Jason had expected as much, but it was a relief to know for sure.
“I also looked into her financial status.”
Now this was the part Jason wanted to hear. “And?”
“It’s bad.”
His gut clenched. “How bad?”
“Credit cards, personal loans, student loans. And they’re all in default. Her credit rating is in the toilet.”
Jason cursed. “How much in total.”
Lewis told him the sum and Jason cursed again. Jesus, Jeremy, why? Why her?
Jason knew what he had to do, and he wouldn’t be satisfied, wouldn’t be able to sleep at night, until he made this right. “Pay it off. All of it.”
“I thought she didn’t want you to do that.”
“I don’t care. Just take care of it.”
“If that’s what you really want.”
“It is.”
He hung up and headed downstairs to talk to Faye. He found her in the kitchen waiting for him. She stood with her arms crossed, foot tapping, wearing her exactly-what-do-you-think-you’re-doing-mister face. She may have been a small woman, but she was a force to be reckoned with.
And though he had a pretty good idea why she was in such a snit, he shrugged and said, “What?”
“You know that I don’t like to meddle—”
He laughed. “Yes, you do.”
Since his mother had passed away, Faye had taken it upon herself to, as she put it, keep Jason honest. Not that it was ever necessary, as he was the twin who never went against the grain. He did exactly what was expected of him without fail, always going above and beyond the call of duty. It was his curse. He was the “good” twin. And now, the only twin. It was a blessing that his parents hadn’t lived to see Jeremy completely self-destruct. It would have devastated their mother. She had blamed herself for Jeremy’s behavior. Thought it was as much Jason’s fault. More so, even.
“She’s adorable,” Faye said. “And sweet.”
Yes, she was. Too adorable and sweet for someone like him. “You say that as if it’s a bad thing. Would you prefer that she be unattractive and incorrigible?”
Faye gave him another look. “And obviously very vulnerable.”
“And you think I would take advantage of that?”
“Not on purpose.”
“I only want to help her, to make up for what Jeremy did to her. Her and the boys.”
Faye wasn’t buying it. “That’s it, huh?”
“Why is that so difficult to believe?”
“Because I saw the way you were looking at her.”
“No crime in looking.” Faye knew he didn’t do commitment. That he could never have a family of his own. Holly had already been taken advantage of by one Cavanaugh. He would never do anything to hurt her. At least, not intentionally.
Faye’s deep frown said she didn’t like his answer. “Are you still going to ask her to stay?”
“She has nowhere else to go. Jeremy put her so far into debt she’ll never dig herself out.”
Faye frowned. “How much did he take her for?”
Jason told her and Faye gasped, holding a hand to her bosom. “Oh, good lord. That poor thing.”
“Don’t worry. I’m taking care of it. She needs help, even if she won’t admit it. My number one priority is the twins and seeing that they’re raised properly. Someday my entire fortune will be theirs. They need to be prepared if they’re going to carry on the Cavanaugh dynasty responsibly. They need the proper breeding and a top-notch education. I can provide that. Not to mention a stable and substance-free environment to raise them in. I refuse to let them turn out like their father.”
Looking indignant, she said, “You’re not suggesting that Holly isn’t fit to be a parent because she doesn’t have the right breeding.”
He sighed. “Call it what you will. Wealth is a huge responsibility and at times a terrible burden. And as we’ve learned with Jeremy, it can easily be mismanaged. I want them to be prepared for whatever life throws at them.”
“As long as you remember that Holly is their parent and no decisions can be made without her approval.”
“I realize that.” Of course he would never try to undermine her authority, but he also knew what was best for his nephews, and he would make Holly see that.
Five
Holly woke slowly from her nap, feeling so cozy and comfortable on the firm mattress that she could easily have drifted back off to sleep. She almost did, but snapped herself awake. The boys would be waking soon to be fed and she should think about eating something herself. If she lost any more weight she was going to look like a skeleton. She reached for her phone, and checked the time. 8:07 p.m. Well, she’d probably missed dinner, but that was okay. Faye struck her as the type who might keep a plate of leftovers warm.
Holly sat up and blinked herself awake, surprised by how well-rested she felt after only a few hours of sleep. She got up and walked to the window. The water was clear and calm and—
Hold on. Where the heck did all the boats go? And why was the sun on the wrong side of the lake?
She looked at her phone again and realized it wasn’t eight in the evening. It was morning, and she had slept all night!
The air whooshed from her lungs as if she’d been punched in the stomach. She rushed to the door and yanked it open, startling Jason, who was on the other side, fist raised, about to knock.
“Well, good morning. Faye sent me up to tell you that breakfast...” He trailed off, concern in his eyes. “You look like you just saw a ghost.”
Nope, just hyperventilating. “Where are the boys?”
“In the kitchen with Faye.”
“They’re okay?”
Jason looked confused, as if he thought she might be a little loony. “Of course they are.”
She was so relieved she had to grab the door frame to keep her knees from buckling.
“What did you think I would do, sell them on the black market?”
She hadn’t been thinking, that was the problem. She’d just reacted. “No, of course not. It’s just that we haven’t been apart much since they came home from the hospital. They are almost never out of my sight. I only just started sleeping in the living room instead of on their bedroom floor.”
“Take a deep, slow breath,” he said.
She took three, then another, until she could feel the knots in her stomach unwinding, her pulse slowing. This was not the way she had hoped to start her morning. This trip was supposed to be fun and relaxing. They were supposed to be getting to know one another.
“Better?” he asked.
She nodded, feeling steadier. And pretty darned ridiculous for overreacting. “I panicked. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be so rude.”
“You weren’t rude.”
“It’s just that they were so fragile when they were born, and though I know that now they’re just as healthy as any other child their age, I always feel as if I’m waiting for the other shoe to fall.”
“Holly?”
She looked up at him. She couldn’t look his way without getting caught up in those ocean-blue irises. And the way he said her name made her insides feel warm and soft.
He laid his hands on her shoulders, giving them a reassuring squeeze. “You’re safe here. I’m not going to let anything happen to you or the boys. I give you my word.”
She believed him.
She barely knew this man, but she knew in her heart that he meant every word he said. And she was rational enough now to realize how nice his hands felt on her shoulders. A little too nice, in fact. There was nothing rational about that.
“You all right?” he asked, his hands slipping lower, to the tops of her arms.
More like confused. He was standing really close, and h
e smelled so good. It would be so easy to reach out and touch him...
No, she really shouldn’t do that.
“I’m fine. Just a little disoriented.”
“You missed dinner last night. You must be starving.”
“I am,” she said.
He dropped his hands from her arms and she was both relieved and disappointed. And clearly not thinking straight.
As they stepped into the hall she could smell bacon and freshly brewed coffee.
“How does a walk around the property sound after breakfast?” he asked as she followed him down the stairs.
“I’d like that.” God only knew she could use some fresh air.
“I thought that we could go into town this afternoon.”
“I’d love to.”
The kitchen was huge and outfitted with top-of-the-line appliances that any chef would drool over. Faye stood at the stove stirring what looked like scrambled eggs, Devon on her hip, while Marshall squealed happily and kicked his chubby little legs in his car seat on the kitchen table. Holly needn’t have worried, they looked happy and perfectly content in Faye’s care, which Holly was ashamed to admit had her feeling the tiniest bit jealous. She was used to doing everything on her own.
Faye smiled when she saw Holly. “Well good morning, sleepy head. Are you hungry?”
Her mother used to call her that, and to hear it again made her smile.
“Starved,” she said, lifting Marshall into her arms for a snuggle, tickling him under his chubby chin. He giggled and kicked and fisted her hair in his soggy hands. It occurred to her just then that she hadn’t brushed her hair, or her teeth for that matter, and if that wasn’t bad enough, she was wearing last night’s clothes. She sneaked a look at her reflection in the stainless steel refrigerator. Her ponytail was a bit askew, and her clothes were wrinkled. But it wasn’t as if Jason hadn’t already seen her at her worst.
His cell phone rang and he pulled it from his pants pocket. He checked the display and frowned. “Excuse me. I have to take this.”
When he was gone, Faye asked Holly, “How did you sleep?”
Holly tried to straighten her hair but Marshall kept grabbing at it. “Like the dead. I didn’t even hear the boys wake up. I’m a little surprised that they slept all night.”
“They didn’t,” Faye said. “They woke up around dinner time and had a bottle. Then Jason and I played with them for a while. They conked out around ten and slept until about 2:00 a.m.”
“Why didn’t you wake me?”
“Jason asked me not to. He said things have been rough for you and you needed rest. He’s a good man, you know.”
Holly hiked Marshall up over what used to be her hip, but now was just a knobby bone. “I’ve noticed.”
“After what happened to you with Jeremy...” She shook her head, looking so sad. “I just want you to know that Jason isn’t at all like his brother.”
“I can see that.”
“I wish you had known Jeremy when he was younger. He used to be the sweetest boy. I wish I knew what happened, why he changed the way he did.” She held out a plate of bacon and offered Holly a slice. “You must be famished.”
Holly took a piece and bit into it, her mouth watering. Bacon was one of those things that always tasted better when someone else made it. “It’s delicious. Thank you.”
“You’re all skin and bones. We need to fatten you up.”
She had always been naturally thin. She’d only gained twenty pounds when she was pregnant with the twins. But Faye was right: now she was too thin.
She finished that slice and reached for another, dodging Marshall’s sticky hand. “Do you and George live here in the house?”
“We live in the caretakers’ cottage,” Faye said, gesturing out the window above the kitchen sink. Holly craned her neck to see. The small dwelling had the same dark wood exterior as the main house and was set back several hundred feet in the forest. It blended in so well with the surrounding vegetation that Holly hadn’t even noticed it when they’d gotten to the house yesterday.
“How long have you lived there?”
“Since I married George. His father was the caretaker for years, and his father before that. It’s a family tradition.”
Since being orphaned Holly missed out on family traditions, though her foster parents had done their best to give her a somewhat normal childhood. But without a real family it had never been the same. “And will your kids carry on the tradition?”
“Our only child died when he was very small.”
Holly’s heart ached just thinking about it. She couldn’t imagine losing a child. Nor did she want to contemplate it. Some things were better left alone. “I’m so sorry.”
“He was born with a genetic abnormality,” Faye said. “He didn’t even make it to his first birthday. His short life was filled with pain and suffering. My doctor warned us that if I were to have another child there was a chance it would suffer the same condition, so we decided it wasn’t worth the risk. They knew so little about genetics back then.”
The idea of never having children of her own hurt Holly’s heart. She couldn’t imagine life without her boys. “That must have been a difficult choice.”
“I sank into deep depression for several months. But then Jason and Jeremy were born and their mother was overwhelmed and needed my help. It wasn’t the same as having my own children, but I loved them.” Faye paused, looking sad. “If our boy had lived he would be forty this fall.”
“What was his name?”
The memory made Faye smile. “His name was Travis. Travis George Henderson.”
“It’s a nice name.”
“Travis was my father’s name.”
“Did you know when you were pregnant that anything was wrong?”
“We had no idea. And I had a perfectly normal pregnancy. But the minute he was born it was obvious that something was wrong. They couldn’t get him to cry, and when he did it was so weak and raspy. Then I saw him. He wasn’t normal, that much was obvious, but I thought he was the most beautiful baby I had ever seen. Jason’s parents were so good to George and me. Though the Cavanaughs paid us generously, we were helping to support my parents and didn’t have money for medical bills. Jason’s father paid for Travis to see at least half a dozen specialists, but they all told us the same thing. He wouldn’t live past his first birthday, and there wasn’t anything anyone could do.”
Holly had to swallow the huge lump in her throat so she could speak. “I’m so sorry, Faye.”
“It’s all a part of God’s plan. And it was a long time ago. I just wanted you to know how good the Cavanaughs were to us. They took care of us, and Jason will do the same for you.”
Whether Holly wanted him to or not, it would seem. If she’d known that he’d intended to let her sleep all night, she wouldn’t have lain down for a nap. But she couldn’t deny feeling the most rested she had since the twins were born. Maybe, just in this instance, he did know what was best for her. As long as he didn’t make a habit of it.
Holly reached into her back pocket for her phone, realizing when she didn’t feel it there that she must have left it upstairs. She’d called one of those credit counselors yesterday in the hopes that they might have some sort of financial solution for her and was waiting for a call back.
She asked Faye, “Can you watch them for a minute while I go grab my phone?”
“Of course, honey. Take your time.”
Holly set Marshall back in his car seat and headed upstairs to her room. She found her phone on the bed where she must have dropped it. Aside from a dozen emails and Facebook notifications, there was a missed call from the financial people. She sat on the bed and listened to the voice mail they’d left. Then she listened again. Then once more to be sure she was hearing the agent correctly.
>
She stuffed her phone in her back pocket, but what she really wanted to do was chuck it at the wall. There was only one explanation for this. And though she rarely cursed, she shook her head and muttered, “Sonofabitch.”
* * *
Jason waited until he was in his office with the door shut before he answered Lewis’s call.
“It’s done,” he told Jason.
“You’re sure you got everything.”
“Down to that last penny.”
“Thanks, Lewis.”
“You may not be so grateful when she learns the truth. How long do you think it will take her to figure it out?”
Not long enough, Jason was sure. And she would be furious with him when she did. But she would get over it. She would see that it was best for everyone.
“What was her reaction when she saw the house?” Lewis asked him.
“She took it surprisingly well, all things considered.”
“Have you asked her to stay?”
“No, not yet. I don’t want to rush into anything or overwhelm her. I want to give her time to settle in, to feel comfortable here.”
“I wouldn’t wait too long. If she’s as independent as you claim—”
“Don’t forget stubborn.”
“Once she finds out you paid all her debt she’s probably not going to be happy with you.”
Lewis had a point. Maybe it would be better to ask sooner rather than later.
“I almost forgot, Miranda wondered if you two—sorry, make that four—would like to meet up for dinner sometime. As you can imagine, she’s anxious to meet your nephews. And Holly.”
“Sounds good.”
“You don’t want to ask Holly first?”
“It will do her good to get out with people.”
“Okay, but do me a favor and don’t tell her that I’m the one responsible for her debt being paid off.”
“You were operating under my instructions. She has no one to blame but me.”
“Yeah, but she might not see it that way. I’d rather err on the side of caution if it’s all the same to you.”
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