“Mac said his aunt and uncle own the RV.” The words slipped out of CJ’s mouth as the RV door closed behind the men. Now she turned to Marguerite with confusion, her gaze sliding over the lovely young woman she’d met while relaxing at her cottage on Pelee Island in May. Marguerite Notte and her husband had taken their friend Ildaria to the island for a weeklong getaway before she started summer classes at a university in Toronto. She’d guessed at the time that the trio were in their mid-twenties. That would still be her guess looking at Marguerite now, and surely that was young for them to be Mac’s aunt and uncle.
“Mac is my nephew by marriage,” Marguerite explained easily. “His father was brother to my first husband, Jean Claude Argeneau. I believe I mentioned the last time we met that my first husband was much older than me,” Marguerite reminded her.
CJ nodded slowly. Yes, she had. Marguerite had also said her first husband had been controlling and abusive and she’d been glad to see the back of him.
“Mac is your nephew?” Mrs. Vesper asked with interest.
“Yes.” Marguerite beamed at the woman. “Is he not a charmer?”
Mrs. Vesper was quick to agree. “Yes, indeed, he is. Makes me wish I was fifty years younger.”
“Well, he has an older brother who is just as charming, and I think the two of you would get on famously.” Marguerite smiled and locked arms with her to urge her toward the door of the house. “I do not suppose you have tea, Millie?”
“As a matter of fact, I do. Would you like some, dear?” Mrs. Vesper asked as CJ opened the door and stepped to the side to allow the other two women to enter first.
“I would love one,” Marguerite assured her. “I can smell coffee and it does smell delicious, but I fear the caffeine overstimulates me.”
“I don’t have that problem, but I do prefer tea myself,” Mrs. Vesper said lightly as CJ followed them into the house and down the hall to the kitchen.
“Why don’t you two sit down and I’ll see about the tea,” Mrs. Vesper suggested.
“Nonsense. I’ll help. I’m not one of your guests,” Marguerite said at once.
“Well, I am, but I’d like to help too,” CJ said. “What can I do, Mrs. Vesper?”
“Sit and finish your breakfast,” Mrs. Vesper said firmly as she retrieved CJ’s still half-full plate from the oven. Mac’s and Mrs. Vesper’s plates were both in there too, she noted before Millie closed the oven door and carried the plate toward her. Obviously, the older woman had stopped to put their plates in the oven before following her and Mac outside when the RV had arrived.
Thinking of the RV made CJ recall her first meeting with the woman now chattering away with Mrs. Vesper as they gathered cups and filled the teakettle. Marguerite and Julius had been staying in the RV on Pelee Island, renting space on her neighbor’s property, when she met them there in May. CJ had gone to the island intending to see what needed to be done to the cottage before she could sell it. But she’d returned home having changed her mind and determined to keep it. Marguerite and Ildaria had been a big part of that decision. Despite being more than a decade older than the pair, she’d got along quite well and become fast friends with both women and even Julius. She’d really enjoyed her stay on the island thanks to the trio. It had reminded her of why she’d always loved the island and why she’d refused to sell it years ago when her now ex-husband had tried to get her to.
Of course, he’d never thought much of the island himself. Too boring, he’d claimed. But then there hadn’t been any prostitutes or drug dealers there to ratchet up the excitement for him. One of the hazards of working in drug enforcement as her ex had done, she thought bitterly. He’d found normal relaxing pastimes too sedate and had seemed to constantly be jonesing for the adrenaline rush he was used to on the job. Of course, she hadn’t realized that at first.
“Oh, dear, why is Officer Dandridge leaving? He’s supposed to be guarding Mac.”
CJ stood and moved to the window at Mrs. Vesper’s gasped words. She was just in time to see the patrol car heading out of the driveway.
“Oh, it’s fine,” Marguerite said soothingly. “That’s what Bricker and Decker are here for.”
“What?” CJ asked with surprise, turning to the woman.
“They are here to guard Mac and look into the fire,” Marguerite explained.
CJ stared at her blankly, and then asked, “What are they? Some kind of private security sent out by the company he works for?”
“How clever of you to guess that,” Marguerite congratulated, not actually saying that was the case, but implying it. “What made you think of it?”
“Well, the only person Mac called was his boss,” CJ pointed out, returning to her seat.
“Yes. Bastien.” Marguerite smiled affectionately as she spoke the name. “He’s Mac’s cousin, and the reason Julius and I came to Sandford. The minute he mentioned the trouble Mac had run into and that he’d encountered his life m—you, we offered to bring Justin and Decker so they had somewhere to stay while here.” Turning, she smiled at Mrs. Vesper. “I gather your beautiful bed-and-breakfast is full up,” she said, and then added, “I can see why, Millie. This is a delight.”
“Thank you,” Mrs. Vesper said, a blush of pleasure rising on her cheeks.
The warmth in Marguerite’s smile ratcheted up a couple of degrees at her reaction and then she turned to CJ to ask, “So, what were you and my nephew planning for the day?”
The way she said it made it sound like they were a couple and CJ was about to protest that she hadn’t planned anything to do with Mac, but in truth she had, so she admitted, “I had thought to take him out to get a few necessities: toothbrush, hairbrush, shaving stuff, and clothes. But now that you’re here—”
“Oh, thank goodness for that!” Marguerite exclaimed with happy relief, cutting her off. “Of course we brought him a toothbrush, ID, money, and such. But I have no idea what size Mac wears in clothes, so we could not take care of that for him. I decided we would go shopping when we got here, but I forgot we were in the RV.” Turning to Mrs. Vesper, she told her with a wry smile, “The RV is handy for staying in. Quite lovely for it, really. Like a house on wheels. But it does drive like a little house on wheels too. Big, and awkward, and my goodness does it guzzle gas, which is just horrible for the environment, of course. Not something you’d want to go shopping in.” Turning back to CJ, she reached out to squeeze her hand with gratitude. “How lucky we are that you are offering to take him in your car.”
“Oh, I . . .” CJ frowned. She’d seen freedom on the horizon, thinking their arrival meant she could be rid of Mac, and suddenly that freedom had just been snatched away. She couldn’t even dump him on Dandridge now that the officer was gone. Hell, she thought with irritation. It was like the universe was doing everything it could to ensure she wouldn’t be rid of the man.
“You finish your breakfast and I shall go tell the boys to get ready to go shopping,” Marguerite said now, getting up from the table.
“The boys?” CJ echoed with confusion.
“Well, Justin and Decker will have to accompany the two of you. They are here to protect Mac, after all,” Marguerite pointed out as she headed out of the room. “I shall be right back.”
CJ heaved a defeated sigh as she heard the screen door squeal open and clang shut, then turned to Mrs. Vesper and forced a smile when she noted the woman’s amused expression. “It would appear I’m going shopping.”
“Yes, dear. It seems so,” Mrs. Vesper said sympathetically, and then added, “It will be fine. Mac is a lovely young man. I know he’ll appreciate your help in the matter.”
“Yeah,” CJ murmured, and lowered her gaze to her plate. Oddly enough, she wasn’t hungry anymore.
Nine
Mac finished tucking in the clean T-shirt he’d just donned, and then took a moment to run his fingers through his still damp hair to smooth down the disorder that pulling the cloth over his head had caused. He’d had six bags of blood, taken a shower, shaved, and was now dressed in lovely clean clothes and ready to begin his wooing. He felt much better than he had before his aunt Marguerite and uncle Julius had arrived. Actually, he felt great now. He was clean, well-fed, and had met his life mate.
Life was good, he decided, winking at himself in the mirror before bending to scoop up the pajama bottoms and T-shirt he’d stripped out of to shower. He considered them briefly, and then simply tossed them in the small garbage bin next to the toilet before opening the bathroom door and stepping out into the equally small bedroom.
Mac heard Marguerite’s voice as he passed through the bedroom to the main part of the RV, which was a compact combination living room/dining area. Still, while he knew she was there before he stepped out of the bedroom, he was completely unprepared for her to gasp with horror and immediately start shaking her head when she saw him.
“No, no, no! Take those clothes off and put your pajamas back on,” she ordered, hurrying to his side.
“What?” he asked, dumbfounded.
“Take them off!” she insisted, jerking his T-shirt out of the jeans and starting to wrench it up his chest.
“Marguerite!” he protested, trying to grab at the cloth to pull it back down, but he was too slow. She was already jerking it off over his head, forcing his arms up as she did. “What are you doing?” he muttered with bewilderment through the cloth while it was temporarily covering his face.
“I am trying to prevent you making a huge mistake, Macon,” she said as she managed to get the cloth off his head. “I am helping.”
“Hey!” he roared, grabbing her hands to stop her when she started to work at undoing his jeans. “What the hell, woman?”
“I think he can manage the rest on his own, darling,” Julius said with gentle amusement as he slid an arm around her waist and drew her away from Mac.