THE GREAT BETRAYAL (19 page)

He feigned interest. “Oh, really?”

“Yes. Her birthday was on the eleventh and I sent her a couple of online gift certificates.”

“That was thoughtful of you.”

“Thanks,” she replied, winking.

They were in Luke’s car, driving back from taking Kate to a sleepover with a friend from school, Holly Samson. They now had the house all to themselves.

“You know,” said Leslie, changing the subject. She must’ve sensed his discomfort. “I have some vacation time. Let’s go somewhere…How about we take a trip to Acapulco? Or the Bahamas?”

Luke thought about it. “Would we bring Kate along?”

“No, no, no—this is just for the two of us. I’m sure Dawn wouldn’t mind having Katie stay with her while we were gone. We could go for a week, maybe even two.”

“I don’t know. Things are pretty busy right now. Evan and I have several university seminars and lectures lined up, and don’t forget the Silver Towers Complex,” he said, referring to the pavilion his firm, Kateslie-Evans Architects, Inc., had envisioned and designed, and were in the process of erecting. “I’m keeping a very close eye on that project.”

“Are you telling me that Evan can’t keep the wheels spinning for you so you can have two weeks’ vacation with your wife? You could always keep in touch, Luke. Bring your laptop even…just come away with me. Let’s go have some fun.”

“
Aunt Dawn? How come you live all alone? All by yourself?”

Luke and Leslie had taken off for the Bahamas, and Dawn had just picked Kate up from her friend Holly Samson’s house, where she went after school. They had stopped off at Papa John’s to get pizza for dinner.

“Well…” Dawn said, caught off guard, “I like living alone, pumpkin. And I have my husband, Michael, with me, so I’m not really all alone.”

“Michael? But isn’t Michael dead?”

What in the
…? Dawn took a deep breath.

Goddamn it
. Was the kid taking lessons from her mother on ways to rub it in? “Yes, Katie, he died a while ago, but he’s still alive to me. I keep him alive in my heart.”

“Oh,” Kate replied, her forehead relaxed with understanding. “Is that why you have his pictures up everywhere?”

“Yes, it keeps his memory alive.”

“So how come Mom doesn’t keep pictures of her dead husband around?”

Dawn couldn’t help a chuckle. “Well, I don’t think your dad would appreciate that, do you?”

Thinking about it, Kate should her head. “Probably not. He might get jealous! Like Bobby Franco got jealous when I drew a picture of Scott Gallagher in class!” She giggled.

“You like Scott Gallagher?”

“Yeah, he’s cute.”

“Does he like you?”

Kate shrugged. “I don’t know. Holly says she likes him too, but I don’t want him to like her. I want him to like
me
.”

“Don’t you think you’re a little young to want boys to like you?”

Kate blushed.

Smiling, Dawn tousled her curly, blond hair. “Don’t worry, squirt. Your secret’s safe with me.”

Chapter 36

Memphis, Tennessee

“
Daddy and I would prefer if you didn’t, Grace…and we’re only trying to look out for your best interests here.”

Grace smiled at her mother. “I know, Mom. I just really wish you guys could understand why I’d like to get to know her some.”

“But what if you end up getting hurt, or let down?” her father, Billy, said, shifting on the sofa. “Remember
she
didn’t get in touch with
you
. If your grandmother hadn’t tracked her down and gotten in touch with her, she’d still be down there in Florida sittin’ pretty with her new life. Doesn’t that count for anything, Gracie?”

“Look, I know all that. But…she called, didn’t she? She remembered my birthday and she sent me gifts. Doesn’t
that
count for something, at least?”

“She sent you gifts?” Beth asked, her eyes widening in surprise. “Well, when was this? What’d she send you?”

“She sent me a thousand dollars in gift certificates. I thought it was really nice of her.”

“Nice of her?” her father thundered, now very angry. “
Nice
of her? How nice of her was it when she ran off and left you here in Memphis without so much as a phone call to see if you’d had SIDS, or gotten smothered in your sleep or something? Not one phone call in fifteen years, and now a gift certificate and a few apologies are supposed to erase all that?”

Her mother started to cry.

“Think, Grace,” said Billy, quieting down. “She didn’t try to find you.
She
did not contact
you
. For all you know—for all any of us knows—she probably never would have.”

Grace turned her head and she, too, started crying. She stared down at the living room carpet. It became a blur.

Needless to say, her dad’s words stung. They were too true. What
would
have happened if Grandma Ingrid hadn’t contacted Leslie? The question had been haunting Grace since meeting her birth mother.

What if Leslie Cavanaugh
hadn’t
gotten that call? How long would Grace have remained in the dark?

Grace had fantasies about it. She liked thinking that her grandmother had simply beaten Leslie to the punch. That she’d just been waiting for Grace’s sweet sixteen to make contact, or to call and check up on her. That had to be it. It simply had to be. She seemed like such a nice woman. She had only been waiting for the right time…

Right?

That night, while lying across her bed clutching printouts of Leslie’s e-mails, Grace made the decision.

Her parents would just have to understand. She was in no way ungrateful for what they’d done for her, and she would never do anything to hurt them. She loved them very much, and nothing would ever change that.

But something inside was calling out to her real mother. Something organic and strong. She
needed
a connection with her. Needed to know who she was. Needed to somehow become a part of her life.

Grace remembered the beautiful woman that was her “real” mother. The way she smiled. The way she held her head to one side as she listened. The expensive clothes, the regal air about her. The unforgettable laugh.

She remembered Leslie Cavanaugh.

Her mother.

Chapter 37

Abaco, Bahamas

They were in paradise.

Their travel agent had found them a hideaway on a bluff high above the Atlantic Ocean. Bluff House Beach Hotel was the perfect place for Luke and Leslie to seclude themselves for a period of rest, relaxation, and intense lovemaking.

They occupied a private villa nestled among beautiful hibiscus, chrysanthemums, and exquisite landscaping.

There was no television. No distractions. Just a beautiful private beach, breathtaking sunrise and sunset, and the two of them—alone for ten fun-filled days and ten sex-filled nights.

Luke had brought along his laptop, but as he’d promised, he kept his use of it to a minimum, which was likely due to the fact that Leslie used his computer time to shop at the hotel’s attractive boutiques. Sometimes she’d even rent a golf cart and go cruising through town, sightseeing. Somehow, she always managed to find a shop with some great, unique trinket she simply
had
to buy.

Hence, Luke was sure to keep his work time to a minimum.

“
What do you think about having another baby?” Luke asked one night after they had made love. They lay listening to the rhythmic whoosh of the ocean waves lapping the shore. Her back was tucked snugly against his chest. “I’d love a son.”

Leslie turned in his arms, her fiery hair framing her face. “I’m thirty-five now, Luke. I think I’m past the bottle-and-diaper stage. And look at you,” she said, smacking his bottom. “You’ll be forty next year.”

“
Forty-year-old men have babies all the time, Leslie…and so do forty-year-old women, for that matter.”

She laughed. “Yeah, and when the kid’s ten, they’re fifty! Um, no, thank you. If you wanted a son, you should’ve spoken up a couple of years ago. I’m over-the-hill now.” She kissed him. “Sorry—can’t fill that order.”

“
Well, you never know,” Luke murmured against her lips. “We’ve been screwing like minks—it could happen.” He cupped her breast, gently rolling the nipple between his fingers.

“
Hmm…” Leslie sighed, her thighs parting for another round. “Yeah…I suppose it could.”

It was the perfect getaway. And they felt closer to each other than ever before. Their spending this time completely alone together had been just what their marriage needed.

Luke forgot all of his fears and insecurities regarding Leslie’s reasons for marrying him. And Leslie’s anxieties and worries over losing Luke to the secrets of her past disappeared. They couldn’t have been more satisfied and relaxed with each other.

That is, until they left the magical island of Abaco, and returned home.

West Palm Beach, Florida

The delicate truce was ruined in short order.

Their return from the Bahamas ushered in the return of the fears and insecurities, back to gnaw away at Luke’s trust in Leslie—and Leslie’s faith in Luke. Now the waves of peril threatened to drown the family.

Upon their homecoming, Leslie received another e-mail from Grace.

She wanted to visit her father’s—her real father’s—burial site, and she was asking Leslie to accompany her. She wrote:

I already got my parents to understand why I have to do this. I guess I need to fill in the blanks so I’m sure I know who I really am, you know? My mom offered to go with me, but I told her it was a trip I needed to make with you. She didn’t understand that at first, and it still hurts her feelings and I’m sorry for that, but she’ll see that it won’t change anything between us. She’ll always be my mom. Do
you
understand it? I hope I’m making sense.

Anyway, would you be willing to take me to Clearwater? Or I could fly there directly and we could meet at the cemetery? I hope it’s not too much to ask, but I’d really like to visit him.

Sincerely,

Grace

“
I don’t like it,” said Luke stiffly.

Leslie had gotten hold of him on his cell phone to read him the e-mail.

“
What difference does it make,” he asked, “whether she goes with you or with her mother?”

“I
am
her mother, Luke.”

“Yeah? Since when?”

That stung. Leslie hung up the phone.

Later, shortly after tucking Kate in, Leslie took a bath and went to bed early. Luke was downstairs working in his office. They had been very cool with each other the entire evening, and naturally Kate had picked up on it. It amazed Leslie how perceptive her daughter was.

At dinner she’d asked, “Are you and Daddy mad at each other again?”

“No, honey! What would make you think that?”

“Nothing,” she’d replied, but her downcast eyes and body language said otherwise. But neither Leslie nor Luke had had the heart to take the issue any further.

Now, as she lay in bed with a Tess Gerritsen paperback, Leslie thought about Grace’s request.

Could she do it? Could she actually visit Jeffrey’s grave? She wasn’t sure.

In all the years since he’d been gone, the thought had never so much as crossed her mind. She’d never once thought of going within ten miles of Clearwater, much less going anywhere near Jeff’s grave.

But things needed to be different now, didn’t they? At least for Grace’s sake.

“
Listen, I’m sorry about today.”

Leslie jumped at the sound of Luke’s deep voice. She hadn’t heard him come into the bedroom.

“
I guess I’m not a hundred percent used to the idea of…well, you know…” He trailed off, clearing his throat. He looked at her. “To be honest, I don’t know if I ever will be.”

Leslie closed the book, placing it on the nightstand. “So, what exactly are you saying?”

“
I’m just saying that it’s a tough pill to swallow. Here we had our nice little china shop and your past comes crashing through like a bull—destroying everything.”

“
Luke, didn’t our time in the Bahamas mean anything? We talked so much about all this. About my feelings for Grace…and even for Jeffrey. I thought you understood. I thought we’d achieved some sort of”—she waved her hand around, groping for the right word—“I thought we’d reconciled this.”