Secret Paradise

Nikki felt her heart sinking as she watched him go. “He didn’t know I was coming.”

“No,” Basilio said quickly, keeping his voice light. “As he said, he just forgot.”

“He’s not the type of man to forget anything. He didn’t expect me to be here.” She turned to Basilio. “What’s going on?”

“Don’t worry about it. He’ll get used to the idea.”

“So you’re behind this?”

“Well, your sister thought—”

“My sister, too?”

“Nikki, please give this a chance. He needs your help. He just needs a little convincing, that’s all. With you here, it will be a lot easier.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Ready to go home?”

She knew it was a challenge—a dare. Was she brave enough to stay? Nikki thought about her office. Before she’d left New York, her office had been restored, she’d received a glowing report from the mistresses on their new place, she’d cleared her schedule for the next three months and she’d left Benjamin, who still expected a solid answer. No, she didn’t want to go back to her old life. At least not just yet.

She drew her shoulders back and lifted her chin. “I want to stay. Let me show you how persuasive I can be.”

Basilio smiled. “A woman after my own heart.” He took her elbow. “Come on. Let me walk you back to the house.”

She turned and saw a black animal jump from one tree to another. She stepped back.

“Oh, don’t mind him,” Basilio said gently, nudging her forward. “That’s just Lethe, Lucian’s cat.”

“Wasn’t Lethe the river of forgetfulness in a myth?”

“Yes, that’s my brother’s strange sense of humor. There are many things he would like to forget.”

Nikki glanced up at the golden eyes, which seemed to be following them.

“Don’t worry. He rarely attacks.”

Rarely didn’t mean never. Nikki picked up her pace and changed the subject. “What did Callia mean when she was talking about ghosts?”

Basilio shook his head. “It’s all her imagination. Pay no attention to her. She hasn’t been the same since the fire. She sees things that aren’t there. That’s why Lucian hired Kay to stay with her.”

Nikki nodded, not knowing what else to say. If it was all just Callia’s imagination, why did Kay seem so on edge? But that wasn’t her problem. She was here to redesign the house and nothing else.

As they approached the entrance, Nikki noticed a beautiful woman spreading a tablecloth on a wrought-iron glass table on the terrace. She looked like a lovely picture, but out of place. A sullenness surrounded her. She had a wild, elemental beauty, like the gathering of storm clouds that agitate the sea and make the leaves on the trees tremble.

“Who is that?” Nikki asked, intrigued by the woman.

“Iona. One of the few servants who stayed after the fire.”

“Oh, she doesn’t look happy.”

Basilio shrugged. “It’s work. Just stay out of her way and you’ll be fine.”

Nikki definitely would. The other woman looked up with liquid brown eyes. Nikki offered a smile, but the other woman didn’t return it. It didn’t matter, anyway. She had a more pressing issue.

She had to figure out how best to handle a man who didn’t want to work with her. She had no one else to blame for the situation, since she hadn’t let her sister explain anything and had run headlong into this project without getting all the details, such as was Lucian even interested? She knew that her sister and Lucian’s brother had good intentions, but obviously there were reasons why Lucian didn’t want the house redesigned. Were there still memories? Probably. But then again, after four years it was time for him to move forward and she could do that. She would do that. This was her golden opportunity and she wouldn’t let him kick her out of paradise.

Chapter 4

“Get rid of her.”

Basilio shut the door and watched his brother take a shirt from his closet. “Lucian, she just got here.”

“Whose fault is that?”

“I was going to tell you about her.”

Lucian buttoned up his shirt. “When?”

Basilio rubbed his chin. “When the time seemed right.”

Lucian checked his reflection in the mirror. “Seems right now.”

“She’s really talented and—”

“I’m sure she’s brilliant.” He scowled at his reflection and unbuttoned his shirt. “I still don’t want her here. Get rid of her.” He tossed the shirt on the bed and grabbed another from the closet.

Basilio looked at his brother, helpless. “I can’t just tell her to go.”

“Fine. Pay her for her time.”

Basilio sighed at his brother’s tactlessness, then watched as Lucian straightened a sleeve. They had the same parents but were different in appearance due to the nearly ten-year age gap and their different skin tones from the mix of their European mother and African father. He’d gotten his mother’s hair, and Lucian her eyes. He had their father’s chin, while Lucian had his height. Basilio had only known his brother for less than a year before the fire. He’d sought him out after their mother’s death. He had just finished college and wasn’t sure what he wanted to do with his life yet, but one thing he did know was that he wanted to rebuild his relationship with his brother and start fresh.

It hadn’t been easy, but he was beginning to understand him. He had watched him endure painful treatments and relearn simple tasks. Seeing Lucian’s swift movements as he changed clothes filled him with pride and he knew each year his brother would get stronger, but something was different about him now. He wasn’t himself; he seemed agitated and unsure. That wasn’t like Lucian. He was always cool and certain.

Basilio started to smile. “She got to you.”

Lucian adjusted his collar. “What?”

“What came over you out there? I’ve never seen you act that way.”

“I don’t know. I didn’t expect…” He threw out his hand, annoyed. “Why was she dressed like an ordinary washerwoman?”

“Market woman.”

“They look alike to me.”

“She’s a foreigner. She probably thought it was pretty or something.”