Gypsy Beach (25 page)

“I was only there once, your honor, sir!”
Upton squealed like a stuck pig. “And it was an honest mistake, my
forgetting to file that deed and all. Anybody can make a mistake,
your honor.”

“If it was an honest mistake, Upton, why were
you at The Gypsy Inn looking for this late Friday night, which you
just admitted to?”

“So, it was you that tore the place up while
we were in Atlanta?” Ryan leveled his cold glare on Ted Roby.
Mildly more intelligent than his partner in crime, Roby turned his
head and refused to answer.

“Don’t worry, Mr. McNamara. He’ll be talking
loud and clear when he’s put on the stands here in a few weeks. Ted
Roby, you are under arrest for breaking and entering, vandalism,
embezzlement by swindling, and just generally being an ass.
Anything you say will be held against you here in my courtroom.
Lock him up.” Judge Anderson ordered the cops standing by.

“And you, Upton, are under arrest for public
corruption, breaking and entering without permission or knowledge
of the legal homeowner, and aiding and abetting that yahoo.”
Anderson gestured towards Roby, who was being led out of the
courtroom in cuffs. “Maybe you could print all of that up on your
campaign flyers and wave ‘um around town. Get him out of here!”

“Sienna!” Evie’s sweet voice met her as she
turned the corner. She raced into Sienna’s arms.

“Hi, Evie, uh, is your mommy here?” She tried
to clear the terror from her shaking voice as she stood from Evie’s
exuberant hug.

“This is my mommy.” She grinned at the tall,
gorgeous, blonde that was glaring at her with enough snide acrimony
that Sienna was mildly concerned she was about to burn in effigy of
Ryan’s marriage from the flames shot from his ex-wife’s eyes.

“Oh,” was the only brilliant thing she could
come up with to say. “Uh, I’m Sienna Cooper. It’s very nice to meet
you.” She extended her hand to Alexa.

Alexa balked at a handshake and crossed her
arms over her very well-endowed chest instead. “Yeah, I recognize
you from all of the pictures Ryan had in his desk at work, his
bedside table drawer, and in his truck. Not that I cared,” she spat
viciously.

Sienna withered under her glare. She had no
idea what to say to that.

“Evie, go play with Granddaddy.”

“Can I go back to the beach with Sienna and
see Daddy?”

“Go now.” Alexa’s eyes burned. Her entire
face contorted in a vicious scowl.

“She’s going to need you more.” Sienna worked
up every ounce of courage she could muster and went on with what
she needed to say as she watched Evie quietly enter the hospital
room. “Every day. Evie’s going to get older, and she’s going to
need you more and more. I know, because my mom wasn’t exactly sure
that she always wanted me around, and I needed her more and more
every day. It’s a really hard thing. It has to be. Being there for
them every moment of every day and worrying about the when you’re
not there, but Ryan loves her so much. You have to see that.”

To her shock, Alexa lost just a little of her
wrath-fueled fire. “I don’t know what Ryan told you, but I have
tried to be a good mother.”

“I know. He never said you weren’t. He did
tell me about what happened. It sounded to me like you were really
both victims of parents that thought they knew best. I want you to
know that I don’t think all of that was your fault. And I know that
Ryan blames his parents much more than he blames you. None of this
is your fault, Alexa.”

Emotion shook through Alexa’s perfect body.
When her chin trembled, Sienna hoped against hope that they were
getting somewhere.

“Mr. McNamara, the deed that was issued to
Sienna a few weeks ago will be the only standing official deed.
I’ll see to it myself that it is beyond any other claim. Sienna
Cooper now owns The Gypsy Inn free and clear. If she were here, we
could settle this whole thing.” The Judge looked anxious to put the
entire matter to bed.

Ryan swallowed harshly. He had no idea what
to say.

Suddenly, Mac stood again. He’d slipped into
the courtroom when John had entered the plea of newly discovered
damming evidence.

“Don’t you worry about Sienna. She’ll be
back. I guarantee it.” Mac nodded to Ryan. “Gypsies go where the
wind carries them, but most time the wind knows just what it’s
doing. There’s a mighty breeze kicking up out there. I’d say she’ll
be here by this evening. She’ll be back. Mark my words, son. The
Inn’s hers, whether she’s here or not, right, Anderson?” He turned
his question back to the Judge.

“Yeah, Mac, it’s hers. The new deed was filed
when she paid the latest taxes. Guess it was good luck that she
didn’t end up in Upton’s office. Sarah Beth Henderson took care of
her so the deed is legal and binding.” Anderson nodded.

“Yeah, luck, I’m sure that was it.” Mac
winked at Ryan. “Ruth and Sarah Beth were always good friends. I’ll
bet Sarah Beth was pleased to see Sienna again.”

Ryan couldn’t help but grin. He clung to
Mac’s promise that Sienna would be back that afternoon, though he
had no idea where she might’ve gone.

“Yeah, well, my mama never did think I could
do much of anything on my own. I kept screwing up, so Ryan was
supposed to be the answer to all of that. I tried so hard to make
her happy. I just never did anything right.”

Sienna nodded her understanding. “I’m very
sorry.”

Alexa flinched from her vow. “Don’t be sorry
for me.” She rolled her eyes. “Not sure how I’m gonna survive now
that mama won’t be around telling me when to breathe.” She sneered
as she threw a glare towards her mother’s hospital room.

“You could have another chance, you know. You
don’t need anyone telling you how to live your life, and sometimes
the worst moments of our lives are actually opportunities. Another
chance to do something different. Do what you might’ve done if
things had been different. You can have the life you were never
allowed to live, Alexa. Ryan doesn’t want to keep you from that,
but he does want to raise Evie and be there for her every day.
Because I’m not sure you can have it both ways. If you have Evie,
everything is bound by those rules. You live off and on according
to what the court decides.”

A shivered convulsion worked up Alexa’s
spine. “I do love my little girl. I just… I just don’t ever know
what to do with her. I always do everything wrong. I hated being
married to Ryan. God, I don’t know how you stand him. I hate him
but I also hate everything that I did to him. Now, I’ve brought her
into this mess, and I can’t change it. Mama was always so convinced
that money would solve everything. She always told me that.”

She stumbled and managed to take a seat in
the waiting room before she began sobbing.

Sienna took the seat beside her. She was
going to do this. She had to.

“You can change it, Alexa. You’re absolutely
right: Evie is in the middle of all of this. It’s not your fault,
though. Ryan and I would like very much to raise Evie and keep her
with us, but that doesn’t mean that you don’t love her or that we
would do anything to keep you from her. It would mean that we can
all make the best out of this situation.”

Evie left her grandmother’s room and studied
Alexa and Sienna. She crawled up in her mother’s lap. Alexa broke
down in unrestrained sobs. “I love you so much, Evie. You know that
don’t you?”

Evie’s chin trembled. “I know, mommy. Sienna
told me that you love me very much.”

Alexa’s head raised in utter shock.

“Because I know that you do, Alexa. Sometimes
the most horrible part of loving someone so much is doing what’s
best for them, even though it hurts more than you think you can
ever bear.”

Alexa never dropped her gaze. “You swear to
me woman to woman that if I want to come to that stupid beach and
see her that you’ll let me sometimes. You promise me!”

“I promise. You have my word.” Sienna’s heart
flew. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

Still not certain she wasn’t dreaming, Sienna
drove her van behind Alexa’s Mercedes all the way to Buckhead. She
tried not to gape at what had once been Ryan and Alexa’s home.

“Here, and I expect those checks every
month.” Alexa signed the divorce documents as they were written in
the last negotiation. Ryan got full custody of Evie in exchange for
a very large alimony payment each month. Sienna nodded her
understanding.

Alexa shoved the papers into her hands and
helped Evie pack. She and Sienna promised repeatedly that Evie was
going to live with Ryan and Sienna at the beach, but that she would
get to see her mother whenever she wanted. Sienna checked the tiny
watch charm on her bracelet. She had to get back before Ryan sold
the house.

“Why don’t you just call him?” Alexa
scoffed.

“Oh, I forgot my phone again. I’m always
doing that.” Panicked that somehow her inability to remember her
cell phone might make Alexa rethink handing over her daughter,
Sienna forced her jaw shut.

“Here.” Alexa shoved her iPhone into Sienna’s
palm. “He’s listed as ‘Asshole’ on my favorites list.”

“Uh… thanks.” Sienna wasn’t certain exactly
what to say to Ryan. She stepped out of Evie’s massive bedroom and
debated as she traveled to the living room. There was a swingset
and playhouse in the backyard that Ryan must’ve constructed for
Evie. There were pieces of his soul all over the house. Sienna
couldn’t have them all, and she was okay with that.

She touched his given pet name on Alexa’s
phone, and hoped he wouldn’t be too angry with her for leaving.

“I’m not in the mood, Alexa. I’m coming to
get Evie tomorrow, so get her ready,” was Ryan’s terse answer.

“Hey, it’s me,” Sienna’s voice squeaked, and
she wasn’t certain he would recognize it.

“Sienna! What the hell? How do you have
Alexa’s phone?”

“Well, that all has to do with why I left
this morning. I’ll explain everything when I get back, just please,
please don’t sell your house! We need a place to live!”

“What? Where are you, Sienna? Just tell me.
I’ll come get you.”

“No, I’m leaving in just a few minutes. I’m
bringing you a surprise. Just meet me on the beach by the Inn. I
love you.”

“I love you, too.” Ryan sounded exhausted and
bewildered. Sienna was certain it was partly because of the loss of
the Inn, but mostly because of her disappearance. Guilt churned in
her stomach and clawed at her throat.

“I’m sorry if I worried you. I just had to
take care of this. I’ll see you in a few hours.” She ended the call
before he could demand to know where she was again.

Alexa helped her load Evie in her carseat.
She made several derogatory comments about the van, but Sienna
couldn’t have cared less. “Thank you for doing this.” She threw her
arms around Alexa, startling her. The hug was eventually
reciprocated before Sienna climbed in the van to take both she and
Evie home.

She smiled up at the clear blue sky. A wispy
daytime moon was evident on the horizon. Never predictable,
sometimes hidden away, but always there when it was needed, a Gypsy
moon to guide her way.

After spending the afternoon installing the
Viking range Sienna wanted, Ryan sat and stared out at the Atlantic
as the sun dipped its rays into the western waters. His feet dug
into the sand. His heart ached. Where was she?
She’ll be back by
this evening. I promise, son.
Mac had seemed so certain, but
Sienna was nowhere to be found.

“So, she said she had a surprise?” John
joined him on the shore. Ryan managed a nod. “And you’re sure she’s
actually coming back?”

The skepticism was eating at Ryan. Maybe he
wasn’t sure. Maybe he didn’t really know anything at all. He
shrugged. His vocal chords felt knotted within the mass that was
blocking his throat. He tried to swallow down the terror again. It
refused to be dislodged.

“Daddy!”

Ryan’s head jerked towards the sound, but it
couldn’t be. It was impossible. And there she was. Evie was racing
towards him with Sienna trailing after her, beaming at him.

“Evie?” Ryan scooped her up. His entire body
trembled in shock. Sienna raced to him, and he gathered her into
his arms as well. “But how?”

Sienna pulled away and wiped away a few
tears. “I found out that you were gonna sell your house to buy me
the Inn. I just couldn’t let you do that. I went to talk to Alexa,
and here.” She pulled a stack of papers out of her sling bag. “She
signed them the way they were last written. Evie is yours, all
yours, but I did promise that if Alexa wants to see her
occasionally that we would let her.”

She pointed to Alexa’s signature on every
page of the document. Ryan set Evie down lest he drop her.

Stunned wasn’t a fit description. He couldn’t
believe what he was seeing.

“You talked to Alexa and got her to agree to
this?” John was reeling. “I’ve been talking to her for six months
and it generally ends with her flipping me off and demanding more
money.”

Sienna giggled. “We talked, and she was as
nice as I think she’s capable of being. I have all of Evie’s things
in the van, but I promised that Evie would call her when we got
here.”

Ryan hadn’t quite managed to get his lower
jaw to reconnect with his upper. He stared from the papers to
Sienna and back again. “How… you… I don’t… wow. You’re… you’re
absolutely amazing!” He finally dragged her to him and kissed her
fiercely.

He fished his phone out, and after Sienna
requested that he change the title ‘blonde bitch queen’ back to
Alexa, he helped Evie phone her mother.

Sienna and Ryan sank down in the sand as the
sun gave off its last vestiges of light. “I guess we need to go
pack up the Inn,” she finally sighed.

“Why would we pack it up?” Ryan winked at
her. “I just got your oven installed.”