CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
The tears started before Faith reached the curb, but she wouldn’t let Nick see her cry. Exposing her feelings and subsequently walking out had been one of the hardest things she’d ever done. And that was saying a lot, considering all the stuff she’d gone through with her mom that year. She’d done it to spare her heart from breaking completely, but apparently not in time to save it from cracking.
The next morning, Tess popped her head into Faith’s bedroom. “I thought I heard you come in late last night. You okay?”
Faith nodded. “Decided it was best if I just drop him off and come home.”
“All right.” She dragged out the words. “Well, I’m going to work. You know where to find me if you want to talk.”
“Thanks for not saying I told you so.”
Tess smiled. “Love you, Sullivan.”
“Love you too,” Faith said as Tess backed out and shut the door.
She picked up the Magic 8 Ball on her nightstand. “Any chance he comes back for me?” She shook the ball and checked the answer. Ask again later .
“Humph.” Why did she bother with this dumb thing? It was never helpful. She chucked it into the closet, snuggled back into bed, and allowed herself some time to wallow.
One great thing about the bookstore was that she made her own hours and could come or go as she pleased. No one would care if she came in an hour or two late.
Faith knew moping was pointless. She’d signed up for short-term, and that’s what she’d gotten. It hurt, but she would put up a good front for her friends. Especially Tess, who would feel guilty, even though she’d warned Faith multiple times.
She pulled herself out of bed, got ready, and headed to the bookstore. She tried to stay busy, decorating for Halloween and preparing book orders for the holidays. Over lunch, she emailed Gary Jeffreys. Told him she was Carol Lewandowski’s daughter—Lewandowski was her mother’s maiden name—and needed to meet with him.
A week later, he responded, suggesting they meet the very next day at a diner in Manchester. After clearing her schedule, she spent several hours meditating and visualizing. She flipped through tarot cards and scrutinized her horoscope, trying to divine how things would go down.
The following day, she pulled into the diner parking lot and wiped her hands on her pants. “I’ve done some crazy stuff,” she mumbled to herself. “But this takes the cake.”
She entered the restaurant but could tell right away he wasn’t there. Only three tables were occupied. Two pairs of men dressed for a business lunch, and one couple. All were too young to be her father, and no one was alone.
Faith found an empty booth and sat facing the door. Too nervous to eat, she ordered only coffee. And that was just to give her hands something to hold on to. Ten minutes after the appointed meeting time, she resigned herself to the fact that he wasn’t coming. But just as she moved to leave, she spotted a man in the parking lot getting out of a newer Mercedes-Benz. He was tall, thin, and handsome. She recognized his nose as one she saw in the mirror every day. It was him.
She smoothed her hair and quickly cupped her hand around her mouth to check her breath. The man entered and found her immediately. Her frantic waving made her easy to spot. He walked over to her table.
“Faith?”
“Yes. That’s me. Thank you for coming. Won’t you sit down?”
The envelope sat ominously next to her coffee cup.
Her father—that was weird to think—slid into the booth across from her, eyes darting around the room as if expecting someone to jump out at them.
“Thanks for meeting me,” she said. “I’ll get right to it. This is the letter I told you about in the email. It’s from my mom, Carol Lewandowski. Do you remember her?”
He nodded.
“Well, anyway. Like I mentioned, she passed away recently, and I found this in her belongings. There were two more like it—sealed and dated.” She slid the pink envelope over to him. “This one’s addressed to you.”
He picked it up but didn’t open it right away. “How’d you find me?”
“A friend of mine is good at finding people.”
“A cop?” he asked, visibly agitated by the notion.
His defensive tone put her on edge. Why would he be so nervous about cops? “Not really,” she lied. Not the best way to start a new relationship, but it seemed to be the answer he wanted, and she couldn’t piss him off before he even read the letter.
He ripped off the short side of the envelope and pulled out a single sheet of paper. She gave him a minute to read and digest it.
“If it says what I think it says—that you’re my father—I thought we should meet.”
“Why?” His gruffness surprised her.
“Well, I just…I thought…you might want to know,” she stammered. It dawned on her that maybe he didn’t believe her. Or that he pegged her as some grifter, looking for a payday or something. “I don’t want anything from you. Like money or a kidney or whatever. And if you have a family and don’t want to tell them, that’s fine. I just wanted to let you know and meet you.”
He relaxed a bit. “I do remember Carol. She was quite an unforgettable woman. You look a lot like her actually.”
Faith smiled, taking it as a compliment. “Yeah. I get that a lot.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Faith caught sight of four men, guns drawn, approaching the diner at a run. Before she could react, they burst through the doors, causing her father to turn.
His face immediately turned to panic when he saw them. “You bitch.”
“What—” Faith didn’t have time to finish her question. The men eating at the tables next to them had also jumped up and pulled weapons. It took her a second to realize they were coming after her! Or someone at her table.
“Gary Jeffreys,” one of the men said. “FBI. Hands where we can see ’em and stand up.”
“You lured me here.” Gary’s eyes narrowed at her. “Is this even true?” He held up the letter.
“I have no idea what’s going on,” she said defensively. “Yes. It’s true. Why would I make it up?”
Before he could answer, two of the agents grabbed his arm and forcibly removed him from the booth. Faith watched in horror as they spun him around and slapped cuffs on his wrists.
“You’re under arrest for extortion, money laundering, tax fraud, and accessory to murder. Anything you say can and will…” Faith tuned out as they read him his rights.
Did he say murder? What in the actual hell was going on? Did they think she was with him? An accomplice to his long list of crimes. Were they going to cuff her next?
As more agents filed in, a familiar face caught her attention. Nick limped in behind two agents wearing vests that clearly identified them as FBI. As two of the undercover officers walked her father out, Nick approached.
“You knew,” she said. It wasn’t a question because the look on his face said it all. He’d used her.
He nodded once. “I’m sorry, Faith. I used the system for personal business, which is totally against the rules. Against the law actually. He popped up on our most wanted list and pinged all kinds of warrants. Once the bureau found out I was looking for him, I had no choice but to go after him.”
“You couldn’t have warned me?”
“I wanted to. Really, I did. But I couldn’t risk you tipping our hand. Sometimes, when you know something—even if you don’t plan to say anything—your mannerisms and tone can give you away.”
“Is that why you wanted me to tell you when I set up the meeting? Why you insisted on coming with me? How did you even find out?”
“We’ve been monitoring his email. That’s how we found out. I haven’t been fully cleared to return to work yet, so I’m not here on the job. I’m here because I wanted to make sure you didn’t get hurt.”
She looked him in the eyes. The sting of betrayal hit hard. “It’s too late for that,” she whispered before walking out.
No one stopped her as she beelined to her car. If they needed her, Nick knew how to find her. She barely made it out of the parking lot before the tears began to fall.
They weren’t about Gary Jeffreys, although finding out he was a murderer had been a real downer. They were about Nick. How he’d used her to get to her father, not trusted her with the truth, and that he’d put his job over their friendship.
How could she have been so stupid to think otherwise? Tess had warned her, and she should have listened. Work was his priority. Her feelings be damned.
On the drive back to Green Valley Falls, she called her psychic, looking for guidance.
“Amara,” Faith said. “I have so many issues today.” She gave a brief rundown on the diner scene. “My horoscope said someone would betray me soon. That turned out to be an understatement.”
It had been weeks since they’d spoken, and Faith was surprised at how empty Amara’s vague platitudes were. They did nothing to help her sort out her feelings, and she hung up feeling like she’d just wasted thirty dollars. Maybe Nick and Tess were right. She didn’t need a telephonic fortune-teller to tell her things she could figure out for herself.
At the rest area, she texted her girls to request an emergency dinner. Told them she had big news and it couldn’t wait. Withholding information from them weighed heavily on her, and it was time to come clean.
When she pulled into The Rusty Nail parking lot, her friends’ cars were all there. They’d snagged a table in the back and already had drinks. A glass of white wine sat at an empty spot.
“Chardonnay,” Alex said. “Sounded like you might need it.”
“You have no idea.” Faith downed a hefty gulp. “I’ve been keeping something from you guys. Not because I don’t trust you. I just wanted it to play out first. See where the chips fell before the whole town found out.”
“You’ve been dating my brother? Yeah, we know,” Tess said sarcastically.
“No,” Faith said. “I mean, yes, but it’s not about that. And don’t worry. That’s over anyway.” She waved away the topic.
“What? Why?” Juliet asked. “I bet longer. I mean, I thought for sure you’d go longer.”
“You bet on me?” All three shrugged. “Whatever. That’s not it.” Faith took another swig of wine and plowed on. “I found some letters in my mom’s desk drawer. Buried at the bottom. Kind of hidden.”
“Letters for who?” Alex asked.
“One for me. One for my dad, Eddie.” She paused for dramatic effect. “And one for my biological dad.”
A collective gasp rang out, and eyes sprung open wide.
“Whaaat?” Juliet said.
“Seriously?” Alex asked.
“Eddie isn’t your real dad?” Tess seemed to let her I’m-irritated-because-you-dated-my-brother thing go for a minute. “Faith. How long have you known?”
“A few weeks. I didn’t tell you right away because I wanted to find him first and see if it was even going to be a thing.”
“So did you? Find him?” Alex asked.
“Nick did,” Faith said. “I just came from meeting him in Manchester. My dad, not Nick. Although Nick was there.”
“And?” Juliet prodded. “How was it? What did he say? Did he know?”
“I don’t think he knew,” Faith said. “I handed him the letter and watched him read it. Before he could say much, the FBI charged the place and dragged him out in handcuffs.”
More gasping, followed by more questions. “Why?” “What’d he do?” “What’d you do?”
“Uh. Pretty bad stuff. You know, murder, extortion.” Faith finished her wine and pointed at Alex’s. “You mind?”
“Murder?” Alex pushed her glass toward Faith. “You definitely need it more than I do.”
“Accessory to, but yeah, that was a brutal twist,” Faith said, taking a swig. “Turns out daddy dearest is on the FBI’s most wanted list. Nick knew and didn’t tell me. Used me to lure the guy out of hiding and was there when the bust went down.”
“Hence the ‘it’s over’ part?” Tess guessed. “I’m sorry, Faith. I tried to warn you. His job means everything to him. It comes before anything.”
“Or anyone,” Alex muttered. “Ouch.”
“Yeah, well. It all happened so fast, I barely talked to Gary—my ‘father’—at all.”
“How’d you leave it with Nicky?” Tess asked.
Faith shrugged. “I just left.” She did her best to keep the tears at bay. Her feelings for Nick weren’t the point of this dinner. “I should’ve told you guys sooner. Maybe you could’ve talked me out of trying to find him.”
“I would have said go for it,” Alex said, raising a shoulder. “Curiosity can drive you nuts.”
“Me too,” Juliet agreed. “It would have weighed on you forever. The not knowing.”
“Same,” Tess said. “It’s so weird to think adults keep secrets. Especially parents.”
“I can’t believe my mom didn’t tell me.” Faith polished off what remained of Alex’s wine and looked hopefully at Juliet, who passed Faith her glass. “Thanks. All the months she knew she was dying, and didn’t say a word. Even on her deathbed, not a peep. I wonder if she even remembered the envelopes were in the drawer. Or did she think she would take the secret to her grave?”
“I’m sure she had a lot on her mind at the end,” Tess said gently.
“I guess it doesn’t matter now anyway.” Faith knew she shouldn’t be mad at her mom, but that didn’t stop her from speculating about why she hadn’t told her.
“What about your dad? Eddie?” Juliet clarified. “Does he know?”
Faith downed the last of Juliet’s wine, and Tess wordlessly handed Faith her remaining sips. She raised the glass in thanks, finished it off in one gulp, and set the empty glass on the table. “I gave him his letter a few weeks ago. He didn’t seem all that surprised. Said he always suspected, but that nothing would be different between us. He doesn’t know I met Gary today though, and I’m not sure I’m going to tell him. So, promise me nothing leaves this table?”
They each put up a pinky and intertwined them. Just like they’d done a million times as kids. “Swear,” they promised in unison.
“Uh. Can someone drive me home?” Faith said as the room started to spin. “I think I’m drunk.”
“Pft. Well, yeah. Three glasses of wine in twenty minutes will do that,” Tess said, and they laughed. “Let’s eat first. That’ll help.”
After they lingered over Cobb salads and breadsticks, Faith did feel better, but she still copped a ride home with Tess.
“Sorry I didn’t listen to you about Nick,” Faith said.
“S’okay. I know how difficult it is to meet men. It’s hard to say no when one falls in your lap like Nick did.”
“Can we make a quick stop?” Faith asked.
“Your dad’s?”
“Yeah. Actually, just drop me. I’ll spend the night there.”
When Tess pulled to the curb, Faith’s dad was shooting hoops in the driveway. “I gotta tell him,” she said simply.
“He’ll understand.”
“Thanks, Tessy.” Faith got out of the car. “I’m open,” she called with a smile, holding up her hands for a pass.
Her dad tossed her the ball and returned the grin. Over the years, they’d spent countless hours practicing out here, but it had been years since they’d played. Faith dribbled twice and sunk an easy layup. He rebounded and threw her the ball to shoot again. After a few minutes, she held the ball when he passed it to her.
“I have some news,” she said.
“This about Nick Walker?”
“How do you know about that?”
“I hear things.” He smiled.
Faith rolled her eyes. She should have known better than to believe she and Nick were getting away with any kind of secret harboring. She bounced the ball twice and held it again. “No, it’s not about that. I met Gary Jeffreys today.”
At his silence, she continued. “I told the girls and swore them to secrecy, but just in case, I didn’t want you to hear it from someone else. I won’t be seeing him again though.”
“Oh?”
“Not unless I visit him in prison.” She told him the whole story. “If it’s okay with you, I’d like to keep you as my dad.”
“I was hoping you’d say that. Of course it’s okay.”
She hugged him, and they started back up, her shooting and him rebounding.
“So,” Faith said between shots. “What’s up with you and Mrs. Hickman?”
It was dark, but she thought she saw him blush. “Nothing’s up.”
“She likes you, Dad,” Faith said.
“It’s way too early to be talking like that,” he said, taking a shot that missed by a mile.
Hope came out of the house. “You playing without me?” Faith threw her the ball, and she sank a shot from where she stood. “Game of horse?”
Faith looked at her dad, who nodded. “You’re on.”
They laughed and cheered and ribbed each other until everyone was exhausted. It was the happiest she’d seen her dad—and Hope—since her mom had passed. And even Nick Walker’s betrayal couldn’t extinguish the flicker of promise that her family would be all right.