Page 6 of Hargrave Artistry
Her stomach dropped and it was all she could do to suppress the instant flare of panic. “Yes, of course.” Although, Jess knewit was okay to call any of the sisters about issues at the B&B, Celeste was currently out of town.
“We just received an alert from the security team on site,” Jess explained. “There’s no real problem,” she said. “Just a weird interaction I’d like to review with you.”
Natalie surged through the front door and nearly shouted for Roni before she caught herself. She was an adult.Shewas the current point of contact. Time to step up and be a professional.
“Do you need me to come to the office?”
“Not if it’s a bother. If you’d take a look at the pictures I sent over, maybe you can shed some light on this. A man pulled up in a sports car and walked straight to the front door. He knocked and called out and seemed reluctant to leave.”
“Weird.” She was suddenly grateful for the distraction Trent had provided. “We don’t have anyone checking in until the day after tomorrow,” she said.
Behind her, a floorboard creaked. Startled, she jumped and spun around, relieved beyond measure to see Veronica. She set the bag of fresh croissants on the counter.
“Hey Jess, Veronica is here too,” Nat said. “You’re on speaker.”
“Great. You can both look at the images from the doorbell camera,” Jess said. “If you recognize him or have any insight, just give me a call back.”
“Okay. Will do.”
Veronica gave her a stern look. “Shouldn’t you be at the Hideaway by now?”
Right. Fresh flowers would be delivered this morning ahead of the new arrivals, and she should do the final walk-through. She was supposed to be getting better about the scheduling. As if Celeste’s perfect record of responsibility would ever rub off on her. “I went out and lost track of time.”
Natalie ignored the glare Veronica aimed at her tote.
“One more thing,” Nat said to Jess. “I’m headed over in just a few minutes. The security team will still be there, right?”
“Absolutely,” Jess assured them. “We’re not going anywhere.”
Ending the call, Natalie swiped the screen to check the images. Recognizing Jackson Griggs, her ex-husband, a litany of curses lodged in her throat.
Veronica didn’t have the same problem and let them all fly, rapid-fire.
“Yikes.” Natalie gaped at her. “Well, I guess you’ve been hanging with some rough sailors lately.”
“My language isn’t the issue.” Veronica’s hand curled into a fist. “That bastard. What’s he doing here, Nat?”
“I don’t have any idea.” Insult and hurt went to battle inside her. How could her sister possibly believe she’dinvitedher ex to the island? He wasn’t welcome here. Not after everything he’d put her through. “Whatever he’s up to, I don’t know anything about it,” she insisted.
“How does he even know about the summer house?”
“I’m guessing the internet,” Natalie snapped. “I would extend an invitation for him to come snooping anywhere around our homes or the business.”
Why wasn’t it enough that she’d dumped him as soon as she’d seen his true colors?
Yes, she had needed to borrow the money from their parents, but having a good attorney had been essential. Not only that, but she repaid that debt long ago.
Her sisters probably didn’t know the whole story. Too bad. It wasn’t a time of her life she enjoyed rehashing. “Whatever is going on, he left,” she said. “I’ll go take care of things.”
“Nat, wait!”
She kept right on walking.
“I didn’t mean?—”
She took pity on her sister at the door. “Don’t worry about it. Jackson brings out the worst in everyone,” she said. At least everyone with a decent measure of integrity.
“Hang on. Let me make a call and I’ll go with you,” Veronica offered.
