One Step Away (Hazel Green Book 2)

by Cindy Kirk

  Matt appeared in the archway. “He interrogated Tenley. I was there. I heard every question.”

  “Wells,” Tim motioned to his eldest son, “tell them I didn’t interrogate Tenley Phillips.”

  “You interrogated every girl we brought home.” A smile lifted Wells’s lips. “I was worried how Dani would take the inquisition, but she adored you.”

  “We adored her, too.” Tim’s voice sounded rusty, and he cleared his throat.

  A voice from the living room called out, “I’m here. I hope I’m not too late.”

  Lilian stepped into the room with all the aplomb of an actress making her stage entrance, and the subject of interrogation was forgotten.

  The evening chugged along like a train on well-oiled tracks. They ate and talked about inconsequential things. Nell enjoyed visiting with Marty and Lilian and demonstrating her braiding skills on Sophie’s hair.

  The conversation remained easy and focused on Hazel Green events until it was nearly time to leave.

  It was Lilian who brought up the elephant in the room. “How are things going for Steve?”

  Nell was on the sofa next to Leo, his arm slung over her shoulders. She felt the arm behind her head tense.

  “Nothing new on that front.” Tim kept his tone light. “The press coverage had settled to a dull roar before Stanley Britten started stirring things up.”

  Gloria had once hit her with a board in her stomach and knocked all the air from her lungs. Nell remembered that feeling. She felt that same way now.

  “I don’t recognize that name.” Lilian frowned. “Is he another senator?”

  “Stan is a lobbyist,” Wells answered. “One who’s had a lot of contact with Steve. He even helped him draft some legislation.”

  “Why is this guy stirring things up?” Matt asked.

  The same question was burning a hole in Nell’s tongue.

  “I’m not sure.” Tim’s voice turned grim. “But he’s doing everything he can to somehow imply that I had direct involvement in taking the bribes.”

  Leo met his father’s gaze. “Do you think he’s trying to divert attention from himself?”

  “The thought has crossed my mind,” Tim admitted.

  Nell forced herself to breathe. In and out. In and out.

  She’d never done a search to see what Stanley Britten was up to all these years later. The truth was, she hadn’t wanted to know how her actions might have influenced the course of his life.

  The man causing trouble for Tim could be someone who just happened to have the same name. Somehow, Nell didn’t think she’d be so lucky.

  “Forget about Stanley.” Tim shifted his gaze to Nell. “I’d like to spend some time this evening getting to know Nell better.”

  “Be afraid,” Matt uttered in a ghoulish voice. “Be very afraid.”

  Everyone laughed.

  Nell slanted a glance at Leo, and the look in his eye was as steady as the hand he settled on her shoulder.

  He had her back.

  She had nothing to fear.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Leo waited until they were nearly to Nell’s apartment to bring up his father. The truth was, he was still reeling from everything Nell had told him today.

  The fact that she had felt she could share such painful, private memories deeply touched him. She certainly didn’t deserve to be interrogated by his father. “Sorry about my dad.”

  He didn’t know what to think when Nell chuckled. “He was fine. His choice of questions surprised me.”

  “The fact that they steered more toward business than personal?”

  “Yes. I’d expected the opposite.”

  It had surprised Leo, too, but listening to Nell talk with such passion about her child-advocacy work had told his father a lot about who she was as a person.

  “He’s a nice man.” Nell made a face. “I hate it that someone is trying to stir up more trouble for him.”

  “Stan Britten is an ass.”

  Surprise skittered across her face. “You know the guy?”

  “I met him one time when I was in DC. My dad and I were going to lunch, and Stan stopped by for a meeting with Steve when we were on our way out the door.” Leo paused, as if searching for the right words. “He was arrogant and full of his own self-importance. Even though our encounter only lasted a few minutes, that came through loud and clear.”

  “Do you think he’s involved in the bribery stuff?”

  “It wouldn’t surprise me.” Leo took her hand and gave it a swing. “Thanks for coming with me tonight.”

  “You have a lovely family.”

  “They like you.” The thought made him happy. He was close to his parents and brothers. If Nell was going to be a permanent part of his life—

  The thought slapped him upside the head.

  A permanent part of his life.

  He realized he’d started to think of Nell in those terms. The realization was both exciting and a bit frightening.

  “—Hazel’s diary.”

  Leo pulled his thoughts back to the conversation. “The diary you got at auction.”

  “I’ve been reading bits of it every night. It’s fascinating.” A smile lifted Nell’s lips. “The entry I read most recently was written when Jasper Pomeroy first introduced her to Richard Green.”

  He slanted a sideways glance. “Was it love at first sight, the way everyone in town believes?”

  “I’m not sure if it was instant love, but it seemed as if there was definite interest from the start on both sides.”

  “I wonder how long it took Hazel to sleep with Richard,” Leo mused.

  “I’m not sure she did. At the turn of the twentieth century, sex between unmarried couples was frowned upon.”

  “Hazel was a stage performer when Richard met her,” he reminded her.

  “I know, but a Chautauqua speaker wasn’t the same as, say, someone on the vaudeville stage.” Nell’s brows pulled together. “I’m not sure why she saw herself as unsuitable for him.”

  “She thought she was unsuitable?”

  “That’s what she said. Hopefully as I read on, I’ll know more.”

  “At least we already know that their story ended happily.”

  “Yes, from everything I’ve read, they were very well-suited and extremely happy, despite her fears.”

  “Which only goes to show that sometimes we worry about nothing.” Unable to keep from touching Nell, Leo slid a hand down her arm. She was so soft, yet so tough. “In the end, love prevails and everything works out.”

  “I think it can.” She met his gaze. “With the right person.”

  It was him.

  Nell stared at her computer screen at the images of the boy she’d known all those years ago. Stanley Britten, the lobbyist who was causing all sorts of trouble for Leo’s dad, was the same geeky high school junior she’d played for a fool.

  The second Leo had left her apartment, Nell had done a search. Stan hadn’t been difficult to find. In addition to a successful career, she discovered he was married and had a couple of kids.

  She exhaled a shaky breath. She hadn’t destroyed his life, after all. It appeared the episode that had loomed so large in her head the past fifteen years had been merely a blip to him.

  It was just that Stanley had been so intense. He had been one of those boys who’d taken any little slight to heart.

  His parents, wonderful people, would have been angry and disappointed in him. Not that she thought he’d confess his inadvertent role in the robbery and arson, but they’d have known someone had to give the thief the combination to the safe. The Britten home had been protected by a top-rated security system. Police had determined that whoever had broken in had had the code.

  When Nell, her mother and brother had simply left town shortly after the burglary and arson, Stanley had to have realized that the girl he’d trusted and considered a friend had played him.

  Nell dropped her head into her hands.

  When she’d
told Leo some of her secrets, he hadn’t run screaming into the night. But anyone could sympathize with a child who’d been abused, or a ten-year-old who’d done whatever was necessary to feed herself and her little brother.

  But a seventeen-year-old was almost a woman, nearly an adult. At that age, a girl knew right from wrong. Yet, Nell had continued to do her mother’s bidding. She’d lied, cheated and stolen.

  The scams and cons had been exciting, like a game. Until they hadn’t been.

  Would Leo understand her behavior, her desire to please her crazy mother, when she didn’t fully understand it herself? Would he question her character? Would he feel she’d played him by not being completely honest from the very beginning?

  He’d been puzzled that she hadn’t told him Dixon was her brother.

  No matter how painful, or how much he insisted she didn’t need to tell him everything, she had to do it before they got any closer. Nell reassured herself that she hadn’t crossed any invisible lines tonight or gone down any roads she couldn’t exit.

  She hadn’t proclaimed undying love. She’d merely told Leo she liked him.

  Like was really such an innocuous word. Friends liked each other. You could like someone whom you only recently met. It didn’t mean anything, really.

  What had he said? Sometimes we worry about nothing.

  She hoped she was wrong. But she feared that once he had all the facts, he would see that continuing their relationship would put his political aspirations at risk.

  Nell sighed, closed the laptop and picked up Hazel’s diary. Just holding the leather-bound book steadied her. Reading another woman’s intimate thoughts was a privilege, one that Nell didn’t take lightly.

  Nell had done extensive research on the woman. She admired Hazel, and the last thing she wanted was for the woman’s diary to fall into the wrong hands.

  No matter how decent and honorable the person, Nell firmly believed that everyone had done things they regretted or had had unkind thoughts toward others. So far, nothing in the passages she’d read had jumped out at her. But Nell had no doubt she’d discover things Hazel would have preferred to keep hidden.

  Hazel could count on Nell’s discretion. If anyone knew how to keep secrets, it was her.

  Nell opened the diary.

  Chautauqua, New York 1900

  On this night I once again brought Abraham Lincoln to life. He is a man much admired, and each time I speak the words he once spoke, I strive to do justice to him. No matter how many times I say the words, “All men are created equal,” it always fills me with a sense of melancholy. As it was in 1863 when Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address, equality for people of color and for women remains a pipe dream in the distance.

  I like knowing President Lincoln rose from humble beginnings to the highest office in the land. He not only made a difference in the lives of those around him, but for many he would never meet.

  I strive to make a difference, to uplift those in the audience with my impersonations of great people, both men and women.

  This life is a solitary one, but we often meet interesting people. There was a man in the audience with whom I am casually acquainted. Jasper Pomeroy is a successful businessman who frequently attends performances. This evening, he brought a friend and made the introductions after my performance.

  Richard Green is the man’s name, and if Jasper is to be believed, Mr. Green is a world-renowned architect. He seemed a genial fellow and appeared truly interested in my performances. We conversed for the longest time, until Jasper reminded Mr. Green that they had an event to attend.

  I was startled when Mr. Green brought my hand to his lips for a kiss and promised to return for another performance. When he lifted his head, his eyes met mine for a moment, and something passed between us.

  It is odd how a simple look from a stranger could set my heart aflutter. He is a charming fellow and very handsome indeed with dark hair and beautiful brown eyes that hold a twinkle.

  I find myself hoping that he will return, though I’m not sure why. Not only do Mr. Green and I live in far different worlds, my humble past would make me unacceptable for a man of his standing.

  Yet, despite all this, I hope he will come again.

  H.

  Nell reread the sentence, My humble past would make me unacceptable for a man of his standing.

  Still, Richard and Hazel had married and had a long and happy life together. Which meant that whatever had happened in her past either wasn’t as horrible as she’d believed, or she never told her husband.

  Was it possible, Nell wondered, for a woman to find happiness while keeping a secret past from her husband? Closing the diary, Nell set the book aside. There was only one course of action she could embrace.

  She needed to tell Leo everything about her past…including her connection to Stanley Britten.

  If she lost Leo, there would be only one person to blame.

  Herself.

  Monday morning, Nell leaned back in her desk chair and stared out the window. She loved summer in Hazel Green, with the large leafy green trees and the colorful flowers. Today, a bright blue cloudless sky and a brilliant sun sweetened the picture.

  Her court case this morning, an adoption of a foster child into a loving home, had been momentarily satisfying. But as soon as she’d returned to her office, her mood had turned somber.

  Nell had yet to reopen Hazel’s diary to read about the progression of her romance with the prominent architect.

  Hazel had been confident enough to join her life to a man with a past so different from hers. Not that Nell had to follow in Hazel’s footsteps. She charted her own course. She always had, always would.

  But each time she thought about confessing all to Leo, panic clawed at her throat. That pissed her off.

  The intercom on her desk buzzed, and she jumped.

  “Ms. Ambrose, Toby Gillenford is here.”

  Nell swiveled in the chair and expelled a breath. “Send him in.”

  She was around the desk and standing when the gawky teen entered the room.

  Seventeen-year-old Toby was tall—nearly six-two—and skinny. His reddish-brown hair, wiry as a Brillo Pad, looked as if he’d cut it himself. His glasses, with unremarkable brown frames, were also nondescript. Blemishes dotted his cheeks.

  The eyes that met hers as he crossed the room held a sharp intelligence. Nell had liked the boy from the moment he’d shown up unannounced at her office door. She admired his courage in coming forth and trying to work through the system, rather than simply running away.

  “Have a seat, Toby.” Nell gestured to the chairs she’d grouped for conversation, although it was best to speak with some clients from behind the desk.

  This wasn’t one of those times. She didn’t want any more distance between her and the boy. Especially when she had difficult news to discuss.

  When the boy lowered his lanky frame into one of the chairs, she sat in the other.

  “What’s the verdict?”

  This was another thing she liked about Toby. Good or bad, he wanted the news straight.

  “I approached your mother again about the emancipation.”

  “It’s not happening.” There was a hint of defeat in Toby’s voice that hadn’t been there the previous times they’d talked. While he had to know this would be the likely outcome, the boy had remained remarkably upbeat.

  There wasn’t anything Toby could have done differently. He worked full time as a dishwasher at Matilda’s and had the income to support himself, though certainly not on any grand scale. A couple of older friends who’d graduated from high school last year had offered him the sofa in their apartment at a price he could afford.

  Despite all the hours he worked, he’d kept his grades up and was on track to graduate with his class next May.

  “She absolutely will not give her consent,” Nell admitted.

  “The thing is, I don’t know how much more I can take.” Toby met Nell’s gaze. “You know what she’s like. Wh
at would you do?”

  “I’d keep the job. I know it’s a lot with school, but the less you’re in the house, the better.”

  He nodded agreement.

  Nell tapped a finger against her lips and thought for a second. “Does she still wait up for you?”

  Toby nodded and blew out a breath. “I try to sneak in, but she always hears me. I could stay with Jake and Ty.”

  Jake and Ty were his friends who had the apartment with the sofa bed.

  “You know what will happen if you do.”

  “Just like the other times, she’ll call the cops and say I ran away.”

  “You don’t want to go into detention.” Nell had been in one of those youth facilities for a couple of days. She’d been fifteen, and her mother had wanted to teach her a lesson.

  “I can’t stay with her.” Toby surged to his feet and began to pace. “Dad sees what she’s like, but he won’t interfere.”

  Nell understood. The men in her mother’s life had never lifted a finger to help her. She and Toby had talked about having child protective services intervene, but he didn’t trust the system to protect him from his mother’s psychological torture.

  “The problem is, she appears normal in her outside life. She has a good job at the bank, and people think she’s wonderful. It’s only at home that the crazy comes out.” His half laugh held only despair. “Her friends and coworkers think I’m this ungrateful, horrible son, because that’s what she tells them.”

  Nell tapped the pen she hadn’t realized she still held against her skirt.

  “You know what she did last night? While I was at work, she went into my room and trashed it. When I got home, she told me we needed to have a talk about me respecting my things.” Toby’s expression turned bleak. “I know if I said anything to anyone, they’d believe her, not me.”

  “Why do you think she trashed your room?”

  Toby paused his pacing and dropped back into the chair. He raked a hand through his bushy mop of hair. “Because she can. Because she’s pissed about this emancipation thing, even though she got her way. She thinks it makes her look bad that I went to an attorney.”