Stacy shot her a confused look. “Why would he do that?”
Ana forced a rueful smile. “You’re going to think I’m being overly paranoid, but I’m not sure how to read Ward. I figured, if he thought I was doing a crappy job at Hannah’s Hope, he might decide it was just easier to get me out of the way and hire someone better qualified.”
She adjusted her purse strap on her shoulder as they headed out of the lobby for the parking garage.
Stacy was quiet for a long moment and when Ana glanced over at her, it was to see the other woman frowning.
Stacy noticed and smiled brightly. “Well, at least I can put that concern to rest. He never would have flown you out here if he didn’t plan on keeping you at Hannah’s Hope for a long time.”
“Really? Isn’t this what CMF does all the time?”
“Yes and no.” Stacy bobbled her head from side to side to indicate her ambivalence. “Yes, we help other nonprofits. That’s one of our primary missions, but usually we do most of our work virtually, using videoconferencing and online classes. We consult via email and phone calls. Of course, all those resources will be available to you as well, but Ward arranged this for you as a sort of…crash course.” Stacy must have seen the consternation flicker across her face, because she rushed to reassure her. “Not because he doesn’t think you’re capable, but because he’s so enthusiastic about the work Hannah’s Hope is doing. In fact, when I saw him this morning he—”
“Wait a second,” Ana interrupted her. “You saw Ward this morning?”
“He was here early this morning and then left just before you arrived.”
“I see,” she muttered. Except she really didn’t. Her first meeting at CMF had been scheduled at nine. He’d have had to have come in at seven or seven-thirty to get in a meeting and leave before she even got there. “Is that normal for him? Scheduling meetings that early?”
“Thank goodness, no.” Stacy stifled a yawn. “Normally, he comes into the office about nine.”
“He must have had a busy day scheduled to make you come in so early.”
But Stacy shook her head. “No, that’s the weird thing. Jess always sends his schedule on to me when he’s in town. He didn’t have anything to do today. Normally, when he’s in town, he’s here at the office for twelve-hour days. I don’t know what’s up with this visit that he’s staying away. I mean—”
But then Stacy broke off abruptly, giving Ana an odd look. She tilted her head to the side as if Ana were an object of extreme curiosity.
“What?” Ana asked.
Stacy’s cheeks flushed red and she averted her gaze. “Nothing,” she insisted with sudden cheer. She clapped her hands together. “So, what sounds good for dinner? There’s a new Asian fusion restaurant that’s been getting great reviews. Or if you want something less formal, there’s a great burger joint just down the road. Or—”
“You know, I think I’ll skip it tonight.” Ana yawned, thankful she didn’t have to fake her exhaustion. “It’s been a busy few days. I think I’ll just head back to the hotel and make an early night of it.”
Stacy studied her, her keen gaze assessing. “Are you sure?”
“Positive. Besides, I’ve got to be here first thing in the morning. I want to squeeze in a little more work before the flight out tomorrow afternoon.”
Stacy looked doubtful. Like she’d had very strict orders to keep an eye on Ana and was afraid that letting her eat alone would offend the powers that be.
“And you’ve had a long day yourself,” Ana added persuasively. “You deserve the evening off. I’ll be fine on my own. I’ll stay out of trouble. I promise.”
She smiled gamely, trying to inject her face with just enough fatigue to make her claims of exhaustion believable.
Stacy nodded, despite still looking doubtful. “Sure. Fine. Do you need directions back to the hotel or anything?”
“Nope. The rental came with GPS. I can get wherever I need to go.”
Which was useful, because she wasn’t actually heading back to the hotel. Nope, she was going to track down Ward Miller. It was time they had a nice long talk. Apparently, during those conversations they’d had about whether she had a problem with him, she should have been asking a few questions of her own.
Five
A few minutes later, she steered her car out of CMF’s parking lot, aware of Stacy’s car not far behind her. But as soon as Stacy’s car turned to get on the highway, Ana steered her own car into the parking lot of a nearby strip mall. Once she killed the engine, she pulled out her cell phone. She tried Ward’s number first, then left a message when it rolled over to voice mail. Since she didn’t hold out high hopes that he would call her back, next she dialed Emma’s number.
“Okay,” she grumbled, after they got the normal greetings out of the way. “What’s the deal with Ward?”
Emma let out a bark of laughter. “What do you mean?”
“I know he’s supposed to be one of Chase’s best friends, but I’ve got to say he’s being very difficult to work with.”
“What’s he doing? I mean, I know he has that artistic temperament argument to fall back on, but Chase swears he’s a perfectly sane, normal person.”
“Hmm,” Ana grunted thoughtfully. “So then it really is just me.”
“Just you what?”
“Just me that he doesn’t like.”
“No. I’m sure you’re imagining it.”
“I’m not,” she insisted. “Stacy, the director of CMF, said he normally comes in to work every day he’s in town, but he’s been avoiding the office since I’ve been there. I can understand him not coming out on the same flight, because of the board meeting yesterday, but—”
Emma interrupted her. “There wasn’t a board meeting yesterday.”
“There wasn’t? Because Jess said that was why he didn’t fly out when I did. That Rafe had rescheduled a board meeting for the morning.”
“Oh,” Emma said blankly. Even she had run out of arguments.
“Look, I want to talk to him. Apparently, he’s avoiding me like I’m some sort of crazed member of the paparazzi.” She’d almost said like a crazed fan, but that might be a little too close to the truth. “Can you ask Chase for his address?”
“I’ll see what I can do,” Emma said with a sigh.
Ten minutes later, Ana typed a new address into the rental’s GPS. Following the gadget’s directions, she headed deeper into Charleston, to a neighborhood dotted with old houses and even older churches. The tourist map from the rental agency described the neighborhood as Harleston Village. All of the houses on the block had been painstakingly restored and maintained, like well-loved family heirlooms. The multistory homes were nestled close together with only the width of the driveway separating the various buildings. Ward’s house sat in the middle of the block with nothing to distinguish it. If she hadn’t gotten the address from Emma, she would never have guessed it was the home of a rock star.
She parked her car on the street, wedging it in the narrow space between two of the driveways. The house was right on the street and after quickly mustering her courage, she left the car and went up the steps to the front door. She gave the knocker a quick bang, then waited, her heart pounding in her chest.
A long moment passed during which she wondered if she was making a huge mistake. After all, what did it really matter if Ward didn’t like her? If he wanted to go to great lengths to avoid her, why should she let that bother her? After all, rule number three of nonprofits was probably “if a billionaire donor wanted to act like a reclusive nutcase, let him.”
But before she could change her mind, the front door swung open. Instead of Ward, Ana found herself facing a thin middle-aged woman with a pinched, severe expression.
The woman scowled at her and pointed to a sign by the door. “No solicitation,” she grumbled, as if Ana couldn’t read.
“I’m looking for Ward Miller,” Ana explained.
The woman’s expression tightened. Then she schooled her features into strained blankness. “Who?”
“This is his house, isn’t it?” Ana asked.
“No solicitation,” the woman repeated, starting to shut the door.
Ana wedged her foot in the door, wincing as it slammed into her foot. “I got his address from Chase Larson.”
The pressure on her foot eased up a little, but the suspicion didn’t leave the woman’s gaze. “So?”
“I’m Ana Rodriguez. I’ve been working with Ward and CMF for a charity called Hannah’s Hope out near San Diego. He’s on the board.” The shrew seemed to be wavering, so Ana added, “I only need to talk to him for a few minutes. Why don’t you ask him if he’ll see me?”
“He’s not here,” the woman said reluctantly.
“But this is his house, isn’t it?”
The woman’s gaze narrowed, but finally she nodded.
“Can you tell me when you expect him back?”
“That’s easy,” the woman said with a faint sneer. “He’s not coming back.”
“What?” The woman’s smug tone grated on Ana’s nerves. She narrowed her gaze and edged her shoulders through the gap in the door, refusing to be bullied. It took more to intimidate her than a mere disapproving scowl. “Look, I know he’s in town. So you might as well tell him I’m here.”
The woman seemed to waffle, then released her hold on the door so it swung open. Ana grabbed the chance while it was there and slipped through the front door.
The house was as lovely on the inside as it was on the outside. The foyer opened to a living area on one side and a dining room on the other. Directly in front of the door, stairs led up to the second floor. Dark hardwood floors gleamed underfoot. The walls were painted a rich cream that complemented the pristine ivory upholstery. All of which was the perfect backdrop for the stunning collection of abstract art that graced the walls. She tried not to gape. And she definitely didn’t ask about them. She didn’t really want to know if that was an original Kline. And she really, really didn’t want to know if that was a Pollock.