by Molly Liholm
“Lucky man,” Thomas said. He kissed Meg’s cheek again, whispering, “I’ve never seen Adam so jealous.”
Once Thomas was gone, Adam threw down his napkin. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”
Along the street Meg didn’t have to hurry to catch up with his long-legged stride, since her Manhattan walk was just as quick. She tried to tell him what she was feeling. “When the right book comes across my desk, I just get this funny inkling that it’s going to be a hit.” Adam made a peculiar sound—probably one of derision, Meg figured, but she continued anyway. “It’s very much like the feeling I experienced when you first threatened your way into The Gateway. I just knew you were the man for me.”
“You’re crazy.”
Meg decided to ignore his sarcasm; Adam was worried about his sister. “Where are we going?”
“To the office. I figure Reid may try to leave a message for me there.”
“Good idea. Call me when he does. This—” she pointed at a tall, gray building “—is the headquarters of Scorpion. I want to go in and say hello to my father. Tell him I’m back.” Meg touched Adam’s arm. “Promise you won’t do anything without me.”
“Ill let you know what I’m up to,” Adam hedged.
“No.” Meg was firm; she wanted to help Adam. “Like I said before, I deserve to be in on the end of this—and you could use the help. I’ve been invaluable to you so far.” She grinned at him, daring him to disagree.
“That’s true.” Adam was glad for the excuse to spend more time with her. He wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her, but he wasn’t sure about this new, different Meg.
“I’m going to work. My father may have kept my old job for me.” When she turned away, he was unsure whether or not he should kiss her. The Meg from Sedona would have thrown her arms around him and kissed him. He missed that.
“You like the New York Meg, don’t you?” Meg smiled sadly. “Let me know the second you hear something about your sister. I feel responsible.” She pecked him on the cheek and left.
Adam had never felt so alone in all his life.
15
“YOU’RE BACK!” Peter Cooper took off his telephone headset, threw out his arms to his daughter, and she hurtled into them.
“I missed you so much.” Meg felt so safe and loved in her father’s arms that tears pricked at her eyes. She blinked them away, smelling the reassuring scent of her father’s tweed jacket and something else...some kind of spicy fragrance. She recognized Jill’s perfume and smiled. She was glad her father and Jill, a senior editor with Scorpion, had found each other.
Her father kissed the top of her head. “If you missed me so much, you could have come home a lot sooner,” he said gruffly, and cleared his throat. “Let me look at my little girl.” He held her at arm’s length, but clutched both of her hands as if afraid she would disappear.
Meg gently disengaged herself from him. “I’m not going anywhere, Daddy. I’ve come home.”
“Thank goodness for that. Did you find what you were looking for?”
“Sort of. I figured out some important things about myself. I learned to take more risks.
“You took risks every day here at work.”
“Personal risks. I met all kinds of new and interesting people—people I would never have made any time for before. I’m going to try to keep that up.” Meg blushed, looking down at her feet and then back to her father. “I met a man.”
Her father stilled and then sat behind his big desk. “Tell me about him.”
“He’s incredibly responsible. He looks after his family and is always determined to do the right thing.” Her father noticeably relaxed. “I met him when he broke into the store I was managing and threatened me with a gun.”
“What?” Her father leaped to his feet.
“Relax, Daddy. You were starting to like Adam too much and you’ve never even met him. Remember, you liked Max almost more than I did.”
“I still like Max, even if he treated you very badly.”
“No, Max did me a favor. He forced me to really live. To find out what I’ve been missing. To not make all the safe choices.”
“And this is where your young man comes in?”
“I don’t think he’s so young—definitely forties. But he is very handsome. He’s also incredibly stubborn and uncompromising. I have a horrible time making him see things my way.” Meg and her father chuckled together, each knowing Meg’s desire for control. “Unfortunately, I don’t think he’s in love with me.”
“You love him?”
“Desperately.” Meg sighed, her hand smoothing down the black skirt. “I’m not even sure if he likes me very much.”
“I’m sure you’re wrong, dear. How could he possibly not like you?” her father spluttered.
Meg walked over to her father and perched on his desk, shaking her head. “You’re my father, so you have a biased opinion. Adam thinks I’m impetuous, impulsive and flighty. That I can’t take care of myself.”
Peter Cooper frowned, taking her hand. “How could he ever get such a wrong impression of you? What have you been doing, Megan?”
So Meg told him. She told him all about her travels, about Abigail Milton and the letter Abigail had sent Adam, and almost everything after that. He was her father, after all—Meg couldn’t tell him everything. Peter Cooper raised his brows and exclaimed periodically, but let Meg finish her story. “You do love him,” he said at last.
Meg nodded and the two sat in silence for a few minutes. There was little her father could tell her that she hadn’t already worked out for herself, but it was nice to feel his support. Finally she asked, “Did you keep my office or did you let some eager editorial assistant take over?”
“I had to fight off the hordes, but as the president and your father, I was able to keep it for you. Let’s go take a look and I’ll show you how the fall list is shaping up.” The elder Cooper walked her back to her old office, talking excitedly about the books they had acquired since Meg had gone on sabbatical.
Meg loved being back at Scorpion Books. Every hallway and every framed cover was like an old friend, as were her colleagues. Her father left her at her door to return to his office and make some phone calls.
Sarah Tepper still had the office next to Meg, her nameplate still bearing her maiden name, despite that Sarah now had an enormous rock on her left hand.
“Girlfriend, that is a major piece of change my brother put on your hand,” Meg teased, leaning in the doorway.
“I’m worth every penny,” Sarah said, without raising her head from the cover she was proofing. “We even eloped, since you weren’t anywhere to be found to invite you to the wedding. Jay was as annoyed with you as I was.” Then she raised her head and smiled. “But I also understood.” Sarah got up, walked over to Meg and embraced her. “Girlfriend, it’s good to have you home.”
ADAM’S BOYHOOD HOME was exactly how Meg had imagined it: a small two-storey in Queens. For decor, his mother favored a lot of pastels and yellows and doilies. Adam shifted uncomfortably on an imitation Regency chair. He didn’t like meeting Kelly and Reid at his mother’s house, but that was what the letter delivered by courier late this afternoon had insisted upon. Reid had also demanded his mother be there—knowing Adam wouldn’t do anything to put his mother in danger.
He clenched his fists, wishing it was Reid’s neck he was squeezing between his fingers. The man was a complete scoundrel to use her as a shield.
“I’m really sorry about this, Mother,” he declared again. He was also sorry that he’d had to bring Meg along, but the note had insisted upon her presence, too. He’d really messed up the investigation of this case. Now all the women he cared about were in danger. At least that’s how he’d phrased it as he’d driven Meg out to Queens.
Meg would have hugged the fact that he cared about her to herself, except for the tone of grim resignation in his voice.
Mrs. Smith patted her son on his knee. “Don’t worry about me, dear. T
he tea leaves said I would be in for some fortuitous changes in the near future. And Madame Zordova hinted that some dangerous men might be entering my life, but that it would all work out well.”
“Madame Zordova?” Meg asked, absolutely delighted with Adam’s mother. Mrs. Smith had a cloud of white curls, sparkling blue eyes and was wearing a pink dress, pink lipstick, pink clip-on earrings with matching necklace and bracelet. Her shoes were pink with black polka dots. After this was all over, Meg intended to ask Caroline Smith where she had found them. Meg had a dress the shoes would match perfectly.
“She’s my personal psychic. I tried those people on the phone, but they were a sad disappointment. I don’t like to speak ill of anyone, but, well, I do believe that the person I spoke to was nothing but a charlatan. Madame Zordova is a treasure. She’s the one who told me I should buy the poodle, and I’ve never been so happy with anything. Isn’t that right, Sweetums?” she asked the poodle that was trying to steal a cookie off of Adam’s plate. Meg was quite sure that Caroline changed the poodle’s bow daily to match her outfit.
“Of course, when she talked about the dangerous men, I thought she had foretold of the purse snatcher, but now I see she was seeing much further into the future.” Caroline gave Sweetums one of her own cookies.
“You never told me about any purse snatcher.” Adam sat up straight, frowning at his mother. “This is a dangerous neighborhood. I wish you’d listen to me and move to those condos in Virginia.”
Caroline pursed her mouth “Like they don’t have criminals in Virginia. I’m not going to move from the house your father and I worked so hard for. Where I raised my children and spent the happiest days of my life. Here Sweetums—come have another cookie.” Caroline pulled the dog into her lap and fussed with the bow. When she looked back to her son, her eyes were suspiciously bright. “This is the house where I lived with my husband. I didn’t tell you about the purse snatching because I knew you would overreact, and besides, it all turned out well. I simply blew on my emergency whistle, which I always keep around my neck, and Sergio, the dry cleaner’s son, ran right after the juvenile delinquent and caught him. That’s why I like this neighborhood. All my friends live here. It’s where your father and I lived. I am not moving!”
Adam remained silent, but Meg suspected he’d pick over this topic again with his mother. The poor woman. Meg sympathized with her. Adam did have an annoying habit of believing he knew what was best for everyone.
“Who is this man who is meeting you here?”
Adam stood and began to pace, his presence filling up the small room. “Who he is doesn’t matter. As soon as he arrives, I want you to go to the kitchen and stay there. No matter what, don’t come out.”
Caroline Smith put down her tea cup very firmly. “I most certainly will not hide out in my own kitchen like some common criminal.”
“Mother, I don’t want you in any danger.”
“And I don’t want anyone hurting my little boy. What kind of a mother would I be if I left you and this lovely girl alone with a group of hooligans? Now what is it that you’re not telling me?”
Adam remained silent, pacing around the coffee table, over the ottoman and around the nesting side tables.
“It’s Kelly. Somehow she’s involved in this. Oh, I knew something awful happened to her,” Caroline said, her voice rising. She stopped and took a deep breath. “Don’t look so surprised, Adam. I’m not the blithering idiot you seem convinced I am.”
“Mother, I’ve never thought any such thing.”
“Yes, you do. I can see it on your face.” Caroline turned to Meg. “When my husband died I was devastated—I just couldn’t imagine a life without my George. After George had lost the business, he became obsessed with regaining it. He had a hard time imagining a good life where he wasn’t a business success, so he tried all kinds of get-rich-quick schemes. After his heart attack, after he was gone, I learned he’d invested what was left of our savings on some biotech stocks. He gambled and we lost everything. Luckily, the house was paid off and I have my small pension from teaching. Plus, I do some tutoring on the side, so I make do.”
“Mother, I...I didn’t know.” Adam sat next to her and took her hands between his own.
As Caroline squeezed her son’s hands, Meg could see the similarity between them: the same steady, concerned eyes, a firmness around the mouth. “I couldn’t tell you the truth, Adam. You were hurting enough already, so I lied and said that I had lost the money on a pyramid scheme.”
“You lied to me?”
“I wanted to protect you. The problem was that it worked a little too well. You took on all the responsibility for the family. At first I was happy to let you take over, because I was trying to come to terms with my life without George. It took a long time.” Caroline removed her hands from her son’s, found a lace handkerchief and blew her nose. “I don’t want to hurt you, Son, especially after how good you’ve been to me, but it’s time we all began to stand up for ourselves. Including Kelly.
“I know all the problems she’s been through—and how much worry she’s caused you—but whatever it is, I am going to help her. I am her mother.”
A key being inserted into the front door stopped whatever Adam might have said in reply. As the door slowly opened, Meg found herself holding her breath, hoping her plan worked. Would Kelly expect her brother to rescue her yet again?
The first person to enter was Kelly, a waiflike blond with a heart-shaped face. She was very thin, with shadows under her eyes, her T-shirt and leggings emphasizing her slight build. Following her was Reid, who looked even more the cowboy surrounded by all the chintz and lace in the living room. Gloria glided in looking splendid in blue capri pants and a matching blue sweater set.
“Well, well,” Reid said with a chuckle, “the family’s all here.”
“Just like you demanded,” Adam said, stopping his pacing, clenching his fists by his sides. “What are you offering?”.
Reid grabbed Kelly’s arm and pulled her into the center of the room. “I’m offering you Kelly’s freedom. Tell them, Kelly. Tell your darling brother how you liked to help us with our little venture.”
Kelly had been busy staring at the floor, but now she raised her sad face and in a quiet voice said, “Reid told me about the guests at the ranch. About the identities Gloria created for some of them.” She scuffed her boot against the hardwood floor. “I was kind of jealous because Reid was so proud of his sister, so I wanted to help. I wanted to do something to prove that I could be smart and brave, too, so I offered to act as a courier. I picked up documents from Washington and New York several times.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Adam asked.
“After the accident, I didn’t remember. Not for weeks.
And then only bits and pieces...nothing more until I saw that letter from Abby.” She gave a weak smile. “That’s when I began to get scared. To wonder if my accident really had been an accident. I didn’t want you involved in the mess that I had made by helping Reid.”
“And I have the signed receipts,” Reid added grimly. He looked at Kelly with an expression that Meg couldn’t make out. It almost looked like...regret.
Reid loosened his hold on Kelly’s arm. “So the deal is very simple. You hand over all your information on me and you promise to drop the investigation.” He smiled bitterly. “I trust your word. Gloria and I will disappear under our new identities, and you get to keep your sister out of jail. If you try to find us, I will send the FBI all my information on Kelly and she’ll go to jail as an accomplice, while Gloria and I will still be free.”
Meg looked at Adam, wondering what his response would be, but was unable to read his hard face. He had spent a lifetime looking after his little sister; would he be able to stop now? If Meg were in his situation and her own brother was in trouble, wouldn’t she do everything she could to protect him? Hadn’t she covered as much as possible for Jay when he was a prime suspect in the embezzlement at Scorpion?
&
nbsp; Kelly looked at her brother, fear filling her eyes, her lower lip trembling. “Adam, I’m so sorry.”
Adam opened his arms and Kelly rushed forward. He crushed his sister to him. “Don’t worry,” he said, brushing her hair off her face. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you.” Kelly nodded.
“No, Adam, don’t do it,” Meg said loudly, too loudly for her own ears. She could hardly believe what she was going to say, but she had to. “Don’t make the decision for Kelly. Let her decide.”
“Foolish sentimentalist,” Gloria sneered at her. “Do you think Kelly wants to take the rap for something she did because she was in love with my brother?”
Kelly broke away from Adam and stared at Meg. “Who are you?”
“My name is Megan Elizabeth Cooper. I’m in love with your brother.”
“Oh.” Kelly studied her mother, who was sitting quietly on her chair, and then looked at Reid. Meg watched in amazement as Kelly’s face showed all her emotions: fear, worry, love. “You know, I really loved you a lot.”
Reid took a step toward Kelly and then checked himself when he saw Adam move forward, his fists raised: “I loved you, too. I’m sorry you lost interest in our little business.”
“It was wrong! It may have taken me a long time to realize it, but what you and Gloria and I were doing began to eat away at me. I had to leave before I started hating you.”
“What happened at the end, Kelly? How did you get hurt?” Meg asked.
Reid turned to his sister. “You hurt Kelly. Why?”
Gloria narrowed her eyes. “Joshua went a little too far in delivering my message to her.”
“You were responsible,” Adam said to Gloria. “All this time I thought it was Reid.”
“If I had known...” Reid glared at his sister. Then he turned to Kelly. “What happened?”
“I told Gloria I was leaving. I asked her to give you my message that...that I loved you, but I couldn’t agree with what you were doing any longer. I was afraid you would try to convince me to stay and I didn’t trust myself to say no to you.