by Eve Gaddy
Casey didn’t say anything. Because of veiled references from time to time, she had suspected something bad had happened in Esme’s past. But she’d never been able to find out what.
“When I was eighteen I fell in love with the most wonderful man in the world. I thought he loved me. He said he did. He asked me to marry him. We were young, and I was in school, so we planned to marry my sophomore year. I asked a friend of mine from school—you know, from the Sorbonne—to come home with me for winter break. She was going to be in my wedding party, and I wanted to introduce her to my family and my fiancé. She came to stay with me for several weeks.” Her gaze met Casey’s. “My friend was your mother, Angelique.”
“That’s when Duke and Maman met and fell in love? When you brought her home with you from school?”
“Yes. Your father took one look at Angelique and fell madly in love with her. And so did someone else.”
Casey gasped.
Esme nodded. “That’s right. My fiancé.”
“Oh, Aunt Esme, how awful for you. What happened?”
“He jilted me. He told me—” She twisted her hands together in her lap and bowed her head. “He said he’d never loved me. He only wanted me because the Fontaines had money and prestige.”
“What a bastard.”
Esme looked up with the glimmer of a smile. “Mais, oui. I’ve always thought so.” She sighed and continued. “After he jilted me he continued to come around, to see Angelique. He refused to accept that she was in love with Duke. He seemed to think that if he persevered, Angelique would choose him. Of course, she didn’t.” This time Esme’s smile was a satisfied one. “Do you know he even had the gall to ask me to marry him again, once Angelique had married your father? As if nothing had ever happened.”
“I hope you laughed in his face.”
“Not quite,” she said primly. “I told him I’d rather chew off my leg than be trapped in a loveless marriage with the likes of him. Then I had your father escort him out.” She folded her hands together, the epitome of proper Southern womanhood. “You know I have never approved of fisticuffs, but that was one time I was pleased with my brother’s violent tendencies.”
Casey could well imagine Duke wiping the floor with Esme’s erstwhile suitor. “Who was he, Aunt Esme? Anyone I know?”
“Oh, yes.” She nodded. “Roland Dewalt.”
Shock had her eyes widening. “Roland Dewalt? Oh my God, I’d never… So that’s the reason for the feud. Does Murray know?”
“I have no idea. I’ve scarcely spoken to Roland since the day he asked me to marry him the second time.”
“Good lord, Roland Dewalt. I can’t imagine how you’ve even been civil to him all these years.”
“One does what one must,” Esme said with gentle dignity. “I am a Fontaine, after all.”
“I’m so sorry. I’m glad you told me, but I’m so sorry it happened.”
“I wanted you to know that I understand what you’re feeling right now. I was very much in love with him, even though he turned out to be a cad.”
“Nick isn’t. He isn’t like that. He admitted he loved me, and I believe him.”
“Then, why aren’t you together?”
Casey groaned. Good question. Very good question. “I don’t know. Because he’s— I think he’s scared. No, I know he is. It’s got something to do with his past, with being an orphan. With never having had a home.”
“Perhaps you should talk to him.”
Casey nodded. “I intend to. Once I figure out what I want to say.” She got to her feet, bent down and kissed her aunt’s cheek. “Thank you for telling me your story, Aunt Esme. It means a lot to me that you did.”
Esme grasped her hand, her eyes suspiciously bright. “I don’t want us to be at odds, Cassandra.”
“We’re not. Not anymore.” She smiled at her aunt.
Then, hearing a sound, she glanced at the doorway. Jackson stood there, his face a ghastly white.
Casey went to him, lay a hand on his arm. “Jackson, what is it? What’s wrong?”
“Maman and Duke.” His voice sounded strangled. He cleared his throat, gazing at her with tortured eyes. “There’s been an accident.”
“An accident? Maman and Duke? Are they hurt? What happened? They’re not—” She put her hand up to still her galloping heart.
Jackson nodded, his throat working. “They’re dead, Casey. Their jet crashed in the Italian Alps.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
“WHAT? MAMAN AND DUKE? They’re…dead?” Her parents were dead? They couldn’t be. “No, I don’t believe it. There must be some mistake.”
Jackson shook his head. “I’m afraid…there’s no mistake. I just got off the phone with the authorities in Cortina, Italy.”
Casey heard a choked sound and looked at Esme. She’d buried her face in her hands. Still in shock, Casey walked over and put her hand on her aunt’s shoulder. To give her strength? Or to draw some for herself?
“Come sit down, Jackson, and tell us what you know.” She didn’t cry, because she couldn’t believe what he had said was real.
“Damn little.” He sat down heavily on the couch. “The authorities said Duke and Maman were sightseeing. Duke was at the controls.” He smiled weakly. “You know how Duke loved to fly. Anytime he got a chance, he took it.”
“I know,” Casey said, remembering going up with him when she was young. “Go on.”
“There’s not much more. Yet, anyway.” He spoke slowly, hesitantly. As if each word was an effort. “Duke had fired Chuck Riley, their relief pilot, but no one seems clear as to why. We’ll know more when the authorities do. Once they’ve had a chance to investigate the wreckage.”
Casey left her aunt and sat down by Jackson, taking his hand and offering support in the only way she could. “Go on.”
“About an hour into the flight, Duke placed a Mayday to the airport they’d flown out of, and that’s the last that was heard from them. That call helped pinpoint the location of the crash. Fortunately, it was in an accessible place. A few miles to the east and authorities wouldn’t have been able to reach the site for days or even weeks.”
“Did they— Did they suffer?” Esme asked, speaking for the first time since Jackson had told them the news. Esme had aged in the past few minutes. Her eyes looked haunted and glistened with the sheen of tears.
Jackson reached over and took her hand. “The authorities believe Maman and Duke died on impact, Aunt Esme.”
“So they didn’t suffer.” Esme drew in a shaky breath. “At least we have that comfort.”
Comfort? Casey didn’t feel comforted. She was numb. How could such a thing be true? Her parents gone?
“Jackson, are they positive? Maybe— Maybe they couldn’t identify the bodies. Maybe it was a mistake and they got these people mixed up with Maman and Duke….”
He shook his head, slowly. “They were positively identified. There’s no mistake. They’re gone, Casey,” he said gently.
And that’s when she believed the news, looking into her brother’s grief-filled eyes. Their parents were dead. She put her head on Jackson’s shoulder and the tears fell.
NICK WAS NOT having a good day. Guy Moreau was nowhere to be found, leaving Nick to handle a lot of details that shouldn’t have been his problem at this point. He was beginning to wonder what he’d got himself into. Three cocktail waitresses had quit for varying reasons. A chef had been fired. And one of the captains had just told him that another floating casino had offered him a substantial pay raise if he changed ships. All Nick needed now was for Luc’s band to leave.
And, of course, there was Casey. He couldn’t get her out of his mind. He knew he’d done the right thing, so why did he feel like such a heel? Why did he still want her so badly it was like a physical ache? One no painkiller on earth could dull.
He opened his desk drawer and took out the list of job applicants. He hadn’t gotten far when a knock sounded on his office door. “Come in,” he said without loo
king up.
He finished the line he was reading and glanced at his visitor. Viv Renault stood in front of his desk. She didn’t speak, she just stared at him. “Don’t tell me,” he said. “Luc broke his arm and won’t be able to play for a month.”
“It’s not Luc.” She put out a hand and grasped the back of a chair, her knuckles whitening. “It’s Casey.”
He jumped up and was at her side in two strides, grasping her arm. “What happened? Is she all right?”
Viv nodded. “She’s all right.” She closed her eyes and shook her head. “What am I saying? Of course she’s not. She’s terrible, I’m sure. Nick, Casey’s parents were killed in a plane crash in Italy. They just got word today.”
He released her arm, his heart rate slowing down. Thank God Casey was all right. But her parents… “When did you hear?”
“Just now. Casey called me. I’m going out to Bellefontaine. I thought you would want to go with me.”
He wanted to, but what comfort could he offer Casey or Jackson? A man who hadn’t seen his parents in nearly thirty years, who didn’t even know if they were alive or dead, and what’s more, didn’t care. Worse, the man who had broken Casey’s heart. No, neither she nor Jackson would want him there.
He shook his head. “I don’t think Casey will want to see me.”
“Of course she will. She needs you. And so does Jackson.”
He wanted to be there, wanted to help, though he knew there wasn’t much he could do. “You know Casey and I broke up. I might just make things worse.”
“And you might bring her, and Jackson, some comfort.” Her brown eyes darkened with sympathy.
He nodded. “All right. Let me get my keys.” If he could help…he owed it to both Jackson and Casey to try. Besides, Casey could always throw him out if she wanted him gone.
BETTY OPENED THE DOOR. Her eyes and nose were red and she clutched a tissue in her hand. The eternal cigarette was stuck behind her ear, instead of dangling from her mouth. She looked terribly sad and haggard.
She made a choked sound and gathered Viv into a hug. “Oh, Betty, I’m so sorry,” Viv said a few minutes later. “How are they?”
Betty just shook her head. “Esme’s lying down. Never thought I’d see the day I felt sorry for Miss Froufrou, but there it is. She did love the two of them, I’ll say that for her.”
“Where are Casey and Jackson?”
“They’re both on the back porch.” She gave Nick a long, baleful glare. “Don’t know as how Casey will be happy to see you.”
“If she isn’t, I’ll leave,” Nick said. But he had to make the effort. Why he’d ever thought he could stay away when she might need him, he didn’t know.
Betty studied him sharply, then nodded. “Fair enough.”
They found Casey on the porch, but Jackson was nowhere to be seen. She was standing looking out over the lawn, arms crossed over her chest.
Viv said her name softly. She turned around, her expression surprised when she saw Nick. She didn’t speak, she just looked at them both with more anguish in her eyes than Nick had ever seen. He wanted to help, wanted to comfort. He just didn’t know how.
Viv didn’t seem to have that problem. She folded Casey in her arms, and they both cried. After a bit, Casey drew back and smiled weakly. “Thanks for coming, Viv.” She sniffed and wiped her eyes with her fingers. “I wish I had a tissue. I used up a box already.”
Viv smiled and dug in her purse. “Here,” she said, presenting her with a packet. “You never have one when you need it.” She looked from Nick to Casey while Casey was blotting her eyes and blowing her nose. “Where’s Jackson?”
“In the study. He said he needed to be alone. But he’s been in there an hour or more. Will you go talk to him, Viv?”
“Of course. I’ll tell him you’re here, Nick,” she said, and left the room.
Casey looked at Nick. “I’m glad you came,” she said simply.
“I’m sorry.” It hurt him to see her so miserable, particularly when he couldn’t help. And that had been his problem most of his life, he realized. When it came to business, he was damn good at troubleshooting. But let things get personal and he had no idea what to do. And he hated being powerless. “I wish there was something I could do.”
“There is,” she said, and walked into his arms. “Just hold me.”
Nick wished he were a different kind of man. Wished he could stay with Casey and love her and build a future with her. He wished he could, but he didn’t believe he could. Despite that, she needed him now. Right now, not in the future. So he stroked her back until he felt some of the tension leave her. A long time later, Casey drew back and led him to the couch.
“Do you feel like talking about it?” He probably wouldn’t, in such circumstances, but women were different. It made them feel better to talk.
“I don’t know. Not really,” she said, but after a few seconds she did. “We don’t know much beyond the bare facts. They died in a plane crash in the Italian Alps. My father was the pilot. Jackson’s trying to find out more, but so far he hasn’t been able to.”
“Maybe they’ll know more tomorrow.”
“I don’t know, I hope so. It’s hard with it happening in Europe, and us being here.” She was silent for a moment, her fingers plucking at the couch fabric in a nervous gesture totally alien to her. “I’ve been wondering if it would be easier if I still had one of them. But I think… No, I know if they had chosen, they’d have wanted to go together.”
She glanced at Nick and smiled weakly. “They loved each other so much. One would have been lost without the other. They each had their own lives, their own interests, but at the heart of it, they were together. Bonded. They’d been married thirty-three years. Can you imagine being married to one person so long?”
He knew it was a rhetorical question, but he answered, anyway. “No.” He couldn’t imagine having parents, much less parents who’d been together a lifetime.
“Oh, that’s right. You don’t believe love can last, do you? Or that it can change your life.”
“Not everyone is like your parents, Casey. They’re the exception, rather than the rule.”
“How do you know?” she asked, obviously growing angry. “You’ve never stayed in one place long enough to find out, have you?”
Her words hurt, even though she was speaking the truth. Or maybe because she spoke the truth. “No, I haven’t. And I’ve never seen anything like what you’re describing. My parents dumped me in an orphanage when I was seven, remember?”
She stared at him aghast, then put out her hand. “Oh, God, Nick. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything. I’m just so upset, I didn’t think what I was saying. I took my feelings out on you.”
“It doesn’t matter. You’re right. All this—” he gestured at the house “—your family, your parents, your home. It’s all strange to me. Something I’ve never had, something I can’t understand.”
She took his hand and squeezed it. “I’m sorry.”
He shrugged. “Don’t be. You can’t miss what you’ve never had.”
“Can’t you?”
He didn’t know how to answer that, so he remained silent. A few moments later, she spoke again, changing the subject. “Duke didn’t really want to go on this trip. Not for such an extended time. But Maman insisted. She said it would be a second honeymoon. No one ever expected it to end like this.” She was quiet for a moment, then continued. “We talked to them, every so often. I’ve never heard my father sound so relaxed. I didn’t know he could be, didn’t know he could survive without his business for that long.”
She gazed at Nick, her eyes filling with tears. “I guess he didn’t have to, did he?”
He didn’t say anything, he just put his arm around her and held her as she cried.
A little while later Viv and Jackson joined them. Nick got up, shook Jackson’s hand and said the only thing he could think of, useless as it seemed. “I’m sorry about your parents.”
; “Thanks,” Jackson said. “I’m glad you came.”
“If I can do anything…”
“Maybe you and Viv could keep Casey company a while. I need to look through some paperwork and I don’t think Casey’s up to it.”
“What paperwork, Jackson?” Casey asked. “I can help if you need me to.”
He shook his head. “No, that’s all right. It’s the policy to allow us to bring Duke and Maman home. It’s in Duke’s files somewhere. It’s just a matter of looking.”
“Be sure and call me if you need me,” Casey said.
So the three of them sat and talked a little, mostly Viv and Casey sharing reminiscences about the elder Fontaines. After a while Betty came in and fixed them something to eat, which Viv and Nick ate but Casey only picked at.
About an hour after he’d left, Jackson returned. He didn’t look as if he was grieving. Nick would have said he looked stunned.
“Casey, I need to see you alone. Can you come to the study with me?”
“Did you hear from the authorities again? I’ve heard the phone ringing off the walls.”
“No, nothing. It’s about—” He hesitated. “It’s private. I need to talk to you.”
“Nick and I will leave,” Viv said. “You call us if you need us, okay?”
Casey nodded.
“I’ll be with you in a minute, Viv,” Nick said.
Viv walked out. Nick hesitated, not wanting to leave Casey. But he’d given up his right to stay when he’d told Casey it was over between them. “I’ll be around if you need me.” He gave her a last hug and left.
Viv was at the front entrance, waiting for him. “Can you give me a ride home?”
“Sure. Where’s Luc?”
“He’s been with his brothers. He said he’d come by later. He doesn’t know the family as well as I do, so he wanted to give me some time with them before he came over.”
“They must have told Adam, too. I don’t see any workmen around.”
They reached his car and he opened the door for her.
“Nick, can you figure out what that was about? I’ve never seen Jackson look like that. So shocked. They just found out their parents are dead. What could be worse than that?”