13. Carolyn
13
CAROLYN
I rolled over, touching the bed next to me. It was cool and empty. I sat up, listening, and heard Zach’s soft footsteps in the hall. He appeared in the doorway, dressed in tactical pants and a black T-shirt, a grin on his face. I smiled, feeling more than a little pleased with myself. I had a smokin’ hot man who’d made my night very memorable.
“I didn’t want to wake you,” he said. “I’ve got an early meeting.”
“Come here.” I beckoned him with a finger.
“If I do that, I’m going to be late.” He moved toward me anyway.
“I just want a kiss,” I said. And to be held again before he left for the day. After we’d made love, I’d slept in his arms until he’d woken me to do it again. I’d been an enthusiastic participant both times and was already looking forward to tonight. The sex was great with Zach, but I also loved having him in my bed, his body warm and hard next to mine. I felt safe, protected. No one else had ever made me feel that way.
He sat on the edge of the bed, and I scooted toward him. The sheet slipped to my waist as I moved. His eyes followed it down, and he swallowed, a slight flush coming to his tanned cheeks.
“See something you like?” I teased.
“You make it hard to leave you,” he said, lifting the sheet and tucking it around my chest, his hands lingering on me.
“Austin will be up soon. Our time would be limited, but still…” I stroked his freshly shaven cheek. His aftershave had a spicy, masculine scent I remembered well.
He chuckled, catching my fingers and kissing them. “Patience. We have tonight.”
“And tomorrow night?” I asked before I could stop myself. I didn’t mean to sound needy. I wasn’t a woman who begged for a man’s attention.
“I’m not going anywhere,” he assured me before pulling me to him and kissing me, a long kiss that ended only when we heard Austin stirring in his crib. Zach rested his forehead against mine while we listened to our son’s happy babbling.
“I’ll get him this morning. If he sees you, he won’t want you to go,” I said. I got out of bed and pulled on a robe while Zach watched me, desire in his eyes. What I wouldn’t give for another hour alone with him.
“Do you want me to pick him up at Nina’s after I get off work?” Zach asked. His day usually finished before mine, so he’d bought a car seat and often picked Austin up.
“He’ll be with my mom today, and I want to ask her about a paper I found in that box in the attic last night. Can you meet me at her house after work?”
“No problem.” He kissed me one last time before leaving.
Later in the day, we arrived at my mother’s house at the same time and walked in the door together. Austin was sitting on her lap, flipping through pages in a book.
“Look who’s here,” Mom said to Austin, who squirmed to get down as soon as he spotted us.
Austin went to Zach first, arms extended upward. Zach picked him up, giving him a hug and a kiss before holding him out for my kiss.
“You three look good together,” Mom commented with arched eyebrows.
“We do,” I said, leaving it at that. I knew my mother’s game, but I wasn’t willing to give out too much information about my relationship with Zach just yet.
“I think Austin’s never been happier, too,” my mother added.
“He’s always been a happy baby,” I countered, which was true. Happy, cooperative, leaving me little fear of the coming terrible twos, despite the many warnings I’d heard.
“So I’m having no effect on my son’s life?” Zach whispered while my mother went to grab some toys for Austin.
“I didn’t say that,” I responded with a smile. “I think you’ve had a big impact on his life…and mine.”
“Good.” He stole a kiss just before Mom returned with a bag of toys. As soon as he saw them, Austin wanted down to play. “I’ll get the box from your car.” Zach touched my arm, giving it a gentle squeeze before going out.
“It’s not my business, but…” Mom commented as soon as Zach was out the door.
“Mom, give us some time.” I stopped her with a good-humored warning. Zach and I were moving quickly to a reconciliation, but we’d spent nearly two years apart, and I wasn’t ready to discuss our future with my mother when Zach and I hadn’t really talked about it yet.
“Okay. I still think he’s a keeper, though.” The front door opened, and Mom clamped her lips shut until Zach came back in the room.
“Where would you like them?” he asked.
“Oh, not another old batch of papers. I should have shredded that stuff years ago.” Mom groaned as Zach placed the box on the coffee table in front of us before plopping down on the floor to play with Austin.
“Maybe,” I agreed, “but they’ve been an interesting read. I came across this one last night.” I pulled the paper from the top of the box and held it out to my mother. I had reread it that morning to make sure my understanding of it after a quick perusal the evening before had been accurate. “You never told me that you owned a jewelry store before All That Sparkles.”
When my mother’s face fell, I wished I’d broached the subject differently. I’d almost called my sister earlier to see what she knew but decided our mother might have kept it a secret for a reason. Now I was sure of it. What could be so bad about having had a different store?
“I guess I should have told you about that years ago. You’ve been an adult for a long time, after all. It’s just so…” My mother shuddered, obviously upset by it.
“You don’t have to explain.” I tried to take the paper back and stuff it in the box.
“No, I do,” Mom said firmly, catching my hand. She took the paper, smoothing it against her knee. “You should know.”
“Let’s go outside, buddy.” Zach picked Austin up. “It’s a beautiful day out there.”
“Thanks,” I mouthed to him before he headed out the French doors onto the back patio.
“He’s a good man,” my mother said once they were out of earshot.
“I know,” I readily agreed. I was grateful to have him back in my life. I pulled my attention back to the paper my mother still held. “Mom, you don’t have to tell me about it if it’s none of my business.”
My mother sighed. “You deserve an explanation, but it’s not an easy thing to talk about. If it were simply a bad business decision that I made, I wouldn’t mind, but it’s wrapped up in sordid details I’ve tried to hide from you and Charlotte.”
I couldn’t imagine my mother being involved in anything unsavory, so I waited for her to continue.
“When you were very young, I started a jewelry business with a friend of mine. I thought she was my best friend. Her name was Marta Huntly. We’d met when we both worked for Tiffin’s department store. I was in jewelry, of course, and Marta sold perfumes and cosmetics. Anyway, we decided to go out into business together. I put up most of the capital to buy merchandise and rent a storefront. Overall, it went pretty well for the two years we were in business, but only if I was constantly in the store. Marta wasn’t the type to do her fair share of the work, as I quickly learned.”
“Were you forced to close?” I asked. Small businesses failed frequently, especially new ones.
“We could have made it, but…” She seemed to take a moment to gather herself. “You aren’t going to like this part of the story.”
“Tell me,” I said, my suspicions running wild.
“I was headed out of town for a trade show,” she said slowly, “when my flight was canceled at the last minute. I returned home, planning to fly out the next morning. You and Charlotte were with my mother, thank goodness. When I arrived, Marta’s car was in the driveway. I thought that was odd, because she was supposed to be managing the store, but I let myself into the house and went upstairs…”
A sick feeling churned through my stomach. I remembered that trip to Grandma’s house that got extended for several days. When it was over, my parents sat me down and told me that they were filing for divorce. “You found Marta with Dad.” I filled in the blank so my mother wouldn’t have to.
“I did. In our bed.” Mom paused. “I was angry with both of them, and then I felt hurt and foolish for not having realized. Of course, they claimed they were in love. They also told me that their affair had been going on for more than a year.”
“Do you think they really loved each other?” Sadly, I didn’t know my father well enough to guess.
“No,” she said with a rueful smile. “They lasted only a few months together after the divorce. Your father, I’m sorry to say it, loved himself above all others and always had a wandering eye. I don’t think Marta was the only woman he was with during our marriage.”
“God, that’s awful,” I said. I couldn’t imagine not being able to trust the man in my life. I glimpsed Zach and Austin out the window. They were feet apart, rolling a red ball back and forth. Zach and I would always have our differences, but no matter what, I knew I could trust him.
“He was not cut out for family life,” Mom said. “I knew he was bored and restless, but I was so busy running the business and raising you girls.”
“You don’t blame yourself, I hope.” I was well aware of my father’s shortcomings. As a kid, I’d refused to see him for what he was, always hoping he’d come back and be the father I’d dreamed of. That bubble burst long ago.
“Not anymore. Needless to say,” she continued, “Marta and I dissolved the business and sold off all the assets. Out of that and the divorce settlement, I was able to pull together the money to open All That Sparkles.”
“That had to have been tough, Mom.” I could only imagine that kind of betrayal. I’d felt something like that when I thought Zach was abandoning me and our son, but my mother’s experience had been far worse.
Tears shimmered in her eyes. “It was. I lost my husband, my best friend, and my business all at once. But I had you and Charlotte, and I still wanted to open my own store.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t do it on your own to start with.”
“Opening a business is scary. I guess I was too frightened to follow my dreams on my own. The chance of failure was too great. After the mess was over, though, I needed to do something for myself and you and your sister. I had to be successful.”
“I remember how hard you worked, doing everything yourself and still being there for us,” I said—remembering, too, how rarely I’d seen my father throughout middle and high school, until he completely disappeared from our lives.
“Those were challenging years.” Mom managed a smile. “But I wouldn’t trade them. Although I’m enjoying semi-retirement and my grandson very much.”
An idea occurred to me. What if Marta was bitter enough to be causing the trouble at All That Sparkles? The woman might be harboring some seriously sour grapes over how things had gone, especially since in the end, she’d lost her business and the man she thought loved her. She might blame both those things on my mother and be jealous of her success.
“Whatever happened to Marta? Do you know?”
“I had no interest in her once it was over,” she said. “Other than hearing that she and your father split, I haven’t a clue where she ended up, and I want to keep it that way.”
“Mom, could she be behind the sabotage?” I asked.
My mother was silent for a minute. “I wouldn’t think so. It was a long time ago. If she’d wanted revenge, I think she would have taken it long before now. Besides, she wasn’t all that smart, as I quickly learned. She could smile and show off merchandise, but when it came to transactions and orders, she couldn’t handle it. I think she liked the idea of being in charge but knew nothing about running a business or the work it required. I can’t imagine her masterminding a plot like the one you believe is happening.”
You believe ? Did my mom not see the recent problems at the store were connected and intentional? I let it go, not wanting to argue with her after she’d revealed this emotionally draining story. At least Zach seemed to believe me. I focused my eyes on him again. It was so good to have him in my corner, my house, my bed. But I could enjoy all that goodness a whole bunch more if I knew for sure what was happening with my business and who was responsible.