you listened to him talk? He doesn’t sound like anyone our age.”
“Yes, I’ve noticed he’s not like anyone we went to school with. Neither am I, so it’s really nice to find someone weirder than I am.”
“I’ve been replaced, huh?”
“Ha, ha. And if this is jealousy, no—of course no one has replaced you, Amanda.”
“It’s not jealousy.”
“Good. But you seem to have some problem with Tyler. Other than not acting his age and rising from the dead, I mean.” He suddenly grew serious. “Did he…hurt you in some way? Try to put a move on you?”
She blushed. “No.”
“Oh, ho! So that’s the problem!”
“No!”
“Hmm.”
“Don’t ‘hmm’ me.”
“So you don’t find him at all attractive?”
“Oh, for—yes, he’s attractive. Very attractive. Satisfied? And he doesn’t have the slightest interest in me, which makes him like half of the men I meet. The other half know I have money.”
“That’s so untrue—”
“Let’s not argue about it.” She smothered a yawn. “I should go home and get some rest.”
He hugged her and said, “I really do think you’ll feel better about all of this after you’ve had some sleep.”
“You’re probably right.”
She sat in the chair Tyler had recently vacated, pressed the button on the intercom line, and dialed seven. A woman answered, and Amanda asked for Alex.
“This is Alex,” the woman said.
“You’re…” She managed to prevent herself from saying “a woman.”
“Is this Ms. Clarke?”
“Yes.”
“Are you ready to leave?”
When Amanda said she was, Alex said she’d be right up. Amanda hung up.
The head of Tyler’s security was a woman. Named Alex. Well, why not?
She looked up to see an expression of unholy glee on Ron’s face.
“You could have warned me!” she said, but laughed.
16
A few minutes later, she wished Ron had issued another warning. Maybe, Amanda thought sourly, Alex Danton had decided to get into this line of work because being a supermodel involved too much travel. She was slender, tall, blond, blue eyed, and yet her features were just exotic enough to keep her from looking like she came out of some Orange County beach girl tribe.
She smiled, introduced herself with a warm handshake, and turned to Ron. He must have grown accustomed to her, Amanda thought, because he said a quick hello and announced that he was going to bed.
“Will you be all right, sir?” Alex asked. “Anything I can do for you?”
“No, I’m fine, thank you,” he said. He asked Amanda to come by after she’d had some sleep, and left the room.
Alex stared after him a moment, seemed to recall Amanda’s presence, and turned to her with a smile. “Shall we go?”
As they walked to the elevator, she said, “You probably know this house better than I do, so it must seem silly to you to have an escort.”
“A little,” Amanda admitted.
Once the elevator doors closed, Alex said, “Neither of them warned you I was female, did they?”
“No.”
“Men. Of all the stupid things…”
By the time they were driving past the front gates, the sky was beginning to brighten with the approaching dawn, and Amanda felt perfectly at ease in Alex’s company. Alex did most of the talking, but Amanda noticed that she stayed sharply aware of their surroundings.
Amanda learned that Alex had become manager of the security business and co-owner with her mother after its founder, her father, had been in a car accident.
“He was driving a little rental car, tailing someone, when a lady in one of those fat-ass SUVs ran a red light. He was in a coma for about three weeks before he died. Mr. Hawthorne came to the hospital and helped me before Dad died. I don’t know what we would have done without him.”
Amanda glanced out the car window and saw something moving in the woods. She drew in a sharp breath and froze—then saw the misty forms of the four ghosts, weaving in and out among the trees. They floated effortlessly,
“Yes, I’ve noticed he’s not like anyone we went to school with. Neither am I, so it’s really nice to find someone weirder than I am.”
“I’ve been replaced, huh?”
“Ha, ha. And if this is jealousy, no—of course no one has replaced you, Amanda.”
“It’s not jealousy.”
“Good. But you seem to have some problem with Tyler. Other than not acting his age and rising from the dead, I mean.” He suddenly grew serious. “Did he…hurt you in some way? Try to put a move on you?”
She blushed. “No.”
“Oh, ho! So that’s the problem!”
“No!”
“Hmm.”
“Don’t ‘hmm’ me.”
“So you don’t find him at all attractive?”
“Oh, for—yes, he’s attractive. Very attractive. Satisfied? And he doesn’t have the slightest interest in me, which makes him like half of the men I meet. The other half know I have money.”
“That’s so untrue—”
“Let’s not argue about it.” She smothered a yawn. “I should go home and get some rest.”
He hugged her and said, “I really do think you’ll feel better about all of this after you’ve had some sleep.”
“You’re probably right.”
She sat in the chair Tyler had recently vacated, pressed the button on the intercom line, and dialed seven. A woman answered, and Amanda asked for Alex.
“This is Alex,” the woman said.
“You’re…” She managed to prevent herself from saying “a woman.”
“Is this Ms. Clarke?”
“Yes.”
“Are you ready to leave?”
When Amanda said she was, Alex said she’d be right up. Amanda hung up.
The head of Tyler’s security was a woman. Named Alex. Well, why not?
She looked up to see an expression of unholy glee on Ron’s face.
“You could have warned me!” she said, but laughed.
16
A few minutes later, she wished Ron had issued another warning. Maybe, Amanda thought sourly, Alex Danton had decided to get into this line of work because being a supermodel involved too much travel. She was slender, tall, blond, blue eyed, and yet her features were just exotic enough to keep her from looking like she came out of some Orange County beach girl tribe.
She smiled, introduced herself with a warm handshake, and turned to Ron. He must have grown accustomed to her, Amanda thought, because he said a quick hello and announced that he was going to bed.
“Will you be all right, sir?” Alex asked. “Anything I can do for you?”
“No, I’m fine, thank you,” he said. He asked Amanda to come by after she’d had some sleep, and left the room.
Alex stared after him a moment, seemed to recall Amanda’s presence, and turned to her with a smile. “Shall we go?”
As they walked to the elevator, she said, “You probably know this house better than I do, so it must seem silly to you to have an escort.”
“A little,” Amanda admitted.
Once the elevator doors closed, Alex said, “Neither of them warned you I was female, did they?”
“No.”
“Men. Of all the stupid things…”
By the time they were driving past the front gates, the sky was beginning to brighten with the approaching dawn, and Amanda felt perfectly at ease in Alex’s company. Alex did most of the talking, but Amanda noticed that she stayed sharply aware of their surroundings.
Amanda learned that Alex had become manager of the security business and co-owner with her mother after its founder, her father, had been in a car accident.
“He was driving a little rental car, tailing someone, when a lady in one of those fat-ass SUVs ran a red light. He was in a coma for about three weeks before he died. Mr. Hawthorne came to the hospital and helped me before Dad died. I don’t know what we would have done without him.”
Amanda glanced out the car window and saw something moving in the woods. She drew in a sharp breath and froze—then saw the misty forms of the four ghosts, weaving in and out among the trees. They floated effortlessly,
Similar Books
