Because of Audrey

by Mary Sullivan

“Craig grew up terribly indulged by my mother. He wasn’t evil, just—” Dad shrugged eloquently “—spoiled. He thought he could have whatever he wanted in life.”

  “He was Shelly’s father.” Gray took the paper back from his dad. “I’ve been giving her money.”

  “Why?”

  “Because of this.” He handed his father the photo of Joe. “He has Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The woman’s husband is dead. She has three children, and the care of this one child is a full-time job. She has no family to help her. She’s desperate for money.

  “Plus,” he continued, “I thought she was my half sister.” He hadn’t meant that note of regret to slip into the statement, to be said aloud, not when it might sound like a rebuke against his parents for ever having had only one child.

  He’d always felt alone as a child, as though he’d once had a special relationship with someone who’d died. He understood now it had actually happened, and it had been Audrey.

  “I’ve met her twice. She’s legitimate, Dad. She isn’t a gold digger. She has genuine needs.”

  “I met her today, too,” Audrey said. “She’s an honest woman. Her children are charming.”

  To Abigail, she said, “You would love them. She’s a stellar mother.”

  Gray glanced down at the photo of Shelly. He almost wished it had all been true. Then a thought occurred to him. “She’s my cousin.”

  “Yes,” his dad agreed. “She is family.”

  One sister lost and found. And lost again.

  Audrey came up beside him, uncanny in her ability to understand what was going through his mind—the terrible disappointment, the sense of loss, the grief.

  “She’s still related to you. She’s still yours. She’s your cousin. Those children are still yours. They’re family, Gray. You haven’t lost that.”

  He nodded, slowly. “Yes, they are still family.”

  To his father, he said, “That’s one of the reasons why I took guardianship of your property—to boot Audrey off the land. I was crazy to sell it, to get Shelly the money so Mom would never learn about this. I’m so sorry, Dad.”

  “I told you I was never unfaithful to your mother.”

  “I know.” At some point, he would have to talk to Dad about the company and what Gray planned to do with it, but not right now. He had a more burning issue to discuss at the moment.

  He explained to his parents about the claustrophobia, the panic and all of the unexplainable feelings that flooded him whenever he saw Audrey. “Since coming home, I’ve felt like I was going crazy. I was still grieving for Marnie and then I was acting like a nut. Then I got this letter and freaked out. I haven’t been thinking straight since coming home.”

  Abigail and Harrison exchanged glances. “We have a confession to make,” Mom said. “About something that happened when you were a child.”

  “I already know about it. Audrey told me everything.”

  “Sorry,” Audrey said. “He was in a bad way and needed to know where his feelings were coming from.”

  She stood and took Gray’s face between her hands, her palms dry and cool on his cheeks. “I’m so sorry we handled things the way we did.”

  “I’m angry, Mom. I wish you’d done it differently. I missed out on a lot. Why did you keep the fall down the well a secret?”

  “You seemed to want to forget. You never talked about it. Never acknowledged it. We thought it best to leave it that way. We were wrong.”

  “I have to come to grips with the lies in this family.”

  Mom’s eyes brimmed with tears. “I’ve never forgiven myself for not finding a better way to help you. I would change it all if I could.” She straightened, and Gray knew she was hanging on to her composure by a thread. “I’m going to make tea.”

  She and Audrey went to the kitchen. Gray heard Mom murmur, “Thank you. I’m glad he knows.”

  Dad watched Gray with a rebuke on his mobile face. “How could you believe that of me?”

  Gray scrubbed his hands through his hair. “I didn’t, at first. When I initially went to Denver, I planned to expose her as a lying cheat.”

  He went to the window and stared outside. “Her son answered the door, and he was the spitting image of me. Then I met Shelly and she smiled.”

  He turned. “It was my smile, Dad. Exactly my smile. I still couldn’t believe you’d done it, and I didn’t know anything about an uncle Craig.

  “I planned to handle the whole thing quietly so no one in town would ever know about Shelly.”

  “Speaking of the town, does everyone know about the guardianship? You made me a dependent adult.”

  Gray shook his head. “I don’t think so. We have a lot to talk about, but can we do it tomorrow? I’ve had enough drama for one day.”

  “I suppose so,” Harrison said.

  “I’m still going to help them, Dad. They’re family. I’ve put my business up for sale.”

  “You love that business.”

  “Yes, but things have changed. I really care for Shelly and her children. I’m beginning to think my life is out here, in Accord, and near Denver.”

  “You think you can take Turner Lumber from me?”

  “We can talk about that tomorrow, too.” Once Dad heard what was in the evaluation, Gray didn’t doubt they could work things out. Somehow.

  “That’s another reason why I want to be here. For you and Mom. I thought I’d lost you.” When his voice cracked, Gray stopped talking, overcome by emotion—love and affection, relief that it was all out in the open, and gratitude that his dad truly was the man he’d always thought him to be.

  * * *

  THE FOLLOWING DAY, Gray returned to the house to talk to Dad alone. They settled into the living room while Mom napped upstairs.

  “Dad, how can we make things right between us?”

  “I don’t know.” He was still cool. Gray had a battle ahead of him. “I’m stunned by your actions.”

  “I had good reason. I needed to void the sale of land to Audrey to get the money for Shelly.” He laughed without humor. “For all the good it did me. I couldn’t tear down the greenhouses and destroy Audrey’s work. We’re selling the land back to her.”

  “As it should be,” Dad said.

  “The other reason I had to take control was for the company. I know you think I didn’t want it and that’s why you stopped caring about its success, but I’ve learned something since I came home.”

  Gray realized how important Turner Lumber was to him, and what a tragic loss it would be to the town if it folded. He had made his point in Boston. Yes, he’d proven he could start and run a successful company of his own. But Accord, his family and Turner Lumber were home. He belonged here.

  “I want to run the company,” he said. “I’m here now because I want to be, not because I have to be. I want the business to flourish and I want to be part of making it happen. I want the employees to be happy. Audrey has taught me so much. Has made me see where I was held back by fear.”

  Since going into the cave with her, he’d stopped his obsessive counting and frantic gum chewing. His stomach had settled. He still hated darkness. Tight spaces freaked him out. But understanding where it all started was the key to getting better. And the healing had begun. He’d turned a corner.

  When Dad didn’t respond, Gray said, “You did an amazing job starting Turner Lumber and building it into a solid company that employs a lot of people. But times have changed. I want to show you how to turn things around. I want to share my ideas with you, Dad, but I also want your mentorship.”

  Dad’s decisions might have been erratic lately, but Gray was certain Harrison still had a lot to teach. And with Gray controlling the business, Dad wouldn’t be able to sabotage sound decisions.

  “What do you mean mentorship?”
>
  “I want you to come into the office with me tomorrow and we’ll go over everything together, we’ll crunch numbers, we’ll talk ideas. We’ll make this a family business. I know you said you’re tired. You can do as much or as little as you like. But I mean this from the bottom of my heart, Dad. I want to be part of the heritage you started.”

  Dad’s eyes looked suspiciously moist. He nodded. “Okay. Let’s do that.”

  * * *

  THE NEXT WEEKEND, Gray drove his parents to Denver, organizing the day with Shelly, who insisted on making them dinner. They arrived at noon. Shelly was making a traditional Sunday dinner for lunch.

  “We’re having roast,” Sam announced as they entered.

  “Roast,” Tiffany repeated, twirling to show off her tutu, ballet slippers and fairy wings.

  “We never have roast.” Sam.

  “Never.” Tiffany.

  “I can’t wait.” Sam.

  “Can’t wait.” Tiffany.

  Shelly laughed. “Go into the living room, you two. Shoo. Out of the way.”

  Gray watched her extend greetings to his parents, and could only imagine what was going through her head right now. Embarrassment that her mother had gotten it wrong. That Harrison was not her father, but his brother, Craig, was.

  The evening Dad had told Gray that he had an uncle Craig, Gray had phoned Shelly and explained. He’d renewed his claim on her as family and his commitment to helping her out.

  They sat in the living room, and before they could socialize, Shelly said, “I need to clear the air.”

  She looked at his dad. “I’m so, so sorry I sent you that letter. I thought you’d abandoned me and my mom, and that you owed me. Now I find out you didn’t owe me a penny of child support.” She looked stricken. “Gray has still offered to give me money. It’s outright charity. I can’t accept it.”

  “You can and you will.” Dad used his business voice, the one infused with enough authority to cow the strongest man. “You are part of our family now.”

  Harrison stood and offered Shelly his hands. She took both of them in hers. “Our family—” Harrison glanced from Abigail to Gray “—is too small. We would like to welcome you into it.”

  Shelly’s hesitant smile grew. “Give me a minute in the kitchen. I have to put in the Yorkshire pudding.”

  “I think I might swoon,” Mom said, easing the intensity. “I adore Yorkshire pudding.”

  They all laughed.

  Shelly left the room, and Gray thought it had more to do with having a good cry than with getting pudding into the oven.

  Gray waited five minutes while his parents chatted with the children, getting to know them, then he joined Shelly.

  Her eyes were red. “Your parents are really good people.”

  “Yes, I think so, too.” He touched her arm. “Are you okay? I know you thought you were meeting your father today.”

  She tented a rib roast with foil. “Yes, only to find out he’s been dead for years.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  Her shoulders lifted in a poignant shrug. “It wasn’t what I wanted to hear, but it is what it is.”

  “If it’s any consolation, you can still call me bro. That is, if I can still call you sis.”

  She turned around. “I would really like that.”

  Gray held her until Sam barreled into the kitchen to ask when lunch was finally going to be ready.

  Shelly laughed, dished it up, and they ate in the living room so Joe could be part of the celebration.

  On the drive home, Mom said, “You were right, Gray. Those children are delightful. I’m so glad they will be part of our family.”

  * * *

  GRAY COULDN’T SEEM to stay away from Audrey.

  He entered the shop to talk to her, maybe to touch her if she’d let him. Did she like him any better now? He didn’t know.

  I don’t like you.

  A lot had happened between them since that night.

  He heard banging out back. He stepped around the counter, and Jerry came forward to nudge his hand, then followed him to the alleyway behind the store.

  Audrey wore a pair of overalls, and she was hammering away at a wooden box. Things jiggled while she wielded the hammer.

  He enjoyed the view for a while and then asked, “What are you building?”

  She jumped, jamming a hand against her chest.

  I can do that for you.

  “You scared the daylights out of me. I thought I was alone.”

  “Sorry. What’s all this?”

  “I’m building a series of boxes, stands, for my plants for the show. Since my space is so small, it will have to be three-dimensional.”

  “Good idea. Want some help?”

  “I would love help. I want to get this finished tonight so I can spend a bunch of time in the greenhouse tomorrow, getting all the plants ready. The show’s on Sunday.”

  Gray stayed for hours, building boxes with Audrey and for her when she had to serve customers.

  When they finally finished, he took her out for a quick dinner because they were both famished, and kissed her when he left her at her car to drive home, the kiss as natural as breathing. And as essential.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  TERESA TOOK JEFF FISHING, tiptoeing into his room to wake him at five in the morning.

  “I’m awake,” he said, hearing her.

  “Okay, I’ll go put on the coffee and oatmeal.”

  “Add a couple of boiled eggs to get us through to lunchtime.”

  Jeff showered and then went downstairs, feeling good. Happy. Even if nothing could happen in the way of a personal relationship with Teresa, he enjoyed that she was here. And he remembered her whispering, “You are more than a client,” and it warmed him.

  He’d been getting out with Teresa. They went out most days, either to the café or to the gym—she’d gotten her own membership.

  Only two months. She’d already been here for two weeks. Someday she would be gone. He couldn’t think about that. He had to find a way to convince her to stay.

  Today was their second time going fishing.

  With her help, he was learning to take care of himself.

  Jeff entered the kitchen.

  “Oatmeal’s in the middle of the placemat, and your egg is on your left. Coffee’s on the right.”

  He followed her instructions without exception. They’d become a team.

  “What do you want to do in the winter?” she asked. “Snowshoeing?”

  “You still going to be here then?” He heard the insecurity in the question.

  “I like Accord better than Denver.” She bustled around the kitchen making their lunch while he ate his breakfast. “I like the people. I like the scenery.” She laughed, and music filled the kitchen. “I love the fishing. I heard there’s a long-term care facility for seniors in Accord. I wonder whether they need caregivers?” Her voice sounded wistful. A good sign.

  Maybe she would move here. Maybe she wouldn’t be too far away.

  They drove to the lake in silence. Sometimes they talked, and sometimes they just...were. Teresa was easy to be with.

  “Well?” she asked.

  “Well, what?”

  “If I’m still planning to be here in the winter, what do you want to try?”

  “Snowshoeing.”

  “Sounds like fun.” Was he imagining the satisfaction in her voice? “I’ve never done it.”

  “We will, the second there’s enough snow.”

  At the lake, they wrestled the canoe off the roof of the car, Jeff not needing a whole lot of help from Teresa. His strength was coming back.

  Out on the lake, Teresa rummaged through the tackle box, through flies that Jeff had tied
years ago. A momentary sadness passed through him that he wouldn’t be able to do that again.

  “Oooh, this one’s a beauty,” she said.

  “Describe it.”

  “Woolly yellow neck above a hook eye.”

  “The marabou damsel.”

  “It’s gorgeous. Does it work well with trout?”

  “Yes. Let me show you a trick.”

  Jeff stood to step forward, but maybe his eyesight put his balance off. The canoe tilted and then turned over. Teresa screamed, and Jeff held his breath as he hit the water.

  He came up for air and grasped the overturned canoe.

  “Teresa,” he shouted.

  The silence of the settling water his only answer, he panicked.

  God, no. Don’t be gone.

  “Tess,” he screamed.

  A pair of strong arms clasped him from behind.

  “I’m here. I’m okay.”

  With one arm, he grasped the canoe and with the other reached for her.

  “You scared me.”

  “I’m a strong swimmer.”

  “But I couldn’t see you.” Jeff’s voice shook. “You didn’t answer me.”

  “I was underwater looking for you.”

  “You were worried about me?”

  “Terrified.” She touched his face.

  “Good.”

  “Good? Why you—”

  His hand moved from her waist to clasp the back of her head. His mouth came down on hers, off-center. He kissed her, moving his lips until he squared up with hers and then slipping his tongue into her mouth.

  It had been too long.

  All of that crotchety passion that he’d put into railing against his illness and fate he transmuted into lust.

  Tess kissed him back with an intensity that matched his own.

  Was she fierce in her lovemaking, too? Honest and straightforward and fun-loving as she was in the rest of her life?

  In time, they ended the kiss, Tess pulling away slowly.

  “I like the way you do that,” Jeff said.

  “I like the way you do it.”

  “Good. We aren’t finished, my Tess. We’ve only just begun.”

  They heard a motorboat from a distance away, one of the lake cottagers coming to rescue them, no doubt.