That Summer at the Shore

“Wow. Your staff must tremble when you look at them with that calm, intimidating stare.” Jamie stretched lazily. “Luckily, I don’t work for you and I’m on my own turf, so I’m not quaking in my boots. And by the way, you’re not the only one with a deed.”

“You’re trespassing,” he said furiously. “You have to—ˮ

“We can’t initiate action without proof of who holds the title, Mr. Denning,” Curt interjected. “At present it’s a civil disagreement over boundary lines. Not a criminal matter.”

Denning’s eyes narrowed. “I see. Ms. Conroe, my lawyer will be contacting you.” He climbed into his gleaming-black SUV and sent gravel flying as he made a sharp U-turn.

Curt frowned. “Yikes, Jamie. That’s one angry man. Ring me if he causes trouble.”

“I’ll be fine,” she asserted, her jaw stiffening. Curt had once acted as a big-brother defender during her childhood trips to California. But she’d acquired a few life lessons since then—you had to stand up to bullies, if only for your own self-respect.

* * *

ZACK WENT DIRECTLY toward the office instead of finishing his morning rounds, keeping his speed low to avoid drawing attention. Mar Vista was doing even better than he had hoped and he wouldn’t let anything blow it. Jamie Conroe was a blip on his problem radar. He’d teach that smart-mouthed brunette the definitions of land purchase and title. The sheriff might be swayed by a pretty face, but the state police could be brought in if necessary.

“Boss, have you got your ears on?” Trudy asked over the radio, and Zack grabbed the microphone.

“Here, Trudy.”

“You okay? Did you take care of the intruder? I hope they didn’t have a weapon.”

“No weapon,” he answered, “but her trailer might be lethal.”

“Excuse me?”

“Never mind.” Zack checked his watch. “Call my lawyer. I want a video conference when I get back.”

“She might not be in this early, or she could be with another client.”

“Try. Warn her that she may need to fly here today or tomorrow.”

Trudy whistled. “What’s in the frying pan this time?”

“A property-line dispute. It’s got to be dealt with ASAP.”

“Gotcha.”

Putting the microphone on its hook, Zack saw a familiar couple ready to tee off. The Langianos waved. He drew to a stop and forced a pleasant smile.

“Roger, Suzy, how are you doing?” he asked.

“Mmm, wonderful,” the woman said. “But I’ve been eating so much that I told Roger we had to walk it off rather than take a golf cart. Restaurants like your Sunfish Grotto ought to be against the law.”

“I’m glad you’re enjoying it,” Zack replied; years of practice as a manager had taught him to show amiable hospitality to his guests, and nothing else. When people were on vacation they expected a world where difficulties just disappeared.

“We appreciate your chef’s candor about his ingredients,” Roger added. “With Suzy’s allergies, it makes things easier.”

“I’ll share your comments with the kitchen. Chef Gordon has a daughter with food sensitivities, so he understands.”

The investment in a top chef was paying off. None of the other chefs Zack had interviewed were willing to provide a list of ingredients for their special recipes. These days a lot of folks were concerned about their food. It fit the modern trend toward health awareness, so Zack had kept searching for someone who shared his vision. Oh, Lord.

Yesterday Gordon had mentioned that a produce stand was opening nearby. He wasn’t happy with their current supplier and hoped for a new source. It had to be Jamie Conroe’s trailer, and Zack could imagine how appalled his patrons might be if they discovered their fruits and vegetables were coming from that hideous place. Maybe he was overreacting, but you couldn’t predict what would alienate clients.

The Langianos continued to the course and Zack drove to the administrative parking lot. He got out, moving casually until he was beyond the view of guests. The management area was more austere than the rest of the facility; the luxurious ambience was saved for their clientele.

“Trudy,” he barked, “did you reach Kim?”

“Yep. She’s waiting for you.”

Zack tapped his fingers as Trudy put the call through to his office. The computer screen opened to Kim Wheeler. She was one of the most beautiful women he’d ever met, though at the moment he was interested only in her keen legal mind.

“There’s a woman, Jamie Conroe, squatting above the beach with a decrepit trailer. And the color it’s painted is downright offensive,” he said without preamble. “She’s planning to sell fruits and vegetables there and is claiming she inherited the land from her grandfather. Something has to be done. Now. Mar Vista golfers, and anyone going to the beach, might see it. Other guests going horseback riding and—”

“Good morning to you as well, Zack,” Kim interrupted. He reluctantly nodded a greeting. Kim rarely let him get away with anything. In college they’d lived together for several months until she had told him they weren’t suited for each other. Although they were no longer lovers, they’d stayed friends, and when she had gone into corporate law, he’d put her on retainer as his attorney.

“Sorry,” he apologized, “but this is important. This woman claims to own the first acre adjacent to the state beach on the northwest section. It’s where the public road ends at the water and a dirt road takes off at a right angle in the middle.”

Kim pulled up something on a second computer. “I see it on the map, a rectangular chunk along the waterfront. That’s some of the real estate you rushed to buy without checking with me, isn’t it?”

Ouch.

She’d ragged him unmercifully for failing to consult her on the transaction. There just hadn’t been enough time—old George Jenkins had insisted on closing the sale as fast as possible. Zack had also been distracted by his brother’s hospitalization and the construction commencing on the resort, but he wouldn’t make excuses.

“Yes,” he said shortly. “It’s one of the last parcels I bought.”

“I doubt we can resolve this today. Chances are we’ll need an official survey to settle the matter.”

“Can you get a court order to get her out in the meanwhile? I guarantee she’ll ignore any no-trespassing signs I post, and they wouldn’t look good to my guests anyhow. Oh, and get this—the county sheriff is a pal of Ms. Conroe’s. I probably can’t expect support from him or his deputies.”

Kim shook her head. “I don’t think a judge can issue an injunction unless there’s substantive evidence that it’s not her property.”

“Damn.”

“I’ll keep you updated on our progress. Just don’t purchase any more real estate without talking to me first.”

The screen went blank before Zack could devise a suitable retort. He sank back in his chair and gazed into space. Jamie Conroe’s fruit stand might not be so bad if it was charming or offbeat instead of just tacky. He could hide the more obvious signs of her presence with a tall hedge, but planting fully grown shrubbery was a costly remedy for a temporary condition.

And it shouldn’t be necessary. That was the galling part.

To think he’d congratulated himself on securing that particular piece of land, protecting his resort from this sort of thing.

Now?

He’d simply have to take care of it. Ms. Conroe would soon be investigating a different site for that shabby little trailer.

CHAPTER TWO

JAMIE OPENED BLEARY EYES, awakened by the persistent noise from her BlackBerry cell phone.