Chapter 10 #5
“Sure.” Eric stepped into the bar as she crossed toward the closest table to spread out the official-looking papers. “They’re marked where I need your signature,” he assured her.
“Great.” She reached into the purse that was still slung over her shoulder and dug out a pen. A second later, she’d scribbled her name next to the yellow sticky arrows. “Done.”
She scooped the papers into the folder and handed it back to Eric.
“Hopefully, we’ll hear something within a few weeks,” he murmured, turning to leave. “I’ll give you a call as soon as I have a firm date.”
Caught between the desire for the man to go away so she could concentrate on her search into Victoria’s mysterious past and a vague sense of anxiety at being alone after the threat left scrawled on her back door, Jesse suddenly realized that the lawyer could answer at least one question that was nagging at her.
“Before you go.”
Eric turned back. “Yes?”
“Did you know that my dad had requested a copy of his marriage certificate, and that he’d received a letter saying that there was nothing on record?”
“What do you mean, nothing on record?”
“No official marriage certificate ever was filed in Vegas.”
The green eyes narrowed. “They weren’t legally married?”
“Not according to the Clark County Vital Records Office. Whatever ceremony they went through was evidently a sham. Although my dad obviously didn’t know it at the time. He thought they were married.”
Eric pinched his lips in annoyance, as if he was personally offended by the information. “Why didn’t Mac tell me?”
“Maybe he was afraid it would make him look guilty,” Jesse suggested. “Victoria went to a lot of effort to make him believe they were legally man and wife. Anyone would be furious to learn they’d been deceived.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Eric snapped. “It would have been a powerful defense if his case had gone to trial. Anyone who would lie about a marriage ceremony would certainly fake their own death. Not to mention the fact that one of Victoria’s relations might have tried to claim a portion of his inheritance.
” There was a short silence as Eric visibly regained command of his composure. “When did he discover the truth?”
“A few weeks after she disappeared.”
“He didn’t say anything to you?”
“No.” The denial was sharper than she’d intended, revealing her simmering sense of guilt.
It stung that her dad hadn’t told her about the faux wedding.
It meant that he didn’t trust her with the information, or he couldn’t bear to hear her say “I told you so.” Either way, it proved Victoria had managed to damage their relationship in a way that was never fully repaired.
“I knew that he was worried. Who wouldn’t be after they found Victoria’s sports car smashed into a tree but no sign of her or Tegan?
And I watched him trying to do everything humanly possible to locate them.
He followed up on every single lead, no matter how silly, even driving to Little Rock, Arkansas, because someone swore they saw Victoria working as a waitress in a truck stop.
” She shook her head. “But in hindsight, I think I suspected he was hiding something from me in the last days before he was arrested. But I would never have guessed it had anything to do with his quickie Vegas marriage. I mean, why did Victoria go through the ceremony at all if it wasn’t going to be legal?
And why lie to Dad about it? I doubt he would have cared if she simply wanted to live together without the formalities. ”
“It is odd,” Eric agreed, his annoyance fading as he considered the implications of Victoria’s deceit. “I wonder why he requested the marriage certificate in the first place.”
A good question, Jesse silently acknowledged. “I don’t know. Maybe he discovered something during his search for Victoria that made him suspicious.”
“Suspicious of what?”
Jesse pretended to consider the question. “Maybe she wasn’t Victoria,” she said slowly, as if she’d just now been struck by the possibility. “Maybe when she came to Canton she invented the name.”
He frowned. “Like an alias?”
“Yes.”
“Why would she do that?”
Jesse shrugged. “There could be a dozen reasons. Maybe she’s in witness protection.
Or maybe she’s running from someone, like an abusive lover.
Or maybe she was hiding Tegan from her biological dad.
Some women don’t want to share custody of their kids after a divorce, and she was overly protective of her daughter. ”
Eric didn’t look convinced. “If she wasn’t Victoria, then who would she be?”
“Anybody. Nobody.” Jesse sent him an impatient glare. “But it feels important to find out. Don’t you think?”
She’d hoped Eric would be equally inspired to discover why Victoria had duped her father into a fake ceremony. With his legal connections, he might be able to track down whether she’d lied about her real identity. Instead, he stepped forward and grabbed her hand.
“Jesse. I don’t know what happened in the past, but it caused three people to disappear and a lot of heartbreak. Especially for you.” He squeezed her fingers tight enough to send a tiny jolt of pain up her arm. “I think it’s best that you wrap up your business here and get on with your future.”
She jerked her hand free. “I seem to hear that a lot lately.”
He frowned. “There’s an old saying about letting sleeping dogs lie. You should—” His warning was cut short as a sharp knock on the doorframe echoed through the room. “Busy place for a Sunday.”
“You have no idea,” Jesse muttered, turning to watch the pretty blonde wearing white capris and a sleeveless shirt stroll through the open door. “Reese,” she said, loud enough for the intruder to hear.
The woman halted, blinking until her eyes adjusted to the gloom. Then, with a blinding smile, she waved a folder in Jesse’s direction.
“Good, you’re here.”
“I am.”
Reese moved in her direction, her heels clicking on the floorboards.
“Now, I know you haven’t officially put the place on the market, but word has spread you’re intending to sell the Tap Room.
No surprise; this is a prime piece of property.
” She gave another wave of the folder. “I’ve already had some interest.”
Jesse took an instinctive step back. She was struggling to deal with signing the paperwork that made her dad’s death painfully real. She wasn’t prepared to lose the only home she’d ever known. Not today.
“I haven’t had time for the repairs,” she protested.
Reese never slowed. “That’s what’s so great about these offers. They’re ‘as is.’ You wouldn’t have to lift a finger. Just sign the deed and hand over the keys.”
“I don’t think I’m ready to look at offers.” Jesse took another step back. The woman was a steamroller, running over anything in her path.
“That’s fine.” Reese veered to the right, dropping the folder on the table. “I’ll just leave these here in case you change your mind.”
“She said she’s not ready,” Eric said, as if Reese hadn’t heard Jesse’s protest.
Reese kept her gaze locked on Jesse. “Doesn’t hurt to look, does it? No pressure, of course. We’ll chat later. ’Bye.”
With a finger wave, she turned to click her way across the floor and out the door. Jesse shook her head, wondering if Reese ever stopped moving long enough to relax.
Probably not. Didn’t sharks have to perpetually swim so they didn’t drown?
“She’s very persistent.”
Eric clicked his tongue. “I don’t think she fully understands that this isn’t Chicago or St. Louis.
Around here, good manners and decency are more important than money.
” He snapped his lips together, a hint of red staining his cheeks as he recalled that Jesse had been living in Chicago and intended to return as soon as she sold the bar.
“I’m not saying the people here are better or worse, just that we don’t have the same rat race mentality.
There are plenty of folks who love the excitement and competition of the big city.
Nothing wrong with that. Just …” He lifted his hands in a vague gesture. “Different.”
“True enough.”
Clearing his throat, Eric headed toward the door. “I’ll let you know as soon as we have an official declaration of death.” He paused, glancing back with an expression that was impossible to read. “Until then, my suggestion is to try to concentrate on where you’re going, not where you’ve been.”