River Road(30)
Author: Jayne Ann Krentz

He had not changed much in the past thirteen years, she thought. Everyone said he took after his mother, not his father. The first Mrs. Colfax had bequeathed him dark brown hair, brown eyes, and a narrow, fine-boned face that made Lucy think of an early-nineteenth-century portrait of an artist. She remembered something else that people had said about Quinn Colfax—he wasn’t made for the cut-and-thrust of the business world.

Mason glanced at the half-empty glass in Quinn’s hand. “How long have you been eavesdropping?”

Quinn shrugged. “Long enough to hear Cecil and the bitch make their pitch.” He grinned. “Hey, that rhymes, doesn’t it?” He looked at Lucy. “Dillon will try to close the deal with you as soon as possible, you know.”

“Do you have a problem with that?” Lucy asked. “I got the impression from Jillian that you and she were both in favor of taking the offer.”

“Just to clarify—when Jillian speaks, she speaks for herself, not me. Same with Cecil and the bitch. We’ve all got our own agendas.”

“What’s your agenda look like?” Mason asked.

Quinn smirked. “Do you really think I’m going to tell you, Fletcher?” He turned and started to walk away, but he paused and looked back over his shoulder. “Tell you what. For old times’ sake and because you seem to be concerned with Lucy’s well-being, I’ll give her a little free advice.”

“What’s the advice?” Lucy asked.

“Sell those Colfax shares back to the family as fast as you can and put Summer River in your rearview mirror. You do not want to get involved in what is going down inside Colfax Inc.”

“Is that a threat?” Mason asked.

“No, it’s not a threat,” Quinn said. He sounded unutterably weary. “Just some free advice. Take it or leave it.”

“Thanks,” Lucy said.

Quinn looked at Mason. “You know, I always figured that you were the one who got rid of Brinker. Always wanted to thank you. And now it turns out that I should have thanked Sara Sheridan instead. I’m sorry I didn’t do that while she was still alive.”

Quinn walked off again. This time, he did not look back.

There was a short silence. Lucy set her barely touched wine down with great care on a nearby table. For some reason, her fingers were trembling ever so slightly.

“You know,” she said, “I think I’ve had about all the fun I can stand at this party tonight. I’m ready to leave now.”

“So am I.”

15

Lucy was still shivering a little when she slipped into the car and fastened the seat belt. Adrenaline, she thought, and nerves. She clasped her hands together very tightly in her lap and waited until Mason got behind the wheel and drove out of the winery parking lot.

“Quinn was scared of Brinker, too,” she said.

Mason turned onto River Road. “I’m starting to wonder who wasn’t scared of him.”

Her phone chirped. Absently, she took it out of her purse, deleted the message about the latest match and returned the phone to the little evening bag. She snapped the bag shut.

There was a long silence from the other side of the front seat.

“Think you’ll ever give marriage a try?” Mason asked after a while.

There was something odd about his tone of voice, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.

“I don’t know,” she said. “The older I get, the less I’m willing to compromise. I’ve been told I’m becoming way too picky.”

“Who told you that?”

“The last guy I dated,” Lucy said. “And Dr. Preston, my therapist.”

“The last woman I dated said I was too dictatorial and that I didn’t share my emotions very well.”

That surprised a small, tight laugh out of her. “We sound like a couple of real losers, don’t we?”

The corner of his mouth edged upward. “Gives us something in common.”

“You may be right.”

“Moving right along: what’s your take on the situation back at the Colfax den?”

She considered that briefly. “Quinn may have a drinking problem.”

“I’d say that’s a good bet.”

“I’m sure he expected to take his father’s place at the head of the company, but that never happened. Instead, Warner Colfax hired an outside CEO who may or may not be sleeping with the second Mrs. Warner Colfax.”

“Ah, you got that impression, too?” Mason asked.

“Something in the atmosphere between Dillon and Ashley.”

“Not a lot to go on,” Mason said.

“No.”

“But I’m inclined to agree with you.” Mason changed gears, slowing the car. “Anything else?”

“There appears to be a certain amount of desperation among those in favor of the merger. But as I told you, that’s not uncommon in these situations. The older generation builds the empire and rakes in millions. The younger generation wants to take the money and run.” She broke off in surprise when she realized that Mason was turning onto a side road. “Where are we going?”

“Someplace we can talk.”

He eased the sleek car along the narrow gravel road. They drove through the trees until they reached a small clearing. The car’s headlights revealed the dark river. Mason killed the lights. The almost full moon took over.

“I spent a lot of time in Summer River when I was young,” Lucy said. “But I don’t remember this spot.”

“Deke found it years ago. He brought Aaron and me here to teach us how to fish.”

She was not sure what to say next, so she let the silence lengthen. With each passing beat of her heart, the aura of intimacy in the darkened front seat grew stronger. She wondered if she was the only one who felt it.

She was trying to think of a way to break the tension when Mason opened the door.

“Let’s get out,” he said. “It’s not cold.”

She opened her own door, unfastened her seat belt and slid out of the front seat. Mason was right, the night air was not cold, but there was a chill. She pulled the wrap around her shoulders and went to join Mason at the front of the car. Together they made their way to the bank of the river.

“What did you want to talk about?” she asked.

“Damned if I know,” he said. “I’m not a good communicator, remember?”

“Oh, right, I keep forgetting. Well, I’ll give you a hint. You probably brought me here because you want to give me my marching orders.”