living room. The woman is by the door, an oversized quilted handbag on her shoulder. “I can’t do this job after all,” she tells The Cure.
But The Cure is blocking her way out. “I specifically asked for you,” he says. “You’re the one I want here.”
And then I see it. It’s like Colt said. The jaw. The neck. It’s mine.
The woman glances up the stairs and sees me. “I just can’t.”
So she’s going to reject me again. I don’t have anything to say to that.
The Cure won’t move out of her way, so she whirls around to head toward another part of the house. I hear a different door slam. She’s gone out the back.
I return to Colt’s room and dash to the window. After a moment, I see her, walking along the road. She glances back periodically at the house like she’s afraid someone will follow her.
“What’s going on?” Colt asks.
I can’t believe it might be true. But it sounds exactly like something The Cure might pull. I turn around and lean against the sill of the window. “I think your father may have found my mother.”
Chapter Thirteen
“I was wondering why the hell we were training in Hawaii,” Colt says. “Are you going to go after her?”
I look out the window. She’s still walking, but now she seems uncertain. Then she stops and sits on a big rock at the end of someone’s drive.
“She left me in the hospital as a baby,” I say. “Why would I want to go after her?”
Colt shrugs. “To find out why?”
I sit on the bed. “I don’t know what to do.”
“Come here,” Colt says. He props himself up against a pillow and holds out his arms.
I crawl over to him. It’s such a relief to be able to curl up next to him without bed rails and tubes.
My head settles on his shoulder, and his arms come around me. He kisses the top of my head. “Why don’t you go ask my father about it? He probably knows her whole story by now. He’s stupidly good at uncovering anything you want to hide.”
There’s no doubt about that. Colt gives me one more squeeze and pushes me away. “Go ask.”
Purposefully seeking out The Cure. My favorite thing.
I head downstairs. The trainers are apparently staying somewhere else, as they are saying good-bye. “See you at the facility in the morning,” one says to The Cure.
Eve sits on a faded flowered sofa, looking like a queen visiting peasants.
The Cure closes the door. When he turns around, he sees me. “Got Colt all settled?”
“They put him upstairs? Really?” I ask.
“The trainers’ idea,” he says. “I like their style. They’ll get him back in shape in no time.”
“He’s barely out of the hospital,” I say. “And probably should still be there.”
The Cure shakes his head slowly. “No, he should have been out days ago. I’ve consulted with the best of the best.”
There is no arguing with that man. I stop on the last step of the staircase. “So, who was that woman you hired?”
The Cure glances over at Eve. She rises from the sofa. “Did something about her seem familiar to you?” Eve asks.
“Was it your idea?” I clutch at the rail. “Are you the one who found my mother?”
Eve walks over to The Cure and threads her arm through his. “Her name is Marianna. Geoffrey tracked her down. It wasn’t hard. Your birth records were in order, and she still goes by the same name. She moved here just two years after you were born.”
“And you hired her?”
“That was my idea,” Eve says. “I thought having you two in proximity might mean you would become friends first. I never thought you’d recognize each other straightaway.”
My legs feel wobbly, so I sit down on the stairs. “Colt did. He confused her with me.”
Eve lets go of her husband and sits next to me. “You’re a sweet and lovely girl. I’m very sorry if we overstepped. I thought it would go so differently.” She takes my hand in hers. “We don’t really need help here. We can manage on our own.”
“She’s a housekeeper?” I
But The Cure is blocking her way out. “I specifically asked for you,” he says. “You’re the one I want here.”
And then I see it. It’s like Colt said. The jaw. The neck. It’s mine.
The woman glances up the stairs and sees me. “I just can’t.”
So she’s going to reject me again. I don’t have anything to say to that.
The Cure won’t move out of her way, so she whirls around to head toward another part of the house. I hear a different door slam. She’s gone out the back.
I return to Colt’s room and dash to the window. After a moment, I see her, walking along the road. She glances back periodically at the house like she’s afraid someone will follow her.
“What’s going on?” Colt asks.
I can’t believe it might be true. But it sounds exactly like something The Cure might pull. I turn around and lean against the sill of the window. “I think your father may have found my mother.”
Chapter Thirteen
“I was wondering why the hell we were training in Hawaii,” Colt says. “Are you going to go after her?”
I look out the window. She’s still walking, but now she seems uncertain. Then she stops and sits on a big rock at the end of someone’s drive.
“She left me in the hospital as a baby,” I say. “Why would I want to go after her?”
Colt shrugs. “To find out why?”
I sit on the bed. “I don’t know what to do.”
“Come here,” Colt says. He props himself up against a pillow and holds out his arms.
I crawl over to him. It’s such a relief to be able to curl up next to him without bed rails and tubes.
My head settles on his shoulder, and his arms come around me. He kisses the top of my head. “Why don’t you go ask my father about it? He probably knows her whole story by now. He’s stupidly good at uncovering anything you want to hide.”
There’s no doubt about that. Colt gives me one more squeeze and pushes me away. “Go ask.”
Purposefully seeking out The Cure. My favorite thing.
I head downstairs. The trainers are apparently staying somewhere else, as they are saying good-bye. “See you at the facility in the morning,” one says to The Cure.
Eve sits on a faded flowered sofa, looking like a queen visiting peasants.
The Cure closes the door. When he turns around, he sees me. “Got Colt all settled?”
“They put him upstairs? Really?” I ask.
“The trainers’ idea,” he says. “I like their style. They’ll get him back in shape in no time.”
“He’s barely out of the hospital,” I say. “And probably should still be there.”
The Cure shakes his head slowly. “No, he should have been out days ago. I’ve consulted with the best of the best.”
There is no arguing with that man. I stop on the last step of the staircase. “So, who was that woman you hired?”
The Cure glances over at Eve. She rises from the sofa. “Did something about her seem familiar to you?” Eve asks.
“Was it your idea?” I clutch at the rail. “Are you the one who found my mother?”
Eve walks over to The Cure and threads her arm through his. “Her name is Marianna. Geoffrey tracked her down. It wasn’t hard. Your birth records were in order, and she still goes by the same name. She moved here just two years after you were born.”
“And you hired her?”
“That was my idea,” Eve says. “I thought having you two in proximity might mean you would become friends first. I never thought you’d recognize each other straightaway.”
My legs feel wobbly, so I sit down on the stairs. “Colt did. He confused her with me.”
Eve lets go of her husband and sits next to me. “You’re a sweet and lovely girl. I’m very sorry if we overstepped. I thought it would go so differently.” She takes my hand in hers. “We don’t really need help here. We can manage on our own.”
“She’s a housekeeper?” I
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