Mrs. Avery's Adventures

Chapter 3

Piper took a final look in the mirror, making sure her makeup wasn"t smeared, her hair was in place and that there were no crumbs from the sandwich she"d hastily eaten decorating the front of her shirt.

"Okay, Daisy, you ready to go?"

Looking over at the dog, it wasn"t hard to tell that she was ready as she stood by the front door. Daisy had positioned herself under the rows of hats on display on the wall to the left of the door while she waited for Piper.

Grabbing Daisy"s leash, Piper gave her a stern warning. "I"m still not sure how you finagled an invitation to see Mr. Weston. But I"m glad for your company. You just remember to stay only around Mr. Weston and me. Remember, his granddaughter doesn’t like dogs. I don’t want us getting thrown out before we"ve been there long enough to look at his carvings."

The warning didn’t feel necessary, as the dog always behaved and Piper had no problems taking her anywhere in public, but she still thought it best to voice her expectations.

It had surprised her this morning when Mr. Weston"s secretary had called to confirm their appointment and told Piper that Daisy was welcome to come. She even added that Mr. Weston was looking forward to seeing the dog again. It was hard to believe only twenty-four hours ago she"d been sitting in the bistro contemplating whether she dared approach the man.

Tessa had been true to her word and had picked Daisy up from the gallery the previous evening. But she hadn"t stayed long to talk, so Piper didn"t get the opportunity to ask her about her meeting. Tessa had arranged to drop Daisy at Piper"s house and left, not chatting like she usually did. Instead, she seemed preoccupied, and Piper wondered if had something to do with her meeting.

After Piper had gotten the phone call from Mr. Weston"s office, her day had been full and the hours had passed quickly. Now she was ready to head out to meet the man at his beautiful beachside mansion.

It didn"t take long for Piper and Daisy to drive to the Weston estate. It impressed Piper as she pulled up to the entry and rang the bell for the gates to open. The lights were on across the mansion, and in the evening light, it created a stunning picture. The soft glow of the landscape lighting illuminated even the enormous three-tier fountain in the middle of the driveway. As Piper drove by she could smell gardenias through her open window.

Piper had been to many of the largest estates on the island over the years, but the Weston estate was in a class by itself. This was the type of place where presidents came for fundraisers, celebrities came to be seen but not bothered, and wealthy tycoons brokered business deals behind the closed doors of the inner sanctum before going out to play a round of golf.

It was easy to see where the designated parking was, and Piper pulled her car in, parking next to a Bentley. She got out of her vehicle with Daisy by her side and looked over at the Bentley, whistling softly.

"We"re not in Kansas anymore, Toto," she whispered to Daisy.

But Daisy didn"t seem impressed, and instead tugged her leash, wanting to head to the enormous front entry with the big mahogany doors and stained-glass window. Piper hesitated for a moment, wondering if maybe she shouldn"t be using the servant"s entrance. Then she shrugged her shoulders.

"You"re right, Daisy. The front entrance it is. After all, Mr. Weston invited us."

Giving a toss of her silvery hair, she straightened her shoulders and walked across the intricate pattern of pavers that created the driveway and walk. Each of the stairs leading to the front doors had a huge pumpkin on it. But these weren’t carved with the traditional toothy grins of a jack-o’-lantern. No, each was carved with elaborate design, and she was sure it was Mr. Weston"s talent on display. They designed the stairs to be a comfortable stepping pace, and before she knew it, she was at the front door, ready to knock.

But just as in an old movie, the door opened before she could raise her hand to ring the doorbell. And there, standing at the door was an older man in a business suit. Although it wasn"t old-fashioned butler attire, there was no doubt in Piper"s mind that this man ran the household for Mr. Weston.

"Mrs. Avery, please come in. Mr. Weston is expecting you. And this must be Daisy. I"ve been instructed to take good care of Daisy, and I have a treat for her." He looked at Piper expectedly. It took her a moment to realize the man was waiting for permission to give Daisy a treat. She gave a slight nod and watched as the man reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a dog treat for Daisy. Smiling down at the dog, the man bent over and scratched her behind the ears as he handed her the treat. Then he straightened and looked at Piper.

"I"m Charles Parker, Mr. Weston"s personal assistant. Mr. Weston is on a business call, but he"ll be ready for you any moment. In the meantime, can I get you something to drink? A soda or a cocktail?"

"A soda would be nice, thank you."

"Wonderful. If you follow me, you can wait in the great room while I get your drink. Like I said, Mr. Weston won"t be long." Charles smiled warmly at Piper, making her feel more at ease. Then he led the way to the grand room, and after indicating she could take a seat, he left to get her drink.

Piper didn"t bother to sit down, there were too many things in the room to look at. And she didn"t care if she was nosy or not as she wandered the room looking at the beautiful pieces of artwork that adorned the walls. Mr. Weston had excellent taste. Piper was just about to return to sit on the couch when she noticed a small, 12"x16" photograph on the wall that looked familiar. Stepping closer, she gasped, and she realized it was one of her photos.

"Yes, I see you found your own picture. I’ll let you in on our little secret; it"s one of Mr. Weston"s favorites in the room."

Charles had returned quietly, and Piper hadn"t even noticed him. She jumped a little at the sound of his voice. She felt the blush as it started at her neck and worked its way to her face. It was embarrassing to be caught staring at something she had created, but she couldn"t help the sense of pride that she felt seeing it grace the wall of such a beautiful room and in the company of so many other masterpieces.

"Mr. Weston will just be another moment. Here, sit and enjoy your soda. I need to check on one thing, and then I"ll be back to take you to his office." Handing her the ice-cold soda, Charles waved towards the couch and then left the room.