Trouble Me: A Rosewood Novel

by Laura Moore

  “David told me he hadn’t talked to them in years, so he didn’t see why they should come. It was one of the reasons he gave for our eloping, saying that since he’d cut ties with his family, there was no reason to go to the trouble of a wedding ceremony. And by eloping, we’d save my parents the cost of a church ceremony and reception.” She’d been so touched by his concern for his parents’ finances. And the passionate urgency, the bold recklessness of David’s suggestion that they elope, had struck her as deeply romantic. Love had rendered her blind as well as stupid. Her mother would have loved to see her walk down the aisle. On the other hand, as the marriage had ended almost as soon as it began, she couldn’t help but be glad that her parents hadn’t wasted a penny on it. With the economy in the tank, her father’s construction company wasn’t making the profits it had.

  “Damn, but he was clever at pushing people’s emotional buttons.” Anna’s words came out in an angry huff. “Sure, it saved your parents money, but he wanted to elope so he wouldn’t have to deal with anything as complicated as a wedding. He knew that money was tight for your parents with having to pay for Christopher’s care, so he used that line to get what he wanted and made you think he was Mr. Generosity for thinking of them.” Anna picked up the wine bottle and refilled their glasses. “Tess, I wasn’t a good friend. I should have talked you out of marrying that bastardo.”

  “No, Anna. You’ve been a great friend. I’m not sure anything or anyone could have persuaded me that David wasn’t exactly what he seemed at first.”

  “Yeah, I know.” Anna nodded glumly. “He seemed like such a Prince Charming. Even I was fooled. So, back to the parents. When did you finally meet them?”

  “David must have contacted them when he was admitted into the hospital. They were there in his hospital room when I arrived.”

  “Great place to meet the in-laws. How did they act when they met you?”

  “That’s an easy one: glacially displeased. After meeting them, I understood why David didn’t want them at a wedding ceremony. If they’d had even an inkling that David planned to marry me, Mr. and Mrs. Bradford would have done everything in their power to stop us. Given how super-wealthy they are, they probably would have succeeded. I definitely wasn’t what they’d envisioned as wife material for their son. I don’t think I’d have even made the cut as one of David’s hookups.”

  “You were too good for him, were too good for the entire family. And that’s just your character. Surely the Bradfords weren’t blind as well as snotty.”

  “I’m not sure my looks appealed to them either.”

  “Prissy puritans,” Anna pronounced.

  Tess smiled sadly. It would have been nice to have Anna beside her when Mr. Bradford had all but stuffed the envelope containing the check into her hand. She would have told him where to go. Tess had been tempted to. Tempted to rip up the check under his nose and then spit in his eye for good measure. But she hadn’t. And so now Edward Bradford had incontrovertible proof that Tess Casari was no better than the money-grubbing fortune huntress he’d chosen to label her as.

  “So David’s parents were real rich stuck-ups,” Anna continued.

  “Yeah, pretty much. If the Mayflower had been equipped with first-class cabins, they’d have been reserved for the Bradfords. I’ve learned that Boston blue-bloods elevate the snobbery thing to a whole new level, Anna. But all their wealth and perfect pedigrees meant nothing when David slipped into a coma. Edward and Madeline Bradford could have been my dad and mom when they’re with Chris at the facility. Desperate. Powerless. And so sad. It’s why I had to stay when they demanded it.”

  “But why did they insist you stay in the hospital? How weird was that?”

  “They had some idea it would make a difference if I was close to David.”

  “Did they really think you could do something for him that the doctors couldn’t?”

  “I think they were desperate, clutching at straws. You see, just before David was taken away to be operated on, they overheard him say ‘Sorry’ to me. They must have believed it meant more than it did. I tried to explain to them that they were placing way too much significance on that one word, and that David and I were as over as a couple could get, that I hadn’t seen or even spoken to him for four months. But they were insistent. Modern science was failing them so they clung to a scrap of magical thinking, hoping that my presence could somehow draw him out of the coma. They were willing to believe in anything, even put their faith in someone they despised.”

  Anna shook her dark head in bemusement. “God, Tess. David’s parents probably didn’t even realize that you’re one of the few people who would immediately understand what they were going through.”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know about that. I only wish my presence could have actually helped David and them. Of course, it didn’t, and I left you guys in the lurch. You all must have had to work like mad.” The economic downturn hadn’t touched La Dolce Vita. Even in the summer when wealthy New Yorkers decamped to the Hamptons or the Vineyard, Giorgio had to turn away clients.

  “You didn’t. It was only crazy for about ten days. Then Giorgio hired a kid who just graduated from NYU and wants to break into acting. Giorgio’ll hire you back in a flash, Tess. We can call him. The birthday bash for the ninety-year-old will be over by now.”

  This was it. Slowly Tess shook her head. “Thanks for the offer, but no. Anna, I’m leaving New York.”

  “Leaving? For where?”

  “I’ve decided to try out California.” California was as far away from Boston and the Bradfords as she could get without leaving the continent.

  “California.” From the way Anna pronounced it, Tess could have announced she was planning to move to Mars. Anna fell silent for a moment, her expression solemn. “It’s so far. But I understand why you’re doing it. I’d want to start afresh, too, if I’d been through what you have. So, where in California?”

  Tess leaned over and picked up her handbag, which had been resting next to the leg of the coffee table, and set it on her lap. Opening it, she pulled out a folded map. “I picked this up. It shows the entire state.” Moving the untouched platter aside, she opened the map and laid it on the coffee table. “I thought you could help me choose my destination.”

  “I know!” Anna’s dark eyes lit with excitement. “We’ll leave it to fate. Wait here. I’m going to get my nonna’s favorite scarf. We’ll use it as a blindfold. I’ll spin the map, and then you’ll place your finger down to stop it. Wherever your finger lands, that’s where you’ll go.”