Chapter 9 #2
“There you go,” the younger woman said, handing us each a cup of tea. She was the new house mother, but had also lived in the orphanage herself, alongside Dianna and Nicholas.
“Thank you, Theresa,” the old lady said, taking a sip of her tea.
“Perfect as always.” The older woman exuded love, even her smile radiated it.
The type of person you would expect to take care of kids who had no one to do so.
She was the founder of Safe Harbor Children’s Home and had raised and taken care of many children in her lifetime.
Why were war veterans the only ones being thanked for their service when women like this existed?
This woman had been on active duty her whole life, fighting for and sculpting the future to be a better place, one kid at a time.
Because that’s what kids are, that’s what they represent—the future of humanity.
And her impact will continue to ripple far and wide.
How would Grayson have turned out if he ended up here, with a woman like this to take care of him?
“Now, children. Let’s talk about what you actually came here for.” Her voice was shaky with age, but sweet as honey, with a dash of mischief.
I had felt sorry for Dianna when I heard where she grew up, but seeing the woman that raised her I knew she had been fortunate.
“Dianna Grayson and Nicholas Varon,” Owen prompted.
“Aah, yes. My two little peas. That’s what I used to call them.
And then they were big and rolled their eyes when I did so.
” She chuckled softly at the memory. “But you are mistaken about Dianna's surname. Grayson was her father's surname. She was Dianna Starling, named after her mother. By the time her father was in the picture she got married and took the Varon name. Anyway… Nicholas was the first to arrive. Son of meth cookers. His parents were junkies too. Used their own product. His mother overdosed and his father died in prison when Nicholas was seventeen. But he had been living with me since he was four. He’d been with me for about a year when Dianna found us.” She smiled sweetly. “They were both five at this time. Dianna’s mom had died in a car crash, and they couldn’t find any family of the mother because the girl was a runaway.
She got pregnant very young, you see. I do not know more about Dianna’s family, but in college she managed to track down her father.
A man from a wealthy family who had no idea of her existence.
Dianna’s mother had been a mere summer fling, and he’d never seen the girl since.
A sad story, really. But it ended well. Dianna’s father and his family welcomed her with open arms.
“But let’s get back to the little peas. Yes.
Dianna was very scared when she first came to live with us and hid underneath a table the whole day.
We tried everything.” The old woman pulled her shoulders up.
“But the next thing I knew, Nicholas had coaxed her out and they were inseparable since. The best of friends. Nicholas was always fiercely protective over Dianna, and in return she kept him out of trouble. His voice of reason. They were so different, yet so alike. It’s difficult to explain them.
” The woman laughed. “And I always assumed that the older they got, the more varied their interests would get, the more they would drift apart, but that never happened.
They always found their way back to one another.
“When it was time for college, they both had to go their separate ways. Dianna went to an art school, a very gifted painter. And Nicholas went to business school. He was adamant to prove he was better than where he came from. His family’s reputation had followed him his whole life.
Anyway, they both came home over Christmas break and then something just shifted between them.
I don’t know if it was the time away from each other or what.
” She threw her head back laughing. “I caught them kissing under the old willow tree. I was shocked but couldn’t say I was surprised.
And I knew they would be good to each other.
They always were. And they continued to be good to us too.
As you can see, we’re still going, thanks to them. And their son.”
Owen sat forward, wanting to interrupt the lady at the mention of Grayson, but I squeezed his arm to let her continue. I wanted to know more about Dianna and Nicholas. To hell with Grayson.
“What happened to my poor Dianna…” The woman shook her head, tears welling in her eyes.
I felt my own tears spill over my cheeks.
I had always resented Nicholas for shooting himself and leaving Grayson all alone, but after hearing their story, I was admittedly a little less angered by his choice.
Had I not also felt that urge since Grayson left?
The old lady looked to Owen. “Have you found them yet, Agent? The men responsible?” She looked so hopeful. “Is that why you’re here?”
Gods. My heart broke. All these years she had thought the police were still looking for the sick men who had killed Dianna and Abby.
Owen shook his head, but I interrupted him before he could say anything.
“Nicholas and Dianna’s son found them. He made sure they got what they deserved,” I said thickly.
The orange tabby lifted her head at the sound of my voice, blinking away the sleep.
She gave a little meow and plopped off the old woman’s lap, jumping right up on mine.
She placed her paws on my chest and pressed her nose against mine in greeting.
I scratched the white patch under her chin, and she rubbed her head against my cheek, brushing away a tear.
Sweet little thing.
The woman nodded thoughtfully while watching her cat settle on my lap. “That’s good. Grayson is a sweet boy. I knew he’d make his parents proud.”
More tears escaped me. Grayson had always been under the impression that his mother would have loathed the man he’d become. He never said it out loud, but I knew.
“You’ve met him?” Owen asked, sitting at the edge of his seat, unable to contain himself anymore.
“Oh, yes. He came by a lot when he was younger, wanting to hear stories of his parents while he helped us fix things on this old house. He hasn’t come around in the last few years, but he still takes care of us.” She smiled lovingly to herself. “Such a sweet boy,” she repeated.
“And unbearably handsome too,” Theresa said, fanning herself. She leaned closer to me. “The smile on that man!” she whispered, fanning herself some more.
“I’ve seen it,” I said, trying to muster a smile for her. It still haunted me in my sleep. “Do you have a way of getting a hold of him?” I asked, beating Owen to it.
“No, unfortunately not. But maybe you could ask Mister Jeffrey, his neighbour,” Theresa said, not noticing how my heart had stopped. “He is in charge of the place.”
Owen and I exchanged a look while we held our breaths.
“He lives here?” Owen asked, barely able to keep his voice calm.
“Not permanently, no. But he still owns his parents’ vacation home. It’s by the lake. I can write down directions for you,” she said and quickly jumped to her feet, heading inside.