She pursed her lips and shook her head. “I guess you would know.”
“Exactly. Just trust us, okay? And trust that Trevor will do the right thing for Hope.”
Carissa nodded and turned back to David. “And Hope is okay with this?”
David ran his hand over his hair. “Well, she doesn’t know yet.”
Carissa’s eyes flew open and she yanked phone receiver back from Thomas’s hands and began to dial her sister’s number.
Thomas clamped his hand on the hook and cut off the call. “He’ll tell her. If he loves her, he’ll come clean. If she loves him, she’ll understand.” He took the phone from her hand and hung it back up. “Do you think so little of your sister?”
She scowled at him. “That’s not fair.”
“It’s not fair that you won’t give her a chance.” He gathered her hands in his. “Let’s do what we can from here. Let’s try to stop these people who are ruining everyone’s lives.”
“And what happens when it falls apart? What happens when your bait and tackle doesn’t work?”
“Then we offer back what they’re after,” David said. “Those pieces of paper mean nothing to us, and at least we know who’s after them.”
“If anything happens to her, I’m holding you two responsible.”
“Fair enough.”
“And the next time she calls, I’m asking her about Trevor. If he hasn’t come clean, I’m telling her.”
David didn’t like it but he agreed.
She moved back to the table and picked up Thomas’s notes. “Fine then. We need to find a place for the kids that they won’t be touched. We need to cancel classes for a few days. Just tell the parents there’s a water leak or something. And we need to get this over with and get her home.” She turned back toward both of them, her hair flying over her shoulder. She lifted an unsteady hand and pointed at them. “If this goes bad, know that I’m not above killing him.”
“Understood,” David said, fearing it wasn’t an idle threat.
“And I’ll kill the two of you too if he hurts her.”
“It won’t come to that,” he promised. God, let him be right.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The mixing of voices woke Hope, and she stirred
under the blanket atop Trevor’s childhood bed. A calm filled her. He’d brought her home. She’d met his mother and his father.
She’d lain down for a few minutes and fallen asleep in the bed he’d fallen asleep in thousands of times.
The door creaked when it opened, and she turned her head to find Trevor standing there, the light at his back.
“Oh, good. You’re awake.” He moved into the room and sat on the edge of the bed next to her. He touched her cheek and ran his fingers back into her hair as she sat up to meet him. “I was right about dinner. Bryce and the redhead—”
“Her name is Patricia,” she added, and he nodded.
“Right, Patricia. They’re on their way over, and my sister and her family will be here in a half hour.”
Hope sucked in a breath and ran her own fingers through her hair. Trevor watched her and she smiled, trying not to let on that she was completely a wreck of nerves. He lowered his forehead to hers.
“You don’t have to be nervous around my family. My parents love you and the rest of them will too.”
She already knew she liked his parents, but she also knew her being there had to cause her own parents heartache. Her mother had covered it well, but Hope knew Sophia didn’t like the fact she still was on a quest to find out about her birth parents. And even though David encouraged them to take their trip earlier than planned, she couldn’t help but notice the slightest bit of tension between him and Trevor when he’d picked her up at her parent’s house. And then there was Carissa. Everything about Trevor unraveled her. What if his parents thought she was using him? What if his roommate and the redhead hated her for getting them caught in the crossfire of her desire to locate her birth father?
“I don’t know when I’ve been this nervous.” He pulled his head back and touched her cheek. “I love you. I’ve never felt about anyone else like I feel about you.” He kissed the top of her head. “Take a few minutes and come on out.”
Hope gave him a nod, and he walked out of the room.
The doorbell rang as Hope walked into the kitchen, where she found Trevor and his mother standing over a large pot at the stove. Violet held a glass of wine and Trevor a beer. She wondered what they were studying so closely.
“Hey, this guy brought a date. Did you tell him he could bring a date?” Brandon’s voice carried through the house, and when Trevor turned to answer his father he noticed her in the doorway.
Warmth flickered in his eyes as he smiled. He walked to her, laid a kiss gently on her lips, and held her gaze as Bryce and his redhead walked through the door.
“Dude, do you have to make out in the kitchen?”
Trevor kept her gaze. “Yep.”
“Well at least let me get a look at her, man.”
Trevor took a step back and Hope looked up at Bryce, who looked like he could be Trevor’s brother. She decided that was a tribute to a long friendship.
He smiled and held out his hand. “I’m Bryce. I’m his better half.”
“I thought that was me,” she said coolly. “I’m Hope.”
“Witty one. I like you.” The woman to his side poked her elbow into his arm. “Oh, this is my roommate, Patricia.”
Hope extended her hand and smiled politely, trying not to conjure up past conversations about the big-chested redhead. “Patricia, it’s very nice to meet you.”
“Likewise.” She turned her stare to Trevor. The air had grown thick. “Nice to see you again.”
The sound of children’s laughter pealed from the front door. A little boy ran into the kitchen and right to Violet’s leg. She scooped him up and planted noisy kisses on his face. Following him was a girl who looked about eight. Presumably this would be the girl he’d inquired about music lessons for.
A man entered next, his arms full of backpacks and in his hand a sippy cup, which he handed to the little boy in his grandmother’s arms.
Finally, a very pregnant woman who must be Trevor’s sister waddled into the crowded kitchen with their father following close behind. She rested her hands on her back and watched as the little boy squirmed out of Grandma’s arms and toward her.
“He hasn’t figured out I can’t pick him up anymore.” She tried to soothe him by patting his head, but in the end managed to squat down and pick him up.
“Taylor, you’re the size of a house,” Bryce blurted out, and both her husband and Brandon tried to conceal their snickers.
“And, Bryce, you’re still a pain.” Her retort had Hope laughing, and Taylor’s eyes shifted to her. “You must be Hope. I’ve heard so much about you.” She walked toward her, the little boy still in her arms, and extended her hand. “I’m so glad you’ve come to meet us.”
“Thank you. You have a beautiful family.”
“Thanks. Let me introduce you. This is Collin, the little one over there is Sarah, and this is my husband Tim.”
Tim stepped between them and shook Hope’s hand before taking Collin from Taylor.
She rubbed her stomach. “This one is lovingly referred to as Elmo by Collin. And I know my mother’s ears have perked up because she thinks I’ll slip and tell her what the sex of the baby is.”
“You are rotten,” Violet called from over the pot on the stove, “and I have half a mind not to let you have any of these ribs that your father grilled. Trevor, come here, please. I didn’t use quite enough…” She took his beer bottle and poured its contents into the pot.
The threat proved false, and soon Hope sat among the family she’d just met and felt at home. She figured this was how it was supposed to be if you were in love with someone. The entire family should be just as charming as the man who stole your heart away.
With his mouth full of ribs, Bryce said, “You’re c
oming in to the office tomorrow, aren’t you?”
Violet smacked him on the back of the head. “Not with your mouth full.”
Taylor laughed aloud and Hope thought it amusing how Bryce fit like a member of the family. That was how she and Carissa were. They were a patchwork quilt as far as families went, but what they shared made them closer than some families who all shared blood.
Bryce finished his bite and washed it down with beer. “So you comin’ or what? If you’re really moving your butt to Kansas City, then I want your desk and the window. And the clients,” he added, pointing his beer toward Trevor.
“Whatever you want, man.”
Taylor sat back in her chair and pushed away her plate. “I can’t believe you’re moving.”
“There’s nowhere I’d rather be.” He took Hope’s hand and interlaced their fingers. “How can you argue with love?”
“You can when you’re in labor,” Taylor joked. “You couldn’t pay me to move again.”
Hope shifted her head and watched Taylor rub her stomach. Hadn’t Trevor said she was moving? Hope and Thomas were both under the impression, as was her family, that his sister was moving to Kansas City too. Well, it must have been a miscommunication.
She washed up before bed and was slathering her skin with lotion when Trevor walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her and nibbled her arm.
“You smell so good.”
She only smiled.
“So.” He stepped to the side of her in the bathroom and took out his toothbrush. “Tomorrow I’m going into the city with Bryce to go through the office. Mom’s going in with us, so we’ll leave her car for you. Feel free to go shopping or look around. Don’t try to come into the city with the car though. We’ll go in for dinner tomorrow so you can see it.”
She nodded as he set his toothbrush down on the counter. He laid his hand gently on her arm and moved in closer to her. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Sorry, just tired, I suppose.”
“Well maybe this will be a restful weekend for you.”
She wasn’t sure about that. Since Taylor’s comment about moving, she’d been replaying the past few weeks in her head. Who was the man she shared her bed with? She would have thought that being in New York, he would have mentioned something about her seeing Donald Buchanan or Ruth Marlow, but he hadn’t. In fact, nothing had been said about it at all.
“I was thinking.” He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. “I’ve never had a girl sleep in my room before. In fact, I’ve never had a girl in my room before.”
“You’re mother doesn’t seem like the kind of woman who would tolerate that.”
“You’ve figured Violet Jacobs out very quickly.” He traced a finger over her jaw. “You’ll be the first girl I got tangled in the sheets with in my own bedroom.”
Hope swallowed back the worry that was plaguing her and lifted a hand to Trevor’s chest. “Maybe we’ll try that some other time. The last thing I want is to upset your mother.”
Disappointment slid over his face as he took a step back from her, his hands resting on her hips. “I didn’t think being turned down would hurt. But ouch.” He moved in and brushed a kiss over her lips. “Well then, I think I’ll let you settle into bed and get some sleep. I, on the other hand, am going to sneak down to the kitchen and try to find those cookies my mother hides from the rest of the family.”
Hope watched as he shut the door behind him. Trevor was hiding something, and that wasn’t settling well with her. But he’d be at his office with Bryce and his mother all day tomorrow. That meant she’d have a car and a day. She had names and a smart head on her shoulders. She could find Donald Buchanan and Ruth Marlow. If Trevor wasn’t going to give her answers, she’d get them herself.
The next morning Trevor kissed her goodbye before she’d even considered getting out of bed, but the moment the family walked out of the house she was wide awake. She climbed out of bed and went straight to her laptop and began looking for Ruth Marlow.
She jotted down the address and then called hospitals until she found the one that had Donald Buchanan as a patient. With a hand-drawn map and driving instructions, she set out to find some answers to settle her heart.
Hope wiped her hands on the sides of her jeans as she walked toward the front door of Ruth Marlow’s house. Just knowing about the woman should have provided closure to her. It should have been enough to know that she was nasty to Carissa, but she couldn’t help but want to see her and just be near her for even a moment.
She lifted her finger to the doorbell, but didn’t push it.
Trevor had said Ruth Marlow wasn’t such a bad woman. But this was Mandy Marlow’s mother. Mandy Marlow, who’d abandoned her children, lied, cheated, and stole to get what she wanted.
Hope took her finger from the button and dropped her arm to her side.
This was a mistake. She was happy. David Kendal was her father and loved her very much. Sophia Kendal had sacrificed her career and everything she’d ever wanted to have her for her daughter. Carissa was her blood sister. Ruth Marlow and Donald Buchanan weren’t going to change that.
She turned and started back down the steps.
“Can I help you with something?” The woman’s voice came from behind her and she stopped walking. She stopped breathing.
Very slowly she turned around. Their eyes met. Shock slackened the woman’s face. Hope would have known the woman just walking past her on the street. Looking at her, she would have sworn she’d known her her entire life.
Ruth raised her fingers to her lips, and tears instantly formed in her eyes. Hope stood at the base of the steps to the house and watched as Ruth Marlow stared at her.
“You’re her. You’re Mandy’s daughter.”
Hope stood paralyzed. No, she was David and Sophia’s daughter. She needed to keep that in mind as much for herself as she needed Ruth Marlow to understand it too, but she couldn’t speak.
Ruth started down the steps toward her. “You look just like her.” She reached her hand out to touch Hope’s face, but Hope flinched back. Pain flashed in Ruth’s eyes. “I’m sorry,” she said retracting her hand. “I just… well, seeing you… I’m sorry.” She held her hand out to Hope. “I’m Ruth.”
Hope shook her hand. “Hope.”
“I wondered if I would get the chance to meet you. I told that man I didn’t want to, but now that you’re here I can’t tell you how glad I am that you stopped by.”
“Mrs. Marlow, I just want to know more about my birth parents. I have a very happy life. I want you to know that. But there is just that need to know.”
Ruth nodded. “Did your sister come with you?”
“No.”
“Well, when you do speak to her, please apologize on my behalf. Having you stand here makes me miss my daughter. The daughter I knew once.” She shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest. “I wasn’t very nice to your sister when she called years and years ago. I suppose I should have been nicer.”
“She understands.”
“Please, will you come in?”
“Thank you.”
As she followed Ruth back into her house, a wall of unexpected emotion. Hope sucked it back. She wasn’t going to cry or get attached. This was a journey she’d almost walked away from. A few moments with the woman wasn’t going to hurt. She would be gracious and then leave. Suddenly she was missing Kansas City terribly.
“I have some iced tea,” Ruth offered.
“That would be wonderful.” Hope followed her through the well-decorated home to the kitchen, where her refrigerator was covered in old school pictures of Mandy that resembled her own. There were drawings in crayon, signed by Mandy, and more pictures of her with a boy a few years older. A grocery list hung with the old mementos, reminding Hope that Ruth lived day to day among her memories. How could Mandy, the woman Hope knew to hop beds, do drugs, and live in run-down motels have grown up in such a normal place? “You have a lovely home.�
�
“Mandy never thought so.” Ruth pursed her lips and let out a slow breath. “I’m sorry. I should just let you ask questions and keep opinions and comments to myself.” She handed Hope a glass and gestured to the table for her to sit.
“I don’t know what to ask. I mean I’ve had a million questions and now suddenly I’ve drawn a blank.”
Ruth sat down across from Hope and wrapped her hands around the tall glass of tea she’d poured for herself. “Well, let me tell you that Mandy wasn’t always the person you probably know her to be. The little girl I raised loved to paint. She loved to dance and swim. She was a good student.” Ruth shook her head. “She had a brother she was very close to. He was only two years older than she was. The world—her world—revolved around him.” Her brows knit and she chewed on her lip before taking a sip of her tea. “He was killed when she was fourteen. From the moment we told her he was gone, she snapped, she changed.”
“I’m sorry for your loss. I didn’t know.” She couldn’t imagine if she’d lost Carissa. Her life revolved around her sister. What would that have done to her? Obviously it was a life-changing event for Mandy.
“It was such a long time ago. I thought it was a phase. The drugs, the shoplifting, the older men.” She sipped her drink again, and her hand shook. “I lost my son, and then a few years later my daughter’s grief took her from me too.”
Ruth stood and dumped her tea into the sink and set her glass on the counter. “Tell me about you,” she said, her hands gripping the edge of the counter. “Tell me who you are.”
“Well.” Hope collected her thoughts. First and foremost, sitting in the very home that Mandy grew up in, she realized she was most proud to be David and Sophia Kendal’s daughter. “I’m an artist. I paint, using all mediums. I like photography too.” She stood and held tight to the back of her chair. “I own a small store and sell my art and small gifts. I can’t play an instrument, but my sister—now, she’s an amazing musician.” She smiled, thinking of her sister. Carissa had helped to shape her into the very person she was. “My parents made sure I was a Girl Scout, that I played sports, and I went to church almost every Sunday. My sister made sure I understood how much they all wanted and loved me, and she’s always taken extra special care of me.”
Hope's Discovery (THE MATCHMAKER TRILOGY) Page 18
