Roses & Champagne Kisses

by Stacy Eaton

  “Truth,” he laughed, “so what can I do for you?”

  “I’m wondering if you know any of the officers or detectives over in Middletown.”

  “Sure, what’s going on?”

  “A friend of mine is being harassed by her ex, and he came into her work today and threatened her, then broke into her house and trashed it.”

  “Did you contact the police?”

  “No, and I know what you’re going to say. Yeah, we should have called as soon as we saw it, but my concern was to get her away from there. It was getting dark, and she was upset, so I brought her back to my place. I plan on calling them and reporting it after I speak with you. We only disturbed a few things in the bedroom so she could gather some clothes. The rest of the place was left as we found it.”

  “Was anything taken?”

  “The only thing she noticed was a key that had sentimental value, but other than that, I don’t know.”

  “This happened in Cricklewood Cove?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then why are you looking for a detective in Middletown?”

  I laughed slightly. “I guess I should have explained that.” I went on to tell him how Finley had lived with the guy in Middletown and then fled what I assumed was an abusive relationship to come work for Robin. “Obviously, he had feelers out to find her because he did. Took him a little while, but he’s found her now.”

  “You know, if she was in an abusive relationship and has to hide, I know someone who can help. We have someone local who runs an emergency shelter.”

  “Thanks, but I don’t think she’s at that point; however, I will keep it in mind if things change.”

  “Alright, well, my buddy is Lucas Hawkswell. He’s a detective in Middletown. In fact, he just came back. We met in the police academy and he went to work for some place outside of Philly, but he just moved back to the area. Let him know what’s going on and tell him I sent you to him. I’m sure he will see what he can do for you, or at least coordinate responses with the state so they can make an arrest for burglary.”

  “Thanks, Thad. I owe you one.” I turned when I saw Finley rushing toward me with a very serious expression on her face and hung up with Thad.

  “You did a background check on me and didn’t tell me?”

  “Yes, Chris asked me to do one when Robin hired you out of the blue.” Maybe I should have mentioned that I’d done a background on her, but I had assumed that Robin would have told Finley after she had found out about it. Obviously, she hadn’t.

  She was demanding I tell her what I found, and I didn’t have a problem sharing it with her. It was her life after all. It wasn’t like I was going to tell her something she didn’t know. “Nothing special. I found out your credit was good, and you live within your means. I know your parents passed away when you were in your early twenties, and that you’re adopted—”

  She blurted, “What?”

  “What do you mean, ‘What’?”

  “I’m not adopted. Where the hell did you get that?”

  “Finley, you didn’t know you were adopted?”

  “I wasn’t adopted,” she stressed. I saw in her eyes that she believed what she was telling me, and I also saw how much my words were shaking her. Holy shit, how could she not know she had been adopted?

  Her voice quivered as she asked me to show her what I had found.

  “Absolutely, it’s in my office.”

  Finley followed me down the hall past the stairs and into my office. I expected her to fidget, or talk, but she didn’t. She stood there silently, only her eyes moved back and forth as if she were visually searching for something inside her mind. I could just imagine how earth-shattering this might be to her.

  I unlocked a file cabinet with a combination and skimmed through the files until I found hers. When I turned around, she was staring at it as if it were a snake.

  I held it out to her, and she physically jerked back.

  “Finley,” her eyes flipped to mine, “you don’t have to do this right now.”

  She shook her hair back, stepped forward, and held her hand out. “Yes, I do.”

  She took hold of it as I told her, “You’re welcome to sit in here and go through it. I’ll answer any questions that I can or help you find anything else out that you need.”

  “I’ll be fine, but I’m going to go back to my room.”

  “Alright, I’ll let you know when dinner is ready.”

  She began to turn. “Thanks, but I’ve lost my appetite. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  She fled the room as if demons hunted her. I didn’t understand how her adoptive parents didn’t tell her the truth. How could they hide that from her? I knew a lot of people did, but I didn’t agree with it.

  Because it was a closed adoption, there was little chance that Finley would ever learn who her real parents were. She could request that her biological mother be contacted to see if she was willing to meet her, but it was a long shot. At least now Finley would know the truth.

  I returned to the kitchen and dialed the phone number that Thad had given me for Detective Hawkswell. I got his voicemail and left a message.

  After that was done, I called the state police and advised them of the burglary. After getting a lecture on not calling when the crime scene was found, an appointment was set for tomorrow to meet with them at ten. They would even bring a crime scene crew to process the scene while the detectives got the full story from Finley.

  I was staring at the counter when my stomach grumbled, and I realized I had forgotten about the chili in the microwave. I turned it back on to rewarm it and then sat and ate in silence. What was going on in Finley’s mind? How would I feel if I learned that the people who’d said they were my parents weren’t my parents at all?

  After I cleaned up the kitchen, I went upstairs and knocked on her door. Her voice sounded hollow on the other side as she told me to come in.

  I leaned against the doorjamb. “How are you doing?”

  Her laugh was strangled as she let her head fall back. I could tell by the flush in her cheeks and the redness around her eyes that she’d been crying again.

  “I’m really sorry, Finley. If I had known—”

  Her head snapped up. “You wouldn’t have told me? Gee, thanks.”

  I came to stand by the bed. “No, I would have found a better way to tell you.”

  “What could possibly be a better way, Roan? The two people who raised me, told me they loved me because I was their special daughter, and lied to me are no longer around for me to confront them about it. There is no way to make that hurt less.”

  I sank to the mattress beside her and put my hand on her leg that stretched out beside me. “I’m sorry. I can’t even imagine what you must be thinking or feeling. I seriously cannot. Is there anything I can do?”

  “No. I can’t think straight right now. It’s like everything I knew just imploded on itself, and I’m second-guessing every second of my life.”

  “But why? Did you love your parents?”

  “Of course, I did.”

  “Were they good to you?”

  “Yes, they were.”

  “Then be happy that you were raised by loving parents that cared about you. They raised you and gave you what you needed. Don’t be angry at them for that.”

  “But they weren’t my parents,” she cried, and tears welled in her eyes. “I have always felt lost in this world, like I didn’t know where I belonged, and now I know why. I don’t belong anywhere because the two people who should have loved me more than anything couldn’t and gave me away.”

  “You don’t know that, Finley. Maybe they died, and there was no one else to care for you.”

  “No, Roan. I was given away. I remembered something while I was sitting here. I remembered my dad complaining to my mom about me taking my blanket everywhere with me, and I was, like, nine.” She reached beside her and pulled up a scrap of the blanket she’d found destroyed on her bedroom floor earlier today. “I
remember my mom telling him that it was all I had left of my grandmother from my other life, but I didn’t know what she meant. Now I do. This was given to me by my real grandmother.”

  “Okay, so maybe your real grandmother was taking care of you because your parents couldn’t and then she got too sick and had to give you up.”

  “Who knows.” She swiped the tears from her cheeks. “It’s all a guess now because my parents are dead, and the files are closed, so I’ll never know.”

  “You can request a notification be sent to your biological parents to see if they are willing to contact you.”

  She whipped her face toward me. “You can do that?”

  “Yeah, I mean, you must petition to do that, but it’s possible. If you petition it, they must send notification to them. It will be up to them then to reach out to you—or they can deny it.”

  She reached out, a tiny bit of light coming back to her eyes. “Would you help me do that, Roan?”

  “Of course, I would. I’ll help you with anything you need, Finley.”

  “Thank you.” She laid her hand over mine, and I curled my thumb back to stroke her hand.

  “You’re welcome, and just so you know, I told Chris what happened at your house tonight, and Robin is going to find someone to cover for you tomorrow.”

  “You didn’t need to do that.”

  “I know, but we have to meet with the police at ten.”

  She rolled her eyes, “It’s a waste of time.”

  “No, it’s not, Finley. I spoke to my friend, Thad, and he gave me the name of a detective in Middletown. I already reached out to him and left a message, but Thad thinks with your statement and what I witnessed, it will be enough to get the state police to investigate. We need to go through your house and see if anything else is missing.”

  “Why are you doing this?”

  I leaned back slightly. “What do you mean?”

  “Why are you helping me, Roan? Why did you invite me to stay here, and why are you doing this with the police?” She picked up the folder and then dropped it back. “Obviously, you now know that I’m white trash, and I’m an orphan, so why are you doing this?”

  “Jesus, Finley, you need to look in the mirror sometime.”

  “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

  “You are a beautiful, smart, sweet woman. You are not trailer trash, or white trash, or whatever the hell you just called yourself. You are so much more,” I stood, “and as for why I’m doing this, it’s because I see something in you that I like, Finley, even if you don’t. I want to help you because I care. Don’t push me away because you’re afraid.”

  “I’m not afraid,” she snapped and then hesitated for a long moment. “I just don’t understand what a man like you is doing with a woman like me.”

  Chapter 17

  Finley

  A volcanic blast of emotion whooshed from Roan at my comment, anger and disbelief very evident in his features. “A man like me? Jesus, Finley, what kind of a man do you think I am?” He brushed both hands over the top of his head as if he were frustrated. “My entire life, people have been judging me for what was on the outside. I’m so tired of that. I can’t help that I was born attractive or that I took advantage of that for a few years and modeled to put myself through college and start a business. I will not apologize for investing well and being able to support my family or help my friends. You think I’m judging you, but I’m not. I don’t judge people, Finley, and I am tired of people judging me.”

  He put his hands on his hips and hung his head. “I hate when people put themselves down or think that they aren’t good enough for someone because of how they look or how they were raised, or the number of zeros on their bank account. I look inside a person, and I try to see what is inside.” He lifted his head, staring into me with such intensity that I was sucked into those beautiful, green eyes. “When I look at you, I see a very intelligent woman, but she’s afraid for people to know that. I see someone who wants a better life and is willing to work hard for it, but she’s afraid to take the next step. I’m offering you a hand, support, to help you get moving forward—and yes, I am physically attracted to you, and yes, I do want to sleep with you, but I won’t, not now, not until you understand that I want to be an equal, and not some guy who posed for a camera and got paid for it.”

  He sighed when he was finished, and I scooted to the edge of the bed on my knees and reached for his hand. “Roan, I’m sorry.”

  He shifted so he stood in front of me, but the foot between us seemed so much farther. “Sorry for what?”

  “I’m sorry for saying what I did. I am so used to people looking down at me because of what I do or who they think I am. You’re right, people are too quick to judge others, and that’s exactly what I did to you.”

  He cupped my cheek. “I’ll accept your apology if you will accept my help.”

  “I will accept your help.”

  He began to lean down, and I thought he would kiss me, but he pressed his lips softly to my forehead instead. “Why don’t you take a shower or a hot bath and relax, and tomorrow we will make a game plan?”

  I was so tempted to ask him if he would join me. “That sounds good.”

  “I’ll be in my office downstairs for a little while, but if you need anything, you know where that is, and my room is on the opposite end of this hallway, the last door. Are you hungry? I could bring you something.”

  “No, I’m not hungry, but a hot bath does sound good. I already saw the size of your tub. I might get lost in it.” I laughed.

  He caressed the side of my cheek. “I’m very tempted to say I’ll come with you so you don’t get lost, but I think it might be better if we wait.”

  I totally got that, but at the same time, I totally didn’t want to wait. “Good idea.”

  He turned for the door, and my eyes slipped down his shoulders, his wide back, past his waist to his butt, and damn if I didn’t want to see those buns naked. He paused at the door and grinned at me, “You keep checking me out like that, and I might change my mind.”

  “I wasn’t checking you out,” I said quickly as I stumbled off the bed.

  “Okay, if you say so.” He winked and disappeared out the door, pulling it closed behind him.

  I sank to the side of the bed and my back hunched as the weight of what I’d learned today pushed down on me.

  How could I be adopted? Why would my parents not tell me that I was? Were my real parents dead? Would they want to know where I was, or even who I was?

  Most of the stuff that Roan gave me in that file I knew. I knew my credit score, and of course I knew whom I had lived with and what my college transcript said. I gently rubbed my fingers over the piece of blanket I’d had my whole life. Was this from my biological grandmother? Was the key that I had found woven into the thick edge a key to my past, to my roots?

  Years ago, I had worn it around my neck, and someone had told me that it looked like a safe deposit key, yet I had no idea to where. When I’d learned that it might really go to something, I took it off and hid it, hoping that one day I’d find the lock in which it fit.

  The key was an even bigger mystery to me now that I’d learned I was adopted. What if I never recovered it from Howie? What if in his angered state he’d thrown it away? Maybe he had kept it because he knew it meant something to me. Would Roan be able to help me get it back? Would talking to the police work?

  I sighed as I grabbed my PJs and turned all the lights off in the bedroom except for one small lamp on the bedside table. I hoped that after a nice, long, hot bath, I’d be sleepy enough that I could roll right out of the water, dry off, and climb into bed to drift lazily off to sleep.

  After the tub was filled, I lit a few candles that were scattered around the room and turned off the lights, sinking into the steamy water to wash my troubles away. Luckily, I’d had the forethought to grab my earbuds, and as I lounged in the water, I sang softly along to the music.

  Music had always
been a balm for my soul, and tonight I needed it more than ever.

  I was beginning to look like a prune, and the water was now lukewarm when I decided it was time to get out. I flipped the drain open and stood just as the bathroom door opened wide. In it stood Roan, his eyes slowly taking in my body as they ran from head to toe and then back up.

  For some reason, he had changed clothes and was wearing a different button-down shirt and khakis. Maybe he had come to tell me he needed to go out, but then the two of us locked eyes and I realized this was not Roan.

  His gaze was questioning but laced with uncertainty, and his head tipped to the side momentarily before he blinked and quickly looked away. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know someone was in here.”

  While he looked away, I grabbed the nearest towel and wrapped myself up. Holy crap, I knew he had a brother, but I never knew he was a twin!

  It wasn’t the first time a man I didn’t know had seen me naked, and I wasn’t a prude, so while I was a little uncomfortable, I wasn’t upset with him.

  I carefully climbed out of the tub. “I assume you are Roan’s brother. Rye, is it?”

  He did a double take my way, saw I was covered, and smiled, turning to face me. “Yes, Rye Waterman, and you are?”

  “Finley Parker. Do you normally just walk into your brother’s guest room when he has a guest?”

  “It was dark downstairs. I figured he’d gone to bed. I didn’t expect someone to be here, I’m sorry for walking in on you like that.”

  “That’s okay.”

  “What the hell are you doing here, Rye?” We both jumped, and Rye looked over his shoulder as Roan came into view. Roan grabbed his brother’s arm and pulled him out of the room, taking a moment to quickly check out my towel attire.

  I followed the two of them out into the bedroom as Rye responded, “I figured you were asleep and came up here to crash. I didn’t know you had a guest.”

  “Why didn’t you go home?”