“It was you who bought his land.” Sunny’s voice interrupted my thoughts.
“Yes.”
She reached over and squeezed my hand. “Linc, you have so much good in you—even if you refuse to see it.”
“Gerry had an idea about the land that will be left when the house is gone.”
“Oh?”
I turned my head and met her gaze briefly. “He thinks I should build a library and community center. A place where kids could hang out after school, have access to computers, maybe someone to talk to if they need it.”
“That’s a great idea.”
“My father would have hated it. He never wanted to help kids. Not those less fortunate, anyway,” I added. “In fact, no one else less fortunate, regardless of their age. He thought it was his place, his right, to keep them down, not help them up.”
“That’s where you’re so different.”
I ignored her remark.
“The library in town is pretty small. I could triple its size. The whole top floor could be the library. The main floor, a place for kids to hang out. Play games, do their homework.” I thought of how often I went home to an empty house and hated it. “Have other people around.”
“That would be awesome. It would benefit someone like Michael. He’s always juggling to make sure his kids have a place to go to after school—even in a small town like ours.”
I warmed to the idea. “We’d have a shuttle bus. I bet I could get Gerry to help plan it. He knows kids and what they need. Maybe Cindy would want to hold some baking lessons. We could add a kitchen at the back.”
Sunny sealed the idea for me. “You could call it the Amanda Webber Community Center after your mother. Have her picture on the wall when you walk in. It would be hers then, not your father’s.”
My heart warmed at her words.
“Perfect.”
20
Linc
I dropped Sunny off in front of the bakery, then parked the car. I used the key she gave me and carried our bags upstairs. I took them to her place—there was no point in pretending I would stay next door. Wherever Sunny was, I would be as well.
I went downstairs, wandering through the kitchen and wondering why there was no one baking or cooking. That seemed unusual. I pushed open the door to the shop, freezing when I heard Sunny’s distressed voice. “I don’t understand. None of this makes sense.”
I hurried forward. All the staff, including Abby were gathered around a table. Sunny was standing, holding an official-looking document. Everyone turned as I walked in, and from the look on Sunny’s face, I knew it was bad. I wrapped my arm around her waist, pulling her close.
“Let me see.”
I scanned the document, my frown growing as I read it. “What the hell is this bullshit?” I muttered. “Health violations?” I looked around in shock. I had never seen a shop or a kitchen in a business as meticulous as Sunny’s. “When the hell did this show up?”
“About two hours ago,” Shannon offered. “We knew Sunny was on her way home, and we didn’t want her upset.”
“When were they here?”
“Shannon said they were here yesterday,” Sunny said, her voice shaking. “You never know when they’re going to show up.”
“Did they say anything? Act strangely?”
Shannon shook her head. Mack spoke up. “I followed him around, and Abby was there. He was really thorough. But he didn’t say anything and only asked the basic questions about our routine.” He met Sunny’s eyes. “I was certain we’d pass with flying colors. We always do. So I didn’t even think to call you.”
“No, it’s fine,” Sunny murmured. She was shaking, and I knew she was feeling anything but fine. Gently, I pushed her down into a chair and read the list of violations.
“Mack, come with me.”
We went into the kitchen—I knew nothing about kitchen equipment, so I had him point out each infraction, my anger growing as the moments passed.
Frayed wires—fire hazard.
One plug had a piece of electrician’s tape on it. “I put that on the plug so I knew which one it was. There isn’t anything wrong with it,” Mack stated.
Inadequate hand-washing stations.
“We meet code,” Mack insisted. “In fact, we exceed it.”
Equipment, utensils, multi-service articles, and food contact surfaces are not properly constructed or sanitized.
The kitchen was spotless. I frowned and looked at Mack. He shook his head.
“We were baking when he showed up. Of course, it was messy—but not unclean. Never in this kitchen. Sunny is very particular. So am I.”
Maintain and arrange appliances to permit a clean and sanitary condition.
“Our arrangement has passed every other time. The interiors are impeccable,” Mack insisted.
The list went on in the kitchen and included the temperature of the display cases and the cleanliness of the washrooms.
All of it bogus.
I growled under my breath. I already knew who was responsible for this. I pissed off Martha, and this was retribution. She saw Sunny and me kissing. She knew how my father had felt about our relationship. She was doing this to get back at me. This was my fault.
I glanced at the list. Every “violation” was ridiculous.
I returned to the shop. Someone had given Sunny a cup of coffee. She was calm, almost removed, when she met my eyes.
“It’s bullshit,” I insisted.
“Michael had a visit from an inspector. They told him his shop and the chemicals he keeps on hand are dangerous, and they are going to recommend the closure of his shop and relocation,” Abby said. “He’s beside himself with worry.”
“Did Martha see you with him?” I asked, my voice icy.
She furrowed her brow in thought. “Yes, I think so. I was sitting with him and his kids when she came in.”
I wanted to storm up to the town hall and have it out with that bitch. Call her every name under the sun and tell her husband exactly the kind of woman he was married to. But the bottom line was the affair I thought she’d had with my father was a rumor. The mayor might have heard it already. Maybe he didn’t care. I had no idea.
Sunny stood. “Well, we need to regroup. Take pictures of the before and after. Fix one item on the list at a time. We have a week to clear the list, so the inspection certificate on the window goes back to a pass—” she swallowed heavily “—not a conditional pass.”
I glanced at the window, narrowing my eyes at the sign. I wanted to rip it down, but I knew that would cause Sunny more trouble. Shannon, Mack, and Abby stood. “We’ve been baking all day. We’ll finish it, and you can decide what to tackle first,” Mack stated. “We’ll get it done, Sunny.”
“Thanks, Mack.”
They filed into the kitchen, leaving Sunny and me alone.
“This is on me.”
Sunny shook her head. “Not even Martha would go this overboard for a bad cup of coffee, Linc.”
“No. She saw us. She knew the lengths my father went to in order to keep us separate. She’s carrying on his work. She’s furious with me over the house. Abby was sitting with Michael, so she’s put the two of them together and is making Michael suffer.”
Her eyes widened. “If that’s true, then nothing I do will work.”
“Unless she thought we broke up.” I threw out wildly, hating myself the instant the words were out of my mouth.
“No!” Sunny gasped. “I will shut this bakery before I even allow you to say another word, Lincoln Webber. You take that back right now. I am not living in secrecy again. We did that, and it was awful.”
I pulled her into my embrace. “I couldn’t do that, Sunny. Not really. I’ll figure this out.”
She tilted back her head. “Leave it, Linc. Leave it alone.”
“I can’t.”
“I’m asking you to. This is my business. I will handle it.”
“Stop being stubborn.”
She pushed away. “Bei
ng stubborn is how I made it this far. This is my problem, and I’ll handle it.”
“A problem you have because of me,” I seethed. “I’ll handle it.”
“No, you will not. I’m telling you right now—leave it alone.” She crossed her arms. “If she is doing this out of revenge, then you being involved will make it worse.”
Her words stung, even if they were true. She kept talking. “And don’t tell me what to do, Linc. You are not the boss. This is my business, and I’ll handle it the way I see fit.”
“I can solve it.”
“How exactly?”
“I’ll figure it out. I’ll find a way to take her down or—”
“No,” she snapped, interrupting me. “It’s a problem I need to solve legally. I don’t have time to stand here and argue with you. Go deal with what you came here for, Linc. Get the revenge you need on your father. Maybe then you can find some peace.” She sighed. “Maybe then the Linc I knew will be back.”
“I already told you, this is me. This is Linc now. I thought you accepted it.”
She ran a hand over her face, suddenly looking exhausted. She sat down, looking at me. Her expression frightened me. It was one of resignation.
“I thought I could. But I’m not so sure I was right.” She ran a hand up her neck, leaning on her palm. “Right now, I don’t know what to think. But I need to work. And I think you need to go.”
“What? No, Sunny—”
She spoke the words before I could stop her.
“Maybe this was a mistake, Linc. Visiting the past. Thinking we could outrun it.”
“Don’t say that.”
She stood, her shoulders slumped. “I can’t do this again, Linc. Our entire relationship when we were younger was shrouded in secrecy and anxiety. We had to sneak around, hide our feelings. I lived in constant fear that you’d walk away.”
She held up her hand before I could speak. “And when you disappeared, it took me years to find my life again. To stop looking for you. To be able to smile and get on with life.”
“Sunny—”
“You insist you’re here with me in the present, but the truth is, you’re still so mired in the past, you can’t see through it, Linc. Your first instinct is to react with anger. Seek revenge. Just like your father.” She sighed. “I can’t live in fear again. I won’t.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying we need to step back and think. This is all too much. It’s all…too much.”
She turned and walked away.
I paced the den in my father’s house. I went around the room over and again, too restless to sit. I had no idea why I’d come back here, to this house, but I had. Maybe the darkness suited my mood.
Abby had tried to come with me when I left the bakery, but I told Abby to stay with Sunny. I knew she would accept Abby’s help. She certainly didn’t want mine.
Sunny was furious with me. Her words echoed in my head.
I couldn’t lose her. I had just found her again.
Why couldn’t she see I only wanted to help?
There was no doubt why Martha Tremont was doing this—payback.
I flung myself into the chair, my knee hitting the drawer. I cursed, grabbing at my knee. The key inside the drawer rattled and I slid the drawer open. I had put the metal box back inside the drawer once I gave Sunny my letters. I had, in fact, forgotten about the box until now.
Since I couldn’t concentrate on anything else, I decided to go through the rest of the papers. It would be interesting to see what secrets my father had hiding.
The box was fairly full. In his usual methodical way, my father had copies of all pertinent documents in the box. His will, the deed to the house, various other documents no longer required. A copy of my birth certificate. My mother’s death certificate, still sealed, never even looked at by him. I set that aside to take with me.
Then it got interesting. An envelope containing some USB drives with names on them. Many of them ones I recognized. I would have to get my computer to find out the contents. Somehow it didn’t come as a surprise that my father would keep files on people he wanted to destroy or threaten. I had a feeling he was an expert at blackmail.
There was one last envelope. I lifted out the manila pouch, noting the thickness of the contents and the initials in the corner.
MT
I opened the envelope, my eyes widening at the contents. Pictures of Martha Tremont. Personal pictures. Some of her. Some of them. Intimate. Graphic. All taken, I was certain, without her knowledge. All kept, I knew, to blackmail her.
I shut my eyes, feeling ill. I pushed away the ones of her and studied my father’s expression. Even in passion, he was cold. Removed. He stared at Martha as if he’d just as soon strangle her as have sex with her. She was simply another tool in his destructive arsenal.
That woman, who, to this day, fought for my father’s honor, harbored feelings for him, was as duped by him as the rest of the town.
He was, indeed, a complete bastard.
I stared down at the pictures. At the files on the desk. The USB drives. I could only imagine what they all contained. The power they once held over the people of this town—probably other places as well.
Movement caught my eye, and I looked up. Sunny was in the doorway, her face pale. I stood, rounding the desk. “Sunny?”
She rushed forward, flinging herself into my arms. I held her close. “Hey, baby, shh,” I soothed. “Whatever it is, it’s okay. I’m here.”
“I’m sorry. I was upset,” she sobbed.
“I know,” I assured her. “And I know it’s my fault, Sunny. I never wanted to bring hardship back into your life.” I ran my thumbs under her eyes, wiping away the tears and I gazed sadly at her. “But I have. People with scores to settle with my father will take them out on anyone related to him. Me—and of course, you, since you’ll be associated with me.” I pressed my forehead to hers. “I hate that.”
“Is that why you remain anonymous with all the improvements? Why you refuse to take credit?”
“Yes. If some people found out it was Franklin Thomas’s son making the changes, roadblocks would be thrown up. People would wonder about my end game. It’s better to remain nameless.”
She sighed.
“How goes it at the bakery?”
“We made a list, and we’re going to start early tomorrow morning. We’ll check off one thing at a time. Michael is challenging the findings on the dry cleaners.”
“Good. Are you still angry with me?”
Sunny wiped her face. “No, I know you wanted to help, but you have to let me handle it. I can’t allow you to step into my business, Linc. I have to draw the line.”
I sighed—we were never going to agree on this.
Sunny tilted her head. “What are those pictures on the desk?”
“Nothing,” I said, cursing inwardly. I moved to hide them, but Sunny caught my arm. She stared at the photos.
“Where did you get these?” She gasped, horrified.
“My father had them in the box. Along with a bunch of other things he kept on various people.”
“Why?”
I shrugged. “To blackmail or use against them, I presume.”
She looked around. “Is there a shredder?”
“No.”
She indicated the fireplace. “You need to burn them.”
I took the photos from her hand. “I’ll handle them.”
Her voice changed, becoming fraught with worry. “Linc, what are you thinking?”
“Leave it, Sunny.”
“No!” she gasped. “You can’t, Linc!”
“If she knows I won’t bend to her, she’ll back off.”
She held up a picture. “And by using these, Linc, you’ll become exactly what you keep saying you don’t want to be. You’ll become your father.”
“I’m not my father. I would do this to protect you.”
“Protect me, by threatening another person.”
; “I would never really do anything with the pictures, Sunny. She just has to think I would. The health violations go away, Michael’s business is safe, and no one gets hurt.”
She shook her head. “Your soul gets hurt. The way I feel about you will change, Linc. Don’t you see that? You use these today, then something else in a few weeks. Then you’ll start hiding secrets and manipulating everyone to get what you want. Sound familiar?” She paced the room, facing me with her fists closed. “Maybe that was how your father started. There must have been some good in him at some point. Your mother loved him enough to marry him. But she couldn’t save him from himself—from his quest for power—and she lost him.”
“This isn’t for power,” I insisted.
“Really. I think you need to think long and hard about that, Linc. Be honest with yourself. Because you’re not being honest with me right now.”
“I can’t sit by and let you suffer because of me.”
Her eyes filled with tears. “If you do this, you lose me, Linc. Forever. Don’t you get it? I would rather have you than the bakery. My Linc. The boy I loved. Who loved me back. But not the man bent on revenge and holding the power. That’s not the Linc I know.
“That man is your father. For the first time ever, I’m seeing Lincoln Thomas in front of me. And the loss of the man I thought you were is going to wreck me for the rest of my life. You’re forgetting the one common factor here—Mrs. Tremont is a person. A fellow human being. You don’t know her story. You are threatening to hurt a person. Think about it. Think hard.”
Her parting words hit me in the chest, rendering me mute.
She shut the door behind her, the silence screaming in ferociousness.
21
Linc
I trolled the house for hours, unable to stay still. I walked through rooms I hadn’t been in for years, staring at walls, pictures, opening closets. I wondered if any of the items I saw were picked by my mother, or if my father had destroyed everything she touched and replaced them. It was an endless loop, and eventually I was able to discern a few items I could recall her touching fondly or watching her hang. I picked them up and found a box, then transferred them to the trunk of my car.
The Summer of Us (Mission Cove Book 1) Page 18