Authors: Victoria Howard
Grace
let the curtain fall
and
walked
i
nto the bedroom.
The digital clock on the nightstand showed three-thirty.
She picked up the telephone and dialled Olivia’s number.
While she waited for her to answer, s
he tried to work out
the time difference
, but her
weary, jet-
lagged
mind re
fused to make the calculation.
‘
Olivia?
It’s Grace
.
’
‘
Hello, my dear.
’
‘
I’m calling from Miami, so I
won
’t stay on the line for long.
’
‘
Miami?
Good gracious!
What on earth are you doing there?
’
‘
It’s a long story, but it
seems
that Daniel owned property here.
I’ll know more once
I’ve spoken to his attorney.
’
‘
Well, I always said he was secretive.
But Miami?
Why couldn’t
he
have
purchased
a house in France like everyone else?
’
‘
I’ve no idea.
Hopefully, I’ll find out why tomorrow
.
’
‘
All right, but be careful.
I’ve heard Miami can be a dangerous place.
’
‘
Don’t worry, Olivia
.
I have a friend
helping me
.
I just wanted to let you know where I was.
I’ll be in touch again in a couple of days.
Give my love to Tom.
’
Grace replaced the receiver.
The king
-
size bed looked soft and
inviti
ng, but
even if she had time to undress
and slid
e between the cool cotton sheets, she knew she wouldn’t sleep
.
Instead, she opened her suitcase
,
took out her bag of toiletries
along with
some fresh underwear
, and
walked into
the bathroom
.
A quick look in the mirror told her she looked worse than she
imagined
.
Her clothes were so crushed and travel-weary they looked as though they’d never seen an iron since the
day she ha
d purchased them.
Fatigue settled in
dark pockets under her eyes.
Her hair was a mess; tiny curling tendrils escaped her once-neat braid
and now framed
her
pale, pinched
face.
She pressed her hands over her eyes
and tried to wipe away the sadness.
She felt
empty and drained
,
and
so tired that her nerves throbbed.
You’ve come this far.
You can’t fall apart now.
A few more days, and
then
you’ll know the truth.
She undressed like an automaton
.
Sh
ook her hair free from its braid,
and then
stepped into
the
fancy marble and chrome
shower
cubicle
.
Turning
the faucet full on
, she
let the
hot
water stream over her
body and face
, but it
did
nothing to relieve the tension
in her neck and shoulders
.
Seeing Jack again
had
re-kindled old emotions
.
Six months ago she’d been
within minutes of
falling into bed with him.
Only her strong sense of righteousness had stopped her
—
t
hat
,
and the
platinum
band on the third finger of her left hand
.
Tall, dark, lean,
self-
assured
,
he was
everything she remembered, everything
she wanted but couldn’t have.
Desire
washed over her, followed by a wave of shame.
Other memories
filled
her mind; his ready smile, the way his eyes crinkled at the corners when he laughed
. B
ut most of all she remembered his gentle
,
sensual
touch
.
Grace
knew she ought to walk away, find someone else to
help
her
uncover the truth.
Yet she knew
he
was the only man
she could trust
.
The
only man who could protect her.
She’d told herself she could handle
being close to him again
.
But she wasn’t fooling anyone, especially herself.
She
lathered herself with the
complimentary
orange and ginger
scented
shower gel, and then slathered shampoo and conditioner through her knotted hai
r
.
After rinsing off, she turned the faucet to cold and stood under the fine spray until her skin puck
ered and
she
began to
shiver
.
Most of
the
clothes
she’d packed
were more suited to a harsh British winter rather than the
milder
sub-tropical
climate
of Miami
.
But a
fter much rummaging, she f
inally she
settled
for
a
pair of
smoke-
colo
u
r
ed
linen trousers and an apricot
silk
shirt.
She towelled her hair dry, shook
her
head
, and finger-combed it into soft waves.
The woman in the mirror looked more together than the one who’d
stepped
off the plane a couple of hours ago, but
her face
remained
chalk-white
.
A few stroke
s
of blusher and a little mascara was all she could manage
by
the way of make-up
.
The next time she looked
,
her cheeks at least
had some
colo
u
r
.
Conscious that Jack was probably
pacing up and down
s
he grabbed her purse and
made her way to the lobby
.
She
found
him
seated in a quiet corner
reading a newspaper
.
He stood as she approached.
‘
Feeling better?
’
he asked.
Grace offered him a
small, shy smile.
‘
More awake, certainly.
’
‘
In that case, let’s grab a bite to eat and some
thing to drink
.
’
He
took her arm and steered her towards the exit.
Grace fell into step beside him.
Once outside, t
he heat and humidity took her
by surprise
.
She fanned her face with her hand.
‘
Is it always this hot in winter?
’
Jack grinned.
‘
This isn’t hot.
You should be here in summer.
Give it a day or two and you’ll
acclimatize
.
’
Collins Avenue
, flanked
by Art Deco buildings with a mixture of up-market hotels and trendy shops,
was
bustling with tourists
.
Grace struggled to keep up with Jack’s long strides as he wove his way in an out of the crowds.
Without any preamble of any kind, he said,
‘
You’ve let your hair grow.
’