Trouble in Paradise - страница 2

“Damn.” Bailey drained the last of her martini. “How can we pass up a deal like that?”

Toni finished her drink as well. “We can’t.” She set down her glass and redid her lip gloss, though it didn’t need refreshing. Toni is one of those women who always look perfect. We love her anyway.

I signaled to Drew, the bartender, that we were ready for another round. Drew, one of the most smoothly gorgeous men I’ve ever seen, had become one of my best friends and-cliché though it is-my confidant after I’d moved into the Biltmore. The hotel is a five-star beauty in downtown Los Angeles, and living there is a little slice of heaven. No dishes, no laundry, no vacuuming, and I never have to worry about drinking and driving. Neither do Toni and Bailey, who routinely crash in my suite. Given the frequency of our visits to the bar, it wasn’t such a surprise that Drew and Bailey eventually hooked up. They’ve been dating for the past couple of years now, and they’re still going strong.

When Drew brought our drinks, I raised my glass. “To white sand, warm water, and ice-cold drinks.”

“Ten days of nothing to do,” Bailey said as she clinked.

“No suits, no calendar, no judges,” Toni declared.

Drew started to pull out his cell phone. “Hold on, now. I think I’d better call J.D.”

J. D. Morgan was Toni’s boyfriend-and he also happened to be a superior court judge. Toni put down her drink and grabbed at Drew’s phone. “Give me that!”

Drew laughed and stepped out of reach.

I sighed happily. “To ten days of nothing but play.”

“This place is incredible,” Bailey said as she craned her head out through the window of the taxi and tilted her face up to the midmorning sun.

I was doing the same on my side. It’d been raining and in the forties when we left Los Angeles, but here in Aruba the sky was a clear, limitless blue and the balmy wind was so soft it felt like cashmere. Though the landscape was more austere than Hawaii, its openness beautifully showcased the glittering sand and topaz water along the coast. I breathed in the fresh, salty air and closed my eyes. Heaven.

Toni looked out at the view over the rim of her sunglasses. “I’m going to be on that beach with a drink in exactly ten minutes.”

I held up my hand for a high five, and she slapped it. “Then you’ll be about three minutes behind me,” I said.

But when we got to the hotel, there was a long line at the front desk and the lobby was packed. Toni rolled her eyes and Bailey groaned.

“Take out your gun,” I joked.

Bailey seemed to be seriously considering it when a voice called out, “Ms. Knight!” I turned to see a tall, blonde, apple-cheeked man hurrying toward us, his hand extended and a wide smile on his face.

“What a pleasure to meet friends of Graden Hales!” he said as he vigorously shook our hands. “He’s quite the hero around here. And I must say that I’m delighted to have members of the Los Angeles Police Department as guests. Welcome!”

“Well, actually, we’re-,” Toni began.

I quickly jumped in to keep her from correcting him. “Prosecutor” was close enough, wasn’t it? “We’re delighted to be here, Mr…?”

“Call me Diederik. I’m sorry about these crowds. It always fills up for the Carnival celebration.”

“Carnival?” I asked.

“Kind of like our Mardi Gras. It’ll be like this until it ends on Ash Wednesday. Parties, parades, people go a little bit crazy, but it’s all in good fun. Now let me show you to your suite. It’s a beautiful day and”-he looked at his watch-“it’s only ten o’clock, so you’ve still got most of it ahead of you.”

He pulled us out of the line and summoned a bellboy to take our bags. The twentysomething couple who’d been ahead of us turned and glared. I shrugged, gave them a phony smile of apology, and trotted out of the lobby behind Diederik. When we reached a glass-walled corridor, I noticed a camera crew set up at the edge of the restaurant’s patio.

“What are they shooting?” Toni asked.

Diederik made a face. “A reality show. About a Mississippi family and their nine-year-old wunderkind, Tammy Susie. Though what makes her a wunderkind isn’t entirely clear to me.” He sighed. “We’re all hoping they’ll be finished shooting soon. They’re… a challenging group.” Diederik stopped abruptly. “Please don’t tell anyone I said that.”