Chapter 28
CHAPTER 28
SAWYER
J ace dropped into a wingback chair beside the fireplace in the den after we’d finished eating and clearing up the dinner dishes. “There’s one thing I don’t understand.”
Willa snorted as she snuggled up against me on the leather sofa, Roy curling up in the crook of her legs. “Only one? You’re doing pretty well, then.”
“If Granddaddy and Grandma had left everything to me instead of you, would Dad be pulling this same shit?”
It was a question I hadn’t considered, but Willa’s answer was instant. “Of course not. They have no grounds for a competency claim against you. You’re a decorated naval officer without a history of documented mental illness. They wouldn’t have the same… vulnerabilities to exploit with you.”
I couldn’t stop myself from tightening my arm around her. Jace watched us, his face unreadable. He’d effectively given us his blessing, but what else would he say in front of his sister? Anything less would damage their already shaky relationship, and I knew he didn’t want that. He’d said all the right things, but I still wondered if he was really okay with us as an us.
“So let’s extrapolate,” he continued. “What’s the motive? Is this purely a money grab, or is it somehow about you?”
“I think it’s both. Your parents were furious when she came back to the island. Her cutting them off and living her own life on her own terms was a big slap in the face. Coming after her like this is a way to slap back, on top of getting their hands on an inheritance they believe is rightfully theirs. Otherwise, they haven’t considered her worth the effort.” Realizing how that sounded, I winced. “Sorry, Wren.”
“You’re not wrong. They’ve more or less left me alone until now. I’m sure that would’ve stayed true had Granddaddy not forced their hand. But at the end of the day, slapping back at me is secondary to them wanting the land. Well, and no doubt as a reaction to that utterly inflammatory letter he had the lawyer read before the will. The question is, why?”
“None of us are delusional enough to think this is simply about him trying to protect what he perceives as Mom’s rightful inheritance. She doesn’t love Hatterwick. She hasn’t had anything to do with the island for years, which is the very reason the property wasn’t left to her. It’s no secret Dad always believed that the rest of the island should be developed. As a venture capitalist, that’s his bread and butter.” Jace drummed his fingers on the arm of the chair, considering. “Will, you might be a little too young to remember, but when we were little, Dad was pushing some kind of resort development on the island, and he needed Granddaddy’s backing to get support from key stakeholders here. He didn’t get it, so everything fell through. They had a rip-roaring fight about the whole thing.”
I frowned, thinking back. “I dimly remember you talking about this. You’d have been, what? Nine or ten?”
“Sounds about right.”
Willa’s gaze turned speculative as she stroked Roy’s ears. “You think Dad wants to push through some updated version of that?”
“I wouldn’t put it past him. A tiger doesn’t change his stripes.”
“Then to continue the argument, if the estate had been left to you, he’d have considered you worth negotiating with. Both because you’re a man and because he sees you as more of an equal. As a woman, I’m not worth his time. I was supposed to be a pretty social climber, like he turned mom into. Except I couldn’t even get that right because of my social anxiety. I’ve been a lifelong disappointment.”
It physically hurt me to hear how easily she said it. My dad hadn’t been perfect, but I’d known he loved me. How could her parents not understand what a gift she was?
Jace winced. “That’s harsh, Wills.”
“But true. You know it is. Neither of them ever had any interest in getting to know who I actually am. They were only upset I wasn’t who they wanted me to be. And while Dad has never actually known me, he understands me well enough to know that I wouldn’t agree to anything he wants to do with this land. I will always choose preservation over development.”
“You’re like Granddaddy in that. Yet another reason you were the right person to leave it to.”
Her lips curved. “Thanks, Jace. I appreciate that. I haven’t really made any major decisions yet. No sense in lining people up to do anything until I know for sure it’s not going to be yanked away from me.”
“Seems like they’re running out of options to try.”
“God willing,” I muttered. I needed this attack on her to be over, not only because I hated seeing her hurt, but because I wanted the time and space for us to figure out what a real marriage between us could look like.
“Amen.” Willa squeezed my thigh. “On that note, I’m exhausted. I think I’m headed up to bed.”
As she rose, I searched her face. She’d had a lot to process today. Would she be more prone to nightmares from the stress?
She skimmed her fingers through my hair and pressed a kiss to my brow. “I’m fine. Go ahead and visit.”
I curled my hand around her wrist and turned to press a kiss to the fluttering pulse there. “I won’t be too long.”
“C’mon, Roy.”
The dog’s nails clicked on the hardwood as he followed her out of the room. Then I was alone to face the real confrontation we’d been putting off with polite conversation and conjecture.
Jace rose and crossed to the cabinet that served as a bar. He lifted the decanter of golden liquid in question. I didn’t know if it was whiskey, Scotch, or bourbon and didn’t much care. After what I’d come from, I seldom indulged in more than a beer. But this conversation felt like it could take a little liquid courage.
“Sure.”
He brought me one of the lowball glasses. “How is she really doing?”
I accepted the glass and took a small sip. The smooth warmth of top-shelf alcohol slid down my throat. “Honestly, better than I expected, given how much shit this is bringing up for her. She survived facing down your folks twice in person, and while I think she has a healthy fear of what’s underneath all the legal machinations, I think they’ve pissed her off more than anything else. She’s more resilient than I think she’s been given credit for.”
“I have zero doubt that you’re part of the reason for that.” Instead of resuming his seat in the wingback chair, he dropped down to the hearth, balancing his forearms on his knees. “I need you to know that I’m grateful you’re standing by her. That you’re being there for her in a way that I never have been and never could be.”
None of this was what I’d been expecting. Frowning, I swirled the liquid in my glass. “So, you’re really okay with this? With us?”
“More than, brother. I trust you with her. More importantly, she trusts you, and she trusts almost nobody. With good reason.”
The tension that had been lodged in my gut since I’d burst into the kitchen to find him hours before finally loosened. Here was the true blessing I’d needed. If Jace believed I was good enough for Willa, and she herself thought so, who was I to argue?
“How much has she told you about her time off-island?”
That prompted me to tip my own glass back for a deeper swallow. “Enough. I’ve spent a considerable amount of time in the past few weeks imagining creative ways to kill your parents. Your dad, in particular.”
“Get in line.” He shook his head, grief and guilt carving lines around his mouth and eyes. “I should’ve gotten to her sooner. I should have asked questions and pushed when I didn’t hear from her. Mom and Dad told me she was at boarding school, and I just thought she was pissed that I’d left for college and essentially abandoned her. I never in a million years dreamed that they’d do what they did. If she hadn’t gotten that letter out, I don’t know what might have happened.”
Remembering the exhaustion in Willa’s voice as she’d told me her harrowing tale, I could well imagine the worst. We could all be grateful she’d managed to get that letter out.
“Don’t beat yourself up, man. Nobody imagines their parents would do something like that. Nobody would imagine they’d do exactly what they’re trying to do to her now.”
“After what they pulled on her before, I shouldn’t be surprised, but I am. That’s on me for letting my guard down and assuming everything was fine while I’m off serving Uncle Sam. But it does seem like O’Shea’s got a handle on everything. That he’s managed to shut everything down.”
“So far. I’m less worried about that than I am about the body we found.” We’d given Jace the overview at dinner, but otherwise steered clear of the topic.
“Is Willa having a hard time with it?”
“Had a total breakdown when we found it, which seemed perfectly reasonable considering she basically landed on the thing. But the body was found less than fifty yards from where I pulled her out of the water.”
Jace paused, his glass dangling from his fingers. “You think this might have something to do with how she got there?”
I glanced up toward the ceiling, as if that would tell me Willa was safely ensconced in our room. The sound of clanking pipes told me she was in the bathroom. Maybe getting that bath, finally. Assured she wasn’t lurking outside the room, eavesdropping, I admitted what had been circling around my brain. “I don’t know. Maybe. I attributed the panic attack to finding the body, but what if it had something to do with where we were? Did you know she’s never been back to Osprey Beach or that side of the island in all the years she’s been back here?”
“No. Really?”
“I started to drive home that way one day, and it almost set her off. In some ways, she’s so incredibly strong. In others, she’s fragile. And I don’t know how much of it is leftover trauma from what she went through, and how much is added trauma from her time off-island. That hospital fucked with her head, man. In ways I don’t think we fully understand.”
His expression hardened. “They said it was for her own good. That the facility specialized in retrieving lost memories. Best I can tell, they just traumatized her further.” He dropped his head. “I didn’t do right by her. I should’ve protected her.”
“We can both beat ourselves up for the things we should’ve done. But none of that helps now. All we can do is protect her. And I will, man. I’ll do anything I have to in order to keep her safe.”
“I appreciate that more than I can say.”
I drained the last of my glass. “We can debate theories some other time. I’m headed up to bed, too.” I paused as I shoved to my feet. “I have no idea where you’re sleeping. We didn’t have a room made up for you, since we didn’t know you were coming.”
“It’s fine. I know where the linens are, and I’ll take the room I’ve always had when I was here. Which is far, far down the hall from yours. On the opposite side. Just so you know.”
At his meaningful look, I laughed. “Good to know.”
Still chuckling, I climbed the stairs to go join my wife.