Battling Destiny (The Piper Anderson Series Book 6)

by Danielle Stewart

  “Next to nothing.” Jules shrugged, still angry with herself for being so blindly in love she’d ignored her own instincts about something being wrong. “But I know Michael and his father have the same name. He never uses the title, but I saw on some paperwork that he’s Michael Joseph Cooper, Jr., so his father must be Senior.

  Bobby typed again and his already downturned mouth drew even lower. “I found his father. The family lives in Cincinnati. Shit,” he mouthed.

  “What?” Jules asked shooting upright then sitting back down on the couch. “What is it? Just tell me.”

  “His father was a senator for eight years. Then became a lobbyist and philanthropist. The family is . . .”

  “Is what?”

  “Loaded. Like mansion and sports cars rich. His mother’s name is Tabitha and his sister is Josephine.” Bobby spun the phone so Jules could see the photo from the newspaper article written about the untimely death of such a great man.

  Jules lost her breath for a moment as she stared at the pictures. There were three. One was of a man who looked so similar to Michael, just older, that it made her want to cry again. She couldn’t tell if it was because she so desperately missed Michael’s face or if it was knowing this man was dead now. The second picture was of Michael’s mother and father standing in front of an enormous white house with a pillared porch and glossy front steps. Between them was the sweetest looking young woman with rosy cheeks in a gorgeous floral dress. This was Michael’s little sister, Josephine. She favored her mother, both of them with long, blond hair full of carefully sculpted waves, meant to look effortless but clearly taking time to create so beautifully. Their eyes were bright emeralds that lit up their whole face. The joy that came through in this picture made Jules ache for their loss and wonder why Michael had kept them from her. They looked like perfectly wonderful people.

  Then as she looked at the third picture it all became clear. She looked at the picture of a much younger Michael, his hair longer and his face thinner, his body lacking the muscle he carried with him today. There he stood, his father’s arm around him as they leaned on a brand new cherry-red car that probably cost more than the house they were sitting in front of and all the cars in the driveway combined. The smile on Michael’s face was so large and the pride in his father’s eyes so apparent. Behind them was another angle of their sprawling and gorgeously landscaped home. Their clothes were pristine and designer. They were wealthy, likely incredibly so. It was clear now. There was nothing wrong with these people, no reason to hide them from her. It was her he was hiding. She didn’t fit at all into the world she was seeing in these pictures. He’d never want to bring someone like her home to a family of such prominence.

  “Maybe we shouldn’t go,” she said, sucking in a deep breath. “It looks like the life he has out there doesn’t really go with the life I have. He must be embarrassed by me.”

  “Shut your mouth,” Betty cut in as she tossed the dishtowel at Jules. “You are the best thing that ever happened to that man. If that’s the reason he’s been keeping you separate from his past then go find out and realize he’s a fool. But know there ain’t no amount of money in the world can make a bad person good. If you’ve got an ugly heart you can’t buy a new one. But a good person is worth his weight in gold. You’re plenty good enough for him and his family.”

  “I’m sure that’s not it, Jules,” Piper said, reaching across Bobby and taking Jules’s hand. “We’ll get to the bottom of it.”

  Frankie let out a cry Jules knew meant she was hungry, and though she was exhausted she stood up and lifted the baby to her hip. “I’ve got to feed her.” She stepped out of the room and heard a set of footsteps behind her.

  “Let me hold her while you make something,” Bobby said as he opened his arms to the baby who gladly reached out to be received.

  “Thanks,” Jules said, handing the baby over. “But I think I should get used to doing it on my own. I might be alone from now on.”

  Bobby kissed the top of Frankie’s head and then pulled Jules to him, planting an identical kiss through her mop of messy red hair. “No matter what you find there, you will never be in this alone. I love you, and I love this baby. I’m sorry you’re going through this, but don’t for a second worry that you’ll have to fly solo. You and Frankie will always have me.”

  While his words brought her comfort, nothing could fill the cavernous sinkhole of fear that opened up the moment Michael left. She didn’t want to live a single day without her husband. She didn’t want her daughter to suffer the same fate she had and have to live for even a moment without her father. Bobby was a loyal and proven friend whom she loved dearly, but nothing would replace her husband. And no matter how tough she was trying to act, that reality was too powerful to ignore. She needed Michael.

  Chapter Two

  Michael rolled the paper program in his hand over and over again as he wondered how many people in the room could decipher the lies from the truth regarding his late father. Friends and acquaintances strode up to the podium at his father’s funeral and, with somber faces, told stories of the man’s generosity, his brilliant business mind, and his loyalty. When someone died it wasn’t uncommon for him to become saint-like in the eyes of the living, but surely his father was so far from that for anyone to take this seriously. Michael wondered if they were fools or just as good at being despicable liars as his father was.

  Though he was nearly drowning under his callus feelings, he could already see himself slipping back into his family’s world. He’d shaken a thousand hands, accepted condolences, and acted as though he gave a shit about the bastard in the casket at the front of the church right now. Like an actor transforming into an old familiar part, he was following the script laid out before him. It all came back to him like water over a dam the moment he’d seen his mother. She was always perfectly polished. Her designer dress and styled hair, the glimmering jewelry, and today, the black pillbox hat with a small veil covering half her face. Being back in her glamorous presence turned him back into the person she taught him to be. Fake.

  As the last person stepped away from the microphone, his mother’s threatening glare forced him to go up. He’d told her at least ten times he didn’t want to speak. He’d let her decide what story she would spin to explain away his silence. She could blame it on overwhelming grief or laryngitis for all he cared. But like usual, in the presence of a crowd, she’d ignored what Michael said and put him on the spot. Every weepy eye in this church was focused on him now, and though his brain was filled with blazing curse words, his legs still carried him obediently to the podium.

  “Thank you all so much for gathering here with us today,” Michael croaked out as he worked to find his voice. Closing his eyes for a moment, his mind wandered to the courtroom, the place he always felt comfortable speaking, and he tried to channel that. “I see so many familiar faces along with some new ones.” Scanning the room he took stock of how ridiculous all of this was. He spotted a former business partner who’d been sold out by his father and ended up serving two years in prison as a result. There were two former secretaries who had turned quickly into mistresses. The years hadn’t been great to either of them and his father would likely not give them a second look were he alive today. “What can I say about my father?” Michael began slowly, hoping someone might stand up and give him that answer.

  What special memories did he have of his father? There were no games of catch in the yard to speak of. Michael couldn’t think of a single time his father had attended any of his hockey practices. So like a good Cooper, he lied. “My father and I traveled frequently together. One trip to Paris in particular always resonates with me. As we ate at a little café my father began speaking to a waiter named Mel. He was a young kid with tired eyes who was covering a couple dozen tables like a pro. Mel was nineteen; he’d lost his parents in a car accident the previous summer and was now helping to care for his two younger siblings. He was determined to keep them all together. My father list
ened intently to this story and made sure Mel knew how impressed he was with not only his good intentions but how professional he was. When our meal was over my father pulled a roll of bills from his pocket and laid the equivalent of one thousand US dollars on the table. On the back of his business card he wrote a note. If you would like to contact me I would be happy to interview you for a job with one of my Parisian partners.

  “I remember sitting there thinking how much this would change Mel’s life and how my father had done this without a second thought. He saw someone who deserved a chance, and he didn’t hesitate to offer it to him. That’s how I choose to remember my father,” Michael said as he took in a deep breath and lowered his head as though he were gathering himself. In truth, he was trying to swallow down the true version of that story. Mel was actually Melanie. The scenario with her parents was the same but the job his father was offering her was far less admirable than how Michael had portrayed it in his story. Later on that trip to Paris he would see Melanie sneaking out of his father’s hotel room, her clothes disheveled and her hair a mess. Nothing about the note his father had left had been rooted in generosity. His father did nothing without getting something in return. But that story wouldn’t have set well with the mourning crowd.

  Michael stepped down from the podium feeling as though he was caging a scream and, at any moment, it would break free. He moved past his seat and went right for the door of the church, knowing if he didn’t get some fresh air in his lungs he’d burst. When he pushed the heavy wooden door with the stained glassed window open he felt like he’d just come up too fast from a scuba dive. His head was spinning and the pain in his chest was shockingly sharp. He moved around the side of the church to a bench in a clearing near statues of playing children.

  “A hard day isn’t it, son,” Father Diplin asked as he walked up behind Michael, scaring him half to death. He’d been the family’s priest for as long as Michael could remember, and back before everything Michael believed in was destroyed, he’d had great admiration for the church and Father Diplin.

  “Sorry I stepped out, Father, I just needed some air.”

  “Who wouldn’t on a day like today? Burying your father is never easy,” he offered as he took a seat on the bench next to Michael and adjusted his white collar slightly.

  “Yes, it’s hard to sit in there.” Michael didn’t finish that sentence by admitting the hypocrisy in the church had him fleeing for fresh air. He couldn’t meet the priest’s eyes, so he stared down at the shoes his mother had left out for him this morning. From the corner of his eye he could still see the white beard and big gold-rimmed glasses of the man who didn’t seem to be leaving.

  “I’d imagine it’s hard to look at all those people and not want to scream the truth. If they all knew the real man your father was, do you think there would be so many people in there today?” Father Diplin’s warm and level voice shot through Michael like a lightning bolt, drawing his gaze right back to the man’s face so their eyes were locked on each other. “I’m not blind, son, nor am I deaf. I took your father’s confession once a month for the last twenty years. I likely know more about what he’s done than you do. I am a man of God, and I have a responsibility to his flock. Your father was a member of this church and my duty was to guide and support him. But if I had been in your position,” he hesitated as he squeezed down on Michael’s shoulder, “I’d have run for the hills, too. You may not know it but I’ve kept up on your story. You’re living in a little town practicing law now and really helping people. You’re the honorable man here today. I know that. God knows that, too. It’s admirable that you’ve come back to pay your respects and care for your mother, but listen to me closely, son, the first chance you get, go back to your life. There is nothing here for a man like you.”

  All Michael could muster was a nod of his head and a blink of his wide and shocked eyes. The priest stood, a little spring in his step and a casual whistle on his lips, and headed back toward the entrance of the church. The validation he’d just given Michael was greater then any condolence or fake sympathy anyone had offered him since he’d arrived. Now all he had to do was take the wise man’s advice and be ready to get the hell out of here as soon as he could.

  Chapter Three

  “Lindsey, it’s so nice of you to come with us,” Piper said, obviously trying to compensate for Jules’s silence. They’d all been quiet on the car ride to the airport and throughout the entire flight, and now as they rode silently in the rental car headed for the hotel; Piper clearly couldn’t take it anymore. Jules, on the other hand, didn’t care if any of them ever said a word for the remainder of this trip. She was too busy trying to remind herself how much she’d miss if she went to jail for murdering her husband.

  “It’s no problem at all. I was going out of my mind being on leave. My knee is completely healed, but they won’t clear me for another week or so. I’ve never been to Ohio so I’m looking forward to it.” Lindsey’s long blond hair was down, something Jules had never seen before. She had a bit of makeup on, though she didn’t need it. Rather than workout clothes or her uniform she was in jeans and a thin sage-green sweater. She looked like a real human being, not Bobby’s partner.

  “Well this isn’t a vacation or anything,” Jules snapped out, knowing her attitude was misplaced but unable to contain it. “I am trying to confront my husband, who has kept his entire family a secret from me and I’m guessing I’m a secret to them. I don’t know why, but I’m assuming it’s not going to have a happy ending either way. So I’d be ready with your handcuffs or bail money.”

  Lindsey let out a loud laugh and then stopped abruptly when she realized neither of the other women were laughing. “Listen, Jules, whatever happens here I’ll help you out. Short of hiding a body, I’ll do what I can for you. I’m a great babysitter if you need that. Or I’m a pretty good freelance detective if you want me hunting information down. Just,” Lindsey turned toward Jules and with a half smile and warm eyes spoke kindly, “don’t be a bitch to me. I get enough flack at work every day for being a woman. I’ve got guys treating me like dirt on a regular basis. I’m looking forward to a week away where people actually remember I’m a human being.”

  Jules felt like she’d just gotten punched in the stomach. She’d forgotten how hard it must be for a woman to be on the police force in a place like Edenville. Lindsey was here doing them a favor and she deserved better. “Sorry about that,” Jules murmured. “I appreciate you being here. I’m on edge and feel like lashing out. I’ll save it for Michael though.”

  “And if you’re really nice to me I might change my mind about hiding the body.” Lindsey laughed, and now Piper joined in. The most Jules could muster was a half smile as she popped a pacifier into Frankie’s mouth.

  “So what’s our plan?” Lindsey asked as the GPS chimed they were arriving at the hotel.

  “There is an event tonight, some kind of gala celebrating Michael’s father’s life. I’m going to go. I want to see him face to face. He won’t be able to lie if I’m looking him right in the eyes.”

  “I’ll go with you,” Lindsey said, not posing it as a question at all. “Piper can stay with Frankie tonight since the baby is more comfortable with her.”

  “I think I should go,” Piper cut in. “I know Michael and maybe seeing both of us will be impactful for him.”

  “What’s your plan when Jules loses her mind and starts dumping punch bowls on people? How are you going to contain the scene?” Lindsey asked, scrutinizing Piper’s face. Jules looked back and forth between both women and spoke before Piper could.

  “She’s right. You might be too close to the situation to help me if I really lose it. Plus Frankie is more comfortable with you. You know her routine. But, Lindsey, this gala is five hundred dollars a plate. It’s a fundraiser for one of the family’s charities and it’s black tie. I brought a dress but what will you wear?”

  “Well I don’t have a black tie,” Lindsey shrugged, “but I’ll make do. Just let
me know what time to meet you in the lobby of the hotel and I’ll be there with bells on.”

  As they walked through the parking lot of the hotel, Jules worried if Lindsey would truly have some kind of outfit with bells on it. The only thing that mattered tonight was finding and confronting Michael. But part of her was terrified Michael was embarrassed about Jules’s humble origins. Walking in with an underdressed Lindsey would only make the gap between her lifestyle and that of the Coopers even more glaring.

  Chapter Four

  Michael straightened the bow tie of his tuxedo and pulled on each of the sleeves to get it perfectly positioned. The funeral was over and all that was left was a gala celebrating his father’s generosity. It was laughable, really. He took a swig of the gin he’d bought in a flask. It barely put a dent in his ragged nerves but something was better than nothing.

  As he walked down one of the many long, shimmering clean hallways of his parents’ house, back toward the entryway, he heard his mother’s falsely warm voice.

  “Michael dear, may I speak with you for a moment?” She was dressed in a gorgeous black flowing gown embellished with crystals and lace. Like always, the neckline scooped just low enough to still be deemed respectable but showed his mother was not shy about her mostly paid for body.

  “Yes, Mother?” Michael asked, not trying to hide his reluctance as he turned toward her.

  “It means the world to me that you are here for us, Michael,” she hummed as she reached up and touched his cheek affectionately. “Your sister and I need you so much right now. I’ve been waiting for the right moment to talk to you about this. Do you think you and I can sit down after lunch tomorrow?”

  “I’ll be gone by then, Mother.” Michael’s tone was flat and unwavering. He had no intention of getting sucked into spending more time here. He needed to be back with Jules and Frankie in Edenville before it was too late to earn his wife’s forgiveness.