Always With Me

by Barbara Freethy

  "It's that bad?" Mitch asked, a heavy note in his voice.

  "Yes. I now know why Rebecca couldn't sleep, why she had a falling out with your mother."

  Mitch drew in a hard breath. "You're sure you want to do this?"

  "I'm sure I have to do this. Hailey is living in that house."

  "I grew up there, too. I was fine."

  "You're not a girl."

  "Oh, God," Mitch muttered. "It's not my dad. Tell me it's not my dad."

  "No, but that's all I'm saying. I'll see you at the house." As he ended the call, Gianna came into the apartment, her brown eyes shadowed with concern.

  She took a seat next to him, putting her hand on his leg. "Are you all right, Zach?"

  "I'm not the one who was hurt."

  "I know. Rebecca was hurt. I feel bad that I thought she was just a mean girl, a party girl. I had no idea what secrets she was keeping. And I'm sure it's even worse for you."

  "I keep asking myself why she didn't tell me or why I didn't figure it out, because it seems really clear now."

  "She didn't want you to know, Zach. And I'm sure she never imagined she would die so young, that her daughter would end up back in the house she'd run away from."

  "I'm actually not sure about that. I think sometimes she was almost trying to die. That's why she should have told me, so I could have protected Hailey from the beginning."

  "What are you going to do?"

  "I'm going over to the Carvers' house."

  "They'll say you're lying. They might even call the police."

  "I know, and I can't be forced out of there before I get the truth." He paused. "I need your help, Gianna. I need you to go with me. You're an objective third party. You found the diary. You know that Helen broke into your shop. If the police show up and try to run me off, maybe you can back me up."

  "Of course," she said, not hesitating for a second. "I want Helen to come clean on what she did. And I want to protect that little girl you love so much."

  "I don't want Hailey to hear any of this. I asked Mitch to come, too. Maybe he can keep Hailey in the other room."

  "Or I can. I'm pretty good with little kids."

  "Thanks. I know this isn't your fight, Gianna."

  "Maybe not as much as it's yours, but you had my back yesterday; now I have yours."

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  "Are you nervous?" Gianna asked as Zach parked in front of the Carvers' home.

  He glanced over at her. "No. I'm resolved."

  "You do have a determined look in your eyes."

  "I'm getting to the bottom of this once and for all."

  "I hope there's a way to resolve this peacefully—for Hailey's sake. They are her grandparents."

  "I'm very aware of that. But the time for patience is over. Hailey could be in danger."

  He got out of the truck and strode quickly up to the front door, pushing the bell several times.

  Ron opened the door, his eyes angry. "What the hell is going on?"

  He held up Rebecca's red diary. "This."

  "Mitch said you found Rebecca's diary in something I dropped at the antiques store." Ron's eyes darted to Gianna. "Why did you give it to him?"

  "Because he was there," she said.

  "You had no right," Ron said loudly. "I will put your aunt's store out of business for this."

  "Don't threaten her," Zach said, stepping between Ron and Gianna. He could see Mitch and his mother hovering in the hallway. Mitch had his arm around his mother. Helen looked as pale as a ghost. "We're coming in." He pushed past Ron, feeling like he'd just gotten over one hurdle.

  "I'll call the police," Ron said, closing the door behind them.

  "Where's Hailey?" he demanded.

  "She's in her room, and you are not seeing her," Ron said.

  "Don't do this, Zach," Helen pleaded. "You don't understand. You don't know the whole story."

  "I know enough. I know something terrible happened to Rebecca, and you covered it up."

  "Oh, God," Helen said, now covering her face with her hands.

  "What are you talking about?" Ron asked. "What is he talking about, Helen?"

  Helen's shoulders were shaking but she refused to look at anyone.

  "I'm going to make sure Hailey stays in her room," Mitch said.

  "You should stay for this, Mitch," he said. "If it's all right, Gianna will keep Hailey company."

  Mitch hesitated, then gave a nod. "I'll take you to her room, Gianna, and introduce you. And then I'll come back."

  He waited until Mitch and Gianna had gone up the stairs, then turned back to the Carvers. Ron was still pissed, but he also had a worried, questioning expression on his face.

  "Helen," Ron said. "What is Zach talking about? What's in the diary?"

  She shook her head, still not removing her hands from her eyes.

  Ron turned back to him. "Well?"

  "Someone abused Rebecca. It happened here—in this house. She was fourteen years old. She told her mother, but Helen insisted that she must have dreamt it, that it hadn't happened, and that if she told anyone, they'd all think she was a liar."

  "What? That's ridiculous. You're the one who's lying. I'm calling the cops." Ron pulled out his phone.

  "You should call them. This should go to the police."

  "Don't," Helen said suddenly, finally dropping her hands and looking at them through tear-filled eyes. "Don't, Ron. Don't call anyone." She walked out of the entry and into the living room.

  He and Ron followed.

  Helen picked up a photo of Rebecca from the mantel above the fireplace and stared down at it.

  "She was such a sweet girl," Helen said, more tears streaming down her face. "I didn't want to believe her when she told me. It was unimaginable, unthinkable."

  "What happened?" Ron demanded, angry pain in his voice. "What are you talking about?"

  Helen looked at her husband. "It was Will."

  "Your brother?" Ron asked in shock.

  She nodded tightly. "He stayed with me for a few days when you were on a business trip. He was going through his divorce. He was really depressed, and I said he could stay on the couch."

  "What did he do to Rebecca? My God, what did he do? Did he…did he…I can't even say it."

  "Will told me that she'd had a nightmare and he was trying to comfort her. But she said he kissed her and touched her under her nightgown. She woke up and started screaming. I heard her yelling and went into the room. I didn't see anything. I didn't think he could be lying. It took me awhile to calm her down and I really wasn't sure who was telling the truth."

  "How could you not be sure?" Zach cut in, furious at how she was trying to spin the story even now.

  "Rebecca made up stories all the time, and I had grown up with Will; he was my little brother. I couldn't believe he would hurt my daughter."

  Ron shook his head, looking at Helen like she was a stranger. "Why didn't you tell me?"

  "Because it was too horrible. I thought Rebecca could get over it. It wasn't like he did—you know—everything. And I never let Will stay here again."

  "That's not true," Zach said. "Rebecca wrote in her diary that he was there when she was sixteen, and she climbed out the window and went to a friend's house."

  "Well, that was the only other time. He was distraught that night. His marriage was ending. I thought he was suicidal. He had mental issues."

  "It wasn't the only other time he was in this house," Ron said. "He was here for holidays, for birthdays."

  "But not overnight."

  "That doesn't matter."

  "She wasn't hurt, Ron. She was just scared."

  "She wasn't just scared; she was molested," Zach said forcefully. "And it haunted her for the rest of her life." His words brought pain to Helen's face, but he didn't care. "She could never sleep without a light on. She had to have an escape route out of the apartment. She said the drugs and alcohol helped her forget the monsters. I thought they were in her head, but they weren't all i
n her mind. One was real."

  "I didn't know she kept thinking about it."

  "Because you wouldn't let her talk about it. It's in her diary—how you insisted that she not tell Ron. You made her think that everyone would believe she was a liar."

  Ron sank down on a nearby chair, looking completely defeated.

  "I can't believe this," Mitch said, walking into the room.

  "You heard?" Zach asked.

  "I heard enough," Mitch said tersely. "Uncle Will molested Rebecca, and you protected him, Mom. Everything makes so much more sense now, why you and Becca suddenly hated each other."

  "And why Becca left home and would never come back," Ron muttered. "And she barely let us visit her until two years ago—when Will died."

  Zach was surprised to hear that piece of information and was relieved that Will was no longer a problem. At least Hailey hadn't been put in that predator's path.

  "I'm sorry," Helen said. "I really wanted to hold the family together. I knew you'd be angry, Ron. You'd want me to cut ties to Will, and he was such a tortured soul; I couldn't turn my back on him."

  "You turned your back on our daughter, and you kept me in the dark about something horrific that happened to her," Ron said. "I can't even look at you right now. I have to go. I have to get out of here." He jumped to his feet, anger and disgust bringing him new energy.

  "Before you leave," Zach said, stepping in front of him. "This changes everything when it comes to Hailey. I want to raise her. I won't keep you out of her life. You can see her whenever you want, but she needs to be with me. She needs to be with someone who will always protect her."

  Ron didn't say a word, just pushed past him, slamming the front door behind him.

  Helen sat down on the couch, still clutching Rebecca's photo to her heart. "I loved her. I really thought she was okay, that she'd moved on."

  "That's just what you told yourself, Mom," Mitch said harshly.

  "And now you hate me, too?" she asked her son.

  "I don't know how I feel. But I do know that Zach is right. He needs to take Hailey out of here. She needs to be away from this mess."

  "I love Hailey. I would never let her be hurt."

  "That's hard to believe after what happened to my sister. Why did you keep the diary, Mom? You must have known what was in it, how it could hurt you if anyone else read it."

  "Because it was hers, and I missed her. After Will died, I thought we could start again, and it seemed like she was interested. But she was too…"

  "Broken," Zach suggested. "Because she was broken."

  "I didn't think it was enough to break her."

  He couldn't begin to understand Helen's thought process, but he really didn't care. "I'm going to get Hailey. When I come back, I want you to wipe your tears and put a smile on your face and tell her that she's going to get to spend time with me, but that you'll see her soon."

  "Will I see her soon?"

  "Yes, because you're her grandmother. And she's already lost her mother. But I'll petition the court for custody, and you'll support me in every possible way."

  "I don’t know why you think you're better for her than we are. We're a family."

  "I'm her family, too. I gave you the chance to make this work for all of us. Now, it's my turn. Your actions in the past do not give me confidence in your ability to take care of her."

  "And you're going to take her to a hotel? Take her away from her grandparents, her uncle, her room? Hasn't she had enough trauma?"

  "I'll find a rental as fast as I can."

  "Here in Whisper Lake?"

  "For now."

  "Zach, I want to talk to you for a minute," Mitch said, tipping his head to the hall.

  "All right." He hoped Mitch wasn't going to try to talk him out of taking Hailey, but he'd hear him out.

  "That is so pretty," Gianna said, as she and Hailey painted on a pad she'd found on Hailey's desk.

  "It's not as good as yours," Hailey said, pointing to her brightly colored butterfly. "How did you do that?"

  "I've had a lot of practice. I started painting when I was your age."

  "Grandma doesn't like me to paint in here. She thinks I'll make a mess."

  Gianna felt a little guilty about suggesting they paint, but she'd wanted to distract Hailey after Mitch left.

  "Where's Zach?" Hailey asked. "He's taking a long time to talk to Grandma and Grandpa."

  "He'll be here soon. Did you know I taught Zach how to paint a butterfly when we were kids?"

  "You knew each other when you were kids?"

  "Yes. We were teenagers. We met at summer camp. He was actually really good at drawing. I didn't know then he was going to grow up to draw houses for people."

  "He said one day he'd draw a house for us." Her face fell. "But Mommy went to heaven."

  "I'm sorry about that."

  "She can't come back. But Zach says she's watching over me. Do you think she likes my picture?"

  "I'm sure she does." She felt a little out of her depth, but thankfully Hailey was already turning her attention back to her painting.

  "I want to paint some flowers now," Hailey said. "Can you draw them, and I'll paint them?"

  "Absolutely." She sketched out some flowers for Hailey to color.

  As the little girl focused on her picture, she thought about what might be going on in the living room. It was taking a long time. She hoped that was a good sign, that they were really hashing things out. She had to believe after everything they'd learned today that Zach had a much better chance of getting Hailey back into his life. But he still wasn't blood, and who knew how much that would factor into any legal opinion.

  The bedroom door finally opened, and Zach walked in. There was a new light in his eyes and a smile on his lips.

  "Zach," Hailey said with delight, running over to him.

  He swept her up in his arms and gave her a tight hug.

  Hailey put her hands on his face. "What took you so long?"

  "Sorry. Your grandparents and I had a lot to talk about."

  "Am I going to come and live with you?"

  "Well, we still have to make some plans, but soon."

  She was a little surprised that he wasn't taking Hailey out of the house immediately. She didn't think he'd be comfortable leaving her with the Carvers after what he'd learned, but maybe there was more to the situation than she knew.

  "Tomorrow?" Hailey asked, pressing him for an answer.

  "We'll see. What have you and Gianna been doing?"

  "Painting. She draws good."

  "I know she does." He gave her a grateful smile, then set Hailey back down. "I need to talk to Gianna for a minute. Can you finish your picture?"

  "Okay. But come back faster."

  "I will," he promised.

  She followed Zach into the hall. She could hear voices downstairs as they paused on the landing.

  "What's going on?" she asked.

  "It was Helen's brother who molested Rebecca. She woke up and screamed. When Helen went into the room, her brother said he was comforting Rebecca after a nightmare."

  "And Helen didn't know he was lying?"

  "She didn't want to believe it."

  "That's disgusting and unforgivable."

  "I agree. Ron knew nothing. He was horrified. So was Mitch. Ron took off a while ago. I'm not sure how he's going to get past Helen's lie, the terrible secret she kept from him."

  "What about you and Hailey?"

  "I wanted to take her now, but Mitch said that I really need to find an apartment or a house with two bedrooms, and he's right. I can't take Hailey to the inn."

  "Can you risk leaving her here?"

  "Helen's brother died two years ago, so he's not a threat. Mitch is willing to watch over Hailey for a few days, so I'll leave her where she is. I know he loves Hailey, and she loves him. I don’t want to rip her out of this house and scare her."

  "That makes sense."

  "I also have to be smart about all this. I need to show
I can provide a good home for Hailey."

  "Do you think the Carvers will stand in your way?"

  "No. If they try to keep me out of Hailey's life, they'll have to talk about what happened in the past." He held up the diary still in his hand. "I'm going to hang on to this. I'm so glad you found it. If you hadn't, we might never have discovered the truth."

  "I got lucky. If you need to find a place to live, you should talk to Keira. Her real estate company handles rentals, too. I'll text you her number."

  "Good idea. I'm going to hang out here today. Do you want to take my truck back to the shop?"

  "No, I'll call for a ride."

  "Are you sure? Maybe I should drop you off and come back."

  "Don't be silly. I'll be fine. Hailey needs you. She has been talking about you the whole time. I actually learned a lot about you—your fascination with the Little Mermaid, your love of singing 'Baby Shark', and the way you mix three cereals to make one great one."

  He smiled. "Hailey can be chatty."

  She smiled back at him. "Yes, and we're going to need to talk about the mermaid thing at some point."

  "Jealous?"

  "No," she said. "And I'm not just talking about the mermaid."

  He knew exactly what she meant. "I'm glad. But you are also very important to me, Gianna."

  "The only person you need to worry about right now is Hailey." She gave him a quick kiss, then walked down the stairs and out the front door, not wanting to interrupt the tense conversation she could hear Mitch having with his mother.

  There was a good chance Helen was going to lose everyone she loved. Maybe that's what she deserved.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Gianna deserved more than he was giving her, Zach thought, as he left the Fourth of July barbecue and headed toward her apartment on Wednesday night. It had been four days since he'd seen her walk out of the Carvers' house. They'd called and texted, but they hadn't found a minute to get together. He'd thought she'd be at the town party. She'd said she was going, but he hadn't seen her. Neither had any of her friends, who had all said that not only was Gianna supposed to be at the barbecue, but that she was also supposed to be going out on Adam's boat in a half hour to watch the nine o'clock fireworks show from the water.