Grand Passion

“And possibly chapter four as well.”
    Cleo's cheeks burned a brilliant shade of pink. “Maybe it would be better if you didn't. I think you've read far enough to get an idea of what The Mirror is all about.”
    Max held her eyes. “There's no way I can stop now.”
    Cleo gazed at him with a disturbingly serious expression. “Maybe we'd better get something clear here. If you're looking for an entertaining interlude out here on the coast, forget it. I don't do entertaining interludes.”
    “Neither do I,” Max said.
    She picked up her glasses and pushed them firmly onto her nose. Her face was flushed, but her eyes were steady and clear. “To be perfectly blunt, I don't do interludes at all, entertaining or otherwise.”
    “Not at all?”
    “No.”
    “Never?” Max persisted, curious.
    Cleo got to her feet and retreated to the shadows of her fanback chair. She gazed out into the night for a long while.
    “Once, a long time ago, when I was twenty-three, there was a man. But we broke up after my…after my parents died. There hasn't been anyone since.”
    “Why not?” Max asked, greedy for every scrap of information he could collect. He wanted to learn everything there was to learn about her, he realized. He had to dig down through the layers and find all the closely guarded secrets.
    “I don't know why not.” Cleo's eyes flashed with a sudden shower of angry sparks. An instant later the fireworks vanished as quickly as they had appeared. “That's not entirely true. A therapist told me that I've never been able to cope with the way my parents died.”
    “How did they die?”
    Cleo looked down at her clasped hands as if debating how much to tell him. She appeared to come to some sort of decision. “They say my father shot my mother and then turned the gun on himself.”
    “Jesus,” Max muttered.
    “The theory is that I can't reconcile the fact that they loved each other with the way they died. It's impossible for me to believe that the bond my parents shared was tainted by some sick obsession of my father's.”
    “There's a certain logic to that,” Max said quietly. “Look, Cleo, I'm sorry I pushed for so many answers. I had no right to do that.”
    “Damn.” Cleo shot to her feet and walked to the glass wall. “I don't know why I'm telling you all this. You're the second man I've confided in today. I guess this business with the anonymous notes and the ribbons has me more rattled than I thought.”
    Max narrowed his eyes. “You told Hildebrand about your parents?”
    “He made me mad when he said I wasn't pure enough to be a politician's wife.” Cleo sighed. “I got kind of mouthy, I guess. Told him I had another skeleton in the closet besides The Mirror . I couldn't resist pointing out that the press would probably have a field day with the facts surrounding my parents' death.”
    “I see. How did he take it?”
    Cleo shrugged. “Oh, he was well and truly shocked. Max, I'm sorry I got into all this with you tonight. It's a very private matter. Until today no one but the family has known what happened to my folks.”
    “I don't intend to discuss it with anyone else.”
    “I didn't think you did.” She bit her lip. “I just wanted you to realize that I'm not a good candidate for a quick fling or even a long-term affair.”
    Max reached for his cane and got slowly to his feet. He folded his hands on the hawk and stood watching Cleo. “I won't push you into anything you don't want.”
    Her answering smile held a curious blend of uncertainty and relief. “Thanks for understanding. I'm sorry about what happened here tonight. It was my fault.”
    Max smiled to himself and headed for the door. “Don't be too sure of that. See you in the morning.”
    “Max?”
    “Don't worry, Cleo. From here on out, we'll do it by the book. Your book.”

Chapter

5

    S hortly before dawn the next morning Cleo gave up trying to sleep. She pushed aside the quilt, got out of bed, and crossed the room to cast an appraising eye at the weather.
    The dark sky was overcast, but it was not yet raining. There would be plenty of time to get in a brisk walk along the top of the bluffs before the next storm struck.
    After the restless night she'd just spent, she needed to clear her head with the crisp, cold sea air. Perhaps later in the day she would go to the meditation center at Cosmic Harmony. Unfortunately there wasn't time to do that this morning. Cleo wanted to be at the inn when the morning rush started in