a delicate lily of the valley on the inside of her left wrist? He wondered how his brother could be taken in by such guileless naivete when it was so obviously an act.
This last point snapped Paul out of whatever spell she’d cast over him. Grabbing his brother’s arm, Paul towed Ethan out of the hospital room, eager to get answers without disturbing Grady. Out in the hall, Paul closed the door and glanced around. Lia Marsh had vanished and he noticed that didn’t bring him the satisfaction it should have.
“Who is she?” Paul demanded, his unsettled emotions making his tone sharper than necessary. “And what the hell is going on?”
Ethan sighed. “Lia’s a friend of mine.”
Paul dragged his hand through his hair as he fought to control the emotions cascading through him. He focused on his anxiety over his grandfather’s condition. That feeling made sense. The rest he would just ignore.
“You’ve never mentioned her before,” Paul said. “How well do you know her?”
A muscle jumped in Ethan’s jaw. He looked like he was grappling with something. “Well enough. Look, you’re seeing problems where there aren’t any.”
“Have you forgotten that Watts Shipping as well as various members of our family have been cyberattacked in the last year? So when I show up in Grady’s hospital room and there’s a strange woman alone with him, I get concerned.”
“Trust me—Lia has nothing to do with any of that,” Ethan said. “She’s really sweet and just wants to help. Grady has been so depressed. We thought a visit might cheer him up.”
Paul refused to believe that he’d overreacted. And Ethan was transitioning into the CEO position at Watts Shipping, replacing their father who planned to retire in the next year. Why wouldn’t his brother take these various cyber threats seriously?
“But she was dressed like a...like a...” It wasn’t like him to grapple for words, but the whole encounter had a surreal quality to it.
“Disney princess?” Ethan offered, one corner of his mouth kicking up. “Specifically Rapunzel from Tangled.”
“Okay, but you never answered my question. Where did you meet her?” Paul persisted, making no attempt to rein in his skepticism. Ethan’s persistent caginess was a red flag. “What do you know about her?”
When meeting people for the first time, Paul tended to assess them like it was an investigation and often struggled to give them the benefit of the doubt. Did that mean he was suspicious by nature? Probably. But if that’s what it took to keep his family safe, then so be it.
“Can you stop thinking like a cop for two seconds?” Ethan complained.
Paul bristled. It wasn’t only Grady who hadn’t supported his decision to join the Charleston PD after college and several years later start his cybersecurity business.
“What’s her angle?”
“She doesn’t have one. She’s exactly like she seems.”
Paul snorted. A cosplay fanatic? “What else do you know about her?”
“I don’t know,” Ethan complained, growing impatient. “She’s really nice and a great listener.”
“A great listener,” Paul echoed, guessing that Lia Marsh had taken advantage of Ethan’s distress over their grandfather’s illness. “I suppose you told her all about Grady and our family?”
“It’s not as if any of it is a huge secret.”
“Regardless. You brought a complete stranger, someone you know almost nothing about, to meet our dying grandfather.” Paul made no effort to temper his irritation. “What were you thinking?”
“I was thinking Grady might enjoy a visit from a sweet, caring person who has a beautiful singing voice.” Ethan gave him such a sad look. “Why do you always go to the worst-case scenario?”
Paul stared at his brother. Ethan behaved as if this explanation made all the sense in the world. Meanwhile, Paul’s relentless, logical convictions prevented him from grasping what sort of eccentricities drove Lia Marsh to parade around as a storybook character.
“She was dressed up. I just don’t understand...”
Ethan shrugged. “It’s what she does.”
“For a living?”
“Of course not,” Ethan countered, showing no defensiveness at all in the face of his brother’s sarcasm. In fact, he looked fairly smug as he said, “She dresses up and visits sick children. They love her.”
Paul cursed. Actually, that was a damned nice thing to do.
“How did you meet her?”
Ethan frowned. “I’m a client.”
“What sort of a client?”
“None of this matters.” Ethan exhaled. “Lia is great and your trust issues are getting old.”
A heavy silence fell between the brothers as Paul brushed aside the criticism and brooded over Ethan’s caginess. He hated being at odds with his brother and wasn’t sure how to fix the disconnect. With less than a year between them in age, he and Ethan had been tight as kids despite their differing interests and passions. Paul was fascinated by technology and could spend hours alone, turning electronic components into useful devices, while Ethan was more social and preferred sports over schoolwork.
Both had excelled through high school and into college. And while they’d never directly competed over anything, once Paul decided against joining the family business, a subtle tension started growing between the siblings.
“You might as well tell me what’s going on because you know I’ll investigate and find out exactly who Lia Marsh is.”
Lia Marsh blew out a sharp breath as she cleared the hospital room and fled down the empty hallway, noting her thudding heart and clammy palms. While Ethan hadn’t glossed over his brother’s suspicious nature, she hadn’t been prepared for Paul’s hostility or the way his annoyance heightened his already imposing charisma. Unaccustomed to letting any man get under her skin, Lia studied the phenomenon like she would a fresh scratch on her beloved camper trailer, Misty. Unexpected and undesirable.
Usually her emotions were like dandelion fluff on the wind, lighter than air and streaked with sunshine. She embraced all the joy life had to offer and vanquished negativity through meditation, crystal work and aromatherapy, often employing these same spiritual healing tools with her massage clients. Not all of them bought into new age practices, but some surprised her with their interest. For instance, she never imagined a businessman like Ethan Watts opening his mind to ancient spiritual practices, but his curiosity demonstrated that it was never wise to prejudge people.
Someone should share that warning with Paul Watts. He’d obviously jumped to several conclusions from the instant he’d spotted her in his grandfather’s hospital room. The unsettling encounter left her emotions swirling in a troubling combination of excitement and dread, brought on by a rush of physical attraction and her aversion to conflict.
Distracted by her inner turmoil, Lia found it impossible to sink back into her role of Rapunzel as she stole along the corridor lit by harsh fluorescent lights. Her gaze skimmed past gray walls and bland landscapes. Recycled air pressed against her skin, smelling of disinfectant. She longed to throw open a window and invite in sunshine and breezes laden with newly cut grass and bird song. Instead, she dressed up and visited sick children, offering a much-needed diversion.
Heading down the stairs to the third-floor pediatric wing, Lia collected her tote bag from the nurses’ station. Since signing up to volunteer at the hospital these last few months, she’d been a frequent visitor and the children’s care staff had grown accustomed to her appearances. They appreciated