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eggs.
    Delilah was no shrink, but she knew the way she felt about her life. If she made one false step, she could end up covered with slimy eggs and lose everything, which was part of the reason she was convinced marriage and motherhood weren’t for her. What made this dream more wacky than ever had been the appearance of her neighbor.
    Who would have thought that she could have rescued the man who had seemed bent on torturing her for the last few weeks? Worse yet, who would have thought she could have found him attractive, even if only for a moment of complete ignorance? And he was a Huntington .
    Her stomach burning with the thought of it, she fished inside her tiny purse for an antacid as she walked through the door to the spa. It was so early there weren’t many people around and she distantly noticed the click of her heels on the Italian tile floor. It was a sound she didn’t usually hear due to the high activity level.
    First things first. She started the coffeemaker, flicked on all the lights and tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for her third dose of caffeine. She cheated and shoved her mug directly under the rich brown liquid, then returned the carafe to its rightful place. She gave the cup a few quick cooling breaths and sipped.
    “Well, well, if it isn’t the infamous Delilah Montague, Howard Bradford’s protégée.”
    Startled, Delilah whipped around and strangled on her coffee, dumping some of the hot liquid on her leather jacket. She glared at the man standing in the doorway. Short with shifty eyes like a ferret and too much gel in his hair. Slimy, she immediately concluded.
    “Who are you?” she asked, reaching for a napkin to dab her spill.
    “Pleasure to meet you,” he said, extending his hand, which she didn’t accept. “I’m sure you’ve heard of me. Guy Crandall.”
    Delilah’s stomach tightened, but she instinctively feigned ignorance. “I don’t recall the name.”
    His smile stiffened. “Are you sure? Howard and I go way back.”
    She shrugged. “I met several of Howard’s close friends.”
    “Howard and I were business acquaintances. I was on his payroll.”
    “For what?”
    “Consultation services,” he replied.
    Delilah knitted her brows in confusion. “I don’t recall receiving any consultation services from you.”
    Guy made a sound of exasperation. “Who do you think you’re fooling? You know what I’m talking about. It was a cover.”
    “Cover for what?” she asked and this time she didn’t have to pretend ignorance.
    “I can’t believe you don’t know,” he said, glancing over his shoulder.
    “Well, I don’t.”
    “I have information that could cause a lot of trouble for Lilly Bradford’s romantic future. If you don’t start paying me, I’m going to sing like a canary. And trust me, Miss Delilah, things will get messy.”
    Delilah lifted her chin. She wasn’t afraid of messy. She’d dealt with messy her entire life. The only thing that kept her from decking Guy was the thought of Lilly. Lilly had been protected. Lilly hadn’t been forced to deal with messy. Delilah bit her tongue.
    Sara glided into the office and stopped with a start. “Oh, good morning. A visitor so early?”
    “Excuse me,” Guy muttered before he slithered out of the room.
    Sara stared after him. “His voice sounds familiar. Who was that?”
    “Guy Crandall.”
    Sara’s eyes widened. “Oooh. What did he want? It didn’t look pleasant.”
    Delilah poured herself another cup of coffee and took a quick sip, barely flinching at the quick burn. “It wasn’t,” she said, not elaborating as she walked into her office.
    Blackmail . Guy Crandall’s visit must have something to do with Cash’s last request, she thought distastefully as she closed the door behind her. Guy must know something about Cash that even Delilah didn’t know. Something that could hurt Lilly.
    It was a perfect set-up for Guy because Lilly was Cash’s Achilles’ heel. He would do just about