Chapter 15 #2
“Do you know when Mom and Drew’s father started seeing each other again?” Paradise asked.
“It was the October before she died.”
Paradise leaned forward. “Do you know how that meeting happened?”
“I saw him,” Greta said. “He came to the university. Maybe he was looking for her, or maybe it was accidental. Your mother
never said. I saw them together at the charity function, and wow, he was handsome. He wore a tux like it had been made for
him. Becky’s expression when she looked at him was like he was a god. Her eyes were luminous and she didn’t stop smiling.
I caught him kissing her in the hallway. When I pressed her about it the next day, I was able to get more details out of her,
though she didn’t like that I’d seen them.”
Blake knew this had to be hitting Paradise hard, and he took her hand. She’d always thought her parents had a great marriage,
and maybe they did until this Ben person came back. “What did she say?”
“She told me he was her first love, the one she’d never been able to forget.” Greta stared at Paradise. “She and Granger were having some problems. She wanted another baby, and he didn’t. He said you were the perfect daughter, and he didn’t need any other kids.”
Paradise’s grip tightened on Blake’s. “I asked for a sibling all the time. Did you notice if this Ben wore a wedding ring?”
“First thing I looked for. And yep, he sure did, along with a flashy set of cuff links with a C on them. Becky said he wasn’t happy in his marriage and was going to divorce his wife.”
Blake exchanged a glance with Paradise, and she pulled the plastic bag with the cuff link out of her bag. “Did it look like
this?”
Greta stared at it and nodded. “I can’t be sure because it was a long time ago, but it appears very similar. I wondered if
his wealth swayed her, at least a little bit. Granger’s company was struggling, and his pay had been cut, which was why she
went to work for TGU in the first place. Having a wealthy, powerful man can be very tempting, but Granger was worth ten of
a man who had pursued her when she was only seventeen and he was married.”
Drew scowled. “Just like that, she’s going to leave Granger and go with the man who lied to her in the first place? Seems
foolhardy to me. Money isn’t everything.”
Greta nodded. “To me too. I pointed out that he’d lied to her once before, so why should she believe him now? Becky didn’t
have a good answer for that other than she had always loved him, and she felt guilty that she didn’t tell him about his son.
And she had Granger. She didn’t even appreciate what she had.
Granger was such a great guy. Not just handsome, but kind.
He never even looked at another woman, and he was the best father I ever saw, always doing things with Paradise.
He never went on a trip without bringing her something.
There aren’t many men like him out there. ”
“He was the best,” Paradise said in a choked voice.
“Did she ever tell you she was afraid because someone was stalking or harassing her?” Blake asked.
“Yes. I think fear was one of the things that made her decide to tell Granger she was getting a divorce. She believed if the
relationship was finally out in the open, the danger would be gone.”
“Do you know her lover’s full name?” Paradise asked.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t. She referred to him as Benny. His family was in politics though, that much I do know.”
Drew moved restlessly. “In Alabama? Or maybe Georgia?”
“I don’t think it was here. He lived in another state. Mississippi or Louisiana I think.”
“Did she ever say if this Ben told his wife he was divorcing her to marry Becky?” Blake asked.
“She said he did, but could she trust that? I’m not so sure.”
Blake wasn’t either. What a mess Becky had made of her life, and the result had ruined three lives, maybe more since no one
knew what had happened in Ben’s family.
“What was your take on Greta Welch’s information?” Blake asked.
They’d run through a drive-through to get an iced tea, and Paradise stuck her straw in the top of her drink. “You think she’s
hiding something or lying about it?”
“She talked about missing your mom, but her tone when talking about your dad went in another direction. I think she was jealous of Becky. I’m not saying Greta was lying, but I think she was happy to trash your mother by casting her in as negative a light as possible.
And I suspect she didn’t tell us everything. ”
“I have to say there wasn’t anything good in Mom’s actions, but you’re right. Greta kept referring to my dad in very complimentary
terms. Is she married, widowed? We don’t know anything about her.”
Drew looked up from his phone. “I was checking her out. She’s been a widow since her daughter was small, and she got a job
at TGU to make ends meet. So if she worked with your mom, she might have been eyeing your dad and wishing she had him.”
Drew sipped his drink. “Do you suppose she ever made a play for your dad?”
“I’d sure like to find out. I think I’ll text Wes and see what he knows.” Paradise shot off a quick message to Wes.
The screen on her phone lit up with a reply from Wes. Greta told your dad to listen to the answering machine. She and Becky had a huge fight, and she didn’t even go to the funerals.
I forgot all that until you asked.
Paradise read it to the guys. “Wow, you’re a good judge of character, Blake.”
“Don’t I know it. I had the good sense to snatch you right up.” He took a self-satisfied sip of his tea.