Tears welled in Evangeline’s hazel eyes, a perfect mix of her husband’s brown and her green. “I made the choice, Mom. Not Dad. I forced his hand by pleading guilty to the charges. He sent the lawyer, but all that would do is rack up a ton of bills we couldn’t afford. Honestly, I thought I’d get a lighter sentence, but I had a DA who had something to prove to the winery owners in this community. I thought I’d be out the first time my parole came up, but there was a fight . . .”
“You’ve been fighting for yourself and this family since the night he put you behind the wheel of that truck.”
Evangeline sighed, the fight going out of her. “Let it go, Mom. It can’t be changed. He’s not here. He doesn’t get to have his say. I don’t get to have mine and I resent the hell out of that.”
Rhea brushed her hand over Evangeline’s hair, but, feeling like she didn’t get to have that luxury or that her daughter even welcomed that kind of closeness, she stepped back. She held her hands clasped in front of her, looked her daughter in the eye, and said what was in her broken heart. “If you’ll allow me, I’d like to have my say.”
Evangeline nodded, her eyes hesitant.
Rhea deserved her daughter’s suspicion. “I’m so sorry, Evangeline. I treated you horribly. My behavior and words are inexcusable. While you were in prison, I packed up your room. I couldn’t look at it and remember the girl you were, thinking you’d changed so much that I didn’t really know you.”
“It’s okay, Mom. I get it, you thought I was guilty.” Her sweet girl let her off the hook.
Rhea didn’t deserve that kindness. “It is not okay.”
Her strong girl didn’t know how to let go of the burden. She couldn’t allow herself the feelings she deserved to feel for the way she’d been treated.
“I won’t let you take all I’ve said and done and tuck it away inside, the way you’ve had to do with what you’d like to say to your father, and pretend that what I did didn’t hurt you just as much. I went out of my way to hurt you, and I’m so sorry for it. I wish I could take it back and that you didn’t know that your mother was that unkind and unfeeling toward you. I let my anger and grief overshadow the one fact that will always be true. I love you, sweet girl. More than my heart can bear sometimes. I missed you so much. I’m sorry that your father’s behavior broke my heart and I blamed you.”
Evangeline wrapped her in a hug, the two bottles of wine clinking at Rhea’s back. Evangeline held her tight. “I missed you, too. So many times I wanted to write to you or hear your voice, but I was angry, too.” She stepped back and gave Rhea a sad smile. “I didn’t want you to see me in that place, Mom. I was afraid that if I saw you or talked to you, I’d break and tell you that I didn’t do it and beg you to get me out of there.” A tear slipped down her cheek. “If I shut myself off from all of you and held on to my anger, then I could endure. I had to, for all of you.”
“It’s okay to be mad at him, sweetheart. I’m so angry I could just strangle him.”
Evangeline found a soft smile. “I know how you feel. When Chris told me Dad died just before my release, it hit me so hard. I thought I’d get a chance to have a real talk with him about what happened. I’d yell, he’d apologize, we’d clear the air and find a way to be a family again.”
“He took that chance from you just like he took four years of your life. You lost everything in the blink of an eye and never saw it coming.” Rhea’s anger at her husband knew no bounds, it just kept growing, encompassing every cell in her body.
Evangeline’s eyes overflowed again. “Thank you for understanding.”
“I hope you understand that I acted the way I did because I didn’t know, sweetheart. Now that I do . . .” Rhea shook her head from side to side. “You amaze me with your strength and capacity to love, Evangeline. You’ve got a really big heart, to do what you did for your dad. You gave me four more years with him. As angry as I am for what he did, for lying, for leaving me, I hold on to the fact I am blessed to have had the man I loved by my side for as long as I did. But that thought isn’t enough to allow me to forgive. Not now. I’m not sure if I’ll ever understand and come to terms with it.”
A sad smile swept over Evangeline’s beautiful face. “I feel the same way, but still, I miss him. I wish I’d been strong enough to let him come and see me. I wish I’d given him the chance to talk to me. Maybe he wouldn’t have stressed himself out and held on to the guilt to the point where his health suffered so severely.”
Rhea brushed her thumb over Evangeline’s cheek, wiping away tears just like she used to when Evangeline was small and one of her brothers hurt her feelings. “It’s not your fault. He refused to do what the doctors ordered. He ignored me when I begged him to stop drinking so much. Maybe things would have been better if he threw himself into work, but he pulled away from all of us. If he’d talked to me, shared the burden, even if he didn’t admit what he did but expressed how much he missed you, we could have shared that. Maybe I’d understand.”
“Mom, he loved you. He didn’t want you to know what he’d done. I didn’t want you to know, either.”
“Yeah, look how I treated you. You can imagine what I would have been like with him if I’d known what he’d done and that my little girl was locked up because of it.”
“Mom, stop. You’ll drive yourself crazy.”
Rhea raked her fingers through her hair, her wild emotions swirling inside her like a living thing that grew but had no outlet. “I’ve felt a little crazy lately.”
Evangeline held up one of the bottles of wine. “How about we pull the cork on one of these and drown our sorrows?”
“I’d rather celebrate you coming home properly.”
Evangeline smiled, her whole face softening. “That’s even better.”
Rhea held the door open. “I made your favorite.”
“Mac and cheese with bacon and green onions?” Evangeline dumped her bag on the sofa on the way to the kitchen.
“I’ll heat it while I dish up the salad with those croutons you love.”
“Do you have that cilantro-pepita dressing?”
Rhea’s heart warmed. Things were getting back to normal. “I actually picked up a bottle a few days before I even knew you were coming home. I saw it and just grabbed it because it made me think of you.”
Evangeline set the bottles of wine on the counter and turned to her again. “It’s really okay, Mom. I’m fine. Everything is fine.”
Rhea couldn’t help herself and drew Evangeline in for another hug. “It will be from now on, I promise. I’ll never doubt you again.”
Evangeline stepped away and pulled the corkscrew out of the drawer. “You might, once I tell you that the winery I’m working for is the one where Darren works.”
“That’s wonderful you’re reconnecting with him.”
Evangeline handed Rhea one of the glasses of white wine. She tilted her head, considering something, then came to a decision with a short nod. “Darren called the cops and told them about the wine on the trailer. He set Dad up to take the fall for the wine robbery so he and his brother could take over the operation on their own.”
Rhea choked on the wine, nearly spitting it out. “What? No.” She shook her head. “He was such a nice guy.”
Evangeline rolled her eyes. “That’s what he wanted you to think. I bought it for a long time.”
Maybe Rhea deserved that, because she hadn’t looked closer at the people she thought she knew. She’d taken them at face value.
“Darren is charming as hell in front of everyone, but the longer I spent with him, the more I realized it’s all for show. He’s all about himself. In fact, he was so happy to see me today, he asked me to help him rob his bosses.”
Rhea couldn’t believe Evangeline was right back in the middle of Richard and Darren’s bad business. Not this time. She’d protect Evangeline, the way she should have when Evangeline got arrested. “Well, you’ll just have to quit the job. You’ll find something else.”
Ev
angeline laid her hand on Rhea’s shoulder. “Mom, I can’t quit. I’m helping Chris take down Darren and Tom. It’s the only way I can get my record expunged.”
Nothing mattered more than keeping her daughter safe. “It’s too dangerous. If he was willing to set your father up to take a fall, then he could do something worse to you if he finds out you’re working with the police.”
Evangeline leaned back against the counter. “I can handle myself.” Confidence filled those words and her expression, but Rhea worried anyway.
“Honey, I know you think you’re doing the right thing, but to put your life on the line like this. Again. Darren can’t be trusted.”
“No, he can’t. Which is why I’m taking precautions and making sure I have the evidence that proves what he’s doing and that my involvement is only to ensure he’s arrested.”
Rhea shook her head, her heart filled with renewed worry for her daughter, who had suffered and sacrificed enough. “I don’t like it.”
Evangeline’s mouth drew back in a resigned frown. “Right now, choices have been made for me. Dad gave me the responsibility of making decisions for the ranch, and Chris and the sheriff’s department ordered me to help them get Darren and Tom. I’ll get the ranch back on the right path to prosperity and do what I have to do to erase my record. Then maybe, finally, I’ll be able to do what I want to do.”
Rhea tried to find a silver lining, something to put some hope in Evangeline’s heart and eyes. “It sounds like your business is going well so far.”
“It’s a start, especially when it would be near impossible to get a job at a company with my record.”
“I admire your tenacity in finishing your degree and striking out on your own.” She hoped Evangeline heard her genuine pride. “I sometimes feel like I don’t have enough to do now that all of you are grown and doing your own thing.”
“It’s never too late to find a new passion. Especially now, Mom. With Dad gone, you must be feeling kind of lost. I feel a little lost, too.” Evangeline so easily empathized with others. It’s why she’d done what she’d done, because losing Richard would have devastated them financially and emotionally. She understood the impact to the ranch and the family. “All those plans you had with him feel like they’re fading away. Reimagine them for yourself. Take the time you need to grieve, but don’t stop living.”
Rhea wrapped her arm around Evangeline’s waist and hugged her to her side. “When did you get so wise?”
Evangeline stepped away to get a plate from the cupboard. “I had a lot of time to think these last few years. It took some time to gain perspective and reimagine what my life would be like when I got out. I’ll have to do it again once I finish what’s required of me.”
“A lot has been asked of you. Whatever happens, don’t lose sight of what you really want, Evangeline. You sacrificed so much. It’s okay to be a little selfish sometimes and do what you need to do for yourself. You deserve to get what you want, too.”
“Right now I don’t have that luxury.”
Rhea put her hand over Evangeline’s on the counter. “I want to see you happy again.”
Evangeline covered her hand and squeezed. “I’m happy we’re talking and there are no more secrets.”
Rhea held up her wineglass.
Evangeline clinked her glass.
Maybe everything was going to be okay, but Rhea’s gut still knotted with the thought of Evangeline still stuck, the past holding her back. She wished Richard had found the courage to end this while he was alive. Instead, he’d left everything to Evangeline to clean up. The ranch. This dirty business with Darren.
How much could one young woman take?
Evangeline had a deep well of strength, but even strong people hurt and grieved and needed help. Evangeline held everything inside. If she wasn’t careful, she’d take on too much. While she’d been willing to bend for the sake of everyone else, Rhea didn’t want to see her break.
She didn’t want her to get hurt in any way.
Rhea couldn’t lose anyone else she loved.
Chapter Twenty
What the hell, Evangeline?” Chris didn’t waste a second once he was out of the car to say what was on his mind.
Evangeline stepped away from her truck to meet him, unfazed by his direct and peeved tone. “What?”
“What?” His outrage made her smile. “You text me to meet you here immediately and bury the fact that you recorded Darren asking you to help him perpetrate a crime.”
“Sounds like you’re up to speed for our meeting.”
Her cheerful words only made him frown harder. “What meeting?”
“With Mr. and Mrs. Cross.”
“As in Cross Cellars? The winery Darren wants to rob?”
She held back the laugh bubbling up inside her at his unspoken but very clear Are you crazy? It was in his words and the direct look he gave her.
“Yes.” She headed for the porch steps. “Come on, I can only guarantee Darren will be occupied for the next hour, with the bus tour that stops at the wine-tasting room. I don’t want him to know about this meeting or see me with you.”
Chris caught up and pushed the doorbell, going along, but not liking it one bit, she could see by the set of his jaw. “And what exactly are we doing here?”
“I’m not working for you without the Crosses knowing about it. I’m not doing anything this time without covering my ass.”
“I’ve got your back on this.” He stared down at her. “Don’t you trust me?”
“I trusted my father. Look where that got me.” The sarcasm didn’t mask the truth.
“Point taken.” Disappointment filled his eyes. He took a step closer. “This time, I won’t let you down.” He sincerely meant that. She hoped he backed it up, but couldn’t rely on hope to see her through. She needed concrete assurances.
“You did your job.” She understood him better now because she knew the truth behind his aggressive interrogation after the arrest. He’d wanted her to trust him to help her. He’d wanted her to see that he cared about her and she’d disappointed him. The kiss they shared showed her how much he cared, even all these years later. Maybe more so now because he understood her better, too.
“I wanted to do more than my job.” The intense look in his eyes begged her to understand.
“I know that now. I see what you were trying to show me back then.”
Skepticism filled his green and gold-flecked eyes. “Yet you haven’t called me once.”
She’d wanted to a dozen times. “I’m trying to finish this, so we can do that without this coming between us.”
He reached for her, but dropped his hand when the door opened. She missed the feel of his hand on her even though he hadn’t touched her.
Renee opened the door. “Evangeline, so good to see you again.”
“It’s nice to see you, too.” Evangeline gestured toward Chris with her hand. “This is my friend Lieutenant Chris Chambers. Chris, Renee Cross.”
They exchanged nods in greeting.
Concern filled Renee’s eyes. “I thought you wanted to go over the website update. Is something wrong?” She eyed Chris, decked out and looking fine in his uniform.
“There is a potential problem. May we come in and discuss it?”
Renee stepped back and allowed them into the beautiful marble-floored foyer. The carved wood banister and staircase led up to the second floor and a large landing with floor-to-ceiling windows. Light danced on the white marble and highlighted the round wood table with the huge bouquet of white roses and greenery.
The house was bright and cheerful and elegant.
Evangeline felt like she should clasp her hands behind her back and not touch any of the wonderful sculptures and glasswork.
They followed Renee into a beige-carpeted sitting room with two navy-blue chenille sofas facing each other. Evangeline loved the beach and ocean watercolor on the wall. She could almost smell the salty sea spray and hear the crashing waves. The artist perfec
tly captured the peaceful beach and bright summer day.
“Do you like it?”
Caught staring, Evangeline startled. “Oh, yes. It’s lovely. I want to be there.”
“My husband and I honeymooned on a beach much like that one. When I saw the painting, I had to have it.”
“And what Renee wants, she gets.” Mr. Cross walked into the room wearing black jeans and a burgundy dress shirt with the Cross Cellars logo on the pocket stitched in gold. He wrapped his arm around Renee’s waist and kissed her temple, then turned to Evangeline. “And she wants you to highlight the winery’s event spaces and showcase the many occasions we celebrate here.” Mr. Cross glanced at Chris. “Is there some kind of trouble?”
“No,” Chris said, at the same time she said, “Yes.”
Chris tilted his head and eyed her.
Evangeline touched his forearm. “Please, let me handle this.”
He nodded for her to go ahead.
“Please sit.” Renee held her hand out toward the sofa Evangeline and Chris stood closest to, while she and Mr. Cross took the sofa opposite them.
“Mr. and Mrs. Cross—”
“Renee and Scott,” Renee corrected.
“Of course. Sorry. I’m nervous.” She pressed her hand to her fluttering stomach. “You see, as I told you yesterday, I came to the winery to see my old friend Darren.”
“He’s fantastic with the customers.” Scott leaned forward with his forearms on his knees, his focus all on her.
Evangeline’s stomach tied into a knot. She didn’t know how to deliver this news to people who trusted and liked Darren. She knew how it felt to be blindsided by the truth about someone you thought you knew. “He’s great playing to a crowd, getting people excited about things, and drawing them in so they want to be part of the conversation or party or whatever.”
Renee and Scott both nodded their agreement.
Nervous, she backtracked. “I want you both to know I really want this job. I’m excited about the project. I’ve got the outline and bid for you to review.”
The Me I Used to Be Page 17
