His Heart's Desire

by Julianna Douglas

  Ethan ran fingers through his hair in frustration. “Becca, I only did it to help you.”

  “I thought I could trust you, Ethan,” she said with a sob, “but you lied to me. Last fall, I asked you point-blank if you had anything to do with my sponsorship, and you said you didn't.”

  Ethan searched his memory for that conversation, recalling that he'd avoided an outright lie. “As I remember it, I said that I respected your feelings and would never do anything to hurt you.”

  Becca shook her head. “How can you say that you respect my feelings when you keep doing what I asked you not to do? It was still a lie, Ethan, and that hurts me more than anything. You've destroyed my trust in you.” Her hands shook with anger. The glass she was holding slipped from her grip and shattered on the floor. “Damn it!” She crouched down to pick up the pieces.

  “Becca, be careful,” he admonished.

  As he bent over to help, she cried out in pain as one of the shards sliced through her finger. She slid the rest of the way to the floor, her back against the cabinet. Cradling the injured hand as blood dripped onto her jeans, she sobbed.

  Ethan scooted some of the broken bits of glass aside with his shoe and reached for her. “Here, let me help you.”

  Becca flinched. “Get away from me,” she ground out through clenched teeth, then screamed, “Get the hell out of my apartment! I don't ever want to see you again.” She curled into a fetal position and wept inconsolably.

  Seeing her like this brought tears to Ethan's eyes. He desperately wanted to hold her, explain everything to her, make it better, make her understand, but she obviously wanted nothing to do with him. Tightness took up residence within his chest. Time stood still as he felt his chances of giving Becca all his love and receiving hers in return slipping away, along with their friendship.

  A few drops of bright-red blood falling to the white tile broke through his desolation and spurred him to action. Becca could need stitches, and if she wouldn't let him touch her, he had to find another way to help her.

  Edna Moffat was watching one of her favorite television shows when someone began pounding on her door. The noise gave her a start. Then a male voice called her name. She recognized it as belonging to Rebecca's young man.

  “Coming!” She paused the DVR, rose from her chair and went to answer the summons as quickly as her old bones would carry her.

  The moment she opened the door, Ethan blurted out breathlessly, “Edna, I need your help.” The young man looked scared to death.

  “What is it, dear?”

  “It's Becca. She cut her hand. I don't have time to explain, but she's really upset with me and won't let me near her. Can you please come see if she's all right?”

  “Of course!” she exclaimed.

  They rushed across the sidewalk to Rebecca's apartment.

  “She's in the kitchen,” Ethan said.

  Before she'd even reached the kitchen, Edna heard the unmistakable sound of crying. She entered the room to find Rebecca curled up against the cabinet, surrounded by broken glass. “Oh my. Rebecca, don't move until I clear this broken glass.”

  She needn't have said it. The poor girl didn't even look up at her voice. Something awful must have happened to put her in such a state.

  Edna grabbed a broom from the pantry closet and carefully swept the shards to one side of the floor, allowing enough room to pass safely. After propping the broom against the wall and pulling a clean dish towel from a drawer, she went to Rebecca's side and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “We need to stop that bleeding. Give me your hand, dear,” she commanded in a soothing, motherly voice.

  For the first time, Rebecca lifted her head. Her face was red and tear-streaked. She looked like she'd lost her best friend, and based on what Ethan had said, perhaps she had. Edna wondered what had happened between these two young people to cause such turmoil.

  But first things first. When Rebecca raised her hand a little, Edna took it gently in her own and wrapped part of the towel tightly around the injured finger. “There we go. Now, can you stand up for me?”

  Rebecca nodded morosely. Edna supported her beneath one elbow. Grasping the counter with her good hand, she rose from the floor.

  “Good girl. Let's go sit at the table.” With a hand at the young woman's waist, Edna directed her toward a kitchen chair. Once Rebecca was seated, she took a seat next to her.

  Edna caught sight of Ethan still lingering near the kitchen doorway. Rebecca faced away from him, and Edna had a feeling it was probably for the best that she couldn't see him. The poor young man looked almost as hopeless as Rebecca did. The girl's hands lay on the table in front of her, and she had yet to speak a word since Edna had arrived.

  Tenderly patting Rebecca's uninjured hand, Edna asked softly, “Do you want to tell me what happened here?”

  The young woman's face scrunched up and a fat tear rolled down her cheek. “He lied to me, Edna.”

  Edna was pretty sure she knew the answer, but she asked the question anyway. “Who?”

  “Ethan,” Rebecca whispered.

  “What did he lie about, dear?”

  Rebecca sobbed quietly. “About being the donor for my sponsorship. I asked him last year if he had anything to do with it, and he led me to believe he didn't.”

  Edna's brows rose in surprise. “Well, that certainly is a big thing to lie about.”

  She considered it for a moment, unable to believe that a nice young man like Ethan could have intentionally been devious. She had a feeling he was only trying to help, even if his methods were somewhat misguided. “Is it such a terrible thing that he sponsored you? After all, something good has come of it. You were able to return to school and pursue your dreams. You might not have been able to otherwise.”

  “I know, but he went behind my back when I specifically asked him not to. And it's not just this. He's been giving me money in sneaky ways for months. He secretly paid off the credit cards I took out to help pay Mom's medical bills. He left me an outrageous tip at Milano's. He bought me hundreds of dollars' worth of groceries.”

  Edna frowned with confusion. It sounded to her like Ethan was only looking out for Rebecca's best interests. Many times she'd wanted to help the girl herself, and if she'd had the kind of money Ethan did, she wouldn't have hesitated. “Rebecca, dear, I know that you're a very proud, independent woman like your mother, but it sounds to me like Ethan was only trying to help out where he saw a need.”

  “But I told him I didn't want his money.” Rebecca's jaw tensed. “Him throwing money around like that, especially without asking, makes me uncomfortable.”

  The wheels in Edna's head started turning. True, Ethan probably shouldn't have tried to hide his involvement, but if he thought Rebecca was going to refuse his help, she could see why he might. What she couldn't fathom was what had the young woman so upset. She was obviously deeply troubled about this when most people would probably be grateful. “Can you tell me why the idea of Ethan giving you these things makes you so uncomfortable?”

  Rebecca bit her lip as though willing herself not to cry again and looked down at the table.

  Edna tried again. “I'm trying to understand why this has you so upset. If it were me, and a generous man like Ethan was giving me gifts that were so helpful, I'd be very appreciative.”

  Rebecca pinned her with an angry glare as she replied hoarsely, “Expensive gifts come with a price.”

  Instantly, Edna recalled a story that Caroline had told her years ago. Caroline believed that she'd kept the real reason for her and her daughter moving to Arizona a secret. Had Rebecca somehow found out? There was no way to know except to ask. “Did someone give you money in the past, and then something bad happened because of it?”

  All the fight went out of Rebecca. She blinked furiously, then nodded almost imperceptibly.

  Edna reached over to rub the girl's shoulder and asked gently, “What happened, dear?”

  Without looking at her, Rebecca answered in a small
voice, “When Mom and I were still living in California, she had this client at her salon. A man named Trent. I don't know if he was as wealthy as Ethan, but he had plenty of money. He kept trying to get Mom to go out with him by giving her huge tips and expensive gifts. He charmed her into liking him, so she was kind of flattered by the gifts at first. She went out to dinner with him a few times. Then he found out she was having trouble paying the rent on her storefront, so he bought the whole strip mall. After that, I overheard a few phone conversations, enough to put the pieces together that he was trying to leverage his gifts into getting her to sleep with him.” Rebecca's voice had gone quiet and she cried softly.

  Edna wrapped an arm around the girl's shoulders and squeezed comfortingly.

  After taking a deep breath, the young woman finally continued her story. “Trent started coming to our apartment a few evenings a week. Mom always told me to watch TV in the living room, while they went in her bedroom to talk. I heard moaning. I was fifteen at the time, so I wasn't stupid. I knew what was going on.” She shuddered. “The guy always made my skin crawl, but I guess Mom felt grateful enough to give him what he wanted. Maybe she even liked him. I don't know. But when Mom found out he was married, she decided to break it off. That night when he came by, she sent me to my room, but I was worried about her. I left my door open a crack so I could hear what they were saying. He threatened to evict her from the salon if she didn't keep having sex with him, but she still refused. Then he casually mentioned what a pretty daughter she had, and if she wouldn't give it to him, maybe he'd take payment from me.”

  Rebecca laid her head down on her arm, her deep sobs wracking her small body. “I was so scared. He gave her two days to make up her mind, but before he could come back, Mom had us packed up, and we moved here. She always let me believe that she just needed a change of scenery. I didn't want to worry her more, so I never told her that I knew Trent had threatened me. She probably should have gone to the police, but I think she was afraid he'd buy off the cops, not to mention he could take her to court to get her to pay the back-rent she owed him.”

  “Shh...” Edna soothed as she smoothed her hand over Rebecca's hair. “You're absolutely right. Your mother told me that story not long after you two moved here and we became friends. She wanted me to be on the lookout in case he showed up. Thankfully, he never did, and he can't hurt you now.”

  Edna looked up to see Ethan standing in the doorway, his cheeks wet with tears. He looked for all the world like he wished that dirt-bag was here so he could lay him flat, and she couldn't blame him. She would gladly do it herself. Then his face softened, and he took a step toward Rebecca. Edna held up her hand to stay him, and he reluctantly backed away.

  “Rebecca, dear, I need to check that cut. I'm going to get the first aid kit. I'll be right back.”

  With one last rub over the young woman's back, Edna got up and went to the living room.

  Ethan was pacing back and forth. When he stopped and opened his mouth to speak, Edna placed a finger to her lips and motioned him outside.

  Once they were on Rebecca's front porch, the young man ran fingers through his hair in frustration. “Edna, you have to believe me, if I'd known about any of this I never would have done what I did. I would have found a way to convince Becca to accept my help instead of doing it secretly. I hope you don't think I would ever do to her what that bastard did to her mother.”

  Edna laid a calming hand on Ethan's arm. “The thought never crossed my mind. If it makes you feel any better, I don't think that Rebecca believes that either. She's just very confused right now.”

  Ethan made a move to return to the apartment. “I have to go to her. Apologize. Make her understand.”

  Edna grasped his arm tighter to stop him. “I don't think that's a good idea right now. She needs time to work through all of this, and at the moment, she sees you–or at least your money–as being part of the problem.” She gave him a rueful smile. “It would probably be better if you went home. I'll talk to her. I'm sure this will all blow over soon.”

  She could tell that the thought of leaving Rebecca distressed him. He looked like he might cry again. “What if she needs to go to the hospital for stitches?”

  Edna could tell he was looking for an excuse to stay. Patting his shoulder, she patiently replied, “I'll take care of her like she's my own granddaughter, I promise. And if she does need stitches, I'll get her to the hospital and I'll call you. Now go home and get some rest.”

  Ethan nodded morosely. “Thanks for looking after her, Edna. Good night.”

  “Good night, dear.”

  With one last soothing pat on his back, she sent him on his way, but there was a definite reluctance in his gait.

  Edna went back inside. After retrieving a first-aid kit and a couple of washcloths from the bathroom, she returned to the kitchen. Rebecca still sat with her head on her arms. She had stopped crying, but her breathing was occasionally punctuated by the hiccuping of a person who had wept hard and deep.

  Edna wet the cloths at the sink and sat down next to Rebecca, gently taking the injured hand in hers. “Let's take a look at that cut now.”

  The girl finally raised her head and leaned back in her chair.

  Carefully, Edna unwrapped the dish towel and washed away the dried blood with one of the damp cloths. “It doesn't look to be very deep, and the bleeding has stopped. I think you'll be fine without stitches.” As she continued her ministrations on Rebecca's finger, she spoke calmly. “Your mother never had any idea you knew about that pig's threats and manipulations. She only wanted to protect you.”

  “I know,” Rebecca answered softly. “That's why I never said anything to her about it.”

  Edna knew she was going to have to tread cautiously to get the girl to see the error in her logic. Craftily, she said, “I've always thought Ethan was a very nice young man. Was I wrong about him? Has he asked you for sexual favors in exchange for the money he's been giving you?”

  “No. Of course not,” Rebecca replied with more animation than Edna had seen from her all night.

  Inwardly, Edna smiled as she finished applying a bandage to the young woman's finger. “Are you afraid that he might?”

  Rebecca pondered that question for a bit before dropping her eyes to the table and shaking her head.

  “Then can you explain why you seem to be lumping him in with that horrible cretin who hurt your mother?”

  The girl's face took on a perplexed expression, and she shook her head again. “I don't know, Edna. I'm so confused. I was fine with Ethan being rich until he started paying my bills and giving me expensive gifts. I guess it brought back bad memories.”

  “Given what you overheard, then kept to yourself at such a young age, I suppose that's understandable. It must have been a heavy burden to bear. It probably felt like Ethan was doing the same thing, so it makes sense that his actions would make you uncomfortable. But since you clearly aren't afraid of him, don't you think perhaps you're being a little too hard on him?”

  Rebecca shrugged. “He destroyed my faith in him. I trusted him from the moment we met, but now I find out he lied to me.” She looked like she might start crying again.

  “True. He wasn't entirely truthful with you.” Edna finished bandaging Rebecca's finger, then used the clean, damp cloth to wipe the tear stains from her face. After finishing the task, she sat back in her chair with a sigh. “I'm going to tell you what I think. The impression I've gotten of Ethan is that he's an incredibly generous young man who can't stand to see someone in need and not help when he has the means, especially someone he cares about as much as you. I honestly don't think he had any devious motives for the things he did. In fact, I think he had your best interests at heart. Should he have been more forthcoming with you about what he was doing? Possibly. But it sounds to me like you were adamantly against him helping right from the start, mostly because of what that sleazy Trent did to you and your mother. Am I right?”

  Rebecca nodded. “Most
ly, but that's not the only reason.”

  “What else is bothering you?”

  “There's this woman, Lindsay.”

  “That woman you told me about, who treated you so horribly that night at the restaurant?”

  “Yeah. Ethan says they're only business associates, but she told me they used to date. I think they're back together, because she said as much when she came into Milano's on Sunday. Not to mention she answered the phone when I called his room at the resort where he was working on the merger today. Anyway, she's the one who told me that Ethan paid for my sponsorship, and she thought I was sleeping with him to get it.” Rebecca's face crumpled. “She thinks I'm a whore.”

  Edna wrapped her arm around the girl's shoulders. “You poor thing. I can see how that only added insult to injury. What an awful woman to imply such a thing.”

  “What I don't understand is why Ethan would tell her about sponsoring me and lie to me about it.”

  “Assuming he's the one who did tell her. This Lindsay sounds like a horrible person. Perhaps she found out some other way, and only told you to hurt you.”

  “The thought had crossed my mind, but I don't know why she hates me so much. All I did was accidentally spill a glass of water on her. She would have to be the most spiteful person on the planet to hurt me like this over something so trivial.”

  Now that she knew Lindsay had dated Ethan before, Edna had a feeling that the woman's nastiness had more to to with jealousy than a spilled glass of water. She was probably pea-green with envy over Ethan's attentions toward Rebecca. In her present state though, the poor girl would never believe that.

  “Well, I don't know about Lindsay's motives, but it seems to me that Ethan's heart was in the right place with the things that he did. You had very good reasons for the things you thought too. That being the case, maybe it would be a good idea for you two to talk it out before writing off a friendship that obviously means the world to both of you. Don't you think?”

  The young woman gave her the barest of smiles and answered softly, “Yeah. I guess I did overreact. With school and work, I've been so tired and stressed out, and then the things Lindsay said and the things Trent did got all mixed up in my head and confused me. Not to mention I really care about Ethan, and I'm worried that Lindsay might be taking advantage of him.”