by Cora Brent
An hour later he calls Gretchen’s cell and the twins insist on talking to him before allowing their aunt to have her phone back. Danny actually doesn’t have much time to chat. The team is traveling again tonight. But I do get to have a word with him when the phone is passed to me.
“Well done, buddy.”
He snorts out a laugh. “I think they might keep me around for a little while.”
“They’d be damned fools not to. Now go get your pro athlete self some rest. You’ve got another game tomorrow.”
Nobody could have asked for a better outcome and the twins are hyper with excitement, which is nice to see. They ask to have dinner at Sea Escape, that overcrowded family place where you can watch fish swim by and shit inside their water tank as you eat. Gretchen lifts an eyebrow and leaves the dinner choice in my hands.
Of course I want to go to Sea Escape.
I can’t think of anything I want to do more. I’d never turn down a chance to see those two kids smile.
In gratitude, Mara allows me to hold her favorite doll. She says I’m allowed to keep it for the rest of the day but I will have to give it back tomorrow.
That sounds like a fair deal to me.
After a noisy, chaotic meal, we stop at the bakery on Mill. They have far more bunny cookies in stock now that Easter is just around the corner.
Later, Gretch gets the girls to bed while I sit on the couch, searching random crap on my phone and thinking about a certain soon-to-be-naked redhead. Gretchen is the first woman I’ve ever been with whose sexual appetite is a challenge to meet.
Won’t hear me complaining.
“Trent.” She says my name from the top of the stairs. I swear she grows more beautiful every hour.
I nod to her. “What’s up?”
“The girls want to know if you’ll come up for a minute to say goodnight to them. They both asked.”
“Sure.” I’m on my feet instantly. There’s probably no greater compliment than having your presence requested by two four-year-olds.
They’re both already tucked into their own beds in their separate rooms. Mara is drowsily yawning and asks me to hand her a stuffed dog that’s fallen to the floor.
She snatches the thing in her little arms and rolls over. “Good night, Trentcassini.”
Caitlin is more awake and asks if I’ll take her to the park tomorrow.
I’m perched on the edge of her bed while Gretchen watches from the doorway. “If it’s okay with your aunt.”
“It’s okay with their aunt,” Gretchen says.
Caitlin smiles. “Don’t forget my night light.”
Gretchen plugs in a small lamp that projects stars and constellations onto the ceiling.
We leave the girls to their dreams and go downstairs. Sometimes the twins take a little while to settle down. One will want a glass of water. The other one will have to go to the bathroom. And on and on.
No big deal. It’s early and there’s plenty of night remaining.
Gretchen snuggles into my lap while I flip around on the television and wait for the chance to take her to bed. It’s occurred to me more than once that my mother would have loved seeing me like this. With Gretchen. And with the girls. The version of me that attends princess tea time on demand and willingly dines at Sea Escape is the one she would have been the most happy with.
I believe it’s the version of myself I’m happiest with too.
Gretchen becomes frisky, reaching under my shirt and getting me in the mood to rip off her clothes, which doesn’t require much persuasion. She runs upstairs to check on the twins one last time to make sure they’re asleep before returning with the verdict.
“All clear, Trentcassini.” She peels off her shirt and sashays in the direction of the bedroom. Her bra comes off a second later.
I throw the remote to the sofa and chase her down.
We’ve barely got the bedroom door closed before she climbs on the bed, now gloriously naked, and taunts me with her ass in the air. I take her like that from behind. And when I’m finished, I push my face between her legs and take her that way too. Once we’re temporarily exhausted we get under the covers and press our sweaty bodies together.
“This was the best day.” She kisses my shoulder and yawns. “Days with you always are.”
I’m content to savor that observation for a few minutes but Gretchen’s mood changes and she sighs.
I tug on a section of her hair. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. My mind keeps coming back to those bank deposits. I’ve wracked my brain and gone through all of Jules’s papers and I can’t find a reason why she would have been regularly receiving that money.”
“Have you called the number I gave you for the forensic accountant?”
“No.” She burrows closer and lays her cheek on my chest.
“The accountant is a reputable guy,” I assure her. “If it’s possible to find an answer then he’ll find it and I’ve already arranged for any billing to be handled by my company.”
“I know.” Her voice is muffled. “I’m just nervous. You know the twins’ paternity is a huge question mark. I’m afraid these deposits have something to do with him, whoever he is.”
“In that case it would be better to know what you’re dealing with, wouldn’t it?”
“I understand that’s the rational way of looking at it.” She sits up suddenly and though the look on her face is troubled, she’s a goddess. Her hair is slightly tangled, her cheeks flushed and she doesn’t timidly cover her bare skin.
I sit up too and push her hair back from her face. “What is it, baby?”
She lifts haunted green eyes. “I wish Jules had confided in me. It hurts that she didn’t feel like she could. I wouldn’t have judged her. No matter what, I would have been on her side. Why didn’t she know that?”
“Come on, Jules knew you were on her side, Gretch. She left her daughters with you.”
Her expression hardens. “I won’t let anyone take them.”
“That’s not happening.” I pull her to me and stroke her hair. “We would never let that happen.”
I’m not lying. In a heartbeat I’d hand over every cent I have and hire the best lawyers to guarantee that Gretchen keeps the girls. While I’m breathing, no one will take the twins from their home or from the person who loves them the most.
She pulls back and stares at me solemnly. “I love you, Trent. Please don’t think I’m expecting you to say it back. That’s not why I’m-“
Her words get cut off by my mouth. She falls right into the kiss, closing her eyes and answering my tongue with her own. This is my future I’m holding in my arms and I’m taking it.
I’m taking her. She’s mine.
Gretchen cooperates with being pushed to her back and her legs open for me with eagerness.
“I love you too, Gretch.”
This time I make love to her with slow tenderness.
And then I tell her the same thing again.
12
Gretchen
The call comes in moments after I drop the twins off at their preschool.
My phone is clamped into the dashboard mount and one glance at the screen makes my heart race.
It’s possible I’m overreacting. The forensic accountant Trent put me in touch with might not have any earth shattering news to share. Maybe he was unable to find out anything at all.
This, I realize, is my hope.
Since I’ve been unable to discover a rational explanation for those bimonthly bank deposits, I’d rather hear no explanation at all.
I’m afraid of the truth. I’m afraid of my sister’s secrets.
Jules was fantastically loyal, supportive and trustworthy. She could have abandoned me, and Danny too. She was just a kid herself when she assumed the responsibilities of an adult. I would defend her to the death.
But she did keep her secrets, for whatever reason, even after her death. Perhaps I have no right to go digging to find them.
I make a
right into a gas station and park in front of the tiny convenience store before pressing the button to answer the call.
“This is Gretchen.”
“Gretchen, hi. This is Joel Rico. Sorry it took me a week to look into your situation properly but I have your answer. Every one of those deposits comes from the same place…”
Of all the wild ideas that have been running through my head in the weeks since I looked at those bank statements, the explanation Joel gives is not one I had ever thought of.
NEVER.
I hear my own dazed voice thanking Joel for his efforts.
Then I sit there and stare at the minivan’s reflection in the glass doors of the convenience store.
I feel an abrupt, desperate longing for Trent. For his arms around me. For his deep voice to murmur in my ear that this isn’t the end of the world and we’ll figure out this mess together.
But I can’t take comfort from Trent right now. I can hardly breathe.
Ever since Jules died, I’ve been thinking of the twins’ father as some distant, detached entity who may or may not be living and definitely isn’t within reach.
It turns out that isn’t true.
No, he’s been right here all along.
My anger overtakes all avenues of rational thought.
He needs to answer for this. And I’m going to make the bastard answer for this. Right fucking now.
Before I can give the matter more thought, I back up and roll right out of the parking lot. This is a weekday just after ten in the morning. Anyone who keeps regular office hours is likely in the office right now. Including him.
Rosebriar Hill appears ghostly in the light cloak of fog that rolled off the lake this morning. I look at the hill and imagine it as an ally as I close in, although I’m not planning to drive up there today. My destination is just ahead.
Cassini Brewery is a place I’ve passed countless times but never visited. The exterior has received a makeover since I was a kid, although the expense seems to have been misplaced. I know the company’s fortunes are flailing due to mismanagement.
The red Porsche that I last saw sitting Trent’s driveway is prominently parked by the brewery entrance. The spot is marked by a silver and black sign with the owner’s name, just so everyone who arrives will understand that this is his spot. I glare at the red car like it’s somehow also at fault and march through the double doors.
Three men in black polos embroidered with the brewery’s logo stop what they are doing and gape at me. They stand in front of the mammoth horseshoe-shaped bar and two of them carry clipboards.
I don’t feel like wasting time with niceties. “I need to see Liam Cassini,” I announce loudly, the sound of my voice echoing off the high ceiling.
The tallest of the three men shoots the other two a knowing glance, like they’re entertained by the intrusion of an angry woman demanding an audience with their boss. Perhaps this is something that happens often. I wouldn’t be surprised.
The tall man clears his throat. “I think he’s in a meeting.”
“Nope, he’s just in the shitter,” pipes up one of his companions, sounding pleased. I would guess he’s not a happy employee. “His office is just up the stairs. Make a left. Second door.”
I can feel them staring at me as I climb the wide staircase. One of them laughs. Ordinarily, I would turn around and give them hell for the disrespect but this is not an ordinary errand.
Liam Cassini’s office is impressive, with pricy furniture, stunning views and a weird painting of a beautiful woman lying on an animal skin. She has to be Liam’s wife. I wonder if she’s oblivious to what kind of scoundrel she’s married to.
I stiffen at the sound of whistling at my back and turn around to see Liam Cassini in the midst of wiping his hands on his tailored black trousers. He stops whistling when he sees me and for a quick second irritation flashes in his eyes before vanishing.
“Good morning,” he says smoothly and sits down at his desk as if we are both here for a scheduled meeting.
He motions for me to take one of the two leather chairs meant for visitors. I’d rather stand, but my knees feel slightly weak so I drop into the nearest seat.
Liam’s chair creaks as he leans back and he spends too many uncomfortable seconds looking me over. His resemblance to Trent is obvious but it’s not overpowering. Liam isn’t as good looking or as tall or as muscled as his younger brother. And there’s a rigid coldness on his face that might be exaggerated in my mind simply because I know what kind of man he is. Yet sitting directly across from him makes my skin crawl.
I think I might be making a mistake.
At the very least, I wish I’d discussed this confrontation with Trent first before barreling in here. But Trent would never have let me come alone.
“It’s Gretchen, right?” He continues to sweep his eyes over my body instead of looking me in the eye.
I’m careful not to flinch. “Gretchen Aaronson. I don’t really see the point in beating around the bush, Liam. I’m here with questions about what kind of relationship you had with my sister.”
Liam isn’t surprised, or if he is then he hides it well. “Julianne was a lovely young woman. I’m extremely sorry for your loss.”
He doesn’t sound even slightly sorry. He sounds bored, and perhaps a little smug.
“Was she employed by you?” I ask.
“Of course not. But you could have called to ask that question.” He grins. “Not that I’m finding fault with having something pretty to look at.”
“If she didn’t work for you then why have you been consistently transferring money to her bank account?”
Far from being flustered, he seems amused by where this is headed. He drums his fingers on his desk and gives me half a smile.
“There were six wire transfers last year,” I explain, as if he didn’t know. “Two thousand dollars each time, every other month on the first of the month.”
“Yes.” He nods. “And the year before that. And the year before that. And the year before that.”
My heart sinks. My suspicions were justified.
No, I definitely shouldn’t have confronted him alone.
Liam Cassini holds all the cards and he knows it.
But now that this moment has arrived the words need to be said. “You’re the twins’ father.”
He shrugs with indifference. “So I was told.”
Every nerve ending in my body bristles. “If that’s what you were told then it’s true. Jules wouldn’t have lied. Anyway, you know damn well it’s true. You wouldn’t have parted with a dime out of the goodness of your heart, although no one could accuse you of being supremely generous considering what you could have afforded to give them.”
He throws his head back and laughs. “Ah, so that’s why you’re here. To demand additional funds. How very Aaronson-like of you to expect handouts.”
“Handouts? Mara and Caitlin are your daughters! They’ve been growing up here right under your nose and you’ve never shown the slightest interest in them. Why?”
His eyes narrow. “Julianne made the decision to keep them. I was not involved.”
I glare at this disgusting man who fathered two beautiful children with my sister. “Clearly you were involved at some point.”
“Yes, clearly, but there was never a relationship. We fucked one night and that’s all.”
This time I do flinch over his vulgarity. “Jules would never have let you touch her. What the hell did you do to my sister?”
He rolls his eyes. “Look, I wasn’t planning to share this story with you but if you’re going to start making slanderous accusations then you leave me with no choice.”
He glances at his wife’s portrait, frowns, and then sighs.
“Julianne showed up here one night and sat down at the bar while I was making the rounds. She was alone. She said it was her twenty first birthday and she seemed a little weepy and pathetic so I gave her a drink. She asked to come home with me. Before you assume th
e worst, you should know that she was aware that I was about to be married. Whitney happened to be in the city that weekend. Yes, Gretchen, I took your sister home and fucked the living daylights out of her just like she begged me to. I’m guilty of that. But there were no promises made. Then Julianne comes to me a few months later with the news that she’s pregnant. What’s more, she wants money. I gave her money and I kept giving it to her. I’ve never had anything to do with those kids because that’s the way she wanted it. So there you have it. Your sister was after cash and a sperm donor and she schemed her way into getting them. Julianne got exactly what she wanted.”
During his horrid speech my hand moves to my mouth but this doesn’t extinguish the urge to vomit. This description of Jules isn’t one I can picture.
But Liam Cassini isn’t finished. He leans forward and drops his voice into something hideously sensual. “I will admit, your sister was one eager little wildcat. Fucking her was fun. I’ll bet you really enjoy opening those pretty legs of yours too. We could have had a good time, you and me, if only I were interested in sticking my dick into my little brother’s leftovers.”
He notes my horrified face and smiles with satisfaction. “Interesting. I wasn’t sure about that. You and Trent. I would have credited you with better taste and more sense.” Then he checks his watch. “I’ve got a real meeting in two minutes so I’m afraid we need to cut this short. But you tell my kid brother to come and see me real soon. He and I now have a lot to talk about.”
There’s nothing I can say right now that won’t make the situation even worse. Without another word, I bolt from Liam Cassini’s office, down the stairs and out to the parking lot before I take another breath.
For a moment, I need to lean on the hood of the minivan so that I don’t fall over. Then I realize he might be watching from a window so I straighten up, get behind the wheel and take the road back to town.
Despite the bright sunny day, I can see nothing but bleakness ahead.
