Page 65 of To Steal a Heart
“Nope. You smoke it out.” Grandmother’s eyes sparkled with feverish excitement. “We’re gonna catch ourselves a thief.”
The last thing Arden wanted to do was to join forces with Grandmother. “Don’t you think you should leave that to the police or the FBI?”
“What would be the fun in that?”
Arden startled.
Grandmother’s eyebrows shot up into her stone-gray beehive. “What’s wrong now?” she demanded.
“Garrett used that exact same phrase.”
Triumph lit Grandmother’s face. “You do love him, and I believe that he loves you. Now all we need to do is to smoke out the charming rat so we can prove it.”
“And just how do we do that?” Arden retorted. While a part of her wanted to believe that Garrett loved her, she couldn’t get her hopes up. Anger was her friend. She needed to hold onto it so that she could retain her strength.
A large, wise smile spread over Grandmother’s lips. “Listen and learn, little chickadee.”
CHAPTER 15
The reading was held in one of the large conference rooms off of the ballroom. Arden was pleased to see that it was a packed house. She took note of Mom and Grandmother sitting in the front row. Even Olivia had come out for the event. Arden was so grateful for the undying support of her best friend. Poor Olivia had managed to position herself in the middle of the power players. On Olivia’s right were Astor and Katia Bergman. On her left were Mom and Grandmother. Olivia flashed a large smile and gave Arden two thumbs up.
Arden returned her smile while trying to ignore the butterflies flapping like mad in her stomach. It wasn’t just the reading that had her nerves working overtime but also the upcoming gala this evening. A part of her fretted over how she would react if she came face-to-face with Garrett. The other part feared that he might not show. Maybe he’d left her the pink diamond charm to throw her off track. Or maybe Garrett simply enjoyed tormenting her.
She fiddled with the charms on her bracelet before looking down at her wrist and realizing what she was doing. Taking in a deep breath, she let go of the bracelet and forced herself to breathe evenly. Arden was good—probably better than most authors—at doing readings. However, she much preferred to be behind her computer rather than in front of an audience. The book signings, talk shows, and other multitude of events, which Jenna insisted that she do, were so draining.
She scoped the faces in the crowd, many of whom she recognized as residents of the island. There were lots of new faces also, evidence that Talon and his marketing team had done a stellar job of getting the word out. She wondered if Garrett would dare show his face today. Surely not. That would be bold, even for him. Her skin prickled in anticipation. Garrett was a thrill seeker. Showing up here today would be exactly like something he would do. She thought of one of her favorite movies—The Saint, starring Val Kilmer. She’d thought a lot about that movie over the past four months. Simon was a thief, and yet, there was goodness in him. Arden had felt what she thought was goodness in Garrett. Or maybe she just wanted so desperately for him to be good. That was probably why the movie kept entering her thoughts. She wanted the fairy-tale ending that Simon and Emma had. Simon had shown up when Emma met with the public to give cold fusion to the world. Would Garrett show up here today in some clever disguise? Or would he wait until tonight and come out when he could hide behind a mask?
A grim amusement overtook her. She loved stories and movies. However, she needed to draw a clear line of separation between fact and fiction.In the real world, thieves don’t have hearts of gold, and happily ever-after is an elusive dream that’s forever beyond my grasp.
She forced her thoughts away from her own problems and turned her attention to Astor and Katia Bergman. They’d come all this way to listen to Arden read. She needed to give them their full value. She had to be on her A-game. Astor was stocky with intelligent black eyes, bushy dark eyebrows, and a shock of silver hair. With his thick New York accent and beefy hands, he reminded Arden more of a retired boxer rather than a self-made billionaire.
Tall and model thin, Katia was the picture of elegance and beauty with her long shimmery poker-straight hair and exotic features that boasted high cheekbones. Arden wouldn’t mind crafting a character after Katia. In a husky tone that had a touch of a Latino accent, Katia explained how her mother, Beatriz, had immigrated to America with her parents when she was a teenager. With a reminiscent smile, Katia shared that Beatriz had worked in a diner waiting tables. Astor came in one day and was smitten from the moment he laid eyes on her.“The rest is history,”Katia said dreamily. She thanked Arden several times for doing the reading, saying how Beatriz had been her biggest fan.“Mama would have loved to have been here today,”Katia said.
Witnessing the deep love that Katia had for her departed mother pricked guilt into Arden, reminding her that she needed to be kinder and more loving towards Mom. She looked at Madeline, who looked stunning as always, her hair and makeup flawless. Arden was proud of Mom. Her eyes grew moist. She needed to do a better job of showing it. Her gaze moved to Grandmother. As always, she was sitting ramrod straight with a haughty scowl, her gray beehive towering to the ceiling. Ugh! Not many sentimental thoughts there. Arden still found it hard to believe that she was joining forces with Grandmother to “smoke out the rat.” This could be a huge disaster.
Talon was seated next to Arden on the stage. He squeezed her knee. “You ready?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be, I suppose.”
He rose to his feet and strode to the podium with the grace of a movie star. Talon had certainly come into his own. It just went to show what the love of a significant other could do for a person.
If only I could be so lucky.
“Good afternoon. Thanks for joining us for this special occasion.” Talon threw Arden a cheeky grin. “Let me begin by telling you a little about my younger sister. Growing up, Arden was determined to find the treasure that our grandfather supposedly hid somewhere on this island.” He pressed his lips together and adopted a somber expression, his tone becoming droning. “Day after day … night after night … hour after hour … Arden searched every inch of the island, often dragging her siblings along with her.” He grimaced. “Me included.” He paused for effect and then shook his head. “I’m sorry to report that Arden never did find that blasted treasure.”
This elicited several chortles of laughter.
He held up a finger. “However, my little sis channeled her gargantuan imagination into a valuable skill that has earned her the title of New York Times Bestselling Author.” A broad smile stretched over his face as his hand went over his heart. “And I couldn’t be prouder.”
Arden blinked in surprise. Talon wasn’t just playing to the crowd. He was serious. Emotion clogged her throat as she and Talon shared a grin. “Thank you,” she mouthed.
Thunderous applause filled the room as Arden smiled in acknowledgment. People were so gracious. She appreciated everyone coming out to support her. Of course, many of them were probably here because of the Bergmans and the diamond exhibit that would open tomorrow. Still … she was grateful to have so many people here.
When the noise quieted down, Talon continued, “This reading has special significance. We are holding it to honor Beatriz Bergman, the late wife of Astor and mother to Katia, who are here with us today.”
More vigorous clapping sounded as Astor and Katia stood and waved to the crowd with large smiles.
“Tomorrow marks the opening of the exhibit where the Finkle Diamond will be on display in the foyer of our hotel. I’d like to thank Astor and Katia Bergman for this high honor.”