She ignored pointless formality and spoke bluntly. “Remember the guy in the coatroom at the Hammonds’ house?”
“Yes.”
“He thinks my arrangement with Ben can benefit him in some way. He’s shown up around Ben’s house a couple of times.”
“Nice friend you have there. Perhaps he’s found his past associations with you to be profitable.”
Juli pushed back her resentment. “I can’t help it if he’s a worthless. I’ve told him to stay away, but he won’t. I don’t want to worry Ben.”
“Meaning you don’t want to tell Ben.”
“I recall you saying something similar. About not wanting to cause him unhappiness?”
“My motives are different.” His stare never broke from hers. Challenge lit amber sparks in his eyes. “What does he want?”
“I don’t know. He keeps insinuating I’m up to some scheme and he wants a piece of it.” Juli stood abruptly. “Go ahead and say it. You think I have a scheme going on, too.”
“I know Ben came up with the idea of you two getting together. What I think is that he didn’t understand what he was buying.”
“Buying? That’s not fair. It’s an arrangement that benefits both of us. I’m not bought, and we didn’t get together—we got married.”
“A business arrangement,” he insisted. “I can hardly blame you for taking advantage of his… offer, but at the same time, I’ll do what I can to prevent you from hurting him, or taking him for more than he’s agreed to give.”
Juli waved her hands. “Never mind. I can see this was a mistake.”
“Wait.”
He moved from behind the desk and came to her, stopping inches away. She dug in her mental heels and didn’t give ground.
“I’m waiting.” The words tasted bitter in her mouth.
“I’m being honest with you. I’d appreciate some honesty back.”
“That sounds great. Why don’t we start by you telling me why you think I’m a cheat and a fraud?”
He took a step back, crossed his arms, then uncrossed them and settled his hands on his hips. “Amanda Barlow left a ring in her coat at the party. When she returned home she remembered the jeweler’s box she’d put in her coat pocket earlier in the day. It was no longer there.”
“How unlikely is that?”
“Pardon?”
Juli laughed in disdain. “A woman puts a jeweler’s case with a valuable ring into her coat pocket and then forgets about it until she gets home from a party and happens to notice it’s no longer in her pocket? For you, it’s a foregone conclusion that the hired help stole it. Why am I not surprised? Sounds more like an insurance scam than a theft.”
“I saw your friend going through the coats.”
“What does that mean? He was probably straightening them. You know what? I don’t like being put into the position of defending Frankie, but nothing you’ve told me is any kind of evidence. And then there’s me. You also accused me of being a thief. What was that about? Guilt by association?”
“I saw you in there with him, also going through the coats.”
Juli had moved behind the chair and her fingers were nearly numb from clutching the back so tightly. To be condemned and treated like a thief on so little, on no more than assumption, made her so angry she felt lightheaded.
“I was getting my backpack so I could drive Ben home.”
They waited out a long moment of silence. Stalemate. Juli didn’t know what he was waiting for, but the next move was his.
Luke turned to face the window behind his desk. His shirt strained across his back as he crossed his arms again. He turned slowly around to face her. “What is it you think I can do to help?”
“Tell him you saw him.”
“But you said—”
She cut him off. “I know what I said. Tell him you saw him messing with the coats and that a ring was stolen. Tell him if he doesn’t stay away from Ben and Ben’s house, you’ll tell the police.”
He frowned and shook his head. “How could that help? Won’t he say if I had proof I’d have already called the police?”
“Maybe, but Frankie has history with the cops. If he thinks you, a respectable citizen, are going to put them back on his butt, he’ll probably decide it’s not worth the risk.”
“But he isn’t concerned about you turning him in?”
Juli didn’t mistake his implication. “Hardworking and respectable aren’t the same things. They won’t listen to me. What would I say? Somebody told me they saw something? Frankie’s not clever, but he’s not stupid either.” Juli was flat out of patience. “Look, I want him to go away until Ben is…until we no longer have to worry about Ben. After that, I’ll deal with him, probably by ignoring him. By then, it won’t matter.”