her. There was something she was still struggling to understand. From what she could tell, Tony’s empire might not be as impressive as the media claimed. His restaurants were always crowded, and they charged a hefty fee for the privilege of being seen there.

However, Tony didn’t seem very good at keeping much of that money. He was always borrowing to expand, and he didn’t seem to have all that much in other banks or accounts. Of course, she couldn’t be sure of this until he allowed them to look deeper, but it was part of her best guesses. Tony didn’t need any special deals – he needed Finance 101.

Caitlyn stretched. Her grandfather had been a big advocate of Finance one-oh-one, a basic common-sense approach. Slow and steady wins the race. Tony needed to pay himself first, diversify into holdings other than houses, cars and boats, and look into safe and boring stocks and bonds.

She put together her plan, even selecting a picture of a fat, happy and self-satisfied tortoise to put on the cover.

“Sam, you have a call from Jonathan Glover.” Deborah Muller poked her head into Sam’s office. He looked up and allowed himself a small smile.

“Put him through, will you, please?”

“Johnny, boy,” Sam said, and Jonathan Glover responded with a warm laugh.

“Good to hear you, my friend. Sorry it’s been a while, but they sent me to Australia to take care of some business. When I returned, I saw your messages.”

“No problem. I understand. How’s life over in London?” Sam asked.

“Wet and cold, but I’m used to it by now.”

“It’s about the same here.”

They chatted for a little bit more and then, towards the end of the call, Jonathan added, “I suppose you’ve been wondering if I found anything.”

“Well, the thought had crossed my mind, but it’s your coin, not mine.” Sam had been tamping down impatience during the whole of their chit-chat, waiting for this.

“It’s the bank’s money, not mine, so I’ll talk all I want. Listen, I didn’t check things out for you. Actually, I didn’t have to do that much checking. That woman has quite a few stories going around about her.”

“I’ve heard the stories, Jon, but I need to know if there’s any truth to them.” Sam felt his anticipation rise. He’d been watching Caitlyn Montgomery for weeks, just waiting for her to make some sort of misstep.

“Well, there may be. It looks like she and her old company came to a mutual decision that it was time for her to move on. There was something about irregularities in client accounts. Then there are other stories about her break-up with the fiancé.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” Sam asked. He didn’t care about Caitlyn’s personal life.

“Some people say he was out to get her. He was the kind of man, or least he has the kind of name, that could make things happen.”

Sam chewed on this for a moment or two.

“What do you think, Jon? I’ve got her working here for me, and she seems okay on the surface, but there are some things that just aren’t adding up.”

“Are you guys having some trouble again, Sam? I don’t know if we’d be able to bail you out again.”

“No,” Sam said quickly. Last thing he needed was for word to get out that things were looking a little shaky. “Trouble’s too strong a word. She just gives me a bad feeling.”

On the other end of the phone came a laugh. “She’s quite bright, you know, everyone said so, right after they made mention of her looks. Sure you aren’t a bit jealous, some young thing coming over and getting a jump on you?”

Sam forced a laugh back. Of course he was worried about it. Caitlyn Montgomery was a threat to his plans and had been since the day she arrived.

“Look, is there anything solid?”

“Well sure, there is. There was a complaint formally lodged against her with the compliance department of the Capital Trust Company.”

“I am not sure that I follow.” Sam Harris spun around and looked out the window, feeling like he had hit pay dirt.

“She was the subject of an internal investigation that was closed without any action taken. Supposedly it had something to do with misappropriation of funds, but everyone I spoke to wouldn’t say anything about it.”

“Is that odd?”

“They wouldn’t even give me anything off the record. These are friends, Sam. They just clammed up. I think it’s a little odd even if I don’t know what it means. The charge was dropped, so Caitlyn Montgomery is clean. She left the company on okay terms. Everyone said it was because she was passed over for some promotion.”

Sam took it all in. He and Jonathan wrapped up quickly after that. Sam leaned deeply back in his chair, smiling.