Sea of Dreams (The American Heroes Series Book 2) (41 page)

“Baby, listen,” he shook her hard enough to make her focus on him. “I’ll handle this, okay? Go back inside with your dad. Please. ”

Blakesley was enraged.  She had gone out into the living room a few moments earlier, looking for Beck, and heard his voice on the porch.  Seeing him talking to Sharon made something inside her snap and she ran back to the master bedroom to grab the baseball bat out of the closet.  Probably not the best move, but she hadn’t been thinking too clearly.

After the news about Ed, seeing Sharon threw her over the edge.  She yanked herself from Beck’s grip roughly, suddenly feeling very hot and very weak.  She stumbled back, smacking Beck’s hands away when he tried to steady her, and stumbled into the house.  Casting Beck a long look, Marshall followed.

Beck was torn. He wanted to go with Blakesley but the greater issue was Sharon and Lizzie.  His daughter was crying hysterically and as Marshall went after Blakesley,  Beck put his arms around Lizzie.

“It’s okay, baby girl,” he held her tightly. “Your mom came to talk to you. If you don’t want to talk to her, then just say so and I’ll send her away.”

Lizzie sobbed. “Talk about what?”

Sharon was climbing to her knees. “I’m so sorry, baby,” she was struggling to compose herself.  Tears made her vastly uncomfortable. “You were right about Dan all along. I’m so sorry I didn’t believe you. I guess… I guess I didn’t want to believe that someone I loved and trusted was capable of such things.  I’m so sorry I didn’t believe you.”

Lizzie was calmer as her father held her.  He gave her strength and she knew that nothing could hurt her so long as he was with her.

“You should be,” she said, wiping at her nose. “I didn’t lie.”

“I know that now.”

“So why couldn’t you just take my word for it? Why did you have to treat me as if I was trying to break you and Dan up?”

Sharon stood up and brushed off her pants. “I guess…,” she said softly, “I guess I just didn’t want to admit I had been suckered in.  I left your dad for Dan, you know.  Dan wasn’t gone for months on end and didn’t risk his life every time he went to work. I thought that was better for me and for you. I didn’t want to admit that I’d been wrong.”

Lizzie was done crying. The shock of the woman’s appearance wore off and she stared at her mother, mulling over the conversation.  She gently pulled free of her father’s grip as she made her way to the edge of the porch.

“I get that,” she said quietly. “But I can’t get over the way you treated me when I told you about Dan. You’re supposed to protect me and all you did was protect Dan. I don’t feel safe with you. I don’t trust you. I love my life here with Dad and Blakesley and the girls and I’m going to stay here. I don’t want to go back to you, not ever.  My life his here now and I’m happy with people who love and trust me.”

She turned for the house before Sharon could say a word.  Beck watched her disappear into the house before turning to his ex-wife.

“Now you’ve heard it from her,” he said quietly. “She doesn’t want to have a relationship with you so I would appreciate it if you would just stay away.”

Sharon was coming to see that the damage she had done was irreversible.  She had foolishly thought that an apology would make it all better and it was a bitter pill to swallow to know that it didn’t.  Unwilling, unwanting, to fight any longer, she simply lifted her shoulders.

“I’ll respect her decision,” she said quietly. “I guess I don’t have a choice.”

“No, you don’t.”

Sharon shook her head unsteadily, as if not sure what more to do or say. “So what do I do now?” she asked, rather despondently. “Can I… can I at least send her a birthday card?”

Beck didn’t want to come off unreasonable. He knew Sharon was hurting but he didn’t care. Still, he tried to stay as neutral as he could.

“Yes,” he replied. “And Christmas cards.  You’re her mother and I don’t want you to fade out of her life completely, for her sake.  But… you just need to give her time. Maybe she’ll change her mind in the years to come, but until then, do what she wants if there’s any hope of having a future relationship with her. Don’t push it.”

Sharon nodded and, picking up her purse from where it fell on the ground, wearily made her way out to the curb and climbed into her rental car.  Beck stood on the porch, watching the woman pull away.  He should have felt bad for her but he just couldn’t manage it. His concern was for Lizzie.

Going back into the house, he shut the door softly and locked it, feeling oddly relieved yet oddly hollow. It was a strange sensation.  He turned off the porch light, trying to digest what had just happened.  As he turned for the living room, he could hear the little girls upstairs, getting into their bath.  He thought he heard Gabrielle’s voice with them.  The living room was vacant except for Alfie still stretched out on the couch and as he headed back to the master bedroom, he saw Marshall in the kitchen with an open bottle of wine.  The man had a glass in his hand.

“Hey,” Beck pointed to the glass. “You didn’t let Blakesley have any of that, did you?”

Marshall cocked an eyebrow, looking at the open bottle. “Actually, Lizzie has had a couple of belts,” he teased softly. “I thought she needed it.”

Beck appreciated the attempt to ease the tension. “I wouldn’t blame her,” he muttered. “Have you seen her?”

“She’s in with Blakesley.”

“How’s my wife?”

“Upset. How’s your ex-wife?”

“Upset.”

Marshall grunted and waved him on.  Beck went into the master bedroom to find Blakesley and Lizzie curled up together on the big bed.  Blakesley had her arms around Lizzie, who was cuddled up against Blakesley.  Beck couldn’t help but be touched by the scene as he walked up on the bed.

“Hey,” he said softly. “Can I be a part of that hug?”

Blakesley and Lizzie looked up at him and Lizzie nodded.  Beck lay down on the bed beside his daughter, his big arms going around both women.  He pulled them close, his hand stroking Blakesley’s head.  When she looked up at him, he smiled tenderly.

“Are you okay?” he murmured.

She nodded. “Fine.”

“Sure?”

“I’m sure,” she pulled one arm off of Lizzie and stroked his blond head. “Sorry I went a little crazy there. It’s just been that kind of day.”

He kissed her hand as it moved to his face. “I understand completely,” he whispered. “You’re pretty frightening with that bat.  That’s the second time I’ve seen you use it.”

She was confused until she remembered she had nearly clobbered him the night he came to the house after she bought it.  She grinned sheepishly.

“I don’t know how to use a gun like you do.”

“The bat is scarier.”

“Is Sharon going to file assault charges against me? I don’t care, you know. I would have cracked her on the head and been very happy about it.  This is our world and she doesn’t belong here.”

Beck’s smile faded and he kissed her hand again, to both agree and comfort her. Then he focused on his daughter.

“Baby girl,” he gave her a squeeze. “Are you okay?”

Lizzie had her head against Blakesley’s chest.  She was pensive, deep in thought, wondering if she had made the right decision.  She nodded.

“I’m fine,” she muttered. “Can I still go to Alex and Natalie’s?”

Beck looked at Blakesley, who merely wriggled her eyebrows. “Do you still want to go?” he asked Lizzie.

“Yes.”

Beck  lay there a moment longer, his eyes on Blakesley, before giving the girls a final squeeze and climbing off the bed.

“Then let’s get going,” he told Lizzie.

Lizzie hugged Blakesley and slipped off the bed. Beck already had his keys, waiting for her to clear the bedroom.  Before he followed, he looked at his wife.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked.

She nodded. “Fine.”

“It’s been a hell of a day for you.”

“You, too.”

He grinned. “I’m tougher than you are. I can take it.”

She snorted. “In your dreams, buster. Trade places with me and let’s see how well you handle things.”

He put up a hand. “No, thank you,” he said. “On second thought, you’re tougher than I am.”

“That’s more like it. And don’t forget to bring me ice cream.”

“I won’t.” He winked at her. “Love you.”

“Love you, too.”

He quit the room and collected his daughter, realizing as he drove her over to Coronado Island that he felt better than he had in years. A weight of some kind had been lifted off his shoulders with Sharon’s departure, although he really couldn’t put his finger on it as to why.  All he knew was that he felt free and Lizzie, too, was in control of her life  now as much as a teenager could be.

Chapter Twenty Two

The State of California was apt to haggle on the price over the Earp homestead.  Three people from the Office of Real Estate met with Blakesley, Marshall and Beck, and Blakesley’s asking price was the subject of intense debate.  Blakesley wouldn’t budge.

She purchased the property for three million one hundred thousand dollars and that’s what she wanted out of it.  The real estate people came in with a seriously low offer and she almost got up and walked out.  But they quickly changed their tune when they saw that she wasn’t even willing to negotiate, so the offers kept coming back.  Blakesley kept refusing.  After the fourth such low-ball offer, Beck’s displeasure became evident and the real estate people started getting intimidated by the big blond husband.  The offers became more serious.

Still, they weren’t able to reach an agreement. The State of California was about a half million dollars under the asking price, so the meeting broke up with the real estate agents stating that they needed to return to their office and meet with their boss.  Left alone at the old family homestead except for an archaeology crew in the public wing, Blakesley gave Marshall a tour.

The truth was that Blakesley hadn’t been at the house since her accident and she was shocked to see how much it had been pulled apart by the people from the state.   Every inch of the public wing had been combed over and examined, and the floor boards in every room had been lifted in sections to look for the pits and tunnels underneath.   Beck held her  hand tightly as they moved around the yellow caution tape, peering into holes and noticing that the archaeologists had methodically cut into the walls in their quest to study the structure.

The more Blakesley looked around, the more upset she became.  “Look what they’ve done to my house,” she pointed to the holes in the walls. “What in the hell are they doing?”

Marshall peered at the nearest hole. “They’ve used saws to cut into these walls,” he observed.  Then he looked around in general. “It’s been years since I’ve been here. It hasn’t changed much.”

Blakesley was still frowning at the walls, the floor.  She put her hands on her hips in an irritated gesture. “Dad, have you heard of the Earp Curse?”

Marshall looked at her, surprised. “Who told you that?”

“Some old guy named Mike. He said he worked for Jimmy.  He lived in one of these tunnels under the house until the state came in and chased him away. He seemed to know a lot about Ben Earp and the curse.”

Marshall scratched his chin. “I heard of it,” he looked up at the ceiling as if held some answers for him. “Mom’s grandfather was Nicholas Walter Earp, and his grandfather was Robert Earp, son of Ben and Dulcinea.  Old Nick spoke of the Earp Curse once or twice.”

“What did he say?”

Marshall shrugged. “Just doom and gloom, mostly. He said the curse came from cursed money that Ben had stolen from the mission down here.   Your mom thought it was a bunch of crap, of course.”

“Did anyone ever look for the money?”

Marshall shook his head. “Not that I know of,” he said. “Besides, Ben Earp was such a greedy bastard that if that money really existed, he probably spent it.  He owned brothels and other crooked businesses in San Diego, and it’s my guess that he spent most, if not all, of his money.  His son and grandsons struggled to survive. This family really wasn’t rich, you know.  Whatever money Ben had, most of it was gone by the time he died.”

Blakesley thought on that.  She found herself looking up to the ceiling just like her dad had done. “What do you think, Dad?”

Marshall sighed faintly. “I think the whole damn Earp family is cursed,” he said quietly, turning to look at his daughter. “And I think that if I was you, I would sell this place and never look back.  This isn’t a bright and shining family legacy you’re preserving, Blakesley.  This is a grave of failure, evil and sorrow. Even your mother knew that.”

Blakesley looked at him with some surprise.   “Wow, Dad. That’s pretty dark.”

Marshall nodded slowly. “Yes, it most certainly is.”

He wandered into another room, leaving Blakesley and Beck alone in the great room of the public house.  Blakesley just stood there, looking around the room pensively and gently rubbing her swollen belly.  Beck walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her.

“What are you thinking?” he asked softly, kissing the side of her head.

She sighed. “Maybe he’s right,” she muttered. “Maybe this whole places is really just a monument to failure and evil.”

“What are you going to tell the state if they come back with another low offer?”

She turned in his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck. “What would you do?”

He looked surprised. “Me?”

“Yes, you.”

He shrugged. “I don’t know,” he said. “You’re the business genius in this family.  The state was a half million dollars short of what you wanted. Thinking about losing that kind of money gives me the shakes.”

She grinned.  “Me, too, but I really want to stick to my guns on this one.  If the state won’t meet my offer, then I’ll just put the property up for sale.  I’m done thinking that we could live here.  There’s just no way I’d bring our family into this place.”

“Not that I’m sorry to hear that, but what made you change your mind?”

“I guess I just love the Victorian too much.  It’s our home, Beck. Our family lives there and this baby was conceived there.  This place… I guess I just don’t get a good feel for it anymore. There are so many obstacles that have prevented us from moving in that I’m convinced someone is trying to tell us something. We need to stay where we’re at.”