Page 28 of The Rented Bride

“No, I said the party was for Mr. Weston. But it was his son who followed up with the phone call you got from his personal assistant. What about him?”

“I didn’t know who he was, Maryanne.”

“Oh no,” Maryann said before she could go on. “That doesn’t sound good.”

“I mistook him for a deliveryman.”

“Yikes,” Maryanne said, and Cassie could picture her grimace. “Well, it could be worse.”

“It is.”

“You’re not getting off the phone now. Spill it.”

Cassie continued around the desk as she told her soon-to-be-ex-partner everything. Cassie finished her search of the room and ended her story with, “He fired me.”

A moment of silence passed before Maryanne said, “Well, I haven’t received a call. That could be good.”

“Or it could mean he just hasn’t had time.”

“You’re still there. If you really were fired, he would have asked you to leave.”

“He did.” But that was before the iguana sighting.

“I’m sure I can explain the misunderstanding,” Maryanne said. “I’ll speak with his father, if I have to.”

“No, don’t do that. The grandfather is in poor health.”

“Well,” Maryanne began slowly, “don’t worry about it. We’ll deal with whatever he throws our way.”

“I’ll try.” Cassie headed for the door. She opened the door, then stepped out into the hallway. “But there’s a tad bit more.”

“Okay,” Maryanne said slowly.

Cassie grasped the door to pull it shut, then noticed a strange wrinkle in the curtains on the far side of the room. She stepped back into the room and started toward the window. “And this problem wasn’t my fault.” She reached the window and pulled back the curtain. “Someone brought in an—” Her eyes locked onto the iguana crouched against the wall. “Iguana!”

The animal shot forward. Cassie leapt back with a scream.

“Cassie, what’s wrong?” Maryanne’s voice cut off as the phone sailed through the air.

Cassie’s heart thundered. Behind the curtain. The iguana had been hiding behind the curtain. She hadn’t thought to look there. It could run fast. And it was headed straight for the open door! Cassie broke from her stupor and bolted forward. The animal picked up speed. It shot out the door and, an instant later, Cassie raced into the hallway. She glimpsed its tail as the iguana disappeared into an open door four rooms down.

She sprinted after it and burst into the room. To her left, the door of a walk-in closet stood ajar. To the right—she froze. Trent Weston stood at the bedside of an elderly man.