by Lucia Black
“I’m scared to death for her,” Jolene admitted.
“You are?” I asked, surprised by the honesty. “You don’t look like you’re worried or scared at all. I’d be hyperventilating into a bag right now.”
She leaned back on the counter and folded her arms over her chest. “I’m not worried about me. I’ve never lived anywhere else, so moving to D.C. is going to be a helluva change. But that’s easy enough.” She paused for a moment. “She’s been shielded and protected her entire life. Hidden from not only her mother’s past, but her father’s family. This will knock that to hell and put her in the spotlight. If the media gets ahold of any of it . . .”
I sighed. “I only just learned all this, so I’m probably not much help. We can’t stop her from going into the spotlight. She’s Preston’s. He and Cal are on every major channel right now and will be for the foreseeable future. The media love to get involved in private lives. We’re coordinating with public relations. Hoping if we give the news outlets and tabloids just enough, they’ll be happy and won’t go digging. Everyone will do everything they can to keep the worst from happening. It’s all we can do.”
Jolene nodded. “And what about the Fitzgeralds? What if they decide they aren’t done punishing him yet and take it out on her?”
“I hope . . .” I swallowed, the words tasting bitter on my tongue. “I hope his family are happy with making sure he never saw her alive again and that they’ll leave it at that.”
She swiped her hand across her forehead and blew out a breath. “You don’t know his family like I do. I have no desire to go to jail, but I’ve considered it just to get even for what they’ve done.”
I barked a laugh.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “That’s probably not something I should admit. Not until you know me better.”
“Jolene, I have a feeling you’d mean it no matter when you said it,” I quipped.
I’d caught her off guard and she let out a deep laugh.
“It’s not untrue,” she said. “C’mon. Help me with the dishes, just-Tessa.”
I got up and went to help her, thinking for a split second that my family may have had some resources that would shut Preston’s family up. I shook the thoughts away, scared for a moment that it even occurred to me.
She handed me a dish to dry and asked, “Why are you here, anyway? I know Preston is your husband’s best friend and the vice president and all that, but this isn’t your circus.”
“Preston was with us when he got the call. He was a mess. He was practically running into things. Cal and I couldn’t let him go alone. We’re a family, the three of us.” For a fleeting moment, my heart swelled at the thought of us as a family. An empty ache quickly replaced it as my stomach twisted in sadness. I cleared my throat. “When you spend months on the road together, it’s family, you know? But when he told Cal what happened, or what he knew at the time—” I hesitated. I realized the words that were about to come out were foreign. I wanted to tell her about Luciana. I never wanted to talk about it, but for once, I felt comfortable in it. “Well, it hit home. I lost my twin sister to cancer when we were kids. I can relate to Libby’s loss in a way, and I can relate to Preston’s loss in a way. I didn’t want them to go through it alone.”
Jolene quietly patted me on the back. “Cancer sucks,” she said, causing me to laugh a little. “But I am glad you are in Libby’s life now.”
“Thanks. You’re the most important person in her life, so you saying that means a lot to me.” She might have been the most real person I’d ever met, and as a girl who always had a hard time making friends, she was a godsend to me too, not just Annabelle.
“Just know I mean it. I can tell you’re strong. I’ve seen you on TV for months now, and now knowing about your sister, Libby could use another strong female role model in her life.”
I smiled at the compliment, her approval meaning more to me than I could even understand.
Chapter 10
“What if I see a pegasus?” Libby asked.
She kept her face glued to the window of the plane for nearly the whole flight. Jolene said they’d flown before, but never private. That made the whole experience more magical to her. She knew what it was like to be herded into a tiny seat and told to sit still for hours. Not on Preston’s plane. Not ever again. Libby seemed to take to that lifestyle quite well. Who wouldn’t?
“If you see one, tell me immediately,” I said to Libby’s surprise.
Her eyes got all wide and she nodded solemnly. “I will.”
Jolene laughed from the seat beside her. “Now you’ve done it.”
The flight went by in a flash because of Libby’s wonder and charm for the situation. Just watching her excitement made all of us excited in return.
I was almost disappointed when we touched down in the city. Having a child around made everything brighter, more magical. Her blanket turned into a fort and fairies flew by the plane’s wings to keep up with her.
We gathered our things to exit the plane. I spotted Cal waiting on the tarmac. He leaned against one of the dark cars with a smile on his face and I couldn’t help but smile back.
I walked down the steps and went to greet him. Suddenly all the things that had happened came rushing forward. I felt my steps falter, and I looked down, playing it off that I’d maybe lost my balance on a rock or something under my shoe.
I’d slept with Preston. Without Cal’s permission. It wasn’t the same situation that it had been in the Bahamas when it was the three of us. This was so much more than sex. I loved them both. He had to know that. But he didn’t set this up. I did this on my own. Behind his back. Now it wasn’t just cheating. It was adultery. I knew I’d have to deal with it, but I didn’t realize the impact the guilt would have on me. Guilt for having done it . . . and guilt for knowing I didn’t actually regret it.
I walked into his embrace as he held me, kissing me on the head. I felt him rest his chin on my head as he kept his arms wrapped around me. “I missed you,” he whispered.
Add another tally into the ‘guilt for having done it’ column. Change the subject.
I looked up at him and did my best to smile. “Are you ready to meet her?”
Our hugging was interrupted by Preston clearing his throat as he walked toward us. We broke apart and I could feel the heat on my face. Did Preston see it as he walked up? What was he feeling as he watched me hug my husband? Are my mannerisms different around Preston now? Will everyone notice? The questions were going to spiral out of control.
He reached out for Cal’s hand, shaking it. “Thanks for meeting us here,” he said.
“Of course,” Cal said and nodded. “I wouldn’t be anywhere else.”
Jolene and Libby flanked Preston.
“Cal, this is my daughter, Libby.”
Cal smiled brightly at her and crouched down to her level. “Hello, Libby. I can’t tell you how pleased I am to meet you. I’m—”
“I know who you are,” Libby interrupted. “You’re Uncle Cal.”
A look I’d never seen before filtered across Cal’s face. It was a bittersweet look; a mixture of sadness, pain, and longing, but also joy. He smiled softly, looking at the miniature version of Annabelle. So many things must’ve been happening inside of him and I couldn’t decipher them. I didn’t know why he would feel that, or how, for once, he was rendered speechless.
“How do you know who he is?” I asked.
“Mommy showed me his pictures all the time. He’s my Uncle Cal,” she shrugged like she couldn’t understand why we wouldn’t know that, but I didn’t quite understand.
“This is Jolene,” I said to Cal. “She’s Libby’s best friend and nanny.”
Jolene smiled at that.
“It’s very nice to meet you, Jolene. Tessa has been telling me about you,” Cal said. He’d managed to find his composure again, reaching out to shake her hand.
“Likewise, Cal,” she said.
“It’s really cold here,” Libby said,
breaking the introductions. “Can we go?”
We looked to her sweet face and her little cheeks were turning pink. The winters were going to be a change for them. “Of course,” I said. “We’ll go right now. Let’s get you all warmed up in the car.”
“Right this way,” Cal said, bowing and extending an arm to let Libby lead the way to the waiting limo. Even our driver couldn’t help but to smile at her as he opened the door.
It wasn’t too long of a drive to Preston’s house. His family had their hands in New York real estate, and it showed. We pulled up to a phenomenal 19th century brownstone.
“Wow,” Jolene breathed. “It’s almost exactly as I imagined it to be.”
“Is that a good thing?” Preston asked
“Yes.”
We climbed out and Libby clung to Preston’s leg. I wasn’t sure if she was nervous, cold, or if she just wanted to be with him.
“This is going to be temporary, okay?” he said to her. “In less than a month, we’re moving to Washington D.C. You’ll have a big yard, with lots of room to run and play.”
“Do you know what a yard is good for?” Libby asked as we all followed Preston up the steps.
“What’s that?” Preston asked.
“A puppy.”
“Oh, no, Libby. Give your dad a minute before you start asking for things. Mind your manners, ma’am,” Jolene said.
I tried to stifle my laugh when Jolene shot a look at me. I mumbled to her, “I give the girl credit for knowing what she wants.” She sighed at me.
“I happen to like dogs. Jolene and I will talk about it, okay?”
It warmed my heart to see him as a dad and still including Jolene.
“Sounds like a plan,” Jolene agreed.
We continued down the central hall to the stairs at the back of the house and climbed a flight of stairs. Cal’s knuckles brushed against mine as we walked and then he clasped my hand. I held it back.
“This is your room, Jolene. It’s temporary, but we’ll take whatever we need to Washington. In the meantime, don’t hesitate to decorate or changed whatever you want.”
The room was tastefully done, but it lacked a personal touch of someone living in it. Three boxes of Jolene’s things already waited for her in the new room. She marveled at the space, looking at her en suite bathroom, then stopping when she came to another door.
“This is . . . wonderful,” she sighed. “Is this a door to Libby’s room?”
I poked my head through the door to Libby’s room and somehow ended up back in Tennessee. The room was nearly a replica of her room at her old house.
“What . . .” Libby trailed off in amazement. “Are these all my things? How’d they get here?”
Her bedding was exactly the same from the white, green, and yellow stars bedspread, to the lacey bed skirt, to the matching throw rug on the floor. I couldn’t say I remembered exactly what Libby’s room looked like, but I did remember the floor to ceiling shelf that was filled with ponies, and this room had just that.
“I took a picture of your room and sent it to a lady who is great at shopping. I told her it was really important to make this as close as possible until we get all your stuff here.”
Libby looked like she was glowing. Her smile was wide, and you could tell that it had an emotional impact on her, even if she didn’t truly understand why.
“That was really thoughtful of you, Preston,” Jolene said.
“I can’t believe you thought to do that,” I whispered, elbowing him, and giving him a nod of approval.
Libby wiped at her eyes as she strolled around the room, touching everything as she passed by. She sat down on the bed and sighed.
“I think it’s about time to take a rest,” Jolene suggested.
Libby eyed the pillow and nodded as Cal and I slowly backed out of the room.
“This is all so overwhelming,” I said, as we walked down the steps to the main floor.
“I know, but Preston seems to be handling it well. Was he okay on the trip?”
We made our way through the kitchen and back down the hall to a room that was probably a study. There were two couches in the room, so it seemed like a good place for all of us. I sat on the leather sofa and Cal sat closely next to me.
“Annabelle left him a letter,” I explained. “I guess she’d been sick for a while. When it got bad, she asked for him, but his parents never contacted him. When he read it, he was . . . pretty distraught.” Flashes of the passion between us and the memory of Preston’s body against mine made my skin warm.
“That’s understandable. The whole situation is awful. His family are experts at making things worse.” Cal wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer. “I don’t know what I’d do if I ever lost you.”
The guilt that washed over me and nearly caused me to drown.
As I opened my mouth to respond, Preston and Jolene walked in, having found us rather quickly after putting Libby down for a nap. They sat across from Cal and me on the matching sofa but kept more distance between them.
“What a day,” Preston said to no one in particular, running his hand through his hair and blowing out a breath.
“I know we have a long way to go until Libby feels secure, but I think today went really well so far,” Jolene said.
I nodded. “It seems like it. There’s still quite a bit to do for her too. We’ll have to decide about school enrollment. It’s holiday break right now, but we should consider hiring tutors until we find which school she’ll attend. Kids are resilient, or so I’m told, but this is a huge transition after a loss. She’ll need to start counseling and therapy to process it. Looking back, it’s something I wish my parents had done for me when my sister died.”
I didn’t want to take charge when she wasn’t my kid, but I also wanted nothing but the best for her. I had some experience in this area, and I planned on using every ounce of it.
“I’m on board with that,” Jolene said, looking to Preston and he nodded reassuringly “I’ve already asked her doctors to recommend and transfer her records, both her and in preparation for Washington. I’ll have them add a referral for that as well.”
“We’ll need a plan for how to handle this all with the media,” Preston said, looking to Cal. “I’m working on things with my family too, but I don’t think they’ll come forward with any of Annabelle’s history. It doesn’t look good for them. Libby is here, and they know it. Releasing negative details to the media won’t hurt Annabelle and keep us apart. Now it hurts them. If anything, I think they’ll do their best to hide it, so they aren’t connected to it.”
She shifted uncomfortably. “I’m not sure that’s enough,” she said. “Not after everything they’ve done so far.”
“I have a back-up, if that makes you feel better,” he said, a smirk on his face.
“What kind of back-up . . .” she asked, narrowing her eyes.
“Fighting fire with fire. I’m recording all of this. I have documented everything. They’re too arrogant to think twice about having these conversations. And I’ll use every avenue and resource I have to ruin their reputations. Picture it. The philanthropists that blackmailed a kindergarten teacher and threatened her amputee daughter. No. They’re going to keep their mouths shut,” he said with a satisfied and angry look in his eye.
“Strangely, that thought does makes me feel better.” Jolene visibly relaxed into the couch and slung her arm over the side.
“But,” Cal interjected, “that doesn’t mean we’re in the clear here. Any and all skeletons in even your closet could be brought up.”
He looked pointedly at Jolene. He didn’t have to ask her the question to get an answer.
“No worries here,” Jolene laughed. “What you see is what you get. My parents are accountants, and they’re boring. Their parents were boring, and even their parents were boring.”
I laughed. “I doubt that.”
“It’s true,” she said and shrugged. “Sassy and honest don’t mean you
’re exciting. It just means you don’t have time for bullshit.”
Cal dipped his head toward her and said, “Go on.”
“Go on and tell you how boring I am?” she asked with a cocked eyebrow. He nodded. “All right. I’ve lived in Tennessee my whole life, up until today, in fact. My parents are still married. They even like each other. Their house has a white picket fence, okay? I’ve had one ticket ever for speeding. Never arrested. Let’s see . . .” she mused. “I’ve never been married. I smoked a few joints in college, but it just made me sleepy and hungry and honestly, adulthood does that enough on its own, so it’s not something I enjoyed. I’m not a member of some underground sex club—but I’m not opposed to them either.” She smirked and winked at me. “Look guys, Libby is my world. If I had a skeleton in my closet, I’d tell you. The last thing I want to do is make this harder on her. In my past life, I was a teacher and worked with Annabelle. We are”—she paused at her mistake—“we were best friends. She needed help after Libby was born. Appointments and therapies, aside from the usual things that come with having a baby and working. She had enough money in that trust to never work again, but that wasn’t like her. She busted her ass to get ahead in life. She wasn’t giving that up. So, she asked me to move in with her and be her full-time nanny. When Libby was about two, she told me you were the father,” she said as she looked at Preston.
Preston shifted uncomfortably on the couch. “Jolene, I—”
She waved him off. “I know the whole story. You’re a good man, Preston. No worries there. Except that letter I sent. Don’t read it. There was a brief moment in time I thought you were an—never mind. The point is, I know the story. I don’t doubt the man you are.”
Preston pressed his lips together and nodded a thank you in her direction.
“Well, this is the best we could hope for,” Cal said. “We’re in this together now and it’s about to get messy. There can’t be any secrets.”
Secrets.
My eyes flicked to Preston, and he met my gaze. A fraction in time where we silently acknowledged the overwhelming secret between us.
