1022 Evergreen Place - Debbie Macomber [90]
Twenty-Five
Leonard Bellamy stood behind his massive desk as Roy McAfee was escorted into his office. He walked toward Roy, extending his hand.
As they shook, Roy scanned his surroundings.
The office was impeccably furnished. Pieces of modern art were prominently displayed and Roy guessed that none of them were reproductions.
“I appreciate your coming here,” he said, gesturing for Roy to take a seat. Prior business had always been done at the McAfee office, and Roy was well aware that this time Bellamy wanted the advantage of being in his own territory.
“That’s part of the service.” Roy sat in the leather chair, letting his body language convey self-assurance. Bellamy’s assistant brought him a cup of coffee. He thanked her with a smile and took a sip.
Bellamy reclaimed his seat. “I hope you did a thorough search on that freeloader.”
“I did,” Roy said. He put the coffee on the edge of Leonard’s desk and balanced his briefcase on his legs.
“Glad to hear it. I want to pin him to the wall. He thinks he can move into Cedar Cove, set up business and marry my daughter? I’ve got news for him. Wyse is going to learn that I’m not letting him ride on my good name.”
Roy wondered what Leonard meant. He’d seen no evidence of Linc exploiting Bellamy’s name or influence. Could the other man have information he didn’t? Roy doubted it.
As for a bad report on Wyse…he suspected Bellamy would be disappointed. He withdrew a folder and handed it to him.
Bellamy eagerly took it and started flipping through the pages. He frowned, and his frown darkened as he read.
“There’s nothing here,” he said.
“On the contrary, I’ve given you a six-page report. I took extra time to do an exhaustive background check and found that Lincoln Wyse has no police record. He pays his bills on time. No problems with the IRS. He attends church—”
“That doesn’t mean anything! I go to church, too.”
Roy continued to outline his findings. “From everything I’ve gathered,” he concluded, “your daughter made a good choice in the man she married.”
“I don’t get it,” Bellamy said angrily. He tossed the report aside, his look sour with disappointment. “First, my wife takes up his cause and now you.”
“Then your wife’s met Wyse?”
He nodded. “Without my knowledge she invited our daughter and that gold digger to dinner at the family home—keeping it from me until the last moment. I refused to have any part of it. Later, she told me how much she enjoyed meeting him. I thought Kate had more sense than that, but apparently I was wrong.”
Roy had assumed Bellamy was capable of recognizing when he’d made a mistake; he’d obviously misjudged the other man. Bellamy was committed to the idea that Lincoln Wyse had married Lori for his own selfish reasons. Nothing would change his mind, not even the truth—that Linc was a decent man and that he was in love with Lori.
“Dig deeper this time,” Leonard bellowed, slamming his fist on the desk. “There’s got to be something. Find it!”
Roy had hoped the report would reassure Bellamy; however, that wasn’t happening. Obviously the man’s agenda was more complicated than he’d realized. Roy had initially wondered if Bellamy believed no man was good enough for his daughter. Now he discounted that assumption. For whatever reason, Bellamy wanted to prove he was right and Lori was wrong.
To be fair, Roy could understand Bellamy’s concerns. Lori and Linc hadn’t known each other long before they were married. Not inviting family to the wedding exacerbated the situation, and Roy could appreciate that, since his own daughter had done basically the same thing. He reminded himself that he had the advantage of having spent some time with Pete Mason. Bellamy knew next to nothing about Lincoln Wyse.
“Go back, and bring me some facts I can use,” Bellamy said. He stood as though to dismiss Roy.
Slightly amused and yet irritated, Roy remained seated. “Do you think I didn’t do a thorough report?”
“I don’t like that man and I don’t trust him. I haven’t gotten this far in business without being a decent judge of character. I’d hoped you’d be able to