CHAPTER 14

CHAPTER 14

CAT

The days passed, and my unease with Neena Ryder grew. Wednesday, I stood on our upper balcony and watched my husband and Neena sit by her pool, their chairs turned toward each other. I glanced at my watch, irritated. They both should be at the office, yet they were there as if settled in to stay.

To add to my unease, William never sat with employees. He paced. Threatened. Hovered over their workstations. Stood if in meetings. Years ago, his brother had pointed out that William only relaxed and let down his guard with me. He’d called me the William Whisperer, then asked if we could lend him some money.

“Mrs. Winthorpe?” I turned to see the newest maid standing in the doorway, the phone in her hand. “There is a call for you. Your sister.”

“I’ll have to call her back. Tell her I’m in a meeting.”

The woman nodded, and I rested against the railing and watched as William leaned forward, his elbows settling on his knees. His back was to me, and I made a mental note to invest in a pair of binoculars.

Neena was beginning to creep into our lives in a way that made me uncomfortable. We’d had an agonizingly long brunch where she’d made doe eyes at me the entire time. She was dead set on being my friend and had no issues with popping by unannounced or proposing events in front of Matt and William, where I had no opportunity to make an excuse or decline. And as our husbands grew closer, she kept swarming tighter, like a fly you constantly heard but couldn’t quite manage to smack.

I turned away from the view and forced myself to enter the house.

I moved down the stairs.

Sat down in my favorite chair in the reading room.

Picked up a magazine and flipped through the pages, struggling not to look back down at my watch.

Seriously, what were they talking about? I tossed the magazine onto the ottoman and stood. Pacing before the floor-to-ceiling windows, I cursed the wall of thick hedges between our lots. The privacy, while nice, was screwing with my sanity.

I eyed my purse, then dragged the side zipper open and withdrew the small white card Kelly had given me. I moved to the desk and picked up the phone from its base, punching in the number printed in gold on the front of the card.

Kelly was right. Neena was getting too close—both personally and professionally. It was only smart to know more about the woman who seemed to be systematically moving into our lives.

“Mr. Beck?” I paused. “This is Catherine Winthorpe. I have someone I would like you to investigate.”

“What was that all about?” I met William at the side door, a cup of coffee in hand, prepared just the way he liked it.

His eyebrows raised in surprise as he took the cup. “You’re done with yoga early.”

“I didn’t go.” I followed him into the kitchen, waiting for an explanation. Stopping at the counter, he pulled the paper toward him and flipped to the financial section.

“Well?” I pressed.

“Well, what?” He glanced up at me.

“What was that all about? Why were you over there?”

“Oh, I was going over some issues with team members. Neena didn’t want to do it in the office. Too public.”

“Uh-huh.” I studied him. “So why didn’t you meet here?”

The corner of his mouth twitched in a grin. “Are you jealous?”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m annoyed. Since when do you scamper over to employees’ homes? It’s weird and rude.”

“I was over there anyway, talking to Matt about the new neighborhood bylaws they’re proposing. Neena asked if I had a minute to go over her feedback on the team, and I said yes.” He crooked a playful eyebrow my way. “Satisfied?”

“Not really.” I pulled a plate from the cabinet. “Want a biscuit?”

“Nah, I’m good.” He studied the newspaper page before him, that sexy brow furrowing in concentration.

“How are things going with the team?”

He shrugged. “It’s going well. Everyone seems happier. More relaxed. I’m hearing less complaining, or she’s insulating me from it. Either way, it’s what I needed.”

“What Winthorpe Tech needed,” I clarified.

He looked up from the paper. “Yes. But also me. I feel a lot less stress and more confidence in the company.”

I didn’t like that at all. Neena was what my husband needed? I felt an uncomfortable crawl of jealousy working its way through my chest and clawing at my heart. I gave him a warm smile. “Good. I’m glad to hear it.”

I feel a lot less stress. More confidence.

It was official.

The newest member of Winthorpe Tech needed to be gone.