Free Death by Jealousy by Jaden Skye Page B

down. The two guys sat down
after she did.
    “What
kind of a huge impression did we make?” Mattheus asked, surprised.
    “The
groomsmen liked you a lot,” Mac offered.
    Mac
showed no response.
    “They
all had a good feeling that you’d get their buddy off the hook.”
    “Appreciate
that,” said Mattheus formally, putting up a wall between himself and Mac.
    “And,
I already told you how the bridesmaids felt about you,” Mac continued to Cindy.
    “When
did you tell her that?” asked Mattheus, quick on the draw.
    Mac
gave Mattheus a long, calculated glance that took him completely in.
    “When
we had drinks and appetizers out in the lounge,” Mac replied.
    Mattheus’s
jaw clenched as he scrutinized Cindy. “How come I didn’t hear about that?” he asked.
    “We
haven’t had time to fill each other in,” Cindy replied tartly. She didn’t like
being taken to task by Mattheus, especially in front of a stranger.
    “Cindy
did a terrific job,” Mac continued, almost as if he were egging Mattheus on. “The
girls loved Cindy. Vivien even mentioned it to me.”
    “Interesting,”
Mattheus mumbled.
     “Vivien
thought the world of you, too,” Mac spoke to him pointedly. “She couldn’t stop
talking about you. Said you were an amazing guy.”
    Cindy’s
breath caught short in her throat.
    “Seems
like good news spreads fast,” Mattheus commented, throwing Cindy an off handed
glance.
    “You
got it right there,” said Mac, “you can’t keep a secret with the folks at this
wedding, even if you try.  
    “Nothing
wrong with secrets,” said Mattheus, “everyone needs to have some.”
    Mac
stopped and grinned. “I guess so,” he replied, “even you.”
    The
two of them seemed so edgy together that Cindy was perplexed. Had they had some
kind of conversation she knew nothing about?
     Mattheus
took Mac on directly then. “Okay, so what do you want us down here to talk
about?”
    Mac
smiled and reached for a glass of wine that was on the table and took a long
drink before he spoke.
    “I
just wanted to let you know that if there’s something anyone down here needs,
they let me know about it. I make sure it’s all taken care of.”
    “Edward
and Dana hired us,” said Mattheus. “It’s their son’s wedding. We report to
them.”
    “Edward’s
thrilled and relieved when I take over. I’ve been doing it for years,” said
Mac. “It takes a lot of trouble off his shoulders.”
    Mattheus
didn’t seem impressed. “And how about his wife, Dana?”
    “She
couldn’t be happier about it,” said Mac. “Right now, she’s pretty exhausted as
well.”
    “You’re
a pretty important guy,” Mattheus murmured.
    “I’ve
watched Peter and his wedding party grow into the amazing men and women they
are today. They all turn to me, especially Vivien, after her father was killed
in plane crash years ago.”
    Cindy
and Mattheus shot a quick glance at each other.
    “How
about Allie?” Cindy interjected, “were you close to her, too?”
    “Allie
was my little angel,” Mac responded. “And, if I ever find out that this wasn’t
an accident, that someone actually hurt her, I’m taking matters into my own
hands. Get what I mean?” Then he smiled as sweetly as if he’d just ordered a
lemon chiffon pie for desert.

CHAPTER 8
     
     
    Cindy
and Mattheus didn’t speak to each other on the way back up to their hotel room.
    Cindy
was thinking about what Vivien said about Mattheus, and about his visceral attraction
to her. Mattheus seemed tired and upset.
    Once
they got inside and closed the door, Mattheus turned straight to Cindy.
    “Mac
obviously has an eye for you,” Mattheus said.
    Cindy
was confused for a second. Was that why Mattheus was so upset?
     “Mac’s
almost twice my age,” she answered flippantly.
    “So
what? Guys like that want their women young.”
    Cindy
felt as though someone had spilled a bag of soot over. In Mattheus’s eyes she’d
become Mac’s prey. How about Mattheus and Vivien? She