“There’s something wrong with that woman,” Seth Turner grumbled as he stalked back to his car to get his luggage. She’d acted so strangely. Instead of opening the door wide enough to introduce herself, she’d hung back so far he couldn’t even see her face. Maybe having a stranger come to the door had frightened her. But she hadn’t acted frightened, exactly. He’d gotten the feeling it was something else. And she’d kept up the odd behavior even after he’d proven himself a friend of Maxi’s. What was up with that? When Maxi told him there was someone on the property who could let him in, he’d thought it would be a good thing. He’d assumed this person would be a caretaker, someone who would watch over the place while Maxi was gone, allowing Seth to focus exclusively on his work and what he’d come to Silver Springs to accomplish. He hadn’t expected to share the property with one of Maxi’s friends, especially not one as prickly as himself.
How long are you planning on being here?
He’d heard the disappointment in her voice. Neither of them wanted company. That was apparent.
But even with her living only fifty yards away, he didn’t have a better option than to stay here while he could. He didn’t want to be in a hotel for an extended period. He didn’t want to stay with his brothers. Two of them owned homes in the area, but they each had a wife and kids. How could he squeeze in with them? He’d have no place to work. And he certainly didn’t want to go home to his mother’s house, not with everything she did to celebrate the holidays. He’d be faced with the scents of pine and gingerbread, the unrelenting cheer of Christmas carols and the sight of an elaborately decorated tree every time he came into the house. There’d be no way to avoid those things. He’d agreed to help out at New Horizons Boys & Girls Ranch, the boarding school for troubled youth Aiyana had founded, but he refused to get involved with anything else. He especially didn’t want to be available to his mother 24/7: that would come soon enough, when Maxi returned and he had to move home. Aiyana was too worried about him right now, and feeling the weight of that concern only made life more difficult. He’d cope with this Christmas like he had every Christmas since Shiloh’s death, by doing all he could to avoid the festivities that made her loss that much more poignant.
At least he’d have the main house to himself.
Most of the time, anyway.
His phone signaled an incoming call. After unlocking the house, he dropped his luggage in the entryway so he could see who was trying to reach him.
It was his mother.
He punched the Accept button before he could miss Aiyana’s call. He loved her more than any other person in the world—since Shiloh had passed away—which was why he’d agreed to come home and mentor several of her students. She felt strongly that a special few had the talent, as well as the desire, to do what he did, which was all fine and good, but he had a sneaking suspicion she’d scheduled it at this time of year on purpose, so that he wouldn’t spend Christmas alone.
That should’ve bothered him; he didn’t like it when she meddled in his life. But he was sort of glad she’d done this. Closeting himself away in his house, where he had a studio that overlooked the Pacific Ocean, was starting to get to him.
Maybe Aiyana could tell he was sliding into a dark place. His mother was nothing if not attuned to the needs of others. She always seemed to know when he was in trouble, even when he denied having a problem.
“Hey, Mom.”
“How close are you?”
“Just arrived.”
“Thank God.”
“What do you mean? It was only a six-hour drive.”
“That may be true, but the way you run yourself ragged, I had no idea if you’d even slept before starting out.”
He didn’t comment on the sleeping aspect of her statement. He’d always struggled with insomnia. It’d been several days since he’d had more than a few hours of sleep, so the drive had been much more difficult than he was making it sound. “I’m fine. Don’t worry. I’m going to nap for a few hours before you come over.”
“Good plan. By the way, I have the art supplies you shipped to my house. Cal and I will bring that stuff over to you in his truck.”
“I really appreciate it. There was no way it would all fit in my car.”
“You barely fit in that car,” she said, joking. “Anyway, it’s not a problem. Cal’s an old cowboy. He’s used to hauling things.”
“Cal’s a good guy. I’m looking forward to seeing you both tonight.”
“Eli and Gavin and their families are coming, too.”
“Good.”
“I’ve missed you—and I’m excited to see the house.”
It was a gloomy, overcast day. He flipped on the light and found himself standing in the middle of a giant marble entryway with twenty-foot ceilings. A huge chandelier hung over a pedestal table featuring a soapstone sculpture he’d created himself, and two flights of stairs made with black iron railings, one on each side, curved up to a second story. The aviary that housed the bird was on the other side of his Young Man Dreaming.
“It’s nice,” he said. “I can’t believe you’ve never been here.”
Maxi was one of Aiyana’s biggest benefactors. He donated huge amounts of money to help keep the school running, which was how he’d first become aware of Seth’s work. Seth also contributed to the yearly fundraiser. His mother auctioned off a piece of his work at the end of the night as the grand finale, and Maxi had bought several of those pieces, as well as others—some paintings, too—directly from him.
“Why would you be surprised? Maxi and I talk on the phone occasionally, and we’re always friendly if we see each other in town, but I don’t know him quite as well as you do.”
Seth didn’t know him all that well, either. Maxi emailed him or called once in a while. He was always interested in what Seth was doing next. But their relationship mostly revolved around Seth’s work. They’d never hung out together. Since Shiloh’s death, Seth hadn’t really hung out with anyone.
He didn’t correct her, however. He just hoped she wasn’t offended that he’d chosen to stay here instead of with her. He hated the thought that it might make her feel bad, but he’d known he wouldn’t be able to hold out for the entire three months she needed him if he didn’t have a place where he could retreat. Being around his family, seeing his brothers so happy and busy with their wives and children, only made him feel empty by contrast. And last year he’d learned just how much Christmas could exaggerate that effect. “You’ll love it.”
He thought of the woman staying in the guesthouse but decided not to mention her. He’d run to the store, before he slept, and have a key made. Then he’d walk it over and forget about her—as much as he could.
“Okay. Eli and Gavin are eager to see you, so call me when you get up.”
“Sounds good.” He had seven brothers he’d grown up with since he turned fourteen, but none were genetically linked to him. The one thing they did have in common was that they all came from tragic backgrounds, and Aiyana had adopted each one of them after they’d first been a student at her school. Only Eli and Gavin, the two oldest, still lived in town. They worked at New Horizons with Aiyana. The rest were spread out, pursuing their own interests or going to college, but most would be returning for Christmas within the next two weeks. “I’ll see you soon.”
“Seth?”
He could tell by the change in her tone that she had something serious to say. “Yes?”
“I ran into Shiloh’s mother the other day.”
His throat immediately tightened. “And?”
“She asked if you were coming home for Christmas.”
He suddenly felt exhausted, as if he’d spent the entire day fighting an intense battle instead of driving a car. Maybe that was because every day was a battle for him.
Closing his eyes, he drew a deep breath. “I’ll have to pay them a visit.”
“That would be nice.” There was a slight pause. “Would you like me to go with you?”
Definitely not. That was something he had to do alone. But it wasn’t going to be easy to face his late wife’s parents. Because they’d wanted her to finish her degree and marry someone else, someone with less baggage and more potential—not a penniless, struggling artist with no plans of going to college—they’d been furious when she’d dropped out and moved to San Francisco to be with him. At the time, he’d been determined to prove that he was the best thing for her. But they’d been right. Had Shiloh remained in school, she’d probably still be alive.
“That’s okay.” He didn’t need his mother complicating what would already be a difficult visit. “I’ve got it.”
“You sure?”
By the time Shiloh died, he’d achieved some success in the art world, which had enabled him to build a decent relationship with her parents—decent enough that he felt obligated to see them.
But he almost wished they still hated him. It would make things easier now. “I got it,” he said.
Tia parted the drapes and craned her neck to be able to see the driveway. The Porsche Taycan driven by her new property mate was still parked where it had been since he’d knocked to say he was leaving the key on her doormat.
Damn. She’d been hoping Maxi’s new guest would go out again—for groceries or something—which would give her the opportunity to traipse over to the main house. She had to take care of Kiki. Maxi had said the bird needed daily company. He was afraid his beloved pet would fall into depression without consistent companionship, and Tia was supposed to make sure that didn’t happen.
But she didn’t want to run into the man who was staying there now.
She bit her lip as she tried to decide what to do. Maybe she could slip inside, take care of Kiki and get out without being heard. It wasn’t just her face. She didn’t want to be recognized, didn’t want to field the questions that seeing her would inspire. And she didn’t want him telling anyone she was in town, because then she’d feel like she had in LA: that there were people lurking around, trying to get a photograph they could sell. It made her feel besieged, unable to escape or move about freely.
How could Maxi have invited someone else to stay? She’d felt safe from the curiosity of the world here, but that security had lasted for only two days.
Was she making too big a deal of it? The man she’d spoken to didn’t seem the type to care too much about fame. If he was that popular, he was famous himself, at least in some circles. Maybe who she was and her connection to Hollywood wouldn’t matter to him, and he wouldn’t tell anyone about it.
After the success of Expect the Worst, she doubted it would go that way, but one could always hope...
She checked the clock. Nearly seven. She needed to get over there. She’d already put off Kiki’s care as long as she felt comfortable.
She went into the bathroom and covered her scars with bandages as though she’d just come from the hospital. The big white gauze squares were unsightly, but not as unsightly as what lay beneath. And the bandages hid how much her face had changed, so if Maxi’s friend did recognize her and he decided to say something to someone, he couldn’t reveal too much.
If she were lucky, she wouldn’t even encounter him. That was the goal.
But when she stepped out, she found three more cars in the drive: a Cadillac Escalade, a Ford Explorer and a pretty Tesla. What was going on? Was this guy already throwing a party?
Maxi should be more careful about the people he allowed onto the property while he was out of town. But because she’d already gone to the trouble of covering the damaged part of her face and she needed to take care of the bird, she didn’t turn back as she was tempted to do. She told herself that it was a good thing her new neighbor had company. If he was distracted, she had a far greater chance of getting in and out without being noticed.
Pulling her sweater tighter around her body—she’d been gaining weight with all the emotional eating she’d been doing—she hung back behind the vegetation until she could confirm there wasn’t anyone in the yard. Then she hurried along the path leading to the main house and tried her key at the back door.
It didn’t work. Of course.
With a sigh, she ducked her head and marched purposefully toward the front.
“Activity at the front door.”
She froze the second the computerized voice of the security system announced her presence. But no one came to find out what was going on. She could hear voices in the kitchen/living-room area, and the conversation didn’t even pause. Either no one had heard the security system, or they couldn’t be bothered with it.
Breathing a sigh of relief, she moved swiftly to the aviary and entered through the small side door by the elevator—the only part of Kiki’s home that wasn’t glass.
Although she was an animal lover, she’d never even seen a live parrot, not up close. Being responsible for such a large and expensive bird made her a little nervous. She’d read on the internet that parrots had a strong bite, especially this breed, but Maxi had assured her that his macaw was tame. He’d insisted that as long as Kiki received the care she needed, she wouldn’t get aggressive.
Tia could only trust that was true. It would be just her luck to be attacked by the darn thing.
She searched the trees. When she didn’t spot Kiki right away, she nearly panicked, thinking the man who was staying here had accidentally—or on purpose—let the bird out. But then she spotted the bright red plumage and the yellow and blue feathers of Kiki’s lower wings. The parrot was perched on one of the highest branches of the center and largest tree, which was surrounded by thick bamboo shoots, vines and ferns. Along the ground, there were boulders and even a small pond. Maxi had spared no expense.
“Uh-oh, here she comes,” the bird said, startling Tia. It was almost as if Kiki was outing her for being in the house.
“Shh.” She put a finger to her lips.
“Shh,” the bird mimicked. “Be quiet.”
Apparently, this wasn’t the first time she’d ever been shushed. Maxi had probably told her to be quiet a thousand times when she was barking like a dog.
Tia glanced around to make sure no one had heard the noise. Kiki sounded loud inside the atrium, but Tia knew the sounds were somewhat muted beyond the glass. Maxi had seen to that when he planned the enclosure.
Seeing nothing alarming, she crouched behind the foliage and filled Kiki’s bowl. “Here you go. It’s time to eat.”
“Time to eat,” the parrot responded, punctuating those words with a squawk before repeating them a second and a third time.
When Tia stepped away from the feeding dish, Kiki flew down to enjoy the fruit, nuts and seeds that were her dinner. Maxi had said she ate ten to fifteen percent of her body weight each day and, for the most part, could have anything healthy that humans could eat, but Tia wasn’t going to take any chances. She planned to stick strictly to what Maxi had provided.
As Kiki pecked at her food, she watched Tia out of the penetrating small eye on the left side of her head. Kiki knew Tia was a stranger, so Tia wasn’t planning to get too close. Not yet, anyway.
While waiting for Maxi’s pet to finish eating, Tia remained huddled in the corner in case someone in the house decided to peer into the aviary. She couldn’t see any faces pressed to the glass, but the aviary had been built such that it could be seen from many rooms. Even if it hadn’t provided a home for such a spectacular pet, it would be an awesome sight with the way Maxi had brought the outdoors into his house.
Maxi had given Tia a Koosh ball to toss to Kiki. He said she played fetch like a dog and that retrieving it would help keep her stimulated. Tia hadn’t brought it out yet, though. Maxi had said Kiki loved it so much, she wouldn’t eat her dinner if she saw it.
“That’s a good girl,” Tia said.
This time Kiki didn’t create an echo, and Tia shifted to sit cross-legged in an attempt to get more comfortable. When Tia learned she’d be caring for a parrot, she’d done some studying and learned that these birds could live to be fifty years old. That was surprising, but it was equally surprising to read that it was difficult to determine the sex of a parrot. Physical examination didn’t make it obvious; it required a DNA test.
Had Maxi ever had Kiki tested? Or had he decided—from her beauty or something else—that he’d simply assume she was a female?
“Are you really a girl?” she whispered to the bird.
“Pretty girl,” the bird responded, adding a sharp whistle. “Pretty girl.”
Shoot! Again, Tia looked around, expecting the man she’d met earlier to be peering in at them.
But she didn’t see anyone. Maybe whoever was at the house had already looked their fill and they were doing something else now. She was pretty sure they were eating.
She stayed in the atrium with Kiki for over an hour. Maxi said ninety minutes would be ideal, but she was too nervous to hang out any longer. She played fetch with Kiki, gave her some pumpkin seeds, which Maxi said she’d love, and decided to get out while she could. But the bird started to whistle as soon as she got up.
“Pretty girl. Pretty girl,” Kiki said, over and over.
Tia guessed Kiki could sense that her playmate was about to leave and didn’t want that to happen. She was making so much noise that Tia was hesitant to open the door.
“Shh,” she said again, but that only started the bird saying, “Be quiet. Be quiet.” Squawk. “Be quiet.”
Tia tossed the Koosh ball to the other side of the atrium and let herself out as the bird swooped down to get it.
“Shh, be quiet,” she heard Kiki say as she closed the door.
Tia had just reached the front door when she heard voices—and they were getting louder.
She hadn’t wanted to be seen before. But she definitely didn’t want to be seen now, for all the same reasons and one other—she’d let herself in without knocking. They hadn’t set up a routine, and he’d given her the key, so she felt as though she had a way to justify her actions. But she was still loath to run into him, so she ducked into the first room she could reach without making any noise.
It was a bedroom suite, but it wasn’t one most people would choose if they had their pick of all seven bedrooms in the house, which was why she was so surprised to find a suitcase on the floor.
Oh, no! She’d chosen the room where Maxi’s friend was staying.
She could hear the man she’d spoken to earlier tell his visitors—a collection of adults and some children, judging by the jumble of older and younger voices—that it’d been great to see them.
She’d been right to get out of the entry hall even if she had ducked into his bedroom. They were leaving—she would’ve run into them, no question.
Her heart pounded as they made plans to see each other tomorrow and finished their goodbyes. They seemed to be relatives of some sort, but she wasn’t focused on deciphering the specific connections between them. She was trying to figure out a way to escape.
There was a door that led into a private garden. She remembered that. But she also remembered it was enclosed with a high wall and no gate.
She was deliberating on whether or not she could make it to the back entrance when silence fell, but then footsteps began to cross the marble entryway, once again coming in her direction.
No way would she be caught in his bedroom! With nowhere to go to escape and no time in which to find a good hiding place, she dropped to the floor and slid under the bed.