by Nan Dixon
Her brother scored another success. Rah. Family dinners always made her feel invisible. Gray was the only child her father ever talked about. Gray this, Gray that. Gray. Gray. Boring Gray. Why couldn’t her father recognize that she added color to the Smythe family?
Courtney asked, “Is he back in Boston?”
“No. He’s bidding on property near Savannah.” Father set his glass on the silver coaster on the coffee table. “He’s adding a Savannah office, too. Not just working out of Boston.”
And the perfection that was Gray continued. She slipped deeper into her chair, wanting to blend into the fabric.
Marcus entered. “May I serve dinner?”
Mother looked to Father, who nodded.
“Would you like another drink?” Courtney asked him.
He thrust the glass at her. She plucked ice cubes from the bucket and splashed another shot in the tumbler.
Father took the glass, then headed to the dining room.
Mother whispered to him. Please let her make a dent in his stubbornness.
Father sank into the head chair. Mother sat to his right and Courtney to his left. If Gray was here, he would have this seat. She’d be forced farther down the table. Who said there wasn’t still a hierarchy, like in the Regency romance novels she loved to read?
She was nothing.
They pulled cloches off their plates. Her stomach twisted. How could she eat dinner without a solution to the chaos her life had become?
“Can I ask why you took Courtney’s credit cards away?” Mother asked.
Thank goodness. Courtney cut a small piece of lamb chop. Mother would fix this.
Father pointed his loaded fork at Courtney. “I’m done supporting her shopping habit. It’s time she get a job.”
“You never asked her to work before.” Mother didn’t look at her. “Why now?”
“In the first six months of this year, your dear daughter has spent a hundred thousand dollars on travel, clothes, shoes and parties. Families live on that.” He slammed down his silverware. “She needs to discover what it’s like to earn a living.”
The lamb she’d swallowed formed a lump in her throat. Coughing, she grabbed her wine and swallowed. “I’ll—I’ll do better. Put me on a budget. Please, Daddy.”
“If you don’t want to work, then have one of those boys who fawn around your skirts marry you and take on your useless habits.”
Useless. Tears burned her eyes.
“That’s uncalled for,” Mother hissed. Her head snapped back and forth. She was probably worried the servants would overhear the argument.
“I’ve had it.” He emptied his whiskey and pointed at Courtney. “Gray is right. You need to stand on your own feet.”
Of course. Mr. Perfect. He’d caused this mess.
If Gray had been the impetus, then he should be the solution. In a soft voice she asked, “Gray is opening an office in Savannah?”
“Yes.” Father sighed.
“Maybe he’ll have a job for me.” She’d pretend to go to Savannah for work. At least until her father calmed down.
Her father’s gray eyes held hers for almost too long. “You plan on becoming a carpenter?”
She blinked. “He’ll need help decorating or answering phones or...” What else did people do in offices?
He snorted. “Good luck.”
“Why, thank you, Daddy.” Did she hit the last word too hard?
She could head to Savannah for a week or two. Time to escape Boston and take a vacation. “Will you up my credit card limit so I can drive to Gray’s and not have to sleep in my car?”
“Of course he will.” Mother glared at her husband.
Good. Mother could make this problem go away. Courtney would take a road trip.
CHAPTER TWO
“ARE YOU SURE this is all you need?” Kaden arranged a picture of the grandmother he’d never met on his grandfather’s nursing home dresser.
“I just want my own PJs, robe, clothes and a picture of my wife,” Nigel sighed. “But I’d rather be home.”
“Not yet.” Kaden’s chest tightened. He’d just checked his granddad into a highly-rated, long-term rehabilitation center. Even though his grandfather had come through the surgery like a champ, he needed care and physical therapy. Now to get Granddad to accept that he needed to stay here. “How does that look?”
“Fine,” he grumbled. “This darn hip made me miss Bess and Daniel’s wedding. The Fitzgeralds throw the best parties.”
They’d talked about this thirty minutes ago. Granddad’s pain meds messed with his memory. Kaden said, “There will be other weddings.”
“I’d like to see my grandson married.”
“Not on the horizon.” Kaden avoided his grandfather’s eyes. “Bureau keeps me too busy.”
“I can’t have you hovering by my bedside for weeks.” Nigel shook his head. “Head back to Atlanta.”
“We’ve had this conversation.” Kaden patted his shoulder. Bones protruded that hadn’t been there before. “I’m taking a well-earned vacation.”
“That’s ridiculous. You’ll go crazy sitting around.”
“I picked up something to while away the hours between your torture sessions.” Kaden dug in the bag, grinning. “I mean your physical therapy sessions.”
He set a chessboard on a rolling table. Aligning the pieces, he took a white and black pawn and mixed them behind his back. He held out his closed hands. “Your choice.”
Granddad tapped one. White.
“You open.” Kaden set down the pawns. “How many hours do you think we’ve played chess?”
“At first you couldn’t sit for more than fifteen minutes. What a squirmy seven-year-old you were.” His grandfather advanced his pawn. “But hundreds of hours, I guess. Maybe thousands?”
Kaden answered by advancing his own pawn and the game was on. The only sound was the felt of the pieces on the cardboard and the muffled echoes of voices in the hallway.
“When you were young, you never looked ahead more than one move.” Granddad moved his knight, threatening Kaden’s bishop.
Kaden could sacrifice the piece for his longer strategy. He moved his queen.
A big smile broke over his grandfather’s face. He pointed a long elegant finger at Kaden’s side of the board. “You’re getting trickier.”
“I learned from the best.” Kaden swallowed back emotions bubbling up into his throat. He’d learned everything from this man. His grandfather had shown him how to live with honor. He’d never learned that from his worthless parents. “Why did my mother turn out so...bad?”
Granddad sank into the pillows, pushing back his thick white hair. “You’ve never asked me that question.”
“Because I was so relieved to be saved from that...life.” Kaden got out of the chair and walked to the window that overlooked a small garden. “I was afraid you would send me back to them.”
“Never.” Granddad’s voice was low. “When your grandmother died, I was...lost. Your mother was thirteen. She needed me and I wasn’t there.”
“She knew right from wrong. She knew drugs were bad.”
“I should have helped her.” His grandfather inhaled. “I didn’t push through my grief. By the time she was eighteen and pregnant with you, she wouldn’t listen to anything I said.”
“But you tried.” He remembered that much. Whenever Granddad called, his mother would throw the phone, or pots, or whatever was at hand.
“Too late. If I’d done more, maybe Kaleb would still be alive. I should have saved both of you.” Sadness filled his grandfather’s intense blue eyes. Eyes that had barely faded over the years.
“It wasn’t your fault,” Kaden choked out. He was responsible for his brother’s death, not Nigel.
&n
bsp; “You were seven.” Granddad shook his head. “Thank God your mother called me, even though all she wanted was bail. At least I rescued you from that Florida hovel.”
“You made me the man I am today.” Kaden would have said more, but his phone buzzed in his pocket.
Checking the caller ID, he said, “It’s my boss.”
“Go ahead.” Granddad closed his eyes, looking twenty years older. “I need to rest.”
Kaden’s heart took another hit. Walking to the opposite corner of the room, he answered, “Farrell.”
“Heather Bole’s kid was dropped off in Savannah.” Roger’s words were clipped.
“She’s here?” He clenched the phone. “In Savannah?”
“She was. Back in May.” Papers shifted on Roger’s side of the conversation. “The father is filing for full custody and wants to find Bole. He contacted the Savannah police a couple of weeks ago.”
“Is this guy involved with one of the gangs?”
“Nothing we can find,” Roger said. “The detective said this Forester guy was suspected of dealing in high school, but either he’s kept a low profile or he’s out of the life. Savannah cop thinks he’s clean, but I’d rather you make your own assessment.”
Kaden straightened. “This might be the break we need.”
“I know you’re helping your grandfather, but could you talk to the dad? I want the interview to come from my team. From you.”
And Kaden knew why. Roger’s ex-wife ran the FBI office in Savannah, Roger the Atlanta office. The Bureau was hard on marriages. Kaden had never had any problems with Margaret, Roger’s ex, but Roger carried a grudge.
He glanced at his sleeping grandfather. He could take an hour to talk to this man. “Sure.”
Roger rattled off the Savannah detective’s contact information. Kaden moved into the hall. When the man answered, he explained why he was calling.
“The father’s name is Nathan Forester.” Detective Gillespie gave Kaden a quick recap and Forester’s phone number.
Kaden peeked into his grandfather’s room, but he hadn’t moved. One more call.
“Forester,” the man answered. A saw squealed in the background.
Kaden introduced himself. “I’d like to talk to you about Heather Bole.”
“Do you know where she is?” The background noise faded.
“No. But we’re looking for her, too. I’d like to ask you a few questions. When would be convenient?”
They set up a time to meet and Forester gave him an address. “I’m in the carriage house in the back. Second floor. If you have trouble finding the apartment, just call or text.”
After hanging up, Kaden stared at the address. Why was it so familiar?
He searched the location and jerked when it came up. Couldn’t be. He was heading to Fitzgerald House.
* * *
“COURTNEY?” GRAY BLOCKED the doorway, not letting her inside. “What are you doing here?”
“Surprise!” Courtney faked a smile. “I’m here to visit you.”
“What?” Gray crossed his arms. “You never wanted to before.”
Why wasn’t he inviting her into his house? She forced a smile. “I’m here now.”
“Here? Staying at Fitzgerald House?” Gray’s words were as much a barricade as his body.
“I was hoping I could stay with you. With my family.” Courtney didn’t want to beg.
He hesitated, finally pulling her into a hug. His shirt was unbuttoned and his hair was damp. “No one told me you were coming to Savannah.”
“That’s why it’s called a surprise.” She poked him in the belly. “I haven’t seen you in a while.”
“I was in Boston two weeks ago.” Gray frowned. “You were too busy to have dinner with me.”
“I’m making up for it now.” She went for perky, but her voice wobbled.
What if Gray wouldn’t let her stay in his carriage house? Last night, she’d splurged on a nice Charleston hotel. She wouldn’t have enough money on her credit card to pay for another hotel. Being short of money sucked.
“You want to stay here?” Cynicism filled his voice. “With Abby and I?”
“I want to spend time with you.” She wrapped an arm around her brother’s waist, hoping she didn’t sound desperate. She hated the panic that had crept into her voice over the last few days. “I thought it would be...fun.”
“Here? You want to stay here?” Gray stepped out of the doorway and led her inside—finally.
Abby, his wife, came down the central stairs, also looking like she’d just hopped out of the shower. Her strawberry-blond hair was wet and pulled back in a high ponytail. Did she not know that style was so nineties? Her green eyes glowed. “Courtney?”
Oh. Oh. She swallowed. Gray and Abby had been...oh.
Courtney hurried over and gave her sister-in-law air kisses. “Hi, Abby.”
Gray crossed his arms. “She’s here for a surprise visit.”
“That’s wonderful.” Abby gave her a hug. “It’s been months since you were in Savannah. Let me get our guest room ready.”
Abby headed down the main floor hallway.
Courtney tipped her head at her brother. “At least your wife is more welcoming than my own brother.”
“What do you want?” Gray asked.
“To visit.” She wouldn’t let terror fill her voice.
“Why?” He stared like he could peer into her brain and dig out her reason.
“Boston got...boring.” She wasn’t discussing her problems. Gray would be sanctimonious about her issues with Father. Holding out her keys, she asked, “Could you get my luggage?”
His blue gaze locked on hers.
She knew better than to look away. Instead, she smiled.
Gray snapped up the keys and headed to the door.
Okay, maybe her relationship with her brother hadn’t been exactly cordial since he’d broken up with Gwen. And maybe her bringing Gwen to Savannah and trying to get them back together hadn’t been well thought-out. But he was her brother.
Gray had gotten her into this mess. She shook back her hair and headed to the great room, sliding into a comfy leather chair. She would hide in Savannah until Father reinstated her cash flow.
Her call with Mother last night hadn’t given her any new hope. Courtney spun her gold bracelet around her wrist. She liked the way it made her hand look so petite.
How much could she sell it for?
“Little help here?” Gray called from the doorway.
She waited for Abby to come out of the guest bedroom. Nothing.
“Courtney, grab your bags,” he grumbled.
She pushed off the sofa. “You need a Marcus.”
“No, we don’t. Get used to it. And there’s no maids to make beds or clean the house.” He shoved her makeup case into her hands. “You have luggage for a month. What’s going on?”
“I—I didn’t know what kind of weather to expect.”
“It’s summer in Savannah.” Gray drew together his black eyebrows. “Hot and hotter.”
“You’ll get wrinkles if you keep frowning like that.” She felt her own ridges forming on her forehead. Shoot.
While Gray went back to her car, she grabbed a suitcase and tugged it to the bedroom.
Abby smoothed out a pale yellow comforter. Better Abby than her. The Fitzgerald family had been making beds and running their B and B most of their lives.
“This is nice.” Gray and Abby’s home had that old carriage-house feel with aged wood floors and beams, but the guestroom was light and bright. Unlike in the bed-and-breakfast, antiques wouldn’t surround her here. “It doesn’t feel two hundred years old.”
Abby fluffed the green and pink throw pillows. “As much as I love Fitzgerald Ho
use, I wanted something different in my home.”
“Thank you for letting me stay.” Courtney needed Abby on her side if she was going to hide out in Savannah. “I probably should have called, but it sounded like fun to surprise Gray.”
“Well, you’re here now.” Abby straightened. “We’ll eat dinner in the main house around seven. You can tidy up or rest until then. I have to prep for the wine tasting.”
Gray pulled two more suitcases into the bedroom. Abby’s eyes flared open and she stared at Courtney for a long moment. With a shake of her head, Abby brushed a kiss on Gray’s cheek. “I’ll see you at Fitzgerald House.”
“Thank you, big brother.” God, she needed Gray and Abby to stop looking at her like she had two heads. “I’d better call Mother. The drive down here was fun, but you know how she worries.” She kept her voice super cheery. “Any message you want to pass on to Mother or Father?”
“Just say hello.” Gray followed his wife out the door.
Excellent. Maybe Gray wouldn’t talk to the parental units for a couple of days. She needed time for this problem to blow over.
Mother answered.
“I’m in Savannah.” Courtney settled back against the pillows on the bed. “Gray and Abby say hello.”
“I’m so relieved. That was a long drive by yourself.”
“It was...fun.” She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been alone for three days. If she’d had full access to money, it might have been even better. Unfortunately, each time she used her credit card she’d worried she’d run out of credit. Who could live that way? Mother had tucked cash in her purse, but Courtney might need that later. “Have you softened Daddy up?”
“I’m trying, honey. But he’s intractable.” Her mother sighed. “Maybe by taking a job with Gray, it’ll show your father that you’re changing.”
“Sure. Right.” Her chest ached. Was she losing her mother’s support? “Please keep working on him.”
