The Seacroft: a love story (Paines Creek Beach Book 2) (24 page)

Libby looked toward the door when a vehicle approached. “But for now, will you stay with me? That’s probably my father’s lawyer. Finn took the girls outside so I’d be able to meet with him about the will.” Her voice wobbled on the word “will.”

“Of course.” Vivian leaned over to kiss Libby’s cheek. “I’d be happy to stay with you.”

“I think he’s going to tell me that unless my unborn baby is a boy, I lose my childhood home.” Libby hiccupped a sob. “I still can’t believe my father did that to me.”

“Oh, no. Libby. Try not to worry. We’ll get you through this, I promise.”

The doorbell rang and an elderly black man stood with a folder under his arm. Vivian let him in, noting his Dockers and golf shirt. For some reason, she’d expected a suit and tie, but she realized she probably had dated expectations.

“Forgive the casual attire,” he said, as if reading her thoughts. “I’m Ray Stanton, Rudy’s attorney.” He came inside and nodded to Libby, who rose from the couch to greet him. “The hurricane destroyed our offices. It’s thrown us all for a loop,” he said. “So we’re stepping down formalities and meeting clients in their homes where possible.”

Vivian ushered him to an armchair. “Please, have a seat.”

Stanton thanked her and sat, opening his file. “First of all, Mrs. McGraw, I want to express my deepest condolences. This has been a hard week for everyone. We lost several community members in the storm. But I can only imagine that losing your father to a heart attack at a time like this is simply devastating.” He ran a hand over his close-cropped gray hair.

Libby couldn’t speak. She just nodded.

Vivian sat next to her and squeezed her hand, feeling waves of grief floating up from her own losses. Her father. Her brother. Her mother.

With a stab of panic, she realized she needed to check on her mother again, to try again to find out where they’d taken her. None of her calls had gone through so far, and she hoped and prayed it was a decent place.

Stanton gave a few more murmurs of sympathy, then got straight to the point. “Your father called me in last week to amend his will. He had a change of heart. He’s removed the clause about you needing to have a male child to inherit the house.”

Libby’s breath left her in a great whoosh, as if she’d been holding it in. She hiccupped a sob. “What?
Really?
”

“Yes. He told me that he felt badly about keeping the family tradition alive at your expense. He’d promised his own father that he’d only hand The Seacrest down to the eldest male child, and when he had no sons, he interpreted that to mean eldest grandson.”

Libby wept quietly into her hands. “I… I thought he didn’t love me.”

Stanton continued. “On the contrary. He loved you deeply. He told me so. That’s why he broke the two hundred-year-old tradition. He said you and your daughters are just as valuable as any male progeny. And he told me that he was sorry he worried you. I’m sure he would have told you himself, if he hadn’t taken ill so unexpectedly.”

“Really?” Libby raised a tear-stained face to his. “He said that?”

“Yes. He mentioned putting too much stress on you during your pregnancy, not wanting you to fret about the sex of the baby.”

Libby stood and looked out the window, trying to control herself. “Thank God. Because I found out last week I'm having another girl.”

Vivian smiled. “Oh, Libby! Congratulations.”

Libby turned with a hand on her belly. “She’s going to be a lively one. I can just tell.”

Stanton stood. “We’ll have lots of papers to sign in the coming weeks. You’re the executor, Libby, but it’s a straightforward will where the bulk of the estate goes to you. There’s a small inheritance for your housekeeper, Fritzi. We shouldn’t have to go through probate because your father had all his ducks in a row, so to speak. Just routine processing, but that takes time, too. We’ll have to pay all his bills, get his taxes ready for next April, etc.”

Libby nodded. “Okay. I’ll need you to lead the way. I have no idea what I’m doing here.”

“Of course.” Stanton briefed Libby on the next steps, and suddenly stood. “This is one of the more pleasant visits I have to make today. At least from the point of view of delivering relatively good news in a sad situation. Call it a silver lining, maybe?”

“I guess you could say that.” Libby walked him to the door. “Thank you, Mr. Stanton.”

He shook her hand. “Call me Ray. We’ll be seeing a lot of each other until the estate is finalized.”

“Okay. Thank you. And you can call me Libby.” They said goodbye and she closed the door, turning to Vivian with fresh tears welling in her eyes. “Now what do I do?”

Vivian ran to her side. “What’s wrong? I thought that was good news.”

Libby leaned her head on the front door. “What do I tell Finn? Do we leave the only place he’s ever loved to live in my old family home? Or do I give it all up? What would he do without his blueberry farm? He loves it so much here.”

Vivian tried to console her. “Don’t worry, I’m sure you can figure something out. Finn loves you. He’ll want you to be happy.”

Libby straightened. “I know. You’re right. I’m being ridiculous. In the face of all this tragedy, I should just be quiet and stop being such a prima donna.”

They wandered into the kitchen where Viv put on the kettle. “You’re not being a prima donna. You’ve just lost your father. And you’ve got some surprising news that changes everything. It’s understandable.”

The kettle shot out a whistle of steam, and Viv automatically reached for the peppermint tea, pouring for both of them. “I should tell you what happened this morning.”

“Oh, right. I’m sorry I didn’t even ask you about it.” Libby blew on her cup, cradling it in her hands. “How did Uvi take the news about your quitting?”

Vivian grew silent, unable to answer right away.

Libby waited, then frowned. “Viv? What happened?”

“Um. Uvi tried to kill us.”

“What?” Libby’s eyes widened and she set the spoon down on her saucer with a clatter. “Are you serious?”

“Unfortunately, yes. She forced us onto her boat at gunpoint.”

Libby reached a hand across the table. “My God, Vivian.”

The story poured out of her in a rush. She still couldn’t believe her own words, or that such insane events had actually happened.

“So, her husband’s alive? And Uvi’s in custody?”

“Yes. For now.”

“What if she’s released?”

Vivian raised her eyes to Libby. “I can’t even imagine that possibility. She’s crazy. Then again, she’s also a very good liar. She’s been acting out her fantasy for years. Pretending she’s still married, that Mr. P is overseas.”

“You can’t blame him for leaving her, if she’s really that awful. I just hope they keep her locked up.” Libby said. After a moment, her hands flew to her mouth. “Oh, that sounded awful. I should have said maybe she can get help that way.”

Viv sipped her tea. “I feel bad for her. I do. But I hate her at the same time, so I’d just as soon she stayed in some facility, to tell the truth.” She set her cup down. “She preyed on Cody, she took advantage of me, and then, when it didn’t go her way—”

“I wouldn’t feel too bad for Cody.” Libby smiled. “He’s always been a magnet for women. It’s that bad-boy grin, I think.”

Vivian gave her a half-smile. “And those eyes. I could just fall into them. Become a part of him forever.”

Libby reached a hand across the table. “You’re already a part of him, I think. He’s nuts about you.”

“You think so?”

“Yes. You’re the first girl he’s ever been serious about. Since he came here at age fifteen—I still can’t believe it was six years ago—he’s had a chip on his shoulder about his mother. I think she gave him a bad attitude toward women.”

“He’s never talked much about her with me. Or about his father.”

“Oh, his father. Jax.” She shook her head. “Talk about a rake.”

“A rake?”

“You know, a real bad ass. He stole Finn’s first wife, did you know that?”

Vivian nodded. “I heard a little about it.”

“They both died in that car crash. That’s how Finn found out she was cheating on him. That she was having an affair with his own brother.”

“Horrible.”

“And Jax impregnated some girls in high school. He told us they’d all given away the babies for adoption, or had abortions. But he never checked on them, never followed through to be sure. Because Cody’s mother moved away without a word, he didn’t know about his son. Didn’t know he existed. It was so sad.”

“Cody mentioned that. Poor guy. Growing up with no father.”

“And his mother was awful,” Libby said. “From what he’s told me, she didn’t pay him much attention as a child, and then went off and married a guy with six other kids. It drove him away from her. But luckily, it drove him to us.”

“I’m glad he came up here. He was so fortunate to find a home with you and Finn.”

“He was. And it was good for us, too. He’s a good man.”

Vivian’s eyes went dreamy. “Yes, he is. He most certainly is.”

Libby met her eyes with a secretive smile. “He asked if he could take you on a romantic ride after dinner tonight on the horses. Of course, that was before you almost got killed today.”

Vivian sat up straight. “Really? Actually, after the day we had, it would be nice to just get away for a while. That is, if you don’t need me.”

“No worries. I can handle my little ones tonight.”

“Thanks.” Vivian got up and hugged her. “Now, let me make a few calls. I’ve got to find out where my mother is.”

“Since Shady Pines collapsed?”

“Precisely. All my calls this morning didn’t go through. So I’m off to try again.”

“Try the police station. I’m sure they’ll know where people are being housed.”

“Good idea, thanks.” Vivian picked up the phone and started her search.

Chapter 45

Vivian hung up the phone and frowned. Her mother was being housed in the elementary school cafeteria with the rest of the suddenly homeless people in Brewster. She was sleeping on a cot in a wide opened room, with God-knows-who sleeping beside her. And wasn’t that the same place the doctor had said he was heading? That they’d set up some emergency clinic there? It must be a zoo.

Worried now, she went outside to find Cody and to get the car keys. She had to check this out for herself.

She flagged him down at the bottom of the hill and filled him in, trying not to notice his tanned bare chest covered in perspiration. He looked gorgeous, but she had to push the thought away.

Not now. For God’s sake, Vivian.

He fished the rental car keys out of his pocket. “Want me to come along?”

She eyed the work he was doing on the field, piling cut up logs and brush together for a fire. The laughter of little children floated down the hill. Apparently Finn was having no trouble entertaining his daughters.

“No. It’s okay. You keep on with what you’re doing, and I’ll be back soon.”

“Viv?” He stopped her. “I hope it goes okay. You know you could bring her back here if you think it would suit her.”

“Thanks. But my mother needs round the clock care. She’s not… herself.”

“Okay. Well, good luck.” He leaned forward to hug her. “When you get back, I’d like to take you for a ride on the beach. After supper?”

“Sounds wonderful,” she said, pecking his cheek. “Thanks.”

 Back at the top of the hill, she started up the Honda and headed for the village. The elementary school was located on Main Street, just a few miles away. She passed fire trucks pumping out basements and abandoned cars skewed along the roadside. With care, she navigated the rental around piles of sand that Delilah had apparently dumped on the streets and sidewalks.

The town looked the same, but not the same.

Some people walked along the roadsides, looking lost. Others shoveled sand into buckets from their driveways. Signs of the storm’s aftermath littered the streets, from shattered windows to overturned picnic tables, from children’s plastic slides laying upside down in the gutters to one lone cow munching grass in the front yard of an antique store.  

She turned into the drive for the school, holding her breath.

Please let her be okay.

Cars crowded the parking lot, and it took her a long time to find a spot to park on the grass beyond the asphalt. A dozen other drivers had done the same, so she figured it was okay. The last thing she needed was a parking ticket for a car rented under Cody’s name. And she hoped the local police wouldn’t worry about parking violations in the aftermath of the storm.

A dozen Red Cross vans sat on the sidewalk outside the entrance to the school, parked head-to-tail, with workers buzzing back and forth between the vehicles and the school entrance. Another truck had backed up close to the door, apparently delivering the equivalent of Meals on Wheels, based on all the carts of aluminum food trays they were unloading. She skirted the workers and wound her way into the reception area, looking for someone to ask about her mother.

Her head swam from the commotion inside the front hall. A medical team had set up a gurney and several desks full of equipment and supplies just inside the door.

When she approached, a nurse waved her away. “This is just for emergencies, Miss. If you need medical attention and you’re walking, you should follow the signs to the cafeteria.”

“But,” she said to the woman’s back.

The police attendant on the phone had told her that her mom and the other Shady Pines residents were being housed in the cafeteria. So, she followed the Red Cross signs down the tiled hall. Left. Right. Down a set of stairs. And then she smelled the aroma of institutional food, disinfectant, and unwashed bodies. Not a pleasant combination.

“May I help you?” An elderly woman in a white cardigan with a Red Cross nametag stopped her before she could enter.

“Yes. Please. I’m looking for my mother. She was evacuated from Shady Pines yesterday.”

The woman smiled and checked her clipboard. “Ah. Yes. We’ve moved most of them to the gymnasium. These folks here,” she gestured inside, “require serious medical attention.”

‘Thank you.” Vivian sighed. “How do I get to the gym?”