Leo Maddox (16 page)

“So,” Clara started, “I gave Old Man Sinclair golf lessons today and I found out he turns eighty-three this weekend. You should throw a party for him, Dad. I mean, he's been a member forever and you're always looking for excuses to throw parties. What do you think?”

Her dad nodded. “That sounds wonderful. I have my tournament in Miami this weekend, but I can set everything up with Darlene, the event planner. Those things practically run themselves anyway. What a great idea, honey. Would you like to host it?”

Clara shrugged, while taking another giant bite of lobster. “Um, okay. I guess I could do that.”

“You don't have to do anything other than show up,” Reed said. “That's all I do when I host.”

All of a sudden, totally out of character, Maggie dropped her fork to her plate dramatically. The clinking sound got everyone’s attention. “I had to work for you Saturday morning, Clara,” she snapped at her sister. “You called out and the restaurant was short-staffed and I worked for you. You're welcome. It would have been nice to run away to New York with Leo for the weekend, but some of us are mature enough to handle our responsibilities.”

What the hell was her problem? I glared across the table at Maggie, wondering from where all of her sudden rage was coming. So much for Clara’s plan to try to smooth some of their sister-hate over. Judging by this outburst, I’d say they were still mortal enemies.

“And,” Maggie continued on, “you could have killed Leo! Not to mention, the extra work you created for the landscaping staff, thanks to your joyriding. Do you even think?”

“Maggie,” Reed groaned, stopping her. “We could sit here and go over every little thing Clara did wrong this weekend or we could have a nice family dinner. It's not often that we all get to sit down together like this.”

Immediately Maggie stood to her feet. “I'm sorry, guys, I'm feeling sick,” she announced, obviously lying. “I ate way too much ice cream earlier with Leo. This dinner looks delicious, Dad, but I really need to go lie down.” And with those parting words, she left the patio and hurried inside.

Well, that was weird.

“Leo, actually, would you please go and get Maggie for me?” Reed asked. “I called this family dinner tonight with a purpose and I need all three of you present for what has to be said.”

That sounded rather ominous.

Giving Clara a quick glance, I stood and followed in the direction Maggie had gone. Inside, I raced up the carpeted stairs toward the second level. I had to pass Clara’s room to get to Maggie’s. I’d never—at least not since we were much younger—been in Clara’s room. And as I passed I peaked inside, taking in all her posters and random artsy stuff, I was excited over the possibilities of finally getting to know the Clara I’d always been able to watch only from afar.

But unfortunately now wasn’t the time for that, and I went for Maggie’s pink room instead.

She sat on the edge of her bed, hugging a pillow tight to her chest.

“Hey,” I said, inching into her room

“Hey,” she replied, giving me a small smile.

“Your dad wants you back downstairs. He has something he needs to tell us all.”

She frowned.

“Are you okay, Maggie?” I asked. “You’ve been a little off all day. Are you sure you’re okay with Clara and I being together? I know it’s happening fast, but it’s going to be permanent…so I need you to be okay with this.”

She sighed. “I just need time, Leo. I’ve always had you all to myself and now…suddenly…I don’t.”

The muscles in my jaw tightened and I slowly nodded. “Just so you know, no matter what, nothing could ever change
our
friendship. You’re the only thing in my crazy life that has ever been a fucking constant. Nothing will ever change that.” Jesus. I never realized dating Clara might hurt Maggie. I rubbed my hands through my hair. “So would you please come back downstairs? You and Clara have your issues—I get that—but I’d really like you to come finish dinner with us.”

“I thought Dad needed me downstairs.”

“He does. But I’d like you down there too.”

My words must have been reassuring. Because Maggie dropped the pillow and walked with me downstairs. Who the hell knows what Reed had to say to all three of us, but it had better not be anything along the lines of Clara not being allowed to date me. The shit would hit the fan if he was about to say I couldn’t be with her.

* * *

“Have a seat,” Reed said as Maggie and I came back outside, “We have something to discuss.”

Judging by the way his eyes were too serious and his voice too stern, my stomach immediately started to churn. Maggie sat down at once, saying nothing. It took me an extra moment, but I decided to sit, too. In my seat. By Clara. Adrenaline started rushing through my veins, making me feel shaky.

“It's about Dean,” Dad stated.

Hell, not what I was expecting. I’m glad we weren’t going to discuss my relationship with Clara, but I certainly didn’t feel relieved. The opposite actually. “Motherfucker,” I swore. Hardly appropriate for the dinner table but it had to be said. “His lurking ass is really starting to piss me off. Did Maggie tell you how he showed up on my doorstep this morning like a complete stalker? Reed, you need to tell him to get out of our lives. He's starting to screw with Maggie's head. Hell, he's starting to screw with my head.”

“He's not screwing with my head,” Maggie defended. “I'm just fine.”

I groaned. Maggie was protecting him now? Case and point.

“By fine,” I said to her, “you mean he's wormed his way back into your life without explanation of where he's been for the last six years? Maybe you've forgotten the way things went down, Mags, but I haven't. That bastard made you promises on top of promises and he never kept one of them. Now he's suddenly back and you're
fine
. Well, I'm not fucking fine.”

Shit. I didn’t realize how mad I was about Robby’s reappearance until this very moment.

“This is my life and you need to let me handle it, Leo,” Maggie whined. “I get that you're trying to protect me, but I really can handle this. I'm fine with him coming back to Blue Creek. He's been nice to me.”

Reed nodded in agreement with Maggie. “She's right. Dean's a good man. He hasn't had an easy life, but I trust that he's just trying to do right by what he knows. Anyway, it's not Dean I wanted to discuss. This is about his daughter, Valerie.”

“Who the hell is Dean?” Clara snapped, cutting him off before he could say anymore.

“Robby,” we all answered in unison.

It occurred to me that Clara hadn’t heard about her ex-stepbrother’s new name. I leaned back in my seat and tilted closer to her. “Dean is Robby,” I explained, feeling somehow calmer talking with her in this moment. “He changed his name, tricked Maggie into bringing him as her date to the gala the other night when she didn't recognize him, and now he's being secretive as hell.”

Maggie again jumped to Dean's defense. “He didn't trick me!”

“Robby has a daughter?” Clara asked, not seeming to care about the rest of the drama. “How old?”

“Five,” Reed answered.

“Oh,” she breathed. “This is incredible. Crazy—but incredible.”

A hint of a smile appeared on Reed’s face. “I think so too.”

“What's incredible?” Maggie asked, confused. She looked from Clara to Reed. “Daddy?”

“Oh, that’s just great,” I grumbled, realizing exactly what Reed and now Clara seemed to be thinking. “Reed thinks Robby's
daughter
might be his daughter.”

Robby and his gold-digging mother, Monica, left Blue Creek, and all of us, roughly six years ago. And if Robby’s daughter was five years old, that meant he would have had to have knocked someone up very soon after they’d left. So either it had happened like that. Or someone had knocked up flaky Monica and Robby was caring for her child now. Was that someone Reed?

I guess anything was possible.

“It's mere speculation,” Reed mused. “The only thing I am basing this on is the girl's age.”

Maggie's face held little emotion as she spoke. “She looks so much like Robby. She has his dark hair and his eyes. Even his height. But I guess it could be possible...it would mean...” She swallowed hard. “It might mean that Robby never broke any of his promises to me. And having her as a sister would be kind of wonderful. She's really sweet. What are you going to do about it, Dad?”

“Nothing.” Reed shrugged. “There’s nothing I can do right now.”

I choked on a big gulp of air.
What? Why would he even be speculating if he didn’t plan on doing anything?
“The hell you can’t! You can call your lawyer. You can demand a paternity test. If it turns out she is your kid, Reed, then you can fight for custody. Nothing, my ass.”

“No,” he urged, “I can't do any of that. If Monica had custody of the girl, then I would do everything in my power to fight for her. But—and this is what I was trying to say before—Dean is a good man. His name change was about his father, nothing else. Now it's his story to tell so I won't go into the details, but it’s clear he's had a lot on his plate over the last six years and good reasons for not getting here sooner. Now he's back in Blue Creek and I get the impression that he's back because he wants to make things right. We have to have faith in him and wait this out.”

Reed wanted to let Robby reveal everything in his own time. But it was because of Reed’s
good
faith
that Robby’s scheming con-artist of a mother took a lot of his money in a messy divorce the first time around. Was Robby just as conniving as his mother? I’d say…probably.

Reed and I continued to argue. Back and forth, we debated on the possibilities and what should be done.

“Look,” Clara suddenly interrupted. “I'm overjoyed at the possibility of having another sister,” she told everyone. “Really, I am. Best news ever. But I have to agree with Leo on this one. We have to do
something
.”

I shot Clara a look. Holy shit, did she just agree with me? We were damn good at arguing, but it was such a change to be agreeing about something that it nearly knocked me out of my chair. And, actually, it felt really nice knowing she had my back. My whole body physically seemed to relax because of it. I caught her hand under the table and gently squeezed. It might have been only a couple words she’d given me, but they meant everything to me.

“If you didn't want to take any action,” I started, my voice ten times calmer now, “then you shouldn't have included me in this conversation. I'm pissed and you're indifferent and there's nothing I can do about it.”

Reed, who hadn't raised his voice once or faltered from his calm demeanor throughout our whole conversation, looked hurt by my words. “I included
all of you
in this conversation because
all of you
are my family. You too, Leo. And when the shit hits the fan, if you can't turn to your family, then who can you turn to? Finding out I might have another child is not an easy pill to swallow. I'm not indifferent—I’m pissed too. I'm angry and sad that I missed the first five years of this girl's life, but I'm trying my best to stay calm. I'm trying to decide what the best thing is for us and for Valerie.”

“Okay then,” I said, finally admitting defeat. “Can I at least call my private detective and see if he can dig up anything on Monica or Robby?”

“Sure. That's a good idea.”

“I need to catch my breath,” Maggie announced as she stood to her feet. “I'm going to go for a drive. I might stay the night in Blacksburg if I make it all the way up there. All this...it's just a lot to take in—”

Ding dong.
The front door bell was barely audible on the back deck, but Maggie stopped speaking instantly and her face paled at the sound.

I think we were all thinking the same thing.
Shit, was it Robby?

“All three of you, I want you to promise me right now—not a word of this,” Reed whispered. “I mean it. If that's Dean at the door, then not a word. I need time to figure out exactly what I want to do and he can't know that we know.”

Ding dong. Ding dong. Ding dong.

“Man, someone is sure persistent. I'll go get it,” Clara offered, jumping up from her seat.

I handed Maggie my half-full water bottle…because she looked like she needed some water. A minute or two passed and Clara didn’t return. “Hell,” I thought aloud, “I’m going to go check and see if it’s him.” I stood.

Maggie stood too. “Yeah, me too.”

“I’ll wait here,” Reed said, finally taking a bite of his untouched food.

Maggie and I hurried through the house. She started to say something to me, but as we neared the front door, I motioned for her to be quiet.

It wasn’t Robby on the porch with Clara.

It was Andrew Fucking Wellington.

CHAPTER 15:

W
anting to strangle Andrew Wellington until his beady little eyes popped out of his head but wanting to hear what Clara might say to him a little bit more, I ducked down next to the front the door. Maggie kneeled beside me.

“He keeps showing up wanting Clara,” Maggie whispered. “Last time he came by with flowers! He never did that for me.”