Eye of the Storm

by Hannah Alexander

  “So no romance this time around? No kisses exchanged?”

  Megan sighed. “He started to kiss me and I turned my head, so he caught me on the nose. Real romantic.”

  Kirstie laughed out loud.

  “I think we both proved to ourselves that there was no lasting romance there.” Megan hadn’t meant to make any comparisons, but it had happened despite her intentions. Even after returning to Jolly Mill, after knowing Gerard Vance and seeing the ocean depth of his heart, becoming reacquainted with Alec was, for her, like dipping toes into the kiddie pool. Though she knew he had matured since their breakup, she also knew his depths weren’t for her to plumb.

  “To hear Nora tell it, he broke your heart and didn’t realize until afterward that you were the one for him,” Kirstie said. “Besides, you two were kids when you were dating.”

  “We dated for two years. We had other classmates who were dating then and are still together now. It wasn’t meant to be.”

  “Things change when you’ve lived life for a while.”

  Megan took a long, deep breath. “That’s right. An adult learns to take things slowly and grow a friendship.”

  “You mean the way you and Gerard did.” Kirstie fiddled with the pillow under her head. “Nora will press the issue, of course. You know she will. She’d like her son to see a lot more of you. I hope you realize that’s why you’re staying for free at their cottage. Nora hears wedding bells.”

  “Nora hears the patter of grandchildren feet.”

  “She dotes on Alec too much. That concerns me because a doting mother does not a good mother-in-law make.”

  “Never underestimate Nora Thompson.”

  “Not that you can repeat this,” Kirstie said, “but after Alec’s marriage went south, Nora pretty much decided he needed help with his next choice.”

  “Parents should never play matchmaker for their kids.” Megan shuddered at the thought of her own parents doing that to her. She would rather remain single the rest of her days than let Griselda Bradley choose a pair of shoes for her, much less a man. Not that Griselda would ever do that kind of shopping with her daughter. They could never spend quality time together as mature adults without allowing sewage of a dirty past to come between them.

  “Now that we’ve caught up on the vital gossip and I know you won’t explode with it,” Megan said, “why don’t we refocus on your health right now? You’ll be helping Lynley if you help me.”

  “I want a complete toxicology screen on this blood you’re drawing,” Kirstie said.

  “Got it. But you know that won’t cover every possibility.”

  “I know. We can test for more later if we don’t come up with anything this time around. And I don’t want Carmen to know. Under the radar, remember?”

  “But that’s impossible, Kirstie. For goodness’ sake, Carmen’s in the other room.”

  “So is Lynley. Probably checking out your new suitor.”

  “He’s not my—”

  “Don’t you dare try to lie to me, Megan Bradley.”

  “Carmen is bound to know if I run the tests you want me to run. And she’s one of your best friends. What’s she going to think—”

  “She won’t think anything I don’t want her to think.”

  “Ha!”

  “Don’t forget I know my way around this clinic. I can file the forms I need for my medical records from Springfield. And I don’t want you telling Lynley anything either. This is strictly between you and me and one other person.”

  The drop in Kirstie’s typically bright voice put Megan on edge. “And who would that other person be?”

  Kirstie fixed her with a firm, Kirstie-knows-best glare. “You won’t like it, but you’re my doctor, and unless you fire me from your service—”

  “How can I fire you from my service if no one even knows I’m doing this?”

  “I need you to keep this quiet.”

  “Kirstie…”

  “Other than the three of us, I’m demanding strict confidentiality.”

  “The three of us would be you, me and…?”

  “Gerard. I want you and Gerard Vance to work together to figure this thing out.”

  Gerard was on his second cup of coffee, deep into an explanation about his plans for the rehab center and manufacturing plant, when Carmen took a sudden breath, nearly choked on her coffee and waved her hand in the air.

  “Oh my goodness, Lynley, I know just the place he needs, don’t you?”

  Lynley placed her mug of tea on the table beside her and leaned forward, elbows on her knees. “You’re talking about Uncle Lawson’s property, right?”

  “For the rehab center,” Carmen said. “Wouldn’t it be perfect?”

  “It would need some refurbishing.” Lynley narrowed her eyes, obviously considering Carmen’s suggestion. She turned to Gerard. “You would have passed the place on your way into town from Megan’s cottage this morning. It’s a huge rock and wood structure on the side of the hill to your right, across Capps Creek.”

  Gerard felt his eyebrows rise. Lynley had thawed.

  “It’s called The Barnes Lodge and Resort,” Carmen explained. “Kirstie’s uncle used to operate it, and he was so successful that he entertained dignitaries from across the country. It’s gorgeous, with beautifully appointed suites, a ballroom, banquet hall, restaurant, a conference area, grand staircase, the works.”

  “I see there’s an airport not ten minutes from here.”

  “You’ve been doing your homework then.” Carmen sat back. “You’ll need to check that out. So,” she said, crossing her legs and getting comfortable, “what happened between you and Megan anyway?”

  “Carmen.” Lynley rolled her eyes and shook her head at Gerard. As if she hadn’t recently asked the same question. “She gets like this sometimes. You know how small towns are, don’t you?”

  “Of course he does,” Carmen said. Her green eyes sparkled with undeniable mischief. Friendly mischief. “Megan said he grew up in one. Gerard, Megan’s told us so much about you, it’s like finally meeting a movie star. So are you and Megan going to make things work between you?”

  It was Gerard’s moment to nearly choke on his coffee. “I don’t think there’s anything Megan and I can’t work through.”

  “I still don’t see Megan moving back to Texas,” Lynley said.

  “You say Kirstie’s uncle owns this resort?” Gerard placed his cup on the table and gave up trying to finish it. He had, indeed, forgotten what it was like to live in a small town, but he was quickly recalling a few things.

  “That’s right. Lawson Barnes,” Carmen said. “He’s wealthy and he likes to spread the wealth around. If he knew what you were doing, he might even donate at least part of the property. Don’t you think so, Lynley?”

  The younger woman hesitated. “You’d have to talk to him while he’s still alert enough to understand.”

  “Lawson has lung cancer,” Carmen told Gerard.

  “He’s been in long remissions twice over the years, and he’s fought a good fight.” Lynley’s voice wobbled. She swallowed and took a breath. “But he’s been advised by his oncologist to get his affairs in order.”

  “I’m afraid I’d feel like a vulture if I approached him about it now,” Gerard said.

  “I think he’d be interested in doing business with you,” Lynley said. “He’s still carrying on as usual, and he really is trying to get his affairs in order. He’s a wonderful person with a huge heart. A rehab center sounds like something Uncle Lawson would want for the resort.”

  “You wouldn’t be the vulture, believe me,” Carmen said, with a meaningful look at Lynley.

  Lynley grew still for a moment. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again they were sil
vered with tears.

  “Sorry,” Carmen said softly.

  “Does he have any kids?” Gerard asked.

  Lynley shook her head and dabbed at her eyes with her fingers. “Just a niece and a nephew, Mom and her brother, Arthur.”

  Warning bells went off in Gerard’s head. Kirstie was set to inherit apparently a lot of money and she suspected poisoning, and it was just now being mentioned? Why hadn’t Kirstie said something earlier? “If your great uncle were to donate the property, or part of it, that would mess with your mother’s inheritance.”

  “Mom always believed that too much money could ruin a person.”

  “And you?”

  “I can make my own way. I’m not like my father. I don’t pretend to be friends with the rich uncle and then wait around for him to die so I can inherit.” Lynley’s voice took on a bitter heaviness.

  “Your father’s named in the will?”

  Lynley nodded. “Mom doesn’t want to tell Uncle Lawson that Dad’s left her. He and Dad were hunting buddies for a lot of years, and Mom doesn’t want to break Uncle Lawson’s heart right here at the end.”

  Carmen shook her head. “Kirstie’s too good-hearted. She’s more interested in protecting everyone but herself.”

  Gerard felt himself clenching and unclenching his fists. How true Carmen’s words were. He may be a newcomer to this mess, but from his first meeting on the phone with Kirstie he’d realized Barry Marshal never deserved his wife.

  “I’d like to take a look at this place,” he told Lynley. “Where is Mr. Barnes? How would I contact him?”

  Lynley got up. “I’ll go write down his information for you, but Mom has keys to the place. I know he won’t mind at all if you take a look at it.” She entered the glassed-in office.

  “Count yourself an honored man,” Carmen said softly. “After what she’s been through, I wouldn’t expect her to trust another man to tell him that much about her struggles.”

  “You do know I can still hear you, don’t you?” Lynley asked, sliding the reception window open.

  “Sure do, sweetheart.”

  Before the two women could exchange more friendly fire, two car doors closed in the parking lot.

  Gerard glanced out the plate-glass window to see a dark-haired, exotic-eyed woman in a dress of emerald silk. She carried a large leather bag over her shoulder. She turned from a champagne-colored Cadillac Seville and strode toward the doors. The heels she wore were at least four inches high. Gerard imagined a model on a runway would envy the graceful movements.

  A younger man with those same dark eyes slipped ahead of her to get the door. Mother and son. This would be Nora and Alec Thompson. They both looked friendlier in person than online.

  Gerard rose to his feet as the woman stepped inside.

  Carmen rose with him. “Nora, tell me you brought them. You promised.”

  Nora nodded and pointed to her bag as her attention settled on Gerard. “Can anyone tell us how Kirstie is?”

  “Megan’s patching up her feet,” Carmen said. “She’s back in her right mind. Nora and Alec Thompson, meet Gerard Vance. He’s—”

  “I know who he is.” Nora stepped forward and held her hand out. “He’s definitely a Texan.”

  Gerard took the hand. She had a solid handshake, a level gaze, a husky voice. She was another of Kirstie’s trusted friends, and she was an impressive woman who seemed capable of handling multiple enterprises successfully.

  Alec followed in his mother’s wake. So this was Megan’s new boss in person. His grip was no less solid, and his smile seemed genuine. He made no attempt to display machismo by squeezing too hard. “We’ve heard a lot about you since Megan went to work in Corpus Christi.” He had a gentle baritone voice. “We’ve all admired what you’re doing down there. A man’s got to have a calling for that.”

  Gerard nodded. “It’s good to finally meet some of the friends Megan always spoke of with so much fondness.”

  “Megan tells me she still owes money for her loan since she left the mission early,” Nora said. “We’re hoping her salary here will help pay that off.”

  “She doesn’t owe me anything,” Gerard said. Why did she have to make him the bad guy in this? “She never has. That was a government loan with the agreement that she would work with the underprivileged and underserved for two years after her residency. The government could require she pay back every bit of her loan if she doesn’t complete all her time. I’m concerned she may also incur penalties for leaving early.”

  Gerard could almost hear the internal gasps of the people in the room. There was so much Megan hadn’t told anyone.

  “How much could that amount to?” Alec asked.

  “Let’s just say she could be several years paying it off by herself, even with the efforts her friends here are making on her account.”

  “So then why would she leave with so little time left to complete the requirements?” Nora asked.

  “Working health care at a homeless mission is a burnout job,” Gerard said. “She’s worked long hours to help people who end up back out on the street. So many people she treats are drug addicts and alcoholics with no interest or ability to improve their situation. They’ll die early and she can’t do anything about it. Many homeless people have mental illnesses and can’t help themselves.”

  “Didn’t you tell her what she was getting into before she accepted the loan?” Alec asked.

  “I told her.”

  Nora placed a hand on her son’s arm. “You know our Megan. She wouldn’t have listened. She thinks she can change the world if she only has a chance.”

  “Until she’d had a taste of the frustration,” Gerard said, “she had stars in her eyes about helping those most in need of help.”

  “The stars are gone.” Nora shook her head. “It seems she’s lost something vital. I just don’t want to see her in debt for years.”

  “I have a plan,” Gerard said. “If it works, she’ll be okay.” He glanced in the direction he’d seen Megan disappear. Was it his imagination, or was she taking an extra long time with Kirstie back in that exam room?

  SIX

  Megan pulled a set of medium-size scrubs from the cabinet by the door and stepped to the exam bed to help Kirstie change out of her mud-stiffened nightgown. The exam room smelled like fish. They’d managed to get a great deal of the mud from her hair and skin while arguing about Gerard’s presence in this case. Kirstie wasn’t typically a manipulative woman, but today she was pulling strings like a puppeteer.

  “You’ve told me yourself that he still behaves like a cop.” Kirstie slid her feet into the scrub bottoms and allowed Megan to pull them up and tie them. “Who better to help you if there’s danger involved?”

  “How about Sheriff Moritz?”

  “He doesn’t have a clue about all this.”

  “You might be surprised what folks around here know of Barry.”

  Kirstie looked up at Megan. Their gazes locked. Megan would never tell Kirstie all she knew about him.

  “You suspect him too, then,” Kirstie said.

  “Right now I hate him and I want to find him guilty.”

  “Oh, honey, you don’t want to be filled with hatred. It’ll only hurt you.”

  “We’re focusing on your health right now, not mine.” Megan resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Kirstie had a lot in common with the Vance family—forgiveness, love, kindness, all the things that supposedly kept a person emotionally healthy. “Besides, I can’t forgive Barry right now, and I don’t think Lynley can either. Can you?”

  “I’m trying.” Kirstie placed a hand on Megan’s and squeezed. “That’s one of the things keeping you from Gerard, isn’t it? The depth of his faith? While you’re still mysteriously angry with God
after all these years?”

  “Let’s talk about what’s going on with you. Barry didn’t leave when you had breast cancer. So why leave this time?”

  Kirstie sighed. “He told me it was because he couldn’t face watching me change. He didn’t feel he should have to remain with someone who was no longer the woman he married.”

  “And yet he let his own daughter face it alone. What man would do that to his wife and child?” If Barry was here right now, Megan would be sorely tempted to scratch out his eyes.

  “A weak man.”

  “And stupid,” Megan said. “To leave you now? Not to sound crass, but you stand to inherit millions soon. I can’t see Barry ever forgetting that.”

  Kirstie’s hand slid from Megan’s. She closed her eyes. “Maybe he was just so desperate to get away from me that he didn’t care. Or maybe he’s afraid the cost of caring for me for years will eat up the money.”

  Megan slid a pair of the clinic’s paper shoe covers over Kirstie’s injured feet. “He cares about the money, believe me.”

  “And yet he cared nothing about hurting the woman he should love most in the world.” Kirstie shook her head. “There’s the bite. He should have loved me, but how long has it been since he has?”

  “My question isn’t why he doesn’t love you, but whether he’s ever been able to love. Kirstie, I’ve never seen him show true affection for anyone, not even his own daughter.” Megan knew she wasn’t telling Kirstie anything she didn’t already know. “I’m not sure why he spent so much time hunting with Lawson, but I can guess. Perhaps Lawson should have protection.”

  Kirstie closed her eyes. She took a deep breath and let it out. “I told myself when I first suspected Barry of being a player that I’d made my own choices and I would have to live with them. Marrying the man was one thing, but having a child with him? Unconscionable. And his friendship with Lawson? It was because of me. You can’t imagine how much guilt I’ve lived with all these years.” She looked up at Megan. “You think he’d be vile enough to try to hasten Uncle Lawson’s death?”