“A favorite for me is the lobster salad roll with coleslaw and hand-cut fries. It goes well with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc.” Jack’s gaze moves over my face. “You look so beautiful. I can’t believe you wanted someone like me.”
I laugh. “You say the nicest things. I’ll have the lobster as well.”
“Did you enjoy the tour?” Jack orders and then swings his gaze back to me. “Did Tom answer all your questions?”
I lean back in my chair, wishing I could tell him everything I’ve discovered but I hold my tongue. “He was very informative.” It wasn’t a lie. “There’s so much about you I don’t know. You’ve all been together since college. It was inevitable that the conversation ended up with Laura’s accident.”
“Really?” Jack raises one eyebrow, breadstick in one hand. “What did he say?”
I lean forward and rest my hands on the silky clean tablecloth. “He didn’t actually say much, I asked him questions. Do you recall where he was that night?”
“The accident again?” Jack lets out a long sigh. “You need to drop this madness now, Willow. This obsessive behavior isn’t healthy.”
I cover his hand and look deep into his eyes. “I’m not Laura and I’m not crazy. Indulge me.Please, Jack. Put my mind at rest. Try and remember.”
“It’s been a long time, Willow, but when the weather changed, I went to speak to the captain; it was too noisy to use the phone. As I went into the wheelhouse, I saw Laura looking atthe stars. Ruby and Tom were on deck.” He drops the breadstick onto a side plate and narrows his gaze. “Two of the crew were preparing for rough seas when I went back inside. I told all this to the police when they questioned us. Later, Ruby and the other women went to their cabins, everyone had been drinking. The men, including Tom, sat around drinking whisky and talking about old times.” He frowns at me. “You’re not suggesting Tom had something to do with her death, are you?”
I meet his gaze. “I’m not sure. I’ve been thinking about it and he had a motive as she’d told you about his affair with Ruby.”
“If Tom had tried to toss Laura overboard, he’d have gotten hurt. She could fight like a wild cat and he didn’t have a mark on him.” He sighs. “Can we drop this and enjoy our time together?”
I squeeze his hand. “Sure, I’m sorry.”
My conversation with Ruby springs to mind. “Ruby mentioned you plan to go ahead with the renovations. Is there any point to that if we plan to move?”
“That was last Friday.” Jack frowns. “I haven’t signed anything yet. I’ll call the supervisor when I get back to the office and cancel them. It slipped my mind this morning.”
Last Friday? Didn’t Ruby tell me he’d given the go-ahead this morning or had I misheard? Perhaps I need to stop obsessing over Laura’s death and get my head on straight. I glance at my phone. As I’m suddenly becoming so forgetful, I’ll make notes on my calendar and then I’ll know for sure if I’m falling down a rabbit hole—or being pushed.
Our meal arrives and we eat slowly. I enjoy every morsel and when Jack recommends the raspberry sorbet for dessert, I accept. I look at him across the table. “Now you have me to make sure your suits are dry-cleaned and you’re dressed for every occasion, why does Ruby need to live with us? Surely as she doesn’t need to be on hand twenty-four/seven, she’d enjoy a place of her own. Maybe now she’s not working weekends,she might be able to find herself a husband. It’s like slave labor expecting her to work the hours she does. You only really need her to organize your work day and make reservations for you, don’t you?”
“You’re not jealous of her, are you? Because there’s absolutely no need for you to be jealous of Ruby. I have never had any feelings for her whatsoever. Laura always believed there was something more between us and I’m not sure if I could cope with that again.” He runs a hand down his face. “I met Ruby when we were helping in an office of a candidate during an election. You know the way most students do. She impressed me how well organized she was, so when I started working in the company, I asked her if she would be interested in becoming my personal assistant. She’s been with me ever since, and I’ve never had a problem with her.”
I laugh and squeeze his hand. “Jealous of Ruby? Heavens, no. I’m sure if there was anything between you, it would have developed by now or if you’d had a relationship, I doubt you’d still be working together. I just find her a little defensive is all. I mean, before we left for lunch, the look she gave you for not informing her you’d be out almost turned me to stone.”
“Yeah, she can be a little intense sometimes.” Jack sips his wine and sighs. “I usually just go with the flow to keep her in a good mood. You’re right, she does need a man in her life. As far as I’m aware there hasn’t been anyone since her breakup with Tom.” He stares into space and then smiles. “I have apartment buildings. I could offer her one rent free as part of her employment contract. Her contract comes up for renewal the end of this month.”
I blink. “So, her living with us is in her contract? Whose idea was that?”
“She practically writes her own contract. I approve it and then it goes to the lawyers.” Jack’s blue eyes scan my face as if trying to read my motive. “Why?”
I shrug. “We need our time together, the kids need their dad and Ruby needs a life. I figure it’s time to cut the cord, Jack.”
“What exactly do you mean?” Jack turns his glass around in his long, manicured fingers.
I smile. “Bring in an assistant PA, to ease her workload. I know Ruby is very protective of you.” I laugh to make light of the uncomfortable situation. “She wanted to send me home today and insisted I’d made a mistake about our lunch date. I’m your wife. If I decide to wait to speak to you between meetings, that’s my business not hers. Same with your secretary. She guards you like a pitbull.”
“That’s so funny.” Jack laughs so loud diners on other tables glare at him. “I guess it’s because you look so young. They can’t believe I’m married to you. I’ll have a word with them.” He shakes his head. “In corporate business, sometimes it’s good to have a couple of pitbulls guarding the CEO’s office. I often have people trying to speak to me but, you, my love, I’ll always have time for. However, please, if I’m in with a client, unless the house is on fire or the kids are in danger, wait until after the meeting.”
I grin. “I understand, but you will consider giving Ruby some slack? I figure she’s earned it after all these years.”
“I will but getting her to accept is another matter.” He chuckles. “I guess if she refuses, I can fire her? The problem with that is I might come to work the next day and find my building razed to the ground.”
I look at him as he waves for the check and I’m not sure if he’s joking.
THIRTY-NINE
I’ve often wondered why the wives of the wealthy work for charities and other useful distractions; it’s because they are bored silly. The moment I arrived home this afternoon, my options were to walk around the garden, watch TV or go and sit in my room. The children won’t be home for hours. I need something to pass the time. I’d enjoy watching Pierre prepare for the evening meal but the upstairs–downstairs mentality that I’d assumed had vanished in Victorian England is well and truly alive in Rhode Island. I’d like to spend time in the kitchen, as it’s always the hub of a house, but the moment I step one foot inside I feel like a foreigner. The longer I’m here, the worse it gets but I have heard Ruby telling the staff to remember that I’m not one of them. The thing is, when I arrive, any conversation ceases immediately and starts up again as I leave. I’ve made a habit of pausing to listen and it’s usually about me. I nod to the staff working in the kitchen, fill a mug with coffee, add the fixings and walk out the door. I pause in the hallway.
