Maybe this family dinner won’t be as awkward as I expected.
I finished getting ready and made my way downstairs. Pennington and Martinez were by the door—which I thought was rather odd. They normally didn’t stay once Edgar was settled in for the evening. I wondered if that meant he was planning to leave at some point after dinner. If he was, I might get a chance to snoop around after my mother went to bed—not that I thought I was going to have much luck since my only successful attempt came when I overheard one of his telephone calls. That was too random for me to expect another opportunity to present itself.
“Have a seat.” My mother motioned to me as soon as I walked into the dining room. “You’re sitting next to Jenny.”
“Okay.” I nodded and took a seat next to my new stepsister—who looked at me like I was carrying every disease imaginable. “Hi, I’m Leigh…”
“I know.” She rolled her eyes and moved her chair away from me.
Great, she already hates me…
“Thank you for joining us, Leigh.” Edgar walked into the dining room and sat down. “I know you usually hang out with your friends after work.”
“Yes.” My mother nodded. “She is very busy with school and work—she deserves some down time.”
Is that how my mother has been explaining my absence? She didn’t even know I was in school until after she married Edgar…
“You could learn something from her, Jenny.” Edgar motioned to me. “She has her priorities in order.”
“I have to graduate from high school before I can go to college.” Jenny narrowed her eyes and practically shot daggers at her father. “Of course, I can’t go to college now that you’ve confiscated my trust fund.”
“We’ll figure your future out when the time is right.” Edgar cleared his throat. “Okay, who is ready to eat?”
“Me!” My mother nodded and smiled.
The food was served, and Edgar tried to engage everyone in conversation, but it was just as awkward as I imagined. My mother chimed in—I tried to say a few things to be polite—and Jenny just ignored everyone at the table. She dressed the part, but she wasn’t playing it. She mostly just moved her food around on her plate. I would have shoveled all of mine in my mouth and washed it down with a glass of water if it would have ended the evening. Edgar and my mother seemed to be taking their time, so I doubted it would matter. At least if I was eating, I had something to do.
“Oh, you two will be on your own this weekend.” Edgar tilted his head and smiled. “I have some business in the city, and I’ve asked my lovely new wife to accompany me.”
If looks could kill, everyone at the table other than Jenny would be dead after that comment.
“Maybe this will give you an opportunity to get to know each other a little better.” My mother smiled and leaned over to pat my hand.
“Great…” Jenny shoved a piece of her meat to the edge of her plate.
“I’ve asked Pennington to stay behind just in case you need something.” Edgar looked in the direction of his two bodyguards.
“To make sure I don’t leave?” Jenny dropped her fork and glared at her father.
“You’re not a prisoner, Jenny.” Edgar narrowed his eyes.
“Sure, keep telling yourself that.” Jenny slid her chair back. “This has been fun and all, but I have homework to do. A scholarship might be the only way I get into college.”
“Jenny, sit down…” Edgar exhaled sharply.
“If I’m not a prisoner, I don’t have to sit here and eat with you.” Jenny left the room before Edgar could response.
“I’m sorry, Leigh.” Edgar shook his head back and forth. “I really hoped we could have one nice meal together as a family.”
“It’s okay.” I put down my fork. “I’m sure this situation is tough for everyone.”
“I’m glad you understand.” Edgar nodded and let out a long sigh. “She’ll be fine; she just needs time to adjust to everything.”
I don’t know if it’s going to be that simple…
The rest of the dinner was a lot less awkward once Jenny left the table. I didn’t participate in their conversation much, but they didn’t seem to mind. They talked about their trip, and my mother mentioned a party that they were planning to have. Edgar said he had a surprise for her but didn’t say what it was. I really didn’t care about any of that—I was making plans in my head. If Edgar was planning to leave later that night, I wasn’t going to waste and opportunity to look around. His office hadn’t provided me any leads, but it had been a few days since I checked it. All I needed was a clue or a breadcrumb that would help me make sense of what I overheard when he was talking on the phone.
It might be another dead end, but I need to try…
“This was delicious. Thank you.” I looked over at Edgar once I was finished with my food.
“You can join us for dinner anytime, you know.” He lifted his head and smiled. “There will always be a spot for you.”
“I would like that.” My mother nodded. “Especially after you quit your job so you can focus on school.”
“I’m not going to quit my job…” I sighed and shook my head.
“You could always come work for me at Sinn Technology if you’re determined to do something productive with your free time.” Edgar leaned back in his chair.
“I’ll—keep that in mind.” I nodded and forced a smile.
“I’m sure you’ll be way too busy once you start taking real classes.” My mother patted my hand.
“They’re still real—even if they’re online.” I wanted to say more than that, but I bit my tongue.
“I’m sure you’ll see the difference next semester.” My mother leaned back in her chair.
As if you would know—you barely finished high school.
There was a time in my life when I would have been doing cartwheels if the CEO of Sinn Technology had offered me a job—I would have done cartwheels for an internship, even if I wasn’t getting paid to work there. Instead, I was trying to figure out if there was a way to send the CEO back to prison, where I was almost certain he belonged. Even if he wasn’t involved in something illegal, there was a good chance his plan was morally corrupt in some capacity.
“May I be excused?” I looked back and forth between Edgar and my mother.
“Of course.” Edgar nodded. “Thank you again for joining us.”
I walked back upstairs and changed out of the dress I wore for dinner. The idea of getting dressed up for dinner in your own house seemed absurd to me—I hoped it wasn’t going to be a regular thing. I felt a little better once I was in my PJs, and tired, but I couldn’t lay down and risk falling asleep. I played on my phone, shuffled through a few lectures for my online classes, and constantly checked the situation downstairs. It was almost two hours before my mother finally went to bed, and another thirty minutes before I heard Edgar leaving.
Finally… I was beginning to think he wasn’t actually going to go anywhere tonight.
A quick scan of the downstairs confirmed that Pennington and Martinez had left with him. I didn’t waste any time at all. There weren’t many places I could check, and I didn’t want to risk waiting—I had no idea how long Edgar would be gone. I did my best impression of the tippy-toe dance as I crept along in the dark. I really couldn’t see anything in Edgar’s office, even when I tried to use my cell phone as a flashlight, so I decided to risk it and turn on a lamp. It wasn’t much better, but at least I could quickly look at all the papers on his desk.
It doesn’t look like anything has changed since the last time I was here.
My best bet was still Edgar’s computer. I just knew there was information on the other side of that locked screen. I aimlessly tapped on the keyboard and tried combinations of names and numbers that I hadn’t tried before. None of them worked. I was greeted with the same error message over and over. It seemed that my second attempt to break into Edgar’s computer was going to be a waste of time, just like the first one. I even rum
maged around in his desk for a few minutes to see if there was a scrap of paper where it could be written down but didn’t find anything that looked like a password. The trash can was empty, so I was saved from digging through garbage to hunt something useful.
“Having fun?” A voice nearly caused me to flip the chair over backwards from shock, and I looked up to see Jenny staring me down from the doorway of Edgar’s office.
“Oh, hi…” My stomach immediately twisted into a knot. “I was just trying to check my email.”
“Really?” She walked in and narrowed her eyes at me.
“The computer is locked.” I shrugged and tried to maintain my composure. “I guess I’ll just go back to bed.”
“Why can’t you use the laptop in your room to check your email?” Jenny walked to the desk and continued to stare me down.
“What? How do you know I have a laptop in my room?” My head snapped back. “Did you go through my stuff?”
“What are you going to do about it?” She pulled the bottom desk drawer open. “Tell my dad?”
“Uh…” I moved the chair to the side as the drawer came close to hitting my leg. “No…”
She just caught me rummaging through her father’s office, which is a whole lot worse than what she did…
“Good.” Jenny pulled on the back of the drawer, and it popped open to reveal a secret compartment. “Then I guess it won’t hurt to show you where the good stuff is hidden.”
“What’s in there?” I leaned forward to look.
“My dad canceled my credit card after I moved out, so I need some money.” She held up a stack of hundred-dollar bills that were wrapped in a dark yellow band from the bank.
“That’s…” My eyes opened wide as I read the figure stamped on the currency band. “Ten thousand dollars!?”
“I’m not taking all of it.” She rolled her eyes, removed about a third of the money, and shoved the rest of it back in the hidden compartment.
“What do you need that kind of money for?” A lump started to rise up in my throat. “Are you going to run away?”
I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing right now…
“The thought has crossed my mind.” She pulled a small bottle of whiskey and a pack of cigarettes out of the compartment. “But I don’t think I would get very far before he found me. I can wait until I turn eighteen—then I won’t ever be back.”
“Then what do you need the money for?” I watched as Jenny took a sip of the whiskey and pulled a cigarette out of the pack.
“You’ll see. I don’t want to spoil the surprise.” She tossed the pack of cigarettes in front of me. “Want one?”
“No.” I put them back in the hidden compartment and reached for the whiskey, but she picked it back up before I could. “Do you really think your father would approve of you smoking and drinking?”
Damien would probably care more than Edgar, but I can’t mention his name in front of her…
“I don’t really give a fuck what my dad thinks.” She narrowed her eyes at me. “I’m sure he seems all kinds of wonderful to you right now—but you have no idea what he’s really like.”
I have a pretty good idea.
“I wouldn’t be here either if it wasn’t for my mom.” I leaned back in the chair and shrugged.
“This isn’t going to end well for her either.” Jenny took a drag of her cigarette and blew out a stream of smoke. “Eventually, she will find out that she’s not living in a fairy tale.”
“Maybe…” I sighed.
“Oh shit!” Jenny suddenly sat forward and stabbed out her cigarette. “I hear a car.”
“What?” I blinked in surprise and felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
“I don’t know what you’re doing in my father’s office.” Jenny hopped to her feet. “But you better not get caught in here.”
I scrambled to shove the bottle of whiskey back in the secret compartment and close it while Jenny made a dash for the door. She was already at the top of the stairs when I finally left Edgar’s office. The front door was opening, so there was no way I could follow her. Panic set in as I realized that I was about to get caught. I ducked into the kitchen, opened one of the cabinets, and grabbed a glass. Edgar was home—and his footsteps were heading my way. I managed to get the sink turned on and pushed my glass under the water right as he walked into the kitchen.
“You’re up late…” Edgar tilted his head inquisitively. “Can’t sleep?”
“I woke up thirsty for some reason.” I faked a yawned and took a drink of the water as I turned to face him.
“Ah.” He nodded. “I had to run out and pick something up—it’s a surprise for your mother, so please don’t tell her you saw me coming home in the middle of the night.”
“Your secret is safe with me.” I took another drink and dumped the rest of the water out in the sink.
Apparently, I’m keeping secrets for everyone in this house now.
I walked back towards the stairs and noticed a black bag hanging in the foyer. I assumed that was the surprise Edgar got for my mother. He walked into the living room, and it sounded like he was pouring himself a drink, so I decided to take a peek. It was an unnecessary risk—I doubted there was anything nefarious about a gift he got for my mother, but I still wanted to see. I quietly moved the zipper down and saw white fabric. I pushed it down a little further and realized it was a wedding dress. I heard Edgar close the liquor cabinet, so I quickly zipped it back up and walked to the top of the stairs.
Why does he have a wedding dress for my mom?
Edgar and my mother were already married—at least they said they were. They didn’t have a big ceremony, so I wondered if Edgar was planning something bigger to make up for it. There didn’t seem to be any other explanation that made sense. My mother previously talked about having a big wedding when she finally met the man of her dreams—which was part of the reason I was so surprised when I found out that they had gotten married so quickly. Either way, I had wasted another day without finding anything useful. The secret compartment in Edgar’s desk was interesting, but I wasn’t looking for money—or to find out that Edgar stashed a bottle of whiskey and a pack of cigarettes in his desk.
I don’t think my mom is going to leave him over that…
Chapter Sixteen
Damien
My trip to my aunt’s house was basically a waste of time. She stonewalled me until I made it clear that I wasn’t going to leave until I got some answers. Maybe I would have been better off not finding out where my mother really was because I wasn’t prepared for the truth. My mother didn’t just decide that she needed some time away from Carson Cove—she admitted herself to Juniper Health, a psychiatric hospital in the city. It was rumored to be more of a resort than a hospital where the doctors prescribed rest and relaxation instead of treating the problem that brought their patients there in the first place. I tried to go see her, but I was turned away. She didn’t want visitors, and her doctor thought that was for the best—they wouldn’t even tell me how long she was staying.
I was back at square one, and it seemed like the jump to square two was a much larger leap than I expected. I was disappointed and frustrated when I left the city but returning to Carson Cove didn’t do much to ease either of them. Leigh was stuck in the devil’s lair for the evening, and I assumed my sister’s cell phone was either turned off or confiscated because she didn’t respond to any of my messages. Leigh was able to confirm that she was safe, but the atmosphere was tense—Jenny wasn’t handling captivity very well—not that I expected her to. I was surprised she hadn’t burned Sinn Manor down within hours of being forced to return there.
I had to take a day off work to go to the city, and I didn’t think Jon would appreciate it if I asked for another one, so I drug myself to work the next day after barely sleeping a wink. I could tell that I was cracking at the seams both mentally and physically. I snapped at Farrah because my coffee wasn’t scalding hot and almost la
id into one of the account managers in my department when their results weren’t where they should have been. I got a couple of questions about the bruise on my face and the knot on my head, but my general demeanor stopped them from pressing for more details. I probably could have used a couple of days at Juniper Health myself, but I couldn’t run from my problems.
Maybe I’ll feel better if I can just talk to Jenny…
“Damien, what are you doing here?” Pennington glared at me as I walked up to the car that was parked in front of Carson Cove High.
“I didn’t come to fight.” I held up my hands. “I just want to talk to my sister.”
“Your sister is going back to Sinn Manor as soon as she’s done with school.” He took a step towards me.
“Do you really want to do this? Here? In front of the fucking high school?” I balled my fists. “I’m not going to stop you from taking Jenny back to Sinn Manor—I just want to have a two-minute conversation with her to make sure she’s okay.”
“I think I still owe you one.” He pointed at the cut on his face.
“I didn’t walk away unscathed, but you don’t have any back-up this time,” I growled under my breath. “The next mark I leave on you might be permanent.”
“Too bad you won’t live long enough to watch me bleed.” He took another step towards me. “I’m still going to enjoy it, though.”
“We’ll both be in handcuffs before that happens.” I narrowed my eyes. “What will my father say when he finds out you got arrested when you were supposed to be bringing his daughter home?”
Devious Intentions (Carson Cove Sandals Book 3) Page 17