His perfection was rotten inside.
ChapterNineteen
The next afternoon, Gemma piloted her Vespa along a ribbon of road on the outskirts of Bangor. Tufts of white starflowers marked wooded land that rose and fell. A few cabins watched her pass as she eyed the numbers on the roadside mailboxes. The numbers climbed and climbed until she finally spotted the box for number 221. Jude's mailbox.
She turned. No gate blocked her progress along the gravel drive.How welcoming of you, Jude.
She drove through the forest for five minutes before glimpsing a modern black cabin through the foliage. Nearing it, she saw that two cars were parked outside. A Bronco—which must be Jude's car because this was the same one she'd seen at their meeting with his bosses in the meadow. Also a metallic-gray Porsche 911 that looked as if it had just driven off a showroom floor.
She eased to a stop.
She'd known her best shot at catching Jude at home would be on a weekend. But until now, she hadn't known if she'd get lucky on this particular day or if she'd have to sit on his doorstep and wait for him to show. It appeared that he was home. But the Porsche signaled he might have company.
What if this Porsche belonged to a woman? And Gemma was showing up unexpectedly while Jude was in the middle of a date?
Goodness gracious, she thought, her heart twisting.Let that not be the case.
Hopefully, the Porsche was either Jude's second car or belonged to a male friend or one of his relatives.
She stood, set aside her helmet, and shook out her hair.
The new and angular lines of Jude's cabin were inset with large panes of glass. Trees surrounded the structure on every side except the side facing the picturesque Penobscot River, which swept past in an indentation of land.
Given all his Camden wealth, she'd expected Jude to live somewhere enormous. This place was impressive, but not enormous. It seemed he'd opted for expansive view over expansive house.
“Gemma?”
She swung toward his voice.
Framed by his open front door, Jude held his lean body motionless. His clothes were more casual than any she'd seen him wear. A gray crewneck shirt and worn-in jeans. His feet were bare. Though he kept his expression guarded, his eyes glowed with alert intensity.
PleasureinundatedGemma. Seeing him here was more thrilling than seeing a movie star at rest in their dressing room. She made her way forward, coming to a halt a few feet in front of him. “I wouldn't have believed it if I wasn't seeing it for myself.”
“Wouldn't have believed what?”
“You in relaxed clothing. I'm shocked. I thought that combination was like vampires and daylight.” She grinned.
His lips hitched higher on one side.
A yellow Lab came up beside him, wagging its tail.
“Relaxed clothing and a dog!” The animal approached her, and she bent to give it a rub. “Your dog?”
“My dog.”
“Name?”
“Jude Camden.” Dimples grooved his cheeks.
“Name of your dog?”
“Mabel.”
She straightened. “May I come in, relaxed-clothes-wearing, dog-owning Jude?”
He slanted his body to the side for her to pass. “How did you find out where I live?”
“I did some FBI-style investigating.”
