"I doubt there are a load of candidates for the position. I just don't know who it could be or who I could let...anyway, your parents took my baby without my permission. The home had no right to give him up!"
"You were under eighteen," Curtis said soothingly. "You were their charge."
"But they could have kept him. They do it for other girls. I didn't even get the chance to say goodbye to him. One moment I had him and then the nurses took him away. They said your parents were waiting outside. That was the first time I knew that they were going to give away my baby. I loved Sebastian from the first moment I saw him. I wanted him with me. He was my baby!"
She was getting passionate and upset again. Curtis shifted the subject smoothly.
"It's curious that you named him Sebastian." He turned into the upscale neighborhood where Hazel lived.
"Why is that?" Hazel asked. Her voice was wobbly after the emotional outburst. "It is a nice name."
"Yes, it is. My twin brother who died in childbirth was Sebastian," Curtis said grimly.
"When you insisted that your baby be called Sebastian my parents were quite happy to comply. Apparently, at the hospital you kept screaming, ‘I want Sebastian back; give me back my baby.’"
"And nobody listened to me." Hazel frowned, reliving the sense of hopelessness she had felt at the time. She dragged her mind from that and focused on Curtis. "That's a strange coincidence, though, with the names."
Curtis grunted. "I'd say."
Hazel looked out the car window and saw that he had made a wrong turn.
She glanced at him; his expression was slightly grim, as if he was remembering something distasteful.
"You made the wrong turn. I live on Palm Drive."
"I know where you live," Curtis said. "I live on Westchester Street. Right here."
He slowed the car in front of a large Mediterranean-style dwelling with a circular driveway in the front. There were small trees planted along the front lawn, which was obviously recently planted. They had not evened out yet there were still patches of dirt between them.
"It's nice. Your lawn will look gorgeous when the grass fills in." Hazel looked across at him. "We live pretty close to each other."
"Yes, I know." Curtis sighed. "That was a factor in me getting this place and renovating it. Besides, the location is good."
"So you really want me to be a part of Sebastian's life?" Hazel whispered hoarsely. "I must confess I was prepared for a fight with your parents, not this acceptance."
Curtis shrugged. "No need to fight; he's in my full care. He's my child, not theirs, and I am of the view that a boy needs his mother. It is my opinion that the softer side is important for a more balanced life."
"Why did they adopt him just to give him to you?" Hazel frowned. "Did they get tired of him or something?"
"No." Curtis tapped his fingers on the steering wheel as if he was considering how much to tell her. "My mom was diagnosed with stage three cancer when he was six months old. Luckily, they caught it early but she was in and out of hospital for a while. My mother is better now but having a new baby and dealing with a life-threatening illness was a huge strain on the two of them. I had just finished my internship at an architect’s firm so I took Sebastian soon after that."
"That's truly amazing." Hazel looked at him, a little glow in her eyes. "A twenty-four year old guy taking a baby. Really amazing. Don't you have other older siblings?"
"Yes, two brothers. They couldn't take Sebastian at the time, not that I asked. I lived with my aunt and uncle in Canada. I had more than enough help. They are a childless couple and they loved having Sebastian around."
"You must love kids, though, to have taken him," Hazel said. "Very unusual for a guy your age."
"I love him," Curtis said. "I don't know about kids in general; didn't know I loved kids till I met him. He's the best kid in the world. Having him around is like seeing life through new eyes. Children are really a blessing. So I know how you feel, okay?"
"Ah," Hazel smiled at him happily; it seemed as if her dark brown eyes were glowing. "So when can I meet him? I am dying to meet him. I have scores of pictures. I even had a detective follow the two of you once; he's a beautiful child."
Curtis couldn't help himself; he touched her cheek gently. You will soon. He is with my parents in Trinidad. We have a couple of restaurants there and they do a yearly checkup on the franchises. They will be back in a week. One of the perks of being home schooled is he can go anywhere at anytime. I intend to enroll him in school for the New Year, though. I think he needs to socialize with other children his age."
He didn't imagine it; she pressed her cheek into his palm firmly. He allowed his finger to run across her silken skin. A wave of longing rising up within him. He struggled to quash it.
He pulled away his hand jerkily and then cleared his throat.
"So now you know where I live. In time we can share the care of Sebastian. Unfortunately, I have a meeting with my partner, Brandon Blake. We worked together on a project in Canada. We still have some stuff to do on that job, but we just acquired offices in New Kingston and we have a new contract. We have to hit the ground running, I am afraid."
Hazel nodded. "Well, uhm, congrats."
She sounded disappointed, though, like she had wanted to talk to him some more. That did his heart good because he was more than curious about her. He wanted to get to know her properly.
He wanted to know why she had married the old Baron guy. Just when he had been on the verge of making his move to approach her last year she had upped and married the rich old man. She had set back his plans by a year. And he must admit that he had felt angry and disappointed at the time.
"We can get lunch together tomorrow," Curtis said smoothly. None of the emotions he was harboring showed in his voice. "Surely if we are going to share Sebastian we should get to know each other better."
"Yes. Definitely." Her eyes lit up again.
Curtis looked at her so long he forgot to start the car and drive off and drop her home.
Chapter Two
Hazel didn't waste anytime in calling her sisters when she got home. They were excited to hear that she was back and all three promised to be over in three hours. She walked around the town house restlessly. So many things were going on in her life right now she had to put them into perspective.
She was rich beyond belief. She had access to her son without having to fight for him and Caitlin had a ridiculous theory that she was a Benedict. She had managed to bury that piece of information for the past two weeks. Now that she was back in Jamaica she couldn't avoid it. It was worth it to investigate at least, so that she could put the niggling thread of doubt that Caitlin had injected into her consciousness to rest, but what if Caitlin was wrong?
She would have stirred up years of repressed longing in Hazel. The kind of longing to know where she had come from. It had almost consumed her before but she had handled it, tamed the beast, and convinced herself that she didn't care.
She closed her eyes. There was that and then there was the mammoth, overwhelming attraction to Curtis Decker. He had in essence raised her son so far. That alone would have qualified him to be a hunk but added to his paternal role in her child's life, he was sexy beyond belief, especially with those hooded eyes.
She sank down in an overstuffed chair in the living room. The place was filled with chunky dark furniture and was outfitted to accommodate Baron's wheelchair. It still smelled like him, a combination of coffee and rubbing alcohol.
She was going to have to air out the place, redecorate it, and replace the smell of death that seemed to cling to the very pores of the place. She had to make it homely and alive.
She couldn't believe that it was really all hers now. She was going to allow the house to live up to its true potential. It should be light and airy and kid-friendly because she could finally make a life with her son.
Curtis promised her that he would share Sebastian with her.
She was going
to get to meet her son and maybe share him with Curtis in the short run. She allowed the news to sink in and a few tears gathered behind her eyelids. This was like all the prayers that she had ever prayed had come true. She was blessed beyond measure.
Except for her memory loss, everything couldn't be more perfect. She couldn't be happier!
She was going to have to find some time to really plan how she was going to spend her newly-acquired wealth as well. One thing was for sure, her sisters and Kenzy would be getting a chunk of it whether they liked it or not, and then she'd give some to Patricia, not that Patricia would want it.
And of course she would give some to Matron Nash and she would contribute to Magnolia House, maybe she could set up several Magnolia Houses all over Jamaica.
And she would travel.
And open a restaurant or ten. She could fulfill her dreams of finally cooking up some delicious dishes that she had always dreamed of and she would pay to learn at the feet of the great chefs.
She was sure she had a huge smile on her face when Mrs. Petry cleared her throat at the entrance of the living room.
"Mrs. Baron, there is a phone call for you."
Hazel unhurriedly cracked one of her eyes open. Why rush? It was not every day that one got to be happy.
Mrs. Petry held up the cordless phone in her hands apologetically. "One of the lawyers."
Hazel groaned. "Jamaica or US?"
"Jamaica. It's Mr. Goldman."
"Okay." Hazel took the phone from Mrs. Petry and answered it cautiously. She was always nervous around Baron's lawyers. They were terribly efficient and she felt as if they barely tolerated her because Baron had ascribed wife status to her.
Mr. Goldman cleared his throat. "Mrs. Baron. We have a problem."
"What is it?" Hazel sat up straight. Mr. Goldman's tone of voice indicated that she shouldn't be slouching.
"The lawyer that represents Mr. Baron's interest in the US said that it has come to his attention that there are two other wills. Newer ones. Apparently in the earlier part of this year Mr. Baron had a change of heart and divided up his fortune differently from when he had just married you."
"What?" Hazel asked, alarmed. "The will was just read earlier today!"
"But that was the one from last year, the one that we did. The newest wills he left in two different safety deposit boxes. We are awaiting the authentication of the newer versions."
"So what does that mean for me?" Hazel whispered. She felt as if she had gone from rich to poor in a matter of hours.
"Well, you are still mentioned in both of the newer versions that the lawyers faxed over. Your cash sum has been drastically reduced in both of the newer versions: in one of them you get only half a million dollars and in the other a hundred thousand dollars. His personal fortune was divided up equally among his family members so their sums were increased infinitesimally.
“The apartment is yours and the vehicles, no need for them to be willed. We made sure of that. The rest of his holdings in Jamaica, he left to his grandson Hank Baron. I can assure you, Mrs. Baron, that we will get to the bottom of this."
Hazel thanked the lawyer and hung up, her head spinning. Five hundred thousand dollars was still a lot of money to her—even a hundred thousand. That was more in line with what she had thought that she would receive anyhow.
She felt almost weightless. Apparently knowing that she had inherited so much money had weighed her down. She actually felt lighter now.
It was nice to consider herself a near billionaire but she wouldn't know what to do with so much money anyhow and she didn't want the responsibility.
It was still a good day. She was going to be involved in her son's life. She had an apartment and two cars. It wasn't a bad deal.
*****
"Tell me," Caitlin said as soon as she entered the townhouse. "How was it?"
"No," Brigid said, walking in behind her, "not how was it, how much are you worth?" And then added belatedly, "My condolences for your loss."
Hazel grinned. "Thank you, at least you remembered to add that bit. Let’s wait for Casey. I don't want to repeat the story."
"You." She grabbed Caitlin's hand and looked at the big rock on her engagement finger. "Tell me about you. You have bigger news than me. Obviously, Todd is not a murderer. You are as pleased as punch and engaged. I was only gone for three weeks!"
Caitlin settled in a chair and shuffled in her bag for a print copy of November's Lux Women. "Here it is, the story."
She handed the magazine to Hazel who took it from her. Todd was on the cover of the magazine, handsome and smiling. Todd Taylor, Dream Guy Material.
Hazel admired the magazine cover. "Ah, nice picture."
"Yup, I think so," Caitlin said. "You can read it. The person who really killed his wife and tried to kill me is in police custody."
"Sweet justice," Brigid chimed in. "Caity is an honest-to-goodness dreamer and we will never doubt her again."
"Speak for yourself, Brigid," Hazel said sharply. "I have doubted this Benedict story that Caity has from the moment I heard it."
"Well, technically I didn't dream that you are Helen's child," Caitlin said. "It is just a hunch. A coincidence that is just waiting to be explored. If you are willing you can go and have the DNA test done at Sunrise Medical. We can clear up whether it is ridiculous or not. Nick is willing to test your and Helen's DNA. He got a swab from her without protest."
"It's ridiculous!" Hazel shifted in the settee and looked between the girls in amazement. "I can't even articulate how far out in left field this is. Helen's baby was born dead or something."
"Don't be scared, Hazel. You are protesting from a sense of fear," Brigid said softly. "It's worth a shot to take the stupid test. You know you want the truth."
"No, I don’t," Hazel said stubbornly. "I sort of like being the only one who is truly mysterious. Found on the steps of a shopping mall. I am anonymous."
Caitlin snorted. "Yeah, right. You were always the first one who was willing to play guess the parents with us at Magnolia House. Remember when you were convinced that your real mother was Diana Ross?"
Brigid roared with laughter. "It was the hair!"
Hazel opened her mouth to protest, and then thought better of it. For a little while when she was around thirteen years old she had gotten extremely restless about her lack of identity.
She had been almost manic with it. She had wanted to know who her parents were. She had struggled to hide it from her sisters because Casey was going through the same thing as well, and she wanted to be strong for her.
It had been important to her that she seemed as if she didn't care as much about her identity at the time; she thought of it as being supportive of Casey and she hadn't wanted to seem as vulnerable. After all, at the time it had seemed as if Casey was in a worse situation: her throat had been slashed and she was left for dead with no family to claim her.
But then when she entered high school and became close to Kenzy, whose family were as tight as it was possible to be, she had gone through an acute yearning to know who her parents were. She had now gotten over that stage. She didn't care anymore.
"Liar!" Brigid said, jerking Hazel out of her little reverie.
Hazel looked at Brigid sharply. "You have no idea what I was thinking so you can't call me a liar."
Brigid snorted. "You were thinking that you don't want to know, but I say that you are lying to yourself…again. We have been here before, remember?"
The security buzzer went off, signaling that someone was at the gate, and Hazel picked up the phone gratefully. The security officer on the other end of the phone told her that Casey was at the gate
"Send her in," Hazel said. She flashed Brigid a sour look. Brigid grinned in response.
She put down the phone and cracked her knuckles. "Well, maybe I want to know who my parents are, but at the same time I don't. I don't know if I want it to be Helen Benedict. It would be too... too..."
"Weird," Brigid said dro
lly, "totally crazy that the orphanage you lived in was owned by your own family."
"There is that," Hazel sighed, "and then there is the fact that all the Benedicts that we have ever met would actually be my family members."
Caitlin chuckled. "So? That's not an issue. I am sure that they will be happy to find out that you are really family, especially Helen. She will be over the moon happy. Maybe who knows, finding you might cure her, er, mental issues."
"Or at least make her less of what she is," Brigid piped in. "Look at how happy you were when you were approached by what's-his-name about Sebastian."
"His name is Curtis." Hazel jumped up when she heard the front door buzzer. "Okay. I'm going to let in Casey. I have news to tell you about Sebastian. Since we are on that topic."
By the time she let in Casey and they rehashed Helen's story, Hazel was practically jittery.
"Okay already," she said to her sisters. "I will go and do the DNA test, just to prove your little theory wrong."
"Or right." Caitlin chimed in. "I made an appointment for you tomorrow at eight in the morning. That was the only time Nick had available to do it. He has surgery for most of the day and he promised to have the lab technicians fast track the test."
Hazel rolled her eyes. "Fine. Why we had this long drawn out discussion, when you had already made arrangements, is beyond me. The DNA test will prove your theory wrong and I can go back to being Hazel Brown, abandoned baby, parents unknown. Anyway, enough of that. I have the most fabulous news."
"The old man left you a million dollars," Brigid piped in.
"No," Hazel said impatiently, "he left me half a billion. That's not the news, though. I..."
"Hold up." Casey whistled hoarsely, "Say that again."
Hazel groaned. "Five hundred million dollars."
Caitlin leaned toward her. "Is it possible that one person can actually have that much cash lying around? It boggles the mind."
Just Like Yesterday Page 2
