In Shelter Cove (23 page)

“I can see your point, but in the end, the truth always comes out.”

“Sometimes the truth doesn’t matter.”

“You don’t really believe that,” he said.

“It doesn’t always change things. Sometimes it just hurts.”

His eyes flickered with curiosity. “Are we still
talking about Annie? Is there something you want to tell me?”

“No. I have to run. I have a bunch of stuff to do today.”

“Charlotte, wait. Every time we get a little close, you pull away. Are you ever going to let me back into your life?” he asked seriously.

“I’m not sure.”

“I’m going to try to change your mind, Charlie. I believe in second chances.”

But there wasn’t always a second chance. Some mistakes lasted forever.

The park was pretty at night, with white lights strung between the trees, local bands playing on the stage, couples on the makeshift dance floor, and buffet tables laden with food and drinks. Brianna had skipped most of the Harvest Festival events, but the Kanes had insisted she join them for a picnic supper. She’d been happy to get out of the house. Her bedroom reminded her of Jason, and the boxes in the garage reminded her of Derek. She’d been caught between the two men for a long time.

“This is so much fun.” Nancy smiled, sliding down the bench seat to nudge Brianna with her shoulder. “Aren’t you glad you came?”

“I am,” she admitted. “The food was excellent. I’m stuffed.”

“Everyone goes all out for these things. We’re lucky the weather cooperated. In a few weeks, we’ll all be inside and wishing for lovely nights like this.”

It
was
a nice night, crisp, cool, and deliciously
aromatic, with the nearby dessert table offering up pumpkin pie, apple tarts, peanut brittle, and oatmeal-raisin cookies.

“Lucas and Kyle are getting along well,” Nancy added. “Every time Kyle sees me now, he asks me if Lucas is coming over.”

Kyle lived next door to the Kanes and was only three months older than Lucas. They’d become fast friends, and today they were kicking a soccer ball back and forth with a third boy. Lucas was having the time of his life, laughing, running, and throwing himself on the ground. Little boys certainly were physical, at least her little boy.

“I can’t believe he has so much energy,” Nancy continued. “Rick said Lucas ran him up and down the beach today with that kite. He came home and took a two-hour nap. They had a lot of fun, though. Rick has become a new man since Lucas’s arrival. He’s got more energy, more hope.” Nancy shot Brianna a quick look. “You’re quiet tonight.”

“Just enjoying the atmosphere.”

“It’s too bad we can’t bottle the innocence of youth,” Nancy said, her focus back on Lucas, who was now turning cartwheels with his friends. “The days of childhood go so fast.” She turned back to Brianna, the hint of tears in her eyes. “When Rick and I first got married, we wanted to have four children. I have three sisters and a brother, and I enjoyed growing up in a big family. But we had trouble getting pregnant. It took almost six years. Derek was like a miracle. After he was born, I got pregnant
once move but had a miscarriage, and then nothing. We felt so lucky to have Derek, we spoiled him with love. We couldn’t help ourselves.

“I never thought I could love someone as much as I loved my son,” Nancy continued. “I miss Derek so much, it hurts like an open wound. It’s not right for a mother to outlive her child. He should have been here to enjoy this picnic and watch his son play with the other children. He should have been sitting here with you, his arm around your shoulders.”

Nancy’s words tugged at Brianna’s heart. For a moment, she could see the picture exactly as Nancy had set it up. She could almost feel Derek’s arms around her . . . but then the whisper of warmth fled away. She’d never had that kind of moment with Derek. It was just part of a dream that had never come to life.

“I know you’re angry with me,” Nancy said. “You probably think I overreacted to Jason being in your house. But look at that little boy playing with Lucas. If you saw Kyle knock Lucas to the ground, would you be able to look at him the same way?”

“Probably not,” Brianna admitted. It wasn’t nearly the same situation, but she couldn’t imagine forgiving anyone who hurt Lucas. There was nothing more primal than a mother protecting her child.

But Derek and Jason had stood against each other as men, not as children. And what had once seemed black and white was now filled with endless shades of gray. She’d been blinded by love and swept up in the Kanes’ devotion to their son, their unyielding
belief in Derek’s innocence. But Derek himself had told her that he’d done things he wasn’t proud of, that she didn’t really know him. Perhaps his parents didn’t know him, either.

“I know you’ll run into Jason around town, but I hope you won’t let him into your life,” Nancy added. “You’re like my daughter, Brianna, and I couldn’t stand to see him hurt you, too. Rick and I love you.”

Brianna melted. Her parents had rarely told her they loved her, and she doubted they’d ever worried about her. But with Nancy’s love came strings and expectations. No matter how hard they tried, she and Lucas could never replace Derek. And while the Kanes might look at her as their daughter, she was a grown woman, and she needed to make her own decisions about who was or wasn’t going to be in her life.

“I love you, too,” she said, seeing the worry in Nancy’s eyes. For the moment, she would leave it at that.

She reached for her diet soda, only to realize it was empty. “I need another drink. Can I get you something?” At the sudden look of shock on Nancy’s face, she stopped abruptly. “What’s wrong?”

“Your wedding ring. Where is it?” Nancy asked in alarm. “Did you lose it?”

“Oh, no.” She pulled her hand out of view. “It—it slipped off. I’ve lost some weight.” In light of Nancy’s obvious distress, she couldn’t say she’d felt driven to take it off and that not wearing it had brought a sense of freedom she’d never expected.

“
You have lost weight, dear. You need to eat more.”

“With your cooking, that won’t be difficult,” Brianna said. “Shall I take Lucas with me?”

“Oh, no, he’s having fun. I won’t let him out of my sight.”

Brianna had no worries about that. Nancy would guard Lucas with her life.

She wandered across the grass, looking for some decaf coffee. As she joined the line, she realized she was right behind Gloria Markham. The dark-haired woman had on a colorful orange and red scarf over her black coat and pants. When she saw Brianna, surprise and discomfort flitted across her eyes.

“Hello,” Gloria said. “It’s a long line,” she added, clearing her throat.

“Yes, it is.” She knew she should use this opportunity to quiz Gloria, but she didn’t know where to start.

They stood for a moment in silence, and then Gloria turned to her. “The other day, I wanted to tell you how sorry I was about Derek. I never imagined that he would die in prison. It was tragic.”

Brianna saw real pain in Gloria’s expression. She’d thought that Wyatt and the Markhams were united in their dislike of Derek, but it seemed not. “Do you think we could talk for a minute?” she asked impulsively. Maybe Gloria would speak more freely without her husband or Wyatt around.

Gloria hesitated. “I suppose so. Let’s step over there.”

They moved away from the crowd to stand under the canopy of a large tree. “Your husband came to my house the other day,” Brianna said. “I missed him. Do you know what he wanted?”

“No. I didn’t know he’d gone to your house,” Gloria said slowly. “I suppose he wanted to ask you if Derek had left you any clue to where the paintings are. We’d like to get them back.”

“Do you think I’d hang on to them if I had them?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know anything about you.”

Brianna stiffened. Gloria wasn’t the first person to believe she’d known what Derek was up to, but it still stung. “Well, I wouldn’t. I’d love to find those paintings and prove that Derek wasn’t the one who stole them.” She paused, debating her next words, then decided to go for it. “Did you know that Victor Delgado had a son?”

Gloria started, then reached up to adjust her scarf as she stalled for time.

“You don’t have to answer. I can see it in your eyes.” Brianna felt a rush of adrenaline. “Wyatt and Derek are descendants of Victor.”

“Where did you hear that?” Gloria asked.

“I found some old letters in Derek’s things. So why would Wyatt be willing to donate those paintings to the museum? Why didn’t he want to keep them in the family?”

“Wyatt always believed that art should be seen by the masses,” Gloria replied. “He’s spent a lifetime encouraging private collectors to share their pieces
with the world by lending them to museums and galleries. He would never keep important paintings hidden away in his studio. It’s not who he is. But Derek was different—or at least, he changed over the years. When Derek stopped painting, he traded his soul for cash. He no longer cared about the art, only about what someone was willing to pay for it. You didn’t know that about him, did you? How could you? You barely knew him.”

She didn’t like Gloria’s sneering tone. “You don’t know anything about my relationship with Derek.”

“No? Derek and I had a long talk when he brought you to Angel’s Bay. I wasn’t surprised that he had picked you, because you were beautiful in the way that Derek liked. In fact, he said just that.”

Brianna frowned. “I don’t think—”

Gloria cut her off. “He told me that you had a cool, untouched innocence about you, like a canvas begging for paint. Derek wanted to color you, to finish you, to make you his.”

The words didn’t make sense to her. “I don’t understand.”

“Of course you don’t. With you, Derek could be whoever he wanted to be. You didn’t know his heart, his soul, because you didn’t know him as an artist. That’s where he poured it out. That’s where he was himself.”

“Then why did he stop painting? Because Wyatt told him he was no good? Why didn’t he fight if art was so important to him?” Brianna demanded.

“Derek was consumed by fear. He was scared of
success and terrified of failure. So he ran away, and he married a woman who would never pick at that part of his soul, never demand something of him that he didn’t want to give.” There was anger in Gloria’s voice, bitterness burning in her eyes.

“You wanted him to pick someone else,” Brianna said, sure of her words.

“Yes—someone who wouldn’t let him run from his talent.”

“Did you tell him that?”

“I did,” Gloria said, with no apology in her voice. “But I was too late. Derek had already gone to the dark side. He’d chosen a path from which there was no recovery.” She took a breath. “I never thought he would die in prison though. That was never supposed to happen.”

As Gloria left, Brianna’s stomach churned. What
was
supposed to have happened? Was Derek supposed to get out of jail and do something besides go back to her and Lucas? Had there been another woman in his life? Someone he was supposed to have been with?

The Kanes had told her that Derek had never introduced them to anyone else, but that didn’t mean anything. He’d been living in L.A. for eight years. His parents had known next to nothing about his life there, and neither had she.

“Brianna?”

Startled, she whipped around to see Jason come out of the shadows. He had on his uniform tonight, the moonlight glinting off his badge. She’d wanted
to remind herself that he was the cop who’d put Derek behind bars, but now, all she could see was the man who’d made love to her that morning, whose kisses had driven her wild, whose touch had made her scream with pleasure. The man she’d thrown out of her house because she was scared—not of him, but of herself.

He moved closer, quiet and quick as if about to pounce. Her heart skipped a beat as she looked into his eyes and saw that he was remembering, too.

Why was it suddenly so hard to breathe?

“Brianna,” he murmured, her name sounding like a caress. “Are you all right?”

“Yes,” she said, gazing into his eyes. She cleared her throat, realizing she was getting lost in a glance that was far too intimate for their surroundings. “I just had an interesting conversation with Gloria.”

“I saw. What was that about?”

“I found something out earlier. I didn’t get a chance to tell you before, but I discovered some old letters in one of Derek’s boxes. They were from Victor Delgado to Francine Kane, and vice versa.”

His eyes widened. “There was a connection between Delgado and the Kanes? What did the letters say?”

“Apparently, Victor and Francine had an affair. They’d both lost their lovers when the ship went down, and they turned to each other in grief. But that’s not all. There was a baby. Francine passed it off as the child of her late husband, Marcus Kane.” She waited, letting the words sink in.

A light sparked in his eyes. “So Derek—”

“Was a descendant, and Wyatt, too. I told Gloria. She didn’t deny it, and she didn’t act surprised. What I want to know is why no one ever mentioned this before.”

Jason stared at her for a long moment. “The family connection probably wouldn’t have played in Derek’s favor. It would have give him a stronger motive to want those paintings.”

“It also would have given Wyatt a stronger reason to steal the paintings back from the museum.” She paused. “You and Joe Silveira both told me to come up with something new. I think I have.”

“We’ll talk about it later. I’m on duty now. I’ve got to take a swing through the park.”

“All right,” she said. He didn’t move. “Was there something else you wanted?”

His lips tightened. “I didn’t like the way things ended this morning.”

She stared back at him. “I didn’t, either,” she admitted.

He nodded. “Okay. I know it’s complicated, but shutting me out isn’t the answer.”

“You say that now, but you were having second thoughts this morning, too. I might have acted before you did, but I could feel you tensing up. We both know that the two of us together is a crazy idea. It could never work.”

“Never
is a strong word.”