The question was, where did she go from here? She’d given it some serious thought. For the first couple of days after Jamie’s return, she’d kept a low profile, staying out of the way. She hadn’t wanted to do anything that would likely trigger a memory. But she was showing absolutely no sign of remembering anything so she was more relaxed about it now. But knew it could change at any minute.
Now that she was back though, the trust could be dissolved and all the inheritance released. And this was what she was waiting for. As soon as Jake got his share of the money, she was out of here, taking a big chunk of it with her.
That was going to take some time, though. So, for now, she just had to bide her time and keep her fingers crossed.
A creak in the ceiling told her that Jamie was up. They wouldn’t have been so quick to leave her to look after her if they’d known the truth. It was quite hysterical, really.
Hearing footsteps on the stairs, she called out, “Are you feeling better? Can I get you anything?” Confused when there was no reply, she left the kitchen and walked into the hallway. Jamie was halfway down the stairs and she had to admit, she did look sick. She was as white as a sheet and she could see that she was trembling. “Are you okay?”
She just nodded. “I’m fine. I just need to go out for a minute.”
“I’m supposed to be watching you and you don’t look fine. I think you should stay here until Kat and Jake get home. Where do you need to go, anyway?”
Jamie wouldn’t meet her eyes as she replied, “I just need to get some air.”
Something was wrong here. Carrie took a step towards her and she visibly drew back, flinching. The smile fell from her face and all pretence at concern was lost.
“You’ve remembered.” It wasn’t a question, it was a statement. It was clear to see that she was terrified of her.
“I haven’t remembered anything. I just don’t feel very well and need a bit of air. I won’t be long,” she said, taking a step down the stairs.
Did she think she was stupid? Crossing the hall in a few steps, Carrie stood at the bottom of the stairs looking up at her. “Don’t play with me, Jamie.”
She could tell the moment she decided to stop pretending, and she raised her head and looked her directly in the eye.
“Why?”
“Why? You were on your way to tell your parents about me and Ted. They hated me already. If you’d told them that, it would have ruined everything.”
“Ruined everything? What are you talking about? You didn’t need their permission to get married!”
“No, but they would have certainly cut Jake out of their will if we’d gotten married without it. What would have been the point in that?” she snarled at her.
Jamie looked shocked. “All this has been about the money? That’s why you married him?”
She laughed. “Don’t look so surprised. It’s all right for people like you. When have you ever wanted for anything? I don’t suppose you went to bed hungry more often than not when you were a kid, did you?” She shook her head. “I didn’t want to hurt you, really, but I was this close.” She held up her forefinger and thumb. “This close to getting what I wanted and I wasn’t about to let you ruin it.”
“Does Jake know?”
“No, he doesn’t have a clue. He’s not that smart.”
“So what are you going to do now? Kill me and run?”
“If I was going to run, I would have gone when we first got the phone call to say you’d been found. No, I’m not going anywhere without my money.”
“You’re nuts. They’ll be home soon and when they walk through that door I’m telling them everything and you can go to hell.”
“And take your brother with me.” She smiled triumphantly at the confused look on Jamie’s face.
“I thought you said he didn’t know?”
“He doesn’t. But you see, your darling brother is far from innocent himself. Unfortunately for him, he made the mistake of trusting me with his secret and if I go down, he’s coming right along with me.”
“What on earth are you talking about? What secret?”
She laughed, enjoying herself immensely. “Who do you think killed Ted?”
“You’re lying!”
She shook her head. “No, I’m not. Oh, he didn’t mean to, it wasn’t murder or anything, just a terrible accident. But after all this time, who’s going to believe that? And if you tell anyone about me, well, you’ll be sending your own brother to prison, too.”
She watched as what she said hit home and Jamie lowered herself to sit on the stairs.
“I don’t think you want to do that, do you?”
***
She felt sick. It was too much. Her own brother had killed Ted? Why? Why would he do that to her? And more importantly, what did she do now?
Carrie was stood at the bottom of the stairs grinning, knowing she’d won.
“What do you want?”
“I want you to keep your mouth shut. I just want the money, that’s it, and I’ll be gone. Once the will is settled, I’ll siphon off a chunk and then I’ll be gone and you can go back to your sad little life with your pathetic brother and you’ll never have to see me again.”
What choice did she have? She didn’t know what had happened with Ted, but Jake was her brother, he was all she had left. She couldn’t be responsible for sending him to prison.
“Okay. You win.”
“Of course I do, I’ve got all the cards. Now, go back upstairs like a good girl and practice acting like you’ve lost your memory. No one can find out that it’s come back or they’ll start asking questions and you know what happens then, don’t you?”
Jamie knew exactly what she was saying and did as she was told, turning and walking back up the stairs.
Forty
The Pontiac’s magic wasn’t working today. He’d finished his shift and headed straight home, looking forward to shutting the world out. Unfortunately, it wasn’t happening. He’d been in the garage for nearly two hours and had gotten very little done to show for it. Most of it had been spent lying on a dolly underneath it, staring into space.
He’d been telling the truth when he’d told Kat that very little had any meaning after she’d left. Yes, they’d only been kids, but even then he had known that this was the woman he wanted to spend his life with. He’d had no desire to be like all the other guys who were running around on their girlfriends; it just hadn’t interested him. He’d had everything he wanted in Kat.
He would never forget the day he’d found out she’d gone. Her father had told him in no uncertain terms that she wouldn’t be coming back and to get over it. He’d tortured himself for months, replaying every conversation, trying to see if there was any sign that it had been coming. He’d been convinced that somehow it had been his fault, something he’d done.
Eventually he’d gotten past it, but it had taken a long time and there was still a part of his heart that was permanently scarred. It was getting harder and harder to pretend that he didn’t care about it, though. All this time spent in her company had just made him remember how good they’d been together and he knew that he needed answers now. He needed to know what had made her leave.
Pushing himself out from underneath the car, he was just pulling himself to his feet when the door to the kitchen opened. Damn, he’d forgotten Carla was coming over!
“Hi, sweetie!” She reached up to kiss him.
“Hey.” He replied, his tone less than enthusiastic earning him a pout. “Sorry, I’m just tired. Been working all day and I’m beat.”
“You’re forgiven.” She turned and walked into the kitchen with him following behind. “Do you want me to cook?”
“Yeah, that would be good. I’ll just go wash up.” Leaving her busying herself in the kitchen, he went upstairs to shower and change. The smell of pasta wafted up the stairs as he dried himself off and he realized that he was starving.
“Smells good,” he said, walking into the kitchen a few minutes l
ater.
It was a warm night so they decided to eat on the back porch. Usually the conversation flowed, but tonight his mind was elsewhere.
“Finn? Finn, are you even listening to me?”
He realized she’d been talking to him but he hadn’t heard a word she said. “I’m sorry. God, I must be more tired than I thought.” He needed to get this straightened out. “Look, do you mind if you don’t stay over tonight? I think I need a good night’s sleep.” Her face told him that she did mind, but he really needed to be on his own right now.
“You can’t sleep with me here?”
How could he explain without hurting her feelings that he simply didn’t want her there that night? “I just want a bit of time to myself. It’s been a busy few days.” He smiled to soften his words. “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”
She still wasn’t happy as he kissed her goodbye at the front door, but the minute the door was closed she was gone from his mind. Going back outside, grabbing his cell from the kitchen on the way, he dialed Kat’s number.
“I was just wondering if you wanted to come over?” he asked when she picked up. The brief silence on the other end of the phone told him that she was thrown by his request, and he was sure she was going to refuse. He was surprised when she agreed.
***
He felt stupidly nervous. It wasn’t like this was a date or anything. He just wanted to clear the air, get some answers, and maybe put what happened behind him once and for all. But for some reason, he felt like a teenager all over again. Perhaps it was because this was the first time they were meeting for reasons not related to Jamie.
By the time the doorbell rang a short time later, he’d washed up the dinner dishes and put some beers in the fridge to chill.
“Hi,” he said as he opened the door. “Thanks for coming over.” She stood in the glow of the overhead porch light with a bottle of red wine in her hands.
“Here,” she said, handing it to him. “Thanks for inviting me.”
They both just stood there for a moment, looking at each other. “Okay, why does this feel awkward?” He smiled at her.
She let out a soft laugh “I don’t know. It does, though, doesn’t it?”
“Come one, let’s get this open.” He held the door open for her to come in, closing it and taking a deep breath before following her through to the kitchen.
“How is Jamie doing?” he asked as he opened the bottle to let it breathe.
“She’s doing okay, I think. I haven’t been home since I saw you earlier. There was so much to go over in the office and then I had to go into town to see the lawyer again now that she’s been found. Jake and Carrie are there, though, and I’ve told them to call me if there are any problems.”
Picking up the bottle and two glasses, Finn gestured her to follow him out onto the porch. “So what are you going to do now, head back to L.A.?” He didn’t look at her while he waited for the answer, focusing on pouring the wine. He wasn’t sure he wanted to hear the answer.
“Not right away, no. The paperwork over the estate will take a little time, but I don’t need to be here for that. I don’t want to leave just yet, though, not until I’m sure that Jamie is going to be okay.”
He was surprised. He thought she’d be eager to get back as soon as possible. “You don’t sound like you like the idea too much.”
“It’s just that over the past few days I’ve realized how much I’ve missed out on all these years, and I don’t want to miss out on any more.” She smiled at him. “I definitely won’t be staying away as long this time.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“Really? You mean that?”
“Of course. It would be great for them to have you around more.” That wasn’t the real reason, he knew that. It was good to hear because he found himself wanting to see a lot more of her.
As the wine was drained from the bottle, and then they started on the beer, they reminisced about their days in high school, leading to fits of laughter when they remembered the things they’d gotten up to. They were both enjoying the evening and purposefully stayed away from the subject of her leaving. After one particularly spectacular laughing fit, which nearly had Finn choking on his beer, they decided it might be time for coffee.
“I’ll make it,” Kat volunteered, and he leaned back on the kitchen counter happily watching her move about his kitchen. While the kettle boiled, she turned to him. “Thank you. It means more than you know that we’re able to do this.”
Maybe it was the alcohol or the relief of having found Jamie. Whatever it was, in that moment he couldn’t stop himself. Crossing the gap between them in one step, he took her face in his hands, cupping it as he looked into her eyes. He’d expected her to pull away, but she didn’t. Encouraged, he brushed her bottom lip with his thumb before leaning down and touching his lips to hers briefly.
Looking into her eyes, he searched for a sign to stop but there was none. Pushing his hand into the hair at the back of her head, he pulled her tightly to him, all restraint gone. He felt her lips part under his, welcoming him. Her hands pulled his shirt from the waistband of his jeans and slid up his bare back, pulling him close.
The shrill ringing of his cell was like an alarm bell in the silent kitchen, snapping them both out of the moment.
“Shit! I’ve got to see who that is in case it’s work.” Cursing, he quickly went to grab his phone from the porch. It was Carla. Feeling a brief stab of guilt, he returned to the kitchen but Kat wasn’t there. “Kat?”
“I’ve got to go,” she said from where she was standing by the front door.
“What? Why?” He was confused.
“This was a mistake. I’m sorry, Finn.” She opened the front door to leave.
“What? Just like that you’re walking out on me again with no explanation?” He hadn’t meant for this to happen, but she had been as willing as he was.
Forty-One
“Are you okay?” Kat had told him that she wasn’t feeling very well, but since he’d gotten home Jamie had hardly spoken to him and refused to meet his eyes.
“I’m fine. I just wish everybody would stop asking me that!” she snapped at him.
Carrie was acting strangely, too. She’d hardly taken her eyes of Jamie and even now, as they sat in the living room watching TV, her eyes were on her constantly.
“Have you two had a disagreement or something?” Okay, there was no mistaking it that time. They definitely exchanged a look. There was something they weren’t telling him. “Okay, spit it out.” He looked at each of them in turn, waiting for an answer.
“You’re imagining things,” Jamie told him, but she was looking at Carrie as she said it. With a sigh, he stood up. “Okay. Well, if you’re not going to tell me I’m going to get myself a drink. Anyone want anything?”
“Yeah, could you make me a hot chocolate, the way you always made them, with marshmallows?”
It wasn’t until he reached the kitchen that he realized what Jamie had just said. She’d remembered! But if that were true, why on earth hadn’t she said anything? Maybe she was just remembering little things without even realizing it? All thoughts of a drink forgotten, he rushed back to the living room.
“Jamie! Do you realize what you just said?”
She looked confused. “What are you talking about?”
“You asked for a chocolate the way I always used to make it!” He was grinning now “You remembered something!” He’d been expecting her to be as excited as he was but he didn’t see excitement in her eyes now, just naked panic.
“You stupid bitch!”
He whirled to face Carrie as she hissed this at Jamie. “What the hell?” He had no idea what was going on. “Will someone tell me what the hell is going on here?”
“Jake, just leave it alone. Please!” Jamie was pleading with him.
“No, I won’t leave it alone! Something is going on here and I want to know what!” He turned to Carrie “Why did you say that?” She didn’t reply, instea
d just looking at him in disgust.
“Okay, if neither of you are going to tell me, I’ll call Kat. She can come home and straighten this out.” He reached into his pocket for his cell phone.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” He looked up from dialing the number to find Carrie standing in front of the TV, pointing a gun and him and Jamie.
“Drop the phone and kick it over here.” In shock, he did what he was told.
“I should have known you were too stupid to pull it off,” she snarled at Jamie.
“Carrie, what is going on? What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
Keeping the gun trained on them, she sneered, “Your precious sister got her memory back this afternoon. Unfortunately, that meant she remembered who attacked her.”
The confusion must have shown on his face. “Hasn’t the penny dropped yet?”
“Oh, my God! It was you!”
“Well done. Give the boy a medal.”
“Why on earth didn’t you do the job right? If you had, we wouldn’t be in this mess,” he said to her, grinning.
“What? Are you kidding me?” She wasn’t sneering any more.
“Jeez, if you’d told me what was going on I would have helped you! Dammit Carrie.”
“What the hell are you taking about?”
“Well, I managed to get Ted out of the way. Did you think I’d have a problem getting rid of Jamie? She’s not even my real sister, for God’s sake!”
She looked unsure of herself now. “But you’ve been so worried about her, going on and on about finding her.”
“Yeah, because I knew full well that if she was found I needed to keep the family in the dark. You know how much the money and the business mean to me. I don’t give a crap about anything else. We’ll be lucky to get away with anything, now.”
“Jake, what are you saying! You can’t mean this!” Jamie cried looking at him with wide, tear-filled eyes. “Oh, my God, Jake, this can’t be happening.” She dropped her face into her hands and started sobbing.
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