by Carol Ross
It hurt too much to look at her face. Nodding slowly, he let his gaze wander across the brilliant colors, now beginning their dance across the surface of the lake.
“Thank you for telling me,” he said, knowing at that moment that he would never get over her. She would always be the one, the face he saw before he fell asleep at night, and his first thought in the morning. “I’m convinced it’s my lot in life to fall in love with women who don’t love me the same way I love them.”
“What do you mean? I do love you.”
“But not like I need you to. You still don’t trust me enough to tell me.”
“That’s not it!” Seth was glad that she didn’t pretend not to know what he was talking about. “It’s not that I don’t trust you. It’s more complicated than that. I can’t tell you. For your own good.”
There was a burning pain right in the center of his chest. “You don’t get it, do you? You can’t pick and choose the things you trust me about, Vic. It doesn’t work like that.”
“Seth, what I did, what happened to me... There are mistakes in life that you cannot undo, mistakes that you have to pay for forever. This is mine. And I’ve accepted it now. I’m fine, and I’m moving on. I am so grateful for everything I have, for the amazing experience, and especially for the time I’ve had with you.”
Seth winced a little at the finality there. The absolute conviction that this was over between them.
“What if I said I was going to withdraw, too?”
“No. I won’t let you do that.” Tears shone in her eyes and her voice was raspy with emotion when she said, “Scarlett is going to be okay, and my life will go back to where it was before. It’s a good life. It’s what I want. But your life is only beginning. No matter what. Even if you don’t get the Romeo Reels job, you’ll get something even better. Being with me would only hold you back.”
“This is what you want?” he repeated doubtfully, frustration mixing with his sadness.
“Yes.”
Seth knew he was going to hurt her. What he wanted was to take her in his arms and hold her and tell her he’d be there for her always. No matter what she’d done or what she chose to do about it. Even though he’d be willing to do just that, he wouldn’t. Not when she wouldn’t accept the truth. He would not enable her belief in this falsehood. By not telling him, she was hurting them both.
“That’s not the truth, Victoria. That’s the relief talking, and I understand that to a degree. But you’re hiding behind Scarlett’s injury, so you don’t have to face this, whatever it is. Whatever this thing is that you don’t trust me enough to share. As much as it hurts me, I have to accept that it’s your choice to not tell me.
“But don’t forget that I know who you are. The person I met the first day I came here. The determined woman who told me she wanted to win would not accept this.
“You told me you would do whatever it took to succeed. And then you set about proving that in all the best ways. As I got to know you, I realized it wasn’t just the job you wanted. You want more for your life, for Scarlett’s life, and you should get that. Not settle for less than you deserve.”
“Seth, please... You don’t understand.”
“Maybe not. But if you give up without a fight, you will regret it. You can keep reassuring yourself that you’re content with your decision, but I don’t see how you’re going to be able to live with the disappointment once the truth sinks in.
She looked stricken like he’d known she would. Worse, even. Tormented. Tears shimmered in her gorgeous green eyes as she stared at him, swallowing and blinking like she couldn’t quite believe what she’d just heard. It nearly killed him. He wanted to take it all back.
“Seth, please, I don’t—”
The pain now roared in his chest. “Once the worry about Scarlett wears off, and you see what you’ve lost, you will be right back where you were and... And because I love you, I have to go.”
He stood. “I want to say goodbye to your family and Quinn. Of course, I’ll be in touch with Scarlett. Goodbye, Victoria.”
* * *
VICTORIA WATCHED SETH walk away with her heart and wondered how much agony she could endure. Curling her hands, she pressed them to her waist and rocked forward in her chair. Surely, she’d reached her quota of suffering by now.
She’d known this topic was going to come up, had even thought about broaching the subject herself just to get it over with. She’d known they were on borrowed time. But selfishly, she’d wanted it to last. Thought maybe they could get by until Romeo Reels made their decision and he had to move on. She loved him. She didn’t want him leaving this way. But she couldn’t ask him to stay, couldn’t let his future be ruined by her past.
Sitting up again, she watched him cross the grassy expanse, each step taking him farther and farther from her. It took every last bit of her willpower not to get up and run after him. Panic built inside of her. She stood, her heart skittering, her gaze bouncing everywhere but on the house. Moving toward the dock, she climbed aboard her boat and fished the key from her pocket. Then she turned over the engine, flipped on the running lights and motored out onto the lake.
* * *
SETH DROVE NORTH toward Lafayette with no idea where he was going to go. A hotel room in New Orleans, he supposed, where he would wait to hear from Romeo Reels. Beyond the airport, he hadn’t seen the city. Not that he was in the mood for sightseeing. Then again, the only thing he was truly in the mood for was some serious self-pity. He pulled off the road to get a cup of coffee. A check of his phone revealed a voicemail from Marissa, a text from Hazel asking him to call ASAP and another missed call from Henry.
He called Henry first. He didn’t have the energy for the interrogation he knew would come from his sister.
“Hey,” Henry said, picking up on the second ring. “Are you still with Victoria?”
“Nope. We... I... No.”
“Ah. I see. I am truly sorry to hear that.”
Seth exhaled a ragged sigh. “Me too.”
“Where are you?”
“I’m not sure, exactly. Just left her place about an hour ago. I’m driving to...not sure yet. New Orleans, I guess.”
“How about a road trip?”
“What?”
“I’m in Houston with Hazel. We’re probably only a few hours from you. Four, at the most.”
“You’re with my sister?”
“Yes, he is,” Hazel’s voice came through the line, loudly, and he imagined her leaning in and shouting at Henry’s phone. “And don’t think I didn’t notice that you called Henry first. Before me. I will forgive you if you head west immediately and drive here to apologize in person.”
Seth laughed and ignored her complaint. “Henry, what is going on? What are you guys doing in Houston?”
“We’re here for Victoria. We think we’ve found the truth. And even better, a way to prove it. We’ll tell you when you get here. Did you get a call from Marissa yet?”
“Yes, a voicemail that I haven’t listened to yet. What’s going on?”
“They’ve made a decision and want to meet with us.”
“When? Where?”
“Monday morning. The where is yet to be determined.”
* * *
“HOW DID IT GO?” Victoria asked Scarlett the next afternoon when she came through the door, back from her outing with Austin. At least Austin had been reasonable about Scarlett’s visitation while she was recovering. He’d been over to visit, but this was the first time she’d left the house with him.
“Fine,” Scarlett returned flatly, and Victoria could see it was anything but. Her gaze flitted around, at the stairs that led up to her room, toward the kitchen where Corinne was rattling pans, then at the sofa where Victoria was sitting. Up and down, back and forth, trying to decide.
“What did you guys do?” Vic asked in an attempt t
o keep her in the room and talking.
“We went out to lunch, and then Daddy took me out for ice cream so we could talk.” The emphasis on “talk” indicating she’d been subjected to one of Austin’s lectures rather than engaging in any kind of meaningful dialogue.
“What did you talk about?”
“I’m not supposed to say.”
Victoria tensed, thinking fast. “What do you mean—you’re not supposed to say? Your dad is asking you to keep something from me?”
Staring down at her shoes now, Scarlett worried the toe of one against the hardwood floor like she did when she was anxious. When she lifted her head, tears were glistening on her cheeks, and her voice broke on a sob that nearly split Victoria’s already-fragile heart in two. “Mama, I don’t want to...”
“Scarlett, honey, what is it?” Victoria said, on her feet and moving, and then she was pulling Scarlett into her arms. She knew she needed to stay calm, but what in the world had he said to her? Scarlett’s body shook from the sobs, and the sound of her anguish had Victoria bracing for the worst.
When she’d quieted enough, Victoria asked, “You don’t want to what, Scarlett?”
“I don’t want to see him anymore. Do I have to?”
Leading her over to the sofa, they sat together, and Victoria answered carefully, “Maybe not. It would mean going to court, but we could try. I am willing to do that, Scarlett. What did he say that upset you? You can tell me. Even if he told you not to. You can always tell me. I’m your mother. Your father should not be telling you to keep secrets from me.”
“That’s what Quinn said, too.”
“Quinn is a very smart boy and an excellent human. One of my favorites.”
That produced a smile, which made Victoria feel a tiny bit better. She plucked some tissues from the box on the end table and handed a couple to Scarlett.
“So, you know Maya Courtright?”
“Yep.” A girl on Scarlett’s swim team.
“So, we were at Ollie’s having dinner, and Maya and her family stopped by our table. Maya asked me if it was true that you were a criminal.”
An invisible punch hit her right in the solar plexus. She forced herself to breathe. Why hadn’t she anticipated this? How could she explain without explaining? Apparently, she soon learned, she didn’t need to worry about that. Once again, Austin had it all figured out.
“Maya’s mama said, ‘Maya, honey, don’t be rude.’ And they left. Then dinner was all polite and awkward. Amber gave Daddy a bunch of dirty looks while he tried way too hard to act normal. Then Daddy dropped off Amber and Avery and took me for ice cream. He was way too nice and used that voice—you know the one where he calls me sugar and acts like I’m still three years old?”
“I know the one,” Vic said. It was all she could do not to smack him when he used that condescending tone on her and called her “cookie.”
“He told me that other people besides Maya would probably say things about you, and maybe him, too. Because of what you did. He said he doesn’t hold it against you, even though it’s upsetting Amber and causing him problems with his campaign. He told me that back when you were a teenager, you committed a crime, but you aren’t a bad person, you just made a bad mistake. If you had been older, you probably would have gone to jail. But he and Grandpa helped you. And you made it right by confessing. You were sorry about it and would never do anything like it again.”
“He and Grandpa helped me?” she repeated.
“Yes. That’s what he said. They helped you to see the right way and do the right thing.”
That was it. The tipping point. Like the proverbial final straw, something snapped and broke inside of her.
“Mama, is it true? Are you a criminal?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
VICTORIA STAYED BY Scarlett’s bedside until she fell asleep. She’d told her daughter everything, the whole story. It was a lot of information, and she could only hope Scarlett was mature enough to understand. She hadn’t seemed surprised. Only relieved. They would go to court, and Victoria would fight for the right to tell her daughter the truth. Always.
But that wasn’t the only fight ahead of her.
Flipping on the monitor they’d used when Scarlet was a baby, she went downstairs and found her mom still in the kitchen. And Mémé, too.
“Good, you’re both here. I need to tell you guys some...things. It might take a while? Do you have time?”
The women shared long drawn-out looks. Mama muttered something unintelligible, but she recognized the relief on her face. Then they looked at Victoria, and Mémé said, “We’ve been waiting twelve years for this day, Victoria. Take all the time you need.”
* * *
SHE’D BEEN AVOIDING the sitting area where she’d last seen Seth, where her soul had suffered what she’d believed was the final blow. Now she headed straight there, took a seat, inhaled a deep breath, and faced the anger head-on. She should have known better than to believe there would ever be an end to this where Austin was concerned. The hits would keep coming as long as she allowed herself to be his punching bag.
She’d never thought of herself as a coward. But Seth had been right about everything. Scarlett’s injury had been an excuse not to face this. Deep down, her fear had been guiding her all along. She’d maneuvered around it and compensated for it the best she could. But she would never be able to move on until she faced this. Ended it.
Scarlett’s life was more important. Life with Scarlett was the most important thing in the world. But her life was important, too. And what kind of life would they have together anyway if she no longer had her daughter’s respect?
By lying to their daughter, the way he’d always lied to her, Austin had crossed a line. Lying about her to their daughter to save himself was unacceptable. Once again, he’d backed her into a corner. But this time, she would not stay there and cower. Austin’s miscalculation, his mistake, the concept that he’d failed to grasp was that he’d finally taken too much. She no longer had anything left to lose.
Pulling her phone from her pocket, she hesitated only long enough to consider who she should call first. Seth deserved an apology and an explanation. She would beg him for another chance if that’s what it took. But first, she needed to prove to him that she understood what he’d been trying to make her see. She wasn’t afraid. Not anymore.
She slipped the card from her pocket, memorized the number, and then keyed it in.
Three rings and then, “Hello?”
“Olivia?”
“Yes, this is she.”
“Hey, this is Victoria Thibodeaux.”
“Victoria, hello. How are you? What can I do for you?”
“Olivia, it’s time to tell my side of the story. The truth. This isn’t just about me anymore. Plus, I’m hoping you would still like for us to give karma that little nudge.”
* * *
“WE WERE BUSTED,” Gordon Watts said, shaking his head. Then he dunked the chip he held into a cup of salsa and ate it in one bite. Wiping his mouth with a napkin, he decreed, “Aye! That’s hot. Best salsa in Texas right here.”
Chasing it with a sip of beer, he continued, “Austin dumped out the cooler that held the turtles while I drove the boat. Good thing, too, there were at least two endangered species in there. But there was nothing we could do about the fish in the live well, or at least we weren’t fast enough to figure it out. Or maybe it was because Austin had already set his mind on a different plan, but...”
Seth listened as the man sitting across from him and next to Hazel at an upscale Mexican restaurant in downtown Houston relayed the story that Victoria hadn’t wanted to tell.
“When we got back to the dock, Austin sprinted on up to the house and fetched Victoria. I had no idea why at the time. I just thought he wanted her with him, I guess. Game wardens were hot on our tail. They’d already called the cops,
who showed up soon after. We were both in law school and knew not to say a word. My father was a judge, too, and a friend of Linus’s. I didn’t know what they were planning until after it was done.”
“It never occurred to you to speak up?” Henry asked. “Do the right thing?”
“Honestly, no. I was happy to get out of it. I was terrified of losing my law career before it ever got started, and even more afraid of what my dad would do. And secretly, I thought it was pretty cool. You know, Victoria taking the rap for her man.”
Hazel turned toward him with the full force of her glare. “You have got to be kidding—”
“Whoa,” Gordy said, and chuckled. “I know what you’re thinking. But trust me, it can’t be worse than what I think about myself. I am not proud. But I am honest. Now, anyway. Back then, I was a spoiled, entitled, rich boy scared of his daddy. But I can assure you that I am a changed man. That, I am proud of. It wasn’t easy, but I broke free of that good ol’ boy network years ago. My father disowned me. Austin and I haven’t spoken in ages. But the cool thing is, once everything is taken from you, you don’t have anything left to lose, right? I live here in Houston now and work civil rights cases. A true embarrassment to my father, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.” A loud chuckle followed, deep and genuine, and Seth decided he liked new Gordy very much.
“So, you’re not the anonymous source?” Henry asked.
“No, I am not. But it could be a number of people. I can see what the guy was trying to do by getting people talking about it. There are only three of us who were there that day who know what really went down. But plenty of others knew or knew enough to suspect. Those game wardens never believed for one second that Victoria caught all those fish. Not that she couldn’t have, mind you, that woman could outfish a gill net. But she was so sick she could barely hold down a glass of water. I kid you not, she almost puked on the game warden’s boots.”