gold-encrusted conch shell hanging from a simple gold chain caught her eye and she gravitated toward the glass case where it was displayed.
“See anything you like?” Grant asked in her ear, his breath soft and exciting against the lobe.
“Yeah, I really like—”
She stopped abruptly, realizing she couldn’t tell him the truth. The conch-shell necklace was the most understated piece of jewelry behind the counter. A flamboyant dresser like Leeza would never single it out.
She quickly scanned the rest of the items and pointed to the most garish. It was a broach shaped like an octopus, with the legs extending in all directions. Even though octopi changed color with their environment, she couldn’t imagine where the designer of the broach imagined this octopus had been. It was a brilliant, iridescent green with a bright ruby serving as an eye.
“That octopus is quite something,” she said. “One of a kind, I’m sure.”
Grant motioned to the tiny, elderly woman standing behind the counter and indicated the hideous broach. “We’d like the octopus.”
“Hallelujah.” The woman moved to the case with stunning alacrity. “I never thought anybody would buy that thing.”
Lizabeth whirled on Grant. “You can’t buy that for me!”
“Sure, I can.” He shrugged those impossibly wide shoulders and arched those incredibly perfect eyebrows. “You like it. I’d like for you to have it.”
“But it’s too. . .” Ugly, she thought. “Expensive,” she said.
“Don’t worry.” He gave her a lopsided grin. “I can afford it.”
He took out his wallet, removing a hundred-dollar bill as though he paid cash for ridiculous trinkets every day of the week. But he was a cop, not a tycoon. His henley shirt and khaki shorts were modest, but he’d sprung for the charter boat yesterday. Surely he couldn’t afford to keep spending this way.
“Really, I don’t need the broach,” she said. “You should save your money.”
“What good is money if you can’t spend it on a beautiful woman?” he asked.
The protest died on her lips. No man had ever called her beautiful before. Not her brother, not her father, not even her grandfather.
Grant pinned the octopus broach to her yellow tank top, his knuckles grazing her breasts.
“Thank you,” she said, gazing down at it. “It’s lovely.”
And just like that, she broke her vow not to tell him any more lies. Even though the sentiment behind his purchase of the octopus broach was lovely, she still thought it so hideous that somebody should chuck it to the bottom of the sea.
She resisted the urge to shield her eyes when they exited the shop. The sun’s rays hit the iridescent green, but Mitch’s attention was caught by something else.
He gestured toward a man standing at a booth advertising a sunset cruise on a luxury boat complete with champagne, hors d’ouevres and a full-course dinner.
“That cruise has the name Leeza written all over it,” he said without a clue that Leeza wasn’t a real person. “Will you make me a happy man and go with me tonight?”
“That would be delightful,” she said.
The bald truth was that she’d go anywhere to be with him. She didn’t dare tell him that watching the sun go down while dangling her feet in the water at the end of a wooden pier was more her style.
She knew from high school that Lizabeth didn’t have what it took to arouse a male’s interest. She smiled her dazzling Leeza smile and he responded in kind. Now Leeza, that was a different story.
CARY WATCHED THE GLOWING sun sink into the horizon like a ball in quicksand. Perfect, he thought.
The romantics hadn’t exaggerated the spectacular beauty of a Key West sunset. Atop the shimmering Gulf of Mexico, streaks of oranges, reds and yellows lit the sky as though it were afire.
Better yet, he and Leeza were watching nature’s show from a table for two on the aft deck of a sixty-foot motor yacht, a setting that made a perfect prelude to
“See anything you like?” Grant asked in her ear, his breath soft and exciting against the lobe.
“Yeah, I really like—”
She stopped abruptly, realizing she couldn’t tell him the truth. The conch-shell necklace was the most understated piece of jewelry behind the counter. A flamboyant dresser like Leeza would never single it out.
She quickly scanned the rest of the items and pointed to the most garish. It was a broach shaped like an octopus, with the legs extending in all directions. Even though octopi changed color with their environment, she couldn’t imagine where the designer of the broach imagined this octopus had been. It was a brilliant, iridescent green with a bright ruby serving as an eye.
“That octopus is quite something,” she said. “One of a kind, I’m sure.”
Grant motioned to the tiny, elderly woman standing behind the counter and indicated the hideous broach. “We’d like the octopus.”
“Hallelujah.” The woman moved to the case with stunning alacrity. “I never thought anybody would buy that thing.”
Lizabeth whirled on Grant. “You can’t buy that for me!”
“Sure, I can.” He shrugged those impossibly wide shoulders and arched those incredibly perfect eyebrows. “You like it. I’d like for you to have it.”
“But it’s too. . .” Ugly, she thought. “Expensive,” she said.
“Don’t worry.” He gave her a lopsided grin. “I can afford it.”
He took out his wallet, removing a hundred-dollar bill as though he paid cash for ridiculous trinkets every day of the week. But he was a cop, not a tycoon. His henley shirt and khaki shorts were modest, but he’d sprung for the charter boat yesterday. Surely he couldn’t afford to keep spending this way.
“Really, I don’t need the broach,” she said. “You should save your money.”
“What good is money if you can’t spend it on a beautiful woman?” he asked.
The protest died on her lips. No man had ever called her beautiful before. Not her brother, not her father, not even her grandfather.
Grant pinned the octopus broach to her yellow tank top, his knuckles grazing her breasts.
“Thank you,” she said, gazing down at it. “It’s lovely.”
And just like that, she broke her vow not to tell him any more lies. Even though the sentiment behind his purchase of the octopus broach was lovely, she still thought it so hideous that somebody should chuck it to the bottom of the sea.
She resisted the urge to shield her eyes when they exited the shop. The sun’s rays hit the iridescent green, but Mitch’s attention was caught by something else.
He gestured toward a man standing at a booth advertising a sunset cruise on a luxury boat complete with champagne, hors d’ouevres and a full-course dinner.
“That cruise has the name Leeza written all over it,” he said without a clue that Leeza wasn’t a real person. “Will you make me a happy man and go with me tonight?”
“That would be delightful,” she said.
The bald truth was that she’d go anywhere to be with him. She didn’t dare tell him that watching the sun go down while dangling her feet in the water at the end of a wooden pier was more her style.
She knew from high school that Lizabeth didn’t have what it took to arouse a male’s interest. She smiled her dazzling Leeza smile and he responded in kind. Now Leeza, that was a different story.
CARY WATCHED THE GLOWING sun sink into the horizon like a ball in quicksand. Perfect, he thought.
The romantics hadn’t exaggerated the spectacular beauty of a Key West sunset. Atop the shimmering Gulf of Mexico, streaks of oranges, reds and yellows lit the sky as though it were afire.
Better yet, he and Leeza were watching nature’s show from a table for two on the aft deck of a sixty-foot motor yacht, a setting that made a perfect prelude to
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