Dane's Storm(9)

CHAPTER FOUR


Audra



Crosswinds Golf and Country Club was the oldest and most prestigious club in all of Colorado. Of course, Luella Townsend wouldn’t have frequented it if it wasn’t. I couldn’t be certain she’d be there for lunch, but it was Monday, and if she was still the creature of habit she’d been seven years ago, I’d find her sitting with the other snobby, old biddies at the table by the window, their noses in the air as they ate finger sandwiches and petit fours and gossiped about all the people unworthy of their company. Like me.

“May I help you, miss?” An older gentleman in a pale gray suit stopped me by stepping slightly into my path as if he’d appeared out of thin air.

“No, thank you, I’m headed to the dining room.”

His eyes made a quick sweep of my outfit—dark jeans and a turquoise sweater—and he somehow managed to look displeased without altering his expression one iota. I wondered how one went about mastering that talent. You must have to spend quite a few hours with a pole shoved up your ass. His had obviously been lodged there for decades. I cringed internally at the mean-spirited thought. I felt nervous and out of sorts, but I didn’t need to let Luella Townsend bring out the worst in me. The man made a soft sniffing sound. “I’m sorry, miss, there’s a dress code in the dining room.”

I managed a smile, but it was forced and I hoped it didn’t look as tight as it felt. “I know, I’m sorry, but it’s an emergency.”

“What sort of emergency?”

“I’m really not at liberty to give the details. It’s of a personal nature.”

He sniffed softly. “I see—”

“Details Mrs. Townsend wouldn’t want discussed. I’m sure you know what a private woman she is.”

The man stood straighter, and I didn’t think I missed the flash of nervousness in his eyes. Ah yes, he knew Luella too. The quick glance backward toward the dining room gave me even more reason to believe she was right where I thought she’d be. “Mrs. Townsend.”

I nodded. “Luella Townsend. She’ll be very displeased if she finds out I was here to tell her about the . . . emergency and was turned away,” I lied.

His lips stretched into the semblance of a smile, but his eyes remained aloof. “Of course.” He hesitated. “I’ll advise Mrs. Townsend that you’re here.”

Damn. But it seemed that was as far as I was going to get. I just prayed she wouldn’t send me away. She’d know why I was here. “Thank you.”

“Your name?”

“Audra Kelley.” He paused as if my name might be familiar. I had been to this club, many years before, but had never met this man. If he knew who I was, I had no idea how. He inclined his head once and turned toward the dining room.

My heart thumped heavily in my chest as I waited in the empty entranceway for the host to return. I could hear the distant hum of conversation and the soft pings and clatters of silverware and dishes. Classical music drifted from unseen speakers, and I breathed in the scent of this place: wood polish and dried flowers. The large display of blooms on the table to my right appeared fresh, so I wasn’t sure why they smelled as if they’d been pressed, but they did. Maybe that’s what this place did to all living things—sucked out their life essence and left them brittle and hollow.

“Stop being so dramatic, Audra,” I muttered, but the feeling lingered. I felt brittle and hollow, the same way this place had always made me feel.

Soft footsteps on the carpet made my breath catch. Luella was walking toward me, looking older than I remembered, though she was still a striking woman. She was wearing something beige and drapey, designer no doubt, though my brain was buzzing and I couldn’t lower my eyes from her face to focus on any details. Her white-blonde hair was swept back in a chignon, and the expression on her meticulously made-up face looked just as icy as I remembered it. “Audra,” she said, making my name sound like a contagious disease. I couldn’t help it, I shrunk under her frosty gaze, feeling like a seventeen-year-old girl in a secondhand dress.

But you’re not that girl anymore. You’re a woman with your own life and your own business. The thought of my business gave me a small surge of strength, and I took a deep breath, straightening my spine. “Mrs. Townsend, thank you for interrupting your lunch to see me.”

She glanced around and then began walking toward a door a few steps down the hall. I followed, as I assumed was expected. She led me through the doorway into a sitting area, elegant in shades of cream and plum, featuring lots of dark wood and shiny fabrics.

Luella cleared her throat as she turned toward me. She didn’t sit and so neither did I. She played idly with the rings on her fingers. “I assume there’s no emergency.”

“Actually, the letter I received this morning has caused an emergency. There’s obviously some sort of mistake and I’m here to clear it up.”

Luella put her hand idly on the love seat next to her, running it over the rich upholstery. “The only mistake is that you’ve been occupying that building as long as you have. The company has need of it now, so you’ll have to vacate the premises.”

“Vacate the premises? I run my business from that building. I rent out space in that building. And what’s more, I own that building.”