Secret Billionaire

by Leah Torie

  “Here we are, Taylor. Hop up onto your chair.”

  Jessie found her place at the top table beside her sisters.

  “Jessie! You made it!” Anna’s voice was a little too loud.

  “Yep, I’m here. I mean, we only live a few miles away. How long are you in town for?”

  “My husband has work on Monday, so we’re flying back tomorrow. Did you miss the ceremony? I didn’t see you in there.”

  “Aunt Pearl made us give our seats to two of Miranda’s friends. I guess they’re like family.” Jessie tried to brush it off as unimportant.

  “What? No, that’s awful. She shouldn’t do that! The front rows were for actual family. It said that on the invitation. Oh, hon, did you at least get a seat? I saw some folks standing at the back.”

  Jessie’s heart swelled at her sister’s unfailing support.

  “Yeah. I accidentally took an old lady’s seat and her son got pretty miffed.”

  “Wow. You’re having the worst luck today.”

  Anna hadn’t been around for years. Maybe she had thought it would all blow over. Jessie didn’t know. Day after day of being looked down on by people had worn her out.

  “So tell me, what’s Hawaii like?” Jessie was keen to change the subject away from herself and her woes. They weren’t important.

  Anna launched into a detailed description of her house and Jessie was happy to listen. When the sit-down meal was served, Jessie started to forget the inauspicious beginning this event had had. Everything was cooked to perfection.

  “How many guests do you think she has?” Anna whispered. Jessie’s lips turned up. It had been too long since she’d seen Anna.

  “Fifteen hundred.”

  Anna scanned the tables stretching out from them like a crowd of Scottish islands. “A thousand. Tops.”

  Jessie shrugged. “That’s still enough people to fill a small football stadium. How does anyone know this many people, never mind being well-enough acquainted to invite them to a wedding?”

  Anna laughed. “You’re so naive, Jess. Of course she doesn’t know all of them. Usually the guest list gets put together by the bride’s parents.”

  Understanding dawned. “So... these are people Aunt Pearl knows?”

  “Or people she wants Martha to know,” Anna added. “Don’t you remember my wedding? I’d never met most of the people there; Mom invited them. It was the same with Luce’s wedding.”

  Jessie shook her head in disbelief. All those people at her sisters’ weddings had made her feel like she didn’t know anyone at all. She had been slightly pregnant during Anna’s wedding, and she had cringed at the idea of having a smaller ceremony so soon after Anna’s nuptials had been the event of the year. Especially because Jessie would have been marrying someone she didn’t love, and wearing a dress with a wide enough waistline to have disguised her growing belly. “I can’t even imagine the pressure Martha’s under.” The idea of going through with a wedding was stressful enough without adding fifteen hundred people and three photojournalists to the room.

  These kinds of events always reminded Jessie of why she was relieved to still be single.

  After the dinner, and the endless speeches, came the dancing. A swing band began to play. Jessie hoped to get away with sitting at the table, but Anna had other ideas.

  “C’mon, Jess, there’s someone I’d like you to meet.”

  “Ugh, I don’t want to meet anyone.”

  “He’s a swell guy, and I think the two of you would have a lot in common.” Anna looked at her sister with huge, round, puppy dog eyes. The ones Jessie couldn’t say no to. “One dance.”

  Jessie sighed. “Okay. But only one. I have a daughter and she has a bedtime.”

  Anna took Jessie’s hand and led her across the room to a man who stood with his back to them. He was very tall, with dark hair.

  “Jessie, I’d like to introduce you to Mr. Tom Davies. Hey there, Tom.” Anna tapped the man on the shoulder, and when he turned around, Jessie’s stomach did a flip-flop for all the wrong reasons.

  “You.” His warm smile for Anna turned to a frown when his eyes fell on Jessie.

  “That’s no way to greet a lady,” Anna chided him. “C’mon, Tom, I want to introduce you to my little sister, Jessie.” She seemed totally oblivious to the fact Jessie and Tom had locked gazes and were glaring at each other intently.

  “We’ve met.” Tom’s voice could freeze fresh coffee. Jessie shrugged at her sister and flashed her an apologetic half-smile.

  “In the church. The man with the mother.”

  Understanding dawned and Anna’s eyes widened. “Oh. Wow. Well. Uh... Okay. I have to go find my phone.” She patted her purse and hurried away, making the situation momentarily even worse.

  “I’m going to go take care of my daughter.” Jessie turned and walked away before Mr. Davies said anything mean to her. This whole endless wedding day had reminded Jessie of two things: first, she never, ever, ever planned to get married. Period. Second, she hated big social gatherings.

  She took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and looked at her watch. Four hours to go.

  Chapter 3

  After the wedding, Jessie decided she would be quite happy to go the rest of her life never seeing Mr. Tom Davies ever again. He was a first-class grouch and probably a snob, too, based on the way his mom had judged Jessie’s lack of a wedding band.

  She left as soon as the cake was cut. All through Taylor’s bedtime routine, half Jesisie’s mind centered on that day’s events, while the other half tried its best to help Taylor wash her face and to read a compelling bedtime story.

  Perhaps “compelling” wasn’t the right word. Sleep-inducing, that was more like it. Jessie loved her daughter very much, but she also cherished the quiet time she got at the end of the day when she was able to get Taylor to sleep soon enough.

  The dancing and all the exciting new sights and sounds had taken their toll on Taylor, because she fell asleep before Jessie had even reached page three of the story. Jessie kissed her on the forehead, savoring the warmth of this perfect, innocent child, this incredible gift God had given her.

  Jessie raised a silent prayer of gratitude for her daughter. She awoke several hours later on the mat beside Taylor’s bed, and realized she’d drifted off. Oops. It had been such a long day.

  Jessie was in a better mood the next day, when she awoke at five and got stuck into taking care of the horses. It was Sunday, which ought to have meant something. In reality, every Sunday in Oakdale was like skipping work. Walking around the town when everyone was at church felt deeply wrong, somehow, like they’d all know where she ought to be. Never mind that anyone who saw her would have to be skipping church themselves.

  Once she’d cleaned out all the other horses, she went to the final one on the end.

  “Hey, boy, how’s your leg?” Jessie opened the stall where Banksy waited patiently. He nickered and she patted him on the nose. His soft fur glided against her hand and her heart tingled.

  “You seem chipper, today, Banksy. C’mon, let’s go out for a little walk.” She put a bridle and harness on him, fastening it up with practiced hands, and led him out. He paused where she would usually tether him while she saddled up, and she shook her head with a sympathetic frown.

  “I’m sorry, boy. Not today. Vet said I can’t ride you for at least two more weeks. Gentle exercise only. I don’t think that includes carrying me around places.”

  “Harrumph,” he retorted.

  “Atta boy. You’ll be galloping again in no time.” She patted him on the flank and he reluctantly got moving once more. Outside, she led him around the yard several times in a big circle, taking care not to strain his leg by making him move too fast.

  Horses were so much easier than people. They didn’t require the same mental energy. Horses were straightforward. When they wanted something, it was usually fairly obvious. And she was attuned to their emotions. Banksy, for example, was impatient and wanted to go for a long hac
k.

  People hid their emotions, or judged other people for the most ridiculous things. Jessie was tired of it. Yes, she had a daughter. But what was she supposed to do about it? The judgement just kept on and on, the disapproving glances, the way people would do only the bare minimum whenever she asked for help, the polite but disdainful refusal of everyone to forgive her. And the longer it went on for, the more it irritated Jessie. She knew she had messed up in the first place, she knew that, but Taylor was growing into a wonderful, thoughtful, polite little girl, and no one in the town had a right to hold Taylor against her.

  This was where Jessie had a disagreement with God. If He thought Jessie was wrong to keep her baby, surely He wouldn’t have made her such an amazing child. Jessie loved her daughter too much to spend all day, every day feeling apologetic and guilty.

  So she spent Sunday mornings with the horses. It was easier than facing the town. Easier than facing God.

  “Great job, Banksy,” she murmured, re-centering her thoughts onto her horse. She patted him and walked him back to the stable, putting him in a different stall while she cleaned his out.

  It was honest work, and it felt good to do something so physical.

  “Hey, little sis.” Anna’s voice carried across the stable and Jessie looked up in surprise.

  “Hey, Anna. What’re you doing here?”

  “Are you kidding me? I wanted to see you.”

  The sentiment sat strangely in Jessie’s heart, because it had been so long since anyone had actually visited her.

  “Neat. I’m afraid I’ll need a shower before I’m fit for polite company.” Jessie shrugged, still holding a shovel.

  “Putting your inheritance to good use, I see.” Anna grinned.

  Jessie chuckled. “Hey, the rest of you might enjoy being ladies of leisure, but I always wanted to run a riding school.”

  “How’s that going?”

  Jessie sighed. “It would go a lot better if anyone in town would allow their children near me. They all think their daughters will catch loose morals.”

  “Huh?” Anna’s look of total confusion made Jessie shrug again.

  “Because of Taylor. Or, rather, because Taylor’s father didn’t marry me.”

  “What? People think that’s a crime, now? What year is this?” Anna pulled out her phone and looked at it for a moment. “Still twenty-twenty. Seriously, this town is stuck in the Dark Ages or something. Next you’ll tell me dancing is forbidden.”

  Anna began tapping her feet. Jessie giggled and clapped her hands. Together, they both started singing.

  “Footloose. Get loose. Kick off your Sunday shoes...”

  “I don’t know the rest of the words,” Jessie admitted as she trailed off.

  “Me either. But I think the point has been made. Had breakfast, yet?”

  Jessie put the shovel away and led Banksy back into his stall. “Nope. Come on into the kitchen, I’ll put some coffee on.”

  “We could eat out.”

  That one suggestion showed how long Anna had been away. She had forgotten everything about Oakdale, it seemed.

  “Everywhere is closed until midday.” Jessie led the way into the house and washed her hands thoroughly, before putting the coffee machine on.

  “Closed? Really? Even now?”

  Jessie gave a solemn nod.

  “I just thought they would have moved with the times. Why are you still here, Jess?”

  “Mom.”

  As soon as the sound left Jessie’s lips, the word ballooned like smoke, expanding into the air and making it heavy, dampening any high spirits the two women might have had a moment before.

  “I’m sorry. We’ve all sort of left you here to deal with her, haven’t we?”

  “Have you seen her since you got here?” Jessie already knew the answer before she asked the question. Anna shifted uncomfortably.

  “No. Yesterday I was at the wedding. Do they let you visit on Sundays?”

  “Yeah. Twelve until two. You can come with me if you want.”

  Brilliant sunshine streamed into the kitchen, but instead of being cheerful, the light felt stark and garish, like it had illuminated too much that usually remained unspoken.

  “Yeah. I’d like that. But...”

  Anna looked up at Jessie with tears in her eyes.

  “What is it?”

  “I don’t think I can be happy.” Her eyes welled up. Jessie hugged her, even though she was covered in mud.

  “You don’t have to be happy, hon. You just have to be there. Mom misses you. She asks about you every day.”

  “You see her daily? I don’t care what the town says about Taylor, you’re a saint, Jessie.”

  “She’s my mom, and I’m the one who lives nearest.” Jessie wondered why Anna was here by herself. She and her husband were usually inseparable.

  “But you’re carrying this burden by yourself, taking care of Mom and Taylor, all alone.”

  “Anna?” Jessie leaned back from her sister, holding her at arm’s length as she looked into her eyes. “Is everything okay between you and Richard?”

  “Yeah. Sure. Why wouldn’t it be?” Her words were spoken a little too quickly. Her tone too upbeat. Jessie knew her sister was lying, but there wasn’t a lot she could do if Anna wouldn’t talk to her about it.

  “You know,” Jessie said carefully, “I have a spare bedroom and Mom might only have days or weeks left. She would really, really appreciate if you stayed. And I could do with the help.”

  The gratitude and relief in Anna’s face shined like a beacon.

  “If you both need me to stay, I’ll stay.”

  Jessie gave her sister a warm smile. “I’m not sure we can manage without you.”

  “Then I guess I have no choice. I’ll call my husband.”

  Jessie finished making coffee then went upstairs to shower and change her clothes. Of course, this whole thing was for Anna, to give her some space to deal with whatever she was going through.

  Jessie would have managed without anyone else. She always did. But there was a difference between coping with a situation and thriving. Having Anna around was really going to make a difference, especially for their mom. It was the first Sunday in a long time when she’d felt such intense gratitude.

  Chapter 4

  “Anna! You came!” Mrs. Martin’s face lit up when Anna walked in behind Jessie.

  “Hi Mom, uh... how are you?” Anna smiled but Jessie knew her sister well enough to spot that the smile lacked her usual warmth, and didn’t quite reach her eyes.

  “They’re taking good care of me.”

  Jessie bit her lip. She was clearly unnecessary in this conversation. Her mom and Anna continued to chit-chat, and neither of them noticed when Jessie slipped out of the room. She went down to the little vestibule where there were a couple of old-fashioned vending machines offering unappetizing things to eat.

  She put her money in the machine and took a moment to pick something. There were sandwiches cut into triangles, but the bread had dried out and curled at the top, making them look like the pictures of Swiss mountains that were printed on boxes of chocolates. The labels had smudged in the heat, and it was impossible to know what any of them were. Jessie didn’t much like egg, so she looked for something that didn’t seem to have any.

  Footsteps echoed behind her, then someone cleared their throat.

  “Are you planning on buying anything?”

  That voice… it was him again! She tensed and closed her eyes.

  “It’s a hard decision. They all look terrible.” She heard the whine in her voice. It was embarrassing. One tiny question and he already had her on the defensive.

  He stepped forward and she saw him in her peripheral vision. She tried not to show how curious she was, so she kept her head still and strained her eyes, glimpsing his suit, his dark hair, and that was about all she could make out from such an awkward angle.

  “You know I can see you staring at me in the glass of the vending machine,
don’t you?” he asked.

  Heat flushed through her face as she realized he’d been watching her... watching him. Flustered, she hit a button for what looked like a cheese sandwich. It shuffled toward the glass, but as it fell, it got stuck.

  “No!” Feeling helpless, Jessie opened her purse to see if she had any more cash. Nothing. Great, she’d spent her last two-fifty on a sub-standard and probably out of date sandwich and she wouldn’t even get to find out what flavor it had been.

  “Here, allow me.” He pushed his money into the machine and pressed a button. His sandwich fell, knocking Jessie’s down with it. He reached in and pulled them both out, handing her one.

  “Uh... thanks.” She didn’t want to be indebted to this guy. He had been so rude at the wedding. This situation was beyond awkward.

  “No problem. Want to guess what fillings we have?”

  She nodded. “Pretty sure mine is cheese.”

  “I think mine is tomato and lettuce.”

  Their eyes locked for a split second then they immediately looked away. Jessie busied herself with unwrapping her sandwich. She bit into it and groaned in bitter disappointment.

  “Egg. It’s gone bad, I think.”

  With a groan of disgust, he pulled out a cloth handkerchief and spat into it. “Salami,” he explained. “I’m vegetarian.”

  Jessie giggled. “Wow. We both messed this up.”

  “Care to switch?” Uh-oh. They were sharing a moment. Jessie’s eyes widened and she tried to stay cool.

  “It’s the most logical solution, I guess.” She wasn’t sure if she’d managed nonchalance or if she’d just sounded sleepy.

  He held out his sandwich and she passed over hers. The salami had a hard, dried out rind around it, making it hard to bite without pulling an entire slice of meat out from between the bread. Still, it beat eating an egg sandwich. Or nothing at all. After all, if he hadn’t been there, her sandwich would have been stuck forever. Vending machines were so unreliable. Jessie was amazed there had never been a class-action lawsuit from disgruntled customers.

  “Why are you vegetarian?” Almost no one in Oakdale was meat-free.