Australia, not to mention the other businesses they own. I don’t recall meeting the Taylor family, but I’ve attended so many events in Sydney and Melbourne, there’s a good chance I’ve run into them.”
Pointing to the computer screen, Regan said, “This photo is more than twenty years old. Can you find one that’s more current?”
Alec turned back to the computer. “Not yet, but I just started searching.”
Aiden’s phone rang. He checked to see who was calling and clenched his jaw.
“Aren’t you going to answer that?” Regan asked. “It could be important.”
“No, it isn’t important. Lester Chambers is calling again. He’s trying to get me to change my mind about buying his property. He called a few minutes ago, and I did something I’m not proud of,” he confessed.
“Then why are you smiling?” Regan wondered.
“What’d you do?” Alec asked at the same time.
“I dumped it all on Spencer.” His phone rang again. Muttering something under his breath, he walked toward the doorway before he answered.
“Do you think Simone has tried to find photos of you, Cordie?” Regan asked.
Cordie stopped watching Aiden and turned to her friend. “I doubt it. She erased me, remember?”
Regan nodded. Aiden was obviously a master at multitasking, because he was still on the phone when he asked Cordie for clarification. “How did she erase you?”
“She decided she didn’t get married and she didn’t have me.”
“That doesn’t make any sense,” Aiden said before going back to his phone conversation.
Why was he lingering? Cordie wondered. He was usually in such a hurry. If she asked him why he was hanging around, the question would come out as rude. He could go anywhere he wanted; it was his hotel. It was next to impossible not to look at him. He was wearing a deep-navy suit and a white shirt that accentuated his tanned complexion. He’d obviously been playing a lot of rugby. He had the muscles to prove it . . . and the bruises. There was a new one on his forehead, small but still noticeable. Rugby could be a brutal game, which was apparently why he liked it so much. No holds barred, no diplomacy, just brute force and strategy. Alec had caught the fever and was now a player on Aiden’s team. They were, of course, undefeated and loved to boast about it.
“Don’t you have a game today?” she asked when he joined them again.
“That’s tomorrow,” Aiden answered. “Regan mentioned you were thinking about going to Australia. Is that true?”
“I don’t know what I want to do anymore,” she admitted. “When I found out my mother didn’t die, that she just walked out, I had no desire to find her. Then I read the letter she left for my father, and I changed my mind. I didn’t want to speak to her. I just needed to see for myself if she got what she wanted. But now, knowing about the fake ID she used to marry my father and all the lies she told him . . . if I do go, I’ll probably get arrested.”
Alec’s head came up. “Arrested for what?”
“Assault.”
Alec laughed. Cordie was one of the gentlest women he had ever known. She could never knowingly cause any other person pain. “You’re thinking about punching Simone?”
She shrugged, then said, “I don’t know what I’ll do if I ever come face-to-face with her.”
“Cordie, you couldn’t deliberately hurt anyone, no matter how horrible or sleazy he or she may be,” Regan said.
“Here we go,” Alec said, nodding toward the screen. “Simone Taylor Rayburn. Craig Rayburn is Simone’s husband. She was twenty-one and he was thirty-four when they married. They have two sons, and they live in Sydney. Want me to go on?” he asked.
“Is there a family photo?” Regan asked.
“Yes.” Alec pulled up a magazine website and scrolled through the pages to find the one he wanted. He leaned back so Cordie could get a closer look.
Cordie stared at the happy family smiling back at her from the computer screen and
Pointing to the computer screen, Regan said, “This photo is more than twenty years old. Can you find one that’s more current?”
Alec turned back to the computer. “Not yet, but I just started searching.”
Aiden’s phone rang. He checked to see who was calling and clenched his jaw.
“Aren’t you going to answer that?” Regan asked. “It could be important.”
“No, it isn’t important. Lester Chambers is calling again. He’s trying to get me to change my mind about buying his property. He called a few minutes ago, and I did something I’m not proud of,” he confessed.
“Then why are you smiling?” Regan wondered.
“What’d you do?” Alec asked at the same time.
“I dumped it all on Spencer.” His phone rang again. Muttering something under his breath, he walked toward the doorway before he answered.
“Do you think Simone has tried to find photos of you, Cordie?” Regan asked.
Cordie stopped watching Aiden and turned to her friend. “I doubt it. She erased me, remember?”
Regan nodded. Aiden was obviously a master at multitasking, because he was still on the phone when he asked Cordie for clarification. “How did she erase you?”
“She decided she didn’t get married and she didn’t have me.”
“That doesn’t make any sense,” Aiden said before going back to his phone conversation.
Why was he lingering? Cordie wondered. He was usually in such a hurry. If she asked him why he was hanging around, the question would come out as rude. He could go anywhere he wanted; it was his hotel. It was next to impossible not to look at him. He was wearing a deep-navy suit and a white shirt that accentuated his tanned complexion. He’d obviously been playing a lot of rugby. He had the muscles to prove it . . . and the bruises. There was a new one on his forehead, small but still noticeable. Rugby could be a brutal game, which was apparently why he liked it so much. No holds barred, no diplomacy, just brute force and strategy. Alec had caught the fever and was now a player on Aiden’s team. They were, of course, undefeated and loved to boast about it.
“Don’t you have a game today?” she asked when he joined them again.
“That’s tomorrow,” Aiden answered. “Regan mentioned you were thinking about going to Australia. Is that true?”
“I don’t know what I want to do anymore,” she admitted. “When I found out my mother didn’t die, that she just walked out, I had no desire to find her. Then I read the letter she left for my father, and I changed my mind. I didn’t want to speak to her. I just needed to see for myself if she got what she wanted. But now, knowing about the fake ID she used to marry my father and all the lies she told him . . . if I do go, I’ll probably get arrested.”
Alec’s head came up. “Arrested for what?”
“Assault.”
Alec laughed. Cordie was one of the gentlest women he had ever known. She could never knowingly cause any other person pain. “You’re thinking about punching Simone?”
She shrugged, then said, “I don’t know what I’ll do if I ever come face-to-face with her.”
“Cordie, you couldn’t deliberately hurt anyone, no matter how horrible or sleazy he or she may be,” Regan said.
“Here we go,” Alec said, nodding toward the screen. “Simone Taylor Rayburn. Craig Rayburn is Simone’s husband. She was twenty-one and he was thirty-four when they married. They have two sons, and they live in Sydney. Want me to go on?” he asked.
“Is there a family photo?” Regan asked.
“Yes.” Alec pulled up a magazine website and scrolled through the pages to find the one he wanted. He leaned back so Cordie could get a closer look.
Cordie stared at the happy family smiling back at her from the computer screen and
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