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  Samhain Publishing, Ltd.

  577 Mulberry Street, Suite 1520

  Macon GA 31201

  One Love for Liv

  Copyright © 2008 by Marianne Arkins

  ISBN: 1-59998-325-7

  Edited by Eve Joyce

  Cover by Dawn Seewer

  All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  First Samhain Publishing, Ltd. electronic publication: February 2008

  www.samhainpublishing.com

  One Love for Liv

  Marianne Arkins

  Dedication

  To my all my writing friends who have helped me learn and grow; but especially Darcy, Charity and Judy, who worked tirelessly with me on this novel. To my husband who doesn’t mind saying his wife writes romance stories. To my mom, for everything. And to Chris Baty and the NaNoWriMo team, without whom this book would not exist.

  Chapter One

  Liv Leigh tugged a faded Boston College sweatshirt over her head, careful not to dislodge the wig covering her platinum blond hair.

  “Marissa, you’re a miracle worker.” Liv turned in a tight circle in front of the full-length mirror in her office, alternately pleased and dismayed by her appearance.

  The reflection didn’t match the picture of herself Liv carried in her head. Instead she saw a petite brunette dressed in snug, tattered jeans and a sweatshirt two sizes too big. Olivia Leslie Leigh, wealthy socialite, owner of the exclusive Pamper Me Salon and Day Spa and Boston’s Young Businesswoman of the Year, wouldn’t be caught dead in such an outfit. Perfect.

  Marissa pursed her dark red lips and gave Liv the once-over with a critical eye. “You’ll do.”

  Liv smiled and gave a sharp nod of encouragement to her reflection. Time to start her new life as a private investigator.

  “Key?” Liv stuck out her hand.

  Marissa grinned when she handed over the single key that dangled from a huge plastic baseball. “Don’t wreck my car.”

  “Your car is already a wreck. That’s the whole point of my taking it.” Liv’s fingers closed over the cool bit of metal, and for the first time she wondered if she was doing the right thing. She loved Geoff, didn’t she? She’d tried to confront him earlier in the day, but couldn’t get through his secretary. What other choice did she have? Still…didn’t real love require trust?

  Marissa must have sensed her mood because she snatched a pile of receipts off Liv’s desk and waved them in front of her nose—receipts found in Geoff’s jacket pocket only the night before. “Dinner at The Torch restaurant. Roses from Beacon Hill Florist. Lucky Lady Lingerie.” She stuffed them into Liv’s purse and closed it with a snap. “Don’t go soft on me now, boss.”

  “You’re right.” Liv’s resolve returned, along with the vision of some sleazy woman draped over her fiancé’s bed, wearing nothing but a slinky teddy purchased at the Lucky Lady and a come-hither smile. “I need to know if Geoff’s a lowlife cheating scumbag or the wonderful man I’m going to marry in three weeks.”

  “That’s my girl. Now get.” Marissa shooed Liv out the door with the backs of both hands.

  Liv hurried out the rear exit of the spa and into the driver’s seat of the beat-up sedan, trying to ignore the huge crack in the dull brown dashboard and the rips in the vinyl seat beneath her slim legs.

  With one last longing gaze at her shiny black Miata, she drove out of the parking lot and headed to Geoff’s home.

  When he’d canceled their lunch date today, the day before he left on a short business trip, she’d grown suspicious. Since their engagement three months ago, they hadn’t gone twenty-four hours without seeing each other—except when Geoff was out of town. He should have been desperate to see her one last time before he left.

  Surely there was an explanation for this. And yet, when she’d phoned to discuss it with him, his secretary had indicated he could not be disturbed, was in a meeting all morning and then would be at home, but still unavailable until four o’clock. Didn’t Miss Leigh check her voice mail? She was certain Mr. Quigley had called to cancel their lunch date.

  Sure enough, Geoff had called and begged off. He was terribly busy, and something unexpected had arisen. He’d make it up to her when he arrived back in town.

  A meeting? That Liv could understand. Life with Daddy had prepared her for small disappointments. Business came first, after all. But as long as she’d known him, Geoff had never left his job at her father’s law office early. Why would he do so today, just to go home? Could it have something to do with the receipt from Lucky Lady Lingerie? Maybe he was meeting the lucky lady herself. If so, she intended to find out.

  Keeping her eyes on the road, Liv reached into her pocketbook and fingered one of the receipts. She was going to marry the man in a matter of days. The invitations were out, the hall rented, the dress purchased and ready for its last fitting. Even if he was cheating, she simply couldn’t call it off. He’d just have to break it off with the floozy.

  After all, he was perfect for her, everything she could want: handsome, successful and elegant. Even Daddy adored Geoff, and he’d never approved of the few other men she’d dated. It didn’t hurt that Daddy had been the one to introduce them: his beloved daughter and his new protégé.

  Liv pulled up to the iron security gates outside Geoff’s condominium complex and pressed in the six-digit security code, the date of the first time they’d gone out together. The gates swung open without a sound and she sped through, heading for his covered parking spot.

  When she turned the corner, she slammed on the brakes. Geoff’s sedate gray Lexus wasn’t parked there. Instead, an ancient, Pepto-Bismol pink VW Bug sat in its place. The license plate read, “DAISYS”.

  Daisy? Could it be Geoff was cheating on her with someone named Daisy? She hadn’t wanted to believe it, still didn’t entirely, but even so she almost lost the little bit of lunch she’d choked down a few hours ago.

  Liv backed into a nearby visitor parking spot and scrunched down behind the wheel to wait, anxiously twisting her two-carat platinum engagement ring round and round. It was nearly four now, so it shouldn’t be long.

  Sure enough, about twenty minutes later, Geoff and a tall, leggy redhead strolled to the pink VW. In one hand, Geoff carried his steel-gray leather briefcase—the one she’d given him as a one-month anniversary present—and he held a small overnight bag in the other.

  They stood facing each other for a few minutes, talking. Daisy lifted a hand to Geoff’s face and touched his cheek. Geoff said something that caused Daisy to throw her head back and laugh, her loose red hair brushing the backs of her thighs. Liv swore she could hear that husky, seductive laugh from fifty feet away. With a smile over her shoulder, Daisy hopped into her car.

  Liv tamped down the surge of jealousy that flamed inside. Normally standoffish, Geoff had clearly allowed that woman inside his smallest circle of intimacy. She’d caressed his face, for crying out loud. And he hadn’t pulled away, the jerk. Geoff and Liv hadn’t so much as hugged for their first three dates, and they did little more than moderate necking even now, just weeks before their wedding.

  She knew things would change once they were married. Geoff was an honorabl
e man who wanted to wait until their wedding night to be intimate. So did she, if push came to shove. Didn’t Daddy always say: a man wouldn’t buy the cow if he got the milk for free? She’d given the milk away once, and darned if the guy hadn’t headed for greener pastures only a few days later. She’d learned her lesson—Daddy was right, as usual. Still, Liv wished either she or Geoff would be overcome with desire just once. Shouldn’t that happen to every woman at least one time in her life? And shouldn’t it be with the man she’d call her husband?

  Clearly, Liv wasn’t woman enough to enflame Geoff’s libido. Daisy was. Anger warred with sorrow, and tears filled Liv’s eyes. She slapped them away and watched her fiancé gaze at that hussy as she backed out of his parking spot.

  Her fiancé. She snatched at her engagement ring and yanked it off her finger. Maybe not anymore. She rolled it around in the palm of her hand before dumping it into her purse. Until she was certain, she wasn’t wearing a symbol of his unending love.

  Geoff waited until Daisy pulled away before heading to where his Lexus was parked. He set the briefcase on the hood and opened it, flipping through some papers without getting into the car. Liv was torn between following Daisy or confronting Geoff. She decided to continue gathering information first, and pulled in behind the quickly disappearing bug.

  Half an hour later, Liv eyed her dwindling gas supply. Where the heck was she going? North, to be sure, but how far? They crossed the New Hampshire state line and got off Highway 93 at exit one. Salem. With any luck, Daisy would stop for gas. Liv’s car was running on fumes.

  The pink bubble in front of her turned right at a Toys ’R Us, drove a few blocks, turned left, drove a bit more and then took another right before parking on the street near a small apartment complex.

  Liv drove past the VW and parked around the corner. Nervous in these strange surroundings, she stepped out of the car. First one foot cautiously touched the pavement, then the other.

  Litter dotted the sidewalk, and she sidled around a huge wad of pink chewing gum that glistened on the cement to her right, practically pulsating in the sunshine. The wooden fence beside her was covered in graffiti, mostly silly scrawls of people’s names and the objects of their affections.

  With a glance over her shoulder at the beat-up sedan, she gave thanks she wasn’t driving the Miata after all. This neighborhood made her terribly uneasy, and her sweet car probably wouldn’t last an hour parked on this street.

  She hurried up the sidewalk to the corner, grateful for the first time she was wearing sneakers instead of her usual pumps, and peered around to make sure Daisy wasn’t looking. Of course, she probably wouldn’t recognize Liv, but it was still good to be careful.

  She trailed Daisy until the redhead turned up the walk toward the complex and moved behind some thick evergreen bushes. Liv broke into a trot, not wanting to lose her.

  As Liv turned the corner, she nearly ran Daisy over. The woman had stopped to check her mail at the wall of mailboxes just outside the complex.

  Liv leaped back and slipped between two parked cars, squatting down to hide for a moment until she realized she couldn’t see anything. She duck-walked up a few cars until she could lean down to peek underneath and watch Daisy’s feet to note when she moved on.

  Utterly focused on the sight before her, she had no warning before the driver’s door beside her swung open, clipping her sharply on the head. She flew backward, sprawling into the street and thumping her skull on the pavement. Tires squealed nearby as a moving car whipped around her flattened body.

  “What the—?” From a million miles away, a man shouted in surprise. She heard the thump of footsteps but couldn’t seem to open her eyes. “Hey, lady.” A huge, heavy hand shook her shoulder. “Are you okay?”

  Something warm and wet swiped her face, both reviving and disgusting her. She kept her eyes closed and limply swatted at it. Her hand hit fur. “Ugh.”

  “Spike, back off.”

  Spike? What was going on? She gave a low moan and tried again to force her eyelids to obey her will, finally succeeding after a Herculean effort. A tanned face covered in five o’clock shadow and smears of black grease swam in front of her. Next to him, its neck surrounded by a studded black leather collar, sat the biggest brown dog she’d ever seen. The creature had drool suspended from its mouth and it looked as if it had swallowed a sneaker with the laces hanging out. Dear heavens, was that what had licked her?

  The voice spoke again, and this time she saw the man’s lips move, though they seemed oddly out of sync with his words. The last time that had happened was when she’d seen Shoot the Piano Player in French with English subtitles.

  “You don’t look so good. Maybe I should call for an ambulance or something. I whacked you pretty hard.” He touched her forehead and she tried to move away from those greasy hands. Did she have a smear on her skin?

  “No, don’t call an ambulance.” Liv was dismayed at how feeble she sounded, but the last thing she needed was to draw more attention to herself. How would she explain that to Geoff or her father? “I’ll be okay. Just help me up.”

  “If you’re sure.” Strong, firm hands slipped under her arms and pulled her easily to her feet. The dog leaned against her and shoved its head under her hand. She flinched at the feel of its bony, fur-covered skull even though she appreciated the support. It wasn’t enough, though, and her legs wobbled beneath her.

  “Whoa there, Nelly.” The man tightened his hold and steadied her. “Maybe you should come inside and sit down for a couple of minutes. I could give you an ice pack for your head.”

  Liv drew herself up to her full height, all five feet, two inches of it—damn, now she missed her three-inch heels—and declared, “I would no more go into a strange man’s house than…than…” She hated that the man only grinned and watched her sputter. She lost the little bit of strength she’d summoned and sank down onto the sidewalk. “I’ll sit on the curb. Just get your ugly dog away from me.”

  “Spike? C’mon, he’s gorgeous.” He gave the monster a vigorous scratch all up and down its body. “And he’s not my dog, but don’t worry, he’s a marshmallow.”

  “I don’t like dogs.” She dropped her aching head into her hands and peeked through her fingers to watch as the man dragged the dog a few feet away. Spike stared at Liv with droopy brown eyes for a couple moments before he turned and trotted into the apartment complex. Thank heavens.

  “Look, you can’t sit out here by yourself. What if you have a concussion and pass out?” The man squatted beside her. “Do you live nearby? I could take you home.”

  “I don’t live anywhere around here.” Heaven forbid. Liv waved off his offer with a flip of her hand. “I just need a few minutes to gather my wits.”

  “I don’t feel right just leaving you here. Maybe you could go to my neighbor’s? Daisy is a pretty harmless woman—at least if you’re not a man—and from where I’m sitting, it’s obvious you’re no man.”

  “Daisy?” That was impossible. What were the odds?

  “Yeah.” He grasped her elbow and helped her stand again. Despite the grease and calluses, his hand was oddly gentle and comforting. “I bet you’re seeing double, and you can’t drive in that condition.”

  Annoyed he was right, and interested in checking out where the competition lived, she reluctantly agreed. They walked side-by-side into the complex, each step making her head throb more.

  “I’m Mike, by the way. Mike Peck.”

  She looked up at him, really seeing him for the first time. He was unbelievably tall, well over six feet, and wore some kind of gray coverall that had his name embroidered on the patch affixed to the front.

  She squinted at the smaller lettering above his name. Doug’s Import Auto Shop. Saved by a grease monkey. How exactly right for her day. “I’m Olivia.”

  “Nice to meet you.” He guided her to the left, around a wilted group of petunias planted haphazardly in a cracked yellow ceramic pot, and stopped at the bottom of a set of concrete
stairs. “So, Olivia, are you up for a climb?”

  “I don’t suppose there’s an elevator?” She longed for any one of the three available in her condominium complex.

  He stared at her silently for a moment before answering, and she could almost see gears grinding in his head. What had she said wrong? “No. Sorry. All we have here are stairs.”

  She shrugged. All the adrenaline and purpose that had moved her this afternoon dissipated like fog on a sunny morning. Mike must have taken her response as acquiescence. He all but carried her up the steps, concern etched in every pore of his scruffy face.

  They reached the top and flipped a u-turn. The walkway was covered, as were the stairs, though not completely enclosed. She supposed it kept them clear of snow, but wouldn’t help much with temperature extremes. She’d never realized how much she’d taken for granted, like her climate-controlled building.

  By the time she reached the landing, her brains were knocking viciously against her skull, and all she wanted to do was collapse.

  Mike stopped outside a door decorated with a country-style wreath, covered with faux flowers and a huge pink satin bow that hung halfway to the ground. Liv stared at it, fascinated and strangely attracted to its low-class appeal. She wouldn’t want it on the door of her condo, but she didn’t find it repulsive. Had Daisy made it or bought it?

  As he lifted his hand to knock at a bare spot beside the wreath, Liv panicked at the thought of meeting the woman face-to-face. She grabbed his arm and tugged it away from the door.

  “What’s wrong?” He flashed a puzzled glance in her direction, probably wondering if she’d knocked a few screws loose during the accident. She half wondered the same thing. Unfortunately, she wasn’t up to a confrontation right now. She also wasn’t up to driving.

  “You know what, Mike, let’s not bother your neighbor. You seem like an okay guy, I’ll just get an ice pack at your place. And maybe some aspirin.”