On the Line (36 page)

“No, baby.” Janelle laid her head on top of his. “This time is different. Richard
was dangerous, and we moved out of the house to stay safe. This is Kelsey’s house
and Nathan and Patrick aren’t dangerous.” She lifted her head and looked into her
son’s face. “Are they?” she asked, hoping to make him think about the differences.

Zach’s face scrunched but eventually he shook his head. “No, they’re superheroes.”

Janelle laughed. “I’m sure they’d love to hear you say that.” She lightly rocked
him back and forth as he scratched at his jeans.

“Will they be home soon?” he asked quietly.

“I hope so.”

Twenty-Six

Janelle’s eyelids felt heavy as she lifted them. She saw her cell phone sitting on
the coffee table in front of her and reached for it. The volume was all the way up
so she felt sure she would have heard it if it had rung, but she checked just in
case. She blew out a long breath when she saw her father hadn’t called or left a
message then glanced at the time as she set the phone back on the table. It was only
seven thirty. She hoped she could count on the kids being in bed for another hour
or so.

She lifted her head and noticed movement out of the corner of her eye. Kelsey was
sitting in an armchair, cradling a mug, and staring out of the bay window. “Morning,”
she muttered as she took a sip from her cup.

Janelle pushed herself up to sit against the arm of the couch so she was facing her
sister. “Morning.” She pulled the blanket over her legs and covered her yawn with
the back of her hand. Janelle noticed the dark circles under Kelsey’s eyes. “You
didn’t sleep well?”

Kelsey yawned then took another sip from her cup. “Hardly at all.”

“Coffee?” Janelle pointed to the cup in her sister’s hands. Kelsey nodded and Janelle’s
mouth watered for the bitter brew. She was about to throw her feet over the edge
of the couch when she saw Nancy walking toward her from the kitchen, two identical
cups in her hand.

Nancy had shown up within an hour of Janelle’s phone call the night before. She had
been the sisters’ shoulder to cry on. She’d helped keep them calm, but in their moments
of silence, all three of them had stared at their phones. They’d all been waiting
for that phone call from George or from Mason, telling them what was going on at
the police station.

That call had never come.

“Kelsey said you like it with a little bit of sugar and a splash of milk,” Nancy
said as she handed a cup to Janelle.

Janelle nodded and took a sip. The coffee slid down her throat like velvet and she
savored the sweet aftertaste on her tongue. “Thank you.”

Nancy sat on the other end of the couch, at Janelle’s feet. “Did I do it right?”
she asked.

“It’s perfect,” Janelle answered with a smile. “You’re here awfully early. Did you
go home last night?”

Nancy shook her head and placed her mug on the coffee table. “I thought I’d stay,
just in case your dad called you or Mason called me.” She gave Janelle a small smile.
“Besides, you looked restless and I thought I’d stay close in case you needed something.”

Janelle’s heart lifted and she felt the urge to cry . . . again. She felt like she’d
fluctuated between anger and tears, sometimes angry tears, since Nathan had been
arrested. She hated feeling so weak and helpless, but until she knew what was going
on, there was nothing she could do.

She blinked her eyes furiously and took a sip of her coffee, hoping the other women
wouldn’t notice her threatening flood.

There was a knock on the door, and Janelle met Kelsey’s eyes over her mug. Kelsey
shrugged and Janelle lowered her cup.

“I’ll get it.” Nancy was on her feet and walking around the couch before Janelle
could process what to do next.

Janelle turned to watch Nathan’s mother open the door.

“Hi, I’m looking for Kelsey Morgan. I hope this is the right house,” came a gentle
voice from the other side of the screen door.

“Elizabeth?” Kelsey set her coffee down and jumped to her feet.

The screen door opened and the other woman stepped into the house. Janelle had a
vague sense of déjà vu. The woman was wearing jeans, a plain white T-shirt, and a
lavender cardigan, her blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail, but Janelle was
sure she’d seen that face before. She looked remarkably like the woman Patrick had
taken to the premiere she’d watched with Kelsey in December, just before he and Kelsey
had started dating. That woman had been Patrick’s sister, and Janelle wondered if
she was currently looking at his mother.

“Kelsey, darling,” Elizabeth said as she wrapped her arms around Kelsey. “It’s so
good to see you again.”

“What are you doing here?” Kelsey asked as she broke the hug. “You didn’t have to
come.”

“My son is in jail, you need my help, why do you think I’m here?” Elizabeth wiped
a tear away from Kelsey’s cheek, a very maternal gesture. “I couldn’t let you go
through this alone, so I came with Mitch, Patrick’s lawyer. I dropped him off at
the police station and drove myself here. Your father was kind enough to give me
the address. He’s such a darling man. He reminds me of you.” Elizabeth paused in
her rapid chatter and smiled widely at Kelsey then turned to Nancy. “Are you her
mother then?”

Janelle laughed once and Kelsey’s chin dropped slightly as her lips turned up. If
only.

“No, I’m Nancy Harris. Nathan’s mother.” Nancy held her hand out and Elizabeth took
it.

“Elizabeth Lyons. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Nathan?” Elizabeth’s brow wrinkled
as she tapped her lower lip with her finger. “He’s the one who was arrested with
Patrick?” She looked at Kelsey. “Is he still involved with your sister?”

Kelsey nodded and motioned toward Janelle. “This is my sister, Janelle.”

“Oh,” Elizabeth sighed as she approached Janelle. “You poor dear.” She wrapped Janelle
in a floral scented hug. “You’ve been through so much already, and now we have to
add this to the pile.” Elizabeth pulled away and gripped Janelle’s upper arms. “Don’t
worry.” She looked at Kelsey. “Either of you. Mitch is one of the best lawyers we
know, and he spent the entire flight brushing up on Virginia law, just in case. Imagine
my shock when we found a whole team of lawyers already there.”

“My second son is a lawyer, as well as their father,” Nancy said after she closed
the door. She walked to stand between Janelle and Kelsey so she could face Elizabeth.
“Neither of them is defending Patrick or Nathan, better safe than sorry as far as
conflict of interest goes, so they each have some of their law partners with them
to handle the brunt of the work. Mason and George have taken on more advisory roles
so they can keep us updated with what’s going on.”

Elizabeth’s hands fell to her side. “Well then, I’m sure our boys are in great hands.”
She smiled, but Janelle noticed for the first time how brittle her smile appeared,
like if someone poked her in the right place she might shatter.

“You must be tired,” Janelle offered. “It’s only almost five in the morning in California.”

“Yes, Elizabeth,” Kelsey stepped forward and took her hand. “We have a spare room
upstairs. We can fix it up in a flash if you’d like to lie down.”

“Oh, no, dear.” Elizabeth shook her head. “I’m exhausted, but I just don’t think
I can sleep until I know what’s going on. Your father said he’d be here soon to explain
everything.”

“Can I get you a cup of coffee then?” Nancy asked.

“That would be heavenly,” Elizabeth replied and Nancy motioned for her to follow,
picking up her own cup of coffee on the way.

The two older women walked into the other room, and Kelsey moved closer to Janelle.
They watched the mothers of the men they loved in the kitchen, Elizabeth sitting
at the island as Nancy flitted around, first pouring a cup of coffee for the newcomer,
and then starting a new pot to brew. Janelle felt warmed by the sight. Elizabeth
had been a little overwhelming, but Janelle could sense the deep concern she had,
not just for Patrick, but for Kelsey as well. It was almost a relief to know that,
should things continue to progress with Patrick, Kelsey would finally have a mother
who would care about her the way a mother should.

“She’s more worried than she wants to let on,” Kelsey said as she looped her arm
through Janelle’s.

“I figured,” Janelle murmured.

“Patrick says the more nervous or scared she is, the faster she talks. He said when
her father was really sick they had to make her write everything so they could understand
what she was trying to say.” Kelsey said tenderly. “He said it . . .”

Janelle looked at her sister’s face when she choked on the words. Tears slithered
down Kelsey’s cheek, and Janelle pulled her arm free from her grip so she could put
it around her shoulder.

“They’ll get off, Kels.” Janelle kissed her sister’s temple and lowered her lids
against the sting in her own eyes. “They didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Somebody thinks they did,” Kelsey sniffled and stepped away from Janelle. She turned
her back on the kitchen and wiped her face with her fingertips.

“Somebody is wrong,” Janelle said softly.

“Does that really matter anymore?” Kelsey walked toward the large bay window and
sat on the edge of the window seat. “When this gets out, what will this do to his
reputation? Never mind that he did what he did to save Zach’s life.”

Janelle waited for her to continue, surprised when she didn’t. “And yours,” Janelle
added for her as she sat on the seat, facing her sister.

Kelsey pressed her lips together. “Yes, and mine,” she agreed softly. “I should have
known better than to put myself in that situation. He never should have had to follow
me. He shouldn’t have risked his life for me.”

“Kels.” Janelle took Kelsey’s hands and squeezed. “He loves you. He would do anything
for you.”

Kelsey looked at their clasped hands. Her brow crinkled and her jaw tightened. “Do
you realize that we only met eleven months ago? We really only started to get to
know each other just over seven months ago. And, without being asked, he risked his
life for me and for Zach and scared me in the process.” Her voice cracked, and Janelle
watched her throat bob up and down. “Eleven months, Janelle, and I can’t imagine
my life without him in it.” Kelsey met her sister’s gaze and frowned. “It’s terrifying
and exhilarating at the same time. I was terrified he’d wise up and not come back,
and when I was in his arms last night, the high was so high I thought I could touch
the moon.”

Janelle smiled softly. “I haven’t seen you that happy in a long time.”

“I haven’t felt that happy since he left,” Kelsey agreed and began to shake her head.
“And now he’s in jail for his good deeds. He could go to prison, and I don’t know
what I’ll do without him.”

Janelle pulled her sister into her arms and hugged her tightly. “I know exactly what
you mean,” she murmured, and Kelsey slid her arms around Janelle. “I’ve known Nathan
practically our whole lives, but I’d never realized how much he meant to me until
we were separated. I always took him for granted until he wasn’t there anymore.”

Until he’d come back into her life, she hadn’t realized how lost she was
without
him. Sure, she’d been able to manage everything, taking Zach to therapy, helping
Zoe through the day-to-day, dealing with Kelsey’s mood swings, and even handling
her mother. But when Nathan was there, things seemed easier.

He took some of the burden from her. He would play with the kids so she and Kelsey
could chat. He’d stay and help Kelsey with Zoe while she and Zach were at therapy.
He’d stood up to her mother. Just knowing she could count on him, without having
to ask him, had made the past few weeks go much smoother than the weeks immediately
after Richard’s death.

“I’m not sure I want to think about him being gone again, Kels.” Janelle had always
had a little comfort before, knowing that if she really needed him, she could pick
up the phone. If he ended up in prison with Patrick, that wouldn’t be an option.

Kelsey sat up and narrowed her eyes out the window. “Dad’s here.”

Janelle felt a chill run down her spine.

Twenty-Seven

Janelle reached the front door as George and Mary climbed the last step onto the
porch. Her father looked ragged, his five o’clock shadow was thick, and he was wearing
the same clothes as the night before. He met her gaze and his frown deepened as they
approached her.

“May we come in?” he asked as they came to a stop in front of Janelle.

Janelle stepped aside to let them in. She closed the door and leaned against it as
she surveyed the scene in front of her. Kelsey remained in the window seat; Elizabeth
had replaced Janelle beside her. Nancy stood against a column that separated the
kitchen from the foyer. George and Mary had stopped in the middle of the foyer; Mary
had her head down, her arms folded across her stomach.

“Can I get either of you coffee?” Nancy asked.

“Yes, please,” George answered and turned to Mary. She nodded and he looked at Nancy.
“For both of us.”

Nancy turned and took a step toward the kitchen.

“Actually, could you take it into the dining room for us, Nancy?” George added. “I
think we should all just gather in there.”

Kelsey met Janelle’s gaze and slowly rose from her seat as George led Mary into the
dining room. Janelle walked around the couch and picked her cup up from the coffee
table as Kelsey did the same, then followed Kelsey and Elizabeth into the dining
room.

Nancy had already placed the pot of coffee in the center of the table, along with
the sugar and milk. George was standing behind his usual chair at the head of the
table while Mary was sitting in the seat to his right. Elizabeth took the seat beside
Kelsey, and Nancy stood behind the chair next to Janelle.
Once everyone was settled
around the table, George looked at each of the women in turn, took a deep breath,
and gripped the back of his chair.