Honey ducked her head, and I saw her jaw clench.

  “If I can give you any tips on the work I do, you’d be welcome to them,” I said. “When I was first starting out, I didn’t have a clue what I was doing.”

  “That’s nice of you,” said Honey.

  “Honey is not cut out for your kind of work,” said Julianne. “She’ll be moving on soon.”

  Honey’s hands clenched into fists, but she didn’t respond.

  Marcus cleared his throat. “I was going to show the ladies around the marina and take them for dinner in the yacht club.”

  “Another time,” said Julianne. “We will have dinner at the house. It’s all arranged, unless you have also changed those plans without informing me.”

  Marcus gave a stiff bow. “As you wish.”

  “Yes, I do wish.” Julianne turned to step off the yacht and froze. “What’s he doing here?”

  I looked over to see a man heading unsteadily toward the yacht. He wore an open-necked white shirt and dark jeans. In one hand was a bottle of beer.

  “I meant to let you know Mr. Carlisle is arriving today,” said Marcus. “He’ll be staying the week.”

  “Yes, you should have let me know,” said Julianne irritably. “And he looks drunk, as usual.”

  “Is that your husband?” I asked.

  “No, he most certainly isn’t,” said Julianne. “That’s Channing, Blake’s younger brother.”

  As Channing neared, I spotted several days’ worth of stubble on his chin as he pushed his dark hair off his face. He flashed Julianne a smile and his blue eyes gleamed. “Thought I’d come and meet the new girls.” He grinned at Helen and me.

  “Get yourself sober before you bother them,” said Julianne. “When you’re in a fit enough state, you may join us for dinner.”

  “My state is just perfect.” He leapt onto the yacht, stumbling forward and straight into Helen.

  She gave a squeak of alarm as the sway of The Orwell made her off-balance and she pitched over. Channing landed on top of her with a surprised grunt.

  “Leave Helen alone.” Julianne grabbed Channing’s arm and tried to pull him away. “I must apologize for my brother-in-law.”

  “I’m terribly sorry.” Channing smiled down at Helen, ignoring all attempts Julianne made at getting him to stand.

  “No harm done.” Helen shot me a pleading look. “But if there’s any chance I can get up, I’d appreciate it.”

  Channing laughed before hauling himself onto his knees, beer bottle still in one hand. “I have literally fallen for you. Well, fallen on top of you. It was rather fun.”

  Helen gave an embarrassed laugh as she stood and smoothed her dress down.

  Julianne tutted and shook her head. “Why don’t you pester Honey, instead?”

  Channing’s eyebrows rose. “Isn’t she working?”

  “She’s not doing anything important,” said Julianne.

  “Only because you won’t let me,” muttered Honey under her breath.

  Julianne turned slowly on her heel. “What was that?”

  “Nothing,” said Honey swiftly. “Channing, why don’t I take you for a coffee?”

  “You are a dear girl,” said Channing. “I always knew Blake did the right thing in hiring you.”

  “You know nothing about it,” said Julianne. “The two of you get off this yacht.”

  “I did nothing wrong,” said Honey.

  “You still being here is wrong.”

  Honey’s mouth opened, but then she clamped it shut, her lips pressed together and her head bowed. She turned and climbed off the yacht without another word, Channing ambling along behind her.

  “If it weren’t for that ridiculous employment contract my husband had drawn up, that girl would already be gone,” said Julianne. “I only keep her on so she can’t sue me for breach of contract.”

  I watched Honey go with interest. Julianne had made it clear she hated her, but I couldn’t figure out why, unless her relationship with Blake was more than a professional one. When I got a moment alone with Honey, I’d see if she could clear things up.

  Marcus cleared his throat again and shot a knowing look at Helen and me.

  “You must excuse me,” said Julianne, as she turned toward us. “My husband’s brother can be somewhat challenging. He’s too fond of living the high life without having the money to afford it and thinks he can dip into what isn’t his. And as for Honey...” Her words trailed off as she watched Honey and Channing walk away.

  “Families can be tricky,” I said.

  “That they can.” Julianne placed her hands on the rail. “Let’s go to the house. I’m sure you’d both like to freshen up and explore your new home.”

  “Sounds great,” I said.

  Flipper ran toward me, sat at my feet, and threw up.

  Chapter 4

  Mortification shot through me as I looked at the mess Flipper had vomited across the deck of The Orwell. “I am so sorry.” I looked around for something to clear the mess up with. “He’s never normally ill.”

  Julianne raised her eyebrows. “Not a problem. Marcus, you deal with that. I’ll accompany the girls back to the house.”

  Marcus looked horrified as he stared at the dog vomit marring the teak decking.

  I muttered an apology as we hurried away. I kept my fingers wrapped around Flipper’s collar and a close watch on him, just in case he decided to try for a repeat performance.

  “Must be the motion of the yacht,” said Julianne, as she led us along the jetty back to the marina car park. “Gets to us all, sometimes. Took me months to get comfortable on the yacht, so you have nothing to apologize for. Your dog must be feeling most unwell.” She gave Flipper’s head a quick pat.

  I looked back to see Marcus holding a broom and furiously sweeping the deck. Julianne had seemed delighted at giving him the task of vomit cleaner. She must think he’s getting too big for his deck shoes.

  “I came by taxi,” said Julianne as we reached Helen’s car. “We’ll take your car to the house.”

  “I’ll sit in the back with Flipper and make sure he’s okay. You take the front seat,” I said to Julianne.

  We all hopped in. I wrapped an arm around Flipper, giving him a quick check over to make sure everything seemed okay. Now he was off the yacht, he was back to his normal self, peering out the window as we shot along the narrow lanes toward the house.

  “I won’t be around much over the next couple of weeks,” said Julianne. “I’m needed in London to take care of business. But I’ll leave you plenty of work and we can keep in touch via the telephone. And you always have Marcus to help out if you have questions. He has an answer for everything.”

  “Looks like he has a good handle on things here,” I said.

  “Young Marcus has aspirations above his station, but I admire his ambition.” Julianne had a thin smile on her lips.

  “And Honey can always help me out.”

  Julianne scowled out the window. “That young woman will be gone soon.”

  “She’s not working out?” asked Helen, shooting me a look in the rearview mirror.

  “That’s correct.”

  An uncomfortable silence slid around us. Clearly, there was a problem between Honey and Julianne.

  “Will your husband be around?” I asked.

  “I can guarantee he won’t,” said Julianne. “Turn right up here and go through the back streets. That way, you’ll avoid the tourists. They clog the narrow streets this time of year and can make it hellish to drive through.”

  Helen did as instructed, weaving her car around some extraordinarily tight bends. I kept my eyes closed as we shot along a cliff top road, praying Helen didn’t get distracted and go all Thelma and Louise and shoot us over the edge.

  “Next left is the house driveway,” said Julianne, seeming unfazed by Helen’s speedway style driving.

  I let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding and relaxed my grip on the door handle as Helen drove through an open wooden gateway.

  The house in front of me sat on a small rise, detached from any other properties. It had two stories and a gray slate roof. Neat rows of flowers sat under the ground floor windows and a gravel driveway led to the red front door.

  There was a white van parked by the entrance, with a large silhouette of a dog on the side.

  “It might not be much from the outside,” said Julianne, as she climbed out of the car, “but it’s beautiful inside. And from the back of the house you have unspoiled views across the ocean. I can sit in a chair and stare at that view all day.”

  “It looks lovely.” I got out with Flipper and walked around to take our cases out of the trunk.

  “I like it,” said Julianne. “And my office overlooks the sea, so make sure you don’t get too distracted by the views.” She gave me a warm smile.

  “I’m always a sucker for a good ocean view.”

  Her smile remained. She seemed relaxed now she was home. “This way. I’ll show you to your rooms and let you settle in. Don’t expect either of you to start work until tomorrow afternoon. I’ll be up and out first thing, so take your time getting used to the house and figuring out where everything is.”

  This job was sounding better by the second. We followed Julianne through the front door and into a white painted open hallway. There was a set of stairs to the right-hand side and a long airy corridor leading to the rest of the house.

  Julianne led us up the stairs and along a corridor, stopping by a door. She pushed it open to reveal a pale blue room, with one wall papered in colorful birds. There was a large double bed, a vanity unit, and closet.

  “Hope this is suitable,” said Julianne, looking at me.

  “Looks perfect.”

  “Helen, you’re next door. And you have a shared bathroom between the two of you.”

  I suppressed a frown. Helen took ages in the bathroom. I’d be the one rushing in after her, having to endure a cold shower and no chance to do my hair.

  “You can use the kitchen whenever you like,” said Julianne. “We’re pretty relaxed about meals. Sometimes I dine alone; other times I have company. We cook for ourselves, but I have food delivered, so help yourselves to whatever you like. I’ve ordered in something special for us all tonight.”

  “We’ll look forward to that,” I said.

  “I’ll leave you both to settle in,” said Julianne. “You must excuse me. I’ve got Taylor downstairs. I’m hoping she can find me a new dog. She did wonders with our old one. I miss not having a dog in the house. But join me later. We’ll eat in an hour, and everyone will be there. You can get to know us all, give you a chance to decide if we’re too awful to work for.”

  I gave her my warmest smile, sensing a sadness about Julianne. There was something going on behind her smile that I couldn’t figure out. “I’m sure we’ll both enjoy our time here.”

  “I hope you do.” She gave us a nod goodbye before leaving.

  As I walked into the room, I saw Flipper had settled himself on the foot of my bed and closed his eyes. That dog could sleep anywhere.

  “Do you think Flipper’s okay?” I stroked his head. I hated when he was unwell.

  “He was just seasick, like me,” said Helen. She did a quick circuit around the room before checking out her bedroom, coming back a moment later. “At least I kept my lunch down.”

  “He seemed anxious when we were on the yacht,” I said.

  “As in ghost seeing anxious?”

  “I thought so, but I had a good nose around when we were below deck and couldn’t sense anything strange. Maybe he just doesn’t like being on the water.”

  “You’ll have to leave him behind with me if you go work on there with Julianne.”

  “He won’t mind that, so long as he has a comfortable place to sleep. And I know you sneak him treats when I’m not looking.” I petted his head and then unzipped my suitcase.

  “Of course I do. He’s my favorite dog.” Helen sank onto my bed. “I can’t say I’m unhappy about there being no ghosts on The Orwell. A nice normal job, with just your usual family dramas, wouldn’t that be nice?”

  I looked at Flipper again, and although his eyes were closed, his ears were alert, swiveling backwards and forwards as if trying to detect something. “Let’s hope so. I’m sure everything will be fine, once he’s settled in here.”

  “Maybe the sea air has tired him out.”

  I nodded as I continued to unpack. “Wonder if Mr. Carlisle will be at dinner? Not heard much about him.”

  “And his brother, Channing,” said Helen. “I’m sure I’ll get a bruise on my backside from where he landed on top of me.”

  “It wasn’t the most graceful of introductions. And do you think Julianne will allow Honey at the table? She clearly doesn’t like her.”

  “What’s up with that?” asked Helen, as she dangled her feet over the edge of my bed. “Honey seemed nice enough. But every time she opened her mouth, Julianne bit her head off.”

  “Perhaps she thinks her husband is up to no good with Honey.”

  “Not another cheater,” said Helen, with a groan. “We’ve had enough of those. Why can’t we find a nice, happily married couple, who never argues or cheats on each other?”

  “Because we live in the real world.” I held up my only pair of knickers; I’d gone with the leopard print thong when getting dressed this morning and was regretting my choice. I’d forgotten how much thongs chaffed. “And tomorrow, we need to go underwear shopping.”

  “Why don’t you send Marcus out to get you some?” Helen grinned at me. “Bet he can turn his hand to anything, running the family business, cleaning up dog puke. Sure knicker shopping isn’t beneath him.”

  “I feel sorry for Marcus. There’s no harm in being ambitious. Julianne was mean for making him clear up.”

  “He came across as too keen,” said Helen. “Julianne is showing him who’s the boss.”

  “He was quick enough to check out if we were single.”

  Helen sat up. “What did you tell him about me?”

  “That you’re complicated.”

  “I’m not complicated,” said Helen. “But my situation is a bit... tricky.”

  “I’ll let Gunner know you think he’s tricky.”

  “Not him.” Helen scowled at me. “Our whole situation. Us all living together, him being such a big head, me not knowing if life as a policeman’s wife is for me.”

  “You’ve discussed marriage?”

  “Not for a second.” She flung a pillow at me. “But I like to plan things. It’s always good to have a plan.”

  “Does Gunner realize he’s included in this plan?”

  “What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him,” said Helen. “Besides, I’ve yet to make my mind up about him.”

  “Don’t take too long,” I said, “or Matilda might step into the slot with her sweet smiles and her brownies, and you’ll lose your chance.”

  “I’d like to see her try,” grumbled Helen. “I’m going to unpack.” She grabbed her case and flounced out of the room.

  I grinned as she slammed the door. As I continued unpacking, I heard voices through the open window and walked over to see Julianne talking to a woman with a mass of dark curls. That must be Taylor. She had a large gray husky by her side, who hopped in the back of the van before Taylor waved and drove off.

  I hung my clothes and sorted through my cosmetics and toiletries before selecting a smart black dress for dinner. But the long drive and the sea air had me yawning. I curled up next to Flipper on the bed. “How you doing, boy?”

  He opened one eye, gave my nose a sniff, and then closed his eye.

  “At least you’ve got no ghosts to worry about here. Everything seems nice and normal.”

  Flipper grumbled and covered his nose with a paw.

  “I feel the same.” I closed my eyes and snuggled against him. A five minute nap was just what I needed.

  Clutching the side of the yacht, my stomach flipped over as freezing icy water stung my eyes. The yacht bucked under my feet and a wave crashed over me, threatening to send me overboard.

  Terror flooded my veins as the yacht rocked and more water poured across the deck. All around me was the sound of angry, hissing waves. And as my terrified gaze shot around, all I could see was blackness. There was no light. I was alone on a ship about to capsize.

  I took a deep breath and was about to scream for help, when another wave slammed into me and my mouth filled with salty, cold water. I coughed, spitting most of it out and hooked my elbow around the rail, determined not to go into the waves. Once I hit the water, that would be it. I’d be dead in seconds.

  My nose itched, but I had to resist the urge to rub it, in case I lost my grip and tipped overboard. The itching intensified. My eyes shot open to discover Flipper licking the end of my nose, concern in his eyes.

  Letting out a relieved sigh, I gently pushed him away. It was just a dream. “Thanks for waking me up. I was about to go for a swim.”

  I stood, washed the dog lick off my nose, changed into my evening dress, and we went to find Helen.

  I rapped on her bedroom door, and she opened it. She wore a stunning cherry red dress and matching lipstick.

  “You looking to impress someone tonight?”

  “Wanted to make an effort.” She looked at my hair and shook her head. “Have you been asleep?”

  “For a few minutes. And I wish I hadn’t bothered. I had a horrible nightmare about being on board a yacht in a storm.”

  “Looks like you’ve been in an actual storm,” said Helen, as she shut her bedroom door. “One side of your hair is flat and the other looks like you’ve been electrocuted.”

  I attempted to neaten my hair with my hands. “Come on, there’s no time to worry about my hair. Let’s see what this family is really like.”

  Chapter 5

  We headed down the carpeted staircase, the walls covered in dramatic landscape oil paintings, and stopped outside the dining room door.

  Helen fussed with my hair before shaking her head. “You’ll have to do.”

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17