Bougainvillea by Heather Graham Read Free Book Online

Ralph, she thought. His relief was evident. In fact, he looked as if he were about to leap over the counter and hug David.
    â€œOh, Mr. Moore! Ms. Delaney, thank you so much. We’ll see to it that you’re given an all-expenses-paid voucher for a stay in the future,” Ralph said. He was still sweating.
    â€œGreat. Thank you,” Kit said.
    â€œThat your bag?” David asked.
    â€œYes, thanks.”
    â€œCome on. I’ll show you the way.”
    â€œThanks,” she told him.
    Strangely, she felt as if she had just taken the first step back to something she had left long ago.
    No…
    The step had already been taken. At the time he had come to the hospital.
    Or, perhaps, on the day her father had died. And he had whispered the word.
    Bougainvillea.
    Again, though, she felt the strange hesitance. And an intuition.
    Something had gone very wrong at Bougainvillea. What, exactly? She would never know unless…
    Unless she let him…show her the way.

CHAPTER 3
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    T he suite had to be the hotel’s best, Kit thought as she looked around. It was two levels, with a winding staircase rising from the living/dining area to the bedrooms above.
    The “guest” bedroom in the suite was larger than any room she’d stayed in before. It opened to a balcony with an incredible view of the city.
    â€œI’ll leave you alone,” David told her. “Whenever you’re ready, I’ll be in the parlor.”
    Kit waited until he was out of the room, then made a beeline for the telephone and dialed the operator, asking for Jen’s room. When her friend came on the line, she said, “You’re not going to believe this,” and proceeded to tell her about the suite.
    â€œThe plot thickens!” Jen said delightedly.
    â€œWhat does that mean?” Kit asked.
    â€œThe guy is truly after you.”
    â€œMaybe he’s just being really nice.”
    â€œHe may be really nice, but guys are guys. Anyway, I want the details, all the details, tomorrow,” Jen said.
    â€œThere aren’t going to be any details,” Kit assured her.
    â€œAre you an idiot? He’s gorgeous, and, apparently, rich. If you don’t come up with some details, you’re a fool. I guarantee you, I’d have details in your position! Anyway, I want to see the suite, too.”
    â€œThat I can arrange. I think,” Kit told her.
    â€œGo work on your details,” Jen told her.
    Kit hung up. Starting the shower, she mused over her friend’s words. Jen was right. Everything about this guy seemed to be picture perfect.
    There was just something… .
    It all had to do with Bougainvillea.
    * * *
    Seamus Delaney rose from the table, looking at those around him. “Lovely dinner. Nice to see us all together. Martin, Shelley, Eli, great to have you. Thank you, all.”
    He walked away from the table in the expansive dining room of the main house. At seventy-eight, he was still ramrod straight, tall and an imposing figure. He had a full head of silver-white hair and piercing blue eyes. He’d been the driving force behind Sea Life since his teens, taking a raw wilderness and molding it into a business, and an estate. The power he had wielded through the years still wrapped around him like a cloak of invincibility.
    Michael Delaney watched his father leave the dining room. He noticed with some humor that everyone at the table was doing the same, different expressions in their eyes.
    â€œLovely dinner,” Josh, Michael’s son, said, a light of amusement in his eyes. At thirty-six, Josh hadcome to have a deep appreciation for his family’s business and position. Michael could honestly say that he was proud of his son. He’d gone through many of the usual adjustments when going from his teen years into adulthood—dropping out of college, bumming around Europe, taking a job with a sail maker just to stay away from the family—then diving back