Page 2 of To Steal a Heart

Josette wagged a gnarly finger at Arden. “You would be nothing without the Chasing name. Don’t you ever forget that.” Her voice was garbled like she had a bundle of barbed wire stuck in her throat.

Arden smirked. “You’re just peeved because you never accomplished anything other than being Oliver Chasing’s wife.”

Josette aimed her venom at Hector. “Put your tongue back in your mouth, sonny boy, and quit salivating over my necklace.”

Was Hector still looking at the blasted necklace? Arden could tell from his mortified expression that he was. Good grief, the poor sap was making himself an easy target. Grandmother would chew off his head and suck the tendons from his neck faster than he could blink.

Fingering her necklace, Josette threw Arden a blistering glare. “See what happens when you bring riffraff to a family affair? That opportunist is only with you for one reason—because you’re a Chasing. He tried to persuade Talon to let his company insure the hotel. When that didn’t work, he turned his sights to you. Wake up, girl, and quit living in a dream world. You’re an avenue for him to weasel his way into our world.”

“Josette,” Madeline scolded as she gave Hector an apologetic look.

Hector’s face turned crimson. “I—I meant no offense,” he stammered. “The necklace is just so impressive. I shouldn’t have been staring.” He cleared his throat before directing his comments to Talon. “I respect that you have a longstanding relationship with your other insurance agent. My association with Arden has nothing to do with her being a Chasing.” He turned to Arden, his expression pleading. “I care about you.” Before Arden could respond, Hector turned to Grandmother. “If there has been any misunderstanding, I sincerely apologize.”

Arden groaned inwardly. Not good. Hector was falling right into Grandmother’s trap. Pandering to her was the kiss of death. She would loathe Hector now. “You don’t owe anyone here an apology,” Arden asserted, patting his hand. She met Grandmother’s glare full on. “Money and status mean everything to Grandmother, so she just assumes that everyone else feels the same way.”

“Now, Arden,” her dad began with a nervous laugh. “That’s taking it too far. Let’s just settle down and enjoy the evening. Talon’s about to give his speech.” He looked at Talon and offered him an encouraging smile as if to say,Save us from the torture inflicted upon us by our outspoken daughter.

Madeline, who was seated on Arden’s left, caught Arden’s arm in an eagle-claw grip. She jerked Arden close and hissed in her ear. “Stop poking the tiger or you’ll get clobbered.”

“Tiger, huh? I prefer to think of her as an old bat, and I can handle anything she can dish out,” Arden bragged.

“It’s not you that I worry about.” Madeline glanced meaningfully at Hector.

Mom had a valid point. If this continued much longer, Hector would fall to his knees and kiss Grandmother’s bunion-riddled feet. Ew, she didn’t need that mental image ingrained in her head. Maybe Hector wasn’t the one for Arden. She needed a man with at least a flicker of fire in his belly. She instantly squelched the thought. It wasn’t Hector’s fault that he wasn’t versed in the dog-eat-dog world of the Chasings. Hadn’t she been attracted to him because he led a normal life … away from the drama of this high society bubble? Arden needed more goodness in her life. She needed to be reminded that there was a whole world out there that didn’t give a rat’s patootie about a person’s social standing.

Arden threw Grandmother a look that could kill before settling back into her seat. What did it say about Arden that she found arguing with Grandmother so invigorating? Did that make her a terrible person? She really should learn to keep a muzzle on her mouth from now on. Poor Hector had paid the price for her insolence. Grandmother had gotten her goat with the snide comment about her weight. Arden should’ve just let it go rather than retaliating.

Talon took the lead and opened up a conversation about the large number of guests who were in attendance. Arden knew he was diverting attention away from the unpleasantness. Everyone relaxed and commenced eating their desserts. Arden could feel Grandmother watching her every move. How dare Grandmother take potshots about her weight.I’ll eat every last bite of this blasted pie and then some, she wanted to scream. She took one last bite of the decadent chocolate silk pie and savored the smooth sweetness on her tongue before placing her napkin over her plate and pushing it aside. She could’ve devoured the rest in a few bites, but she really did need to cut back on the sweets. She’d watch every morsel she put into her mouth if it meant getting sleeky thin. Never again would she give Grandmother the satisfaction of calling her overweight.

Arden felt Grandmother’s beady eyes on her. The two locked gazes before Grandmother smirked. Then, something unexpected happened. Grandmother gave her a look of what could only be termed as admiration.Interesting. For the first time in her life, it occurred to Arden that perhaps she wasn’t the only one who got a kick out of her and Grandmother’s sparring sessions. While Arden had a healthy appreciation for therespect your eldersmentality, Grandmother was so intolerable that Arden couldn’t resist lashing out. Had Grandmother baited Arden about her weight so that she would come out swinging? It was certainly an interesting notion. Maybe Grandmother was also bored to tears and needed a way to spice up the evening.

Arden glanced at Hector, whose face was still flushed. He looked so intensely uncomfortable that she felt sorry for him. With his dark eyes and matching hair, Hector reminded Arden of the actor George Clooney. Too bad Hector wasn’t as witty as George. Nice guy or not, Hector would have to learn to stand up for himself if he had any hope of fitting in with the Chasings. Now that Grandmother realized he was an easy target, she’d hound him relentlessly.

The emcee took the stage. “We’ll now be pleased to hear a few words from Talon Chasing, the manager of the hotel.” The attractive, middle-aged blonde was sporting a royal blue sequined dress that showed off her trim figure. Arden had never seen the woman before and wondered if Talon had hired her for this event. Talon scooted back his chair and stood. “Showtime.”

“Break a leg.” Effie winked as they shared a doting smile.

Ew, it was disgusting how lovey-dovey Talon and his wife Effie were. If Effie weren’t so darn nice, Arden might’ve resented her for claiming all of Talon’s attention. No, that wasn’t true. Arden was grateful to Effie. She’d brought meaning back into Talon’s life. Talon’s shoulders were erect as he strode up to the stage with confident steps. It was good to see her older brother so content, especially since his first marriage had been disastrous. Poor Talon had picked a doozy of a wife his first go-around. Lucky for him, number two was the charm.

“Good evening,” Talon began with a cordial smile. “Welcome to our Founder’s Day Celebration. There’s an old saying that goes,He who gives a short speech will still have friends at the end.” Talon paused for effect and looked around at the crowd. His eyes sparkled as he delivered the rest with gusto. “Rest assured that I will definitely have friends at the end of my speech.”

Laughter rippled through the crowd.

“Today is a special day. I’d like to begin by paying tribute to my grandmother.” He motioned toward Josette, who smiled and offered a regal nod as everyone clapped. Talon wasn’t merely paying Grandmother lip service. He’d always been her favorite. In Grandmother’s eyes, Talon could do no wrong. Too bad Josette wasn’t as kind to her other grandchildren. Grandmother seemed okay with Forge, but she was downright nasty to her granddaughters. Charlie went out of her way to avoid Grandmother while Arden fought her tooth and nail. Josette made a point of looking at Arden as if to say,See what a great person I am?Talon loves me. You should fall in line.

Fat chance of that ever happening!

Talon waited until the applause died down before continuing, “When my grandfather came to this island, all he had were big dreams for a grand future that he would carve out for himself. He was a visionary. He built this hotel for his beloved Josette.”

Belovedwas a stretch. Oliver and Josette’s relationship was rocky … as evidenced by Oliver’s affair, which gave him an illegitimate daughter. Arden loved her grandfather dearly. He’d been kind to her. However, her view of him grew somewhat tainted when she realized that he’d been unfaithful to Grandmother. No wonder Grandmother was so bitter. She turned her thoughts back to Talon’s speech.

“People often speculate that Oliver amassed a treasure, which he hid somewhere on the island.”

Murmurs ran through the crowd.

Arden believed there was a treasure hidden on the island. In fact, she’d spent a great deal of time searching for it. Arden’s gut told her that Grandmother knew exactly where the said treasure was hidden, but an army of assassins couldn’t drag it from her spindly lips.

“While that tantalizing rumor might keep tongues wagging, it’s my firm belief that Oliver’s true treasure is this enchanting island on which he settled.” Talon lifted his hand and looked around. “This magnificent hotel … His family. Thank you, Grandfather, for leaving us such a rich legacy. You may have departed from us, but you will never be forgotten.”

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