Julianna Morris - Undercover In Glimmer Creek

Before he could say anything else, Tessa straightened her shoulders. “I need to get going. As I said, be sure to put in for overtime. Thanks for your extra effort.” Her brisk tone was reminiscent of Charlotte Angstrom’s no-nonsense manner. “Have a good evening.”

Gabe watched her walk away with wry acceptance, surprised he’d gotten her to talk as much as he had. He just wasn’t the sort of guy who grew on people.

After signing out, he found Liam Connor in his office, gazing at a picture, oblivious to everything else. Recalling how the older man’s hands had trembled while working on the roses, Gabe looked around, half expecting to see a bottle of whiskey or another alcohol of choice. He’d seen the same tremor in his mother’s hands often enough.

“Is everything all right?” he asked finally.

Liam blinked and focused on him. “What? Yes, of course. I was just thinking about how much everything keeps changing, no matter how hard we try to keep it the same.”

Gabe sat in one of the chairs and stretched out his legs. For the past few days they’d chatted for a long while after work and had even gone out to eat together, though he still hadn’t asked the questions he wanted to ask. Maybe now was a good time.

“Do you miss managing Poppy Gold?” he asked.

“No. My...my wife mostly handled the business end. Things got a bit out of hand when I began running it alone. I considered selling, so Tessa quit her job in San Francisco to come back and take over.”

Interesting. Did “out of hand” mean they’d had financial trouble? Yet even as the question formed in Gabe’s mind, he dismissed it. Money problems could lead to bad decisions, but Poppy Gold still appeared quite prosperous.

“Tessa seems competent,” he said. “She never seems to stop moving.”

“She’s been that way since she was little. Full of energy, just like her mother. She came up most weekends from San Francisco to help out, even before my wife...” His voice trailed, and pain filled his eyes.

Gabe thought about Liam’s nickname for his daughter—Tessajinks. On the wall hung a photo of a mischievous-looking golden-haired toddler—presumably Tessa—who fit the cheeky name. Looking at it gave him an odd sensation. His years in the service had carried him into every corner of the globe, and he’d encountered children in the worst circumstances. Injured, hungry, sometimes staring into space with blank eyes... His gut clenched, and he forced his thoughts away from the images he could never quite forget.

His cell phone rang, and he pulled it out, seeing his brother’s name and number on the display. Talking to him would have to wait; Gabe turned the phone off and returned it to his pocket.

“Does Tessa hope to move back to San Francisco at some point?” he asked casually.

Liam seemed surprised by the question. “I don’t think so. She always wanted to run Poppy Gold Inns one day, but after getting her MBA, she went to work for my father’s company to gain management experience.”

Gabe raised an eyebrow. “She couldn’t do that here?”

“Of course. She just thought it would please her grandfather to spend time with him. He’s getting on in years.”

“He must have hoped she’d step into his shoes when he retired.”

Liam let out a snort of laughter. “Patrick Connor will never retire. He enjoys empire building too much.”

It didn’t sound as if Liam got along any better with his father than Gabe did with his own. “Isn’t Poppy Gold an empire?”

“Poppy Gold is modest by comparison to Connor Enterprises, but it doesn’t matter. This is our home. After we started the bed-and-breakfast business, I discovered an interest in historical restoration, so that’s been my primary focus. I’m grateful to my grandfather, James Connor, for preserving the old part of Glimmer Creek. Dad, of course, didn’t feel the same. He felt it was a waste of money.”

“So he agreed with calling it Connor’s Folly.”

“That’s right. Once Dad was grown they would have arguments about keeping ‘useless’ property with so much expensive upkeep, though he didn’t try selling until James was gone. Sadly, Granddad died in a boating accident soon after handing the company over.”

“Maybe that’s why your father doesn’t believing in retiring.”

This time a genuine laugh came from Liam. “Yup, he says it’s dangerous. Mostly I think he’s seen too many men of his generation retire and die of heart attacks within a year. It’s a question of priorities. Don’t define yourself by work, Gabe. Family is what matters.”

“I’m not that close to my family. Most of them, anyway.”

“Sorry to hear it.”

Gabe checked his watch; Rob would be getting impatient, wondering if something was wrong. “I wish I could stay, but I need to make a call.”

“Of course. By the way, if you have navy friends who want to visit, they can stay in the John Muir Cottage. We keep it reserved for active service members, as well as veterans and military families going through a rough time. We might have to coordinate visits, but the house is separated into several different spaces, so a room is usually available.”

“No.”

Liam looked taken aback by the emphatic refusal, and Gabe was annoyed that he’d let down his guard. He didn’t know how to define the members of his former SEAL team. They were men he’d trusted with his life more times than he could count. At the same time, he couldn’t afford to disrupt his investigation.

“That is, I appreciate the offer,” he added quickly, “but it isn’t necessary. I don’t know anyone who could get leave right now, and California is a long way from where they’re stationed. It’s good to know about the cottage, though. Do service members just ask to stay here?”

“Not exactly. It began with an old friend from the army. We stayed in touch after getting out, and Randall rose quickly through the ranks. When the wife of one of his men was ill and the family needed a break but couldn’t afford to go anywhere, he called and asked if they could stay at Poppy Gold for a week. Everything evolved from there. We also get referrals for veterans having trouble finding jobs.”

“That’s nice.” Gabe was impressed. A number of places offered discounts to the military, but Poppy Gold was going beyond that.

“It’s the least we can do. Have a good evening, Gabe. Thanks for all the help today.”

“Uh, sure.” Both Liam and Tessa had a habit of thanking Poppy Gold employees for their work. Gabe was never certain how to respond since he was in Glimmer Creek with ulterior motives.

Back at his studio cottage, he quickly connected with Rob via Skype. “Sorry I didn’t answer earlier, I was talking to Liam again,” he explained.

“No problem. I understand there was a bit of excitement this afternoon.”

“Minor quake, barely worth mentioning.”

“Good to hear.” Rob leaned closer to the camera on the computer. “I wanted to tell you that my research doesn’t show any direct benefit to Connor Enterprises from any of the information leaks.”

Gabe was unaccountably relieved, maybe because he didn’t want to think Liam was guilty. “That’s good. Did you find out who recommended Poppy Gold as a place for TIP’s executive retreats?”

“It was through Poppy Gold promotional efforts. The personnel department says they kept getting brochures in the mail, stacks of them, and thought the place looked interesting. Then they got a phone call from the Poppy Gold marketing department, discussing the facility and amenities. It seems innocent enough.”

“Except that TIP is an import-export company and the Connors are connected to a company in the same line of business. That’s why I wanted to know how you started coming here. Coincidences bother me.”