Get a Clue(17)
Her honest, hopeful expression seemed so completely innocent, Breanne found she couldn’t say what was on her mind, which was Are you kidding me? “Uh, yeah. Nice.”
With a sigh, Shelly moved away from the flames, scooping up the mug. “You’re on your honeymoon, right?”
Breanne felt her smile congeal. “Yes. Alone.”
“Oh.” That startled her. “So the wedding, it went . . . badly?”
“You could say so.”
“I’m sorry,” Shelly said with true regret. “And now this huge, unbelievable storm . . .”#p#分页标题#e#
“Until you got here, I was trying to convince myself this is all a bad dream.”
“You poor thing.” Shelly sat down on the couch next to Breanne. “Did you get your heart broken?”
The question, coming from someone Breanne had known all of a minute, should have irked her. It should have, at the very least, brought her great pain. Instead, she leaned back on the sofa, nothing but exhausted. “Maybe it’s been a little stepped on,” she finally admitted. “But not broken, no.”
“Good, then you can try to enjoy your trip in spite of him. You don’t need a man to have a good time.” Shelly laughed at herself. “That’s what my mom always told us, anyway. I don’t really have a lot of experience to go by.”
Breanne blinked at the easy familiarity with which Shelly had spoken. Breanne had family, coworkers. Friends. But truthfully, most were men. Girl talk had never really been her thing. “I don’t know what I was thinking to do this, to come here alone. It was stupid.”
“Oh, you’re going to enjoy yourself, I promise you. And someday you’ll find another man. A better one.”
Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt, thought Breanne. “Would you know where I could get a few blankets?”
“Of course—I’ll get them for you. But first, I came to bring you into the formal dining room.”
No way was she going to be lured anywhere in this dark, haunted house. “I think I’ll just stay here, thanks.”
“I was spooked when I first got here, too,” Shelly said kindly. “This place scared me to death.”
“But not anymore?”
“Well . . .” Shelly hugged her enviable petite body for a moment, running her hands up and down her arms as if chilled. “I got used to it,” she finally said. And then smiled. “And anyway, you’re not alone in your fears. We all feel a little off tonight.”
“We?”
“Me, and the rest of the staff.”
“How many of you are there?”
“There’s five of us. Myself, Lariana, Patrick, Edward, and Dante.” She stopped with a faraway look in her eyes and sighed dreamily. “You’ve met Dante.”
This pretty, innocent little thing was sighing over the hooded butler?
At Breanne’s baffled expression, Shelly let out a laugh. “He’s thrilling, isn’t he?”
How about terrifying? “He’s . . . something.”
“He doesn’t say much, but when he does, he’s just so smart, so kind. And funny, too. I just think he’s the sexiest man alive, don’t you?”
“I didn’t get to see much of him,” Breanne said tactfully.
“I know, I’m sorry.” Shelly’s smile was tremulous, making Breanne realize the cook was just as nervous as she was. “All this dark is getting to me. It makes me talk too much. I should go finish my chores before I get myself into trouble with the boss.”
“Speaking of that,” Breanne said, “do you know where the manager is?”
“Edward?” Shelly lifted a shoulder. “I’m not sure, exactly. He’s usually scarce at this time of day. You let me know if you want any of the extras, okay? We have massages and a few other spa treatments available. How about some mud therapy?”
Breanne could never relax through anything like that, not under these circumstances. “Maybe some other time.”
“Aromatherapy? We use oils—it’s lovely, really. Or you can swim in the indoor pool by candlelight. Oh! I could make you a lobster picnic when the electricity comes back on. And if you want me to book you for a helicopter tour when we get the phones back, or anything else like that, just let me know. For now I’ve got candles going in the dining room so it isn’t dark there. There’s food, too.”#p#分页标题#e#
Breanne’s stomach growled.
“See? You’re hungry. Come.”
“Will Edward be there?”
“Um . . .” Shelly fingered the mug. “I don’t know.”