A Hard Man to Love (15 page)

Call it cynicism. Realism. But no one was going to take advantage of her.

He picked up the phone and called his assistant. “I need an address,” he said. He gave her the name of the investigator, and within minutes, she called back with the address and the GPS coordinates.

A glance at the digital clock on his desk told him he had plenty of time to get over there before heading home. The day had been a bust anyway. He had spent the morning in the attorneys’ office signing a multitude of paperwork.

Once his uncles understood their allowances and the other advantages of the Hoffman name weren’t jeopardized, negotiations went a lot more smoothly. Knowing Phineas left his entire estate to a non-blood relative may have been a slap in the face, but common sense prevailed. After weighing the pros and cons, they decided forgoing the financial benefits in the short term for potential gain in the long term—which may not even come—was not worth it.

Derrick slipped into his coat and wished his assistant a good weekend. He certainly intended to have one. After four weeks, his baby girl was coming home from the hospital today. With Christmas around the corner, Eva decided to have a combined welcome home/Christmas party with the family. He intended to be there on time.

Right after he finished taking care of this little problem.

****

 “Sorry for the mess. We just moved in and haven’t had a chance to get organized yet.”

The investigator, Danny Jackson, grinned at Derrick and guided him toward a chair in his private office after telling his secretary to hold all calls.

I bet
, Derrick thought cynically, figuring the money he’d taken from Eva had helped to upgrade his offices.

A stack of boxes stood precariously in front of one wall between two file cabinets. The room smelled of fresh paint, and all the furniture looked shiny and new.

“Where’d you move from?” he asked in a conversational tone.

“We were up in the city of Lawrenceville, near the highway. Real convenient, but this is better.”

“Much better,” Derrick agreed, flashing a smile he knew would put the man at ease. “You can’t beat a Buckhead address. It means better clientele, although the rent must be killer in a place like this.”

Danny chuckled as he settled into the chair across from Derrick. His coffee-colored skin crinkled around the eyes. “Well, business has been good the past couple of months, and I expect it to get even better now that I have access to a certain ‘clientele,’ as you put it.” He folded his hands together on the large desk. “How can I help you?”

“You can start by explaining what’s going on with the investigation into finding my wife’s father. Eva Hoffman.”

“Ms. Hoffman! Yes.” He frowned. “Does she know you’re here?”

“Yes,” Derrick lied.

The other man’s smile faltered a bit. “I’ve always only dealt with her.”

“I’m taking over.” He crossed his legs. “I married an angel, but me—well, let’s just say people have used some colorful terms to describe me.” He pulled out a cigar and dragged it under his nose, inhaling the hint of vanilla and the aroma of the tobacco leaves. “Care for one?”

“I don’t smoke.”

Derrick cut off the tip. “Yeah, it’s a bad habit. I picked it up from my father, but it’s my one vice.”

He lit the cigar. Completely rude, but it established he was in charge and didn’t care what the other man thought. It was a calculated act to shift the power in his direction.

No more Mr. Nice Guy.

Danny recognized what was happening. The smile died on his face completely, and the radiance in his eyes dulled.

“As I was saying—my wife—she’s a good woman. She sees the good in everyone, even me.” He smiled, took a puff of the cigar, and blew the smoke out the side of his mouth. “I’m the complete opposite. I suspect everyone and everything. Trust no one, that’s my motto. So I’m here because I don’t trust you. Eva has paid you a lot of money, and you have yet to deliver any valuable information for her. Why is that?”

Danny laughed uneasily. “Well, I’m sure you can understand, Mr. Hoffman, that these things take time. I explained all this to your wife.”

“Explain it to me so I can understand. Because here’s the thing . . . For the amount of money my wife’s paid you, I’m sure you could have found the remains of Amelia Earhart by now.”

He swallowed. “I didn’t have much to go on to begin with, but I’m very close to finding her father. As a matter of fact, I’ve learned he was in the military.”

“Uh-huh. What else?” This time he blew the smoke across the desk.

Danny coughed and rolled back his chair. He snapped his fingers. “You know, you reminded me of something. I do have information for her. It recently came in. I completely forgot. I did happen to find . . .” His voice trailed off, and he bounced up from the chair. He unlocked one of the cabinets and withdrew a file.

With an anxious smile on his face, he walked over and handed it to Derrick.

“This is all of it?”

Derrick thumbed through the file. It held a few pictures, one of them of an older, dark-skinned man dressed in an army uniform who bore a striking resemblance to Eva. A couple of newspaper clippings, a photocopied birth certificate, and typed pages rounded out the package.

“Yes. Everything.” Danny stepped behind the desk. “Please let your wife know how happy I am she’ll finally be able to meet her father. It was a pleasure meeting you.”

“Wish I could say the same.” Derrick stubbed out his cigar on the desk, leaving a burn mark on the wood. “You need to find a new line of business.”

“A new line of business? This is my business.”

“You’re stealing people’s money. I can’t allow you to continue to do that. You have one week to close this place down.”

“What? I gave you everything! Who do you think you are? You can’t come in here and threaten me.”

“The art of intimidation, my boy, is to make your opponent believe every word you say. Look them dead in the eye and never flinch. Never let them see weakness.”

Derrick looked Danny in the eye without flinching. “I can, and I did. Trust me, you don’t want to tangle with me.”

After that pronouncement, Derrick rose to his feet and started toward the door. He stopped with his hand on the knob.

“If it means I have to buy this building and put you out, I will.” His icy stare didn’t waver, and even though he could tell by the rigid set of his mouth that Danny was furious, the other man didn’t utter a word. “You have seven days.”

****

Derrick entered the house to a flurry of activity. Eva had hired some help to decorate the house and grounds. Last count they had three Christmas trees, including a huge one out front. Other decorations included lights, holly, a couple of Santa Clauses, snow on the windows, and heaven only knew what else.

The scent of cinnamon and other delicious aromas filled the air, and the faint sound of Christmas carols came from the room in the back where he assumed the party would be taking place.

“There are my girls,” he said when Eva made an appearance with Violet in her arms.

She wore an early Christmas present he’d given her. The simple necklace had a diamond pendant, and with her hair swept atop her head, the matching diamond studs twinkled like stars in her ears.

“She got through eating about ten minutes ago,” Eva said, rising up on her toes for a kiss.

“Mmm.” He dipped his tongue between her lips and got a taste of ginger. “You taste good,” he said, going instantly hard. “How much longer?”

“We’re supposed to wait at least six weeks, which means we have a couple more weeks,” Eva reminded. He knew exactly how long the wait was. He had the date marked on his calendar.

“I don’t know if she’s worth all this trouble,” Derrick teased, looking down at his daughter. She looked warm and comfortable while she slept, bundled like a little ball against Eva in a pink outfit. Her skin had darkened to a golden hue over the past month.

“Stop.” Eva dropped a kiss to Violet’s cheek. “Roarke, Celeste, and Arianna are already here. They’re spending the night.”

“Okay.” Derrick pulled the folder with the information from under his arm. “I went to see Danny Jackson today.”

Eva grew still. “Derrick, what did you do?”

“Nothing. He gave me this file for you.” He opened it and showed her the papers.

“Where did all this come from?”

“According to him, this information recently came in. He planned to get in touch with you, but since I was there, he gave it to me instead.”

Eva stared down at the photo of her father in uniform. “I look exactly like him.”

“I thought the same thing.”

She looked up at Derrick with tear-filled eyes. “Oh my goodness. He found my father.”

He nodded. “After the party, we’ll review the file, okay?”

She nodded, too emotional to speak. “This is the best Christmas I’ve ever had,” she finally said, her voice filled with emotion. “My baby’s here, and she’s safe, and I’ll finally get to meet my father.” She reached up and gently touched his face. “See, Derrick, I told you. The world’s not all bad.”

“I know,” he replied. Then he said what he always did whenever she chided him about one thing or another. “Bear with me. I’m a work in progress.”

“I love you anyway.” She rose up on her toes again to give him a kiss.

“That’s all that matters.”

****

Within an hour, family filled the great room, everyone dressed in holiday colors of red, green, and gold. Hired servers circulated with hors d’oeuvres and drinks, and the instrumentals of Christmas carols poured from hidden speakers.

Derrick walked over to Roarke, who stood near the fireplace, watching the activity.

Roarke sipped his drink. “Well, how does it feel?”

He remembered being asked the same question months ago. “Pretty damn good.” He smiled and held up his glass. Roarke touched his against it.

Lucas Baylor, a good friend of Roarke’s, came toward them with Matthew following close behind.

“What’s in this?” Matthew asked, holding up a cup of steaming glogg. The mulled wine contained aromatic spices and several different kinds of spirits. “I’m a big guy. I’ve only had two glasses, and I’m starting to buzz.”

“Be careful. It’s some kind of secret Icelandic recipe Svana makes every year around the holidays. Don’t be surprised if you end up having to spend the night because you can’t drive.”

“I’ll let you know if I need to.”

Derrick looked at Lucas. “Who invited you to this family gathering?”

“Come on, I’m practically family,” Lucas said with a laugh. “I hate I couldn’t attend the wedding, but congratulations. Beautiful wife, beautiful baby. You’re a lucky man.”

“Thanks.”

“I just want to know one thing.”

“Oh boy. Here we go,” Roarke groaned with a shake of his head.

“No, I’m serious. I’ve been thinking about it ever since I found out Derrick was getting married.”

“What’s that?” Derrick asked.

“What the hell is going on with you Hawthornes? Three weddings in less than six months? Is it something in the water? If so, who’s next?”

All eyes turned to Matthew.

“
Hell
no!” he said.

Roarke threw his head back and laughed. “It’s only a matter of time, little brother.”

“There’s nothing you can do about it,” Derrick added. “One minute you’re going through life minding your own business. The next . . .” His gaze settled on Eva across the room. She sat in a chair holding Violet, and three family members crowded around her, smiling and cooing at the baby. His chest filled almost to bursting. “The next minute you can’t imagine your life any other way.”

The four of them fell silent.

“Well, it won’t be anytime soon,” Matthew said after a long pause. “Not if I can help it. But I’m happy for you.”

The sound of a fork hitting the side of a glass drew everyone’s attention.

Cassidy stood in the middle of the room. “Can I have everyone’s attention? I’d like to make a toast.”

The room filled with groans.

“I’ll be quick this time, I promise.” Her mouth turned down in a hurt frown.

“Somebody wake me when she’s done. I’ve heard that before,” Matthew said. “Antonio, talk to your wife.”

“Leave my baby alone,” Antonio fired back.

Cassidy bestowed an appreciative grin on her husband. “I’m so happy that we’re all here together like this. Derrick and Eva have a new baby, and Roarke and Celeste are pregnant.”

Next to him, a startled Roarke started coughing. When he caught his breath, he looked at Celeste. “I thought we weren’t going to say anything yet.”

“I didn’t.” She looked equally stunned.

“She didn’t,” Cassidy confirmed. “But I’m not an idiot. She didn’t have any glogg, and when I offered her some wine, she refused to have any. One plus one equals three.”

Derrick shook his head. Laughing, he patted his brother on the shoulder and joined in with the rest of the room in congratulating him and Celeste.

“As I was saying . . . I’m so excited. Our family’s growing. I want to make a toast to Derrick and Eva. Congratulations on having Violet. And keep ’em coming. I want more nieces and nephews!”

A chorus of “Hear, hear!” went through the room.

Derrick waited until the voices died down before stepping away from the fireplace and clearing his throat to get everyone’s attention.

“I want to make a toast, too,” he began. “To my wife, Eva, who loves me, despite my flaws. To my daughter, Violet, who will be on lockdown until she’s thirty.” The group chuckled. “And to my brothers and sister.” His voice thickened on the last sentence, and he cleared his throat again. The group fell completely silent, with only the soft sound of a Christmas carol playing in the background. “I’m glad we’ve grown closer over the past six months, and I want you to know how much I appreciate your support. To family,” he finished with a smile at them.

Everyone in the room raised their glasses. “To family.”

THE END

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