Chapter 26
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
The next morning, as Delaney approached the kitchen, raised voices carried down the hallway—Noah’s sharp and commanding, the other defensive and dismissive. She paused just outside the doorway, hesitant to interrupt what was clearly a heated argument.
“You’re going to have to stay here until this merger is finalized. I can’t risk anything else going wrong.”
“I’ve got things to do.” The other man was Jasper, the brother she’d seen the night before. His tone was casual, as if they were discussing weekend plans rather than Charlotte’s care. “I plan to come home and take care of her soon, but —”
“You can sacrifice your next party to stay home with your daughter.” The fury in Noah’s voice made Delaney wince. “For once in your life, be responsible.”
Silence fell, heavy and uncomfortable. Delaney waited a moment longer, not wanting to walk into the middle of their tension. When the quiet stretched another two minutes, she took a deep breath and stepped into the kitchen.
The brothers sat at opposite ends of the table, each nursing a mug of coffee and refusing to look at the other. The air between them crackled. Jasper noticed her first, his face transforming instantly from sullen to charming as he rose from his chair.
“Miss Wright.” He extended his hand, his smile dazzling if a little forced. “We didn’t meet properly last night. I’m Jasper Aylett, Charlotte’s father.”
Delaney shook his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Aylett.”
“Just Jasper. Let me get you some coffee.” He moved toward the counter, but Noah was already there.
“I’ve got it.” He reached for a mug and fixed her coffee exactly as she liked it—with a splash of cream and a teaspoon of sugar—and handed it to her, his fingers brushing hers briefly. The warmth from his touch lingered on her skin.
Jasper noticed the exchange, his eyebrows lifting slightly as he retook his seat. “Aren’t you two cozy?”
Delaney’s cheeks heated. She sipped her coffee, focused on Noah. “My flight leaves just after three.”
“I’ll drive you,” Noah said.
“I can get an Uber.”
“No need. Are you hungry?” He nodded toward a pan beside the stove. “Scrambled eggs this morning.”
“No, thank you.” She couldn’t imagine trying to eat. She’d barely slept, what with the memory of Lena’s gun and knowing it would be her last night in the room she’d come to think of as hers. “I was just wondering where you put my suitcase. I need to pack.”
“Right.” A shadow crossed Noah’s features, gone almost immediately. “I’ll get it.” He headed for the door, giving his brother a look she couldn’t read. His footsteps were heavy on the hardwood as he walked away.
Jasper leaned back in his chair. “You’re the one who’s been taking such good care of my daughter.”
“She’s a wonderful little girl.”
“She looks…amazing. Healthy and happy. When I first got her from her grandmother, she barely spoke. Last night, she was a little chatterbox.” He grinned, his face lighting up.
If he felt that way, then why wasn’t he the one taking care of her?
He motioned to the table. “Have a seat.”
She did, choosing the seat nearest the window where she usually ate her breakfast beside Charlotte. Chilled, Delaney wrapped both hands around her mug. “She’s made a lot of progress.”
“I assume I have you to thank for most of that.”
“You assume wrong, Mr. Aylett—”
“—Jasper.”
“Your brother is amazing with her. As busy as he is, he makes her breakfast every single day, he’s always home for dinner, and he’s even managed to come to her dance lessons a couple of times. He’s a natural father.”
“Uncle,” Jasper corrected, all charm leached from his tone.
“All the more impressive, don’t you think?
” Delaney usually kept her opinions to herself when it came to the families she worked for, but she didn’t work for this one anymore.
And this…this neglectful father, this man who fought against the idea of caring for his daughter for a couple of weeks, hadn’t earned and didn’t deserve her respect.
He sighed, his shoulders dropping a little. “Look, I know what you think of me. It’s the same thing my brother thinks. But it’s complicated.”
Delaney took another sip of her coffee, using the moment to study Charlotte’s father. There was something in his eyes—a flicker of pain, maybe—that made her wonder if there was more to his story.
“I spend a lot of time on the water these days.” Jasper’s voice was softer now. “Sailing mostly. Some fishing. It’s where I do my best thinking.”
Where he did his best avoiding responsibilities, more likely.
She could see the resemblance to Charlotte in the shape of Jasper’s eyes, the curve of his smile when he wasn’t forcing it. But where Charlotte’s features held innocence and wonder, Jasper’s held something harder to define—worldliness, and maybe regret.
“She has your smile,” Delaney said.
“You think so?”
“When she’s truly happy, yes.”
He nodded slowly, as if filing away this information. “Noah’s an idiot for letting you go.”
She wasn’t sure what to say to that, so she kept her mouth shut.
“You don’t look happy about it, either,” he added.
Delaney wasn’t about to discuss her feelings with this man she’d just met.
“Where are you going?”
“Home. To Maine.”
“You don’t have a car here?”
“It was totaled, and I never got around to buying another one.”
Footsteps preceded Noah into the kitchen.
“I left your suitcase outside your bedroom door,” he said.
“And I added a second one since you’ve bought some things since you’ve been here.
You can just keep it.” His tone was carefully neutral.
“Let me know when you’re ready, and I’ll drive you to the airport. ”
“Thank you.” The formality between them felt wrong after everything they’d been through.
Jasper watched their interaction with curious eyes. “So, brother, aren’t you going to ask why I’m back? Or are you just happy to have a convenient babysitter?”
Noah’s jaw tightened as he took his seat. “It’s not called ‘babysitting’ when it’s your own child. And I’m pretty sure I asked last night, but you refused to answer.”
“There were more important things to talk about.” Jasper glanced at Delaney. “I wanted to see Charlotte, of course. But also, I saw a selfie on Violet’s Instagram that looked like it was taken in Driftwood. I happened to be in DC, so I thought I’d swing by, see if she’s giving you any trouble.”
“Violet?” Noah frowned.
Who was that? Before she could ask, Jasper explained.
“Charlotte’s mother.” He spoke to Noah again.
“I reached out to her, but she laughed me off, told me she was outside New York City. But…” He shook his head.
“The leaves have fallen in New York, but in the photo, they’re still in full color on the trees.
Maybe she took the picture a while ago, but it looks so much like the park.
” He pulled out his phone and swiped through several pictures before finding what he wanted.
“Here.” He showed the screen to Noah. “Doesn’t this look like Driftwood? ”
Noah leaned forward, and his eyes widened as he stared at the photo.
“What’s wrong?” Jasper asked.
“Show Delaney.” His voice was tight.
Jasper handed her the phone, and Delaney’s stomach dropped at the image of the curly-haired woman smiling at the camera, Driftwood’s town square in the background.
“That’s Heather.” Her voice was barely a whisper as betrayal mixed with her few sips of coffee, souring her stomach.
Jasper’s brow furrowed. “Who’s Heather?”
“We met at the park.” Delaney’s mind raced to make sense of it. “She approached me when I was with Charlotte. She said she was new in town. I thought…I thought she was my friend.”
“Remind me,” Noah said. “When was the first time you saw her?”
Delaney thought back. “She was there the day you fired Mrs. Dechambeau.”
“Maybe she was the person watching Charlotte.”
She’d forgotten that moment, that person who’d ducked away when Delaney had caught up to the little girl wandering too near the street. “Maybe. I saw her again the first time I took Charlotte to the park after you hired me.”
Noah stood and paced. “And at the festival, she was with Hayes.”
“Who’s Hayes?” Jasper asked.
“Frederick Hayes,” Noah said. “Owner of Hayes Industries, the company we’re competing with in the Tidewater merger.”
Jasper seemed to take that information in. “How would Violet know him?”
“How am I supposed to know?” Noah snapped. “You’re the one who knocked her up. Maybe you should have a little more information about a woman before you go to bed with her.”
“Let’s catalog all my faults later.” His gaze bounced from Noah to Delaney and back. “What’s the deal with this Hayes guy? Why is it a problem if she’s with him?”
“He scared me last night,” Delaney said, “a few blocks from the festival. Told me to pass the message to Noah that he should back out of the merger.”
“It was a threat,” Noah added. “And he’s working with your…” His words faded.
“Doesn’t make sense,” Jasper said. “Violet’s a junkie.”
“If she is, she hid it well.” Delaney looked at Noah. “You met her. Did you get the feeling she was using?”
“People can hide it,” Noah said.
“For a little while. But she seemed…healthy, if a little haunted. Maybe she quit.”
That information seemed to worry Jasper more than anything. “I don’t understand.”
Delaney pushed to her feet. “Whatever’s going on, it’s none of my business.” It killed her to leave, but if she was going to make her flight, she needed to get moving. “I’m going to pack. I’ll check on Charlotte while I’m up there.”
“Don’t wake her if she’s still sleeping,” Noah said.
Delaney headed for the stairs, her legs growing heavier with each step.
Heather was Violet, Charlotte’s mother. She’d gotten close to Charlotte—and Delaney had let her.
Delaney had been blind to the woman’s true nature. All those conversations, the careful questions about Noah and Charlotte, the way she’d appeared at just the right moments. Delaney had been so grateful for a friend that she’d missed every red flag.
Once again, she’d proved a terrible judge of character. Once again, she’d been betrayed. Twice, really, considering that Noah had betrayed her, too.
She might be great with children, but she had terrible instincts for grown-ups.
Two suitcases sat outside her bedroom door. The sight of them made this decision feel final. She was really leaving this town, this family, this little girl she’d fallen in love with.
And the uncle she’d let herself become too attached to.
Delaney continued down the hall. Charlotte was usually awake long before this time of the morning, hungry and ready for breakfast. Delaney paused outside her door and listened. Nothing. No rustling of sheets, no soft humming, no whispered conversations with her new stuffed animal.
She pushed the door open. The room was quiet.
Morning light filtered through the gauze curtains, casting soft shadows across the bed. The covers were thrown back, the sheets vacant.
“Charlotte?” She listened but didn’t hear an answer. She checked the bathroom, but it was empty, as was Charlotte’s closet. Delaney checked behind the door and under the bed.
“Charlotte!” Delaney’s voice carried down the hallway as she checked her own room, then Noah’s, then every other room on the second floor. The guest rooms, the linen closet, even the small storage area under the eaves.
Nothing.
Delaney flew down the stairs, taking them two at a time. “Noah!” Her panic echoed through the house. “She’s not here!”
Both men looked up as she burst into the kitchen, their conversation forgotten.
“What do you mean?” Noah’s coffee mug clattered against the counter.
“Charlotte’s not in her room. She’s not anywhere upstairs.” Delaney’s heart hammered as she watched Noah’s face.
He’d know where she was, of course. He’d know what had happened.
But she didn’t see the calm she’d hoped for. His expression morphed from confusion to fear. He hurried past her toward the stairs. “Charlotte!” His voice boomed through the house. “Charlotte, where are you?”
Jasper followed, but Noah turned. “Check the basement!”
Jasper did, calling his daughter’s name as he descended the stairs.
Delaney stood frozen in the hallway, her mind spinning through possibilities. She hadn’t seen Charlotte since Jasper brought her home from the police station. The child had been fine. A little shaken up, but…
The men’s voices were loud, shouting for Charlotte, getting more desperate by the second.
Delaney prayed they’d find her, prayed desperately. But in case they didn’t, she pulled out her phone and called 911.
If Charlotte was gone, the sooner they reported it, the better chance they’d have of finding her.