‘He wouldn’t like that description!’
‘What a shame!’ Kelsey said dryly. She looked at her almost unrecognizably pale face in the mirror beneath the harsh light. ‘I hope you brought all of my makeup. I don’t want Dad to see me looking like this.’
Eve set a black patent-leather makeup case on the counter beside Kelsey. ‘You taught me this – don’t go anywhere without your makeup. Always put on your best face for the world.’
‘And that’s what I intend to do. Dad’s lost Mom and now Lorelei. I’m all he has left. It’s important to put on my best possible face for him.’
‘I love this car,’ Eve said half an hour later as they loaded a suitcase and two large shopping bags on to the oyster-colored leather upholstery in the back of Kelsey’s metallic midnight-blue BMW convertible. ‘It’s such a beautiful day I couldn’t resist putting down the top. Your father picked a wonderful birthday present for you last month.’
‘Dad always gives me extravagant birthday presents. He thinks it makes me feel I’m no less special to him than his biological daughter. I never felt like I was competing with Lorelei, though, and this car was just over the top. I felt guilty for accepting it.’ Kelsey smiled. ‘But not guilty enough to refuse it.’
Kelsey took Gatsby out of his carrier and hugged all nineteen pounds of him. The veterinarian had labeled him a Red Mackerel Tabby, but to Kelsey the cat was definitely golden, with eyes an unusually vivid green. His thick, soft fur smelled of the almond-scented shampoo Kelsey used on him, and he purred so loudly he seemed on the verge of roaring as he rubbed his face against hers. She didn’t want to let go of him, but the sooner she reached her father’s house the sooner he could be free of confinement.
Gatsby allowed Kelsey to put him back in his carrier without a struggle. She placed the carrier on the back seat and put on her sunglasses. ‘Would you mind driving to Dad’s? I still have a headache and that tranquilizer has me feeling sort of dim and floaty, like nothing’s quite real. Not even Lorelei’s—’
‘Don’t say it,’ Eve broke in firmly. ‘Don’t think about it. Not right now. Just enjoy the ride.’ She got behind the steering wheel, then tilted her head to the left the way she did when she was happy. ‘Let’s listen to music. Something upbeat.’
In a moment P!nk was belting out ‘Get the Party Started’ and Eve was smiling, her lovely fine-boned face looking fresh and much younger than her twenty-eight years. Kelsey leaned back her head and closed her eyes. As Eve rocketed out of the parking lot Kelsey let herself relax, feeling nothing but the heat of the morning sun and the rush of clean air blowing through her hair.
For fifteen minutes they drove north on River Road without conversation. The only sound in the car was the music. Kelsey finally opened her eyes and looked at the Ohio River, smooth enough to be a mirror reflecting the nearly cloudless sky.
‘You’re smiling. What are you thinking?’ Eve asked.
‘How the river reflects the sky. And the sky is so beautiful today. It’s sapphire.’ She smiled. ‘When I was young, my mother told me the word in Swedish is safir. Today we have a safir himmel.’
‘I’ll try to remember the phrase, though I’ll never get the accent.’
‘Oh, the accent!’ Kelsey groaned. ‘From the time I was little, Mom tried to teach me Swedish but I was a lost cause. Remembering the vocabulary was bad enough. Getting the accent was impossible. Lori was just the opposite. She took to the language like she’d always lived in Sweden. Maybe it had something to do with our genes.’
‘I’m sure you weren’t as bad as you thought.’
‘Yes, I was. Believe me.’
‘Where was your mother born?’
‘In Falun. It’s about a hundred and forty miles north of Stockholm. It used to have a big copper mine, and a river called the Faluån runs through it.’ Kelsey knew Eve was trying to keep their minds off Lori’s murder, so she went on talking. ‘Mom was an only child. Her parents moved to New York when she was ten. Grandfather Vaden knew Dad’s father, but they didn’t start March Vaden Industries until they were in their early forties. Dad had the same passion for the company as both of my grandfathers. Grandfather Vaden thought of Dad as a son. Mom was in school in Europe when my Vaden grandparents moved to Kentucky, and Dad didn’t meet her until she was twenty-two. They dated for five months and then Dad married—’
‘The beautiful Sofie Vaden.’
Kelsey smiled. ‘I must have told you this story at least six times, Eve!’
‘It sounds like a fairy tale, and I’ve always loved fairy tales,’ Eve mused.
‘You might have your own fairy-tale ending with Stuart,’ Kelsey said. ‘I know you and Stuart are in love.’
‘You’re being a romantic, Kelsey. I’m more serious about Stuart than I have been about anyone in a long time, but love?’ Eve shook her head. ‘I’m not sure that’s on the cards for me.’
‘Why? Because of a bad experience?’ Eve shrugged. ‘OK. I won’t press for details. I know you don’t like talking about your past.’
Eve gave her a quick glance. ‘Why do you say that?’
‘Because you never talk about it.’
‘That makes sense.’ Eve smiled slightly. ‘Well … there’s not much to tell. I’ve led a very boring life.’
‘It can’t have been all that boring, but all I know about your early life is that you grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania.’
‘Actually, it was outside a small town in western Pennsylvania. We had a farm. A very little farm. I have one brother two years older than I am.’ She smiled wistfully. ‘He was really serious, but occasionally he’d joke that I’m part wolf because I have dark amber eyes. I loved it.’ Her smile faded. ‘He stayed on the farm. But after I graduated from high school, I left home and came to Louisville.’ She sighed and her voice caught as she said, ‘I miss him.’
‘I’m sorry.’ Eve shrugged, but Kelsey saw her face tighten as she fought back emotion. ‘Why did you come to Louisville?’ Kelsey asked lightly.
‘I had a great-aunt who lived here. She was my mother’s aunt, although she was only twelve years older than Mama. When I was growing up, she’d visit us and talk about the city. She made it sound as if every week was like Derby Week. She died less than a year before I came here. She left me some money, which I used to get established here.’
‘So that’s why you moved to Louisville!’
‘Yes. I held on to the money she gave me like I’d never see another dollar. I did anything to make ends meet – waitressing, clerking at a department store, even cleaning houses while I was going to Sullivan College. After I graduated, I found more part-time work then finally got the job as a receptionist at Durand Designs and met you and Stuart.’ Eve smiled, looking straight ahead. ‘You were both nice to me, especially you. You took a serious look at my sketches of designs. And you were kind enough to take me with you when you started MG Interiors. The end.’
‘I wasn’t being kind. Your designs were great, and your presentations of them so … sophisticated.’ Kelsey paused before saying something that she’d thought for years. ‘You didn’t seem like a beginner, Eve.’
‘But I was a beginner,’ Eve said shortly. ‘I spent so much time on those presentations. As for my designs … well, my soul was in my work. Sorry, but that’s it. The story of my life.’
‘There must be more. What were your parents like? Did your brother get married? Do you have nieces and nephews?’
‘You should have been a reporter!’ Eve exclaimed before she seemed to disappear within herself for a moment. Then she tilted her head, smiled, and said brightly, ‘For now, that’s all. Someday I’ll tell you about my exciting family.’
Kelsey felt slightly stung. ‘I’m sorry for being so nosy.’
Eve glanced at her and her face dropped. ‘I’m awful! You’re my closest friend and I reacted like you’re—’
‘Your life is none of my business.’ Kelsey knew she sounded abrupt.
Eve hesitated. �
�I don’t talk about my family because they aren’t really my family any more. They live simple lives devoted to hard work and God. They were appalled that I left home instead of marrying a local guy and living a life like theirs. They sort of excommunicated me from the family.’
‘Even your brother?’
‘Yes, to please our parents and his wife.’ Eve looked sadly at Kelsey. ‘Now you know why I don’t talk about my family. Can you understand?’
‘Eve, you’ve kept this from me for over three years!’
‘I’m sorry—’
‘No, don’t apologize. I’m just surprised, and so sorry that I had no idea. This must be so painful for you, and here I am asking questions like I deserve to know the answers. I’m the one who should apologize.’
‘No need. I’ve always wondered why you weren’t more curious.’
‘I thought I was minding my own business, but maybe you wanted – needed – someone to talk to about your family.’
‘No. I didn’t want to talk about them. I don’t know why I’m talking about them now. Maybe it’s just the shock of the last two days. It’s made me realize that you and your family have become my family. That’s presumptuous …’
‘Not at all, Eve. Honestly, we think of you as family. My mother and Lori … we’ve all loved you. Love you.’ She swallowed hard and ended lamely, ‘Does Stuart know about your family?’
‘He knows a little about my background. He says we’re leaving the past behind.’
‘Both of you?’
Eve nodded.
‘Well, so much for me wanting to hear wildly romantic stories of the prince and princess overcoming huge obstacles until they met each other.’
‘Now who’s the little girl who loves fairy tales?’
Maybe I do, Kelsey thought. But not as much as Lorelei. Lori and her Prince Charming – Cole Grant Harrington. She thought they were in love. I think only she was in love, with a handsome man she barely knew. A secret love affair. Even though she was twenty-one, she still wanted the matter kept hidden from her father. Lori’s sophistication was just a veneer. Underneath she was still a little girl who loved secrets.
‘Suddenly you look very serious,’ Eve said.
‘I was thinking about secrets.’
‘Secrets?’
‘Yes. We all have them.’
‘Some people have more than others. For years, I’ve known so much about your life. You didn’t learn much about mine until today.’ Eve reached forward and turned up the CD player until it was almost too loud for Kelsey, impossible as that seemed. ‘I love this song!’ Eve burst out, smiling as she began stumbling through lyrics she clearly didn’t know.
Kelsey smiled back at her friend, wondering if her smile looked as insincere as Eve’s. Then she peered ahead, turned off the CD, and said, ‘We’re home, and so are the press.’
Two news vans sat at the entrance to the March property. As soon as Eve pulled into the long driveway, a van door whipped open and a man jumped out, snapping pictures. Kelsey turned her head away from him. ‘Dammit! Here we are in a convertible! Speed up!’
Without a word Eve pushed on the accelerator, and didn’t slow down until half of the driveway lay behind them.
Ahead sat a two-story brick Greek Revival style brick house. Kelsey’s stomach clenched as she looked at the porch roof where she and Lorelei – thrilled that they’d escaped out a window without being caught – had sat on warm nights reading ‘scary’ books that made Lori squeal with fear before begging to hear more. Kelsey jerked at the painful memory.
‘Are you all right?’ Eve asked.
‘Yes. Coming home is harder than I thought.’ She gave Eve a weak smile, then looked back at the house. The windows gleamed, the black shutters looked freshly painted and the columns surrounding the entrance were bright white. The hedges were trimmed, the lawn mown.
Eve came to a slow stop in front of the house and they climbed out of the car, Kelsey picking up Gatsby’s carrier as she told Eve not to bother taking anything else inside now. They walked in silence toward the house and climbed the three steps up to the wide porch. Eve stood by, and as Kelsey reached for the door it suddenly opened and Bradley Fairbourne stood in front of them, tall, handsome and impeccably groomed.
‘Kelsey, you’re here at last,’ he said warmly, stepping forward and wrapping his arms around her. Then he gently rubbed his face in the blonde hair beside her ear and whispered, ‘I always love seeing you, no matter what the circumstances.’
FOUR
For an instant, Kelsey stood frozen in Brad’s arms. Then she pulled away and looked into his green eyes. Behind them she saw only calmness. Or was it emptiness? Whichever, there certainly wasn’t a trace of sadness for Lorelei. But he and Lori had never liked each other. Never.
‘What are you doing here?’ she asked coldly.
His voice was smooth. ‘I’ve known Lori most of her life. Our families are so close. Where did you think I’d be?’
Kelsey’s father appeared and swept her away from Brad. Neither said a word. They simply clung to each other, Kelsey feeling her father’s pain and knowing he felt hers. They didn’t part until Gatsby let out a loud meow.
‘Well, hello fellow!’ Truman said with forced cheer, bending down to look in the carrier. ‘Have you come to spend a few days with me?’
‘You should have put him in a boarding kennel,’ Brad said sharply. ‘Mother’s allergic to cats.’
‘Then she shouldn’t pet him.’ Kelsey set the carrier on the floor. So ‘Mother’ – Olivia – intended to be here as much as possible, Kelsey thought. What would Lorelei have said?
Looking fatigued and somewhat vacant, Truman either was unaware of the tension between Kelsey and Brad or had decided to ignore it. He unfastened the door of Gatsby’s carrier and ran his hands along the cat’s sides. Then he stood up and smiled at Eve. ‘Hello, dear. I haven’t seen you for ages.’ They hugged tightly. Eve and Truman had always been fond of each other.
Eve smiled self-consciously and looked into Truman’s eyes. ‘I’m not going to say what I feel about Lori. You know without platitudes and tears and …’ Eve wiped impatiently at her right eye, where a tear trembled and streamed downward. ‘Damn!’
Truman almost grinned. ‘That’s my girl – my third daughter.’
‘Except that she isn’t your daughter,’ Brad said sharply.
Truman gave him a surprised, angry look.
Brad softened. ‘God, I’m sorry! I’m upset …’
‘Yes, he is.’ Olivia Fairbourne inserted herself between Brad and Truman, giving Truman’s arm a quick, gentle stroke. Sunlight gleamed on her thick shoulder-length hair, which had turned completely silver when she was in her early forties. Kelsey remembered hearing women say she should color it, but Olivia had refused, clinging to the shade Kelsey’s mother Sofie had called ‘moonlight.’ Now Olivia’s green eyes looked opaque, unreadable. Her unlined porcelain skin seemed almost translucent. Kelsey detected a light sweep of pale pink blush on her cheeks, mascara on her curled lashes and sheer pink lipstick, barely enough to give her color. She’d brushed her hair behind her ears, and she wore tailored black silk slacks and a long-sleeved white crêpe-de-chine blouse. She looked elegant and closer to forty-five than to her fifty-five years.
‘Kelsey, I have no words to tell you how sorry I am. I’ve known Lori since she was a toddler. I just can’t imagine …’ Olivia’s voice caught, ‘… life without her.’ She laid her hand on Truman’s arm again and looked tragically at Kelsey. ‘Dear, I’m so glad you’re home with us.’
Kelsey couldn’t believe what she’d just heard: home with us. Olivia sounded as if this house belonged to her and Truman. The nerve of her, Kelsey thought. Olivia is welcoming me to my own home. Then Lori’s words echoed in her mind: ‘I think Olivia already considers herself part of our family.’
Kelsey realized she was staring and forced herself to speak. ‘I would have come home last night if they hadn’t made me stay in hospital.’
She realized her words sounded hollow. She hadn’t seen Olivia since she’d broken off her relationship with Brad. Had her tone been so wooden before then? Would it sound as insincere now if Lori hadn’t vented her suspicion of Olivia’s determination to marry Truman? The thoughts ran through Kelsey’s mind while Olivia reached out to hug her. Kelsey stiffened. Olivia gave her a slightly wounded look, then let out a tiny squeal as Gatsby rubbed against the leg of her black silk pants.
‘That cat!’
Gatsby turned and brushed in the opposite direction. Kelsey knew he didn’t like Olivia. Usually he never went near her. Kelsey could almost hear Lori laughing in the background as Olivia began gently pushing Gatsby away from her. Every time she moved him two inches, he returned. Olivia’s smile froze. Finally, Truman picked up Gatsby, looked into the cat’s green eyes and asked, ‘Have you gained ten pounds?’
‘Four.’ Kelsey took Gatsby from her father and walked past Olivia without a glance. ‘He weighs nineteen pounds when he should weigh fifteen. Right now, he’s in a bad mood because he’s hungry. I’ll put out some food for him in the kitchen.’
Everyone followed Kelsey into the kitchen, where the housekeeper, Helen Norris, stood holding a dishtowel as she gazed absently out a window over the sink. Her sturdy five-foot-two body had always contrasted sharply with Sofie’s tall, slender frame. She turned when Kelsey said her name. Her brown eyes were surrounded by puffy, reddened skin, and her wavy, silver-streaked brown hair had been pulled back carelessly in a French twist. Kelsey lowered Gatsby to the floor, and Helen walked to her, hands outstretched. They hugged, Helen’s body trembling slightly. ‘Our girl,’ she quavered. ‘Oh, Kelsey, our girl.’
Helen, fifty and never married, had been with the family since Lori’s birth. Although her formal title was housekeeper, the Marches thought of Helen as a member of the family. She lived in a small suite off the kitchen, took part in all March family celebrations and was welcome to have family and friends visit as if this were her own house.
Just a Breath Away Page 6