“Ohh…Seraphina…I have to meet her. I’m a big fan.” He started for the kitchen door but was stopped when Joanne called his name. He paused and looked at her.
“If I were you, I would finish that roll before you walk in there, and Walt sees it.”
Chris chuckled. “You have a point.” He finished the roll and then licked his fingers as he left the kitchen.
When Chris barreled into the library a few minutes later, he froze in his tracks the moment his eyes set on Seraphina. He hadn’t expected her to be so—so—stunning in person. How could it be possible she looked even better in real life, he wondered.
It was not just her appearance and talent that had fascinated him—it was her story. Like him, she had been raised in foster care after her parents had been killed in an accident. But unlike him, she had never gotten out of the foster care system. At least, not until she came of age.
She wore her long black curls down and free flowing, and while he suspected she wore makeup, he couldn’t see the makeup—just the results, which were flawless. As much as he was physically attracted to her, it wasn’t her celebrity status that pulled in his reins, it was her age—which was even more apparent in person. Seraphina was young—barely in her twenties. With a sigh, he flashed the room his lopsided grin and approached the group.
“Chris, hi,” Danielle greeted him.
“Playing hooky from work?” Walt teased.
“The boss won’t notice I’m gone,” Chris retorted, then turned his attention to Seraphina and Phoebe.
“Seraphina, Phoebe, I’d like you to meet a good friend of ours, Chris Johnson.”
PHOEBE SIPPED her tea and silently studied the handsome and hunky Chris Johnson. She had noticed his last name was the same as the housekeeper’s. Must be a son or younger brother, she thought. He wasn’t wearing a wedding ring, and he was far too young to be the housekeeper’s husband. Plus, men who looked like that did not settle for women who looked like the housekeeper—not unless she was as rich as Birdie.
Like most of the men they encountered, his attention focused on Seraphina. The celebrity in the room always got first billing. I will not always be in the background, Phoebe thought. Someday she too would be walking that red carpet. She listened as Chris peppered Seraphina with countless questions and annoying praises. He didn’t even make an attempt to conceal his obvious adoration. Yes, he was ridiculously good looking. But so? Beautiful men were a common commodity in Seraphina’s world. Although, Phoebe had to admit, he was damn exceptional in the looks department. Made a woman drool.
Seraphina flashed Chris one of those smiles. Phoebe knew that smile. The foolish woman was interested in the housekeeper’s son—or brother. Whoever he was. No, that was not going to happen. The last thing Phoebe needed was a new love interest hanging around while she was trying to rebuild her relationship with Sera. What inevitably always happened, the man grew weary of Sera, and then he turned his attention to Phoebe. Phoebe didn’t need that type of aggravation right now, especially since a man with Chris’s looks might be difficult to turn down.
ELEVEN
A knock came at the library’s open doorway. Danielle glanced over to see Birdie peeking into the room.
“So this is where you’re all hiding,” Birdie said as she stepped into the library.
“Are you all unpacked?” Seraphina asked.
“Yes…” Birdie glanced around the four walls, a collection of dark paneling and floor-to-ceiling bookshelves housing a massive collection of leather-bound books. “I just love home libraries. And this one is exceptional.”
As her gaze washed over the room, it came to an unfamiliar person sitting next to Seraphina. She paused a moment and just stared.
“This is Chris, Birdie. Chris, this is Birdie—” Seraphina began.
“You’re one of the cast members!” Birdie declared. “Teddy and Jackie didn’t mention any of them were coming, aside from Seraphina. But you must be the new actor playing Hunter Rage, am I right? Teddy mentioned there was a problem with the original actor cast in the role.”
Chris broke into a wide Cheshire cat grin and turned the smile to Walt. “Whatcha say, Walt? Would I be perfect for the main character from your book?”
Walt rolled his eyes. “I would prefer someone who can act rather than just standing there and looking pretty.”
“You think I’m pretty?” Chris asked in a goofy voice.
Danielle broke into a chuckle and then said, “No, Birdie. This is a friend of Walt’s and mine. Chris Johnson. Chris, I would like you to meet Birdie Adair.”
Chris stood, smiled at Birdie, and shook her hand while offering her a cordial greeting.
“You could be an actor,” Birdie declared when their brief handshake ended.
Chris thanked her and returned to his seat while Birdie continued her inspection of the room. She stopped a moment later at the life-sized portraits and began studying them.
“Isn’t it eerie how much Walt looks like the man in the portrait?” Seraphina asked Birdie.
Still focused on the portrait, Birdie nodded. “It is amazing. If I hadn’t heard the story behind these paintings, I would assume it was of Walt.”
“If you think about it, it is. Wasn’t his name Walt too?” Phoebe asked.
Ignoring Phoebe’s comment, Birdie turned her attention to the second portrait. “This is the wife, the one you believe tried to kill him?” Birdie asked Danielle.
“Yes. Her name was Angela,” Danielle said.
Birdie turned to Phoebe and said, “You know, she looks a little like you. If they ever make a movie about the gold-digging little opportunist, I think you would be perfect for the part.”
Phoebe’s expression went blank, and the room grew uncomfortably silent.
“We have some cookies and tea. Would you like me to pour you a cup?” Danielle asked abruptly a moment later.
Birdie turned to Danielle and smiled. “No, thank you. Not right now. But you mentioned a tour when we first arrived. I would love to see the rest of the house.”
“There are a lot of stairs. Are you sure you can handle it?” Phoebe asked.
Birdie smiled sweetly at Phoebe and said, “Stairs might slow me down a little these days, but I am persistent. If I really want to do something, I usually find a way to do it.”
“If you’d like, we can have that tour now,” Walt said as he stood up.
WALT AND DANIELLE led the house tour, with Birdie walking with Walt, and Danielle following them with Phoebe. Chris and Seraphina trailed behind, the two continually chatting it up amongst themselves, lost in their own private conversation. Phoebe continually flashed the pair annoyed glances over her shoulder, but neither one seemed to notice.
They started in the library, where Walt discussed the extensive collection of books once owned by the original Walt Marlow—the one who had been murdered in the attic almost a century earlier. What none of them knew—aside from Danielle and Chris—he was that other Walt Marlow, now residing in what had been the body of a distant cousin by the same name. His cousin had willingly checked out of the body during a coma, wanting instead to move on with his recently deceased fiancée. Walt of today had accepted the gift—and another chance at life.