About the Book
After making a mess of her life, Lauren Ames retreats to her grandparents’ home just in time to begrudgingly help with her cousin’s wedding. After years of controlling relationships, she’s hoping for a chance to heal, to escape — she’s not certain what. But the man she’d spent hours spilling all her darkest secrets to the last time she’d been exiled to her grandparents’ house keeps drawing her in. Can she trust herself again?
As the youngest of the Wells family, Devon spent years pursing hobbies instead of a career. Now that his brother has refused his place in the family business, he’s expected to take over the business whether he wants to or not. He’d rather think about anything else but wearing a tie every day, including Lauren Ames who he hasn’t been able to get out of his head since their conversation in the Ames library.
As the two are drawn in over the search for a stolen painting, can they overcome their family’s expectations and the scheming ex-boyfriend, or will they be defeated by the STOLEN TREASURE?
Excerpt from the Book
Lauren
Folding a lavender cashmere sweater, Lauren Ames placed it on top of the remaining four in stock and smoothed out the lumps. Since the day after Thanksgiving, she’d repeated this task a hundred thousand times like some mindless robot. The repetitive motion had numbed her brain, and she didn’t know how she’d survive the three plus weeks until Christmas.
Retail was torture.
She despised it with the ache in her back, the soreness in her feet, and the overstimulation of her senses as crowds bustled against each other creating a cacophony of noise drowning out all possibility of thought.
She remained trapped in the hubbub though, especially after the formal letter of shame she’d picked up in her post office box this morning. Since she’d read the short, clipped words, she’d felt the oxygen being sucked from the store as if she would spend the rest of her days slowly dying in this high-end boutique with its unhappy patrons.
“Do you have any of these in an extra small in the back?” a petite, bottle blonde woman asked as she stuck a pair of faux brown leather pants in Lauren’s face.
“Sorry.” Lauren took a step back. “All of our stock is on the floor.”
“Can you be a dear and check for me?” the petite woman said, her saccharine tone rising a notch.
Lauren grimaced, feeling the muscles in her shoulders constrict. She should have gone home sick today. She felt sick with the words of the letter knocking around in her head. “There’s nothing to check,” she responded coolly. “All our merchandise is on the floor.” She added another sorry as an afterthought, seeing the smile evaporate from the woman’s contoured face.
“Hun,” the woman said, a frown twisting at the corner of her lips although her forehead held tight, “can you just do your job and check for me or perhaps point me toward the manager so I can discuss it with her.”
Scanning the populated floor, Lauren spotted Meredith setting the new rack of cashmere scarfs and gloves. With a smile, she pointed the customer in her boss’s direction. Mar Sol’s Boutique was owned by Meredith Esposito who wore sleek black slacks and a gray cashmere sweater perfectly complimenting her auburn hair pulled up in a tight twist. Hair wound as her tight, prissy attitude. Meredith enjoyed running the boutique like a drill sergeant punishing new recruits in basic training.
As the customer bustled away, Lauren moved onto a shelf filled with new holiday inventory. The sequined, gauzy tops lay disheveled, picked over by the vultures trying to score a holiday discount. As she worked to put the display back together, she put the shopper far from her mind until Meredith stood at the end of the silver and gold sequined blouses scowling at her with those permanent frown lines on her creased forehead.
“Do you find it challenging to interact with our customers?” Meredith questioned, crossing her arms across her chest.
Pausing in her folding, Lauren responded, “Not particularly.”
“Since I’ve received two complaints against you just today, we may see things differently,” Meredith said. “Can you explain those incidents?”
Lauren inhaled and exhaled, feeling the tension balling in her shoulders again. Today was not the day to do this. The letter declaring her altered future sat heavy in her chest. “I have not been disrespectful to any customers. You know how people get at this time of the year though.”
“Lauren,” Meredith said, tapping her foot on the tile, her lip twisting in disapproval. “I’m not sure if retail is for you. I offered you this opportunity as a favor to your mother, but…”
“Save it,” Lauren said, feeling the indignation swelling in her throat. “I quit.”
Lauren’s heartbeat thundered against her breastbone. She needed this job, especially after the board had revoked her nursing license. After suspending her and dragging their decision out for six months, they’d sent an impersonal letter letting her know that all the schooling she’d done had been wasted. Retail had been her lifeline to avoid homelessness and starvation.
But she couldn’t stomach owing her mother a favor or anyone reminding her that she owed her self-absorbed egg doner a favor.
“That’s probably wise,” Meredith said, her lips twisting as she scrutinized Lauren with those piercing green eyes.
Lauren needed to get out of this shop. She could feel the panic rising in her throat as if it had fingers clawing its way up her esophagus. She could contemplate her job prospects when Meredith wasn’t looking at her as if she’d disparaged the Ames name yet again.
She didn’t remember the walk to the car, and her hands shook on the fifteen-minute drive home as her brain raced over her next move. Her live-in boyfriend Josh would be angry with her. Since he’d been laid from his construction job six weeks ago, they’d had to rely on her meager wages to pay the rent and scrape by, all after they’d depleted the little savings they’d had six months ago when she’d lost her nice nursing job. Her natural instinct was to say to hell with Josh’s anger as he was the reason she’d lost her nursing position down at the Clinic in the first place. After she’d forgiven him and taken him back, she’d tried not to dwell on this fact, but days like today made it difficult. Especially when she had to keep paying the consequences for his actions.
At the run-down Shady Oaks Apartments where you used multiple locks to keep your possessions yours, she let herself into their one-bedroom apartment with its dingy white walls and immediately inhaled cigarette smoke. Her nose automatically scrunched up. She’d repeatedly asked Josh not to smoke inside the confined space, and he’d promised he wouldn’t. From the smell of the curtains and the tattered gray furniture, she’d suspected he’d been lying to her, but she hadn’t witnessed him doing it, so she hadn’t wanted to be the nagging girlfriend.
Walking around the ecru wall of the foyer, she caught Josh lounged on the sofa in a wrinkled shirt and basketball shorts, sipping a beer, and flipping that damn antique coin in his fingers. The one she’d hidden in her closet only yesterday. He’d told her that he would look for a job today—the same as he’d said the last three weeks.
“What are you doing?” The words escaped Lauren’s lips before she could filter her thoughts.
All she needed to end today was an argument with Josh who would not stop until he’d won.
With his unbrushed black chin-length hair, Josh half-heartedly sat up and looked over at the clock on the wall above the opening to the tiny kitchen. “Why are you home so early? Don’t you work until eight?”
Lauren exhaled, throwing herself on her overstuffed chair. “I no longer have that job, but at least this time it is my fault.”
“Sweetheart,” Josh said, his forehead furrowed. “We needed that job. The landlord doesn’t let us live here for free.”
Lauren stared at the one painting of sea glass hanging above the sofa, instead of focusing her anger on him. “Then you should have gone down to the construction site like Wynton suggested. He can’t hire you unless you speak to him.”
Josh shook his head, sinking further back into the pillows. “I’m not interested in sheeting some rich man’s house.”
“Then perhaps you’re interested in eating or electricity.” Lauren could feel her agitation rising. Typically, she allowed these things to slide and for him to sweep them under the cobwebs and dust bunnies of their life, but she felt the edge of that unspoken agreement cracking.
Josh frowned, sensing the shift himself. “Let’s talk about that later because I have an idea instead. I don’t blame you for losing that job. My idea will make up for it all.”
“What?” Lauren asked wearily. The last time he’d had one of his ideas, she’d been suspended and now her career was gone.
Josh flipped the old Napoleon gold coin in the air, an old Ames heirloom unearthed last year when her cousins had discovered the buried Ames relics from over one hundred years ago. “You said there were more like these. An old friend of mine looked them up, and they could be worth thousands. Imagine if you could get a hold of the others, we could sell them. We wouldn’t have to figure out our money situation for months.”
Lauren felt as though she couldn’t get air into her lungs as the room blurred before her. She had solid thoughts forming, but she wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt as those ideas didn’t bode well for her day ending with them arguing. “And exactly how do you think we are getting ahold of my grandfather’s treasure?”
Josh shrugged, eagerness seeping into his expression and tone. “Leave that up to me.
And it shouldn’t be an issue for you because it should be your inheritance too, even though the family is selfishly keeping it for themselves.”
Lauren stood, feeling her agitation boil over. She just couldn’t anymore today. She stalked out the room and disappeared into their small bedroom with its currently unmade full-size bed. She yanked a bag out of the top of the wall closet, grabbed clothes from hangers, and tossed them into her purple college duffel bag, her vision blurred by anger.
Josh called to her from the sofa, the words only slightly muffled from traveling the short distance. “Didn’t you complain about how mean your cousins were to you and how unfair it was that they would inherit it all? We can fix all of that. May even get you one of those gold bricks I read about in that article.”
Lauren paused mid-pull and shook herself from her stupor. He’d researched this plan already. He likely had the entire burglary planned out and hadn’t planned on telling her until Grams called her to tell her that the Ames treasure had been stolen. Josh would never change no matter how many promises he made. She’d lost her job because of him. She’d gotten him hired on at the free clinic to renovate eight patient rooms in the “C” wing. He’d stolen Lauren’s badge in order to steal the medication samples for their mental health patients. This had not gone unnoticed. An investigation had ensued. For a moment, she’d left him. But when he was questioned, he’d made vague statements. Statements that had implicated her. Her parents, mainly her judge father, had advised that they stick together in their defense. If things had gone differently with her family, his repeated pleas wouldn’t have been so convincing. He’d apologized profusely, swearing it would never happen again.
But here he was, planning to steal from her family.
She lugged the heavy bag into the front and dropped it by the door, considering the items she could come back for later. Hell, she’d bought most of the items in the apartment.
Josh looked up and watched her walk by. “What are you doing?” He asked alarmed.
Lauren glared at him. “I’m done. I should have never come back the last time. Clearly, you and I have different ideas of what being a good person is.”
Josh shook his head. “You came back because you didn’t want to go home. Where do you think you’re going to go now?”
Lauren glared at him, picked up the bag, and walked out the door.
He didn’t stop her or chase after her. He didn’t call her back, and she left without objection. He likely figured she’d return on her own because he was correct about her not wanting to go home. Her childhood home had been the home of nightmares. Her parents expected their children to be puppets so they would look good, and they wanted to always pull the strings to ensure their wishes happened. She imagined the pair wouldn’t be too pleased with her right now. She drove around for forty-five minutes giving herself a pep talk before she pulled into the winding driveway of Phillip and Betsy’s two story, three-acre colonial.
As a circuit court judge, Phillip Ames took pleasure in displaying his clout for the community and his constituents. He believed his home had to be the pinnacle of his reputation.
He never seemed to grasp that the true measure of his success came from the decisions he made in the courtroom. And in there, just like with his family, he remained a pompous ass.
Lauren sat in her car a full five minutes, gathering the little inner strength she possessed to force herself to go inside. Internally, she rationalized that this was only a temporary situation. She needed to breath and put the pieces back together of the life that had imploded. This monstrosity of a house should be big enough to avoid her outlandish, over the top parents and figure out how to salvage her life.
In the foyer, her mother’s handbag was missing from the shelf in the closet, but her father’s keys rested in the crystal dish on the table. Good. Dealing with one parent at a time provided some reprieve.
She went in search of the man, figuring she’d tackle the problem head on before she went to the guest room to put her things down. All her siblings’ bedrooms had been completely redecorated into neutral guest rooms as soon as they’d gone to college, leaving no sign that they’d even had a childhood here. She found Phillip in his study, twisting in a repetitive motion in his chair, speaking out into the air in his phony, booming voice.
Dropping her bag, she sank into a black leather chair and waited for him to finish the call. A few grays shone in his dark head of hair as the light reflected from the window. It must be time for a dye job as Phillip kept himself groomed and lithe with workouts four times a week.
“Yes,” he said into the speaker. “Golf on Sunday. I will have to finish this up later. My daughter just walked in, and I have to share some news with her.”
Lauren raised an eyebrow and waited, wondering if his news was like the time he’d told his three daughters that he’d only contribute to college if they studied for jobs in the medical field or perhaps it was like the time in high school when he needed them to spend less time at home because it cramped the social life of he and his wife’s extra marital activities. Although Lauren had tried, she’d never been able to see any shared family traits between Phillip and the other Ames family members.
Hanging up, he looked at Lauren, his almond eyes void of any emotion. “Just the person I needed to see today. My next call was to you.”
Lauren bristled, becoming even more on edge. Phillip only called when he had some new demand or criticism. He could not have heard about her losing her nursing license so quickly—could he? She hadn’t shared that information with anyone yet. She’d like to think that would at least be private for the board.
“Relax,” her father said. “I spoke to Grams earlier, and it’s just an update.”
“How’s Granddaddy?” Lauren asked, her heart squeezing as if one of Grams’ too tight hugs had wrapped itself around her chest. Her grandfather Ames had dementia and had been steadily declining. Growing up, Lauren had adored the family patriarch as he tended to be the fun grandfather who told stories and created games for them to play.
Phillip shook his head, a scowl briefly forming although he released it quickly. He didn’t want to deepen those wrinkles. “With the wedding, Grams could use an extra pair of eyes. I told her that you will go and help.”
“You did what?” Lauren asked sharply. Her grandparents lived five hours away in Lafourche Crossing, Louisiana. As an adult, she didn’t visit as often as she should, but she also didn’t get told when to go usually.
“Your sister is in school until finals are over, and you aren’t doing anything of importance right now. They need the help, so you can offer your services.”
“I have a job.” Lauren only flinched slightly at the lie.
“But not a career,” Phillip said, peering down at her. “Your family matters more than a retail job. Besides, it will give you an opportunity to reflect and see what you want to do with your life in terms of your nursing career.”
Lauren glared at him, understanding that even at twenty-eight, he believed her life to be under his thumb.
“No,” Lauren said, feeling the unstable anger of this horrible day gurgling up like acid reflux.
“It’s not optional,” Phillip said. “I’m aware of your license suspension.”
Lauren returned his glare.
“You will help out the family,” Phillip continued, “and once that is complete, I will make calls in January to fix your mess.”
Lauren exhaled, grabbed her bag, and left the room. She would reflect alright. She could no longer live her life on Phillip Ames’s terms or Josh Sutter’s terms. She needed her own plan.