“Challenge accepted. As a matter of fact, I’ll race you. You get the address and I’ll make a call so someone can get the jet fueled and ready. Find a pilot. Arrange for transportation when we land. Let’s synchronize our watches.” He whipped his wrist up and goaded her on.
“You’re bat shit crazy.”
“Maybe. And you’re considering spending eighteen hours on a plane with me. You up for that?”
“No. I’ll need to pack my noise canceling headphones.”
“You’ll need more than that to keep me from bothering you.”
“You’re probably right. Maybe I’ll pack my baseball bat and pepper spray.”
“I like a challenge.”
“This whole thing is going to be a challenge. You’re proposing we land, have a couple hours to see the house, and then get back on the plane to be back here in time for the gallery opening tomorrow night?”
“Yes.”
“And what do you think we’ll find there anyway?”
“Isn’t that the point? We don’t know what’s waiting for us. That’s the fun of it.”
“Fun? This isn’t going to be fun. We can’t do this. It’s absurd.”
“We can do what we want.”
“What about work? I have to work.”
“It’s Friday afternoon. Layla already told you to do what you needed to today. You’re not expected back in the office until Monday. We’ll go to Italy. Find out all we can. And then you’ll come with me to the gallery opening.”
“I’m not going there. No way.”
“What better place to corner our mothers? You want the upper hand, the element of surprise.”
“Nope.”
“It’s open bar.”
“I’ll consider it,” she said clapping her hands together. “You’re serious about going to Italy?”
“Are you serious about getting the address? I believe I challenged you to a race. The clock is ticking.”
“I’ve never snooped.” She tapped her finger to her chin nervously. “In my role over the years I’ve seen a lot of confidential information. I’ve been let in on a lot of private conversations. I pride myself on having integrity. Being worthy of people’s trust.”
“So that’s a no? I win.”
“You win nothing. That was before Gloria decided to upend everything I thought I knew. Now I think I’ve earned a little snooping.” Lauren stood and slid on her shoes. “I know just where to look.”
Tray jumped up and pumped his fist in the air. “Meet me at the airport in an hour. Winner gets to pick how we spend the time on the flight.”
She put her hand over her chest to try to calm her breathing. “I’m a lot of things, but spontaneous is not one of them.”
He leaned down and kissed her, clutching her cheek. “You deserve adventures. Endless adventures. Excitement. Joy. When this is all done you should go somewhere you’ve always wanted to visit.”
“Only one of us owns a jet,” she reminded him playfully as she nibbled on his bottom lip. “And it’s not me.”
“Then I’ll just have to be the one to take you.”
Chapter 17
Lauren
* * *
Gloria’s apartment had been untouched since she died, other than by a maid who came through every couple weeks to dust and make sure nothing was out of order. A few things had been left in her will for some of her long-time staff. But mostly it looked as though, any moment, Gloria could come back through the door and step into her life. The speakers would pop on and her stride would turn into a little dance.
Now it was quiet. No music. No dancing. No Gloria. It was just a shell.
Lauren flipped on the lights and entered the security code into the panel by the door. She had full access to this place. Endless trust that she never took for granted and, before now, had never taken advantage of.
Would Layla understand the need to break in tonight? She could probably overlook Lauren coming into the apartment. It had been like a second home to her at times. The nostalgia was both stingingly sad and sincerely blissful. Layla would probably tell her to go in there as often as she liked. But the safe was a different story. It was very well hidden and never discussed outside of Gloria’s inner circle. Lauren had always considered it one of Gloria’s very few secrets. Now she was realizing it could easily be the tip of the iceberg.
Opening the safe was crossing a line. There was no sugar coating that. But she had to know. She had to find out how it all came together. There was no way to move forward otherwise. Gloria had wanted her to reconnect with her mother. If there was ever a way for that to happen, she had to find the truth.
Lauren checked her watch and realized it was now or never. If she intended to meet Tray at the airport, she’d have to get right down to business. She made her way to the kitchen and opened the cupboard below the sink. The back panel slid to the side to expose the secret metal safe. Lauren had never opened it before, but she knew the code to unlock it. Or she used to. Had they changed it? If Kenan and Layla had decided to, would they consider giving Lauren the new code? Things she’d built with Gloria didn’t exactly carry over to the new structure at Kinross. She wasn’t owed it, but she still hoped for it.
When the safe opened, her heart lifted a little. It hadn’t been cleared out yet. For as strong as Layla had been, she hadn’t been ready to get rid of her aunt’s things. Lauren understood exactly how that felt. Letting go was nearly impossible.
She quickly pulled a stack of papers and thumbed through. A couple of documents regarding stocks and shareholders. A folder labeled collateral and blackmail with a little smiley face drawn on the front. Very much Gloria’s style. It would have been easy to peek and see what she had on everyone.
Tempting.
She pushed the folder to the side. It wasn’t needed tonight, but she certainly wouldn’t forget it was there. Gloria always said blackmail was a messy business. Best avoided. But when it couldn’t be avoided it was the kind of game you had to win.
Under a set of keys on a silly looking key chain was a photocopied sheet folded in half that drew her attention. It was a black and white picture of a large estate. The outline of mountains loomed in the background. Water spread around the compound in every direction. The copy was fuzzy but she held it close to make out as many details as possible. The sign read Isola San Verde Lago.
On the back of the paper was Gloria’s familiar handwriting.
* * *
Ladies,
* * *
This is the place. We finally found it. Meet me in Italy.
* * *
Gloria owned multiple properties in Europe. The note could be to any of the women in her life over the years about any of the houses she owned. But there was a whisper. A tiny nudging at her soul.
This is it.
She tucked the paper in her pocket and closed the safe. This really was an adventure now. They had a destination. She had the power back—the possibility of finding out how she fit into this bizarre puzzle they all held a piece to.
With everything she needed in hand, her feet should have moved her toward the door. She should have been running out of there. Running toward the airport. Trying to beat Tray in his silly race.
“Why did you keep this from me?” She moved toward the chair where Gloria ate her breakfast every morning when she was in town. In their last few years working together, whenever it was convenient, Lauren had joined her there rather than the office for their morning meetings. It was a quieter way to start the day. No interruptions. No rushing around. They could go over every aspect of the business, of the long to-do list, and even catch up on their personal lives together. A hot cup of coffee. The freshest fruit. Croissants from the French bakery down the road. Some of the best, most peaceful mornings of her life. Her voice grew louder and angrier. “You could have told me right here. One morning over breakfast you could have told me the truth.”
Her eyes filled with hot tears as she waited for a response that would ne
ver come. It wasn’t the first time death had robbed her of answers. There were so many questions she’d never asked her father. The finality of it all was crushing. It wasn’t supposed to be like that with Gloria. She’d had time to say what she wanted before the end. They’d told each other all the things that had been in their hearts. She knew she’d miss Gloria. That she’d be heartbroken and unbearably sad. But there wasn’t supposed to be this much left to sort out. This much anger.
When her phone chirped with a text, it broke the spell for just a moment.
Tray: Did you find it?
She smiled at the irony of it all. Gloria had left her but managed to somehow send her Tray. A flickering light in the darkness.
Lauren: I’ve got it. You won’t win this race. I think we’ll listen to show tunes the entire way.
Tray: You haven’t won yet. First one to the jet. And if I win the only thing you’ll be singing is my name. Over and over.
Maybe all this change and heartache had made her senseless? She’d lost it, and hopping on a plane to Italy was the start of some kind of mental breakdown. She could just as easily go back to her apartment and pull those covers up over her head.
Gloria may not have been able to answer in words, but she’d still found a way to communicate. On the wall above the mantle was a painting. One Lauren had admired so many times that the details were etched in her brain. It was an oil painting, rich with color and texture. A tree-lined path that crested at a hilltop and then disappeared. One day when Lauren stood with coffee in hand studying it, Gloria explained its origins.
It was painted by a woman she met a long time ago. Gloria had sat for a portrait. Sitting still. Obediently. Staring off. Waiting for the big reveal.
Lauren recalled with a smile the way Gloria laughed so hard she got a stitch in her side while she told the story. The woman turned the painting around eventually and it was the painting above the mantle. Not some likeness of Gloria in the gold dress she’d been wearing.
It was the trees. The colors and the path that wound across it and then disappeared over the hill. When Gloria protested, the artist assured her, this was the most authentic portrait of her she’d ever find. Of course Gloria assumed the lady was a crackpot. But over time, looking at the detail and the mystery of it all, she did begin to see herself in the painting. The way the light streamed through the many trees. The path that started narrow and overgrown but then cleared. The best part, as Gloria explained it, was the way the path rose with the hill and then dissolved into the unknown. You could sit and endlessly imagine what was over that hill. The possibilities were infinite. Gloria loved to feel infinite.
Lauren walked up, touched the frame of the painting, and felt suddenly close to Gloria. She could practically hear her. Get over that hill, girl. Go follow the path.
“I’m still mad at you,” she whispered as she stepped back and moved for the door. She wiped the last rogue tear from her cheek. “But I still love you very much.”
Chapter 18
Tray
* * *
He watched as the storm clouds solidified in the distance. Gray and ominous, they seemed to be chasing them. If he waited much longer, the pilot might ground the plane. But he wouldn’t call Lauren again. Or even text her about winning the race. It was an absurd plan. Something only he could come up with. It was not fair to expect normal, well-adjusted people, to partake in his crazy ideas. He’d give her five more minutes and then tell the pilot to cancel.
“I’m so sorry,” Lauren said breathlessly as she stumbled in the jet door. “I couldn’t leave Gloria’s.”
“What do you mean?” He stood and steadied her. She leaned toward him, falling into his arms as if she’d done it a thousand times before. And he caught her, hoping there’d be a thousand more opportunities to do so again.
“I was there. Talking to her. Back in her place for the first time in a while. I felt glued to the floor. Stuck. But in a good way.”
“I’m glad you got unstuck. Have you changed your mind about this trip? I have to let the pilot know now. There’s a storm coming in.”
“We’re going,” Lauren said, looking up at him with excitement. “Even though it’s completely crazy and we’re going to be exhausted and maybe we won’t like what we find. We’ve got to follow that path over the hill.”
“I don’t know what that means, but I’m not going to question it. I’m just happy we’re going. And very happy that I won the race.” Tray gave a thumbs-up to the co-pilot, who’d entered the cabin looking for some direction.
“We’ll be in the air in about ten minutes,” the co pilot reported and then disappeared behind the closed cabin door.
“This is the longest flight I’ve ever been on. You better have a good way to pass the time,” Lauren admitted nervously as she took a seat and buckled in.
“You were the executive assistant to the CEO of a large retail conglomerate. How is that even possible?”
“Gloria traveled alone. I handled every detail remotely. Made sure she had what she needed. But I never wanted to tag along.”
“Why? Most people would jump at the opportunity to see the world on their company’s dime. I’m sure Gloria would have been glad to have you along. At least for a few trips.”
“She asked me frequently to come. I was just never ready.”
“What does that mean? You were afraid? I can’t picture you scared to see the world.”
“It wasn’t the travel that scared me. My life was comfortable. I knew how my mornings started. How my days ended. I never wanted to break my stride. The time changes and the jet lag. I’d inevitably drop the ball on something. I never wanted to do that. Sure I could have indulged and let loose, taken full advantage of my relationship with Gloria. She’d have forgiven any screw-ups. But I wouldn’t have forgiven myself.”
“You’re hard on yourself.” He took one of her curls around his finger and spun it gently.
“More like risk adverse.”
“I’m glad you took a risk on me.” He dropped his eyes. “I mean on this trip. I hope you find what you’re looking for.”
“I can’t think of a thing we’ll find there that will bring me any kind of peace. But it’ll give me ammunition when I confront my mother. She won’t have the upper hand.” She covered her face. “Oh, God. I can’t stand to hear myself. I didn’t sound this childish when I was a child.”
“You are adorable when you’re acting self-indulgent and petty.” He took her hand in his and raised it to his lips, kissing it gently.
“I’m thinking after this, maybe I should make some changes.” Leaning her head on his shoulder, she closed her eyes, imagining how she could reinvent herself. The problem was every time she conjured up an image, she saw Tray by her side. An outcome that was never meant to be. Not in the real world. “Layla has told me multiple times she could use me on some of her trips. I’ve built strong relationships with our foreign designers over the years. I might take her up on it.”
“You should.” He sighed. Was that melancholy? Was his chest aching the same way hers was? The idea that in a couple days they might go back to being perfect strangers was eliciting something in her she hadn’t expected.
No. Of course not. Tray’s life doesn’t work like that.
This was Tray. The man who chartered a small cruise ship to take him beach hopping in South America. The man who changed his address to a fancy ice hotel in Alaska for two months. He was not pining over the idea of a future with Lauren in Boston. How could that ever compare to all he had on the horizon? She shook off the silly idea.
Pulling the paper from her pocket, she unfolded it and handed it to him. “Take a look at the picture of the place. You haven’t seen it before have you?”
He eyed it closely. “No. I can’t believe my mother is a part owner of this and I’ve never known about it.”
“It looks like it’s on an island. I don’t see an access point except by boat. You think the fact that it’s isolated means anything?”
“It might mean we’ll have a hard time getting access.”
“You forget, I grew up on the water. I know my way around a boat. I can get us there.”
He chuckled.
“What’s so funny? You doubt my boating skills?”
“No. That part I believe. But look how high these walls surrounding the house are. I’m picturing you in all black. A grappling hook. Scaling a wall ninja style. You’re going to have quite the record when all this is over. Theft,” he pointed at the picture. “Breaking and entering. I’m starting to think you might be a bad influence on me.”
“Me?” she huffed. “You’re the bad influence. You’ve got me cutting out of work and flying halfway around the world just to turn around and fly back a couple hours later. If you hadn’t shown up do you know where I would be right now?”
“Sitting awkwardly across from your mother getting blindsided by fifteen years of secrets and betrayals you didn’t see coming?” He cocked up a victorious brow.
Her shoulders slumped. “Good point. You did save me from that. I owe you one.”
“No,” he said, leaning in and kissing the crown of her head. “You don’t owe me a thing. I’m glad to be here.”
“Really? Where would you be right now if it weren’t for me? I’m sure it’s better than two nine-hour flights, nearly back to back, you weren’t expecting. This private jet is fabulous, but come on. You can’t possibly be thrilled to be doing this.”
“Honestly?” He waited for her to nod. “This is the most substantial thing I’ve done in the last five years. Don’t get me wrong, I get great pleasure out of my lifestyle.”
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