by Jade Kerrion
He nodded. “I’m the president and acting-CEO of Hartwell Financial Investments. Dad and I are working through a leadership transition, which should be completed by the end of this year.”
“Cody’s mentioned you,” she said. Once, perhaps twice, in twelve years.
“Probably in not particularly flattering terms,” Eric said, apparently unfazed. “Not all of us believe rebellion is a requirement of growing up. Have you seen the library?”
She shook her head. “No, but I’d love to.”
Eric led her down marble-tiled corridors to a large octagonal room with a ceiling tall enough to accommodate three separate floors within the same room. The second and third floors were little more than wide balconies around the central space, connected with spiral staircases and pockmarked with reading nooks. Bookshelves filled with books lined all the walls on the three floors of the library.
She blinked hard. A single sweeping glance told her the books numbered in the thousands. Perhaps even tens of thousands.
He turned to look at her, and a smile spread across his face. “I see you like it.” He traced her gaze as she turned slowly in a circle to take in the entire room. “Dad has a filing system for his books, but I’d question its effectiveness. When I want to read a book, I can buy it online, and it’s delivered to my door long before I can find the copy in here.”
“Do you know if he has a catalog or database in addition to the filing system?”
“I suspect he does.” Eric chuckled. “Are you starting work already?”
“This is huge.” To keep from hugging herself in delight, Felicity swept her arms out to encompass the library. Cody had given her a real job where she could add tremendous value doing the two things she had always loved—reading and organizing. “It’s so much larger than I imagined.”
“You’re going to love the rare books, including a couple of first editions dating all the way back into the eighteen hundreds.” Eric led her to a semicircular alcove. Books lay faceup on a series of low shelves. “Go ahead. You can pick them up.”
“Really?” Felicity asked. Carefully, she picked up a hardcover book and leafed through its pages. “I can’t believe these books are just left out.”
“Books are for reading, not for hiding behind glass cases,” Eric said.
“That’s definitely a quotable quote,” Felicity said as she set the book down. She turned, and her gaze fell on a tall figure standing by the entrance of the library. The now-familiar fist clenched around her heart, making her breath catch. “Cody—”
~*~
Cody scowled. That statement had been his quotable quote, one of the last insults he had hurled at his parents twelve years earlier, before stalking out of a mansion that more closely resembled a mausoleum than a home. Back then, all those rare books had been locked behind glass cases; they might as well have been on the moon. He had caught a whole lot of hell for breaking one of those cases to read a book.
He looked at Felicity and cursed under his breath. The liveliness and joy in her face had drained out of her. She did not mean anything to him; it should not have hurt to see her mood transform the moment she laid eyes on him, but inexplicably, it did. Hurt—especially his own—was hard to handle; anger was a lot easier, so he gave in to it. He stalked into the room.
“Giving her the grand tour?” he asked his brother.
“Of course.” Eric smiled. “And we should probably head in to dinner. Shall we?” He offered Felicity his arm.
She glanced at Eric, her wide eyes betraying her surprise, and then slid her arm through his. “Thank you.”
They walked past Cody, leaving him to follow in the wake of Felicity’s familiar fragrance. His parents were already in the dining room. Carolyn stood to welcome Felicity with a hug. “I’m so glad you’re here. I hope you’re settling in nicely; you should let me know if you need anything. You remember Reed, of course.”
“Yes, I do.” Felicity extended her hand to Cody’s father. “Hello, Mr. Hart.”
“Just call me Reed.” The older man smiled. “Did you see the library yet?”
“Yes, I did.” Her smile warmed. “It’s amazing. How many books do you think you have?”
Reed laughed and held up his hand. “Too many, which is why I need someone like you to organize them. We should talk tomorrow morning. I’ll show you what I’ve done since semi-retiring.”
“And how did you file the books before you retired?”
Carolyn interjected with an affection smile. “He didn’t. He just bought more bookshelves. It’s a good thing you’re here. I gave him an ultimatum. He can’t bring in more books unless he gets rid of some.”
“Get rid of books?” Felicity gasped, but there was a twinkle in her eyes that Cody had not seen since Darrell died. For a moment, she almost appeared beautiful again.
Reed winked at Felicity. “You’re a girl after my own heart. We’re going to get along just fine. There are duplicates in the library.” He sniffed. “Bound to be with so many people adding to the library all willy-nilly. We got some breathing room to add more books. I’m almost certain of it.”
“I’ll have it sorted out for you,” Felicity promised.
Reed grinned. Carolyn beamed at her. The look that Eric gave Felicity was warm and admiring.
Cody’s eyes narrowed. What the hell was wrong with his parents and brother? There had to be a catch. Where was it? What was it?
He slid the food around his plate. His scowl darkened as the meal progressed and easy banter flew around the table. Felicity fit more into his family than he did. Her dress was simple but classy, and her light makeup accentuated her natural beauty. She was too thin for his liking—his expert assessment put her at fifteen pounds underweight—and he could still see the faint furrows of worry on her brow, but when she smiled, she made it easy to overlook her shortcomings.
She turned to look at Eric, and her gaze flicked over Cody. Their eyes met; her smile faded. Pain shadowed anger, but both were present in the subtle play of emotions across her face. Cody scowled. God damn it. He didn’t need to put up with her guilt trip; he had enough issues of his own.
Cody flung his napkin down on his plate, pushed to his feet, and strode away.
He half-expected his mother to summon him, like an errant child, back to the table, but he had not been prepared to hear the light tapping of Felicity’s heels over the marble tiles as she followed him from the dining room.
Her voice, as sharp as a blade, sliced through him. “What was all that about?”
“Nothing.”
“I don’t want to cause problems between you and your parents.”
“It’s not about you.”
Felicity was silent for a moment. “When was the last time you were here?”
“Two nights ago.”
“And before that?”
Cody shook his head and did not answer.
Felicity drew her breath in sharply. “Twelve years ago?”
Give or take a couple of weeks, yeah. “I’m not big into the family thing.”
“Fine, but that doesn’t give you the right to be rude.”
His jaw dropped. “Rude?”
“Your parents have been nothing but kind to me.”
Yeah, and I don’t get it. Just because I asked? What’s the catch? He looked at Felicity.
She stared back at him.
Sudden knowledge made his throat close up.
He was the catch, and Felicity was the bait on the hook.
“Damn it!” He twisted and slammed the palm of his hand against the wall.
Felicity jolted sharply and took two steps back.
“Sorry—” He held up his hands, but the fear that had leapt into her eyes silenced the rest of his apology. There was nothing he could say, he realized bitterly. He knew that, for her, it wasn’t a stretch to go from “reckless rebel” to “reckless rebel with anger management issues.” He glanced at his watch. He had about enough time to drive back to Evergreen to volunteer for the late-night shif
t. Hell, he’d sign up for every goddamned late-night shift; it gave him a reason to not be in Boulder during the day and the night. “I’ve got to go.”
Her glance turned appraising. “Okay,” she said. Their eyes locked, and several moments passed in awkward silence.
With a jolt, Cody realized that he had been waiting for her to say something, perhaps “When will you be back?” or even “I hope to see you soon.” How hard could the façade of politeness be?
Then again, he’d pushed her too far when his temper snapped.
He grimaced. He couldn’t wait to get out of the house, and judging from the cool expression on her face—That’s two of us who agree I don’t belong here.
~*~
The front door slammed behind Cody. Only then did Felicity release her breath in a shuddering sigh. What was she supposed to make of his actions?
Cody was as much a puzzle to her as he had been at their first meeting twelve years earlier, on a summer evening, much like this one. She and Darrell had just turned fourteen and had taken their new bikes out to race around Washington Park in Denver. The sun had flashed through the canopy of leaves, creating dappled patterns on the pavement. Darrell raced ahead, his legs pumping hard against the pedals. His head down, he barreled forward. Felicity, ten feet behind, screamed, “Watch out!”
Darrell swerved, but not quickly enough to avoid colliding into a boy about their age. One bicycle and two boys tumbled onto the concrete in a tangled heap of scratched metal and scrapped pride.
Felicity leapt off her bike. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah,” Darrell grunted. He looked at the other boy and then stared at the boy’s backpack, which had spilled its contents onto the pavement. Clothes. Shoes. Canned food and books. Even a toothbrush. Darrell’s eyes narrowed. “Are you running away from home?”
The boy snarled, “What’s it to you?”
Darrell grinned. “Way cool. I’m Darrell Rivers.” He stuck out his hand. “This is my sister, Felicity.”
The boy’s gaze shuttled between Darrell and Felicity. The scowl eased away. The illusion of anger vanished, leaving behind a tired and heartsick boy. “I’m Cody,” he said with obvious reluctance.
Darrell jerked his head toward the west. “Our home’s just two streets over. Come for dinner. Mom always cooks too much food.”
Cody looked to Felicity as if for confirmation.
She nodded. Cody looked so alone; how could she say no?
She had lost her brother to Cody that day. She could not have imagined that Cody and Darrell would become best friends, their bond so tight that it had left her—Darrell’s twin—on the fringes of their friendship.
She had lost Darrell to Cody again twelve years later in a car accident. Cody had walked away, unhurt, from the wreck. Darrell had died instantly.
The familiar surge of anger was oddly muted by the memory of the lost child Cody had been.
“Felicity?” Eric’s voice drew her attention back to the present. He walked toward her. “Are you all right?”
She blinked hard to dispel the image of Cody. “He said he had to leave.”
“Well, yes. Cody gets credit for attempting dinner with the family, and surprises us all by making it beyond appetizers. As far as he is concerned, if you keep your expectations low, he’ll never disappoint you.”
Felicity frowned. “Did he only recently return home?”
“Return is a strong word. It certainly implies more permanence than Cody is capable of. Let’s say he popped in.”
“To get me a job. But why?”
Eric shrugged. “Who knows why Cody does anything? Communication isn’t his strong suit, either.” He smiled. “Come back to dinner. It’ll go more smoothly now without Cody glowering at us from his corner.”
Eric was right. Dinner proceeded far more smoothly, but Felicity’s peace of mind remained fractured, not by Cody’s presence, but by the absence of it. It bothered her long after dinner ended and pursued her all the way into the quiet of her new home—the home Cody had secured for her.
Surrounded by luxury and privacy, she found herself, nevertheless, alone, and inexplicably thinking of Cody—of the man who had, on the one hand, taken so much from her and on the other, given so much to her.
CHAPTER FIVE
Cody did not return home the following day or any day after that, not that Felicity had time to wonder over his absence. Reorganizing and cataloging the library kept her occupied for hours each day, and Reed had to chase her out of the library and lock the door to keep her from working late into the night.
Each morning, she enjoyed a simple breakfast and tea on her patio, looking out upon the resort-like surroundings that was the Harts’ backyard. She usually had the library to herself most of the day. The quiet suited her perfectly, and company, if she wanted it, was just outside the door. Carolyn often invited Felicity to join her for an extended lunch that usually included meeting the neighbors and other key Boulder residents, plus window-shopping at Pearl Street Mall. The household staff proved to be a gregarious bunch, many of them long-term employees and longtime friends of the Harts. Felicity’s dual status as friend and employee did not seem to raise any eyebrows. Patronage was apparently the soul of the Hart household.
In the evenings, Eric drove in from his office in Denver, arriving in time to join his parents and Felicity for dinner. Carolyn’s “no business talk at dinner in front of the guests” rule was set aside after Eric pointed out that Felicity wasn’t a guest; she was a member of the family.
The surge of warmth and delight that followed Eric’s statement had lured a smile to Felicity’s lips. She was still smiling to herself the next morning as she sipped tea on her patio. The glass doors of the main house opened, and Eric stepped out. He flashed her a grin. “Hey.”
“Hey, yourself.” She gestured to the seat across from her. “Want breakfast? I have toast and muffins in my kitchen. I can scramble eggs, if you don’t mind the wait.”
“I never turn down the offer of breakfast from a pretty lady.” He winked. “Especially if it includes dinner the night before.”
Felicity laughed. “All right, hang tight. I’ll fix us something.”
He followed her into the cottage and sat behind the countertop bar that separated the kitchen from the living room. “How are you settling in here?”
“I love it. Like the library, it’s so much more than I expected.”
“If the furniture isn’t to your liking, we can change it out, though I see you’ve already started to add your touches to the place.” His gaze fell on the framed photograph of Felicity and Darrell that she had placed on a side table in the living room. “I miss talking to him.”
“You knew him?” Felicity looked over her shoulder.
Eric nodded. “Your parents and your brother were our conduit to Cody. Apparently, the night he ran away, your mom figured out who he was. She had your dad drive out to Boulder to let us know that our little runaway had found a safe place to land. This was long before you could find someone’s unlisted phone number on Google or Facebook.”
“I never realized that.”
“My parents asked your parents to let him stay until he was ready to return home. My parents even paid for his keep, but Cody never did work himself around to returning home. Until Cody was eighteen, your parents came over for dinner once a month to tell us how he was doing.”
“Mom and Dad’s regular date nights were here, at your place?”
“Not much of a date night, I imagine, but we didn’t think Cody would be thrilled to know that we were keeping tabs on him, so we all kept it quiet.”
“I didn’t realize that.” Felicity stirred the scrambled eggs to keep them from burning. What other secrets had her parents and her brother kept from her? “And how did you know Darrell?”
“A couple of years ago, Darrell and I started meeting for lunch every couple of weeks. We talked about Cody, but talked about other things too. In the end, we became friends.”
“So that’s why you and your parents were at his funeral. I never even realized before how you knew him.” Felicity scraped the scrambled eggs into two plates, topped them with microwaved bacon strips, and brought them to the bar. She set one plate in front of Eric and sat next to him. “So how is it no one tells me these things?”
Eric shrugged. “I guess it was done on a need-to-know basis. You weren’t close to Cody, so it wouldn’t have made sense to drag you into the ridiculous maneuvers we pulled off to keep Cody from finding out. We didn’t want him getting on his high horse and running away to a place where we couldn’t keep tabs on him.”
“But why did he run away in the first place?”
“Honestly? I don’t know. My parents aren’t perfect, but they’re not monsters.”
Felicity smiled. Cody had said the same thing.
Eric continued. “I think Cody objected to being born wealthy—which is about as ridiculous as objecting to being born male, or being born American. Some things just aren’t within your parents’ power to conveniently change.” He sighed as he picked at his breakfast. “Fact is, nobody, except Cody, knows why he ran away. It’s not one of the things he told your parents or your brother. However, seeing how he’s not yet returned home, it’s safe to say he probably considers his reasons still valid.” Eric’s faint frown deepened into a scowl.
Felicity reached for her tea. “It wasn’t easy on you either, was it?”
“It wasn’t easy on anyone. It sure wasn’t easy for your parents ending up with another teenager to raise, or for you and Darrell to share your parents with that wild kid.”
“Cody wasn’t really wild,” Felicity said. “He just didn’t have a good head for calculating and managing risk. Either that, or he simply didn’t care.”
Eric grimaced. “Probably just as well he’s not running Hartwell Financial. I’m guessing your parents censored the stories of Cody’s teenaged stunts to keep my parents from turning prematurely gray.”
“Did you ever hear about the time when he ‘borrowed’ my dad’s car and drove out to Evergreen to check out the mountains? I think he was fourteen. Nowhere close to having a driver’s license, but that didn’t stop him. Hitting the mountain goats did.”