Failsafe

by Traci Hunter Abramson

  “Kennedy?” He took several long strides until he reached the living room. “Kennedy, what are you doing here? I didn’t know you were coming to visit.”

  “Obviously.”

  Confusion filled Jake’s voice, along with an edge of defensiveness. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  Charlotte stood in the front hall, not sure what to do. She wanted to go check on Abigail, but she didn’t want to pass into Kennedy’s view either.

  “Let me get this straight,” Kennedy said sharply. “You inherit the house, and the first thing you do is bring a girlfriend here and tell her she can go through our mother’s things? What were you thinking?”

  “It’s not like that,” Jake said. “Not that it’s any of your business, but Hannah lives here in the house with Grandma. I’m still living in my place out back.”

  “Desiree said you had a girlfriend living here.”

  Charlotte edged closer but remained out of sight.

  “What if she is my girlfriend? What does that have to do with you?” Jake asked. “Hannah has been a lifesaver. She spends nearly all day with Grandma, working in the garden, looking at old pictures with her. She does all the things you and I should do if we weren’t always so impatient to get on with our own lives.”

  “I thought you were going to put Grandma into a nursing home. You know things with her are only going to get worse.”

  “Actually, she seems to be doing better since Hannah got here.”

  “That doesn’t change the fact that Hannah was wearing our mother’s clothes.”

  “So what. I told you to go through Mom’s things and to take what you wanted. You’re still welcome to do that.”

  “Why isn’t your girlfriend wearing her own clothes?”

  “She had a luggage mishap. We were going to go into town so she could buy a few things, but since she could borrow Mom’s stuff, we haven’t gotten around to it.”

  “Then I think it’s time you get around to it. Now,” Kennedy demanded.

  “You know what, Kennedy. You’re right.” Jake emerged back into the hall and motioned to his sister to follow.

  Mortified to be caught eavesdropping, Charlotte took an automatic step back.

  Jake looked at her as though he knew she’d been there the whole time. “Hannah, would you please go get my grandmother for me?”

  “Sure.” Charlotte moved past him and found Abigail in her room. “Miss Abigail, would you like to go sit in the living room for a while?”

  “Oh, yes. That sounds like a nice idea.” Abigail went through her routine of putting a bookmark in her book to mark her page and setting it on the table before pushing herself to a stand. Normally Charlotte didn’t mind her deliberate and slow pace, but she sensed Kennedy probably didn’t have a well of patience with the elderly, whether she was related to them or not.

  When they reached the living room, Jake reached out and took his grandmother’s arm. “Grandma, you have a visitor. Kennedy is going to stay with you and help you fix dinner while Charlotte and I go out for a while.”

  “What?” Kennedy’s voice was a whisper, but that didn’t diminish the obvious shock in her voice.

  Abigail didn’t seem to notice Kennedy’s surprise. “Is it already dinnertime?”

  “Not quite, Miss Abigail,” Charlotte said, hoping to head her off. “Maybe you can set the table while you’re waiting for Kennedy.”

  “Okay.” She shuffled a few steps before turning back to Charlotte. “Don’t forget I want to walk in the garden after we eat.”

  “I remember.” Charlotte waited for Abigail to retreat into the kitchen before she turned to Jake. She didn’t know exactly what was going on between his sister and him, but the last thing she wanted was to see Abigail used as a pawn.

  Before she could voice that thought, Kennedy rounded on Jake. “What kind of game are you playing here?”

  “You said I should take Hannah shopping now. That’s what I’m going to do.” Jake took a step toward the door. “It won’t hurt you to spend a little time with Grandma. Maybe it will help you appreciate how much Hannah is doing for our family and how little effort you are making in that regard.”

  “That’s absurd. I only came over because . . .” Her voice trailed off, but Charlotte wasn’t sure if she’d forgotten her initial reason for her visit or if she didn’t want to announce it to them.

  “You came over because Desiree whined about my new girlfriend,” Jake stated confidently. “I dated Desiree in high school, for heaven’s sake. When is she going to move on?”

  “She’s been in love with you for a long time.”

  “Love is just a word to her, one she uses to get what she wants,” Jake told her. “Maybe it’s time you stop letting Desiree manipulate you. She has a gift for saying the right things and making you feel good about yourself, but ultimately, when she has to choose between what she wants and what’s best for someone else, her wants win every time.”

  “You can’t just leave me here.”

  “Stella is right down the road. I’m sure she can come help out if you can’t handle a visit with your own grandmother.”

  “Jake, that’s not fair.”

  Jake ignored her, reaching out to take Charlotte’s arm. “Come on, Hannah. Let’s go.”

  Charlotte stood firm. “Your grandmother is not a burden to be passed off as a punishment.”

  “You’re right, she’s not. But this is one of those times when Kennedy needs to stop complaining about problems she’s creating unless she’s willing to be part of the solution.”

  “Jake . . .”

  The command in his voice surprised her when he said, “Let’s go.”

  Caught between twin waves of hostility, Charlotte looked from Jake to Kennedy and back again. It didn’t take her long to decide she’d rather deal with an annoyed Jake than his equally annoyed sister.

  She let him lead her outside, his hand still firmly on her arm. As soon as the door closed behind them, she voiced her objection again. “Jake, your grandmother is not a pawn, and neither am I.”

  “Just get in the truck, Hannah.” Jake let go of her arm, took the porch steps two at a time, and yanked open the door to his truck.

  She folded her arms and glared.

  “Please?” Jake forced the word out.

  Her own temper brewing, she walked deliberately to the truck, climbed in, and slammed the door closed herself.

  Jake climbed in beside her, not speaking to her as he started the engine and headed down the drive. They drove in silence as the miles stretched out, anger sparking silently between them.

  Charlotte envisioned Kennedy turning her own frustrations on Abigail and found she wanted to be back at the house to make sure Abigail wasn’t treated poorly. Clearly Jake was determined to follow through with his plan, and Charlotte found herself at a loss for words. For the first time since meeting him, she realized she didn’t understand him nearly as well as she thought she did.

  Chapter 29

  Jake took the country road faster than he knew he should, but the speed was putting distance between him and his frustration. Didn’t Hannah understand he was standing up for her? And what did she do? Turn on him. In front of his own sister, no less.

  They were halfway to Charlottesville before he finally forced himself to speak. “Did it ever occur to you that I was standing up for you back there?”

  Her rigid posture relaxed slightly. “Getting mad at me isn’t exactly a good way to show it.”

  “I wouldn’t have gotten mad had you just come with me when I asked you to.”

  “You mean when you demanded me to,” Hannah countered.

  They fell into another stony silence until Hannah said, “I’m worried about your grandmother.”

  “She’ll be fine.”

  “How am I supposed to know that?” The passion in her voice surprised him. “I don’t know your sister. I have no idea if she’s going to really stay with your grandma or if she’ll take off and leave her in a st
ate of confusion.”

  “Kennedy might not be happy with me right now, but she won’t just abandon Grandma. Most likely she’ll call Stella and convince her to come over so she can go home.”

  “Don’t you want to try to spend time with your sister? You said you haven’t seen her since your parents’ funeral. That was what? A month ago?”

  “Five weeks.”

  Jake suddenly pulled off onto a grassy area on the side of the road and stopped. He could feel the frustrations of the past clawing at him, and he couldn’t stand it anymore. He shifted to face her, the muscles in his jaw clenching. “Do you have any idea what it’s like to have your own sister side with your ex-girlfriend? To have them try to manipulate your life because it’s what they want, never caring what you want for yourself?”

  “If Desiree’s so horrible, why did you ever go out with her?”

  “She isn’t horrible. She just wants me to fit into the life she chose for me, and I can’t do it. We broke up ten years ago, but they won’t leave it alone. I was stupid enough to take Desiree to a few events at the country club over the years, and they both seem to think I’m still interested in something long-term.” Jake let out a longsuffering sigh. “Having Kennedy try to get us back together just made things impossible between all three of us.”

  “She’s still your sister. Isn’t it worth trying to salvage some kind of relationship?” Hannah asked bluntly.

  “You don’t have a family. You couldn’t possibly understand what it’s like,” Jake said, realizing as soon as the words had left his mouth that he shouldn’t have spoken them.

  Hurt flashed in her eyes. “You know, there are times when you can be a real jerk.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that.”

  “I thought as a writer you would be more in tune with people’s emotions.”

  “Being a writer doesn’t mean I’m perfect.”

  “No, but it wouldn’t hurt for you to read a few books by some authors who understand women.”

  “Like who?”

  “My favorite author would be a good example. You have plenty of his books around your house.”

  “Who’s that?”

  “Jackson Clark.”

  Jake just stared. All this time he assumed she knew who he was. He had seen her reading one of his books, and he knew she had looked over his family history with his grandmother. Had she really never noticed that he was the third in his family with the same name: Jackson Clark Bradford?

  He didn’t know why this revelation delighted him, but he couldn’t deny the way his frustration melted away. Could it be the knowledge that she didn’t see him as a celebrity but that rather their relationship was based on the simplicity of their growing friendship?

  “You know, I could kiss you right now.”

  Her eyebrows drew together in confusion.

  “In fact . . .” He shifted and leaned forward. He saw the awareness come into her eyes right before his lips touched hers. His hand reached for hers, and he could almost feel her body relaxing degree by degree, a new level of tension replacing her earlier frustration.

  When he pulled back, she said, “You know, you can’t just expect a kiss to make this all better. You were very rude back there.”

  “I know, and I really am sorry. Stick around long enough,” he said, “and you’ll understand why my sister is sometimes best taken in small doses.”

  “I always wanted a brother or sister growing up,” Hannah said, her earlier anger apparently melting into wistfulness. “I never thought about what it would be like to have a sibling and not get along with them.”

  Jake fell silent for a moment. “It wasn’t so bad when we were younger. We both loved to ride, so that gave us some common ground even though we didn’t share many other interests.”

  “It’s hard to imagine your sister on a horse. She looks so elegant.”

  “She actually used to be one of the best show jumpers in the state,” Jake said, a little surprised by his own pride. “That’s how she and Desiree got to be such good friends.”

  “What about you? Did you ever compete?”

  One shoulder lifted. “Not really. Breeding was always more interesting to me, but even that wasn’t enough to tempt me to make this my career.”

  “I’ve seen you when you start writing. I can’t imagine you trying to do that on a farmer’s schedule.”

  “I’m actually going to have to take on some more help,” he admitted. “I’ve tried to help pitch in here and there, and we hired a new man last month, but I can tell how hard it’s been on Max to not have as much help as he’s used to getting from my dad.”

  “Max does work long hours.”

  “He really does.”

  Hannah looked like she wanted to ask him something.

  “What?” he asked.

  She hesitated and shook her head. “Nothing.”

  He watched her for a moment, wondering if he should press. Taking the easy road, he said simply, “Let’s go get you some clothes you can call your own.”

  “That isn’t necessary. I’m meeting my friend next week. I can wait until then,” she said. “Besides, I really don’t feel comfortable leaving your sister with your grandmother for so long. Isn’t town an hour away?”

  “They’ll be fine. If it will make you feel better, I’ll call Stella and ask her to check on them.”

  “That would make me feel a little better.”

  Jake pulled out his cell phone and made the call. When he hung up, he said, “She said she’d check in on them.” A grin spread across his face.

  “What?”

  “Let’s just say Stella and I have the same opinion. She said she’s going to wait an hour or so before she drops in. She seems to think it would be good for Kennedy to know what it’s like to take care of Grandma.”

  “Miss Abigail is wonderful. It shouldn’t be a hardship.”

  “Grandma is wonderful, but Kennedy doesn’t appreciate what we have. She’s always so busy planning for what’s happening next in her life, she doesn’t always take time to think about anyone besides her and her husband.” Jake started the truck again and headed toward town.

  They chatted amicably on the way, Jake sharing stories about life in New York. He saw that stare again, the same question in her eyes he had seen earlier. “You look like you want to ask me something,” Jake said. “What is it?”

  “It’s nothing. It’s none of my business.”

  “Ask me anyway.”

  “I’m just wondering when you’re going back to New York.”

  Jake considered the question. He’d been asking himself the same thing for weeks. The truth was that the longer he was away from the city, the more his priorities seemed to change. The people here had been his friends long before he’d found fame, and he couldn’t help but notice the lack of contact from the people he normally socialized with in New York. Maybe the saying was true: out of sight, out of mind.

  “I really don’t know. I guess I need to set up a meeting with my agent and find out where we stand with my upcoming deadlines.”

  “Do you have to meet with your agent often?”

  “Not really. We can do most of our business over the phone. I just got used to being in the same city, where I could pop in anytime we needed to go over things.” Jake hesitated, not sure he was ready to voice his next thought. He pressed on, forcing himself to admit the truth he had been avoiding for the past few weeks. “Honestly, if it wasn’t for the family expectations, I probably would have stayed in the country. It would be easy enough to do most of my meetings over the phone. I’d only have to go to New York a couple times a year. And, of course, I’d travel for my book tours.”

  “Have you thought about staying here permanently?”

  “Not really.” Jake glanced over at her, pleased to see the hope reflected in her eyes. “Lately, the idea has been growing on me though.”

  He noticed her cheeks flush as she understood his meaning. She was every bit as important to
him now as anyone in his family had ever been.

  “Let me ask you the same question,” Jake said. “Would you consider staying here?”

  “I . . . I don’t know if I could.”

  “Your meeting with your friend.”

  Hannah nodded. “I guess I’ll know more about my options next week.”

  Jake reached over and took her hand. “Just so you know, my vote is that you stay.”

  Hannah’s lips curved into a smile. “That’s my vote too.”

  Chapter 30

  They were nearly to town when a thought struck Charlotte. “Oh no.”

  “What?” Jake asked.

  Embarrassed, she said, “We left so quickly, I didn’t think to grab my cash out of my room.”

  “Don’t you have a credit or debit card?”

  “No, I don’t.”

  “You don’t?” Jake asked. “What about a checkbook?”

  Charlotte shook her head.

  “You know, there are times I wonder if you’re really from this century.” Jake looked at her suspiciously. “You are from this century, right?”

  “Of course.”

  “Just checking.”

  “Is there any way you’d be willing to let me give you back my paychecks and pay me cash instead?” Charlotte asked tentatively.

  “You haven’t cashed your checks? I thought you took care of that the last time we went into town.”

  “Remember, I told you I don’t have any ID. I lost my wallet a few weeks ago. Banks are funny about cashing checks when you can’t prove who you are.”

  “I figured you’d sent away for a new one. Why didn’t you tell me you still didn’t have ID?”

  “It wasn’t that big a deal. I haven’t needed to spend any money, so I didn’t really think about it.”

  Jake pulled into the parking lot at a large mall. “I’ll cover the cost of whatever you need today.”

  “Thank you. I’ll give you the checks when we get back home.”

  They climbed out of the truck, and Jake took Charlotte’s hand as they headed for the closest mall entrance. She felt incredibly self-conscious dressed as she was, not to mention the trepidation that someone might still be looking for her. Surely she had covered her tracks well enough that she wouldn’t be found now, but fear always seemed to hover in the back of her mind.