Page 52 of The Secrets We Treasure

Chapter 12

Balancing the ice cream in one hand, Treasure punched the doorbell with her other. She waited a minute. Nothing. She pressed it again. This time, the door opened. It was the butler. “Good evening,” he said formally with a dip of his head.

“Hello,” Treasure replied. Did the butler work for Laci full-time? If so, that would stink. It had been grueling to have bodyguards lurking around during the height of the stalker turmoil. Treasure couldn’t imagine having someone live in her home full-time. Did the man have other responsibilities other than just answering the door? Maybe he did the grocery shopping, ran errands, did some light cleaning. Again, Treasure got the feeling that there was something familiar about him. It would peck away at her until she could bring the unconscious to the surface. “Is Laci home?”

“Ms. Bradshaw is here. And your name is?”

“Treasure.” Maybe it was vain to think this way, but Treasure figured the man ought to at least know the name of Laci’s best friend. Then again, Treasure had been off the island for so long that the butler had no reason to know her.

He looked at the carton of ice cream in her hand with a trace of disdain as if he were afraid it might melt and leak onto the marble floor. “Wait here, and I’ll check with Ms. Bradshaw to see if she’s accepting visitors.”

“You do that,” Treasure retorted in amusement.

He gave her a quirky nod that had the slightest trace of condescension. A couple minutes later, he returned and motioned stiffly with his hand. “Ms. Bradshaw will see you now. She’s in the kitchen.”

Treasure went that direction and quickly realized that the queer man was on her heels. She stopped in her tracks and turned around. He nearly barreled into her back. “Pardon me,” he uttered, stumbling back.

“Laci and I have been best friends since we were kids. You don’t need to follow me around.”

His face turned red. “Of course,” he replied magnanimously.

She turned on her heel and marched into the kitchen. She found Laci sitting on a barstool at the kitchen island, looking at her laptop computer. “Hey,” she said glumly, not bothering to look up.

“Hey.” Treasure jabbed her thumb toward the direction she’d come. “What’s with Mr. Belvedere?”

“Who?” Laci asked dubiously as she looked up from her screen.

“Your butler.” Mr. Belvedere was the butler on an old sitcom that Treasure’s mom loved.

“Sterling.”

Treasure hiccuped a giggle. “Well, the name certainly fits. Sterling,” she repeated. “Is he from this area? He looks so familiar, but I can’t quite place him.”

“He worked in Wilmington for a judge and his family before coming to work for me.”

“What’s his last name?”

“Smith.”

“Something about him keeps nagging at me,” Treasure mused. “I’m sure it’ll eventually come to me.” Laci’s expression looked as though she couldn’t care less. “I’ve been trying to get in touch with you.”

“I know,” Laci grunted.

“So you’re ignoring me?” Treasure narrowed her eyes. Laci could be a pill sometimes. If any of Treasure’s other friends acted this petulant, Treasure would have written them off a long time ago. However, Laci and Treasure had been through so much together that Treasure was willing to put up with Laci’s temperamental behavior as she would a sibling. She held up the carton of ice cream. “I brought a peace offering. You know you want some,” she taunted.

The iceberg started to thaw as Laci’s shoulders relaxed. “Grab us two spoons, would ya?”

“Which drawer?”

She pointed to the one near the sink. “Over there.”

Treasure placed the ice cream down beside Laci and went to get the spoons. Laci closed her laptop and broke the plastic seal before lifting the lid.

“You do the honor.” Treasure handed Laci a spoon.

That’s all the prompting Laci needed as she scooped out a large spoonful and placed it in her mouth. She sat back, a look of contentment overtaking her features. “Mmm … that’s good.”

Treasure pulled out the barstool next to Laci and sat down. A second later, she dipped her spoon into the carton. She placed the ice cream in her mouth. The cold, creamy sweetness of the chocolate ice cream was refreshing, but Treasure preferred vanilla bean. She took a couple more bites before giving Laci a hesitant look. “I’m sorry about the party.”

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