by Brenda Novak
“Hi, honey.” Her father jumped out of the car, which he left running at the curb, to get her bag.
“How come you’re off work?” she asked, surprised to see him midmorning on a Thursday.
“Are you kidding?” He put her suitcase in the trunk. “I couldn’t go to the office today. My girl was coming to town.” He gave her a hug before holding her in front of him. “We’ve been worried about you, but you look good.”
She couldn’t believe she looked too good. It seemed as though her wake up call had come as soon as she and Sawyer had fallen asleep. They’d barely had a chance to shower before Sawyer, who’d convinced her to cancel her Uber, drove her to the airport.
But she was happier than her parents had seen her in a while, so there was that. “You’re kidding, right? I didn’t even bother to put on any makeup.”
“You don’t need makeup,” he said.
She climbed into the back seat.
“How’s your writing going?” her mother asked as they put on their seat belts.
The stereo was playing a Top 40 station as her father shifted into Drive and started looking for a break in the traffic. The San Diego airport was always busy. But she knew he was listening.
“Better,” she said. “Much better.”
“That’s wonderful news! I told you you’d get back in the groove.”
She’d only done it with Reagan’s help but, of course, she couldn’t give her the credit. “If I can hit my new deadline, I might be able to pull out of this nosedive. I have almost a third of the book done, and the ending always goes faster than the beginning.”
“You’ll make it. Even if you don’t, they’d be foolish to let you go.”
Spoken with the typical bias of a loving parent. Serenity hid a smile. “I’m the one who missed my deadline. If I miss it again, there’s no way I can blame them.”
“You’ll make the next one.”
Serenity hoped their confidence wasn’t misplaced. She was starting to feel some interest in the case again, which helped. Although it was sad, and nothing would ever make it less sad, it was the puzzle aspect of solving a crime that had always appealed to her, and this one had required plenty of sleuthing. That Mr. Maynard had managed to start over and leave his past behind—as though he’d never had another family and never done what he’d done—shocked and amazed her. So did the fact that he’d been able to hide for so long. If not for a TV series that spotlighted cold cases and asked for tips, he might never have been apprehended. Fortunately, a woman he’d once dated recognized his likeness when she saw it on TV.
“What about the young men who are staying next door?” her mother asked. “How are things going with them?”
“We see them quite a bit,” Serenity replied.
“We?”
Serenity’s heart leaped into her throat. Shit. “Me and my kayaking friends,” she said. “Sometimes the Hatch brothers go out on the lake with us.”
Her father glanced into his rearview mirror. “You should take them out in the boat. That’s got to be more fun than a kayak.”
“It’s a different kind of fun. But I’ve been meaning to. Maybe we’ll do that when I get back.”
“Do you like one of the Hatch brothers a little more than the others?” her mother asked, her voice hopeful.
Thank God Charlotte seemed to accept her answer on that “we.” Her parents trusted her and probably couldn’t imagine she’d have any reason to lie about something like that, anyway. “They’re all nice,” she said as the alarm receded.
Charlotte turned down the radio. “What about the boy who lost his arm? How’s he doing?”
Much to her surprise, Serenity was beginning to look forward to seeing Davis every morning. That first day he’d been so angry at the world she hadn’t liked him much, and was put off by the way he’d treated Lorelei. But she felt he was beginning to have moments when he was glad to be alive, and the more the dark cloud hanging over him lifted, and she could see what he was really like, the easier it was to forgive him. The last time they’d gone out on the water had felt almost...companionable. “He’s healing,” she said.
“I’m so glad.”
“It’s tragic what happened to him,” her father added.
Serenity gazed out at the traffic. Driving in San Diego was never easy, and today was no exception. “It is, but at least he’s going to be okay.”
“It’s nice of you to befriend him, honey,” her mother said. “But I’ll admit I was keeping my fingers crossed that you’d feel a little more—if not for him then for one of his brothers.”
“We’re just friends. But I’ll meet someone eventually,” she mumbled, feeling self-conscious about having spent the night with Sawyer. She would’ve told her parents about him. She knew they wouldn’t think badly of her. But she was afraid her mother might mention him to Beau or the twins, or someone else in the family, and she didn’t want to go through all the explanations, as well as the discomfort of admitting who he was, especially if the relationship wasn’t going to last.
Fortunately, Charlotte changed the subject before Serenity could break down and tell her. “What would you like to do for the Fourth? Beau is coming home, so I thought we’d have a barbecue, and I’d make my s’mores bars. Are you interested in watching the fireworks?”
“I’m open to anything.” She wasn’t concerned with how they’d celebrate. She only cared about getting her father’s DNA. She’d thought of swabbing his glass, like the police might do so they could get DNA without a suspect’s knowing it. But she didn’t have a full-service lab at her disposal. And why make it hard when it could be easy? If her father wasn’t aware of her half siblings, he might be willing to take the test simply to learn about his heritage and genetic makeup. His birthday was coming up at the end of August, so she’d give him the test as a present, have him take it while she was there and then send it off herself.
She didn’t see how he could refuse, unless he had a good reason to. If he did balk, she was willing to bet she could get Beau to spit in a tube under the same pretense. If Beau wasn’t related to Lorelei and Reagan, she’d be able to rule out Uncle Vance, and that was what she was hoping to do.
But if Vance wasn’t her father, and Reagan’s and Lorelei’s, too, how was it that he knew Reagan’s mother? What else could explain the letter Serenity had in her purse?
“We could go to Big Bay Boom and watch the fireworks. We haven’t done that since we’ve lived here. Or we could go to Sea World or Ocean Beach. They have shows.”
“I’m fine with whatever,” she said. “Honestly. It doesn’t matter to me.”
“Then we’ll let Beau decide.”
“When will he be home?”
“Tomorrow.”
“Too bad the twins can’t be here.” She suddenly felt as though she was in danger of losing Tara, Tia and Beau and missed them all terribly.
“They’re too busy,” Charlotte explained.
“But your uncle Vance will be here,” her father piped up.
Suddenly feeling asphyxiated by her seat belt, Serenity pulled it away from her body. “What?”
Her father signaled to get into the other lane. “Uncle Vance called this morning. He’ll be in town, too.”
What were the chances? Vegas was only about a five-hour drive from San Diego. She knew he came to visit her parents every now and then, but he’d be joining them while she was there?
At first she thought it was a lucky coincidence—or it would be if this thing didn’t blow up in her face.
Then she began to wonder if Reagan impersonating Rosalind could have anything to do with Vance’s decision to come. It was the Fourth of July—not an odd time to visit family—but it hadn’t been that long since she and Reagan had contacted him. Was he hoping to have a chance to speak to Charlotte in private, to make sure she’d continue to keep quiet abou
t the baby?
“How long will he be staying?” she asked.
Another driver was kind enough to let her father in, even though the freeway was jam-packed. “He didn’t say.”
“What brings him to San Diego?”
“He’s probably hoping to borrow some more money,” her mother grumbled before her father could respond.
Her father shot her mother a dark look. “I don’t think so, Charlotte. I just gave him some.”
“Then he has another business idea he’s hoping you’ll back.” Charlotte obviously wasn’t willing to assume Vance was coming simply because he cared about them and wanted to see them.
“Does he know I’m going to be here?” Serenity broke in before her father could get upset that her mother had made another negative remark about his brother.
“I didn’t tell him,” her father said. “Why do you ask?”
“Just wondering if he realizes you’ll already have company.”
Wearing an oh, come on expression, Chuck turned around to look at her. They were stopped in traffic, anyway. “You and Beau aren’t company. You’re family.”
That was true. But were she and Vance more closely related than Chuck realized?
“It’ll be good to see him again,” she murmured, but her mind was no longer on the conversation. She was thinking of the letter in her purse: Please promise me you’ll never tell.
Would she finally be able to figure out what Vance and her mother were hiding?
And if she could, would she be sorry she did?
* * *
reagan
She’d told Drew about the baby. After all the thought and deliberation she’d put into the question of whether she should or shouldn’t, she’d pulled the trigger—and now she was afraid the bullet she’d fired would ricochet and hit her instead.
She’d emailed him a Voluntary Relinquishment of Parental Rights, a form she’d downloaded from the internet for free, almost as soon as they’d hung up. She’d told herself it needed to get into his inbox immediately, that she’d have the best chance of having him walk away if he made the decision while he was frightened for his marriage.
But she hadn’t heard from him and was no longer convinced she should pressure him to sign it.
If he relinquished his rights so easily, she’d feel as though she’d never meant anything to him to begin with. She’d been trying to cope with that ever since she’d spoken to him from the cabin that first time. This would soften the blow, make it easier to forgive her own foolishness. If he cared, even a little, then she hadn’t been duped quite so completely.
If he didn’t sign it, however—if he decided to be their child’s father—he’d play a big role in her life. And his wife and other children might expect to be involved, too. That could prove difficult to cope with, especially as her life moved on. What kind of wrinkles would it cause when she fell in love again and possibly had other children?
But if Drew accepted the responsibility, she might be able to respect him enough to make it work, for their child’s sake.
Her mind kept going back and forth like that as she tried to decide what to hope for. Problem was, what would be best for the child might not be the best thing for her—it probably wasn’t, in all honesty—so she felt even more torn.
She heard a creak and turned from the window in the living room, where she’d been staring pensively out at the lake, watching the sunrise. Lorelei was coming down the stairs, but as soon as she saw Reagan in the semi-dark, she yelped and nearly fell.
“God, you scared me,” she cried as she caught hold of the banister. “What are you doing up so early?”
“Sorry. Couldn’t sleep.” Tired of all the tossing and turning, she’d finally climbed out of bed and had been wandering through the cabin ever since, trying to calm her heart and mind.
“What’s going on? Have you heard from Drew?”
“Not yet.”
Lorelei came up beside her and gazed out at the lake, too.
“Why are you up so early?” Reagan asked.
She shoved her sleep-tousled hair out of her face. “I couldn’t sleep, either.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m not used to having Lucy gone, I guess.”
“Mark’s acting as though he’s completely devoted to her.”
She rubbed her arms. “He is devoted to her. Just not as much as I am.”
“Does it sway you at all to see how hard he’s trying? Are you tempted to go back to him to keep your family together?”
“The temptation is constantly there,” she admitted.
“So...will you change your mind?”
Lorelei shook her head. “I can’t imagine a future like the one I’ll have if I go back. That isn’t what I ever envisioned for my life, and I’ve told him so.”
“But he’s not convinced.”
“Not yet. He’s still trying to prove he’s contrite, believes that’ll make me soften.”
“I’m surprised it’s not working.”
“I am, too,” she said. “I’ve always loved him. I still do. If he’d cheated with anyone else, I might’ve been able to forgive him. But the fact that it was Francine...”
“I understand.” Reagan put an arm around her. “I’m sorry.”
“So am I,” she said softly but her eyes remained dry and that told Reagan, more than anything else, that she’d already made her decision.
“When does Mark go home?” Reagan asked.
“On Sunday.”
“So he’ll be here tomorrow night for the Fourth.”
“He’s heard that the Lights on the Lake in South Shore is one of the best fireworks shows in the country, so he’s planning on taking me and Lucy.” She tucked her hair behind her ears. “You can come with us, if you’d like.”
“Mark won’t want me there, not when he’s trying to win you back. I’ll see if Finn and his brothers feel like going.” She left the window and the fabulous view. “Will you tell him you’re filing for divorce after he goes back, then?”
“No. I need to be confident and brave enough to do it in person.”
“When?”
“I’ve agreed to have dinner with him tonight. Would you mind watching Lucy so we can be alone?”
“Not at all.” Reagan studied Lorelei’s face. She looked tired, drawn, all right. Reagan didn’t know how her sister would manage at work today. “Somehow we’ll both get through the next year and put our worlds back together.”
“It’ll be a lot easier now that I have you and Serenity in my corner,” she said.
* * *
lorelei
By the time she got off work, Lorelei was dragging, and she still had to get home. She’d ridden a bike that had been in the garage, since Serenity had taken the X5, but the restaurant wasn’t that far away. It shouldn’t have been a big deal to cycle there and back, and wouldn’t have been, except that she’d gone to work so tired in the first place.
She could barely turn the crank as she pedaled home. She planned to take a nap before Mark came to drop off Lucy and pick her up for dinner. When she’d texted him that Reagan had agreed to watch their daughter, he’d been eager to have some time alone with her. He probably felt he’d proven himself this week and would be able to convince her to come back to him.
She wasn’t looking forward to disabusing him of that notion. One week of good behavior didn’t change anything. She doubted he’d be quite as amiable after she delivered that message.
As she struggled to climb the hill to the cabin, she came upon the place Finn and his brothers were renting and slowed to a pace that made her wobble. She couldn’t help looking over to see what the Hatch brothers might be up to. She checked for any sight of Finn whenever she passed. Although she usually kept going, today she came to a stop.
There was a car she didn’t r
ecognize parked in the driveway.
Had their father come to town? Finn had mentioned that Mr. Hatch and his wife planned to visit, but he hadn’t said when. Maybe they’d come to Tahoe for the holiday weekend.
Except this car didn’t look like anything a wealthy man, much less the owner of several car dealerships, would drive. It was old and inexpensive, and it needed some bodywork.
So whose was it? Finn and his brothers didn’t know anyone in Tahoe. Could this be the friend who lived in Sacramento, the one he’d met at South Shore a while back?
“Lorelei!”
She glanced up to see Reagan standing in the road outside Serenity’s family cabin, waving her on.
Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to start pedaling again. “What is it?” she asked when she reached her sister. “Have you heard from Serenity?”
“Not yet. I just...”
“What?” she prompted when Reagan faltered.
“I didn’t want you to stop at Finn’s house.”
“Why not?”
Reagan looked pained when she replied. “I went over there a little while ago to see if they were interested in watching the fireworks at South Shore tomorrow night.”
“And?”
“And a woman answered the door. She said she was Finn’s girlfriend.”
“His girlfriend?” Lorelei repeated.
“She told me she drove up from LA and would be staying for the weekend.”
This came as a complete shock. Lorelei didn’t even know how to respond.
“Are you okay?” Reagan asked, her voice filled with concern.
She nodded.
“Are you sure?”
She nodded again. It was only because she was so tired that she felt like throwing up, she told herself. What Finn did was none of her business.
“This doesn’t change anything, does it?” Reagan asked.
As much as Lorelei wished she could say no—she’d been so sure just a moment before—it shook her confidence. She’d already agreed that she and Finn would be friends; that had been her choice. And yet this made her doubt Finn had been as sincere as he’d seemed, and that made her fear she’d never find anyone else to love her, which tempted her to go back to Mark, to accept what was familiar instead of striking out on her own. As someone who’d had no family until she’d found Serenity and Reagan, she’d clung even harder to the one she’d created with Mark.
