1022 Evergreen Place

by Debbie Macomber

  Roy wasn’t allowed to answer.

  “‘No, thank you, Daddy,’” he said in a falsetto voice. “‘I’d rather work with Brenda.’” He closed his eyes, apparently overcome with frustration.

  “You want me to check out her employer?” Roy asked, figuring this must be what he had in mind.

  “No,” he barked, then cast Roy an apologetic look. “I’m afraid Lori’s done something to top all the other foolish decisions she’s made in the past few years.”

  “And what is that?” Roy asked.

  Bellamy clenched his hands until his knuckles went white. “She married a man she barely knows.”

  “I see,” Roy said thoughtfully.

  “From what I understand, she met this man and married him within a month. Perhaps less. I don’t know if my wife got the story straight. As you can imagine, Kate was more than a little upset.” He blew out a sigh, and his shoulders slumped. “Naturally Lori tried to keep it a secret from us. If it hadn’t been for the fact that Kate’s friend Brenda—the one who owns the shop—let it slip, heaven knows how long it would’ve taken us to find out. When I talked to Lori after Kate told me, the girl didn’t bother to deny it. She admitted she’d married this man—as if getting married is something you do on a whim. My wife was mortified that a friend had to be the one to tell her our daughter has a husband.”

  Roy could empathize with their shock. Knowing what he did about the family, Roy suspected the Bellamys would have expected to throw a huge wedding. Not only had she eloped, but she’d deprived them of putting on the event of the year.

  “You can imagine how upset Kate is about this,” he said again.

  “You obviously are, too,” Roy murmured.

  “Can you blame me?”

  “Not really.” Roy did understand his feelings—to a degree—because he’d experienced something similar. Linnette had recently surprised him and Corrie with her news. Marrying Pete Mason without a word to family until the deed was done had been a shock to them, too. However, they’d met and liked Pete. Roy considered himself a good judge of character, and he trusted the man. Pete was a decent, hardworking farmer, and their daughter loved him. The fact that Linnette was about to make them grandparents only sweetened the deal.

  “It gives me no pleasure to come to you with this,” Leonard continued. “I want you to find out whatever you can about this man who manipulated my daughter into marriage.”

  “I can do a background search for you.”

  “Dig up everything there is,” he said, his face growing red. “This man is a parasite. I can feel it.”

  “Do you have his name?”

  “Oh, yes, and that’s another thing. Lori’s taken his name. She’s no longer Lori Bellamy but Lori Wyse. Not even Bellamy-Wyse.”

  “Wyse?” Roy repeated slowly.

  “Yes, like wise guy.” Bellamy smirked as he said it.

  “Any relation to Mary Jo Wyse?”

  Bellamy stared across the desk at him. “Don’t know who that is. Why?”

  Roy picked up his pen and rolled it between his palms. “My son, Mack, is dating Mary Jo Wyse. She lives on the other side of his duplex. I seem to remember Mack mentioning that her brother’s moved into town.”

  “You’ve met this Linc Wyse?”

  Roy shook his head. “No, but I’ve met Mary Jo a number of times.”

  “Well, Lori married Lincoln Wyse. Linc, for short.” He seemed to wait for Roy to respond.

  “They might be related, which means it could be a conflict of interest for me to take this case.”

  “Are you saying you can’t be objective?”

  “No, I’m saying I know a relative or someone who might be a relative. I’d want you to be aware of that up front. Not telling you would be a breach of ethics.”

  “Okay, I know it. Now find the dirt on this man.”

  “Dirt?”

  “He’s a money-grubbing thief, hoping to swindle my idiot daughter out of every penny she’s due to inherit.” He scowled. “Fact is, I’m tempted to cut her out of my will. Then we’ll see how long this so-called marriage lasts. It would serve her right, too. When can you start?”

  Roy hesitated.

  “Will you take the case or not?” Bellamy demanded.

  “I’ll be happy to investigate Lincoln Wyse,” Roy said after a moment, “but with your full understanding that this man could very well be related to the woman my son is dating.”

  “I already said I don’t care.” Bellamy waved off his concern. “How soon could you get me the information?”

  “How soon do you want it?” Roy asked.

  “Yesterday. I want this man out of my daughter’s life before she does something even more foolish and gets pregnant. I swear she’s determined to age her mother and me before our time. If it isn’t one thing with Lori, it’s another. The girl seems to do nothing but embarrass us. First it was Duncan and now she marries a stranger.”

  “She does seem to have an impulsive nature,” Roy said carefully, still somewhat perturbed by the man’s contempt for his daughter.

  Bellamy stood and again they exchanged handshakes. “I’ll wait to hear from you, then.”

  “I’ll be in touch in a few weeks.”

  The other man held his look. “Don’t spare the truth. I want it all, understand?”

  “I’ll make sure I do a thorough search,” Roy promised.

  “Good.”

  With that, Bellamy was out the door, seemingly eager to escape. No sooner had he left the office than Corrie got up from her desk.

  “What did he want this time?” she asked, her eyes narrow with suspicion. She stood in his doorway, her arms folded.

  Okay, the guy was arrogant and demanding, but he wasn’t the first client who’d behaved that way. Roy didn’t know why his wife found Bellamy so objectionable. “He wants me to do a background check on someone.”

  Corrie made a snorting sound.

  “I realize you don’t like him.”

  “I have a bad feeling about him,” she said. “A bad vibe, as we used to say.” She looked at him earnestly. “You’ve always been particular about the cases you accept. Even when I don’t like one of our clients, I’ve never expressed my opinion.”

  Roy cocked his eyebrows.

  “Fine. Maybe I have…occasionally. Bellamy pays his bills on time, which is good, but if it were up to me—and I know it isn’t—I’d steer clear of him.”

  “Apparently his daughter eloped a few weeks ago and he’s afraid the young man married Lori for her money.” Roy stood and walked over to his wife’s side. “Lori married Lincoln Wyse. I think he might be Mary Jo’s brother.”

  Frowning, Corrie met his eyes. “He is.”

  “I told Bellamy that was possible and I said it might cause a conflict of interest, but he didn’t care. He wants me for the job.”

  “I’ve met Lori and Linc,” she said, her frown deepening. “They’re a sweet couple. I refuse to believe Linc married her because she’s related to Leonard Bellamy.”

  “I’ll find out soon enough,” Roy said.

  Corrie returned to the front office and Roy sat down at his desk again. He was logging on to his computer to begin the search when Corrie came back. “I still don’t think you should take this case.”

  “Really?” he said, leaning back in his chair. He linked his fingers behind his head and regarded his wife. “And why is that?”

  Corrie seemed flustered. “He…he wants you to dig up something damaging. If you don’t, he’ll believe you didn’t do your job.”

  “What makes you say that?”

  “Isn’t it obvious?” she snapped.

  Actually, it was. Roy suspected Bellamy was hoping Roy would come up with a divorce or two or perhaps a bankruptcy, just to prove to his daughter how wrong she was.

  “I told him I’d take the job,” Roy said, and he was a man of his word.

  “Then untell him.”

  “I can’t do that.” If he accepted a job, then he
intended to follow through—and he’d conduct his investigation with integrity. At the same time, he’d never seen his wife this adamant about a case.

  “I had a feeling you were going to say that,” Corrie said with a deep sigh of resignation. “I hope you don’t regret this.”

  Roy waited until she’d left the office and closed the door. When he was fairly sure she wasn’t listening, he reached for his phone and dialed his son’s cell.

  “Hi, Dad.” Call display was a marvelous thing, Roy mused.

  “Hi, Mack.”

  “What can I do for you?” Mack asked.

  Roy got right to the point. “What do you know about Linc Wyse?”

  “Linc Wyse,” Mack repeated. “Mary Jo’s brother?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Salt of the earth. Honest as the day is long. And other assorted clichés. He’s a good guy.”

  “He’s married to Lori Bellamy?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Does he love her?”

  “He married her, didn’t he?”

  Roy smiled. “Men marry for reasons other than love.”

  “Not Linc. He’s not like that.” Mack spoke with certainty. “You didn’t say why you’re asking.”

  “You’re right, I didn’t.” He rarely approached family with business matters but he felt Mack’s judgment about people was reliable. “Thanks. You told me what I needed to know.”

  “That’s all you wanted?”

  “That’s it,” Roy answered. “Thanks for your help.”

  “No problem.”

  As Roy disconnected, he grinned. He’d look into Linc Wyse’s background, but he doubted he’d find anything that would satisfy Leonard Bellamy’s hunger for negative information. Roy acknowledged he’d derive some pleasure from that when he made his report.

  Fourteen

  After three straight days of rain, the sun broke out shortly after noon on Saturday.

  Mary Jo was more than ready to leave the duplex for a while. Noelle had been irritable all morning and a distraction would be good for both of them.

  Despite the overcast skies and drizzle earlier in the day, Mack had been working outside, wearing rubber boots. He’d weeded the garden and was now erecting a fence around the backyard. He’d also promised to put up a swing for Noelle, which he planned to do.

  There was a chance of rain, so Mack had suggested they drive down to the farmer’s market and include a stop at the library. Immediately after lunchtime, she bundled up Noelle and they set off, again taking her car.

  When they’d parked in the free lot next to the library, Mary Jo got Noelle from the backseat while Mack set up the stroller. The baby gurgled happily when Mary Jo fastened her inside. Her little girl was growing so quickly. Already Noelle was sitting up on her own, and it wouldn’t be long before she started crawling.

  They returned their library books, then walked over to the market, chatting about Joan and Jacob and the letters.

  “There’s Grace and Olivia. At that booth with all the soap.” Mary Jo caught their attention and waved.

  The two women immediately came toward them. Grace carried a small bag from the Soap People and as they drew closer Mary Jo could smell the distinctive scent of lavender.

  “Don’t tell me that’s Noelle,” Olivia said, leaning over to get a better look at the baby. “Oh, my, she has two little teeth.”

  After the months of chemo, Olivia’s hair had grown back in short, bouncy curls all over her head. Mary Jo wasn’t sure what the color or texture had been before but it was silver now, and Mary Jo thought it was beautiful. She hadn’t met Olivia until last December, when she was in the middle of her fight with cancer. She’d been so thin and pale. So fragile. She was a different woman now, still thin but healthy and vibrant.

  “We’re off to shop,” Grace told them after they’d visited for a few minutes.

  “Have fun, you two,” Mack said as he steered Mary Jo toward the market.

  Mary Jo purchased two pounds of fresh clams and invited Mack to share in her feast that night. He bought a crusty loaf of French bread from the local bakery and salad makings, plus a bottle of white wine to complement their meal. She told him that soon they’d have produce from their garden—lettuce and peppers and beans.

  “Our garden,” Mary Jo said again. Mack had done all the hard work, tilling the ground and preparing the soil. True, she’d done the planting, but they’d both contributed to the weeding and watering. From the beginning they’d agreed to share the bounty.

  “Well, sure, it’s our garden,” Mack said, sounding surprised. “And I’ve enjoyed working in it as much as I’m going to enjoy eating all that good stuff.”

  A man who liked gardening. That seemed to her a very positive thing. It showed how nurturing and patient he was, how generous. She didn’t want to fall in love with him and yet it was almost impossible not to….

  Out of the corner of her eye, Mary Jo noticed her brother and his wife. She was about to mention it when she saw Linc place his arm around Lori. Marriage had changed her oldest brother. Mary Jo became aware of the subtleties it had brought into his life—or, perhaps, revealed in his personality—every time she saw him.

  For years Linc had been on his guard, looking after his family. He’d taken on the responsibilities of a parent, constantly worrying about his siblings, trying to protect them. He hadn’t liked it when Mary Jo had moved to Cedar Cove, but her decision had been a turning point for him, as well.

  She’d made a mess of things by trusting David Rhodes. Naively, she’d believed he loved her, because it was what he’d said and what she wanted to believe. All his lies and false promises had left her pregnant and alone.

  In giving herself to David, she’d rebelled against the control Linc had over her. Her pregnancy had complicated everything—and yet it was the beginning of a new order in the Wyse family. She’d moved to Cedar Cove and, as an indirect result of that, Linc had met Lori. Over the past few months Mary Jo’s relationship with her brother had begun to change. He became her brother for the first time since they’d lost their parents. Her brother and not a surrogate father.

  “Isn’t that Linc and Lori?” Mack asked.

  Mary Jo nodded. The differences in Linc were apparent in more than just his attitude. He seemed at ease with himself and the world. He behaved like a carefree young man, and she realized how much he’d been robbed of after their loss. Selfishly, all Mary Jo had thought about were her own feelings, not his. She regretted her adolescent rebelliousness, recognizing that, without ever intending to, she’d made his life harder.

  They met and chatted for a few minutes, making tentative dinner plans for later in the week. Then Mack and Mary Jo resumed walking through the market. Mack purchased a couple of quilted bibs for Noelle, who seemed to constantly drool now that her teeth were coming in. Mary Jo tied a pink one around her neck right away.

  Around three o’clock, the market started to wind down. Mack suggested they continue their stroll along the waterfront. The afternoon was so bright and sunny that Mary Jo eagerly agreed. Noelle had fallen asleep, and Mary Jo felt relaxed, contented in the sunshine and Mack’s presence.

  The Seattle ferry had just pulled into the Bremerton dock and seagulls circled overhead. The scent of the tide going out filled her nostrils.

  Pushing the stroller with one hand, Mack clasped her hand with the other. They didn’t speak. The simple pleasure of walking by the water, all her senses engaged—being with Mack—made her happier than she’d been in a long time. She was about to tell Mack exactly that when a familiar voice spoke behind them. “Well, isn’t this a cozy picture.”

  Mary Jo’s blood turned to ice. David Rhodes.

  At the sound of David’s voice, Mack whirled around. Instinctively Mary Jo moved closer to him.

  “What do you want?” Mack demanded.

  “That’s none of your business,” David answered defiantly.

  Seeing her baby’s father so unexpectedly was almost more than she cou
ld tolerate. Her entire body started to shake.

  “I see it didn’t take you long to find my replacement,” David said, staring at Mack. He smiled then, that easy, confident smile she knew so well. “Actually, he’s welcome to you. All I care about is my daughter.”

  “What are you doing here?” Mary Jo asked, then regretted the question. The answer was obvious. He’d come to see his father and stepmother. Or worse, he’d come in search of her and Noelle.

  While he claimed all he cared about was Noelle, she noticed that he hadn’t glanced once at the stroller or their daughter, as if Noelle didn’t even exist.

  “I came to find you,” David said, looking directly at Mary Jo.

  “Why?” She hated the way her voice trembled.

  “You know why.”

  But she didn’t. Nor did she want to.

  “Stay out of Mary Jo’s life,” Mack said from between clenched teeth.

  Mary Jo placed a calming hand on his forearm. She didn’t want this to turn into a sparring match, although she was fairly sure that if it did, Mack would easily overtake David. Seeing him now, with his puffy face and bloodshot eyes, she wondered why she’d ever been attracted to the man.

  Even as she asked herself that question, her mind provided an immediate response. In David she’d seen freedom, a way out from under her brother’s thumb. David Rhodes had offered her an escape, and she’d been both foolish and blind enough to take it.

  David returned his attention to Mary Jo. “I’m here to warn you that if you file for child support with the state, you’ll be sorry.”

  “You threaten Mary Jo and you’ll deal with me,” Mack growled. He brushed her hand from his forearm and stood directly in front of David.

  David didn’t back down. “As I mentioned earlier,” he said in a congenial voice, “this really isn’t any of your business. The matter of our child—and who gets to keep her—is between Mary Jo and me.” He looked at Mary Jo again, his eyebrows raised. “My father said he advised you to file for child support.”

  Mary Jo swallowed uncomfortably. Ben had brought up the subject this past Wednesday, when she’d stopped by for her weekly visit. He’d felt David should be held financially accountable for his daughter. The fact that David had denied any responsibility disturbed Ben, and he’d urged Mary Jo to file for support. She’d promised to consider it. She hadn’t discussed any of this with Mack, but had been quietly contemplating a course of action. Her biggest fear was that if she did file, David would insist on visitation rights, and he seemed to be implying that he would. She couldn’t bear the thought of handing Noelle over to David, since she didn’t trust him.