The Good Father

by Tara Taylor Quinn

  “I’m assuming you’ve read the emails,” Ella said while he was busy tending to himself.

  “I haven’t seen anything since first thing this morning,” he told her. “As soon as the day’s meetings were over I headed to the hospital and then here.”

  “Your mother didn’t text you?”

  “No.” Pulling out his phone to check for any missed communication, he asked, “Why? What’s wrong?”

  “Lila must not have been in touch with her yet,” Ella said. “It’s not like it’s an emergency as far as the Stand is concerned. Not like we can do anything, and if we all got in 911 mode for every at-risk woman we dealt with, we’d never get out...”

  “El...” He reached forward and touched her hand. As he’d done a million times before when she thought out loud before letting him know what was going on.

  Getting ahead of herself, he’d always called it.

  “I got ahead of myself, didn’t I?”

  Every nerve in his system tightened as she voiced the words running silently through his mind.

  “It’s Nora Burbank,” she continued, unaware of the discomfort he was feeling. The connection that had just been revealed to him.

  Him. Her. Still of like minds.

  He’d thought the divorce had taken care of that.

  “What about Nora?” The woman Ella had brought to the Stand from the hospital, he reminded himself. Her infant was Ella’s patient.

  “Her baby was released today, and she took him home. To their permanent home.”

  “I thought arrangements had been made for her to live at the Stand.”

  “They had. She didn’t tell them she wasn’t coming back. We wouldn’t have known at all, until she didn’t show up downstairs for her ride, if an employee hadn’t noticed the change she’d made to her address on the discharge papers.”

  He frowned. “I’m assuming the High Risk team has been notified?”

  “Yes.”

  So there was nothing more they could do for now. Except add another name to the prayer list. Keep a close eye out. And hope.

  “I can’t believe she did this, Brett. I don’t get it. She was desperate for help. And was so grateful when it was provided to her. She couldn’t have faked that.”

  “I’m sure she didn’t,” he said, and it dawned on him. This was a first for Ella. Her first domestic-violence case. Her first case on the High Risk team. Her first flesh-and-blood introduction to the manifestations of the insidious disease.

  “She loves that baby, Brett. Much more than she loves her husband...”

  “But she’s a victim, El.”

  “Not if she stays away from him.”

  “That’s a misconception. She’s a victim whether she’s currently being abused or not. Much like an alcoholic is an alcoholic even when he’s not around alcohol. She’s mentally and emotionally vulnerable to his conditioning.”

  “Brainwashed, you mean.” She was drawing on the table with her finger.

  “In essence.”

  “I read about some of that, but you should have seen her, Brett. She was so glad to have a way to take back control of her life...”

  “She had moments where she was able to think clearly. But in the beginning, those moments will be less frequent than the ones where she feels out of sync with herself every time she goes against his conditioning.”

  He heard the passion in his tone and sat back. Blamed the wine.

  “I spoke with her as soon as I got to work this morning and was told of her plans. When she heard that child protective services had cleared them, she called him,” Ella was saying. “She said she wanted him to know that she hadn’t gotten him in trouble. That he was free and not being looked at anymore. She said that as soon as he heard her voice he started going on about how wrong he’d been, how sorry he was, how things were going to be different. He said it took her leaving him like she did to open his eyes and that from now on, she’ll be in charge of their son’s care. That he’ll do whatever she tells him from now on.”

  “You don’t believe him.” Neither did Brett, but he was understandably biased in cases like these. He’d heard his own father make similar promises when his sister had been in remission.

  And then she’d relapse again.

  First thing in the morning he was going to use some of his investigative skills and do a thorough online check on Ted Burbank. Before the day was done he’d know if the man had so much as ever gotten a speeding ticket.

  And he didn’t kid himself about why, either. Yes, he’d do what he could to keep Nora safe, but there was no way he could keep track of every abuser of every resident they’d ever had at the Stand.

  It wasn’t technically legal, either, with him having access to the residents’ personal information.

  No, he was doing this for Ella.

  Because he knew her well enough to know that she’d blame herself if something happened to that young woman and her son...

  “I’ve never met Nora’s husband,” she was saying. “But based on what I’ve read, and seen with her, I don’t believe a word he said. If he was truly sorry, he’d get himself into some kind of program. And he’d want Nora to stay someplace safe until he was confident that he had his issues under control.”

  Which was exactly what Chloe was telling Ella she was trying to do.

  And he was back to where he’d started—knowing that getting her to cooperate with his plan wasn’t going to be easy.

  Knowing, too, that his idea was their best shot at reaching their goal—getting Chloe back home with Jeff. Though their ideas of what it would take to fix the situation were different—he and Jeff believed that Chloe needed time alone to find herself, while Chloe and Ella hoped that the separation would prompt Jeff to acknowledge his anger issues and seek help—the time apart was key. And the only way that Jeff was going to be able to give Chloe that time was to see her again and assure himself that their love was still there. As it stood, the last time they’d been together had been angry. If they could spend some time together and then separate on good terms, Jeff’s chances of giving Chloe what she needed were far greater.

  And yet, to help his friend, Brett had to put his own emotional health in the direct line of fire.

  A line he’d told himself he’d never approach again.

  Brett took another sip of wine, uncomfortably aware that he could well be facing the challenge of his life.

  * * *

  EITHER SHE NEEDED more wine, or she needed to go home to bed. Ella was wiped out.

  “So, are we done here?” she asked as she finally finished her glass of wine. One glass was all she’d had. Over the space of an hour.

  She could afford to have another and stared at the bottle as though it would tip itself over above her glass.

  “No.” Picking up the bottle, Brett poured a little more wine into each of their glasses. More than half the bottle remained. “I called you here to discuss an idea, and I haven’t yet told you about it.”

  She thought back. They’d discussed Chloe and Jeff. It had felt as though they were on the same page for the first time since this whole thing had begun. Except that she knew Chloe’s bruises were Jeff’s fault. And knew that her brother needed help.

  And they hadn’t actually decided what to do for the other couple. Hadn’t discussed ways to help.

  So how had more than an hour passed?

  And why had she let it? She’d promised herself she wasn’t going to get sucked in by Brett’s magnetism again.

  “What’s the idea?” she asked.

  “Each day that passes without your brother knowing where his wife is, or understanding why she’s gone, he gets a little more desperate. Not as a sick man with control issues, but as a man in love with his wife, who’s just had his life disrupted and isn’t sure it’ll ever be right again.”

  “I know—that’s where you came in. I’d hoped you’d help him see why Chloe left so that he can get help, and his world can be right again.”

  S
he still wasn’t convinced that Jeff didn’t have a very real and dangerous problem.

  “I don’t want my brother falsely accused,” she said. “But I don’t think Chloe imagined all of this. When you listen to her over a period of time, you hear how the fights escalate, and I think she’s right to be concerned. I was concerned,” she admitted. “I’m the one who suggested she get out of there. She thought she could stay with him and help him to see that he needed help. I was scared to death that if she did, Jeff would really hurt her. To the point of her needing a doctor or the police being called, and then there’d be no going back.”

  “But if the situation continues as is, especially now that Sara’s involved, he could start looking like he’s stalking her when in reality he’s just a desperate man trying to save his marriage.”

  “Regardless of what’s happening, she needs time apart from him to get herself straightened out, Brett.”

  “I agree.”

  Okay. Good. She met his gaze. Almost smiled at him. That intimate, it’s-me-and-you smile that they’d shared when other people were around.

  “The other problem is that Cody’s birthday is coming up, and Jeff has every right to see his son for his birthday.” Brett’s words stole the smile before it could escape.

  Jeff could push things. Get the law involved. And win his birthday party with his son. But at what cost?

  They’d be right back where they started.

  “I asked Jeff if he’d be willing to give Chloe total silence, no phone calls, no attempts to see or speak with her, if we could arrange a weekend away first—the five of us—to celebrate Cody’s birthday. A weekend would give him enough time with Chloe to celebrate their son’s birthday, but also for them to reconnect. Just enough to reassure him that he and Chloe aren’t becoming strangers.”

  The five of us. They were the only words she heard.

  For a few wonderful years it had been the four of them. And then she’d gotten pregnant, and it was going to be the five of them.

  Now here they were, all these years later. And Chloe and Jeff’s baby made the fifth, not hers.

  The five of them...

  “El? I promise I’d stay out of your way.” Brett was talking faster than normal.

  This really meant a lot to him.

  Which told her he thought it would work.

  And since it meant him having to spend time with her, he must think it was the only thing that would work.

  “Jeff has agreed to leave her alone,” he said, meeting her gaze. “That means he’s not going to come off looking like a stalker.”

  He knew where she hurt. And how to work her.

  He’d said he didn’t want to hurt her ever again. He’d had tears in his eyes at the time. The night he’d told her he was walking away from their marriage forever.

  She’d believed him then. And believed him now, too.

  A weekend in his company.

  She didn’t know if she could handle it.

  She loved the man. Always had. And knew now that she always would.

  But he wasn’t good for her.

  “El, will you talk to Chloe? At least see what she thinks about the idea?”

  She didn’t feel as though she had any other choice.

  “Okay,” she said.

  And drank her wine so she didn’t have to look at him again. Make eye contact. Feel that special connection between them.

  How could she, and take care of herself?

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  A CABIN IN the woods, with private lagoon access, a dock, pontoon and speed boats and a fire pit in a huge backyard, had seemed like a good idea at the time.

  Private enough that if Chloe and Jeff had it out, there wouldn’t be outside witnesses, and yet with enough to do to keep them all occupied for the one day and two nights they’d be spending together.

  Because the soonest they could all get together was on a Friday night, and to give Chloe and Jeff an entire day together without long drives eating into that time, Brett had agreed to the two nights. The night of the arrival, Saturday together with the birthday dinner that evening, followed by a quick departure on Sunday morning. The itinerary wasn’t ideal, but Jeff was happy and everyone else was satisfied.

  They’d arrived, Brett and Jeff in his car, Chloe and Cody with Ella in hers, at almost the same time.

  The place had come stocked with linens and kitchen essentials. They’d had to bring the rest.

  He and Jeff had been in charge of beverages.

  Ella and Chloe had been in charge of food.

  The guys took one room, with Cody sleeping with Jeff to give his father time with him. The girls took the other.

  And it all could have worked out just fine if Jeff and Chloe had actually needed Ella and Brett there.

  As it was, the couple spent all day Saturday together, with their son, talking, laughing, going from speed boat to pontoon to playing croquet on the lawn, while Ella and Brett tagged along, trying to stay out of each other’s way.

  He and Ella had barely spoken, which was good and bad. It was good...great...that he wasn’t engaging with her.

  But bad that it left him far too much time to notice how those curves of hers hadn’t changed in four years’ time, nor had her penchant for bikinis.

  She filled out the black one she was wearing far too well, which soured his mood. The only good thing about the string-and-Lycra contraption was that there were no other men around to see her in it.

  Except Jeff. Who didn’t notice anyone but Chloe in her colorful one-piece suit. And didn’t matter anyway since he was Ella’s brother.

  “What’s got you so boned up?”

  Brett took the beer that Jeff slid along the deck railing to him Saturday evening as his friend posed his question. He hadn’t heard the other man come out of the cabin. Now that the sun was down, there was a definite chill in the air.

  The women were inside bathing Cody and getting ready to put him down for the night while Jeff did the dishes. Brett had been on grill duty all weekend and had been excused from cleanup.

  Once the baby was down, they were going to play cards.

  A nice, intimate family holiday. The things memories were made of.

  He wasn’t there to make memories.

  “I’m worried about you,” he said, which was partially to blame for his cantankerous mood.

  “What’s to worry about?” Jeff sounded like the happy-go-lucky guy he’d been in college again. “We’re going to beat the girls at cards and call it a night.”

  “And you’re going to be okay leaving Chloe tomorrow? And then leaving her completely alone?”

  Because he was damn sure that the couple hadn’t had a single conversation about their situation in the time they’d been there. Nothing had been resolved. While the couple had had moments alone, Brett and Ella had been close enough to have noticed if there’d been any lengthy discussion.

  “I wanted to talk to you about that,” Jeff said now, taking a long gulp of his own beer. It was the first one he’d seen him with all day.

  Brett was on his second.

  And still had the night to get through.

  “You can’t be thinking about reneging on the deal, Jeff,” he said, his shoulders heavy with dread. He could just hear the spin Ella would put on that.

  Unless Chloe was agreeable to moving home.

  And Ella would be fine with it—realizing that the problem had been Chloe’s, not Jeff’s...

  “No, if Chloe needs to leave tomorrow and have her time apart from me, she can have it. Truthfully, if she needs that time, I need her to have it,” the other man said, and Brett relaxed. “I want her healthy for her sake, but for mine and Cody’s, too. We can’t constantly be living in fear that she’ll need to take off again.”

  “I agree.”

  “I’m just glad that Ella’s sweet enough to go pick her up from wherever she’s staying and bring her here for these two nights. It’s been great. And whatever this blip is, at least we’ll ha
ve good memories of Cody’s second birthday, rather than a yearly reminder that things weren’t so good.”

  They’d had birthday cake and presents at dinner. Brett had spent the event behind a camera lens.

  “So what did you want to talk about?” The girls would be out soon.

  And he’d have to sit at the table with Ella. Interacting, even if just as competitors in a game.

  “I want to spend the night with my wife.”

  Good thing Brett hadn’t been holding his beer. Chances were it would’ve spilled all over him.

  “I can’t ask Ella to ask Chloe to spend the night with you, man.” The regret in Brett’s voice was real. “I feel your pain—” and then some “—but there’s no way.”

  “You don’t have to ask.” Jeff was grinning. Not sharing Brett’s pain. “I already did.”

  “You asked Ella to ask Chloe?” And she’d agreed to ask?

  Because Ella never said no to her older brother? Because he so seldom asked for anything?

  Did that mean that Ella wasn’t opposed to spending the night with him? Because the only other alternative would be for one of them to sleep on the couch.

  His blood started to race. And he hadn’t drunk enough beer to blame it on the alcohol.

  “No,” Jeff said, dousing Brett’s flames before they’d fully ignited. And then he continued. “I talked to Chloe. She agreed.”

  He was on fire. An inferno. Burning out of control.

  “I just want you to smooth the way with Ella. Chloe’s afraid of upsetting my sister and...”

  Brett was trapped.

  “Just like that she wants to sleep with you?”

  “We’re husband and wife, man. I don’t have to spell things out for you, do I? It’s not like either of us can get any on the side while we work through our problems.”

  He supposed not. But...

  “You talked to her about having sex, but not about the issues between you?” Brett took a sip of beer wondering how Jeff and Chloe had pulled that off. And when? They’d been chaperoned the entire weekend.

  “Yeah, we—”

  “And when did you do this, by the way?” He couldn’t tell a guy he wasn’t allowed to sleep with his wife.