“Very romantic.”
“Yeah, it was,” Nick admitted, shrugging like a jock caught sending a frilly Valentine. “Sharon is…beyond great. Hey, did you get your laundry?”
“My laundry?”
“Sharon said she put some of your things in your room for you.”
“She did?” Ashley murmured. “Is she awake yet?”
“She doesn’t have anything today until a closing at noon. She was going back to sleep when I left her.”
Ashley smiled at her uncle. “I think I’ll just give a knock and see if she’s still awake.”
She hurried away before he could stop her. He’d left his door ajar, and Sharon hadn’t risen to close it. Ashley knocked.
“Nick?” Sharon’s sleepy voice had a note of curiosity in it. Of course, why would Nick be knocking?
“Sharon, it’s me. Ashley. May I speak with you?”
“One sec.”
Sharon pulled the door fully open a moment later, tying a bathrobe around her waist as she did so. She was a beautiful woman. First thing in the morning, hair tousled, no makeup—she was still stunning with her soft tresses, petite size and classic features. No wonder Nick thought he was a lucky man.
“Ashley?” she said curiously.
Ashley didn’t have time to beat around the bush. “Two things. First, what were you really doing in my room? I knew someone had been there, and Nick mentioned that you had brought in some laundry, but…no laundry.”
Sharon’s cheeks went bloodred. “I lied to him. I’m sorry.”
“Then…?”
“I was trying to get to know you a bit better.”
“We could have gone shopping or had lunch,” Ashley said.
Sharon shook her head. “Ashley…I have an appointment on Saturday morning. If you’ll just bear with me until then, I’ll explain myself completely, and I hope you’ll understand.”
“You’re being very mysterious.”
“Not mysterious. Just a little…well, you’ll understand when I tell you. What was the second thing?”
“I need to know about a property you sold.”
Sharon frowned. “A property?”
“Way southwest. Almost in the Glades.”
“I’ve sold a number of properties out there. Which one?”
Ashley gave her the address. Sharon still stared at her blankly.
“A big house, lots of land and several outbuildings,” Ashley said.
“That could be a couple of places. I can’t access old files from the house, but I’ll look it up for you once I get to work.”
“Are you going in? Nick just said you don’t have anything ’til a closing at twelve.”
“Ashley, if you need information, I’ll make a point to go in and get it for you.”
“Thanks.”
“What do you need?”
“Anything and everything you can give me.”
Sharon nodded. “I’ll have it by tonight.”
“I probably won’t be home until late tonight. I’m supposed to be celebrating with friends.” Of course, she wouldn’t be celebrating if she didn’t find one of her friends by that evening. “If you can, leave whatever you dig up on my bed.”
“Sure.”
They stood staring at one another for a moment. “Ashley, I shouldn’t have been in your room, it wasn’t my place, and I’m really sorry, but I hope you’ll understand when I’ve had a chance to tell you…what’s going on.”
“I hope so, too,” Ashley said. She turned and started to walk away.
“Ashley?” Sharon called after her. Ashley turned. “You know that Nick adores you. He couldn’t love you more, or be prouder of you, if you were his own child.”
“He’s everything to me, as well,” Ashley said, curious that Sharon would have stopped her with such a comment. “If you get that information, I’ll be really grateful.”
“I’ll definitely retrieve the file.”
Ashley walked back into the kitchen. Nick was looking at her curiously as she headed for the coffeepot. “Is everything all right?”
“Absolutely,” Ashley said. She set her cup down on the counter and told him a white lie. “I just wanted to thank her for the laundry.”
“Good,” Nick said. “Hey, your cell phone is ringing.”
“What?”
“I can hear it. In the bedroom.”
Once Nick had said it, she could hear the faint tones of her phone, as well. She thanked him quickly as she went running into her bedroom, digging into her bag for her phone. Jan’s number. She caught it quickly.
“Jan!” she said breathlessly.
“Hey. I guess we were being silly about Karen, though why she hasn’t called one of us back yet, I don’t know.”
“What are you talking about?”
“She called in to work again already—still sick.”
“Then why isn’t she sick at home? And why is her car in the drive?”
“I don’t know. We can ask her next time we see her, I guess.”
“I think I’ll run by her place again after work.”