Page 60 of Storm Warning
“However, I think you need to know what happened, and I am not sure I can trust those idiot boys of mine to tell you.”
Kate’s eyes widened, searching Marguerite’s face, relieved to find her sweet smile, but an anxious knot still twisted in her stomach.
“It is not my place to interfere, but you are involved. Just listen; you do not need to tell me anything.”
Marguerite settled back into the pillows with a determined ease, signaling she was prepared to unravel a story that might change everything. Still, she held on tight to Kate’s hand, anchoring her to this moment, as if letting go would send Kate spiraling away.
“First, Nick did not invite that woman here.”
Kate’s eyes flew to Marguerite’s, and her heart sped up, a spark of hope igniting.
“Her name is Jessica, not Jessa. That is what confused him—he knows her as Jessica. Their parents were close friends. They used to joke all the time about Nick and Jessica marrying and combining their families. That was back when Nick was in college, she was even younger, still in high school, and he had no interest in anyone his parents approved of.”
Marguerite patted Kate’s hand, her eyes gentle. “They were flighty, useless creatures. He never took anything they said seriously.
“About six weeks ago, Jessica asked Nick to attend a charity gala with her. Her date backed out at the last minute, and she did not want to arrive alone. Nick agreed as a favor to a family friend and because it was a charity he supported—he had planned on attending. They never dated; she never interested him. I am sure he forgot all about her as soon as the gala ended. They certainly are not engaged.”
The spark of hope grew within Kate, adding to the knot already twisting in her gut.
“That brings us to now. Jessica did indeed get an email inviting her, supposedly from Nick, but he did not send it.”
Marguerite reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper, unfolding it. “I do not understand all this header stuff, but David gave this to me and showed me this line here.”
She pointed to where Nick's email address was highlighted. “Notice the plural s?” Kate nodded, emotions swirling. “That is not his email. They do not have the ‘s’—it is just ivorytowercorp.com. Someone spoofed Nick’s email and sent this to Jessica. Spoofed. Do I have that right?”
A slight flush warmed her cheeks as she absorbed Marguerite’s words, her heart hammering against her ribs with the weight of the revelation even as a quick flash of amusement shot through her at the sound of Marguerite’s lilting voice stumbling over the strange word “spoofed.”
“Yes, I believe so,” she finally replied, though her voice quavered. “How did they get this email copy?”
Marguerite’s sly smile hinted at a bit of unexpected wickedness. “My David is a mischievous boy, and a wiz at anything computer related. He hacked into Jessica’s email yesterday morning and found this.”
She paused, her intent gaze searching Kate’s very soul. “You might like to know everyone was worried about you. Walter told Lena what happened at the bar, and Lena told David. David hunted down Nick, who was in the kitchen with Zach and me. This was shortly after you talked to Nick on the beach.”
Kate’s heart plummeted as she processed the words. She looked away, shoulders hunched, wishing the earth would swallow her whole. “So, everyone knows?” The urge to run away, to hide, clawed at her chest.
“That you dumped Nick? Yes, bébé. No one blames you. From your perspective, there was nothing else you could do.” Marguerite patted Kate’s hand again, her touch warm and reassuring. “Please do not worry about us. We understand.”
A lump rose in Kate’s throat. Echoes of her last conversation with Nick—her angry words, laced with hurt and confusion—swam through her mind like sharks circling prey.
Her refusal to give Nick a chance to explain.
Marguerite studied her, concern etched on her features like lines in weathered stone. “To finish that topic, David is tracking the source of the email. Zach and David think it might be the same people trying to damage the company, the ones who messed with your reservation. What better way than to hurt Nick personally?”
A chill ran down Kate’s spine as she listened, the anxiety flooding back in waves.
“Actually,” Marguerite continued, frowning, “we do not think they intended to hurt Nick since they would have no wayof knowing about you, other than you are staying in the guest suite. We think they were trying to distract him—to cause more problems. There was a photo from the charity gala in the society pages, so someone may have seen it and thought to capitalize on it. Jessica is a bit of a diva, and she has been raising a ruckus at the hotel, as you saw yourself.”
Kate nodded, her mind a whirl of emotions. The anger, the fear, the confusion—they all tangled together like fishing line, making it hard to think clearly.
“You have probably wondered why Nick did not truly defend himself,” Marguerite said.
Kate stared at her hands, trying to keep her thoughts straight.
Marguerite sighed heavily, the sound pulling Kate out of her spiral like a lifeline thrown to a drowning woman.
“It is not my place to say,” Marguerite continued, her voice tinged with concern. “But honestly, I do not trust him to tell you himself.”
The tension built in Kate’s chest at those words, pressing against her lungs. It sounded like Marguerite might pull back a curtain on something Kate desperately wanted to understand.