Lie to Me (Pearl Island Trilogy #4)(42)
“Diane told you about that? Unbelievable.” Chloe shook her head. “During one of our non-confrontational phone calls, she mentioned she’d heard about me finding the necklace. She made it seem so casual, like she just wanted to chat about what was going on in my life. I should have known better. She somehow got it into her head that the necklace I found is a replacement for Marguerite’s necklace and that if I get clear possession of it, rather than letting it stay locked in a museum, it will improve the family’s fortune.”
“Seriously?” He gaped at her. “Why on earth would she think that?”
“I may have mentioned I thought Marguerite wanted me to find the necklace,” Chloe said apologetically. “I didn’t think Diane would take that to mean it was a replacement for the pearl necklace that was tied to Marguerite’s good luck.”
“They’re unbelievable,” Scott said. “How much fortune do they need to make them all happy? And you, you need to tell me when they’re pulling this crap. I swear, if I have to get my lawyer to call John’s lawyer and tell the whole family to back off and leave you alone, I’ll do it.”
“No!” Chloe’s heart thumped at the thought. “You don’t need to get involved in this. I can handle them.”
“You don’t have to do it alone,” Scott insisted.
“And you don’t have to come to my rescue anymore,” she said, pleadingly. “I’m all grown up now. Honestly, you treat me like I’m twelve.”
“Which was roughly yesterday,” he countered in a raised voice that caused Nicki’s brow to pucker in distress.
“Scott.” Allison stepped between them and laid a hand on her husband’s arm. “Why don’t you take Nicki into the kitchen and see if there are any cookies?”
“Cookies!” Nicki’s distress vanished.
Scott’s scowl said he wanted to argue. Allison arched a brow, mimicking her husband’s most challenging expression in a way she’d practiced over the years. The expression actually looked quite humorous on Allison’s naturally sweet face, which somehow made it even more effective.
“All right,” he grumbled. “I’ll let you handle this. For now.”
“Thank you.” Allison smiled at him.
He heaved a sigh, then looked at his daughter. “How about it, sweetie?” He tweaked Nicki’s nose. “You want a cookie?”
“Yes, please.” Nicki folded her hands beneath her chin and beamed at her daddy.
The instant they left, Allison turned to Chloe with a sigh of her own. “Okay, now that the big bad wolf is gone, we can talk.”
“You really shouldn’t call him that when we both know he’s a big softy inside.”
“Only with people he cares about.” Allison tipped her head. “How are you holding up?”
“I’m fine.”
“Really? Because when I talked to Rory this morning, she said you seemed upset.”
“I’m not upset,” she insisted automatically.
“Chloe.” Allison pressed fingertips to her temples. “Why do you always make this like pulling teeth?”
“I don’t know what you mean,” she said, trying for blasé.
Allison dropped her hands and gave her a sympathetic look. “I know you’d rather not bother anyone when something is upsetting you, but honestly, it would be easier on me if you’d just tell me what’s going on.”
“I’m sorry.” Guilt hit Chloe as she wondered if her efforts to spare her aunt actually achieved the opposite effect. Her shoulders sagged as she gave in. “You’re right, I am upset, but it’s not about Diane. It’s Luc.”
“Oh?” Allison looked confused. “I thought that was going great.”
“I did, too.” Chloe struggled to hold her emotions in. “I know he only arrived a couple days ago, but I’ve never felt this way about anyone. He seemed so different from any guy I’ve ever known. I thought I’d finally found someone I could trust. Now I don’t know what to think.”
“What happened?” Allison asked.
“All I can say is, Diane isn’t the only one who wants the necklace. Luc and I were walking on the beach, and I told him about finding it. Out of nowhere, he announces that it belongs to his grandmother and the whole reason he came here is to get it back.”
“What?” Allison’s eyes widened.
“According to him, Hurricane Katrina sucked the necklace out into the Gulf and Hurricane Ike dropped it on our beach three years later. How crazy is that?”
“I don’t know.” Allison shrugged. “I’ve heard of crazier things, especially when storms are involved.”
“Excuse me?” Chloe stared at her. “If it’s true, why didn’t he tell me about it when he first got here? Why would he wait until I brought it up?”
“I don’t know.” Allison’s brow furrowed. “Did he say why he waited?”
“He said he didn’t know how to tell me. How lame is that?” she asked. “All I can say is, good luck to him taking his story to the Historical Commission.”
“Does he have any proof?” Allison asked.
“He claims the necklace was the inspiration for some portal in the game he created years ago, and that anyone who compares the two will see that. He thinks that proves the necklace didn’t come from the shipwreck.”