Found (Lost & Found Book 2)

by Scarlett Finn

  She smiled, pulling him down for another short kiss. “Bet the guys already give you shit for the missus coming to check on you all the time.”

  “When the missus looks like you, there’s no shit to give. If you need me, come find me.”

  “Okay,” she said, accepting another kiss.

  “I love you,” he said before straightening up.

  Poppy grabbed the bagel from her plate to hold it up for him. “Oh, take this.”

  “What is it?” he asked, examining it.

  “Food, just eat it.”

  “Okay,” he said, drawing in a breath. “The rest of you behave, don’t give the Maddoxes a bad name.”

  “Uncle Turner! Uncle Turner,” Noah said, clambering onto his feet on his seat to lean over the back.

  Turner steadied him. “Be careful there, Sport.”

  “Can I come build the house with you?” The youngster raised up a straight leg. “I got my big boots on.”

  “Later, Sport, okay? I’ll talk to Aitken, we’ll find something for you to do. Your mom or one of your aunts can bring you down later.” Grinning, Noah nodded his head so fast he’d have lost his balance if it wasn’t for his uncle. “Sit back down.”

  Noah did as told. Turner bowed to kiss Noah’s head and then hers.

  Emmie gasped. “Uncle Turner! We need kisses too.”

  “Geez,” he muttered under his breath, but went around the table, bagel still in hand to kiss each of his nieces. “Can I leave now?” The rest of those at the table were just amused by the demands. “I live on the damn site and I’ll be the last one there.”

  He didn’t get a direct response, which was enough to tell him what he wanted to know, so he started for the door.

  “Turner,” Poppy said.

  “Yes!” he said, spinning around, though when he registered she was the one who’d said his name, he softened. “Yes, baby?”

  “I love you,” she said, letting her simple smile turn sly.

  Showing his teeth, the sound in his throat was both a growl and a groan. Although she didn’t ask him to, he came back over and hunkered down next to her seat. “Right here in front of everyone?”

  Though the conversation hadn’t been much affected by her declaration, Poppy had made the conscious choice to say it there and then. She’d put it off for too long.

  She cupped his face. “Here in front of everyone.”

  “You just keep doing it to me,” he said, rising enough to kiss her.

  Rather than the chaste lip kisses they’d exchanged in farewell already that morning, his kiss was much more demanding and far more intimate.

  If Poppy hadn’t separated them, he’d probably have kept going all morning. “Go to work.”

  “You find us that corner, Candy,” he murmured, bobbing up to kiss her forehead before standing up straight. “Okay, I’m going. Bye, all.”

  Various farewells went around the table, though no one really took their attention away from what they were doing. He was her focus until he disappeared from view. Even after he was gone, Poppy’s focus stayed there.

  Together. They were together. Was there any denying it anymore?

  Preston coming through the door was the only thing that distracted Poppy from her daze. She just caught a glimpse of the smile Val was laying on her when someone suddenly swooped into the seat Noah had been in. The little one had somehow gone around to his mother and sisters without her noticing.

  “Here,” Zoey said, slipping something onto her lap under her napkin.

  As Poppy’s fingers curled around the object, she realized what it was: her phone.

  Zoey, she was the one in the seat beside her, huddled in close.

  Recalling their conversation the previous day, Poppy twisted around to huddle with her. “How did it go?”

  “She was trying to call,” Zoey whispered, the noise of the kids and other conversations giving them cover to talk quietly. “It’s all a mess. She misses me.”

  “That’s something.”

  “But what does it matter? Her mom says she’s going to send her to a different school for senior year. It will be awful. Horrible. She doesn’t want to be the new girl in the last year.”

  “And she won’t want to be away from you either,” Poppy said, taking her hands under the table. “There’s still time for her parents to come around before you have to worry about that. Did you talk to her about coming here?”

  “She wants to, but there’s no way her parents will let it happen.”

  “You said her parents didn’t know who her girlfriend was.”

  Zoey nodded. “You think we should lie to them? To reassure them we’re just friends?”

  “I don’t think you should lie,” Poppy said. “Though you did say you’d broken up. Did you get back together on the phone?”

  The teen sighed. “I don’t know. She said she still loves me, but… I don’t know. I haven’t told my family.”

  “We can deal with that.”

  “Here?” Zoey asked, looking around. “With your family and everything that’s going on? Charley’s still pissed off.”

  “She’s pissed off at me. And your situation is no less important than anything else that’s going on. If anything, it’s more important. Your thing could impact your forever.” Poppy shook her head. “No, we can’t just give up.”

  “I don’t know what to do, how we can convince her parents it’s a good idea.”

  “I can talk to them,” Poppy said, hitting on an idea that pushed her shoulders back. “I’ll have Tiller talk to them.”

  “Tiller?”

  “There’s nothing Tiller can’t do,” she said, giving Zoey a hug. “Trust me.”

  A standing Preston appearing next to them broke their hug. “You got a minute, Poppy?”

  A minute? She was a woman in high demand. After checking Zoey was okay, Poppy left the table and followed Preston out of the room, tucking her phone into her robe pocket. To take her away from the family suggested he wanted to discuss something serious.

  “What is it?” she asked, fearing what Holden might have done.

  “How does tomorrow night sound?”

  “For what?” she asked, suspecting the answer may be related to her previous fear.

  “Dinner with Abernathy.”

  “Just me?”

  “No,” he said, smiling as he shook his head. “I don’t think Turner would ever speak to me again.”

  “I have to talk to him about it,” she said, wandering closer to the stairs. “We started to talk about it this morning but didn’t get anywhere. We don’t want the kids there, but he’d probably appreciate Faye’s support. How do you think Faye would feel about Stephanie sitting with the kids upstairs?”

  He shrugged. “We can talk about it. The truth is, your father’s lawyers wanted to push it to next week. But the longer this goes on, the more there’s a chance he can do damage.”

  It was so frustrating. “I don’t understand why he doesn’t get the message.”

  “If Abernathy loves you, he thinks he’s showing his sincerity,” Preston said. “He’ll know that being with your sister first puts you in a difficult position. I’d guess he wants to persist to show you that he’ll support you through it, that he wants to be with you no matter what.” It really sounded like he’d thought about it. He conceded a laugh. “Turner and I might have talked about it last night… He wouldn’t have let anything get in his way.”

  “He’s not that kind of man. They’re not even remotely the same. I was with Turner, I pushed to be with him, before he had to come here and fight for us. I wanted to be with him, we had experience with each other. Holden and I have no history, there’s never been any shared anything between us.”

  “Maybe he doesn’t see it that way,” Preston said. “There’s a chance he’s just flat nuts or this is a power play we’re not seeing yet. We won’t know until we get him here and talk to him.”

  Which put Grammie on her list of people to talk to as well. She wo
uldn’t be happy to welcome Holden into her home or to her dining table. For her to agree to behave, she’d have to understand the logic behind the invitation.

  “I have to talk to Turner before I agree to anything,” Poppy said. “He may not want any of his sisters there or his mom.”

  “There’s a chance that Abernathy will offer to host or that the meal should take place in neutral territory.”

  “We can’t go out in public,” she said, shaking her head. “No way. The chance of the press catching a whiff of it… No. I don’t want to be a spectacle like that.”

  “Abernathy’s likely to have demands of his own. He may not want your sister there.”

  “He can’t make demands like that, it’s her house. If Violet wants to be there then she gets to be there. You and I know that Holden and I have no future, but I think, if anything, we should expect him to make an apology to Violet for his abominable behavior.”

  “It pisses Turner off too.”

  “Of course it does, he has sisters.”

  “I can find out what time his lunch is, we could go down there and talk it out with him.”

  “In the middle of a workday?” she asked. “Is that fair?”

  “We can’t leave it too late to extend the invitation. If Abernathy thinks we’re playing games, he’s likely to play them back. We’ll approach his side this morning, put in a call, see if he’s open to the invitation. Get a read on him.”

  She nodded. “Okay. I have to go and get ready, and I have things to do. Find out when Turner gets a break.” He nodded once and took a step back to allow her to ascend one stair. Poppy paused to look back at Preston. “Only when he has a break and for the allotted time he’s supposed to have. You know it will drive him nuts to be given special treatment.”

  His half-smile almost became a laugh. “I sure do. I’ll figure it out.”

  Laying a hand on his shoulder, she pushed up to kiss his cheek. “Thank you.”

  Poppy continued up the stairs and Preston called out after her. “Just remember all this when it comes time for him to pick a best man.”

  Laughing, she cast an amused look back at him, but kept on going. Turner was lucky to have such a reliable network of loyal people around him. It was still taking time for her to adjust to being a part of that group.

  She’d get ready for the day and then had a lot to do before she could think about discussing the Holden meal with her love. There was Casey, possibly her parents, Tiller, Grammie would have to be told about the plan to invite Holden to the house. And Charley. Yes, she’d have to do something to make amends with Charley. Everything else on her list would be easier than that. Charley was hurt and wanted to hold onto the man she cared for. Making her see that David was hurting her would be difficult at any time, but while she was mad and felt so betrayed… it was going to be an arduous uphill climb.

  THIRTEEN

  Grammie said she’d play nice. As to the veracity of that, Poppy would just have to wait and see.

  “Turner will be there, won’t he?” Grammie asked as she paused at the bedroom door.

  “At the dinner?” Poppy asked, still seated on the couch at the end of Grammie’s bed. “I think so. Preston and I are going to talk to him about the setup later.” Grammie nodded, though Poppy discerned how the air around the older woman changed. “No games, Grammie.”

  “Who’s playing games?”

  “You said you were going for a walk, stay away from the house build.”

  From Turner, that’s what she was really saying. If she didn’t have to make a call, Poppy would be going with the septuagenarian.

  “I own everything around here,” Grammie said, waving a flippant hand in the air. “I can go anywhere I please.”

  “Okay, but he’s working.”

  “I like to visit Aitken. See how things are coming along.”

  “The house was supposed to be Dad’s project. He manages to stay away, why do you find it so difficult?”

  “Your father said that house was for you and your sisters, so you’d stay close even after you were married.” Grammie’s fingertips rested on her clavicle. “I don’t believe that. That’s where he plans to put me. It’s there or the nut house.”

  “Let’s hope Mom doesn’t get a vote.”

  Grammie’s wide grin was definitely sly. “I don’t mind, my grandson-in-law has already promised to convert a floor in his building for me.”

  “A whole floor?” Poppy asked. “There are four units on each floor.”

  “I don’t mind paying for the privilege.”

  Her Grammie always had a way of putting a smile on her face. “I knew you two would’ve cooked up a scheme already.”

  “Are you saying I am not welcome?”

  Leaving the couch, Poppy went over to kiss her grandmother’s cheekbone. “You are very welcome. It would be an honor to have you in the Venture with us.”

  “He didn’t seem sure that you’d stay there. He’s certain you’ll want to stay here.”

  “We haven’t had a chance to talk that out,” Poppy said. “We need to deal with Holden and then we’ll think about the future.”

  “Don’t take too long to think,” Grammie said, opening the bedroom door. “I won’t live forever.”

  They shared another smile as Grammie went out and closed the door. Although it was sort of a running joke that Grammie wasn’t immortal, Poppy didn’t like to think about it. Even sending her out for her morning walk alone left Poppy uneasy. If something happened, it could take time for them to realize Grammie needed help and even longer to locate her on the vast estate.

  Poppy didn’t want Turner to be bothered at work, she knew he liked to maintain momentum. But telling Grammie not to go there was sort of a guarantee that she would. Even at her age, Grammie liked to rebel. At least if Grammie went in that direction, she could be sure that Aitken and Turner would be around to look out for her.

  It had taken Poppy longer to get ready than she’d intended. Even without her usual morning workout, the day was getting away from her. The delays possibly had something to do with Grammie moving everything of Poppy’s out of her closet to put it in Turner’s. Not herself, of course, she had the staff do it. The woman really did want great grandchildren.

  As Poppy retrieved her phone and wandered back to the couch searching for her call log, she thought about children. Did she want them? Yes. Did Turner? Probably not. He’d said a baby would be a strain and she understood what he meant. Money might be less of a problem now she’d be able to access her trust for them. As for his time? He’d have to give up some of his jobs caretaking for other buildings if he wanted to free up some time. If he and Grammie had plans to expand the empire, even leaving his existing jobs wouldn’t guarantee he’d have the time needed to raise children.

  That issue would have to wait for another time.

  The only number in her call log without a name was the exact time and date that Zoey would’ve used the phone to call Casey. After saving the number, Poppy dialed, and waited for a response.

  It didn’t take long for the teen to pick up the phone.

  “Zo?”

  There was such hope in Casey’s voice that Poppy was pained to disappoint her. “It’s Poppy, I’m sorry.”

  “Oh,” Casey said with obvious disappointment. “That’s okay.”

  “How are you doing?”

  “Great,” Casey said. Her enthusiasm was obviously fake, she’d probably practiced upholding a façade with her parents since they’d learned the truth. “How are you?”

  “Worried about you. Zoey told me what happened. You guys broke up?”

  Casey sighed. “I should’ve known. I was stupid to tell my parents. I mean I’m seventeen, what do I know about love?”

  Poppy smiled, not a joyful smile, she just felt such aching sorrow for the youngster who was trying to put a brave face on her misery.

  “As much as the rest of us,” Poppy said. “Don’t doubt yourself because your parents are too narrow-minde
d to accept this straight away. I’m sorry they reacted in the way that they did and that it’s hurt you so much.” Casey didn’t say anything, neither confirming nor denying how she felt. “Did Zoey invite you here to stay with us?”

  A scoff of a laugh clouded the line. “My parents wouldn’t even let me finish out the year at school. They’re talking about sending me to some camp.”

  A chill of horror tickled Poppy’s spine. “What kind of camp?”

  “I don’t know.”

  The teen didn’t sound too concerned, just fed up. Poppy didn’t want to read too much into the suggestion. There were plenty of regular, wholesome camps in the country that would give Casey a chance to get some air and clear her head. There were also some terrifying camps designed to brainwash and punish teens simply for being who they were.

  Poppy didn’t know enough about Casey’s parents to judge what kind of people they were: the kind who would take some time to come to terms with the news about their daughter or the type who were so averse to the truth that they’d damage their own daughter irrevocably just to avoid accepting it.

  “We have clean sea air and enough space to lose yourself,” Poppy said. “You could really have fun here.”

  And Zoey was there. While she wasn’t advocating for the teens to share a room—sex was sex and encouraging it under her parents’ roof wouldn’t go over well—they would have time alone on the estate. Time to figure out what they wanted from each other, time to figure out how far they were willing to go to fight for a future together.

  “I’d love to come,” Casey said. “I think it’s terrible what’s happening with that guy and how you’re stuck in hiding.”

  “Thank you. I hope we’ll figure a way out of it soon.”

  “Guess I wasn’t so wrong about you and Turner, huh?”

  Despite the subject matter, it was nice to hear the lightness of teasing in Casey’s voice. “No, you were not.”

  “So you’re together now? Are you going to get married?”

  “All of that is up in the air. The first thing we have to do is get you here so you can be with the family.” Her family, if she wanted it to be. That’s what Turner had said to her and now she was thinking it about another. “We can have a car pick you up and you can come on the jet. Another car will pick you up and bring you straight here.”