“What sort of trouble?”
She rose in a lovely display of slim curves and sleek lines, then strode toward his grandfather’s portrait to retrieve an envelope from beside the display case below. “Negative letters and some picketing. Given the, er, sensitive subject matter…” she said, studiously avoiding the marble sculpture propped erect beside her. “There are always supporters and detractors.”
“Let me see.”
She sat back down and passed him the envelope, which he opened to reveal a bold message in computer-generated type: “Erotic art is just an upscale name for smut. Smut doesn’t belong in our museums.”
“Have they all been like this—computer printouts with no signatures?
Lennon shook her head, sending pale hair slipping over her shoulder in a sleek wave. “Most, but not all. Some have been handwritten.”
“I’ll investigate and find out what’s going on.”
“Thanks. But I’m still worried about Auntie Q’s safety.”
“For the time being Olaf will be a more than adequate bodyguard. Not too many people would want to mess with him, based on his size alone, and he promised me he won’t let her out of his sight. But I’ve got to tell you that Miss Q has the exact same concerns about you.” Josh paused for effect before adding the kicker. “She wants me to be your bodyguard.”
A golden brow arched skeptically. “Oh?”
“She hired me for round-the-clock protection. She’s afraid if there’s a personal threat it might place you at risk, since you’ve been active in opening the gallery, too.”
“What do you think?”
He brushed stray hairs from her cheek, knowing he had no right to touch her, yet unable to help himself all the same. “I’d hate to see anything happen to you, chère.”
She leaned away from him and forced a smile—an act of sheer determination if ever he saw one. “Well, it’s very nice of you to be concerned, but you don’t want to get stuck baby-sitting me through all the erotic activities we’ve got scheduled.”
Josh could think of any number of erotic activities he’d willingly get stuck in with Lennon, but before he could see past pImages** of her long legs naked and twined with his, she said, “I’ll be fine. I understand why Auntie Q is worried, but no one has thrown a grenade at me.”
He shrugged. “I promised.”
Leaping off the bench, she handed him the empty coffee cup, cocked her fists on her hips and glared at him. Josh settled back against the wall while she came up with an astonishing number of reasons why she didn’t need protection.
He didn’t buy a single one. Her heart-shaped face revealed barely suppressed panic. He considered the possibility that he wasn’t the only one who’d noticed the chemistry between them. The lady clearly found something disturbing about sharing close quarters for the long weekend.
“What’s the trouble, chère?”
“I just told you—”
“The real trouble. You’ve got loads of reasons, but no explanation why having me undercover as your bodyguard won’t work.”
To say Lennon looked offended would have been an understatement. Josh bit back a smile.
Going undercover as Lennon’s anything worked on a personal and professional level. His connection to the McDarbys and the Eastman Gallery would be an asset to solving this mystery. And this mystery needed to be solved. The whole flash-and-bang attack struck him wrong on a gut level. He’d learned long ago to trust his gut.
This attack meant someone had been waiting outside for Miss Q—or more likely both of them—to leave the gallery and head to Lennon’s car. And though that someone had obviously meant to frighten rather than physically harm, that someone already knew too much about the McDarby women. He’d known their schedule, what vehicle they were driving and that he’d catch them together without Olaf, who’d been sent home before midnight to tend to details there.
For anyone to know this much about their activities meant they were being stalked. And stalkers made Josh nervous.
“Olaf can keep an eye on me, too,” Lennon suggested.
Josh didn’t think so. “Olaf will have trouble keeping up with Miss Q. From what I hear about the schedule, you two will be so busy entertaining and fund-raising, it’ll be impossible for one of us to keep track of you both. You need me.”
“I refuse to let people see me being…guarded.”
That Lennon’s argument had deteriorated into semantics about appearances meant he almost had her.
“Miss Q hired me, chère, so I’m on your tail until you convince her to fire me.”
Lennon scowled. “You said Olaf took her home?” Before he had a chance to answer, she spun on her heel, gifting him with a lovely shot of her departing backside. “Let’s go. I’ll talk some sense into her.”
Josh followed. Inclining his head at his grandfather’s portrait as he passed, he decided he wasn’t sorry he’d picked up the phone tonight, after all. The ensuing fireworks should prove entertaining, and he quite enjoyed being on Lennon’s tail.
3
“I’LL WAIT IN THE CAR while you unload the suitcases,” Quinevere told her assistant from her comfortable seat in the limo. No sense standing on the sidewalk when she needed a moment to collect her thoughts and evaluate her game plan. “I want you with me when I meet with the sales director.”
Olaf caught her gaze in the rearview mirror. “Problems?”
“I want to check on a few details and make sure the hotel doesn’t make any last-minute changes to our room assignments.”
He held her gaze before nodding, curiosity written all over his smooth features. With his dark skin and bald brown head, Olaf looked like he’d be at home in a South American jungle. He was also strapping enough to make any prizefighter think twice about raising a fist his way. Exactly how his Goliath proportions and Scandinavian name factored into his French Guianese–Creole background was a question Quinevere had frequently asked through the years, but had yet to receive a straight answer to. She’d known the boy since he was nine years old and didn’t think he’d ever get tired of spinning outrageous tales about his unusual name, not when she suspected he knew how much she enjoyed his fabrications.
And that wasn’t all he knew. The smart, streetwise kid Joshua had brought home from a trip into the jungle had matured into a keenly intelligent and insightful man. He eyed her in the mirror with a look that told her he wasn’t for a second buying her explanation about room assignments.
“Why are you worried, Miss Q?” he asked. “I thought the LeBlancs confirmed their reservation yesterday.”
She smiled. She would let him in on her little secret when she was ready and not a moment before. “They did.”
“Then what’s the trouble? The extra room?”
Evidently Olaf didn’t want to wait until she was ready. He knew something was up and intended to pick her brain. “I’ll have management release the extra room from our block. With Mardi Gras, I’m sure they’ll have it booked before we unpack.”
“I wouldn’t do that. I’d hang on to it for a day in case Mrs. DesJardin changes her mind again.”
Quinevere grimaced. “Oh, phoo on Lisette. I’d forgotten about her. She’s just yanking my chain to see who shows up before she consents to grace us with her presence.”
“You’re right, but think about Tête-à-tête.