Chapter 24
Shannon
I never thought my mother capable of something so duplicitous, but she just admitted to hiring someone to pretend to be my stalker, all under the guise of doing something to make me happy.
Of course, getting together with Ace does make me happy, so it’s hard to be mad about something that wound up making one of my dreams come true.
I’m still confused about a few things, though.
“Why would Sandra have destroyed my apartment that way if she wasn’t supposed to do anything but annoy me a little?”
Mom hesitates. “I’m honestly not sure. She acted like she was your friend and really excited to help in this matchmaking effort, but the longer it went on, the more intense she got.”
“You didn’t tell her what I do for a living, did you?” Ace asks cautiously.
Mom shakes her head. “No, of course not. I’m conniving but not stupid. I would never do anything to blow your cover or put your life in danger.”
“Just mine,” I say dryly.
My mother nods sadly. “I’m sorry. I’m just a bored old woman with more time than sense these days.”
“You’re not that old,” I say firmly. “So you can’t use that as an excuse.”
“I couldn’t think of any other way to get you two together, and honestly, it was your dad’s idea.”
“You could have asked me,” Ace interjects wryly.
“And say what?” Mom is shaking her head. “Hi, this is the woman who thought you weren’t good enough for her daughter a decade ago, but well, things change, so now that said daughter is divorced, would you please come take her out because she still thinks about you?”
“I suppose there’s that,” he admits, trying to hide a smile at my mother’s sarcasm.
“I don’t know what to say about any of this,” I admit after a moment. “Reconnecting with Ace has been the best thing to happen to me in a long time, but the lengths you went to for it to happen don’t sit well with me.”
“I suspect not, and your father knew it wouldn’t.” She digs around in her purse. “This is for you. From your dad. He said I couldn’t give it to you unless and until you and Ace were together.”
I take it from her numbly, staring at the handwriting on the outside of the envelope wistfully. I still miss him so much, seeing his familiar handwriting brings tears to my eyes and I’ve been doing too much crying today.
“I’m going to go back to my hotel,” Samantha says stiffly, getting to her feet. “I know I’ve hurt and upset you, but that was never my intention. I just wanted to do something to make up for the disaster of a marriage I forced you into.”
“You didn’t force me to marry him,” I whisper, blinking back more tears. “I wanted babies. You provided an option for me to have them. It just didn’t work out the way we hoped.”
“Yes, but it was a disaster that hurt you in the end, and you wouldn’t have married him had I not introduced you.”
“Well, the thing with Douglas is water under the bridge. I don’t even think about him anymore.” And certainly not lately.
“My colleague who’s in Cologne talked with Sandra last night.” Ace speaks up.
“You heard from Chains?” I turn in surprise. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because he sent me the message while you were having your panic attack, so I just read it a few minutes ago.”
“What did she say?” Samantha asks quietly.
“Turns out she resents Shannon for coming in and becoming the new teacher’s pet, so to speak, with the administration and the other teachers. When Samantha contacted her about playing this little trick on Shannon, as she called it, she said it was the perfect opportunity for some payback.”
“I thought she was my friend,” I mutter, shaking my head.
“And I played right into her hands.” Mom looks a little shaken, more so than before, and I don’t know whether to hug her or tell her to snap out of it.
“Look, they probably want us off the boat,” Ace says. “Let’s go to the hotel and relax for a while. Shannon didn’t get much sleep last night, and then her panic attack probably didn’t help. Let’s spend the afternoon getting some rest, and we can meet up in a few hours.”
“Yes, that sounds like the best plan.” Mom gets to her feet and puts a gentle hand on my shoulder. “I’m sorry, Shannon. I hope you know that.”
I nod numbly and watch her go. Then I rest my head on Ace’s shoulder. “I wish we could drive back to Cologne so I could sleep in my own bed tonight. I really need something familiar.”
“Then hang on and let me see if I can make that happen.” He jumps to his feet and runs after my mother.
He’s gone for about ten minutes and then comes back in.
“Okay. Her driver offered to take us back to Cologne. We’ll ride together but she’ll stay at a hotel near your apartment and you can sleep in your own bed tonight.
Everything else can wait until tomorrow. ”
“You’re very efficient,” I say softly.
“I try.” He reaches out his hands and I take them, letting him help me up. I feel better now, though still mildly nauseated.
“We have to talk to Chris and Aubrey, tell them our plans.”
“I already did. They’re going to stay here tonight and get on their flight tomorrow. So go say your goodbyes and let’s get out of here, okay?”
“You and I have to talk too,” I say softly.
“It can wait until we’re alone and you’ve had a little rest.” He kisses me. “Come on.”
* * *
Five hours in the car with my mother could have been torture, but she seems to sense that I’m not interested in talking and doesn’t push the issue.
I doze for about half the time and we’re almost in Cologne when Ace’s phone rings.
He doesn’t look happy as he answers, and I have a feeling it’s his boss.
“Ace Ross.” He drums his fingers on his thigh as he listens. “Come in where? To D.C.? Sir, I have—” He’s quiet again, his jaw working in annoyance as he listens. “Fine. I’ll be there.”
He disconnects and looks at me. “Something has come up. I’m going to need the driver to turn around and get me to the airport in Frankfurt. It’s only about fifteen miles from here, but I’m on a flight out in just over an hour and I can’t miss it.”
He reaches for my hand but doesn’t say anything and I can’t look at him. I’m already emotionally drained after today’s events, and now he’s leaving me. I knew he would go eventually, but not today, and certainly not right this minute.
The driver pulls up to the terminal and Ace gets out of the car after a quick goodbye to my mother. I get out after him and the driver gives him his suitcase just as Ace pulls me against him.
“You’re thinking again,” he says as we stand there next to the car.
“I wasn’t expecting you to leave just yet.”
“I know. Me either. You going to be okay?”
“Not until I deal with my mother,” I mutter. “I’m so upset with her, but at the same time, she brought you back to me, supposedly at the behest of my father, which adds a detail I’m struggling with. It’s all so damn confusing.”
“Kind of sweet and creepy at the same time, right?” He smiles, reading my mind, as usual.
“Is this how you get bad guys to confess?” I ask him. “By reading their minds?”
He chuckles. “Uh, no. That’s something I save for very special people.”
“Am I special?”
“You have to ask?”
“Yeah, kinda.”
“Shannon, come on. Haven’t we come further than this?”
“I hope so.”
“I have to go,” he says with a soft sigh, “but I’ll talk to you tomorrow, okay?”
“Okay.” I lean up and press my lips to his, silently praying this won’t be the last time, that my very convoluted and dysfunctional relationship with my mother hasn’t ruined everything before it even started.
* * *
I got back in the car and we head toward home.
The driver is dropping me off first and I struggle with the idea of sleeping alone in my apartment tonight.
I wanted to sleep in my bed but assumed Ace would be with me.
Now that he’s gone, the allure has faded.
Chains is still here in Cologne, and I’m tempted to call and ask him to sleep on my couch.
He would, which is the crazy part, but I hate being that needy. I’m determined to get past this even though it’s proving harder than I thought, especially now that Ace left.
“Are you all right?” Mom asks as we turn onto my street.
“I will be.”
“Is there anything I can do?”
“No. I just need to get some sleep. Why don’t we meet for breakfast in the morning?”
“Nine o’clock?”
“Sure.” I nod as we pull to a stop in front of my building.
The driver gets my suitcase, and I tell my mother I’ll see her in the morning.
I feel a twinge of guilt, even though I’m both annoyed with and disappointed in her.
She’s still my mother, though, and her intentions were sweet, even if her method was ridiculous.
I haven’t yet been able to process what she did to get Ace and me together, which makes everything feel strange.
I get my things upstairs and let myself into my apartment. Everything is the same but somehow different. Maybe it’s me who’s different, but it’s hard to tell. I kick off my shoes, put on sweats, and throw in a load of laundry.
I look through the mail Mrs. Winkelhofer left on the table in my foyer and toss it aside. I have nothing to eat in the apartment but I’m not that hungry. Mostly, I want to sleep, but it’s too early. If I go to bed now, I’ll be up at three or four in the morning, so I’ll wait a little while.
I open my purse and pull out the letter from my father. He told my mother to only give it to me if Ace and I were together. Which means we should probably read it together. Except he isn’t here.
Something I might have to get used to.
My phone buzzes and I smile at a text from him.
ACE: On the plane. Give Chains a call. He’s leaving in the morning but he installed an alarm system in your apartment while we were gone, so you might want him to show you how to use it. I’ll text when I land.
I smile and text back.
SHANNON: Thank you. Fly safe.
Then I call Chains. The sad thing is, I didn’t even noticed an alarm system.