Willow Page 2

  “Hi. I’m Willow.”

  Kat accepted the outstretched hand, aware that Willow had been studying her as well, unabashedly. Trying to get her bearings, she quickly retrieved her hand. Willow, who had winced a little at the handshake, waited with a smile.

  “I’m Kat Frazier. Franklin hired me for a project. It’s nice to meet you.”

  Again, that long speculating look. She couldn’t have imagined it, could she? Kat took a quick sip that went straight to her head.

  “That’s right,” Franklin said cheerfully. “I told you, I want the backyard completely redone. Since it’s such a big job, I asked Kat to move in with us for a while so she can oversee everything from up close. Kat, I’ll show you your office later.”

  “My…office.”

  “What did you think? I’ll provide you with everything you need, of course.”

  “Of course. Thank you, Franklin. I appreciate it.”

  She cast another look at Willow who had stepped behind the bar and started to mix herself a drink as well. They were both aware of Franklin’s disapproving look.

  “What, Dad? You’re drinking.”

  “At the end of a workday,” he said with an unmistakable emphasis.

  “Well, yeah, I’ve been working on my tan.” She kept the easy smile in place, but her posture belied the light tone. She downed almost half the glass in one swig, making Kat wince.

  “It’s a little crazy around here right now,” Willow remarked. “If you want to move in here for a few months, you better get used to it quick.”

  “Thanks for the warning,” Kat said. “I’ll remember it.”

  Dinner was awkward, to say the least. Kat suspected there was a lot Franklin hadn’t cared to tell her, and she was walking into this complicated father-daughter dynamic unprepared. She wasn’t at all sure if she could deliver everything he’d asked for, least of all advising Willow on her life choices.

  With the looks Willow had given her, she couldn’t help wondering what the real reason for her divorce had been. Franklin was right, though—this was none of her business.

  “So,” Franklin said as he refilled everyone’s glasses with a red wine Kat probably couldn’t afford, “it is my hope that Kat can get to work right away. Since I need to prepare my business trip, I was hoping you could show her around this weekend. Let’s say, Friday night.”

  Willow eyed her curiously. “You’re not going to rip out the pool, right?”

  “If Kat thinks that a new pool will serve us better, than that’s what she’s going to do.”

  How ridiculous, Kat thought, to start an argument about a pool. She had to focus her attention, because she was overly aware of Willow’s perfume, a warm enticing scent.

  “Don’t worry, we’re not there yet,” she assured. “First, I need to take a look at everything that’s there and come up with a plan. Since your Dad will be absent for a fairly long time, I assume you will make most of the decisions.”

  Willow’s expression was pleased, Franklin’s stunned—served him right for blindsiding her this way.

  “I expect we’ll work well together,” she added.

  Three months. Kat had survived worse.

  * * * *

  After dinner, Franklin gave Kat the promised tour, informing her about all the features installed to keep the bad guys out. The security system was state of the art. Kat had expected nothing less. She listened carefully as Franklin explained the various features, including a direct call to a rapid response team. As the evening progressed, she was wondering whether he had reasons for building this virtual fortress, or if he had simply become paranoid over time. There was no doubt they had made enemies, but out in the real world, they lived rather normal lives. Kat did, anyway. It was debatable if anything about Franklin’s life could be called normal, given his extreme wealth.

  Kat had always been on high alert when she was on the job, but in the past years, no one had bothered her. No one but her ex-colleague, that is, and now she was stuck living on his premises for months to come, with his beautiful daughter under the same roof.

  His beautiful, straight daughter, she reminded herself. Nothing to see here, move on. It seemed like Willow was lacking ambition, something Kat had never indulged in anyone. Then again, Franklin had accused her of the same thing.

  Was he right?

  Was she selfish and petty to want a life after years of chaos and uncertainties? Certainly not. There was a world between her changing careers and Willow changing her business for a place by the pool. Kat wasn’t jealous of rich people, but she harbored a certain disdain for rich people who were also lazy.

  “We’ll be fine,” she said. “Unless there’s something you aren’t telling me. How can I reach you in an emergency?”

  “You can’t. This is why I wanted you. If something goes wrong, you’re on your own, and I know you can handle yourself.”

  She bit her lip. “The last time that didn’t work so well.”

  “The last time was an ambush. Now, I provide you with all the information you need, and frankly, any worst case scenarios aren’t that likely.”

  “Which means we’re back to me playing babysitter.”

  “Oh, there you are. I was wondering if any of you felt like a nightcap, and Kat, maybe you could tell me when exactly you’ll arrive on Friday so I can prepare everything.”

  “Yes, sure, of course,” Kat said, self-consciously wondering if Willow had overheard the babysitter part. There was still something off about this assignment.

  “Great. I’ll see you in the den.”

  “I don’t like this a bit.” Kat made a gesture encompassing the spacious office Franklin had shown her, next to a luxurious guest suite. “So you want someone to look after her while you’re away, because, well, you never know. I get that. It’s the other part I can’t figure out.”

  He sighed, then closed the massive wooden door.

  “You only just met Willow, so you have no idea what she was like before. She’d bury herself in the office for hours at a time, writing code for her own security systems, and she was pretty successful. It wasn’t all Mom and Dad’s money. However, after the marriage ended…I don’t even know what’s going on anymore, and I was hoping you could help me. It’s like she’s lost all drive to do anything other than lounge by the pool, read paperbacks and drink too much. So basically, if you could keep my daughter from drowning while I’m away, I’d be forever grateful to you.”

  Kat could sense that his concern was genuine. It rang through all the smokescreens and diversions Franklin was so good at creating.

  “I’ll make sure she’s okay,” she promised.

  Chapter Three

  It turned out that Kat had no time to go out and meet someone before the start of her assignment. Willow kept occupying her thoughts. She was an enigma to Kat. Franklin had known that feeding her crumbs would be enough to get her hooked, to want to find out why Willow had given up on her business.

  The explanation could be simple—maybe she just needed a break after the end of a relationship she’d had high hopes for. She might not have planned to stay at her dad’s this long, but time had gotten away from her. That was something Kat could relate to. At first, a break had been all she was looking for. Time away from the rigorous, demanding schedule of the old job made her realize she needed a change. It wasn’t like she could tell Willow any of these things, but she could listen.

  She had one long call with Franklin, and, after having studied all potential enemies and dangers, arrived on Friday afternoon with her suitcase.

  Even though Willow had asked Kat to come by at this specific time, she greeted her in a sarong over a bikini. Kat was surprised, to say the least. She wondered if there was an intention behind the outfit.

  “Hi Kat. I hope you brought a bathing suit. There’s still time for a swim before dinner.”

  “Thanks, but I’d rather take a look around as soon as I finish unpacking. Since Franklin left everything to us, I will come up with a desi
gn and you tell me if you’d like anything in addition.”

  Willow made a dismissive gesture.

  “Come on, you have three months! You don’t have to start today. It’s the weekend. Come have a drink with me.”

  Franklin’s words about keeping her from drowning came to Kat’s mind.

  “How about I unpack and then you show me around, so I can get some ideas? I’ll have that drink later.”

  Kat hoped that in the meantime, Willow put on some clothes—though there was a part of her that wished for the opposite. Those would be incredibly long three months.

  “Okay, whatever you like. Make yourself at home.”

  “Thanks.”

  She started by setting up her office. In the bedroom that was nearly the size of her complete apartment, Kat put pants on hangers and shirts on shelves. Underwear in the drawers.

  “Did you find everything you need?”

  “Yes. Thank you.”

  Kat wasn’t usually that jumpy. She had to admit, Willow’s presence made her uncomfortable, reminding her of everything that wasn’t so great in her life right now. Not that she could ever see anything happening with a younger woman who was obviously still figuring things out, maybe willing to experiment—have you lost your mind? Even if she was, Willow was still Franklin’s daughter. It was a testimony to her sorry state that she even had these kinds of thoughts about someone who was so wrong for her.

  “Good. Come, I’ll show you the backyard now.”

  As she had expected, the area was huge, and while it could use some cleaning up, just like the front, it wasn’t nearly as bad as Franklin had suggested. The features were modern and updated, the infinity pool looking like it had just been put in. Sure, she could add a few touches, bushes, trees, that would complete the picture. She would give it her best. After all, Franklin was paying her well.

  Kat wondered once again if Willow was aware of the ruse—or, if it wasn’t one, was the danger from the enemy greater than Franklin had assessed in the files he’d given her?

  Willow led her a few steps up to a deck overlooking the lake, green hills and the ocean in the distance, and Kat gathered her notes and sketches in a folder. She wasn’t sure how to feel—usually, she’d be thrilled to be given free reign on a project of this magnitude, but the landscaping job wasn’t all she was here for.

  “Are you ready for that drink now?” Willow asked.

  Kat checked her watch and realized that the assessment had taken nearly two hours. The sky was changing with the first signs of what would be a spectacular sunset.

  “I am,” she said. Willow got up to go inside the room behind the glass door, a dining room/kitchen area, and returned not much later with two glasses and a bottle of white wine.

  “I know you don’t want to be here,” she said, pouring a glass for each of them. “I appreciate it though. It can be pretty lonely in this house. You worked with my dad—I assume you went on those long business trips as well.”

  “I did—and it’s not that I don’t want to be here.”

  Liar, Willow’s wry smile said.

  “It’s just very unusual, a job like this. I see clients to get an idea what they want, and I work on projects, but normally, I don’t move in with them.”

  “Yeah, well, this is a big project.”

  Kat was sure she’d detected a hint of sarcasm. “Yes, it is, and I’m grateful Franklin gave it to me. For my business, it means a lot. He told me you work with security systems. That sounds interesting…”

  Willow laughed. “I’m not sure how interesting it is for someone who designs pretty gardens and such. I used to like it though.”

  “Not anymore?”

  “I’m not sure how much more I can contribute. I have well-trained highly skilled employees who keep the company afloat. I consult, still…but I feel kind of empty.”

  Kat waited, silent.

  “Of course, Dad told you about my divorce too.”

  “He mentioned it.”

  Willow sighed and refilled her glass. “I’m sure he did more than that. The thing is, he was kind of an ass to my mother at some point, and when he found out about me, he wanted to make things right. Now he overcompensates without really having a clue.”

  “You don’t need to tell me this.”

  “What difference does it make? He thinks I should get my act together. It’s not that easy.”

  “What do you think? What do you want to do?”

  “Oh, the heavy questions. I can see why he likes you. I’ll let you know once I’ve figured it out, okay?”

  “You do that.”

  * * * *

  Later that night, Kat sat behind her desk, mapping out plans and jotting down numbers. So far, it wasn’t much of a difference from her regular, smaller projects, except they usually didn’t come with these specific complications. She finally gave up and did another internet search on the ex-husband, wondering why there was so little to find about him. Good lawyers, she assumed.

  Willow, to her surprise, had made a name for herself unrelated to her father’s wealth, and the information on the young self-made millionaire was a stark contrast to the woman who had settled into a life of perpetual leisure. It was almost like she was hiding away from the world in Franklin’s mansion—but hiding from what? He didn’t seem to have any idea. Kat had three months minus one day to find out.

  She started early the next morning, going around the places Willow had shown her—no, she wasn’t going to rip out the beautiful pool, but she’d have enough time and a budget to update the stone tiles surrounding it. She’d replace some of the soil and old, almost dead plants, add a few citrus trees. Even with seemingly small changes, it would be more than she had in store, so she’d make those orders later.

  Kat thought about a couple of potted plants in marble vases, and a fire pit. So far, Willow had signed off on all her ideas, not showing too much interest in any of them.

  Yes, she designed pretty things, in an attempt to balance out everything in her life that hadn’t been so pretty.

  “Jesus, when did you get up? Sit down, take a break.”

  Kat turned around to find Willow coming down the stairs to the backyard, carrying two mugs of coffee. She was wearing a T-shirt and shorts, barefoot.

  “I don’t have much time, but…Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. There I thought you’d be wearing those sexy overalls all the time.”

  Kat nearly choked on her coffee, a latte actually. “I have to make some orders and meet with a few people, but I’ll change into something else once I get started here. Don’t worry.”

  “I look forward to it. There’s something incredibly sexy about a woman hard at work.”

  “Whatever you say. I need to get back to it too. Thanks for the coffee.”

  “Kat?”

  She turned around to face Willow.

  “I know the idea that Dad hired you makes you a little uncomfortable, but he’s not here right now. We’re both adults. Whatever we feel like…”

  “Look, Willow, don’t get me wrong. You can certainly do whatever you feel like, but I have a job to do here. I’m sorry.”

  The sun wasn’t up that high yet, so there was no reason for her to feel this hot. She had to be more careful. Forget about Franklin. She didn’t want to be somebody’s experiment. No one had ever said anything about 24/7 surveillance of the wayward daughter. Surely Kat could steal away for a few hours on the weekend and get her own needs taken care of.

  Those were apparently more urgent than she’d thought, Kat realized late at night when she woke from a dream that left her heart pounding, warm wetness between her thighs—and it was only day three.

  Kat hadn’t had much time for dating since she’d started her business, and for some time, that had been okay. She was happy to create a life for herself that didn’t include mortal danger and life-or-death decisions on a regular basis. It might sound silly, but working with her hands in the earth had made her reconnect with life and what s
he wanted from it. A long-term relationship, someday, when she felt like the ground under her feet was steady and she had enough to offer.

  Until she had reached that goal, a one-night-stand here and there was okay, but she took care to only choose women who knew what they were getting themselves into. Somebody who wasn’t that sure about herself—Kat sympathized, but she made sure not to get too close. There was heartbreak looming, either for her, or for the person who had to understand that the first woman she slept with might not be the one. It was complicated. Giving in to Willow’s subtle advances would make her life infinitely more complicated, and that was not the path she wanted to go down.

  Even if the phrase “going down” was enough to make her face heat, a heat making its way all the way to her core.

  Willow lounging by the pool every single day when she was working, didn’t make things better, on the contrary.

  “Why don’t you come in? I’m sure you could use some cooling down.”

  Kat focused on the lemon-tree she was planting rather than the siren song of Willow’s offer. You have no idea.

  “Yeah, later maybe,” she called without turning around. There was a splash, footsteps, and as she straightened, she felt the other woman behind her, very close all of a sudden, fingers trailing down her arm tentatively.

  “Don’t get too close. You’re going to get all dirty.”

  “Maybe I like that,” Willow whispered. “Maybe I’m tired of just watching you all day.”

  Kat finally turned around. Willow’s wet bikini clung to her curves, leaving little to the imagination, her nipples perking under the thin material.

  “I am flattered, but this is not happening.”

  “Because you don’t mix business with pleasure? Does that mean after three months I’ll have a shot?”