Meg tilted her head toward the cemetery. "They're fairly harmless. Although a couple of those black markers give me chills."
Sunny came closer, moving with a sinuous rhythm that emphasized her round hips and full breasts. She wasn't a woman who obsessed over not being a size zero, and Meg liked that about her. What she didn't like was an aggressive attitude that signified she'd mow down anyone who had the audacity to oppose her.
"I wouldn't object to a cold beer," Sunny said. "I've spent the last two hours with my father and Ted. We've been trudging around the land Spence is considering buying."
"No beer, but I have iced tea."
Sunny wasn't someone who'd settle for less than exactly what she wanted, and she declined. Since Meg was anxious to go for a swim, she decided to speed things along. "What can I do for you?" As if she didn't know . . . Sunny was going to warn her away from Daddy.
Sunny waited a moment too long to reply. "The . . . dress code for the party tomorrow? I thought you'd know."
It was a lame excuse. Meg took a seat on the step. "It's Texas. The women tend to dress up."
Sunny barely paid attention. "How did Jake Koranda's daughter end up in a hick town like this?"
Meg had good reason to ridicule this hick town, but Sunny was merely being a snob. "I'm taking a break from L.A."
"Quite a change," Sunny said.
"Sometimes change is what we need. I guess it lets us look at our lives in a new way." And hadn't she turned into the wise philosopher?
"There's nothing I'd want to change about my life." Sunny slipped her bright red sunglasses to the top of her head, where the stems pushed the long layers of dark brown hair away from her face and highlighted her resemblance to Spence. They had the same strong nose, full lips, and air of entitlement. "I like things just the way they are. I sit on the board of my father's company. I design products. It's a great life."
"Impressive."
"I have a bachelor's in mechanical engineering and an MBA," she added, even though Meg hadn't asked.
"Nice." Meg thought of the degree she didn't have in anything.
Sunny sat on the step above her. "You seem to have stirred up the town since you got here."
"It's a small town. Easy to stir up."
Sunny rubbed a smudge from her ankle that she must have picked up during the land survey. "My father has quite a lot to say about you. He enjoys younger women."
She'd finally gotten to the point of today's visit, and Meg couldn't have been happier.
"They obviously enjoy him, too," Sunny went on. "He's successful, outgoing, and he likes to have a good time. He keeps talking about you, so I know you've caught his interest. I'm happy for you both."
"You are?" Meg hadn't expected this. She wanted an ally, not a matchmaker. She stalled for time by untying her sneakers. "I guess I'm surprised. Don't you worry about . . . gold diggers? You might have heard that I'm broke."
Sunny shrugged. "My father's a big boy. He can take care of himself. The fact that you're a challenge makes you even more intriguing to him."
The last thing Meg wanted was to be intriguing. She slipped out of her sneakers, pulled off her socks, and said carefully, "I don't really go for older men."
"Maybe you should give one of them a try." Sunny rose from the step and came down to Meg's level. "I'm going to be straight with you. My father has been divorced from my mother for nearly ten years. He's worked hard all his life, and he deserves to enjoy himself. So don't worry about me getting in your way. I have no problem with the two of you having fun together. And who knows where it might lead? He's never been stingy with the women he dates."
"But . . ."
"I'll see you tomorrow at the party." Her business accomplished, she headed for her rental car.
As she drove off, Meg put the pieces together. Sunny had obviously heard about Meg's professed interest in Ted, and she didn't like it. She wanted to keep Meg occupied with her father so she'd have a clear field to stake out St. Sexy for herself. If she only knew the truth, she wouldn't have wasted her time.
Meg had no trouble finding the Moorish mansion where Shelby and Warren Traveler lived. According to gossip, Kenny and Torie hadn't been happy when their father had married a woman thirty years his junior who also happened to be Torie's sorority sister. Even the birth of a half brother hadn't appeased them, but eleven years had passed since then, Kenny and Torie were both married, and all seemed to be forgiven.