“I guess. Do you think Uncle Matt will be here?”
“I haven’t talked to him today, but he said he would. I believe he will be if he can.” Noah was clearly nervous. Desperate to reassure the boy, she said, “You’ll do fine, Noah. Just be sure to read slowly and speak in your outside voice.”
“Yes, ma’am. Can I go to lunch now?”
Her head said to ask him again about what was upsetting the twins, but her gut said to let it go. “Okay...but this afternoon, think about telling me what’s going on. I know you promised to keep a secret, but some things are too big to be handled alone. If the twins have seen their dad, I need to know.”
His eyes darkened, but he remained silent. She stood. “Go eat your lunch. I’ll see you in the gym.”
* * *
MATT HAD TOSSED and turned all night, finally rising at six. It was all downhill from there. He arrived at the hotel to find the main refrigerator had blown its compressor, and an hour later, the sprinkler system in the Savannah Ballroom activated, soaking the carpet, and he’d just hung up from his sixth call from Bradford or his secretary, Ms. Jones. He massaged the knotted muscles in his neck. He had forty-five minutes to clear his desk and be out of Memphis to make it to Noah’s assembly. He set the timer on his phone to beep ten minutes before he needed to leave.
His door opened, and his assistant stuck her head in. “Got time to deal with one more problem?”
A pain shot through his stomach, and he grabbed the bottle of antacids he’d bought earlier in the day. “Don’t tell me something else has gone wrong.”
She grimaced and started to back out of the room.
He hadn’t meant to sound so sharp. “Sorry, what is it?”
“Cara Carpenter’s mother called and canceled the wedding.”
“What?”
Susie took another deep breath. “The Carpenters’ Valentine’s Day wedding has been canceled—seems the bride ran off with one of the groomsmen.”
Matt groaned as he dropped his head in his hand. The Carpenter wedding and reception had budgeted out at seventy-five thousand dollars. Pain shot just above his left eye, and he pressed his middle finger against it. “Check the reserve list, and see if there’s anything big enough to fill that slot.”
“I have. The Russell wedding and reception is the only thing that comes close, and I think our quote to them was fifty thousand.”
“See if they are still interested.” This close to Valentine’s Day? He doubted it.
“I will. If they’re not interested, do you want me to go down the list?”
“Yes.” A text beeped in on his phone. Bradford. Another summons to the tower. He sent a text, agreeing to be there within ten minutes. His desk would have to wait. Maybe he could grab a sandwich somewhere and eat it on the way. He shook two more antacids into his hand.
“More trouble?” his assistant asked.
“Not really.” He stood, offering a weak smile. “Let me know what the Russells decide.”
“I will,” she said and closed the door behind her.
Matt stretched, rolling his neck from side to side. He glanced at his desk and caught sight of yesterday’s forgotten mail. As he put on his suit jacket, he flipped through the envelopes, spying one from the Shelby County register’s office. The copy of his parents’ marriage license. He ripped it open.
His mother’s last name was Bradford? Was it possible? No. It had to be a coincidence. Bradford was a common name in Memphis. Although his mother’s age was about right. But wouldn’t J. Phillip Bradford tell him if he were his grandfather? Maybe they were cousins. His mind reeled with questions. Questions only Bradford could answer. He hurried out the door.
Matt missed his overcoat the instant the icy wind off the river hit his face. He kept walking. If J. Phillip and his mother were connected in any way... He flared his nostrils. The old man’s money could’ve saved his mother’s life. That thought kept time with the soles of his shoes as they slapped the pavement. When he exited the elevator on the top floor of Bradford’s building, he didn’t bother to knock at Ms. Jones’s door. “I’m going in to see Bradford.”
She stood. “Wait, Matthew.”
“No.” He reached for the doorknob, then turned around. “Did you know Bradford was my grandfather?” She paled instantly.
“You could have told me.”
Ms. Jones sat down. “I wanted to, but it wasn’t my place.”
Matt shoved the door open. Bradford was at his computer. “I want to hear you say my mother was your daughter.”
Bradford turned and frowned. “What?”
Matt threw the copy of the marriage license on the desk. Bradford walked slowly to the desk and picked it up. His lips twitched as he stared at the paper. Finally he looked up, his face devoid of emotion. “Yes. She was my daughter.”
Matt’s gut wrenched. “And you didn’t help her?”
“She refused my help. Her principles were at stake, she said. Told me what I could do with my money.”
Matt was stunned. “Why? What did you do to her?”
“I didn’t do anything.”
“I don’t believe you.”
Bradford returned his gaze, never blinking. “It was about your father. He was a lazy no-good leech with zero ambition.” He sat taller in his chair, his eyes challenging Matt. “Would you agree or disagree?”
It was an accurate assessment of the father Matt remembered. But Mariah had said he wasn’t always like that. “He must have had some redeeming qualities or my mother wouldn’t have married him.”
Bradford’s gaze slid somewhere past Matt, then he refocused. “He told her what she wanted to hear. Words I never had time to say. Why do you think I suggested you delay starting a family? I didn’t want history to repeat itself.”
Bradford motioned toward a chair. “Sit down, and I’ll try to explain.”
“I think I’ll stand.”
“Suit yourself.” Bradford’s voice shrank to a whisper. “I tried to dissuade your mother from seeing your father, which was a mistake. Made her all the more determined. Then she got pregnant with your sister. I offered to raise the child for her, and she laughed in my face. Said I hadn’t had time for her, and why would she subject her own child to that kind of life.
“I threatened to cut off the purse strings, and she told me to go right ahead. Money made things easier, she said, but not necessarily right. And that your father would take care of her.” Bradford snorted. “He couldn’t take care of himself, much less her and a child. Susan had some idealistic dream about marriage. I suspect when it didn’t turn out the way she thought it would, she was too embarrassed to come to me.”
Matt’s face burned. His dad may have been everything Bradford said, but that didn’t excuse him from not helping his daughter. “You could have gone to her when you knew she was in trouble, but you chose to turn your back, not just on your daughter, but on my sister and me. To think, I wanted to be like you.”
“You already are.”
“Never.”
Victory glittered in Bradford’s eyes. “Why haven’t you been helping your sister?”
Matt’s mind protested. The situation with Mariah was different. Was it?
“And how about this girl you’re engaged to. Jessica. Do you love her? Is she your soul mate? Or does she just fit into your plans?”
The truth hurt when it was delivered so bluntly. If he truly loved Jessica, he never would have kissed Allie. Matt sank into the chair he’d refused earlier. His hands were as dirty as his grandfather’s.
“I wanted to help you and your sister, but Susan refused. Said she didn’t want my money tainting her children. She didn’t want anything just handed to you.”
Matt’s watch beeped the alarm he’d set earlier. Noah. He stood. “I have to leave.”
“But I need you to—”
“Find someone else. I quit.”
“Don’t let this little bump deter you from what’s rightfully yours.”
“Why would I want anything you have? You let my mother die. Your money and the right treatment could have saved her life.”
For the first time the granite cracked. “When I found out she had cancer, it was too late. I offered to fly her to M.D. Anderson, but she refused. Said the cancer had spread to her bones and she didn’t want to go through more chemo. By then it probably wouldn’t have done any good, anyway.”
His phone buzzed again. He strode to the door. There was a nine-year-old boy expecting him to show up at his school, and he wasn’t going to disappoint him. Before he walked out, he turned around. “How hard did you try?”
* * *
MATT DASHED BACK to work to pick up his overcoat. His cell phone beeped as he stepped off the elevator. Elizabeth Jones. Matt shoved it back in the pocket. He wasn’t ready to talk to Bradford’s secretary. In his office he found his assistant sitting at his desk. “Susie?”
She looked up. “Oh, good, you’re back. I was just writing you a note.” She laid the pen down. “The Russells had booked a local church, but are very much interested in using the Savannah Room. Mrs. Russell wants to meet with you tomorrow morning to discuss details.”
“You take care of it.”
“Me? I don’t have the authority—”
“I’m giving you the authority to cut a deal with them.” He stuffed the marriage license in the breast pocket of his coat. “Just don’t give away the hotel.”
She saluted him. “Yes, sir. Any suggestions on how much I can shave off?”
He shrugged. “Five percent. Ten, if it’s absolutely necessary.”
Susie had barely closed his door when it opened again. His heart sank. Jessica. They had to talk, but not today. “I’m just leaving for Cedar Grove.”
“This won’t take long.” She pulled the engagement ring from her left hand and handed it to him.
“What? You’re breaking the engagement?”
“No. You’ll have to do that...if that’s what you want.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Take this weekend and decide if you really want to marry me. If you do, be prepared to tell me why when you give the ring back. And if you don’t...” She smiled but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Then you won’t have to ask for the ring.”
“Wait.” Matt took the ring and the velvet box she handed him. An ache spread through his chest as tears wet Jessica’s eyes. Would it make any difference if he told her he’d quit the job with Bradford? Did he want it to make a difference? If only he knew the answer. “Once the weekend’s over. Can we talk then?”
“You just gave me your answer, Matt. If you weren’t questioning your love for me, you would have put the ring back on my finger.”
“Jessica...I...I don’t know what to say.”
“I do.” She kissed him on the cheek. “Goodbye, Matthew Jefferies.”
* * *
WHEN NOAH STEPPED out into the hallway, Lucas grabbed his arm. “You didn’t tell her anything, did you?”
“No.” Noah turned to Logan. “Maybe you ought to tell Miss Allie you saw him following us.”
Logan shook his head. “If I did and he found out, he’d beat me for sure.”
“How could he find out?”
“I don’t know, but he would. He knows everything.”
Lucas nodded. “He knows where the shelter is—I saw his pickup go by.”
“You lied to Miss Allie!”
“No, I didn’t. I didn’t see him.”
“How do you know it was your dad?”
Lucas snorted. “You think I don’t know my own daddy’s truck?
“We need to tell Miss Allie,” said Noah.
“She can’t stop him. When the assembly starts, we’re going to run away.”
Noah swallowed the sick feeling that almost choked him. “You can’t do that. Where would you go?”
Logan stuffed his hands in his jacket pockets. “We’ve been watching the trains that go by the school. There’s a train that stops and waits until another train passes. There’s always a door open and—”
“Shut up, Logan.” Lucas shoved his brother.
Noah had seen the train Logan was talking about from his seventh period window. “You don’t know where it’s going.”
“And neither will he.” Lucas folded his arms across his chest.
Noah’s heart pounded. This wasn’t right. “We have to tell Miss Allie.”
Logan grabbed his arm. “No. You promised you wouldn’t tell anything about our dad, and this is part of it. You don’t break cross-your-heart-and-hope-to-die promises.”
The door to Miss Allie’s office opened, and Noah jumped. “What’s going on, boys? I thought you were hungry.”
Noah gulped. The voice in his head yelled at him. Tell her. “Miss—"
“We’re going, Miss Allie.” Logan grabbed Noah’s arm and pulled him down the hall, muttering, “You promised.”
Noah looked over his shoulder. Miss Allie waved. “See you boys after the assembly. We’ll have a little party in my office to celebrate Noah winning the essay contest.”
Lucas turned back to answer her. “Yes, ma’am!”
In the cafeteria, Noah’s sandwich stuck in his throat, and he sipped milk through a straw to get it down. The voice in his head kept insisting that he tell someone what the twins were going to do. “You can’t just run away. Miss Allie will be worried. You gotta tell her.”
“No,” Logan said through gritted teeth. “Last time we told, something bad happened.”
“Yeah.” Lucas got in his face. “We told Mom that he was making us take the drugs to people, and she tried to stop him. He beat her up, and she died. Besides, he’s gonna come get us today.”
Noah stared at the twins. “How do you know?”
Logan pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Noah. “A kid gave this to me outside.”
Noah read the note. Three words in bold letters. Be ready today. A shiver ran down his back. “We need to give this to Miss Allie.”
Logan snatched it back. “No, and you can’t tell her. Don’t you understand, she can’t stop our dad.”
Noah wadded the rest of his sandwich in the paper and put it on the tray. “What about my Uncle Matt? He’s a guy. He could help us.”
“But he’s not here,” Lucas said.
“He’ll be here for the assembly.”
Logan and Lucas exchanged glances. “Not even your uncle,” Logan said as the bell rang, ending their lunch period. “You promised.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
EVEN WITH HIS foot floorboarding the gas pedal, Matt couldn’t outrun his thoughts. He never meant to hurt Jessica. Just like he never meant to hurt Allie seven years ago. What kind of man was he? Selfish. Self-centered. The truth stung. He didn’t deserve either woman.
And he did love Jessica. Just not the way a man should love his wife. If he had, he would have taken her feelings into consideration before he took the job with Bradford, and there would have been no kiss with Allie.
Allie. She’d made it plain how she felt about him. Matt blew out a deep breath. He’d certainly made a mess of everything. Yeah, he’d attained success. Success that left him hollow and empty. It had taken him seven years to realize everything he ever wanted was right in Cedar Grove, not in some job or fancy apartment. The thought looped through his mind as he rolled toward Cedar Grove.
He pulled into the school parking lot at two-thirty. Allie had stressed the assembly started at two-fifteen. He hoped he had not missed Noah’s speech. Inside the office, he signed the school visitor
sheet. “You said the assembly is in the gym?”
“Yes, sir.” The student tilted her head. “You’ve missed half the pep rally. Would you like me to show you the way?”
“I know where it is.”
Matt raced down the hallways that had not changed since he was a student here. He arrived just as the cheerleaders walked to the sidelines, and Noah stepped up to the microphone. The boy scanned the bleachers expectantly then his shoulders drooped. He hadn’t seen him. Matt stepped to the outer edge of the gym.
“Way to go, Noah!” Matt’s shout carried over the noise of the students, and Noah’s head jerked up. When he saw Matt, his face broke into a grin, and he stood a little straighter as he spoke into the microphone.
“Hi, I’m N-Noah Connors.” His nervousness blared from the speakers. “I want to r-read you my essay.”
A twitter of laughter rippled across the gym.
“You can do it, Noah,” Matt whispered.
“I knew someone who wanted to be a singer. She was really good, good enough to get a meeting with a record producer in Nashville.” His voice grew stronger. “But she was scared, and a friend gave her a pill so she wouldn’t be nervous. She sang for the producer, and he wanted her to come back and audition again for some more people. After a while he wanted to sign her to a contract, but she had started taking more pills and doing other drugs, and she didn’t show up on time.
“She never did get a contract, and this year she almost died.” Noah stopped and took a deep breath. “The singer is my mom and I knew she was doing drugs.” Matt closed his eyes. He’d never even known Mariah wanted to be a singer. He’d been a lousy brother.
“Drug a-abuse hurts everyone.”
Noah took a deep breath and continued. “It hurts parents when their kids do drugs, and when it’s the parents, it hurts the kids.” Noah’s voice gained strength. “I know because my mom almost died from drugs. If that had happened earlier this year, part of it would have been my fault because I didn’t tell anyone. If you know anybody who takes drugs, even if it’s an adult, don’t keep their secret. Tell a teacher you trust or our counselor, Miss Allie. And if you ever think about taking one of your parents’ pain pills or any other drug, don’t do it. Othewise it may be the biggest mistake you ever make in your life. Remember, drug abuse hurts everyone. Thank you.”
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