Burn (Page 28)

Cael studied the faces he’d pulled up on the computer screen. Tiffany would do deep discovery on the two women, but he could get a feel for what kind of people they were. Hazlett was the prettier of the two, with dark blond hair and classically even features, but there was something soft in her expression. Redwine, on the other hand, was more cute than pretty, and the candid photos of her showed some attitude. The pictures he pulled up also showed that she changed her hair color about as often as she did her shoes. That could mean she had a streak of adventure in her, which meant she could be a liability. On the other hand, did Hazlett have the backbone to do what would have to be done?

It was a judgment call. Hazlett would be more pliable, more easily influenced, but her nerves might not stand up to the job. Red-wine’s nerves would stand up fine, but she’d dig in her heels and cause problems the whole time.

He stared longer at Redwine’s photo. Tiffany might dig up something that changed his mind, but he didn’t think so. The job was what was important, and carrying off the ruse would take guts, which he didn’t think Hazlett possessed. So … Jenner Redwine it was. If she gave him any trouble, well, he’d just have to handle it – and her.

"Hello, sweetheart," he said softly. "We’re about to become lovers."

Chapter Eight

THE MORNING THE SHIP WAS SUPPOSED TO DEPART ON the two-week cruise, Sydney got up very early – she hated rushing around. She invariably did something stupid when she was rushed, like the time she’d put on one each of two different pairs of shoes, or when she’d once forgotten to put on any jewelry at all for a formal dinner. She tried to be composed and together, but it rarely worked. This time, she didn’t want to be in such a rush that she forgot to bring all her luggage, or left her passport behind. On that thought, she double-checked to make sure it was in her bag.

This past week had been fun, drowsing by the pool, shopping, talking into the wee hours. Sydney had really enjoyed spending time with Caro. There were very few people with whom she could truly relax, and Caro was one of them. Her personality was laid-back, nonjudgmental, and she saw everything through a filter of good humor. It didn’t escape Sydney how completely different her two best friends were, though she loved both of them.

Well, not completely different. Jenner did have a sense of humor, though it tended toward the wickedly ironic. On the other hand, there was nothing about Jenner that was laid-back; even when she was relaxing, she seemed to hum with energy. She was more wary than outgoing, somewhat prickly, and as fierce in her likes as she was her dislikes.

Maybe it was Syd’s own unrelenting sense of inadequacy that had made her notice Jenner when they’d been seated at the same table at a charity dinner. To the casual observer, Jenner would have looked composed, contained, everything about her discreet and understated, from her gown to her makeup to her jewelry. Syd, on the other hand, was so hypersensitive to others’ expressions, looking for any hint of derision or disapproval, that she saw the tiny flare of uncertainty in Jenner’s eyes as she gave the silverware a brief, panicked glance. Immediately Syd knew that Jenner was out of her depth, that this was the first formal dinner she’d ever attended, and that she had no idea how to handle the admittedly excessive array of forks and spoons.

Normally, making the first move, whether it was initiating conversation or anything else, was agonizing for Syd and she had to psych herself up beforehand; that night, however, what she’d done had been so simple, and as easy as breathing, that she hadn’t had to think about it at all. She’d caught Jenner’s eye, subtly lifted the correct fork, and made a lifetime friend.

She’d been so afraid at first that her father wouldn’t like Jenner. He was no one’s fool, and after her disastrous engagement had ended he’d become ferocious in making sure no one else took advantage of her. Jenner’s background wasn’t exactly shining; winning the lottery wasn’t regarded with the same amount of respect as was working twenty hours a day and making astute decisions that affected thousands of people, hopefully for the best. There was no skill or talent involved in winning the lottery; it was just a matter of luck. And she was newly arrived in south Florida, so no one knew anything about her other than the most superficial information; what concerned Syd’s father most was whether or not Jenner would be a loyal friend, or if she was merely using Syd as a means of working her way into society.

To her surprise, the two of them had hit it off. Jenner didn’t give a flip about society, she was who she was, and that included being Syd’s friend – period. There was no rhyme or reason when it came to hitting it off with a person, she supposed. It just happened, sometimes, and she was so glad one of those times had been with Jenner.

Normally, the thought of two solid weeks filled with one formal event after the other would have almost paralyzed Syd with dread, but somehow being on a ship made things different. The whole atmosphere was just easier. Being on a ship meant being in a completely different world, where the outside couldn’t intrude. There weren’t any phone calls to field, and people were more preoccupied with relaxing and having fun than they were with how they or anyone else looked. She enjoyed cruises in general, and this one not only promised to be fun, but it would raise money for several very good causes. She only hoped Jenner had fun, too; Jenn was such a control freak – at least when it came to staying on top of business, because she wasn’t that way with anything else – that getting away from it all would either be a great relief, or frustrating for her, and Syd had no way of knowing which way she would fall until they were actually at sea.

But even if Jenn did freak out at first, maybe then she’d relax and they could have fun. The world would be fine without her for fourteen days. There was no one else in the world Syd enjoyed spending so much time with; Jenner’s take on the world was so pithy that it was hilarious. Then, too, Jenner had some of the qualities Syd admired but didn’t possess: strength, self-confidence, the balls to look life in the eye and dare it to blink first.