Chrissie had been gone only ten or fifteen minutes when the doorbell chimed. Susannah had begun to pack away pots and pans in the kitchen. She abandoned the carton she was working on and got up, assuming the home security people had arrived early.
But it wasn’t the service company. Troy Nance stood on the doorstep, wearing a stained T-shirt, jeans and motorcycle boots. His hair was pulled back in a ponytail. He was Jake’s son; she was sure of it. She saw the resemblance more and more.
“Hello, Troy.” Susannah did her best to sound friendly and welcoming. If he was surprised, it didn’t show. “Chrissie’s at the hospital visiting her grandmother.”
“Yeah, she told me. You’re the one I wanted to talk to.”
Susannah faltered a moment but recovered quickly. “Okay.” She held open the screen door, but he ignored the invitation to come inside.
“Out here.”
She shrugged and followed him down the steps to the walkway. “What can I do for you?” she asked, folding her arms.
“Chrissie phoned and said you’d had a change of heart about me.”
That wasn’t entirely true, but she’d keep her opinions to herself—for now. “Thanks for coming by, Troy.” She wondered why he was here.
“Yeah.” His eyes were like chips of ice.
“What will it take for the two of us to be friends?” she asked, moving forward.
“You don’t like me,” he sneered, “and pretending you do isn’t going to help, so let’s get that straight up-front.”
At least they both knew where they stood. “I’m willing to try,” she said.
“What for?”
Nothing less than the truth would satisfy him. “I don’t want to lose my daughter over you.”
He let the comment hang for a few moments and then smiled as if her answer had pleased him. “I might be able to help you out.”
“That would be good,” Susannah said, grateful they’d been able to find common ground.
He paced to the end of the walk, then turned on his heel. “Chrissie said if you don’t let her stay in the house—” he gestured at the front door “—she’d move in with me.” He paused. “Frankly, I’m not interested.”
Susannah wanted to hug him, she was so thankful.
“I haven’t told her, of course, but I figured you weren’t that thrilled about the idea yourself.”
“You could say that.”
“The fact is, Chrissie’s a bit of a drama queen.”
Susannah sighed. “She does have a tendency to overreact.”
“She’s spoiled, too.”
Again Susannah didn’t have much of an argument, although she recognized how odd it was to be discussing her daughter’s flaws with this man. The man Chrissie thought she loved… She studied him carefully. “Is there something you’re trying to tell me?”
His mouth curled into a sarcastic half smile. “So you finally caught on, did you?” His cold eyes met hers. “If I asked, Chrissie would move in with me like that.” He snapped his fingers as if she needed a demonstration.
“And your point is?” she said curtly.
“You just asked what it would take for the two of us to be friends, right?”
She nodded warily.
“I’m bored with Chrissie,” he said bluntly. “She isn’t much fun and she makes too many demands, but I could easily string her along—for however long it took.”
A chill raced down Susannah’s arms. “However long what took?”
He shrugged. “Whatever.”
Susannah frowned, not sure she understood.
“What’s your daughter’s happiness worth to you?” he asked.
“What do you mean?”
“I could make her happy or I could break her heart. You choose.”
“I beg your pardon?” Susannah could feel the outrage rising inside her. This had to be a distasteful joke, although she certainly wasn’t laughing.
“Confidentially, I’m experiencing something of a cash flow problem. I was thinking you might be able to help me out.”
“You want me to pay you?” Susannah couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
“If you want me out of Chrissie’s life, I could make that happen for as little as five thousand dollars.”
Susannah’s mouth flew open. He was serious. Five thousand dollars. The same amount her father had paid Allan Presley.
“This is a one-time offer. It won’t be repeated and you have to decide now.”
“Or what?”
“Or like I said, I string her along for a while and introduce her to a few of my friends. I’m sure you get the picture.”
Susannah thought she was going to be sick. “You don’t care about her at all, do you?”
“Not really. She was a nice diversion for a while.” He grinned nastily. “Mom said you were a stuck-up prig in high school and it was fun getting a rise out of you.”
Susannah stared at him, unable to say a thing.
“Well? Are you game or not?”
Game. This entire episode was a game. He was playing with Chrissie’s heart and it meant nothing to him. Now it was up to Susannah to decide what to do.
“I don’t have that kind of money here.”
He lifted one shoulder in a half shrug. “Then get it from your husband and do it fast.”
Susannah’s mind raced. Joe would never give in to blackmail. She knew without even asking that he’d flatly refuse. “He won’t agree to this.”
“Then the deal’s off.” Troy started to walk away.
“No,” she cried. She took him at his word—this was a one-time offer. “I’ll find a way to get the money.”
“What about your rich friend?” Troy suggested.
Susannah shook her head. “I’d never borrow money from Carolyn.”
He raised his eyebrows in a cynical expression. “Not even for your daughter?”
“I—”
“I’ll be waiting at the Roadside Inn tonight at seven. Either you’re there with the money or no deal.”
“But I might not have it by then,” she began. “I—”
“That,” he said, his voice as hard as steel, “is your problem.”
CHAPTER 39
Susannah paced the house, figuring out ways to come up with the money. She couldn’t go to an ATM—there was a thousand-dollar limit on withdrawals. She and Joe had a joint account, and she doubted she could take out that amount, anyway, without his permission. A credit card advance? She went over and over the possible solutions until Chrissie returned with the car. Her daughter, in high spirits, was full of chatter and good will.
“Grandma looked great,” Chrissie assured her. “She was almost like her old self, except…” She giggled. “She thought I was you. The nurse said that’s common and I shouldn’t worry about it. She’ll be herself in no time.”
“What did the doctor say?”
Chrissie stopped to think. “Not much, really, just that Grandma’s making progress.”
Susannah prayed her mother would make a full recovery. Otherwise, they’d be looking at a hip replacement. From various friends she’d learned how serious that could be with the elderly.
Chrissie studied her. “Don’t worry about Grandma, Mom. She’s doing really well.”
Nodding seemed to require a monumental effort.
“Is something else bothering you?” Chrissie asked with a frown.
“Not really… It’s just that I’ve got an errand to run and I have to wait for the home security people.” She’d decided to see Carolyn—to at least discuss this with her.
“Go,” she urged. “I’ll stay here.”
Her daughter’s willingness to help added a sense of urgency to Susannah’s mission. Without a hint of regret, Troy would destroy Chrissie’s life. Paying him off might solve the problem, but she wasn’t convinced Troy could be trusted. She didn’t dare give him all the money up front, or she’d have no insurance. But even half of $5000 was hard to produce on such short notice.
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Carolyn was busy with a buyer when Susannah arrived. Waiting in the small reception area, she gazed out the window over the massive yard, stacked with row upon row of timber. The noon whistle blew, and the work crews broke for a thirty-minute lunch. The saws went silent.
Susannah watched as the men poured out from various places and congregated together. In the distance they looked alike, some short, some tall, but all dressed in the same style coveralls. These men were the fathers, husbands, brothers of many people in Colville, and Susannah was visibly reminded of the mill’s importance to the community.
The door to Carolyn’s office opened then, and Susannah heard her friend exchanging farewells with the buyer.
“Susannah?” Carolyn said behind her. “You wanted to see me?”
Tearing her gaze away from the window, she turned to her. “Do you have a few minutes to talk privately?”
“Of course.” Carolyn led the way back into her office; Susannah followed and closed the door.
Carolyn’s eyebrows went up as she rounded her desk and reclaimed her chair. “Is something wrong?”
Sitting down opposite her, Susannah nodded. “I had a visitor this morning.” She swallowed hard, then continued. “Troy Nance came to see me.”
“I take it this wasn’t a social call?”
Susannah made a derisive sound. “Hardly. I took Chrissie out to the Roadside Inn last night, but it didn’t do any good. He knows I’m on to him, so he came to tell me that for a mere five thousand dollars he’d break off his relationship with Chrissie.”
“He’d what?” Carolyn yelped.
“That’s not even the worst of it. Troy claimed the reason he got involved with her is because his mother thought I was—and I quote—a stuck-up prig in high school.”
“What?” Carolyn sounded as shocked as Susannah had been. “We both know that Jake broke up with her because of you and she never got over it.”
Susannah agreed. Sharon had been caustic the evening they’d driven out to the tavern, claiming that Jake had gone back to her. She’d taken pleasure in informing Susannah that Troy was his son.
“What are you going to do?”
“I’m not sure. My gut tells me to pay him the money and be done with it.” It occurred to her then that she was doing almost the same thing her father had done. Another thought hit her and with it her stomach twisted.
“Are you okay?” Carolyn asked in alarm.
Susannah shook her head numbly. “What if…what if Jake’s father approached my dad and demanded money?” she whispered. It had never entered her mind that Allan Presley might have done exactly that. Now she wondered. In her heart she knew it hadn’t been Jake’s idea, but she’d assumed her father was the one responsible.
Carolyn’s eyes were wide. “I never thought of that.”
The sinking sensation didn’t leave her. Her mind whirled with the possibility and she didn’t immediately realize Carolyn was speaking.
“What did Joe say?”
Susannah looked away. “I didn’t tell him.”
Carolyn frowned at that. “Why not?”
“Because I know my husband and he’d never agree to this. He’s probably right, but I have to do something… I’m desperate. My daughter’s future is at stake.”
Carolyn’s frown darkened. “Do you think keeping Joe out of this is a good idea?”
“I don’t know. I just don’t know.” Her voice shook with near hysteria. That wretched man was risking Chrissie’s future, without conscience, without regret and without a qualm. His threat hadn’t been subtle—he’d introduce her to his friends. Susannah could easily guess what that meant. His friends had to be big-time losers. Even more disturbing was the implication that Chrissie would be hanging around with…with drug addicts and given cocaine or who knew what.
Now Susannah had no choice but to broach the subject of money with Carolyn. Drawing in a deep breath, she leaned toward her friend’s desk. “There’s a problem. I don’t have five thousand dollars just lying around.” She didn’t wait for Carolyn to comment, fearing what she’d say. “I suppose I could get a cash advance on the credit card, but I’d rather not tell Joe about this if I can possibly keep it secret.”
Carolyn’s chest rose with a harsh sigh. “Troy is blackmailing you.”
“I know.”
“I think you should talk this over with your husband.”
Susannah wanted Joe at her side more than ever, and yet she knew beyond a doubt that he wouldn’t agree to this. She couldn’t risk it, even at the cost of her marriage. When everything was settled, when Chrissie was safe, she’d tell him, but not before—otherwise they might lose their daughter.
“Going behind Joe’s back isn’t right,” she agreed, “but for now and for Chrissie’s sake, it’s my only option.” Opening her purse, Susannah set out the emerald ring Joe had given her on their twentieth anniversary. He’d paid twenty-five hundred dollars for it. In addition, she had her mother’s pearls, which Vivian had given her for safekeeping. Taken together, she believed their value would total at least the amount she needed to borrow.
“I was hoping,” she said, the words barely making it past the constriction in her throat, “that it would be possible to get a loan from you.” Asking to borrow money was even harder than she’d imagined. Her face burned with mortification. “These are worth more but—”
“You want me to write you a personal check for the five thousand,” Carolyn said.
Susannah hung her head. “The jewelry’s the collateral.”
After a short pause, Carolyn slowly straightened and opened a drawer, pulling out her checkbook. “I don’t think you’re doing the right thing in keeping this from Joe, but you’re the one who has to make that decision.”
Weak with relief, Susannah nodded. “Thank you.”
“But I’d rest easier if at some point you told your husband.”
“I will, I promise, just not yet.”
Carolyn wrote the check and handed it to Susannah. Then she turned to her computer and typed up a simple IOU. “I don’t want to take the jewelry. You keep it. The note is enough.”
Susannah thanked her, signed the note and took back the ring and pearls. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this,” she said, on the verge of tears.
“I just hope Chrissie appreciates what you’re doing.”
God willing, she’d never find out. “I don’t want her to know.”
“You aren’t going to tell her?”
Susannah shook her head emphatically. “No way! She’d never forgive me. Sure as anything, she’d blame me for this. I can’t take that chance.”
“What if Troy comes back for more money later on?”
Susannah had considered this. “I don’t think he will. He said Chrissie’s become a drag. He’s bored with her.”
The look on Carolyn’s face was one of disgust. Susannah shared her opinion.
Before she left, she thanked her friend profusely.
Chrissie was busy packing up the hallway linen closet when Susannah got back to the house. “The alarm guy was here,” she said, still on her knees, a stack of pillowcases in her arms. “It’s the same alarm system we have at home. I gave him your birthdate, month and day, for the code.”
“Good idea,” Susannah mumbled. Now that the problem of finding the money had been solved, she should feel good. She didn’t; if anything, she felt worse. Carolyn disapproved of the risk Susannah was taking, but she hadn’t offered any alternatives, either.
“Mom? Are you okay?”
It was the second time that day her daughter had asked that question. Susannah forced a smile. “Of course I am.”
Chrissie set the pillowcases neatly inside a carton. “This is about Troy, isn’t it?”
The mention of his name startled Susannah, until she reminded herself that Chrissie couldn’t possibly know what it was about Troy that had upset her.
“You’re really trying, and Mom, I want to tell you how grateful I am.�
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“I’m doing my best.”
Her daughter impulsively scrambled to her feet and hugged her. “You won’t be sorry, Mom. I promise you.”
Except that she already was.
CHAPTER 40
Vivian was so tired. She knew she was in the hospital and she knew she was in pain. She couldn’t tell what time it was. Afternoon, she assumed. She vaguely remembered a lunch tray, which she hadn’t touched. It was all she could do to keep her eyes open. She thought George might come; that was why she had to stay awake. She felt certain her husband would know how badly she needed to see him.
Closing her eyes, she fought the waves of fatigue.
“Vivian?” a gruff male voice called to her.
Vivian opened her eyes to find George Wakefield from Altamira standing next to her hospital bed. He leaned heavily on his crutches and stared down at her, a look of worry creasing his face.
“George.” He wasn’t the George she’d been longing to see, but this George was good, too.
“How are you feeling?”
She gave a weak smile. Seeing him, she remembered she’d been with George playing pool when she’d fallen. It must’ve been quite a shock for him.
“I broke my hip.”
“That’s what they said. I told you not to take that shot with your cane. It’s dangerous.”
“You used your crutch. Fair is fair.”
He nearly grinned, which would’ve been a first. This George was as stingy with smiles as her husband had been.
“How’d you get here?” Vivian asked. The assisted-living place kept close tabs on everyone. Getting away without one of the staff noticing couldn’t have been easy.
“I signed myself out.”
Vivian hadn’t known she could do that. Anytime she’d left, it’d been with Susannah. “But how’d you get here?”
“Curious, aren’t you?”
Vivian laughed softly. “I should find out, in case I decide to make a break for it.”
This time he did smile and it cheered her immeasurably.
“Okay. I took the Altamira Shuttle. All you have to do is order it at the desk.”
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