“Joanne.”
“Right. But, that’s how I knew you had changed your appearance. Not simply by seeing you with John on the television.”
“On that note, I still can’t believe you eavesdropped.”
He sighed and shut the door behind them. “I’m ashamed and I’m sorry. It just sort of happened.” He took her hand and pulled her into a hug. “Let’s take this a day at a time. Didn’t you say the PI was close to proving you weren’t involved?”
“I did.”
“Then, a day at a time. Okay?” He slipped his hand along her nape and spread his fingers underneath her hair. “Do you still want to watch the Cary Grant movie?” He grinned. “Nothing like Mr. Blandings Builds his Dream House to take away your troubles.”
Since he’d suggested it right before they went out, she’d looked forward to cozying up with him on the sofa after dinner at Harry’s. Staring into his hopeful eyes, she tried to adopt his less worried attitude and smiled. Rose slipped her arms around his neck. “Sure.”
He hugged her, tucking her head beneath his chin. She seemed to fit just right. As he rubbed her back, she somehow felt better.
“Let me go change. Then we can watch the movie.”
Once in her room, she shed her clothes and tossed on a pair of stretchy leggings with an oversized T-shirt she’d found at a rest area in Pennsylvania reading, “Does the name Pavlov ring a bell?” It had begged to be purchased.
She hung the skirt and top. On her way out, she took her phone from the purse and found two missed calls from Dan and one message.
Nerves flared, the impact like a sucker punch to her stomach. She’d spent the better part of the day ignoring the news, but a call from Dan demanded her attention. She didn’t bother with the message and hit dial. Each ring felt like an hour. By the fifth one, she was about to hang up when a winded voice answered, “Hello.”
“Dan?”
“Yeah, Rose. Thank God you got my message.”
“I didn’t listen to it. What’s wrong?”
“Good news. Well, mostly. My guy finished. We’ve compiled enough evidence to prove you didn’t make those straw donations, but I recommend you contact a lawyer.”
“Okay. But if you found enough evidence and I get a lawyer, this should be good, right?”
Dan took a deep breath. “My guess is that the FBI will try to get to your husband by going for you. With the latest news, it’s time you found an attorney. I can give you the name of one I’ve worked with before who handles these types of cases.”
“Where’s the justice in this world? I did nothing. I’m a victim.”
“The reason we’re doing this the right way. Got a pen?”
“Hold on.” Questions twirled in her mind like the start of a cyclone, mounting in urgency with each passing second. She fished through her purse until she found something to write with and swallowed down a hard lump before she spoke. “Ready.”
Her hand trembled as she wrote down the name of a lawyer in DC.
“Oh, and stay where you are unless the lawyer says otherwise. I’ll be available for conference calls if you need me to go over the evidence we’ve uncovered. If we do this smartly, you might not serve any jail time.”
Might not? Rose wanted to heave. “They would send me? Even if there’s proof I’m innocent?”
“They’d need to analyze what we’ve given them. Look, let’s take it one step at a time.” Dan’s voice attempted to calm, but the damage was done. “Contact the attorney tonight. He’s a friend and expecting your call. I told him we needed to get this ball rolling.”
“I will.”
She called the lawyer, but only got a voice mail. After leaving a message, she went into the bathroom. While brushing her teeth, she stared into the mirror’s reflection. A woman Rose used to know looked back. Not a grown-up who had a PhD and wrote a respected magazine column. Instead Emmaline Rose stared back. A scared kid, plagued by a need for privacy, routine, and love. Her parents had encouraged the creation of a fantasy world where outsiders would never know their real problems. She hated them for doing that, but hadn’t she done the very same in her adulthood?
Reality struck with the force of a speeding truck. Running wasn’t the answer. It had never been the answer. It was an illusion, a temporary stop in living a full and honest life.
Her own existence wasn’t even clear to her any more. Including this one with Leo. If they were to build on what they’d found in each other, she first needed to fix what she’d left behind.
“I’ve got the movie ready to go,” he yelled from the other room.
“Be right there.”
Tomorrow. A new day. A chance to think about what she wanted to make her new reality. She’d be forced to face the demons that followed her. But for tonight, she’d enjoy the peace and love she’d found in Leo’s arms.
Chapter 24
Rose sat on the edge of Leo’s bed, her cell phone pressed to her ear. “Yes. I understand.”
As her lawyer delivered the cold hard facts about her situation, her fingers twirled a loose string on the hem of Leo’s T-shirt that she’d slipped on when it got a little chilly during the night. She wished Leo were here now, wrapping her in his hold to take away the sting of the lawyer’s words.
Bob Kirkpatrick, Esquire, was evidently an early riser. Said to be the best criminal defense attorney in DC, he offered sensible advice and an outline on what he’d advise she do. Practical as it was, though, her insides ached. The advice conflicted with her heart’s desire.
Leo walked in and sat on the bed, making it shake. She didn’t turn around, suddenly afraid he’d spot all the agony ripping her apart inside.
Bob finally wrapped up and asked if she had any questions. “Not right now. I’ll call if I do.”
As soon as she placed the phone on the nightstand, Leo’s hands circled her waist. “Lie down with me.”
She did and he slipped his leg over hers. “Everything okay?” He draped a hand over the dip in her waist.
“I think so. It was the lawyer. He seems to know what he’s doing.”
“Good. Don’t forget that I’m here to help you every step of the way.”
Rose smoothed her hand along the grain of his cheek. “I know you are. And I’m grateful, but I don’t want this to be your problem.”
He frowned. “I can’t help someone I care about?”
“It’s not that.”
“Then what?”
The night of the blackout, Leo had revealed a lifetime of trying to help the women in his world. His mother. His wife. Even women he’d dated. The pain in his eyes while he’d talked showed his regret over not being able to save them, what he considered his own personal failures. Rose didn’t want to be another of the same.
“It’s time for me to face everything in my life. For once.”
“And I’m saying you don’t need to do it alone. That’s all.”
“That’s not all. I need to do it alone.”
“What’s that mean?”
“Look, the past has defined us both. Marrying John was a Band-Aid to fix my need for a quiet family life. Me latching onto you in a crisis is no better.”
“You’re not latching onto me. It’s what we do for the people we care about.”
“To a certain extent.” Rose took his hands in hers. “Leo, you shared with me the pain of trying to help people you couldn’t fix. Your wife, your mother.”
“This is different.”
“Is it?”
“I think so.”
“Well, I don’t.”
He stared at her and seemed to process the statement. “Fair enough. Have it your way.”
He kissed the tip of her chin, nipped at the corner of her lips, then captured her mouth into a tender kiss. Rose surrendered to the heat between them, but her mind wandered. He’d agreed too easily. Leo possessed a quiet persistence, another type of fight she wasn’t sure she could handle right no
w.
Leo pulled away, happiness shining in his eyes. “Hungry?”
Rose didn’t want to ruin it by telling him he wasn’t listening to her concerns. “Starving.”
“How about I get breakfast started? I’ll feed Bella, too.”
“Sure.”
He gave her a quick kiss, rolled out of the bed, and tossed on jeans with a clean T-shirt. Bella followed him to the door. He paused and glanced back at Rose. “Everything will be okay.”
“I know.” She smiled, because she could tell he wanted to make it good for her. “I’ll be right down.”
Rose rested her head back on the pillow, staring up at the ceiling and trying to think of how to deal with Leo’s need to help her. Bella howled when the doorbell rang. Seconds later, Leo answered. The muffled sounds of a man’s voice carried upstairs.
Rose went to the bedroom window. An unfamiliar black sedan parked in the driveway. The plates were not the blue to white ombré found on cars from Connecticut, but more goldenrod, like New York State.
Her mouth went dry. This couldn’t be good news. She took light steps to the bedroom door, stuck her head out into the hallway, and held her breath to listen.
“Nope. Can’t say I’ve seen the woman in the picture,” Leo said. “Why would you be checking here?”
A stiff, tenor voice replied, “A tip sent us this way.”
“Well, surely if she was in my house, I’d know it.” Leo chuckled, but a tremor in his laughter belied his humor.
“And the car in the back of the driveway, is it yours?” This man’s voice sounded more pleasant, but she didn’t like his question.
“The one with the Massachusetts plates?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Belongs to a renter living here who works at the local vineyard.”
Rose’s chest tightened. Leo had lied for her.
“No. She went out with a friend a little while ago,” Leo said, sounding pretty convincing. “You know, whoever sent you here could’ve confused Northbridge with one of the other towns adjoining the lake. Happens all the time.”
Rose couldn’t tell if they bought it or not. Finally the front door clicked shut. She returned to the window, watching from behind the curtains as two men in dark suits got into the car. One of them was the same agent who’d visited her the first time. A minute later, they disappeared between the thick trees on either side of the driveway. This visit forced her hand, leaving her only one choice.
Footsteps carried down the hallway then Leo entered the room and came up behind her. “Did you hear?”
She nodded. “FBI?”
“Yes.” He put his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder. “I have a bad feeling Everett tipped them off.”
“Why?”
“When it came to you, he found a way to hurt me.” Leo shook his head. “I’d hoped some of my comments sank in, but I guess not.”
She kissed his cheek. “Go ahead and finish breakfast. I’ll get dressed and be right down.”
He squeezed her and held tight for a minute, then let go. Once he left, she got dressed.
Leo seemed aware of the ways his past played into his choices, perhaps had even grown from his mistakes. But could he let her handle this alone? She considered how he’d just handled the FBI agent and had her answer.
Lifting her cell phone, Rose dialed her lawyer’s number and tried to stop struggling tears. In order for her to do the right thing to repair her situation, she’d have to hurt Leo.
“Hi, Bob, it’s Rose Richardson again. The FBI was just here.”
* * * *
The end.
Leo leaned back in his chair and stretched his arms over his head, sinking into the wonderful feeling of completing this manuscript first draft. Most of the pieces for this book were in place before he met Rose. Her arrival provided the missing link. A few edit rounds and he’d have this turned in not too far off from his deadline.
Leo stood, went to his worktable, and got seated in front of his laptop. Time to start the transfer into a computer file. Rose would surely have something to say about it, like how it was his leap into a new millennium.
He smiled thinking about her as he opened a new file. His mind drifted to the goodbye kiss she’d given him before running off to the grocery store. All she’d cared about was his work progress, so she told him she’d walked Bella and locked her in the apartment so he’d have no disruptions. Now, though, the image he recalled highlighted the sadness in her expression.
Damn FBI! Damn her husband.
Hopefully the attorney’s advice would help her through this.
Leo worked for another hour, content in the knowledge he’d soon be having dinner with the woman who’d changed the way he saw his life. Screeching brakes of a diesel truck sounded in the driveway and seconds later the doorbell chimed. Leo got up and went downstairs. The UPS driver handed over a package.
While he opened the box in the kitchen, the house phone rang. He grabbed the cordless phone, seeing his sister’s name on the display.
“Hey, Mallory.” He removed two books he’d ordered.
“Thanks for the warning shot about Everett’s return.”
“My pleasure. How was your talk with him?”
“Typical Everett. Short and to the point. He did ask some weird questions about your renter, though.”
A pit formed in Leo’s gut. “Oh?”
“Yeah. He asked if you two were…well, for lack of a better word, involved.”
“What’d you say?”
“I told him not as far as I know. Which is true because you’d have told me. Right?”
“I would have, but, well—it’s a very recent thing.”
“Is it serious?”
“It’s new. Please don’t start calling wedding planners.”
“Very funny. But really, are you happy?”
“Yes. Very much so.”
“Then I’ll let it go that you didn’t share. But if it comes to wedding plans…”
“You’ll be the first person I call.”
“Good. Oh, Everett said something else. Pretty out there, if you ask me.”
Leo braced himself. “What?”
“He claims she looks like the missing senator’s wife who’s been on the news lately.”
Further proof Everett might have been the reason behind the FBI’s visit. Leo wanted to hate his brother, only the pain in Everett’s eyes when he revealed the truth about his relationship with Camille left Leo sad and filled with regret. Not that he’d have changed one thing about falling in love with her, but maybe he’d have handled matters more appropriately.
Bella whimpered from inside the apartment. Leo walked down the hallway and opened the door. The dog hurried out, anxious for some reason. Leo’s gaze drifted into the main living area and a slow chill spread to his bones.
“Is he right? Does she look…”
His sister’s voice faded as he took in Rose’s apartment. A bad feeling settled over him. Little signs of her existence always left around, like a pair of kicked-off shoes or her open briefcase, were gone. He entered.
“Can I call you back? Something just came up.”
“Sure.”
He hung up and squatted down, taking a minute to rub Bella’s silky ears. “Hey girl. It’s okay.”
The spotless living room made his heart sink further. All that remained of her having been there was a filled bowl of water and kibbles.
He went to the bathroom, his head in a haze. All the toiletries were gone. With deepening dread, he stepped into the bedroom. No suitcase. No clothes in the closet. A cleared dresser.
Pain gushed through his chest, like an explosion of his heart. How could she simply leave without a goodbye or taking the dog?
A paper lay in the center of the bed. He went over and picked it up, the hurt cutting through his chest like an axe, making it hard to breath.
Dear Leo,
&n
bsp; If you’re reading this, you’ve realized I’m gone. The decision to leave this way didn’t come lightly, only trying to say goodbye would have been hard for both of us.
My life is a mess, Leo. For so long I’ve been running. Yes, it must feel like I’m running from you.
Only I’m not.
I’ve left, but for a good reason. One I hope means a future for us. Where someday we can have a relationship without the constraints of lies.
Lies about my identity.
Lies about hiding from the FBI.
I can’t ask you to be a party to the deceits I’ve let rule my life, and I can’t be with you fully until I make my past and present right. Maybe I should have discussed this with you first, but I didn’t want you to try to change my mind.
My lawyer advised me to turn myself in and deal with the aftermath. He will do everything to prove my innocence, but it could be pretty unpleasant at the beginning. I don’t want to drag you down that path. With any luck, I’ll come out the other end of this a fully vindicated woman and John will land behind bars, where he deserves to be sent.
By now you’ve noticed I’ve left my most beloved possession behind. Bella.
As I considered my plans to turn myself in, I worried about her. John never wanted her and I worried she’d end up back at the local dog pound. In fact, there’s only one person who I could count on when it came to her. One person who loves Bella as much as me.
I hope you don’t object to keeping her until I can get my life in a good place. If you can’t, then I will find another place. I promise we will talk soon, but I need to at least get through the next few days or a week.
I’m sorry if my leaving like this hurts you. Sometimes doing the right thing can hurt people we care about. Yet I’ve left with the full confidence I will face all the demons in my life, both past and present.
When the day comes I return to you, I’ll understand if you no longer want me. And if you still have Bella, all I ask is that you return to me the one piece of myself I’ve left behind.
Rose
Xxoo
Leo fell onto the edge of the bed, the letter dropping from his hands to the floor. Bella wandered over, poked his knee with her nose. He scratched her head but was numb to all other sensations. He processed Rose’s note, even though part of him wanted to race after her and track her down.
Bella Luna Page 24
