by Jo Leigh
Ginny still felt as if she was being conned, although the packing wasn’t a bad idea. If, on the way to the airport, she got any hint that Parker was trying to pull a fast one— She sucked in a breath so hard she felt light-headed. What he’d subtly tried to tell her had finally sunk in. Getting to the bank first wasn’t just about getting justice for Meg. It was about preserving Ginny’s identity. Erasing her link to Meg. Obviously the bank had her name and address, but Meg had been careful. Ginny’s name wasn’t even on the invoice.
“I swear to you, I won’t say a word to my mom about Tilda. If that’s what’s bothering you—”
A sound came from the kitchen. Like someone had kicked one of the cabinets. Not loudly. If she hadn’t muted the TV, she wouldn’t have heard it. Someone had come in, and panic shot through her like a lightning bolt.
A second later her father walked into the family room. The back door had been locked. Apparently he’d used his key. Which he never did, not since he’d left the house thirteen years ago. He hadn’t been back more than a dozen times since, usually to get something from the attic or the garage. And he’d always, always called first and knocked on the front door. He couldn’t have missed Parker’s Jeep in the driveway, so he knew she had company, which made it even stranger.
“Dad,” she said. “What are you doing here?”
He didn’t say anything, but he did look Parker over for longer than necessary. Finally, her father glanced at her. “I couldn’t reach you. It kept going to voice mail, to which you never responded. I thought I’d better come down and make sure you and Tilda were all right.”
“Uh, okay. This is Parker Nolan. An old friend,” she said. “I’m sorry I didn’t get back to you but the storm isn’t supposed to be that bad. We might lose electricity, but Lee gassed up the generator, so we’ll be fine.”
He inhaled deeply. Her father had always had the gift of masking his feelings. That was one of the things that made him such a successful attorney. But the way he looked at her, she could see there was something wrong. How long had he been standing in the kitchen? He could have heard everything they’d said about Tilda.
“I’m glad to see the windows shuttered, although I think it’d be a good idea to put your car in the garage. Is Tilda home?”
Could it be that her father hadn’t heard a thing, but that he’d been concerned about her well-being with a strange car in the drive? That seemed ludicrous. She was thirty-two years old. For him to start caring now would be completely out of character.
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Landry, but if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to make a call.” Parker nodded at him and headed into the kitchen.
Once she and her father were alone, he stepped closer, and with each step, his mask slipped.
“How dare you lie to me. After all I’ve done for you, leaving the house so you’d have a place to stay with your daughter. Were you really planning on letting me pay for some other woman’s bastard’s education? Isn’t it bad enough you threw your own life away? Your mother’s legacy? And for what? A kid that isn’t even your own blood?”
“Stop right now. Tilda is my daughter.”
“Right. It’s a little late for backpedaling. I heard enough to know that’s a lie. And now I imagine you’re planning on blowing up your second chance, as well?”
“What are you talking about?”
“The philharmonic. It may not mean anything to you, but they’re going out of their way to include you as a guest soloist.”
“It’s only been a couple of times, and it certainly wasn’t to do me a favor. I worked hard and played well. Besides, I didn’t call them, they called me.”
“For God’s sake, I’m talking about you going on tour with them. Their first East Coast tour. What your mother would have given to see you—” He stopped. Snapped his mask back on, using his intimidation face instead.
“How do you know anything about the tour? Or me? It’s not even official—”
“It doesn’t matter what I know, except that I don’t have a granddaughter. I’ve never had one.”
Ginny gasped. A few things about the surprise call she’d received from the executive director of the philharmonic started to make sense. “What did you do?”
“What did I—” Her father’s dismissive frown fueled her anger.
“Did you give them a huge donation? Bribe someone? No, wait. You probably got someone important out of a jam, someone who would owe you a favor.”
“Oh, come on, Virginia—”
“You have no right interfering in my life. I’m not a charity case.” Keeping her back as straight as a board and her chin held high, she felt like a fool. She’d honestly believed it was her talent that had earned her an invitation to appear in the lineup. “How much did it cost? What’s the going rate to buy a daughter a piece of her future these days?”
“You’ve always been a bit dim when it comes to these matters. I greased the wheels. I used a few connections. That’s how the world works. Your talent was never the issue. You should know that. If you hadn’t been good enough they would never have asked you to be a guest, never mind touring with them. I committed no crime. I never lied to you.”
The hurt and embarrassment was so strong she wanted nothing more than to tell him to leave and never come back. So he wouldn’t take care of Tilda’s education if she didn’t get a full scholarship. She’d make that work somehow. The philharmonic pay wasn’t all that great anyway, and she’d survived this long on teaching. And yet, there was a piece of her that felt very young and vulnerable, and he’d just managed to squash her like a bug for the second time in her life.
“I’m running late,” she said. “I’ll walk you to the door.”
“I’m not leaving. We haven’t even spoken about the legalities concerning Tilda. We have a great deal to discuss, and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t do anything foolish before we’ve worked things out.”
She walked to the front door, and opened it, not even checking to see if he’d followed. He had, albeit grudgingly. And just as he was about to step outside, she stopped him. “Whatever you heard or think you heard about Tilda, don’t worry about it. You never bothered to be a grandfather before, and as far as I’m concerned, you’ll never have the privilege of being one now.”
* * *
PARKER HIT SPEED DIAL and waited for his mother to pick up. He’d already booked a flight for Tilda to Boise—he was lucky to get the last seat and a reasonable connecting flight. It would be a long journey for her. What was more worrying at the moment was this call. He’d spoken to his mother two days ago, letting her know he’d had no luck with finding Meg. But he knew her well enough to realize she’d be—
“Parker?”
He’d known she would be excited. Expecting great news. He heard it in her voice, in that one word. It hurt to have to break her heart again. “I’m sorry, nothing new about Meg. But I need a favor.”
There was just enough of a pause that he could picture her face, imagine exactly how she’d process the news and force herself to act as if it was all fine. “Sure, honey, what do you need?”
“It’s an odd request but we’re in a time crunch with the storm approaching. I’m with Ginny Landry. She has a daughter, Tilda, and it would help a lot if you could look after her for a few days. She’s fourteen, smart as a whip, an all-around great kid so she won’t give you any trouble.”
Another much briefer pause was followed by his mom’s cheery voice, the one she’d always used when his father’s plans had changed. Again. “Of course I will. Where is she now?”
“Here in Temptation Bay, but she can be on a flight in three hours. You’ll have to pick her up at the airport. I know this is last-minute but it’s complicated, and I can’t explain it all now. But if you could keep her until we get things squared away it would be much appreciated.”
“Well, you just tell me when to b
e at the airport. I’ll have a home-cooked meal all ready for her.”
Parker had his own moment to get through. They’d lived their whole lives with secrecy and lies, and now he was repeating a cycle he’d sworn he never would. Lying to his mother was a betrayal he could hardly bear. And when the truth came out? Would she hate him the way she’d hated her late husband?
There was nothing to be done now but to ensure Tilda’s safety. And Ginny’s.
“I don’t know... There might be another problem. Once she has your meat loaf, she’ll never want to come back.”
His mother laughed. “Give me the details of her flight, sweetheart, and I’ll take care of the rest.”
Once they’d disconnected, he went to the kitchen door to scope things out. While he’d been on hold with the airlines, he’d heard Ginny and her father talking. They hadn’t been loud, but Parker could tell the conversation was contentious. A couple of times, he’d heard more than he should have. He wasn’t surprised that Robert Landry hadn’t known Tilda wasn’t his daughter’s child, but the way Landry spoke about her friend’s “bastard” made Parker want to deck him.
It made it hard not to sympathize with Ginny. Her father was a real piece of work. He’d basically abandoned her when he thought she’d had a kid, then reclaimed her again when he thought he could get something out of it.
Then again, she’d lied to him, which Parker could understand. Ginny had also lied to Tilda, if only by omission, but that was one big omission. What confused him was that Ginny was smart enough and had sufficient resources to be independent of her father, so why hadn’t she hired a private investigator to find Parker and his mother? He’d need to ask her about that later. Actually, he’d need to ask her about a lot of things. Like why she’d tried so hard to get rid of him. How she’d obviously never wanted him to know about Tilda’s true heritage.
But that would have to wait until after they’d taken care of the business in New York.
A brief look into the living room told him it was clear. Even Ginny was no longer there.
“Ginny?”
When she didn’t answer, he went to the back door to check the driveway. His Jeep was still blocking the garage, so she couldn’t have gone far. No way would she have left with her father.
Upstairs, he heard soft rustling coming from Tilda’s bedroom. He climbed the stairs and found Ginny holding on to a stuffed teddy bear, her back to him. A suitcase was open and some clothes were already in it.
Clearing his throat made her jump and she set the stuffed animal down, but she didn’t turn around. He could tell from her sniffling that she was trying to hide her tears, but it was too late.
“Did you get ahold of your mother?”
Her voice was scratchy and low, which told him almost as much as her hunched shoulders and the air of defeat she wore like a cloak. It made him want to go after her father again, but he shook off the thought.
“I booked Tilda the last seat on United. It’s going to be a long flight, including a two-hour layover before she lands in Boise, but I was lucky to get a ticket. My mother will be there to pick her up. She’ll be well cared for, I promise.”
Ginny’s small cry didn’t give him any satisfaction. Not that it should have, he supposed.
“She’s going to hate that I packed for her.” Ginny finally turned, her eyes red and distress written all over her face. “She’s going to be confused and scared. I have no idea what to tell her. We’re sending her across the country with no explanation. I’ve never put her in a situation like this before. What am I going to say?”
Parker harshly reminded himself that Ginny was at the root of this whole mess. If she’d given a moment’s thought about that letter from the bank, most of this could have already been taken care of. “I have no idea,” he said, probably a bit too coldly. They still had to get through this, and he would need Ginny’s full cooperation.
“Maybe we could tell her it has to do with Meg.” Ginny winced at her own words, but she lifted her chin and went on. “I’ve talked about her all Tilda’s life. She knows Meg was my closest friend, and that I miss her every day. She’ll understand that if it’s about Meg, it must be important.”
He wanted to argue. Remind Ginny that her lies had brought this on. But he didn’t miss the irony in the fact that lying again was their best option.
“Don’t forget to pack for yourself, and hurry it up. It’s going to take a lot of luck and tricky driving to get her to the airport on time.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
IT FELT ODD to have Parker driving her Subaru, but that was the least of Ginny’s worries. Tilda was seething in the backseat while they struggled through traffic. Typically, the ride took a little over half an hour. Today, they’d already been on the road for more than an hour.
“I’m not a little kid. I’m already taking college classes,” Tilda said, her voice congested with tears. “I don’t understand why you can’t just tell me what’s going on. Keeping me in the dark is cruel and you know it.”
“I would if I could,” Ginny said. She sounded as weak as she felt. “But I don’t have all the facts yet, and until I do—”
“You’re going to send me off to someone I never met, in Boise, Idaho—a place I’ve never wanted to go to—and stick me there for an unknown amount of time, during which anything could happen to you and I wouldn’t have a clue. For that matter, anything could happen to me and you wouldn’t have a clue either.”
“You can always text me, and I’ll text you. Mrs. Nolan isn’t completely a stranger. She’s Parker’s mom. And Meg’s. We’ve talked about Meg since you were little.”
“Right, so, you’re dragging me away from my best friend to go stay with your former best friend’s mom while you run off with her brother. That makes me feel so much better.”
Ginny turned around as far as she possibly could without undoing her seat belt. Tilda’s eyes were flaming, and not just from crying. She was furious and had every right to be.
“I don’t know what to say to make this easier. Not yet.”
“At least you can tell me how long I’ll be there. I mean, come on. I feel like I’m being sent to prison. With no parole. You can’t do this. It’s not fair.”
“I know it’s not fair, but it’s far from prison.” Ginny wished she knew how long Tilda would have to stay. It was the hardest thing in the world to put her on a plane by herself, knowing the state she was in. Parker was right though. They had to act quickly. “So much depends on the storm and what happens on this end. The second I know, you’ll know.”
“This can’t be about the weather. You think I haven’t heard that it’s been downgraded to a tropical storm? I haven’t been on Mars.”
“Just because it’s been downgraded now doesn’t mean there won’t be a lot of damage. We could be without electricity for days or even weeks.”
“The bay rarely gets hit hard. You know we’re mostly protected there. And even if we weren’t, we have the generator, and we’d be fine.”
Sighing, and trying not to show her own fear, Ginny used the most rational tone she could muster. “It’s not just about the storm. It’s complicated.”
The way Tilda stared at her, openmouthed and wounded, broke Ginny’s heart.
“Kaley’s parents use that lame excuse all the time, but I never thought I’d hear that from you.”
Ginny had watched her beautiful girl go through surprise, betrayal, fear, worry, manipulation and now all of them together in one big ball of disappointment.
Unsnapping her seat belt, Tilda leaned forward and whispered, “I know you’ve been crying. Mom, I’m completely freaked out. If you care about me at all, you’ll tell me what’s going on. Is he holding you hostage or something?”
Ginny kissed her cheek and whispered, “No, sweetheart. It’s nothing like that. Your grandfather and I had a disagreement. That’s why I wa
s crying. Now, please, put your seat belt back on.”
Tilda obeyed, but the look of fear and confusion never left her face. “I probably shouldn’t say this, but sometimes I don’t like Grandfather very much.”
“Sometimes I don’t either,” Ginny said. “I know I’m asking a lot, but it’s hugely important that you trust me right now. Trust that I’m doing the very, very best I can for you. You’re right. I’ve never done this before, but now I have no choice. Can you please try to believe that? Know that I love you more than anything in this entire world, and I’d never, never do anything to hurt you. We’re a team, you and me. We have each other’s backs. Now it’s your turn to do something very hard, but I believe you can weather this like the champion you are. I mean it. You’re amazing, and I also know that you’re a mature young woman now, and that’s why we can get through this. Okay?”
Tilda inhaled as a couple of tears got past her sudden stoicism and made their way down her tanned cheek. “Fine. I’ll do it. But you have to text me all the time, okay? Don’t even worry about waking me up because I doubt I’ll sleep.”
“Deal.” Ginny smiled, but she didn’t get one in return. Not that she expected one.
“We’re almost there,” Parker said, turning off the exit to the Providence airport. “And I think you’ll likely be back home very soon.”
“Good, because I’ve got a barbecue to go to this weekend, and I’m supposed to bring the potato salad.”
That was the first Ginny had heard about a barbecue or salad, but that was all right. It got Tilda thinking positively. Even if there was no way to know if Parker was correct.
It was silent in the car until they pulled up at the curbside drop-off. Ginny wanted to walk Tilda to the gate, but she knew security wouldn’t allow it, nor would doing so make it any easier. Either way, she’d have to say goodbye. She slid out of the car.
So did Parker. He opened the trunk and got out Tilda’s bag and her backpack. Then he walked the long way around the car, taking a moment to tell Ginny to make it quick before he closed the trunk and gave them some privacy.