Page 77 of Her Hidden Smile

“Yeah, that was it.”

“Good, I have a date tonight. I need to go get prettied up.”

Harvey frowned. “Who is he? Do I know him?”

“He’s one of the Beaumonts from Knoxville. You and Mama know them from the country club.”

“Is he the bad son, or one of the two good ones?”

“It’s all a matter of perspective,” she laughed. She looked over at me and winked. “Good seeing you, Renzo.” She tried to sway out of the study, but she just didn’t have Millie’s behind to do it right. I turned back to Harvey.

“She’s going to be the death of me. I swear it.”

“So do you want to go with me while I talk to Junior?” I asked him.

“Nah, just get me the information I need. Really mess him up.”

I rubbed the back of my neck. This is the whole reason I don’t want to be Harvey’s employee. He doesn’t think straight. A partner? Yes. An employee? No.

“Harvey, I’m not going to beat the shit out of some guy tied to a chair. This isn’t like some episode of the Sopranos. I just plan to scare the shit out of him, so he gives me all the info we need before he lawyers up.”

“I don’t care how you go about it, just find out the truth.”

“I will.”

Before I walked out the door, I turned back. “By the way, you owe me a hundred bucks.”

“For what?”

“Simon checked. All of Junior’s screen time at work was spent on porn sites.”

“Yeah, a minute after I made the bet, I knew it was a bad one.” He pulled out his overstuffed money clip and peeled off a hundred-dollar bill for me. I really needed to introduce Harvey to Bella. She would be attending an Ivy League school, for sure.

Chapter Nineteen

I’d given Renzo one of the gate openers, just like I’d provided one to Irv, so they could both let themselves in and out. So when I heard the gate opening, I knew it was him. Plus the fact that he’d called five minutes ago to tell me he’d be here in five minutes.

I was too tired to get up off the couch. First there had been the grants, then there had been lunch with Lisa and Bella, and then there had been an impromptu training session with two new grant writers. After that I had desperately needed time in the lavender field and the orchard. I pretended that I was determining when things needed to be harvested, even though I already knew the answers. Actually, just touching the flowers in the field and picking a peach here and there provided me with serenity and balance. I hadn’t been using my land for that lately.

I giggled as I heard Renzo opening the door. I hadn’t been walking my land for comfort because I hadn’t needed to.

“Hi, Beautiful,” he greeted me with that smoldering Spanish accent.

Lately I’d been comforted with Renzo’s love and affection.

“Hi, Renzo.” I smiled at him.

“Did I hear you giggling?” he asked as he tossed his keys on the table by the fence and floodlight switches.

“Yes. You did. I was thinking about how I don’t need to go meditate in the orchard as much as I used to now that I have you here to help me relax.”

“Is that so?”

I stood up and held out my arms. He circumvented the coffee table, pulled me close, and kissed me. Soon my head was spinning and I was ready to head to the bedroom. Then I heard Renzo’s stomach growl. I pulled back.

“Have you eaten?”

“Not since lunch.”