Perfect Partners

by Carly Phillips

  Her mother glanced down at her hands. Skin once soft and smooth now showed signs of work. Chelsie had to admit she was proud of the change. She hoped it extended to her mother’s sense of understanding, as well.

  “I suppose I deserved that.”

  Chelsie shook her head and placed her hand on top of her mother’s. “No, you didn’t. I didn’t come here for anger or recriminations.”

  “Then why did you come?”

  “Forgiveness,” Chelsie whispered.

  “There’s nothing to forgive.” Her mother’s voice cracked.

  Her father stepped in to fill the silent void. “We never should have sued Griffin for custody, never should have attempted to bribe him. Never should have used your feelings for your sister as a means to get you to do our dirty work.”

  “What your father is trying to say is we never blamed you for losing custody. We blamed ourselves for attempting to get it in the first place. That little girl deserves better than we would have given her.” Her mother drew a steadying breath. “Better than we gave you and your sister.”

  Chelsie fought the relief and accompanying dizziness and forced herself to concentrate on their words, words she never thought she’d hear. “Shannon and I had everything growing up.” She couldn’t bear to hear her parents so full of guilt and blame. They’d lost one daughter and were about to get yet another shock from her.

  “Every advantage, yes. I saw to that by working hard and providing you with the upbringing neither your mother nor I had.” Darren Russell’s low voice was contrite and anguished. Chelsie couldn’t remember a time in her life when she’d heard him so honest… or so empty.

  “We got carried away by the money and the lifestyle,” her mother said. “It became more important than people. What people thought of us became more important than our own children or our grandchildren.” She glanced down at their intertwined hands. “We were wrong. We lost out on years of more important things, years of closeness with you and your sister, and we’re sorry.” Her head lowered in shame. “And we’ll make it up to you and any grandchildren we’re lucky enough to have.”

  Chelsie swallowed over the painful lump in her throat. They’d given her what she’d always wanted. They’d given her back her parents, while she was about to take away their last dreams. “So am I. And I…”

  “We don’t expect your forgiveness.”

  She raised damp eyes to meet their expectant gaze. “But you have it. You always have. But…” Chelsie inhaled for courage.

  “But what?” Her mother rolled her hand over, capturing Chelsie’s and holding on tight. “We’ve been through the worst. I think it’s time we heard all of it. Then we can finally be a family.”

  Chelsie nodded and turned to her mother. Images of Griff and Alix assailed her. The very people who’d given her back her life. She owed it to them to come all the way back, even if Griff no longer wanted any part of her.

  She bit the inside of her cheek before speaking. “You… you won’t be having any more grandchildren,” she said. In the minutes that ensued, Chelsie told her parents the same details she’d shared with Griff, and waited for the same painful end.

  To her shock and relief, it never came. Her sister’s death had changed her parents—too late for Shannon, but just in time for Chelsie.

  “Well, at least this wife will be the last woman he abuses.” Her father sat with clenched fists, his skin pale beneath the Florida tan.

  Chelsie gnawed on the inside of her cheek. “I’ve been thinking about that. The system never works quite the way it should. The courts are overcrowded, and given Jeff’s propensity to charm and talk his way out of things, he might get off with a hefty fine and community service.”

  “The man needs help,” her father muttered.

  “Exactly. And I think I know a way to see he gets it.” For Chelsie, it was also a way to make amends for not acting in the past.

  Even Griff couldn’t fault this idea, considering he, too, wanted assurance that her ex-husband would get the help he needed. Unfortunately, Griff would fight her involvement out of concern. He might not want her in his life, but she knew him well enough to know he’d protect her anyway. Which was why she had no intention of mentioning this particular idea until it was complete.

  Her father leaned forward. “I’m listening.”

  She smiled. He was. After a lifetime of drought, she had unconditional support at last.

  Hours later, she knew she’d done the right thing and she’d explain that to her ex-partner when she got home. Since her father had excused himself, Chelsie now sat alone with her mother. She eased back in the family-room recliner.

  “Remember, if he doesn’t want you, it’s his loss.” Her mother crossed the room and knelt down beside her.

  Despite the painful words, Chelsie burst out laughing.

  “What’s so funny?” Ellen Russell asked.

  “You’re talking to me like I’m a teenager and I’ve lost my first true love.”

  Her mother reached out and touched her hair. “Haven’t you?”

  “Haven’t I what?” Chelsie asked. She’d been brutally honest about everything in her life except her relationship with Griff. That particular loss was still too painful and fresh.

  Her mother’s wise gaze met hers. “Lost your first true love?”

  Chelsie opened and closed her mouth, unable to form an answer. Apparently a mother never lost her intuition, even after years of neglect.

  “I lost your teenage years in a selfish fog, but I’m here now. And I know what I see.”

  “What’s that?” Chelsie asked, too emotionally spent to get her anger up or argue.

  “A heartbroken woman. And I know as sure as we’re sitting in this room, talking like mother and daughter, that your pain has nothing to do with your ex-husband and everything to do with Griff.”

  She blinked back tears, but they fell anyway. Then Chelsie did the one thing she needed most. She cried in her mother’s arms.

  * * *

  The roar of airplanes sounded in the distance as Chelsie bid good-bye to her parents at the airport.

  “We’ll be back at the end of the month,” her father promised, “apology in hand and knocking on that man’s door to see our granddaughter.”

  Her father had referred to Griff as that man ever since her mother had informed him he’d turned Chelsie away. In her opinion, they were taking the parent routine too far, but they’d get past it. “I’m sure I can arrange visits. He’s not unreasonable, Dad. And given everything you put him through, an apology would help ease things between you.”

  “I’ll do it, but after what he did to you…”

  “That’s between us, and you owe him.” She leaned over and kissed her father’s weathered cheek.

  “I know. But I still don’t like what went on between you two.”

  “Like you said, Dad, it went on between us. Stay out of it.”

  He turned towards his wife. “I’m good enough to talk to when it comes to dealing with her son-of-a-bitch ex-husband, but when it comes to…”

  “The man she loves, it’s none of your business.”

  Chelsie looked at her parents and laughed. Two people who had learned life’s lessons the harshest possible way, but still remained together. She wished Griff could see them now. Maybe he’d believe anything was possible.

  She thought of his past and his pain and knew she was wishing for the impossible.

  THIRTEEN

  Griff turned onto the busy street. The modern office building he sought appeared on his left.

  “Last chance to back out.” Ryan thumped his hand against the dashboard.

  The time had long passed to second-guess his decision. So much of his life and his future rode on this meeting. Griff turned the steering wheel, angling the SUV into the nearest parking spot in the underground lot. “No way in hell. You?” He glanced at Ryan.

  “Nope.”

  Griff had known the answer before he asked the question. Ryan ha
d never deserted him in the past. He wouldn’t start now. The trust he placed in his friend had taught him a valuable lesson, one he intended to extend to Chelsie. Both people were loyal and cared for him. Griff only wished he’d heeded what was in front of him for so long.

  They walked through the dark lot and into the building. A security guard greeted them at the front entrance. “Stevens and McLaughlin,” Griff said. “We have an appointment with one of the attorneys.”

  The burly man in the gray suit nodded. “Sign in.”

  Griff scrawled his name. Ryan did the same. “Fifth floor,” the guard said.

  They stepped into the elevators. “So far, so good.”

  Griff rolled his shoulders. “Take it easy, Ryan. The hard part’s yet to come.” Griff had no illusions about dealing with the man Chelsie had once called her husband. He hadn’t reached the top of his profession by letting other people have their way easily.

  “I can handle it.”

  “We’ll see. Just stand behind me and keep your mouth shut.”

  Ryan frowned. “Yeah. I never should have agreed.”

  “But you did.” His friend wouldn’t be here otherwise. Griff would have liked to handle Jeff Sutton on his own, but Ryan’s persistence couldn’t be ignored. Besides, the backup would shore up his points with Chelsie’s ex and ensure the outcome. Two men would intimidate Sutton much more than one, but Ryan’s temper tended to get in the way of common sense.

  Griff needed cool heads and clear thinking for his plan to work. He was counting on the self-serving side of Jeff Sutton’s personality to swing things their way. He could at least give Chelsie back her life before truly placing his trust in her hands.

  The receptionist took one look at Griff in his three-piece suit and Ryan in his favorite jeans and leather jacket and led them back to Jeff Sutton’s office without argument.

  The young woman raised her hand to knock on the office door. “We can take it from here,” Ryan said.

  “He prefers to be notified when he has unexpected company,” she said.

  “Then we wouldn’t be unexpected, would we?” Griff asked. “It’s okay. We’re old friends.”

  The woman looked uncertain.

  “I’ll say you were indisposed and we walked ourselves in.” Ryan gave her a wink that had been charming women throughout the years.

  She blushed, looking flustered. “Go ahead.” They waited until the receptionist disappeared down the hall and around the corner.

  “After you,” Ryan said with a grin. “I’ll just hold up the wall and keep my mouth shut. For as long as I can stand it,” he muttered under his breath.

  Griff rapped once with his knuckles. Without waiting for a reply, he walked inside. Jeff Sutton sat behind a large wooden desk, looking every inch the self-important attorney.

  “What the hell?” His gaze shifted from the computer in front of him to his visitors. He pushed himself to his feet. “Who let you in?”

  Griff stepped inside. Ryan followed and slammed the door shut behind him. “Consider this a pre-trial hearing,” Griff said.

  Sutton reached for the phone. Ryan swerved behind Griff and slammed his hand down on the receiver.

  So much for holding up the wall, Griff thought “I hear you like deals, so I’ve got one for you,” he said to Chelsie’s ex. Reaching beneath his jacket to the inside pocket, he withdrew a small manila envelope.

  Chelsie’s ex-husband paled at the sight. “I’m listening.”

  “You’re a smart man.” Griff opened the envelope and began laying out pictures, face up on the desk. Some photos were of Amanda, others of Chelsie. None were pretty. “I call this evidence. I have copies, by the way. You’re a partner.” Griff glanced around the man’s office. “Nice digs. I assume you want to keep them as well as your clients and your good name.”

  Ryan coughed in blatant disgust.

  Griff ignored him, concentrating on Jeff Sutton. “Here are the terms. Fly to the Caribbean and obtain a quick divorce, agree to twice-weekly counseling, and stay the hell away from your ex-wives and women, in general, until you get your act together. You don’t, and these go public.”

  Sutton flicked the photos with his one free hand. “Blackmail. I don’t have to take this crap from you.”

  Griff shook his head. “Look, buddy, do you want to go to trial and make things public?” He shrugged. “My pleasure. I’m just giving you an option we can all live with. I can’t get disbarred for offering you a settlement. You, on the other hand, can do jail time if you don’t accept. I can live with either option.”

  Which wasn’t exactly true. Griff had done his homework. The family courts were clogged with cases like these. Statistically, a man like Jeff Sutton would be slapped with a continued restraining order at best, and maybe some court-ordered counseling, nothing as intense as what Griff and Ryan had in mind. Keeping him away from Chelsie and Amanda was of paramount importance. Preventing him from harming other women was also a consideration.

  “By the way,” Ryan said, removing his hand from atop Sutton’s. “Did I mention I’m a private investigator? I’m an expert at tailing people. I’ll know your every move, buddy. One missed counseling session and you’re ours.” He punched his hand into his other palm for emphasis.

  Griff stifled a groan. Ryan had often gone overboard, even as a kid. The threat to this man’s career would have been enough to keep him toeing the line. It was all that truly mattered to him in his pathetic life.

  Sutton glared at Ryan and shook his hand out as if he’d been injured. The man didn’t even understand the irony. Griff would like to kick his teeth down his throat for what he’d done to Chelsie, but refrained. He was taking the best route for everyone involved.

  “Well?” Griff asked.

  “What about my son?”

  About time the man got around to what was truly important in life, Griff thought. He shrugged. “For now, you sign away custody. A few years from now, if the psychiatrist tells me you’re a fit human being, we’ll consider renegotiating the deal.”

  “This is extortion,” he yelled.

  Griff shook his head. “It’s a fair offer. You like this corner office and your so-called reputation. I suggest you accept. The papers will be here by four this afternoon. Sign them by tomorrow.” He gathered the pictures together in his hand.

  The other man’s face flushed an angry shade of red. “Just like a woman to send you two to do her dirty work,” Sutton muttered. “Chelsie should have taken me at my word.”

  “Excuse me?” If Chelsie had been in contact with her ex-husband, this was the first Griff had heard about it. If it was true, he’d throttle her himself. His stomach churned at the very notion. At least she had the eastern seaboard separating her from her violent past, he thought. But the protective feeling he’d begun to accept as normal when it came to Chelsie, remained with him.

  Sutton sat back in his seat hopefully beginning to accept defeat “She called the other day to broker this same deal.”

  “You figured you could weasel your way out.”

  “I don’t answer to her. Besides, she didn’t mention surveillance or you and your bouncer buddy here.” He gestured to Ryan.

  Griff bent down over the desk, making sure he towered over the man who had no compulsion about hurting women, but who cowered before men his own size. “Listen well. You so much as breathe in her direction, you answer to me.” Griff made a show of lining the pictures up and placing them back in his pocket.

  The thought of Chelsie having anything to do with this slime, even long distance, made his skin crawl. Yet he admired her courage and the foresight it took for her to come up with the same plan he and Ryan had formulated together.

  “Let me ask you a question, Sutton.”

  The man raised defeated eyes to his.

  “Doesn’t it even bother you, what you did to those two women?” The two they knew about, Griff silently added. He didn’t want to think there could be others and hoped this deal would prevent further
victims.

  “They asked for it. It’s not my fault they push a guy to the end of his rope. I never meant to hurt either of them.”

  Figures. Griff shook his head. He just wanted Jeff out of their lives and less of a threat to womenkind. “Then do yourself a favor. Take this deal and get yourself some help.”

  Without a second glance, Griff turned and walked out. Ryan followed. The easy part was behind him. The hard part was yet to come. Chelsie returned today, and Griff’s life hung in the balance.

  * * *

  “How was your trip?” Griff looked at his partner with hungry eyes after a weekend of deprivation.

  Chelsie wore jeans, an old sweatshirt, and a pony-tail with stray strands of hair falling around her neck. Not a woman dressed for work, that much he knew. She obviously hadn’t changed her mind about severing their partnership. Nor could he ask her to.

  His stomach churned with dread, but he remained calm. His perspective may have changed, but she didn’t know it, and he’d put her through hell. She deserved to make her own decisions about her future.

  “Not bad if you like heat and humidity,” she said.

  “Did you get much sun?”

  She laughed, but it sounded strained. “Not all that much.”

  “Could we move past the weather?” Otherwise they’d become exactly what he feared most. Friendly adversaries, two people who cared too much, but couldn’t get past their opposing points of view. He couldn’t live with that. In fact, he flat out refused to try.

  She looked startled at his unnecessarily abrupt tone, then shrugged. “Okay. The trip was productive.”

  “They’ve forgiven you?”

  “Actually, they never blamed me as much as they blamed themselves. But my parents were never the warm type and they didn’t know how to show what they were feeling.”

  “So they retreated to Florida to lick their wounds?”

  She tilted her head, obviously assessing his sincerity. “To heal, Griff. To get over losing a daughter, to come to terms with the kind of people they’d become.”

  “I know that.” Just watching the play of emotions over her face, listening to her defense of people she didn’t understand but still loved, how could he not?