The Billionaire's Secrets

by Meadow Taylor

  At the station, he got out of the car and read the hours posted on the locked gate. He had half an hour to wait. He leaned against the car and sipped the bitter coffee, wishing he had something for his pounding headache.

  Finally, a uniformed policeman came over and unlocked the padlock on the chain that secured the gates. Gaelan crumpled the coffee cup and tossed it into a steel drum. It wasn’t a big yard, only a dozen vehicles or so, and Gaelan went directly to the waiting Jeep. He had a key on his own ring, and he put it in the ignition. Nothing. She was right. It didn’t work. She wasn’t lying about that. But what did it prove? The Jeep wouldn’t start, and he offered Sophia and me a ride home. It proved nothing. Bowen and Chloe could have arranged to meet in town, and when Chloe's vehicle didn't start he thought with Gaelan faraway it was safe to drive her home. Except for the accident, Gaelan would never have known that Bowen was even in town.

  Gaelan climbed out of the Jeep and popped the hood. What he saw made him rethink his theory. Loose wires sat on top of the engine. They should have been plugged into the distributor cap, but the distributer cap was gone! This was no simple breakdown - this was deliberate!

  Gaelan slammed down the hood of the car, not knowing what to attribute the knot in his stomach to. He walked back to the station and asked the policeman where they had towed the car from the Cliff Road accident.

  “It’s in the yard,” the cop explained. "The owner of the car took off before telling us where he wanted it towed. It’s the black one with the front end shoved in.”

  Gaelan approached the car with trepidation. Seeing it, he realised how lucky Chloe and Sophia were to be alive. It was obvious they’d hit the guard rail with considerable force. Gaelan also knew about the truck that had struck the rock cut. If he had anything to thank Bowen for, it was that he managed to avoid a head-on collision with the truck.

  The doors, too buckled to close, stood open. Gaelan looked into the back seat. A piece of paper was shoved down the back of the seat. He pulled it out. It was a drawing of a puppy, and Gaelan’s eyes misted when he thought how close he’d come to losing Sophia. He folded the paper and put it in his shirt pocket before looking in the front seat. There was nothing unusual there, but then he didn't really know what he was looking for.

  Next he opened the glove compartment, and a shiny black object rolled out onto the floor of the car. Gaelan stood back, not quite ready to believe what he was seeing. It was the missing distributor cap! Bowen had sabotaged the Jeep and then asked if he could drive her home! Gaelan felt a surge of hope - perhaps she wasn't lying after all.

  He rifled through the other things in the glove compartment and looked at the car ownership. Bowen had bought the car only the day before crashing it. With the ownership was a plastic folder - it had the name of a Greek travel company on it, and inside was the ticket receipt from Athens to St. John’s via London, England dated only two days earlier.

  Gaelan looked at the little collection sitting on the passenger seat, knowing they all pointed to one thing: Chloe’s innocence. So absorbed was he in his thoughts, he did not hear the crunch of gravel behind him.

  “Can I help you, brother?”

  Gaelan wheeled around to see Bowen - the brother who looked so much like his own reflection but who was unlike him in every other way. Gaelan fought against the desire to launch himself at Bowen and take the smug look off his face with a good right hook to the jaw. It was probably lucky they were outside the police station - anywhere else and there was a good chance only one of them would have come out alive.

  “What the hell are you doing here?” Gaelan asked.

  “I came to pick up the ownership from my car. I need it to collect the insurance. A better question would be what are you doing here?”

  Gaelan picked up the distributor cap from the car seat and held it out for Bowen to see. “Mind telling me where you found this?”

  “Ah, I see. Good detective work there, brother.” His voice was full of mockery. “Don’t worry. I was only having a bit of fun. I couldn’t believe it. One day back in town, and I run into your new girlfriend. I thought coming to her rescue might help endear me to her a bit. She’s pretty hot, you know. Have you told her about Colleen yet?”

  “I notice you didn’t waste any time filling her head with ideas.”

  “They’re not just ideas, brother, and you know it - which is why you’re always ready to throw a little more cash my way.”

  Gaelan instead threw the distributor cap at Bowen, narrowly missing him, and strode out through the gates.

  * * *

  Chloe sat next to Sophia’s bed. She was still sleeping, but Chloe noted a bit more colour in her cheeks. Unable to sleep, Chloe had been at the hospital since dawn. As upset as she was over the falling out with Gaelan, she could not forget Sophia. She was afraid this might be her last chance to see the little girl. She doubted she would be welcome at Widow's Cliff any longer.

  She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment and willed herself not to cry. She had done enough of that already, and her eyes were red and swollen. She had spent the better part of the night trying to make sense of what had happened. Somehow Gaelan had come to the conclusion she and Bowen had known each other before and were conspiring together to get a hold of his money. She recalled his words: I just can’t believe I fell for the same scheme twice. First Colleen and now you. What was the plan? Marry me and then divorce me for half? Live happily ever after with my brother?

  Never had she seen someone so stubbornly hang on to his convictions. She was innocent of everything he had accused her of, and yet he refused to listen to her defence. In his eyes, she was guilty. End of story. One moment she had come to the realisation she couldn’t live without him, and the next moment he was gone.

  Oh Gaelan, she thought, her eyes closed as if in prayer. Why did I have to fall in love with you?

  Hearing the door open, she looked up. There he was. He looked tired and drawn, and Chloe knew he hadn’t slept either. Sporting a day’s growth of beard, he was still wearing the same clothes. “I thought I’d find you here,” he said softly. His voice was so full of tenderness that Chloe wondered for a moment if she might be dreaming. He glanced over to where Sophia still slept, her breathing even and peaceful. “Can I talk to you outside?”

  Chloe nodded, stood up, and walked toward him in a haze. Their eyes met, and it seemed to Chloe it took her forever to make those few steps. He did not step aside to let her through but instead took her silently in his arms and held her against him.

  Chloe let the tears flow. They came silently, soaking into the wool of his shirt.

  He held her against him and took her into the empty corridor, closing the door softly behind him. “Do you think you can ever forgive me?”

  Unable to speak, she nodded against his chest. He held her quietly for several minutes more, stroking her hair. When she finally raised her face to his, he gently kissed her on the lips. “I’m so sorry. When I heard you were with Bowen, I went crazy. I wanted to love you so much. Hearing that you were with Bowen was like having my worst nightmare come true. I’m sorry. I should have believed you.”

  “I shouldn’t have listened to him,” Chloe said, ashamed she had been taken in so easily.

  “Look, I know more than anyone how conniving he can be. And I didn’t exactly give you any reason not to believe him. I didn’t even tell you of his existence. It’s I who should be ashamed of myself for not believing you. He took the distributor cap out of the Jeep, by the way.”

  Chloe thought for a moment. “He must have taken it when he went out to put money in the meter.”

  “Chloe, I know I haven’t been the most sympathetic person. And I know I’m not a good father to Sophia. But if you’re willing to hear me out, I’ll try and explain everything. Do you think you can trust me?”

  Chloe nodded.

  “Then let’s go home,” he said before kissing her.

  * * *

  The sun was shining weakly as they left the h
ospital, unusual for St. John’s in April. Gaelan said it wouldn’t last long. “Out here we say wait five minutes, because that’s how long it takes for the weather to change.” Chloe sat in the back seat of the car next to Sophia, fastening the seat belt around the child’s booster seat with extra care. The events of the accident flashed through her mind, and she wondered if she would be able to relax until they were safely home.

  But Gaelan drove carefully, and she soon relaxed. Two hours later they were pulling up in front of Widow’s Cliff and Windy was running down the walk as fast as her old legs would carry her.

  They got out of the car, and Windy hugged Sophia as if she’d never let her go again. Chloe could see the distrust in Windy’s eyes as she looked at her over Sophia, but Gaelan intervened. “It’s okay, Windy. Chloe didn’t do anything wrong,” he said, and her suspicious look melted into one of concern for her well-being. Chloe found herself thinking of Bowen’s words. Windy is the only person in the world who thinks Gaelan can do no wrong. It was true that Windy trusted Gaelan implicitly. Bowen wasn’t lying about that.

  Gaelan carried Sophia to her room, where she sat up happily in her bed, teddy bear tucked under one arm, a glass of milk and a plate of Windy’s marvellous chocolate chip cookies on the bedside table. The cat was happy to see her too and was soon curled up on her lap, happily purring away. Chloe and Gaelan sat on either side of her, perched on the edges of the bed.

  “Is there anything else you need?” Gaelan asked Sophia.

  “Would you and Chloe stay and read me a story?” she asked. Chloe could hear the hesitation in Sophia’s voice and knew the girl was not used to asking Gaelan for things. No doubt Sophia was wondering if his kindness and concern were over now that she was safely at home.

  Gaelan looked down at Sophia, and Chloe could see the love in his dark eyes. But there was something else too, a disquiet that worried Chloe. Something was still bothering him. Something still stood in the way of his relationship with his daughter. Then he smiled gently, the look gone, and Chloe wondered if she had only imagined it.

  “I’d love to read you a story,” he said. “But I didn’t get much sleep last night, and I don’t think Chloe did either.” He glanced over at Chloe, who nodded her agreement. Now that they were home, there was no adrenaline left in her system to keep her going. “How about we read to you after dinner?”

  “Okay,” she agreed easily.

  “Would you like Windy to stay with you?”

  “I’m okay,” she said as she reached for a cookie. Chloe watched the crumbs fall onto the quilt and knew Windy would not normally indulge Sophia with cookies in bed.

  “I’ll stay for a few minutes.” Windy assured Gaelan. “Then I’m going to make us all a nice dinner. Will you be eating with us tonight?”

  Gaelan nodded, and Chloe knew a lot of changes were happening fast.

  Outside of Chloe’s room, Gaelan took her in his arms. “Oh, God,” he breathed against her hair. “I would love to come in and make love to you.”

  Beneath her exhaustion, Chloe remembered how she felt under his touch in the hotel room before everything went wrong, and her body ached for release. He tilted her face towards his and kissed her.

  “Not now,” he said reluctantly, pulling himself away from her. “Later. I want it to be perfect for you, and you need some sleep. And I could sure use a shave.” He smiled gently at her, and again she thought she saw the same troubled expression that was in his eyes when he looked at Sophia. “More than that though. I have to come clean with you. It’s not a pretty story, and you have to know what you’re getting into - or whether you even want to be involved with someone like me.”

  “Don’t say that,” Chloe protested and reached for him.

  He placed a finger over her lips. “It’s important you hear me out. I couldn’t bear for you to decide you can’t stand me after all.”

  “I would never do that,” Chloe protested.

  He looked at her searchingly, and Chloe longed to reassure him. “I’ll see you later,” he said. “And if you decide you still want me, then I’ll make love to you like you’ve never been made love to before.”

  Chloe nodded, knowing he wouldn’t change his mind. She would have to wait. But what could he have to tell her and why would that possibly change her mind?

  “Okay, until later,” he said, giving her a light goodbye kiss on the forehead.

  In her room, Chloe stripped off her clothes with relief. She had only worn them for two days, but so much had happened she felt like she had been wearing them forever. Grimacing with distaste, she dumped them into the clothes hamper, sure they would never be clean again.

  She rummaged through the dresser drawers at her meagre selection of clothes, remembering how Sophia had told her she should have pretty things. It was true. Except for the black silk negligée, everything was dull and practical. And she couldn’t walk around in a negligée! She settled on the wool dress she had worn on her first night at Widow's Cliff. She recalled how she had worn it with the intention of using whatever means necessary to secure her job at Widow's Cliff, with very mixed results. But it was the nicest thing she had, and she laid it over the back of the loveseat along with clean underthings and a pair of black stockings. She would go shopping for more clothes soon. It would be a nice day out for her and Sophia.

  The shower was hot and soothing, and she stood under it until she thought she might fall asleep on her feet. She wrapped herself in a towel and went back across the hall to her room, crawled naked beneath the covers, and let the sound of the ocean against the rocks lull her to sleep.

  * * *

  As he ate with Chloe and Sophia, Gaelan remembered sitting around this kitchen table as a young boy with Bowen and his parents. There had been much laughter, much joking around, the occasional practical joke. He and Bowen had been close in their childhood, the way identical twins are, speaking their own twin language. Their differences in personality had never been an issue. When they were ready for high school, their parents sent them to different boarding schools, he in Montreal, Bowen near Toronto, and that was when they’d drifted apart. Bowen fell into a bad crowd and opted to spend most of his holidays at school, while Gaelan had remained close to his parents and was groomed to take over the family business. And then in his first year at Harvard, his parents had died when their private plane crashed on their way to the Caribbean for the winter. When Gaelan, the elder twin by four minutes, inherited Widow’s Cliff, the bond between him and Bowen was severed forever.

  Windy had made a delicious supper. The sunny day was giving way to a rainy night, but a roaring fire kept away the damp and filled the room with its comforting glow. Sophia, clearly feeling much better, was eating with a good appetite. She was back to her talkative self as well and was telling them all about the puppy she wanted, Chloe smiling at her with indulgence. Gaelan felt like he belonged to a real family for the first time since those childhood days. With Colleen it had never felt this way.

  “Do you think Cookies would like a puppy?” Chloe asked. Gaelan met her eyes across the table, and they shared a conspiratorial glance. My beautiful, beautiful Chloe, he thought. Could he ask her to marry him yet, or was it too soon? They had only known each other for two weeks. But he couldn’t deny the intensity of his feelings for her. He savoured the thought of the three of them being a real family.

  Sophia was not daunted by the prospect of her cat feeling put out. “Cookies would love to have a puppy,” she said confidently. “I asked him, and he said miaow, miaow. That means yes.”

  They all laughed together, and Gaelan hoped it would always be this way.

  After dinner, Windy told Sophia it was time for bed, but Chloe protested. “We promised to read to Sophia. Gaelan and I can put her to bed and read her a story.” She turned to Gaelan a little hesitantly. “Unless you have something else to do. I can read to Sophia by myself.”

  “Are you kidding?” he asked happily. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.

&n
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