by Woods, Karen
She sighed. “Believe what you will. You’re going to anyway.” At the flash of anger in his eyes, she continued, “Just for your information, my part time job was to do the payroll and to make the employment tax deposits. I never saw the income side, except to verify the bank balances were sufficient to cover the payroll and taxes prior to my cutting the checks. And I certainly never saw the individual accounts. Proper accounting procedures require strict segregation of duties. You should know that. All I did was cut checks and make sure the employment tax deposits were handled.”
Jase cleared his throat. “Oh, really?” Blatant disbelief was written all over his face.
She challenged, “I suppose you tell everything about your work to the women you date? I suppose everyone who works for you has complete access to every one of your files and ledgers?”
He smiled at her. His smile was just as devastating as it had been earlier. She forced herself to breathe. This man touched her in ways that she had forgotten any man could reach her.
“Touché,” he acknowledged. “But then again, I’ve never taken any of my employees, full or part time, for a week’s vacation to Grand Cayman Island. Quite a romantic spot.”
“That was a wonderful week,” Dani replied without hesitation. “The island is quite beautiful. The sea...Oh, the sea there. It was a dream. One of these years, if I save my pennies, I might be able to go back.”
He cleared his throat. “You didn’t know anything about his activities, yet at the first sign of trouble, you broke your engagement.”
She sighed. “This is really none of your business.”
“Under ordinary circumstances, I’d agree with you. People deserve a chance to live down their mistakes. However, I don’t want a criminal living under this roof.”
“I am not a criminal!” she denied, heat in her voice.
She wondered, bitterly, if she didn’t have a character defect leaving her only attracted to men who were bad news for her, as Jase Wilton clearly was, as Edward Hastings had been. Heaven knows, there were good men who had made it clear to her that they would have been interested in pursuing a relationship with her over the past few years. But, the most she had ever felt for any of them had been friendship. She’d hoped maybe Ron would work out, but kissing him had been dull... flat...boring, totally uninspiring, which could have been why Ron had been relieved when she’d declined his proposal. She wondered how Jase would kiss, how he would hold a woman, what it would be like to be touched by him. Then, with difficulty, she dismissed those thoughts.
“Didn’t you accept a large diamond from Hastings? What about the car? The furs? The jewelry? The designer clothes? The trips? The house?”
“Those were gifts.”
Jase shook his head, “They were gifts purchased with the proceeds of criminal activity. That makes accepting them a criminal act.”
“That’s not fair!”
He pressed, “You did take those gifts from Edward Hastings, didn’t you?”
“I’ve never denied I accepted those gifts from him. The house was to be our home. I lived there for about a year.”
“Alone?”
“No. But, I’d bet almost anything I still own that you’ve had more lovers than my one and only. So, don’t go getting self-righteous with me,” she said quietly, too quietly, as she fought to hold in her temper.
He looked at her for a long moment. She met his eyes. Something, she didn’t know what, glimmered in his eyes. “What about the car and the jewelry, the trips, and all the rest?”
“Edward gave me the Ferrari, the mink, most of the jewelry, and the clothes because appearing successful was important to him, especially when we entertained his business clients. The Ferrari was a wonderful automobile, a pure pleasure. I do love fine cars.”
“That’s why you drive what you do,” he replied, disbelief in his voice. “How old is your car?”
She shrugged. “The car’s reliable. I can work on it myself. It gets good gas mileage, is mechanically sound, and relatively cheap to insure,” Dani said. “Besides, it’s a pleasure to drive.”
“It’s quite a comedown from the Ferrari,” Jase stated. “In fact, your whole life is quite different from the lifestyle you lived with Hastings. Weren’t you just living in your art studio?”
“A lot of artists live in their studios, always have. After the fire that destroyed my home, it seemed the best solution.”
“I can’t believe you actually saw nothing wrong with your accepting those large gifts from Hastings.”
Dani sighed. “At the time, I was blindly in love with him. Giving gifts made Edward happy. I never asked him for anything, but loving him as I did, I wanted to make him happy. I would have been delighted with a picnic in the park and quiet evening walks,” she replied, her voice as tired as her body.
“Sure,” he dismissed.
She fought back the anger she felt rising at his intractability. It would take ten tons of TNT to blow this man off his mountain of self-righteousness. She sighed and decided to make one last effort. Although, why she cared was beyond her.
“When I discovered how Edward made his money, I broke the engagement, immediately. I sold the house, the jewelry, the furs, and almost everything else of value which could be sold, and donated the proceeds to a drug treat-ment center, figuring that was the most appropriate use for the money. I agreed to testify against him, in the event it came to trial, which it didn’t because the Feds wanted Edward to testify against his clients for whom he laundered money much more than they wanted to try him. I don’t know what else could have been required of me.”
“He was more than twice your age when you met. You were eighteen. He was thirty-eight,” Jase stated. His voice could have frozen nitrogen. “Didn’t it bother you that he was old enough to be your father, that he was less than ten years younger than your mother?”
She felt her face grow hot. Dani mentally berated herself for letting him see her embarrassment. “Edward was an established, dynamic, successful, very handsome man when we met. He was about your age, actually. Maybe a little younger than you are. I was a new college graduate heading for grad school and looking for a summer job when I met him at his office when I went there to interview for an accounting job.”
“I would not chase after a girl young enough to be my daughter! And I’m thirty-five, for your information.”
She heard the irritation in his voice and debated if she should dig a little further into that soft spot of his, deciding doing so would only start a bigger fight. Instead, she said, “I’ve found we often don’t know what we’ll do in any situation until it arises. I’m not proud of that period in my life, but I can’t change the past. I can only try not to repeat those mistakes. I’m sure you did things in your youth you weren’t particularly proud of, as well. Most people have.”
He shook his head. “During my late teens and early twenties, I was a Cadet at West Point. I certainly never willfully associated with criminals, then or now.”
“Fine. Be that way. You’d already made up your mind about me before making any effort at understanding my life. That’s your loss.”
“My loss?” he demanded.
“We might have been friends.”
“I don’t have any criminals among my circle of friends.”
“Look, Jase, I’ve made my share of mistakes. I admit that. Maybe more than my share. However, I was cleared of any and all involvement in Edward’s business affairs after an intensive probe by the various law enforcement and justice agencies. So, don’t you dare accuse me of complicity in Edward’s crimes! I had absolutely nothing to do with them.”
He sighed, then spoke, she thought almost reluctantly, “How much money would it take to convince you to leave quietly without a forwarding address, before Harry becomes attached to you?”
It took all of her strength of will not to allow her mouth to gape open. “I beg your pardon. I hope that I didn't hear what I thought that I did,” she said quietly, too quietly, in a ton
e her friends would have recognized as a danger signal.
“I can give you a half million dollars in bearer bonds right now,” Jason offered. “I have them in my briefcase. They’re yours on the joint conditions you sign a document relinquishing any and all claims to Harry's estate and leave here immediately after receiving the money, before he comes home, and never contact him again.”
“I can't believe what I am hearing. Let me get this straight, Jason. You’re offering me a bribe to leave my father’s house without ever even meeting him?”
“I'd prefer to think of it preventing Harry from being hurt,” Jason answered.
“I'm quite certain you would prefer to frame it that way.”
“Five hundred thousand dollars is a lot of money.”
“I’m not interested.”
“Three quarters of a million,” Jason increased his bid, obviously quite seriously.
She sighed heavily and shook her head. “I don’t believe you.”
“I’m quite serious. Do you want to see the bonds?”
“That won’t be necessary. There’s nothing in the world you could offer me to keep me from meeting my father.”
“Everyone has a price.”
She shook her head in denial, “I feel sorry for you, if you really believe that.”
“A million dollars; seven hundred fifty thousand in bearer bonds, fifty thousand in cash, and two hundred thousand in Krugerrands.”
Dani sighed and shook her head in rejection. “Keep your money, Jason,” she said wearily. “He's my father. All I want is to get to know him.”
“I find that hard to believe.”
“That much is painfully obvious,” she allowed as she stood. “I’m really far too tired to have any further interest in the food, or this conversation. Excuse me.”
“Is there an excuse for you?” he demanded.
“Probably not. But I seriously doubt there’s any excuse for anyone. If there were, God wouldn’t have had to become incarnate and to have died for our redemption, before rising again, would He have?”
After watching his jaw drop, she walked from the room as quickly as she could.
Chapter Four
Coming down the stairs before dinner, Dani paused when she heard raised voices. A glance in the mirror told her she had no cause for concern about her appearance. Her punctuality was another matter. She should have been downstairs a half-hour ago.
“Oh, for God’s sake, Harry!” Jase’s voice bit out.
An older man spoke, “I know you’re worried, but I won’t have you using that tone with me in my own house.”
“What does her coming here mean for us?” an unknown younger woman’s voice demanded.
“Beth, Dani is my daughter. I claim her happily,” her father’s said. “But my including her among my heirs won’t diminish the love I feel for you, or for Jamie. Besides, none of you would ever miss my money.”
“Dad!” the younger woman said in exasperation. “You know that wasn’t what I meant!”
Dad? Courtesy title? Or for real?
“Look, I know both of you love me. All I’m asking is you keep an open mind. Can you do that? Please?” Harry asked.
“Not so open that our brains fall out,” Jase replied.
“Yes, Dad, we’ll try,” Beth answered.
“She certainly isn’t punctual,” Jase complained.
“Cut the child some slack, Jason,” Lyn replied.
“Mary Danielle is hardly a child. She’s a woman with a tongue acid enough to etch glass,” Jase said.
“Jason Alexander!” his mother warned.
Dani stood there immobile on the steps. She debated turning around and returning to her rooms. But, she needed to make an appearance. She needed to meet her father.
Beth asked, “Is Dani pretty?”
“Quite,” Lyn answered.
“Pretty?” Jase echoed. “No, Beth. ‘Pretty’ is far too tame of a word. She has the face and body of a Renaissance courtesan. Her mind is sharp. Lord knows her tongue is as sharp as her mind.”
Renaissance courtesan. Oh, Lord, give me strength!
“Noticed all that right away, did you?” Beth teased.
“When a package comes wrapped that enticingly, it’s impossible not to notice it, even when you know the contents are pure poison.”
“Jase,” Lyn warned. “That was uncalled for.”
“You know, big brother, you wouldn’t be so susceptible to poison if you would finally make an honest woman out of Sarah Richards.”
“Sarah is a profoundly honest woman,” Jase replied.
“Well, I would like for Jaime to have some cousins to grow up with,” Beth teased.
“Jaime could use a brother or sister more than a cousin or two. Why don’t you do something about that, if you’re so concerned?”
“That’s a low blow, Jase,” Beth said in a pained voice, before she continued in a warning tone, “You might be able to father children into your twilight years. But Sarah’s biological clock is definitely ticking.”
“Butt out, Beth,” Jase told her, without heat.
“She’ll marry someone else, if you don’t ask her.”
“I’ll dance at her wedding,” he said.
“What does she look like?” Beth asked.
“You know Sarah,” Jase dismissed.
“I’m asking about Mary Danielle. What does she look like?” Beth said with exaggerated patience.
Jase said, “She’s tall for a woman. Except for her eyes being dark, she greatly resembles Harry’s mother’s portrait.”
Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, gathering her courage like a mantle, Dani walked into the room.
The first person she saw was Jase. He took her breath away standing there in the stark black and white of formal evening wear.
“Dani?” Harry Devlin asked.
“Yes,” she answered softly, turning her attention away from the younger blue eyed man to the older man who had to be her father. One look was all it took to convince her he was indeed her father.
“Come here and let me look at you, my dear,” he said. Harry looked at her for the longest moment. Dani forced herself not to flinch under his frank appraisal.
“Don’t you think she favors Mama, Thea?” Harry asked.
“Yes. It’s amazing,” a lilting voice allowed. The voice belonged to a woman she hadn’t noticed when she had come into the room. Dani suspected she would look much like this woman when she reached Thea’s age. The woman had to be a relative.
“Come with me, Dani. I want you to see something,” Harry Devlin invited.
She followed her father through the house to his home office. The rest of the family followed them into the spacious room. Above the fireplace mantle, there hung a large oil portrait of a young woman. Except for the vintage clothing and the color of the woman’s eyes, she could have been looking into a mirror.
After looking at the oil portrait for a long time, she asked, “This was my grandmother?”
“Mama painted this self-portrait just before her marriage to my father,” Harry told her. “The portrait was her wedding present to your grandfather.”
She looked up at the portrait again. This was her grandmother. It had been one thing to see the marble bust, recognizing her own features in her ancestry. It was another thing to see this oil painting, to be able to see the skin tone, the smile. She felt a strong sense of belonging. This was her father, her family, the only family she had left.
“Genetic ties, in and of itself, mean very little,” Jase asserted, cutting into her thoughts.
Dani looked at Jase for the longest moment without speaking. Then she sighed. “Just what is your problem?”
Jase looked at her in disdain. “My problem is with people trying to take advantage of my stepfather.”
Dani shook her head. “Then you should have no problem with me. Taking advantage of anyone, especially my father, isn’t on my agenda.”
“What are the items on your age
nda?” Jase demanded.
“To get to know my father.”
“Sounds good to me. Come on, let me get you some-thing to drink before dinner,” Harry stated as he took her by the arm.
Returning to the sitting room, Harry asked her, “Please sit down. What would you like to drink, my dear?”
“Club soda and lime, please.”
Harry laughed. “Girl, you don’t have to abide by my teetotaling ways. Have whatever you want.”
“I really don’t drink. So club soda and lime will be fine.”
“You don’t drink at all, Dani?” Lyn asked.
“My life is saner when I abstain.”
“Why have you decided to show up just now? Why not years ago?” Beth demanded.
“If my presence is causing problems, I’ll simply walk away,” Dani offered.
“No!” Harrison denied. “You are not walking away from me now I’ve found you. There will be adjustments to be made by all of us. Now, let’s make the introductions so we can get to know one another a little better. After all, we are all family.”
“Are we?” Dani asked pointedly. “And there’s more to family than sharing genes. Right now, at best, I’d say we are only relative strangers.”
Harrison sighed. “So we are. But, that doesn’t mean we can’t get to know one another.”
Jase said, “We can start with a real introduction to everyone. This is my mother, Evelyn Devlin.”
“Your mother and I met earlier today. Good evening, Lyn. I’m sorry to be down late. I overslept.”
“Understandable. I’d probably still be sleeping after driving most of the night,” Lyn allowed, her voice kindness itself.
Jase continued, “And this lovely woman is my sister, Beth. And the elegant woman there is Thea, Althea, Devlin, Harry’s sister. Then, of course, the man beside you is Harry Devlin. But you already knew that.”
“I recognized him immediately from the wedding photograph my mother always kept on the nightstand between our beds,” Dani said.
Beth asked, breaking the silence that fell heavily after Dani’s statement, “They tell me you’re a teacher. What is it you teach?”
