“Not at all?” she repeated, coming to an abrupt stop.
“Well, no, not officially. He was unconscious when I reached him, and I didn’t manage to speak with him at the hospital either.”
“You’ve never even spoken to Gary?” Terri narrowed her expressive green eyes, and for some reason, Ethan felt like he was under a microscope.
“Well, no. As I said, he was unconscious.” He wasn’t sure where this was going and was reluctant to say too much just in case this woman was in on Knowles’s scam and was trying to lead him off the scent. “I tried of course…because my daughter was keen to see if he was okay in the end. She’s only eight, you see, and was a little shaken by it all.”
“I can imagine.” Terri smiled then, and there was definitely something behind it, Ethan was sure. He felt awkward. It certainly seemed like she was fishing for something. Was it possible she knew about the mix-up and was in on the deception?
He wanted to ask her point-blank if she knew about the ring but couldn’t realistically divulge such information, not yet and especially not to anyone other than Gary or Rachel.
“So seeing as I’m here on a spot of business this weekend, I thought I’d call on the off chance—”
“Oh, I’m so sorry. Let me get you a menu,” Terri said, interrupting him.
All of a sudden, she rushed off, and Ethan watched her go. Near the entrance to the kitchen, he saw her tap an older man who looked to be a chef on the shoulder. She whispered something in his ear, and then both of them turned back to look at him.
Immediately, he felt himself blush and turn away. He had no idea what was going on here but sorely hoped that Rachel would appear soon so he could do his business and leave.
Seconds later, Terri was back with a menu and also with the man she had been speaking to. “This is Justin, our chef. Justin, this is Ethan, the man responsible for saving Gary’s life on Christmas Eve.” This time, there was no mistaking that undercurrent to her tone and a subtext that he himself seemed to be missing.
Justin nodded and smiled. “Ah, our famous New York hero. So great to meet you.”
By now, Ethan wasn’t sure who the butt of the joke was, but he hoped it wasn’t him. He nodded briefly at the chef. “Yes, lovely to meet you too, I’m sure.”
“So Ethan was just telling me that he and his daughter took care of Gary after the accident. Wasn’t that good of him?”
“Very good of him,” Justin agreed sagely.
Ethan looked up. Something was definitely amiss here. But what to say or do? Should he admit to these strangers the real reason he was here or just wait until Rachel arrived and speak candidly to her? The problem was that Ethan had no idea which, if either, party would be on his side.
“I’m sorry, but is there any chance I could order some food?” he muttered. “I’m actually quite hungry.”
“Of course, of course,” Terri soothed. With that, the chef duly headed back toward the kitchen, and Ethan breathed a momentary sigh of relief.
“So what can I get you, Mr. Greene?” she asked, her tone now all sweetness and light. So much so that he wondered if he’d been imagining that interrogation just then.
Feeling idiotic afresh, he looked down the menu, eager to get back on an even keel.
Clearly, this entire sideshow was messing with his head and driving him crazy.
Chapter 28
Daisy was worried, although she tried to tell herself there was little reason to be. According to her best friend, Tanya, her dad had a greater chance of being stampeded by a herd of donkeys than he did of being killed in an airplane crash, but still she didn’t like the idea of him being so many miles up above the ground like that, and especially not without her.
Once her dad had left for the airport that morning, Vanessa had suggested that after returning from ballet class, they should load up on popcorn and junk food and watch movies on the couch for the rest of the evening. Daisy thought this was a great idea, as normally, she always tried her best to eat healthy food as a good example to her dad.
It would be nice to just gorge on ice cream and chips without having to worry about being a bad influence. As far as she knew, eight-year-olds didn’t have to worry about cholesterol or heart problems, not yet anyway.
About halfway through the secondPirates of the Caribbean, Vanessa put her hands in the air and yawned. “I wonder how your dad’s getting on in Dublin?” she asked casually.
Daisy shrugged and spooned out some ice cream. “Fine, as long as he gets the ring from Rachel—” Too late, she paused, immediately realizing she’d forgotten herself and spoken out of turn.
Vanessa sat up ramrod straight and turned to stare at her. “What did you say?”
Daisy reddened furiously and looked hard at the Ben & Jerry’s carton she was eating from. “I mean…as long as he gets to do hisresearchfor Rachel.”
“That’s not what you said, Daisy.” Vanessa’s voice took on an edge that she didn’t like. “What’s going on here? Rachel…the agent from New York? Why would he be seeing her in Dublin?” She paused slightly. “And what’s all this about aring?”
