“Hello.”
She looked up to see a big, tall young man—at least young to her—midthirties, possibly older. He was quite good-looking, and his eyes had a kind of feral energy that Olivia guessed would get him whatever he wanted. The shirt and trousers he wore looked casual, but she could tell that they’d been custom-made for him. But the smooth outward appearance of him seemed studied, as though he were an actor playing a role.
“Are you Mrs. Montgomery?” His words were spoken in a newscaster’s voice, with no real accent. But she would put money on it that it wasn’t the way he spoke when he was a kid.
“I am. And you’re from Dr. Hightower?”
“Yes. Do you mind?” Politely, he waited for her to motion for him to take the chair across from her. He sat down, then nodded for a waitress to come to him. As Olivia had guessed, the young woman arrived quickly. When he gave his order for black coffee, Olivia was glad to see that his eyes didn’t linger on the pretty young waitress. Nor did he speak until she’d left. “Jeanne—Dr. Hightower—said you would take us to the house.”
“I will, but we need to wait for the other tenant, Elise, to get here. I got a text from her and she should be here in a few minutes.”
When the waitress put the coffee before the man, she set down a plate of little lemon cookies. “They’re on the house. For—”
She glanced at Olivia. “For both of you.”
Olivia knew the girl’s mother and it took only a quick squint of her eyes to make the girl go away. When she looked back at the man, she wondered if he was as oblivious to the attention of the waitress as he seemed.
“I guess Jeanne told you that I’m Ray Hanran.”
“I was told little more than your names, but I did assume that you and Elise are friends.”
“Oh no,” he said, “I’ve never met my new housemate. There was supposed to be an older woman staying with us, but she dropped out.”
Olivia couldn’t help frowning. “I know that the other guest is quite young.”
“Is she? I have no idea. You know Jeanne. She tells you little about anything.”
“Actually, I don’t know her. It was my husband, Kit, who asked me to escort you two to the Camden Hall estate.”
“Estate? That sounds bigger than I thought it was.”
“Jeanne’s summerhouse is one of four small houses on what used to be a fairly grand property.” Olivia was concerned about the arrangements. “Does this young woman, Elise, know that she’s spending the weekend with a man she’s never met?” She gave a pointed look at the wedding ring on his left hand.
The way he smiled showed that he knew what was in Olivia’s mind. “I don’t know what she’s been told. None of this was my doing. It took Jeanne weeks to make me believe I should stop work and go to some cabin nestled in the woods.” His eyes widened. “You don’t think this is like a dating service, do you? Meant to match me up with some lonely young client of hers?”
The way he leaned back in his chair made Olivia think he was going to leave—which would disappoint Kit greatly. “I really don’t know anything,” she said quickly. “My husband was called away to DC and he sent me an email saying a psychologist, Dr. Jeanne Hightower, was sending two of her clients here for a long weekend. He asked if I would please meet you two in this restaurant and lead you there. It’s not easy to find.”
Ray frowned. “I don’t understand any of this. I’m having...” He took a drink of his coffee and seemed to consider whether or not to confide in her. “I’m having some serious marital problems and Jeanne was recommended to me. I’ve been going to her for weeks, but I haven’t made any progress in my decision about what to do. I was planning to quit therapy, but then Jeanne started nagging me to go to Virginia to spend some time at her summerhouse. I finally gave in and here I am.”
Suddenly, a look of abject terror came onto his face. “This isn’t one of those retreats, is it? Where I’m supposed to wear a white robe and talk about my...my feelings?”
Olivia couldn’t help a laugh at the fear in his voice. “It’s not. The house is a pretty little three-bed, three-bath, and it was empty for years. I wasn’t even aware that it’d been sold. I’ve lived in Summer Hill all my life but I’ve only been on the grounds of Camden Hall once, and that was many years ago. But now that I live there—”
“You live there, but you’ve only seen it once?”
Olivia didn’t like talking about her personal life, but she knew she had to say something to keep this man from leaving. In her calmest voice, the one she often used with strangers, she said, “You see, I’m a newlywed.” She waited for his astonishment. Young people seemed to think older women were born married. He did look surprised, but he recovered quickly. “At our wedding, my husband gave me the deed to a house on the Camden estate. He and I were together years ago when we first saw the old River House on the property so he knew I liked the place.” She paused to remember that blistering hot day when the two of them were naked. Young, strong bodies glistening in the sun.
She looked back at Ray. “My husband bought the house for me, but I didn’t see it. We left from the wedding to go on a six-month-long honeymoon to see the places where he’d worked during his life as a diplomat.” Places I should have seen with him, she thought, but didn’t say. Kit had also recently introduced her to people she should have known for the last forty-plus years.
“As soon as we got back to the US, Kit got a call from someone in DC and had to leave, so I returned to Summer Hill. I spent last night at the house of a friend. After I get you and young Elise settled at Dr. Hightower’s house, I’m to go to the home my husband bought for us. It’s at the other end of the estate.”
He looked at her for a moment, seeming to consider this information. “Isn’t a groom supposed to carry his bride over the threshold of the new house?”
If Olivia hadn’t asked herself that very thing, she would have laughed. But her disappointment showed on her face. The first time she saw the inside of the house she wanted to be with Kit. Part of the reason for their long honeymoon had been so the old house could be repaired, painted, and furnished. Every day they’d delighted in seeing the photos the decorator and the work crew sent them. They’d begun with cobwebs and mice, a raccoon in the attic, and 1940s electrical. But underneath the filth had been beautiful old beams and stone fireplaces, and giant windows that looked out onto a pretty pond with an island in the middle. It was all going to be perfect!
But as much as she’d enjoyed the traveling and buying things for their house, there were times when such deep waves of regret flooded Olivia that she’d been unable to move. Kit and she had known each other for so very long and they should have been together all that time. She should know the best places to shop in Istanbul. She should be able to speak Arabic because she should have lived with Kit when he was stationed in Egypt. She should—
When she looked at Ray, sitting quietly and watching her, his eyes were almost glittering with interest in her every word. It took her a moment to recognize that look. “You’re a salesman, aren’t you?”
Ray let out a laugh that almost sent coffee spewing, but he grabbed a napkin and covered his mouth. “What gave me away?”
“‘A lean and hungry look,’” she said, quoting Shakespeare. “So what is it that you’re using all this concern to try to sell me?”
“Stay with us.”
“What do you mean?”
“Jeanne sent me here to give me time to think. When I’m at work in the city or at home with my wife, Kathy, I can’t stand back and look at what’s going on. Jeanne said she wants to give me time away so I can make what will be the biggest decision of my life.”
He paused for a moment. “But things have changed. I thought two women were going to be there and they could...”