Up Close and Personal. Fern Michaels
Books by Fern Michaels
Up Close and Personal
Fool Me Once
Picture Perfect
About Face
The Future Scrolls
Kentucky Sunrise
Kentucky Heat
Kentucky Rich
Plain Jane
Charming Lily
What You Wish For
The Guest List
Listen to Your Heart
Celebration
Yesterday
Finders Keepers
Annie’s Rainbow
Sara’s Song
Vegas Sunrise
Vegas Heat
Vegas Rich
Whitefire
Wish List
Dear Emily
The Sisterhood Novels:
Final Justice
Collateral Damage
Fast Track
Hokus Pokus
Hide and Seek
Free Fall
Lethal Justice
Sweet Revenge
The Jury
Vendetta
Payback
Weekend Warriors
Anthologies:
Silver Bells
Comfort and Joy
Sugar and Spice
Let It Snow
A Gift of Joy
Five Golden Rings
Deck the Halls
Jingle All the Way
A Joyous Season
FERN MICHAELS
Up Close and Personal
ZEBRA BOOKS
KENSINGTON PUBLISHING CORP.
http://www.kensingtonbooks.com
I would like to dedicate this book to four wise and wonderful, not to mention witty, people who on a daily basis make my life easier. In alphabetical order, of course, Audrey and Michael Bernstein, Martin Friedman, and Peter Rubollota. Thank you for your wise counsel and your expertise that allows me to sleep peacefully. Thank you and know that I respect and love you all.
Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Epilogue
Prologue
The hour was late, the middle of the night to be precise, and the silence was so total it was ominous. The woman standing at the window stared out at the dark night. Here and there she could see tiny pinpricks of light, but she had no idea what they were. She could also see her reflection in the dark window as well as the entire room behind her.
The woman closed her eyes and wondered if she would ever sleep again. How long could a person go without sleeping? She should know the answer. Why didn’t she know? When she opened her eyes she could see the reflection of a woman standing in the middle of the open doorway. She was still as a statue.
The woman knew that the figure in the open doorway wasn’t going to speak until she was spoken to. Strange how she knew that and yet didn’t know how long a person could go without sleep. “Did you do as I asked?”
The woman waited for a response. None came. “Grace, I’m speaking to you. Did you do what I asked you to do?”
Five seconds passed, then five more seconds before Grace said, “Yes.”
The woman at the window turned. She peered at Grace, and said, “You sound unsure. You can’t lie to me, Grace. I gave you enough money to put your four boys through Ivy League colleges. When you told me your husband had medical problems I gave you enough money to buy a small lake house so you could both retire. With the additional money you demanded, you can both live quite comfortably for the rest of your lives. Now, I am going to ask you again. Did you do what I asked you to do?”
The woman turned back to the window. She stiffened when she heard the single word, “Yes.”
“Thank you, Grace. I’ll be leaving in a few hours. Thanks to you, I’ll be able to leave with a lighter heart. I don’t ever want to see you again. I don’t want our paths to cross again. It will be best if you never return to this state again. When you leave you will follow all my instructions to the letter. Do we understand each other, Grace?”
“Yes, ma’am, we understand each other.”
The woman watched Grace Finnegan’s reflection in the window as she left the room, closing the door behind her. Long ago she had committed Grace’s face to memory; not that she had any intention of remembering her in the days to come. There was no need to say good-bye. After all, they weren’t friends. Business associates, if you will. She banished the picture of Grace Finnegan from her mind as she continued to stare out at the tiny dots of light. Soon the sun would rise, and she’d walk away from this place and never look back.
Chapter 1
It was a beautiful summer day, but the agitated woman pacing and kneading her hands barely noticed. Warm, golden sunshine flooded the sunroom where she was pacing, doing its best to warm the trembling woman. As hard as she tried, she couldn’t avoid the gallery of pictures that lined one wall. She knew she shouldn’t have come here this morning, of all days. Yet she’d carried her coffee cup in with the intention of sitting on one of the rattan chairs. Not to think. Never to think. She knew it was impossible, but she’d come anyway. The sunroom had been Emily’s favorite room in the whole house.
Once