by Kathryn Shay
Sensing her mood, Julianne took her hand. “You can talk to me. We’re friends apart from my family.”
“I shouldn’t.”
Julianne snorted. “Since when has that stopped you in your whole life?”
“This feels different. I’m out of my depth here.”
“Tell me. You’ll feel better.”
“I’ve been with him again after that night. We couldn’t stay apart. But we have to. Jules, I’ll lose everything I worked so hard for if I’m sleeping with someone under my supervision. Shit, I have to write his reviews.”
Julianne’s brow arched. “Okay, I won’t push you on him. But tell me what kind of review my brother gets in the bedroom.”
She blurted it out. “A+.”
“Hmm. Those Casella boys. Now, let’s figure where you’ll go from there. How you’ll stay away from Gideon.”
“I have no interest in dating other men.”
“Well, that’s good to hear.” Gideon had come out of the living room to stand in the doorway of the kitchen.
“What are you doing here?” Anabelle asked.
“I came in through the front door because the garage was closed. I came to get the kids from Mama and saw your car.”
They both sighed.
Gideon folded his arms over his chest. He’d changed into jeans and navy sweatshirt. “You’re talking about me.”
“No, no. Julianne’s trying to get me to date.”
“You said, other men.”
“Gideon, don’t please. It’s all settled.”
“Fine. Tell me one thing, though.”
“What?”
“Are you gonna screw somebody else to get over me?”
* * *
“Figure this out, guys.” Julianne stood. “And I’ll tell you from past experience that trying to stay away from someone your heart wants is impossible.” She walked out of the room.
Anabelle bolted up and got in his face. She’d cleaned up and smelled of lemons and lotion. He liked that better than perfume. “How dare you be so crude about this? It’s serious! And I’m hurting because of you.”
The emotional slap worked. He stepped back, put his hands up arrest style. “All right, all right. Sorry.”
She stepped back too. “Did you get any rest?”
“No, I went to the gym and did errands.”
Light brows arched. Her hair, down now, framed them. “Didn’t you get any sleep?”
“I couldn’t sleep now if my life depended on it.”
“Your life might depend on it you go into work like this.”
“No work till three tomorrow. We got sprung today by the chief.”
“You know we can be called in for emergencies.”
God, this woman was stubborn.
He shook his head at her.
She turned away from him and crossed to the window. Sighed heavily. He didn’t mean to make her life more complicated. He went over put his hands on her shoulders. She gave an unladylike snort. “That’s number four on the intimacy chart.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Nothing important.”
He turned her around. Her beautiful blue eyes were full of anxiety. “What are we doing to each other?” he asked in a soft whisper.
“It’s pretty obvious. We’re hurting each other. A lot. This can’t go on.”
“How many times have we said exactly that?”
“I’ve gotta get out of here.”
“All right. I’ll try to be better.”
“Me, too.”
He went out behind her and crossed to his mom’s house. He heard her car start but didn’t look back. Once inside, the scent of fresh-made bread comforted him. He found Mikey, Mattie and Tomaso in the living room, wrestling on the floor. Gideon watched for a second, then dove in. And began to tickle the three of them. The sound of childish laughter soothed his soul.
“Boys!”
Gideon looked up grinning. “Hi, Mama. Guys, you heard her. Up. Cassie go get Cory.”
“Good day?” Mama asked when he stood.
“In some ways. I think we saved a baby’s life.”
“Ah.” He almost laughed. Mama was used to her kids’ extraordinary feats. “You’re early.”
“I am. Long story.” When Cory and Cassie came out, he said, “Let’s go guys. Oh, did Carina check in?”
“Yes, at three. I stood outside to make sure she got home.”
“I’ll bet she liked that.” His tone was dry.
“It’s a strange world out there, Gid.” Another thing Carmella dealt with routinely.
He got the kids in the car and drove a few houses down to his place on the corner. He pulled into the driveway up next to a strange car. A light dusting of snow covered it, telling him the vehicle had been parked here a while. Carina knew she couldn’t have a friend over when she was alone in the house unless she checked with him first. And she hadn’t.
He went inside through the garage. The boys followed him in and clambered up the back stairs. Gideon stilled. The house was quiet. He walked into the living room. The same odd silence. A bad feeling assaulted him, like one sometimes did at work. Following his instinct, he didn’t call out. Instead, he walked down a hallway to the den.
And found his daughter, her blouse off, wearing only a black bra with some shirtless guy’s hands all over her. His police calm took over. “Carina?”
They lurched away from each other. “Oh, my God. What are you doing home?”
“I don’t have work today. Put your blouse on, and son, you need to leave.”
The kid rummaged for his sweater, yanked on his boots, grabbed his coat and ran out.
By now, Carina had gotten fully dressed. She started to stand up. “Carina, you’re not going anywhere. We have to talk.”
Her blue eyes widened. “About this? With you?”
“I know your mother took care of all…these kinds of things.” He stopped. “And that wasn’t right. You and I should talk about sex.”
“I-I don’t think I can with you. Besides, it’s not a big deal, Dad.”
“Are you sexually active like this?”
“Geez, Dad, Mom said I’m sixteen, and I was expected to be exploring.”
“Lisa said that?”
“Yes. After I pushed her hard and wouldn’t let up, she told me that’s what you two did.”
“So, it’s serious with…what’s his name, anyway?”
“Brandon. I like him. I’ve known him for two years. Last semester we came out as a couple.”
“Baby, your mother and I were in love when we did…this.”
“That’s what she said. Then she added that it was probably mostly hormones between you two at that point.”
Thanks a lot, Lisa.
He ran a hand through his hair.
“Dad, I’ll be seventeen next September.”
“I know. But I’m not sure I feel comfortable with him coming here after school so you two can grope each other.”
“That’s rude!”
“I’m out of my depth here.” He quoted Anabelle. “Except…do you know everything? About birth control? Kissing and petting? Making love?” She certainly knew about sexy underwear, something else he wasn’t aware of.
“Mom took me to see a doctor.”
This was too important to blow with her. One thing he’d learned in the last, humbling months was to think before he acted. “I need time to digest all this. Decide what I feel about you becoming sexually active. And what I can or cannot accept.”
“I guess.”
“Meanwhile, don’t bring Brandon here.”
“Fine. But you know, Daddy, we can go as far as we want in his car. Or at parties. You can’t stop sex with kids today.”
“I guess. But give me some time.”
She got up and kissed him gently on the cheek. He grasped her hand. “Honey, did you do this because I copped out on you last Friday?”
“What?” She shrugged him off. “No.” Howeve
r, the expression on her face belied her words. She stormed off.
Gideon’s heart twisted in his chest. First, his encounter with Anabelle. Now this. Well, he couldn’t do anything about the first, but he could affect his relationship with his daughter.
He’d start by calling Lisa. He had to find out what she allowed in his house. And why hadn’t she told him what was going on with his daughter. Yep, he needed some answers. He checked the clock. Four here, nine there.
Gideon waited as he was connected overseas, then took a deep breath while her phone rang. “Lisa Lattimore.”
“You went back to your maiden name?”
“Hello, Gideon.”
“Hello.”
“And yes, when I came over here, I decided to use it with my business.” She’d become a pretty good interior designer.
“Ah.”
“It’s good to hear your voice.”
What the hell? “I need to talk to you about Carina.”
“Is she okay?”
“Of course not. She feels abandoned.”
“I’m sorry about that. First you, then me.”
“Yeah. I’m trying to make up for my part in this. But today, after she checked in with Mama, she came home and invited a boy in. I found them with their shirts off, and they were going at it.”
“Brandon?”
“Yes. She said you told her this was expected. That we did the same thing.”
“Remember those days? How much fun we had discovering each other?”
“Lisa, we had sex when we were sixteen. That was too early. Look what happened to us.”
“We’re not divorced because we had sex at sixteen.”
“I know my part in that, too. I’m trying. But what we did more than twenty years ago might be why I threw myself into my job.”
“I don’t get the correlation.”
“Never mind, then. Listen, what would you do if you were still home?”
“Same thing I did when I was there. Let her experiment.”
“Under our roof?”
“Where would you rather they do it? In the backseat of the car? Under a tree behind our house? At parties?”
“That’s exactly what she said.”
She sighed. “I didn’t know what else to do.”
He softened his tone. “Yeah, I don’t either.”
“I’m sorry I can’t be of more help.” A hesitation. “Maybe I should come home.”
“For a visit? They’d love that. Spring break’s in mid-February.”
“Not for a visit. It’d be permanent.”
“What? After you send the kids into a spiral and upend my life? You gotta be kidding.”
“I’m lonely over here.”
“You’ve only been there a month.”
Silence.
“Are you saying you made a mistake?”
“Maybe. With the kids.” He waited, trying to decide what to do. “And you.”
“Me?”
“Maybe we should try again.”
“Try again, like in our marriage?”
“Yeah.”
He wanted to lash out at her, but more so, one thing was certain. He wasn’t giving up his kids even if she did come running back to Hidden Cove. And get back with her? No fucking way.
Chapter 5
* * *
In a small pub in Brookdale, one town over from Hidden Cove, Anabelle sat across from Phillip Grayson and next to Gideon.
Grayson wore a dark blue suit, obviously expensive. His posture was erect. “I’ve been at Computek for three weeks now. I’m still learning the business. But I get reports from my workers on day-to-day numbers. Those appear accurate. I gained access to all the numbers today and I’m checking through them now.”
Anabelle leaned over the table. “What’s your best guess when you’ll know anything?”
“I’ll need a month more to be sure. Maybe more.”
“That long?” Gideon asked.
“These things take time. You have other work, I assume,” he added in a superior voice.
“Yeah, sure.”
He stood, looking almost royal in bearing. Something about this guy just didn’t click with Gideon.
When he walked out, Gideon and Anabelle stayed behind. “What do you think?”
Anabelle frowned. “He’s the head financial guy. He knows all this better than we do.”
“And we’re new to all white-collar crime cases.”
“What about your gut feeling, Gid? He reports in weekly, right?”
“By phone or email. Truthfully, something about him doesn’t seem right.”
“One of your hunches?”
“I don’t know.”
The waitress approached them and asked if they wanted refills of their coke. Anabelle noticed she focused on Gideon, but she answered. “I’d like a beer.”
“Me, too.”
She sighed. “There’s no other option but to go along with him. Keep these…reservations to ourselves.” She leaned back in the cushy chair. The lights in the bar had dimmed, but she could see him clearly. “How’ve you been?”
He looked great in a dark green sweater and chinos. “I feel like I’m Oz sometimes.”
“Why?”
A shake of his head. “I found out Carina is…sexually active. Some, anyway.”
“She’s sixteen, right?”
“Uh-huh.” He took a bead on her with that blue gaze. “Anabelle, were you experimenting then? And I’ll come clean, too. Lisa and I were. Big time.”
“I was. I had a steady boyfriend.”
“Carina’s only, and I quote, been a couple since last semester. I hope it’s not too serious.”
“Why?”
“I want her to go to college.” He raised his brows. “Did you?”
“Yeah. Four years at a state school.”
She’d told him a bit about her early life. “How’d you manage it with no help from your family?”
“Scholarships. Working my ass off. You?”
“Lisa and I got engaged while I went for a two-year criminal justice degree at a community college. Mama and my dad paid for it. Lisa got pregnant as soon as I finished, and more school was out of the question. I didn’t much care then.”
“Do you regret not having gone four years?”
He waited a long time before he answered. “Yeah, I do.”
“It’s not too late.”
“Shit.” He rolled his eyes. “I can hardly keep my head above water now.”
“I’m sorry.”
“My kids are worth it.”
“Of course, they are.”
“So, how’s Mindy and the baby?” The pregnant young girl who was in the fight.
“I’m going to see her tomorrow morning before work.”
“What’s her living situation?”
“I’ll see that when I visit.”
“Nice of you to check in with her.”
“Hmm.”
The hushed atmosphere turned intimate when a piano player started with soft music. “Will you go home now?”
“Yep.” He checked his watch. “I should get going. I left Carina and Cory supervising Cassie. Cory told me he didn’t need a babysitter because he’s fourteen. So, I gotta phrase it that way. Usually Carina watches Cassie when I have short meetings. What will you do?”
“Go home. Take a bath maybe.”
His eyes burned. “Wish you hadn’t put that image in my head, woman.”
She bit her lip.
He stood and squeezed her shoulder. His fingers were strong, but could be as gentle as a summer breeze, she knew. “Take care.”
When he left, Anabelle swallowed hard. Boy, was this hard. She wanted to bring him home and lose herself in his arms.
But that was never to be, again.
She paid the bill then left the bar without a spring in her step or hope in her heart.
* * *
Ronan looked around at the guests he’d invited tonight for a light supper and drinks
—his cousins, his siblings and Aunt Carmella and her husband. His own mother wasn’t invited. He didn’t want to face her yet. They sat in a newly remodeled living room of the lake house. He’d made a lot of changes to the downstairs to bring it up to date.
“Thanks for coming,” he said to the group
“We’re so glad to be with you in a social situation.” Hayley’s voice hoarse with emotion. She raised her glass of sparkling water. “Welcome back.”
Finn, next to her on the large L-shaped sofa, slid his arm around Hayley. “I second that. We missed you, buddy.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. You got your fiancé to preoccupy you.”
Millie, looking lovely in a dark pink outfit, her long hair down, sat in one of the new chairs and grinned. “He’s got his hands full.”
“I do, love.”
Ronan felt a spurt of jealousy of his cousin’s happily-ever-after. Ronan had no one.
Seth, his youngest cousin, asked, “You had this catered?”
“I did.”
In the kitchen, which he’d opened up to flow into the living area, the workers had laid out salads, cold meat and piping hot soup with breads. The scent of clam chowder and minestrone drifted over them.
“Well, I’m hungry.” Julianne stood, cute with her rounded stomach encased in a denim jump suit.
Ronan wondered if he’d ever have kids.
Damn, being with his family called up all kinds of buried longings.
They dispersed. Ronan stayed in the living room and watched the lake through the windows. Now, snow-covered and iced over, it bulged beneath with its power. He still loved this lake and would be happy when it lapped and rushed and invited them in this spring.
Derek, Alessia’s new husband, came back in with a bowl of soup. “You all right, Ronan?”
“Yeah. Lots of memories here.”
“Your cousins and siblings are here for you. And me.” Derek sat on the couch and set his soup on one of the serving tables that dotted the area. “Sit down and keep me company.”
Ronan took a chair across from Derek and sipped his whiskey. “I’m glad it worked out for you and Ali.”
“You had me worried there for a while.”
“I know I was hard on you. Even after twenty years, I still feel protective of her.”
“I’m glad.”