The Elliotts: Bedroom Secrets: Under Deepest Cover. Barbara Dunlop

the charity, the one our embezzler is sending his funds to. I must have gotten close to them—but not close enough.”

      “You’re not ever allowed to go back to France, do you understand?” Lucy said fiercely. “My God, someone there tried to kill you!”

      He shrugged. “It happens a lot.”

      “Don’t tell me any more. I can’t stand it.”

      “I won’t. But you have to reassure my family that everything’s fine. Can you do that?”

      “No, Bryan, I can’t. I can’t tell them not to worry when you could get blown up at any time.”

      “I’m not going to get blown up.”

      “Someday, some bad guy is going to catch up with you,” she said in a small voice.

      He kissed her cheek in an achingly tender gesture. “I’m not going anywhere. I promised I wouldn’t leave you, didn’t I?”

      “You’ll be gone again tomorrow.”

      “For a few hours only. I’ll be back. We’re having a big party at the restaurant. The half-year profit margins have been calculated at EPH, and the company has broken all previous records. Apparently Granddad’s little game has produced the desired results.”

      “Which magazine is winning?”

      “Charisma. No one’s too surprised, the way Aunt Fin’s been working her tail off. But there are still six months to go.”

      “Have you talked to your dad?”

      “He doesn’t seem to care that Snap is in last place. I think he’s a little more broken up about his divorce than anyone suspected.”

      “Well, the breakup of any marriage is traumatic, even a bad marriage,” Lucy said pragmatically. “He’s got another six months to pull things together. Do you want him to get the CEO spot?”

      Bryan shrugged. “I just want him to be happy. He hasn’t been happy in a long time.”

      Lucy was bored out of her mind. Bryan had been gone longer than the “few hours” he’d promised, but she didn’t hold it against him. He was working hard to catch the embezzler, which was his job.

      But she missed him, and she had no more computer puzzles to distract her. She’d gone about as far as she could with the data she’d downloaded from Alliance Trust. Now it was up to Bryan to confirm the theory they’d come up with.

      He didn’t give her many details, but she gathered that he was having Mr. Vargov put under surveillance. Such operations were tricky, involving other arms of Homeland Security besides his own. And given that he had to protect his anonymity, even from other operatives, arrangements had to be made through intermediaries and other secure communications, all of which could take time.

      Three hours before the EPH party, Bryan’s phone rang. Lucy checked the Caller ID and saw the call came from Une Nuit, so she answered happily, thinking Bryan must be back.

      Instead, she found Stash Martin on the other end of the line. “Lindsay, I am glad I caught you at home.” Like, where else would she be? “Bryan just called and said he would be delayed. He wants you to finalize the menu for the party tonight.”

      “Me? Why?”

      “He said you have good taste.”

      “Good taste in men, maybe,” she said, which made Stash laugh. “All right, I’ll be down in a minute.” She was grateful for any distraction, provided her magic key still worked on the elevator. She hadn’t asked Bryan about that.

      Fifteen minutes later she and Stash were bent over an array of menus, some printed, some handwritten, that had been assembled for various parties over the years. Apparently, the regular menu didn’t include even a fraction of what the kitchen could do. Bryan regularly rotated dishes on and off, which kept things interesting for the clientele.

      “Stash, you have to help me choose,” she said, overwhelmed by the exotic-sounding dishes. “Is there anything that’s a particular favorite of the Elliotts? Anything they hate? Do any of them have food allergies?”

      “No allergies. One or more of the ladies are always watching their carbs, so you should choose at least one dish with that in mind.”

      “All right, how about this grilled chicken with the cashew and water chestnut stuffing?”

      “Excellent choice. Now, something with a bit more oomph for the adventurous palettes.”

      “Quiche Cantonese?”

      Stash nodded his approval. They went on in this fashion, with Stash giving her hints. Obviously, he could have put together the menu by himself, but Bryan had wanted to let her make the choices, which warmed her heart. He was being very thoughtful. Her choice of wine was strictly a guessing game, but she trusted Stash not to allow her to make a really dumb mistake.

      As she showered and began to dress a little while later, she realized she was looking forward to her dinner. She’d enjoyed planning it and couldn’t wait to see how the Elliotts reacted to it.

      She’d meant it when she told Bryan she thought owning a restaurant would be fun. She’d always enjoyed good food and had been ecstatic to discover dishes beyond the plain meat and potatoes she’d been raised on. She could hold her own in a kitchen. Her mother had taught her the basics, and she’d done some experimenting during her In Tight days, before Cruz had begun taking up all her time and attention. During the past couple of years she hadn’t cooked anything too exciting—that would have fallen under the category of indulging herself and having fun, things that had been off her list. But she’d bought cookbooks and read them.