As she looked at him, he walked to a tall pine tree and sat down on an area of softened needles.
Alix sat down beside him, but not too close. She thought he seemed awfully serious. “You wanted to talk to me about something?”
“Yes,” he said, “but first, that call I just had? It was from my assistant in New York.”
“You have to return,” she said before she thought.
“No.” He smiled at her. She’d sounded like she didn’t want him to go.
“What did she say?” Alix was a bit embarrassed at the way she’d said that.
“He. My assistant is a man named Stanley. Wears a bow tie and is a powerhouse of efficiency. I asked him to find out about your friend Izzy.”
“Did you?” she asked, surprised.
“I did, and Izzy is in the U.S. Virgin Islands.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Stanley never kids. Or makes a mistake. He called Izzy’s mother and she said that Gary’s mother—”
“Glenn’s mother.”
“Glenn’s mother is making Izzy so crazy that he took her away for a while.”
“She isn’t the only culprit. Izzy’s mother isn’t exactly easy to live with.”
“So Stanley told me. It seems that after Glenn told his parents as well as Izzy’s that they wouldn’t be invited to the wedding if they didn’t let up on Izzy, both sets of parents paid for the trip. However, Izzy’s cell phone doesn’t work on the island and a call using the hotel phone is very expensive.”
“She and Glenn aren’t rich, by any means, and Izzy wouldn’t want to run up a bill that their parents had to pay.”
“I guessed that, so Stanley is having a prepaid international phone delivered to your friend’s hotel from a nearby shop. She should be getting in touch with you soon.”
Alix sat there looking at him. He had his head turned so she saw his profile. “Yet another kindness from you,” she said softly. “And I’ll pay you back for the phone.”
“It’ll be a wedding gift and besides, it gave Stanley something to do.”
“Thank you,” she said. “Thank you very, very much.” She bent forward as though to kiss his cheek, but he turned his head away and she sat back down. Okay, she thought. Friendship. She needed to try to remember that that’s what he wanted.
“You keep doing nice things for me,” she said. “Flowers and now a telephone. I don’t know how I can repay you.”
For a moment he didn’t speak. “Did you read my aunt’s will?”
“No. My mother called and gave me the number of a lawyer. She said he had some spectacularly fabulous news for me and it was going to make me wildly happy.”
Smiling, Jared looked back at her. “That sounds just like Victoria.”
There was so much affection in his voice that a wave of what felt very much like jealousy went through Alix. She tried to repress it, but it flashed through her mind that her mother might be the reason Jared Kingsley turned away from her. It’s what Izzy had said when she’d first seen Victoria’s room. But Alix pushed the thought out of her mind.
“I take it the lawyer didn’t tell you about Valentina,” he said.
“You mentioned her name before, but I know nothing about her.”
“My grandfather—” Jared caught himself. “You know the portrait in Aunt Addy’s bedroom? I mean, your bedroom?”
“Of Captain Caleb? I guess he would be your grandfather, but a little far back.”
“He’s five greats,” Jared said. “Would you like to hear his story?”