Heart's Refuge (Lucky Numbers)

by Cheryl Harper

  Jen shifted her weight from her left boot to her right.

  Sarah shrugged. “Eventually, it was easy to make sure everyone was laughing at someone else.”

  “So, what, I should feel sorry for you? Because you were bullied once as opposed to every single day,” Jen muttered.

  “No, I just... A friend recently told me to try honesty.” Sarah hoped Jen didn’t ask which friend.

  Calling her stepbrother a “friend” would not go well.

  “Will might think he’s on his guard, but you’re tricky, too smart...especially now that you’re acting all mature.” Jen narrowed her eyes. “He’s blinded by long shiny hair. But I’m not that easy.”

  Sarah got a boost of energy at being called smart, even if Jen meant she was manipulative, and that made it easier to do the right thing. “I am sorry, Jen. And if anyone deserves to have hit the lottery, it’s the three of you. Rebecca always was the sunniest person I knew. All three of you are lucky to have the kind of relationship that lasts, grows stronger when times are hard or good or when you hit the jackpot.”

  Sarah leaned forward as if she was about to whisper a secret. “I’m jealous.”

  Jen yanked her sunglasses off, studied them carefully and then looked at Sarah as if she was waiting for the other shoe to drop. “Sarah Hillman is jealous. You just made sophomore-me’s day.”

  Sarah chuckled. “Good. I’m glad someone around here is having a good day. The phone’s not ringing. The only visitors I’ve had were more interested in gossip than Will’s services.” She ruffled the pages on the desk in front of her. “These numbers give me indigestion. But I’ve still had worse days than this.”

  Jen tapped her sunglasses on her wrist. “So, there’s not a steady parade of clients.” She wrinkled her nose. “Will Barnes, my mother’s poster child for getting your life together, is not taking Holly Heights by storm. Topsy-turvy world, all right.”

  So many questions trickled through Sarah’s brain as she watched Jen’s shoulders slump. She didn’t know much about Jen and her mother or Will’s relationship with them.

  Apparently, there was some history there.

  “Some of that’s my fault.” Sarah paused as she tried to figure out exactly where she was going. “But he made himself pretty clear this morning. He’s going to honor his word and let me work for him.”

  Jen snorted. “It would be wrong to celebrate his difficulty—the first time Mr. Perfect hasn’t succeeded immediately.” She tapped her boot in a quick rhythm. “Right? Definitely. It would be wrong.”

  “I’ll never tell a soul.” Sarah mimed turning the key in the lock over her lips.

  “Great. When should I expect the blackmail to begin?” Jen didn’t smile but something about her disgusted pucker relaxed.

  So did the tension across Sarah’s shoulders.

  “I’m still forming my list of demands. Should I give you a call when it’s complete?” Sarah tapped her pen on the pad in front of her.

  “Let’s don’t get too crazy. Besides, Will would not be shocked that I was behaving badly. My mother, on the other hand... That blackmail might work. But don’t call me.” Jen opened the door. “Reclusive millionaires have to be careful. Have your people call my people.”

  Unless Jen was talking about Shelly, Sarah was certain she was peopleless.

  “I mean Will, Sarah. Have him call me.” Jen shoved her sunglasses on before she left without saying goodbye.

  Sarah wondered if Will knew how lucky he was to have Jen looking out for him. At a time like this, Sarah would’ve called in every family tie she could.

  When she was growing up, she’d had an imaginary sister. Other kids had imaginary friends, but Sarah had dreamed up a twin who liked to dress the same way she did and who’d always take her place when she had to read in front of the class.

  Of all the things she’d asked for growing up, a little brother or sister had never been delivered.

  Was this a way to repay Will’s kindness? What could she do to bring Jen and Will closer?

  Neither one of them liked her or trusted her much.

  And was this another sign of maturity, caring about other people’s relationships?

  She wasn’t sure she liked it.

  CHAPTER TEN

  AFTER A LONG day spent as far from his office as he could manage, Will stumbled through the front door. Two days of covering the town on foot had worn him out. And he’d kept going through lunch, after Chloe had called to say she’d be helping Brenda with a special project at her house. His feet were angry about that decision, but he’d made three appointments for next week, so it was a good kind of tired.

  And if walking the sprawling streets of downtown Holly Heights helped him avoid Sarah, so much the better. They had to make it through only one more day of working in his small office before her presentation to Rebecca, Stephanie and Jen.

  Then he was certain Sarah Hillman would forget to report for work.

  He picked up the stack of notes Sarah had left in the center of the desk. “John Garcia. Sarah called to confirm his appointment on Friday.”

  Will pinched the bridge of his nose as he considered how handy it was to have an assistant who could think for herself. Confirming appointments wasn’t in the procedure manual, but a reminder never hurt.

  Reminders were good for him and the client.

  “Smart. Proactive. A good receptionist.” He shook his head as he wrote a reminder to thank Sarah. He should also add this step to the manual.

  The second message was from a pediatrician in Waco he’d been working with for years. His client wanted to meet to discuss his daughter’s college fund.

  And the last two messages were identical except for the names. One from Brenda, the other from Jen. “Dinner tonight. Six. Be there.”

  He pulled out his phone to give Brenda a call. Chloe was supposed to let him know when she was ready to come home. Maybe she and Brenda were working together. There’d be no way to avoid dinner at this point.

  “I told her we were coming,” Chloe said. “She took me to her house, showed me dessert. It looks amazing, Dad.”

  Will loved seeing Chloe so excited to spend time with Brenda and Jen, but his own nerves were back. If he couldn’t smooth things over with his sister, what was he doing here? He would have been better off in Austin. For the business, anyway.

  “Good thinking. What are we having?” Will squeezed Chloe so tight she giggled and then he carried her to his desk.

  “It’s a secret. You’ll never know if you don’t show up.” Chloe held one finger over her lips and he had a flash of Brenda doing the same thing while teasing him about something or other.

  He was sorry it was such a distant memory. No matter how long it had been since his last visit, Brenda always made sure her house felt like home.

  He had faith she’d do it again.

  “No voice mail,” he said, turning to his computer to see a large photo of Jelly on the shelter’s website. So, they weren’t done with this. He should have known. He minimized the browser and pulled up his email. “No email. No more work today.” In his previous life, in Dallas, Will would’ve given a lot to sit at his desk after a long day of meetings and find no pressing business. When Chloe left, this much spare time might be a problem.

  Unless he had to take care of a cat.

  “Sarah just left. I told her I’d be fine.” Chloe rubbed at the scratches on her arm. “She made me promise to call you, but I got distracted.” She glanced at the computer monitor and then tried a sunny smile.

  It worked, mainly because he did not want to talk about cats.

  “All of a sudden, I’m hungry,” he said. “Let’s head for Brenda’s.” He folded the edge of Jen’s message and tried to imagine what his conversation with her might be like.

  Had Rebecca told her who they were meeting with on Saturday?

  Dinner might not last long if that information set her off. Brenda would be sorry.

  If not, could he avoid spilling
the beans long enough to make it to dessert?

  The drive through Holly Heights took almost no time at all. Brenda’s house was still the nicest, smallest one on the block, freshly painted and landscaped.

  As Will and Chloe walked up the driveway, he realized he wasn’t surprised nothing had changed. Once Brenda had made a decision, she was difficult to persuade. Leaving the place she’d raised her daughter was something she refused to consider even when he was a kid and they could have all used an extra bathroom.

  Brenda and his father had argued more than once about the need to move. She’d won every time.

  As someone who’d never been sure what address to call home, he sort of admired Brenda’s commitment even while he wished Jen could talk her into something bigger and newer. She deserved the best.

  “Are you coming in?” Brenda asked from the small stoop out front. She had a dish towel in one hand and held the screen door open with the other. Chloe’s exuberant hug around her waist forced her back a step. “Once you’ve made it this far, you might as well.”

  “I was admiring how good the place looks.” Will trotted up the steps and relaxed a fraction as Brenda wrapped her arms around his neck. No matter how many times he went to see his mother in her condo with the waterfront view, her greetings had never felt like this.

  “I told you, Mom. Now that I’m signing his checks, he’ll be here.” Jen ducked as Brenda tossed the dish towel at her head. “I was right.”

  Caught between the urge to return the volley and Brenda’s pleading stare, Will folded his hands together. “I wouldn’t miss dinner when roast is on the menu. Do you know how bad frozen pot roast dinners taste?” Will sniffed, more than willing to enjoy the smells tumbling out of Brenda’s kitchen. “Did you make bread?”

  Chloe was standing near the kitchen table, trading close studies of the floor with glances at her aunt Jen. Brenda had been a simple conquest. Apparently, he and his daughter both had their concerns about Jen.

  “Well, I tried.” Brenda grimaced. “We tried. I don’t think Jenny’s got the knack.”

  Uneasy with the turn in the conversation, Will held up both hands. “Me, neither.”

  “Between you and Rebecca, I don’t need to learn how to cook. I should concentrate my creative energies elsewhere.” Jen pointed at her mother. “Don’t ask me where. I’m still figuring that out, but now I have plenty of money and time to do it.”

  “As long as it’s something besides cockamamy plots to get me to quit my job, I’m all in favor.” Brenda wrapped her hand around Will’s wrist and began towing him to her spacious kitchen. “Come in and help. I saved the most important job for last. You can carve the meat.”

  Jen rolled her eyes and snatched up the stack of silverware she’d obviously been about to set the table with. And she’d made bread and who knows what else, but he could come in at the last minute to carve and be a hero.

  Brenda was humming as she bustled around the kitchen, oblivious to the way she was torpedoing his plans to win over Jen.

  “All of you kids should spend some time learning your way around the kitchen. Chloe’s already proven herself to be a pretty good assistant,” Brenda said.

  Chloe brightened at the praise.

  “Good job, short stuff. Grab the plates off the counter so we can finish this table.” Jen guided Chloe over to the dishes.

  Will sighed in relief before he picked up the meat fork and carved the roast. At least Jen wouldn’t hold her mother’s lopsided appreciation against his daughter.

  And already he felt the familiar comfort of stepping into a real home. Absolutely nothing had changed in Brenda’s kitchen since he’d scoured it for food, more food, always more food, as a teenager. The cabinets were dark wood; the linoleum was spotless, harvest gold and caught in a time warp.

  “Sit.” Brenda guided him to a chair and gestured at the chair across the table. “You, too, Chloe. It’s time to eat.” Brenda turned to grab the first serving dish off the counter.

  “Let me help you,” Jen said, and shot him a superior look. She made three trips, each one more exciting than the last as vegetables and bread landed on the table. Then Brenda set the meat platter in front of him.

  He clasped both hands in front of him and waited as patiently as he could.

  Chloe leaned over and whispered loudly, “Aren’t you glad you didn’t chicken out?”

  Until Jen ducked her head to catch his stare, he didn’t realize how he’d been studying the roast on the table. She was shaking her head as he rolled his shoulders to ease some of the tension there. “I know you aren’t starving, even if business is slow.” She grabbed the platter and served herself and Brenda before handing it to him. “You aren’t, are you?”

  Brenda was smiling as if that was the silliest suggestion in the world. Will thought about waving it off, but the honest truth was that without Jen boosting his business, things might be pretty tight.

  Chloe was buttering her bread with a dollop the size of an apple, one ear carefully cocked to catch his answer, but almost anything he said would be forgotten in the haze of warm bread and real butter.

  “I have plenty of time to make sure my lottery winners are set.” He scooped a heap of mashed potatoes onto his plate before he handed her the dish.

  Jen pursed her lips and pushed food around her plate.

  “I can’t believe you’re letting Sarah Hillman hang out in your office. Don’t you remember how awful she was?” When Brenda cleared her throat and glanced significantly at Chloe, Jen raised both hands. “What? She was. Even Will can agree to that.”

  “Oh, yeah. She was.” He sipped the iced tea—a drink that had been a part of every single meal Brenda had ever served. Sweet. Cold. Perfect. “But she’s different.”

  “Different how?” Jen demanded, and took an aggressive bite.

  “Hard to say, but she’s impressed me. She could do the same for you.” He hoped, anyway. If Sarah didn’t impress them all, Jen would skin him alive for throwing her in Rebecca’s path.

  “I double-checked on the car Brenda mentioned you’re thinking of buying. Good choice.”

  Jen blinked slowly at him but didn’t answer. Brenda patted his hand.

  “And the Realtor you’re working with sent over some comps for Holly Heights, so I know you’re looking in the right price range. If you ever want to sell the house you buy, you have to make sure to get one priced well and in the right location. I’m assuming you’re going pretty high-end, so location matters even more.” Will shoveled a heavenly bite of roast beef into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully. “That goes for any improvements you make, as well. Real estate is always a smart investment but some people still make bad decisions.”

  Brenda tapped his hand again. “You won’t let Jenny do that, though. Always thinking ahead.”

  Jen dropped her fork, letting it clatter onto her plate, but she didn’t relax the clenched muscles of her jaw to speak.

  Chloe ducked her head closer to her plate and Will got the feeling that he’d already overshot his goal—he’d gone way past being a supportive big brother.

  But he wasn’t sure how to reverse course.

  Brenda was humming happily again.

  Jen was vibrating with irritation, if the color of her cheeks was a clue.

  They quietly devoured everything Brenda had put on the table.

  And Jen had finally processed everything she wanted to say. “Instead of lecturing me on the proper way to spend my money, you might ask me for help, Will.” Jen tossed her napkin down. “And you could also remember that whatever math skills you have, I do, too. No, I don’t have a finance degree, but I understand interest, payments and planning for the future.” She raised her eyebrows at her mother. “I can handle this money all by myself.”

  Brenda cleared her throat. “But you wouldn’t have to if you’d let your brother help.”

  Jen’s beleaguered expression made Chloe giggle. Since she’d been almost silent for the whole meal, Will wrapped a hand
around her nape and squeezed. “That’s the look you usually give me,” he said.

  Chloe immediately re-created it, so well in fact that Jen gasped. Then Brenda’s laughter made them all join in.

  Will held up both hands. “You’re right. I know you’re right. But I will say that I’m happy to help. We both know that’s all it is, an opinion you can ignore freely. And...if you have a chance to work my name into conversation with anyone in town, I’d appreciate it.” He rested a hand on Chloe’s shoulder. “My beautiful daughter and I would appreciate it.”

  “You always do this,” Jen muttered as she stood to clear the table. “Ignore my brains and my plans and my desires to do what you think is right.”

  When Chloe immediately stood to help, he made a note to tell Olivia how impressed he was with Chloe’s manners. His ex was doing a good job teaching Chloe how to navigate society.

  “Always? What does that mean? How many other houses have you bought?” Will braced his elbows on the table. Pursuing this was a terrible idea. He much preferred to sweep it under a rug and pull the table over the top.

  Jen set the dishes in the sink, started hot water running and propped one hand on her hip. “When Joe Niemeyer stole my backpack, I wanted to go to the principal. He had a habit of doing that to lots of freshmen. Instead, you made a big spectacle of confronting him at his locker and taking it back.”

  Will opened and closed his mouth, exactly like a fish out of water.

  “You forced Kelly Morris to confess to bumping my fender in the parking lot, so she made my life difficult on the basketball court every day for a week in PE.”

  She was right. He’d done those things. To help her.

  “You did Sarah’s science project to buy us both a week free of ridicule in the hallway. Have you forgotten that?” She shut off the water and plunged both hands under the suds.

  “No. I haven’t forgotten.” Will stood up to take the first clean plate from her. He rinsed it and wiped it dry while he tried to follow the conversation. “I only wanted to protect you. That’s all I want now. I thought that was a big brother’s job.”