A Winter Wedding(99)

“I wish she’d stay. But as long as I’m wishing, I also wish my plant hadn’t been damaged by that fire.”

She perched on the chair closest to him and leaned forward to allow him an unrestricted view of her best assets. Lourdes had an okay figure, but as far as Noelle was concerned, she could use a little more on top, especially for Kyle, who appreciated that sort of thing. “I had nothing to do with that,” she said.

“Are you sure?” he asked.

She smiled sweetly. “Positive.”

“Did Chief Bennett tell you that your fingerprints were found on the broken bottle recovered from my parking lot?”

“He did. He stopped by the shop earlier. But he said Genevieve’s fingerprints were also found on that bottle. And, like I mentioned to him, Genevieve’s are the ones that are out of place, not mine. I’ve been to your plant many times. I was in that very parking lot twice the night A.J. and I picked up that old water heater, remember?”

“You’ve reminded me of that before. And I do remember, since I was there, too. But nothing fell out of the truck. That bottle wasn’t on the ground when you drove off.”

“So? Maybe I’ve been to the plant since then, to see what you were up to. It’s not unusual that something of mine would be left behind, including a bottle Genevieve and I must’ve shared. We drank together a lot. I’ve never denied that.”

“But you are denying that you set the fire at the plant.”

Feigning what she hoped was a pretty scowl, she said, “Of course I deny it. It wasn’t me, Kyle. I’ve told you that.”

“Then why won’t you take a polygraph test?”

She gestured as if the very thought was ridiculous. “I’ve read about those. They’re not reliable. I don’t see any point in wasting my time.”

“Even if it would reassure me?”

Could she possibly pass a lie detector test? If so, that would be the best route to go, but just in case, it wouldn’t be wise to take the chance. “Stop trying to talk me into it. You’re hoping I’ll fail so you can convince everyone I’m the guilty party. You know, I don’t really trust you anymore.”

“You don’t trust me.” He laughed softly. “That’s rich.”

“You’ve been really difficult lately,” she complained.

“Is that why you set fire to my plant? To strike back at me? Bring me in line?”

She folded her arms, fully aware of how that pushed her breasts higher and made them strain against the sheer fabric of her blouse. “I’m sorry you’re so convinced I’d do such a thing, but...it doesn’t really matter what you believe. Chief Bennett told me he wasn’t going to arrest me. He can’t. He doesn’t have any evidence.”

Kyle leaned close enough that she could smell his scent. It was a scent she remembered well, a scent she craved. She was tempted to put her hand on his arm but held off, hoping there’d be an opportunity to touch him later. “What is it about me?” he murmured.

This took her off guard. “Excuse me?”

“What did I ever do to deserve so much of your attention?”

She wished she knew. She told herself all the time that he didn’t deserve her. What other woman would hang on for so long, knowing he was in love with her sister? “We’re meant to be together, Kyle. Like Phoenix and Riley. Phoenix has always loved him, but for years he believed she killed Lori Mansfield, and he didn’t want anything to do with her. Now he knows that isn’t true. You think terrible things about me, too, but just like Phoenix, I’m not as bad as you’ve made me out to be.”

He sat back and regarded her coolly. “Are you saying you didn’t abort our baby?”

She forced herself to maintain eye contact with him even though she wanted to look away. “No! I would never do that! We fought sometimes, and I...I acted immature and demanding. But I loved you. I still love you. And you’d love me, too, if you could see how much I’ve changed!”

Throwing his head back, he laughed out loud.

She usually didn’t have trouble convincing people of anything she said when she was trying this hard... “What?” she asked, feeling out of sorts.

“You’ve changed?”

“I have!”

“You just set fire to my plant!”

He was different these days, more adamant and determined, and it made her uneasy. Somehow, she had to get through to him once and for all. “No, I didn’t!”

“Yes, you did, so stop lying. I’m here to tell you that you’ll never get another dime out of me, Noelle. The check I gave you on the first of December? That’ll be your last.”

The dark anger she’d felt when she had the abortion—the desire to hurt him—swelled inside her, making it hard to talk without raising her voice. “Kyle, don’t start this again. I’m getting mad.”

Seemingly unconcerned, he shrugged. “I don’t care how mad you get. I mean it.”

She stood up. “You might be able to hold out for a few months, but you’ll have to pay me eventually. We’ve talked about this before. I can force the issue.”

He came to his feet, too. “No, you can’t. If I have to spend every penny I have on lawyers and litigation, I will.”