Summer Reads Box Set: Volume 1

by Freethy, Barbara

  She stared at him in amazement. He was talking to her like a child. "I'm a Hathaway, Martin. I know how to handle myself and the press. And if I want to speak on behalf of the store or my family, I will. I don't care if you're the designated spokesperson or not."

  "Your mother won't feel the same way."

  "My mother isn't here."

  "No, she's with your father, talking to him instead of the media, which is where you should be."

  "And where I was going." She saw the anger in his eyes but didn't understand it. "What are you mad about, anyway? I'm the one who has the right to be annoyed. You came in and swooped me away like an eagle snatching an unsuspecting bird."

  "You are an unsuspecting bird," he said as he ran his hand through his hair in obvious frustration. "Where do you think those questions were going, Paige? Someone has obviously been following the police investigation. They know by now that the police went to see Jasmine Chen. Curiosity as to how a simple Chinese woman could be connected to David Hathaway was sure to follow."

  "And we should have an answer ready. 'No comment' will only fuel the curiosity."

  "The answer is coming from your mother. We've already planned a press conference for early this evening. That's why the media are outside right now."

  "No one told me that."

  "I tried calling you earlier, but your message machine was on at home, and you didn't pick up your cell phone. Where have you been?"

  She felt a slight surge of guilt at the memory of her delicious lunch. "I've been doing some research of my own about the dragon."

  "With Riley McAllister? What are you doing with him, Paige? He's not on our side. He's using you."

  "And I'm using him. We both want to get the dragon back. We both want to know who is responsible for the attack on my father and who might have the dragon now. Riley is a security expert. He has connections. He can get information I can't."

  "Like what?"

  "Like he's the one who figured out Jasmine's daughter, Alyssa, is my sister," she said.

  Martin's jaw tensed. He cast a quick look around them to make sure they were alone. "What the hell are you talking about?"

  "My father's illegitimate daughter."

  "Damn," Martin frowned, then shook his head. "Now McAllister has ammunition to blackmail you.”

  She was shocked by the suggestion. Riley wouldn't do that. He was an honorable man. Wasn't he? A niggle of doubt crept into her mind. Was she being naive? He'd laughingly told her she shouldn't have suggested to Alyssa the possibility of selling her story to the tabloids, but couldn't Riley do exactly that? If they couldn't find his grandmother's statue, maybe Riley would have to find another way of getting his grandmother the money he thought she deserved.

  "I need to see my father," she said abruptly, hating the way Martin had derailed her.

  "Look, Paige, I'm sorry if you think I came down too hard on you. I just want to protect you from more pain. And I don't think hanging around with this McAllister guy is a good idea."

  "You don't need to protect me. I can take care of myself. Understood?"

  "As long as you understand that there's a good possibility your father was up to something by taking that dragon into Chinatown in the first place."

  "Up to what? We know he took it to show Jasmine. Big deal."

  "She might not be the only one he showed it to. Maybe he took it to someone who could make him a fake."

  His suggestion left her speechless. "My father doesn't deal in fakes. How can you say that, Martin?"

  "Because he didn't have a good reason to take it out of the store. It went against company policy, our insurance guidelines, our security measures, everything."

  She couldn't refute that. She didn't know why her father had taken the dragon from the store, but Martin's doubts gave her even more motivation to find out. "When he wakes up, he'll tell us why he went to Chinatown. And his reason won't have anything to do with the commissioning of a fake statue. He cares too much about art to even consider such a thing. You'll see I'm right. When my father wakes up, he'll tell us what really happened. And then there won't be any more doubts or questions."

  "I'm looking forward to that moment," Martin replied. "Until then, don't talk to any more reporters, Paige. You'll only add fuel to the fire."

  The fire eating away at her family's reputation. She had to find some way to put it out.

  Chapter Fourteen

  After discussing her husband's case with the private duty nurse, Victoria dismissed the woman so she could be alone with her husband. As she stood now by his bed, she couldn't remember the last time she'd watched David sleep. He looked old, she thought, panic filling her chest. And he was two years younger than she was. This shouldn't be happening now. They weren't the right age to be facing this crisis. They had so much left to do.

  But she wasn't dying, she reminded herself quickly. She was okay. And David would be all right, too. She had to believe that. He was the foundation of her life. Maybe not him exactly, but who he was. She hadn't married just him; she'd married his family, his heritage. She knew more about his ancestors than he did. She was the one who made sure the distant relatives got Christmas cards and birthday presents. She was the true Hathaway, and she wouldn't lose that.

  She certainly wouldn't lose it to divorce. She still couldn't believe the nerve of that woman coming here to her husband's bedside. Well, it wouldn't happen again. The nurses had strict instructions not to let Jasmine Chen anywhere near David.

  How could he have picked a woman so unattractive, so unappealing, so unstylish, so lower-class? He had a wife who was beautiful, smart, sophisticated. Why had he needed someone else?

  Angry tears blurred her vision, and she drew in a sharp breath, hating the fact that she still cared about him at all. Look at how he had treated her, cheating on her with another woman, and God knows how many others. And now the daughter had surfaced. She had known of Alyssa's existence, of course. Her private investigator had researched every aspect of Jasmine Chen's life, including the birth of her daughter, Alyssa, nine months after she'd slept with David. If Jasmine had gone after David then, Victoria would have stopped it. But it appeared that the woman actually cared about David, maybe even loved him—too much to go after his money. What a fool Jasmine Chen was.

  But she was a fool, too. She should have made sure that the connection between Alyssa Chen and David could never be made. She'd slipped up. Now Paige knew about the whole sordid mess. It was embarrassing and awkward, and Victoria dreaded the conversation she knew was coming. Paige would want to talk about the affair, the last thing Victoria cared to discuss with her daughter. Her marriage was personal and private and none of Paige's business.

  "Damn you, David," she said aloud. "The least you could do is have the guts to wake up and face this mess you've created."

  "Do you really think yelling at him is the best approach?" Paige asked as she entered the room.

  "I've run out of other ideas," Victoria retorted, glad to see Paige was alone. She suspected that Riley McAllister was behind her daughter's newfound knowledge, and she resented his intrusion into their lives. "What's wrong?" she asked, noting a flush on her daughter's cheeks.

  "I ran into some reporters downstairs."

  "You didn't tell them anything, did you?"

  "Not really. Martin cut them off at the knees." Victoria nodded approvingly. "He's a very smart businessman. Where is he?"

  "He said he'd be by later. How is Dad?"

  "I don't know. The same, I guess."

  They both glanced down at David, who seemed to be barely breathing. "He sleeps so deeply," Paige murmured. "You're worried, aren't you?"

  "I'd feel better if he was awake." Victoria felt Paige's gaze on her face, but she didn't want to look into her daughter's eyes and see the questions there. "Now isn't the time," she muttered.

  "I wasn't going to ask."

  "Thank you for that."

  "But you knew, didn't you?"

  "I thought you
weren't going to ask."

  "I'm sorry. It's just so confusing. I believed our family was so solid, so secure."

  "Our family is fine. A few bumps in the road along the way, but nothing more than that." Victoria looked at her daughter's worried face. "We are Hathaways, Paige. And we're survivors. Don't ever forget that."

  "I hope Dad hasn't forgotten. What would we do without him?"

  "Hopefully, we won't have to find out."

  "You still love him a little, don't you?"

  "Good heavens, why would you ask that?" "That's not an answer, Mother. Do you still love him?"

  "We've been married for thirty-one years. Love isn't that easy to define at my age."

  "I don't think it should be that difficult, either."

  Some latent motherly instinct made her want to reassure Paige. "Your father and I are not going to split up. We'll never get a divorce, if that's what you're worried about."

  "Because you love him, or because you want to be a Hathaway?"

  "I am a Hathaway. I'm more a Hathaway than he is. I've worked hard to be one. I won't give it up. I don't care how many women and daughters come out of the woodwork."

  "I guess I have my answer."

  "No, you don't have your answer." Victoria took a deep breath. "I love him, and I hate him. I can't help it. I'm sure he feels much the same way. We've shared some of the best days of our lives and some of the worst. We understand each other, and yet we don't. We make each other laugh, and we make each other cry."

  "I guess that's better than feeling nothing."

  "Sometimes I'd rather feel nothing." Victoria stared down at the familiar lines of her husband's face and realized that what she felt was fear. She didn't want to lose David. She didn't want him to die.

  "Damn you, David, wake up. Wake up and answer your daughter's questions." She smiled at Paige, and for the first time in a long while there was a connection between them. "I shouldn't be the only one on the hot seat. He has a lot more to answer for than I do."

  "That's for sure." Paige put her hand on her father's arm. "Come on, Daddy. Open your eyes. We need you."

  "Oh, my God," Victoria whispered as David's eyelids began to flicker. "I think he's trying to wake up." She leaned over in excitement. "David? Can you hear me?"

  His eyelids moved. Another blink and she was staring into his brown eyes.

  "Jasmine," he said, and then his eyes shut again.

  "You bastard," Victoria hissed. "You lying, cheating bastard."

  "He didn't know what he was saying," Paige said quickly, trying to defuse the situation.

  "The hell he didn't."

  "Mother, please." Paige pressed her lips against her father's cool cheek. "Daddy, try to wake up again.”

  "Bright," he murmured in a raspy voice.

  "I'll turn off the light," Paige said, hurrying over to the light switch.

  "Vicky? Is that you?" he asked, squinting as he tried to focus.

  "Who did you think it was?"

  "Mother," Paige warned. "He's coming out of a coma. Try to remember that."

  Victoria drew in a long breath and slowly let it out as she gazed into his dazed eyes. "How do you feel, David? Do you have any pain?"

  "Head hurts. Where am I?"

  "You're in the hospital." She leaned over and pushed the button for the nurse while Paige took her father's hand.

  "It's going to be okay, Dad. Just relax and don't try to do too much too soon."

  A few moments later the nurse entered and proceeded to check David's vital signs.

  "Welcome back, Mr. Hathaway," she said.

  "What happened?" David murmured, continuing to blink in confusion.

  "You were attacked," Victoria answered. "Don't you remember?"

  David slowly shook his head, then winced at the pain the movement generated.

  The doctor entered a moment later and conducted a brief examination. "You're doing well, Mr. Hathaway. I'd like to run some tests, but it looks like you're on the road to recovery. It's about time, too."

  "What—what day is it?" David turned to Paige with desperation in his eyes. "Elizabeth's birthday. When is her birthday? I didn't miss it, did I?"

  Page shook her head, tears filling her eyes. "Today is Friday. Her birthday is next Wednesday. You have plenty of time."

  "Thank God."

  "I'll be back," Victoria said, following the doctor out of the room and leaving Paige alone with her father.

  "You had us worried, Daddy."

  "What happened to me?"

  "You were mugged in Chinatown."

  "What? Why was I in Chinatown? God, I'm tired.”

  "Dad, before you go back to sleep, I have to ask you. Do you know what happened to the dragon?" He looked at her in confusion. "What dragon?"

  "The dragon that belongs to Mrs. Delaney, the one you took out of the store when you went to Chinatown."

  "Did I go to Chinatown to meet Mr. Yee for dim sum?"

  "Mr. Yee? No, that was last month. I'm talking about this week."

  His eyes drifted shut, and Paige realized he had fallen asleep. Why didn't he remember? Was there something wrong with his memory? She walked quickly from the room, finding her mother and the doctor in the hall. "He doesn't remember the dragon or going to Chinatown or anything that happened recently," she blurted out. "Something is wrong with his mind."

  "Short-term memory loss is common in cases of trauma like this. It usually comes back," the doctor reassured her. "He just needs time. I'll check him in the morning, but I think you can both relax. He'll probably sleep for a while. His body is still recovering. But the worst is over."

  "So you think his memory will return?" Paige asked.

  "I'm fairly certain it will. Maybe not the actual event of the assault, but probably most of what occurred before that time."

  "Thank you, Dr. Crawley," Victoria said.

  "No problem. Now, both of you go home and get some rest. That's an order." He smiled and tipped his head as he walked away.

  "Well, it looks like your father will make it," Victoria said with relief.

  "Yes, it appears that way."

  "What's wrong now, Paige?"

  "I wish he could have told me what happened to him."

  "He will. He needs time. You heard the doctor. Why don't you go home? The nurse will stay with your father through the night. If he wakes, she'll make sure he has whatever he needs."

  "I'm wondering if we shouldn't have more than a nurse."

  "What are you talking about?"

  "I'm talking about a security guard. What if whoever tried to hurt Dad finds out he's awake? He might be afraid that Dad can identify him. He might come back."

  Victoria's gaze narrowed suspiciously. "What else aren't you telling me?"

  Paige hesitated. "There may not be any connection, but Mrs. Delaney's house was broken into this morning."

  "Mrs. Delaney, the owner of the dragon?"

  "Yes, and I've been doing some research. It's possible that her dragon is part of a set. It's Riley's theory that—"

  "Riley McAllister? The grandson?"

  "Yes, he's a security expert, and he thinks that someone might have broken into his grandmother's house to see if she had another dragon."

  Victoria let out a long, weary sigh. "Fine. I'll call our security company and have them send someone over here right away. Will that ease your mind?"

  "Yes, thank you." Paige paused, watching her mother's gaze drift back to her dad's hospital room. "Are you going to stay?"

  "For a while."

  "What Dad said when he first woke up—"

  "I didn't hear a thing."

  "I didn't, either," she lied.

  "Go home, Paige, and for God's sake, run a comb through your hair. It looks like a bird made a nest in it. And put on some lipstick. There could be press snapping your picture on your way out of the hospital. You have to think about these things, you know. Appearance and image are very important, especially when we're under such close scruti
ny. Speaking of which, I think you should distance yourself from Mr. McAllister. We need to keep our business private."

  "Our family business went public when Dad lost Riley's grandmother's dragon. Riley is determined to find out what happened, and I can't blame him. I feel bad for his grandmother. One minute she's sitting on a possible fortune, and the next minute it's gone."

  "There's no room for sentiment in business, Paige," her mother replied. "Mr. McAllister is a customer, not a friend. Try to remember that."

  She would try, but her mother had no idea how difficult that would be, because Paige wasn't thinking of Riley as a potential friend but as a lover.

  * * *

  "So you decided to actually come to work," Carey said, dumping a pile of pink message slips on Riley's desk late Friday afternoon. "Where have you been all day?"

  "I've been trying to track down my grandmother's dragon," he replied. "I knew I could count on you to keep things going."

  "You can—for most things," she said somewhat ominously.

  Riley sat back in his chair. "What does that mean?"

  "The three musketeers want another assignment."

  "Bud, Charlie, and Gilbert?" he asked, referring to the three older men who'd been with the company since his grandfather had started it forty years ago. They were now in their early to mid-seventies and insisted on continuing to work. His grandfather had made him promise when he first came back to help out that he would not terminate their contracts for any reason except gross negligence, certainly not for age or any other discriminatory reason. "Actually, I have a job for them," he said. "I want them to take turns monitoring my grandmother's house. I'm not expecting any trouble, but another pair of eyes wouldn't hurt."

  "I'll let them know. They'll be thrilled."

  Riley smiled. "Maybe we should look into getting them into some computer classes. If they're going to work for me, I need to find something worthwhile for them to do."

  "And you're too soft to fire them."

  "Hey, they're cheap, loyal labor. I'm looking out for my own interests."

  "Yeah, yeah, tell it to someone who doesn't know you."

  "What else is going on?"