“I have.” He glanced at Darcy, a smile reaching eyes that were precisely the same shade of espresso as his mother’s. “Darcy is renting it.”
“Oh, how lovely,” Christine said. “I know Joshua was worried about getting a tenant with the upstairs construction.”
So they weren’t estranged, Darcy mused. She knew what was going on in his life. “It’s a beautiful apartment,” Darcy said. “The renovations were done to perfection, and we’re very happy there.”
“We?” Christine asked, looking from one to the other with unabashed interest.
“My dog, Kookie, and me,” Darcy explained.
Malcolm let out a deep sigh. “Of course the reno is perfection,” he said. “Joshua is gifted. He could turn a fishing shack into a resort. In fact, I’ve seen him do it.”
For some reason, the compliment really surprised her. With all Josh had said or implied, she’d expected ice from these two, but Mal’s praise was genuine. “I wanted my stepson to head a national remodeling program for Bucking Properties,” he continued, talking to Darcy. “With his talent, we could be the premier house-flipping company in the country, which would launch a whole new business for us.”
“Really?” Darcy looked at him. “You don’t want to do that?”
“Oh, no,” Malcolm answered for him. “It would mean working for Gideon. And Joshua would have none of that.”
“That wasn’t it at all.” Josh looked directly at the other man with a cool gaze. “And you know that, Mal.”
Immediately, Christine put her hand on her husband’s leg. “I bet these two are hungry as well as parched,” she said. “Can you please get Elaine to make some finger sandwiches? Oh, and cookies. As a matter of fact, why don’t you ask her to set up an early lunch on the patio? I know they’re stretched to the limit down there in the kitchen getting ready for tonight, but they can handle it.”
“We can’t stay, Mom,” Josh said. “We just have a quick question.”
“You can’t stay for the party tonight?” Genuine disappointment came through in the question. “Why, I assumed that’s why you’re here.”
“Party?” Josh’s whole body tightened so completely, Darcy could feel it a foot away. “No, we can’t stay for any party.”
“Joshua! It’s our twentieth anniversary party. Surely you got the invitation.”
“I did, but I totally—”
But Malcolm was already up. “You’ll stay, or you’ll break your mother’s heart.” He dropped a kiss on her head. “And I’ll go talk to Elaine and make sure your suite is ready, Joshua.”
“No, we can’t—”
But Malcolm was gone and Josh was left staring at his mother, who shifted her gaze to Darcy. “I’ll tell my stylist your size and have something for you to wear, dear. And Mal’s right.” She turned to Josh, her expression softening. “Honey, you break my heart when you fight with the man I love more than life itself.”
Josh closed his eyes like the comment hit its target. “We’re not here for a social visit, Mom, or to hear about why I don’t want to work for a man that doesn’t share my ethics or my last name.”
Christine flinched slightly and gave an apologetic look to Darcy before turning back to Josh. “What do you need? Money? I’ll arrange for—”
“Mom. I do not need money. I need Savannah.”
“Oh.” Her shoulders sank as she glanced at Darcy again. “I thought… Oh well. Sorry, but she isn’t my stylist anymore, for obvious reasons.”
At least his mother didn’t support the stepbrother-hopping Savannah had done, Darcy thought. Point in her favor for firing her.
“I need to reach her,” Josh said. “I want her signature on a piece of paper, ink or electronic.”
“Whatever for?”
He glanced at Darcy, the slightest warning in his eyes, but not so slight that Christine might not have seen it. But the other woman didn’t react if she had.
“She isn’t answering my messages or texts,” Josh said, pointedly not responding to his mother’s question. “So, can you reach Gideon?”
She frowned. “I think so, but the time difference would mean it’s the middle of the night in Singapore.”
So they were in Singapore. Darcy checked out Josh’s reaction to that, but there was none. “I don’t care what time it is where they are. I need to talk to Savannah and email her something today. Now.”
But his mother looked even more confused. “I can call him, but…” She angled her head and furrowed her brow. “What would make you think Savannah is with him on Bucking business?”
“Because he’s not on Bucking business, he’s…” Josh’s voice trailed off. “When did he leave?”
“A few days ago, on the Bucking jet. Yes, he’s on Bucking business, talking to a distributor. In fact, Mal was supposed to go, but a new board member called a meeting, so Gideon left New York and went on to Singapore in his stead. Why?”
“But Savannah is with him?”
She looked stunned at the suggestion. “Josh, Savannah is persona non grata around here after what she did.”
“What she did?” He choked on the words.
“Oh, she did it, all right.” His mother looked from side to side, as if some of the staff could be lurking about, and inched closer.
Darcy sat perfectly still, looking from one to the other, trying to figure out how much his mother knew about Savannah’s cheating and if that was why she was on the outs. Josh didn’t say a word, either, watching her.
“Savannah Mayfield is a liar and a thief,” Christine said quietly. “And you, Joshua, dodged a bullet when you broke up with her.”
“I know I did, and she is a liar, but I don’t think she’s a thief.”
Christina’s eyes flew open. “Her work as a stylist was merely a way to access the finer things that belonged to others, take them, then claim they’d been ‘lost.’ Malcolm’s mother has been losing jewelry ever since Savannah started visiting her and ‘offering’ her assistance free of charge.” French-tipped nails dug at the air when she made air quotes. “Brea and I have contacted everyone who’d hired her to warn them away, and she’ll never work anywhere in or around Charlotte or Lake Norman again. And to think I introduced her to you and all those clients.”
“Have you reported this to the police?” Josh asked.
Her jaw loosened as if the suggestion appalled her. “Certainly not. Bucking Properties does not need that kind of media coverage. No, we handled it the way we handle things.”
“By cutting out her livelihood and ruining her life.”
Christine drew back, horrified. “Are you defending her? I thought you told me you two were completely finished. Now I haven’t known why, but I suspect you discovered her true colors.”
“Yes, I did, but I honestly never thought she was stealing anything.”
She huffed. “Well, she was. And, frankly, I never thought she was right for you, and I think it’s fair to say my gut instinct was correct. Would you argue with that?”
“No. But I still need to talk to her, even by phone. I get voice mail when I call.”
Christine lifted a narrow shoulder. “I can’t help you.”
“You have no way to reach her?” He had the slightest note of desperation in his voice, which Darcy knew was for Stella, but Christine’s look of disapproval meant she interpreted the question differently.
“Absolutely not.” She gave a delicate sigh. “And I’m certain we’ll never hear from her again.”
Josh shook his head. “Then I have to talk to Gideon. Maybe he knows where she is.”
She looked confounded. “Why on earth would Gideon know where she is?”
So Mom was entirely clueless about what caused the breakup, Darcy mused. Maybe the problem with this family was straight-up communication. No one told anyone anything.
“Brea?” he asked.
“You can talk to Brea tonight.” Malcolm breezed back in, the timing making Darcy wonder if he’d been standing outside the sitting
room waiting for the perfect moment to make an entrance. “At the party that you will be attending.”
“No, we won’t be.” Josh stood and reached for Darcy’s hand. “We’ve got some business in town, then we’re leaving.”
“But didn’t you say you wanted Savannah’s signature on something?” Christine asked.
“I do, but—”
“William Mitchell will be here,” she said.
“Your attorney?” Josh asked.
“And the attorney we had Savannah use when she needed to sign some confidentiality agreements, not that she kept them. However, in the process, she gave him power of attorney in a far more sweeping way than she realized. Perhaps he can sign what you need in her place.”
Josh gave Darcy a dubious look. “Might be a stretch from non-disclosure to full POA, but it’s worth a try.” He tugged her to her feet. “I know where his office is.”
“It’s Saturday,” Christine reminded him.
“Then I’ll figure it out.” He moved like a racehorse itching to get out of the gate. He really did hate this place.
“Let’s try calling him in my office,” Malcolm said, stepping between Josh and Darcy to put a hand on his stepson’s shoulder. “We’ll be right back, ladies.”
Josh hesitated a moment, then nodded, obviously smart enough for Stella’s sake to take help no matter where it came from. When they left, Christine stood and reached out to take Darcy’s hands. “Please accept my deepest apologies for airing such ghastly dirty laundry in front of you, Darcy.”
She managed a shrug and a smile. “I’m the youngest of six. Our closets are full of skeletons and dirty laundry.” Although nothing quite on this scale.
“You’re kind. And beautiful inside and out. Seeing you with Joshua gives me hope that he can recover from the unhealthy relationship he was mired in with Savannah.”
Unhealthy because she banged his stepbrother. And Darcy wasn’t with Josh. Should she clear that up right now? But then, Josh hadn’t. Who could tell? There was so much damn subterfuge in this house.
But she couldn’t walk out without trying one more time to find out if Christine Bucking knew an easier, faster way to get that paper signed. A lawyer could take until Monday, and who knew if that would even work or if the man would agree to use the power of attorney for a dog’s medical situation? She had to push this.
“Mrs. Bucking, we really need Savannah’s signature,” she said, adding pressure to the other woman’s hands. “It’s important to…” Why hadn’t he told them about Stella? She exhaled and decided he must have his reasons and she didn’t want to step on them. “To both of us,” she finished.
Christine’s smile slid wider. “I was hoping that’s what this was about. Whatever…thing…Savannah signed—a prenup or relationship agreement or whatever they’re calling them—it can be undone, especially in light of her recent behavior.”
“Especially,” Darcy said dryly.
“Even if your relationship started before theirs ended.”
No. That’s where Darcy drew the line on bad communications. “Mrs. Bucking, I met your son days ago. We are not—”
She pulled Darcy closer, desperation turning her eyes nearly black. “Please. Please come to our party tonight, and I promise we’ll help you right then and there. Our attorney does whatever we say.” She added a laugh. “Which is nice.”
Darcy tried to ease her hands away, knowing Josh would refuse. “I can’t—”
“Do this mother a favor, dear.” She inched closer and gripped tighter. “I long for one thing and one thing only, and that is that my children—all of them—would be close and loving to each other and to my husband. Joshua’s coming home for this party is a major step in that direction. Help him see how much we love him, please? Help him get that chip off his shoulder that he’s been carrying around for twenty years.”
Was that even possible with all the resentment Josh harbored? And Gideon’s betrayal? Darcy searched her face, trying to determine if this plea was real and if she could help heal any of the wounds.
“He simply can’t accept that I truly love Mal,” Christine continued. “You marry a family, you know, not a person.”
“I’ve heard him say so.” And man, this family was a doozy. But could there be hope for it? Something in her wanted so much to help Josh unload some of that hate-filled baggage.
“Help me, Darcy. Help him see that Mal and I are forever. And help him where Gideon is concerned. He’ll be a happier, healthier man, and…” She lifted her brows and added a very knowing look. “Much better prepared for matrimony himself.”
Matrimony. Apparently she missed the we just met part. “We’re friends, Mrs. Bucking.” With dogs. Dogs they weren’t even allowed to mention.
Christine laughed. “I’d be blind and deaf if I believed that. Now, come back here in the late afternoon, enjoy a siesta in your suite, and I’ll send up a selection of gowns and one of Joshua’s tuxedos. The opening cocktail party is on the veranda at eight, then dinner and dancing until the wee hours. Such fun!”
Except, by the wee hours, Josh will have imploded.
“We’ll see,” Darcy said. “We still have a lot to do today.” Like get Savannah’s signature and find the name of the—wait a second! “Mrs. Bucking, do you happen to know the name of the vet Savannah used for her dog, Stella?”
She paled, and her face dropped to the dog paw logo on Darcy’s T-shirt. “I don’t, but whoever he was, I hope you seek another.”
“Why?”
“Because if it weren’t for him, that dog would still be alive.”
“Excuse me?”
“And if you ask me, and I know you didn’t, but if you did, I’d tell you that Savannah’s problems were probably caused by the medical bills for that dog. With Joshua breaking off from the company and turning down all family money, he couldn’t help her with astronomical vet fees.”
“For her eyes?” she asked.
“I have no idea what was wrong with that dog, but if it wasn’t one thing, it was another. I hated when she’d bring it to fittings.” She shook her head. “It’s in a better place.”
Yeah, it was. Waterford Farm. But what the holy heck was going on? Was Savannah a pathological liar, or was this whole family made of crazy?
“Bill’s unreachable,” Malcolm announced, coming into the room. “But his wife said she’ll see us tonight.”
“Where’s Josh?” Darcy asked.
“Probably in his truck. Kid can never get out of this house fast enough.” He sounded sad enough that Darcy felt compelled to smile and give them both warm handshakes, thanking them for their time.
As they said goodbye and she walked out, Darcy spotted Josh behind the wheel, staring straight ahead, anguish on every feature.
Her heart hurt for him. She’d never left home feeling that way.
Chapter Thirteen
Josh stayed silent as they pulled out of the circular drive, letting his heart rate return to normal before he even attempted to answer the many questions Darcy would have.
“I don’t know where to begin,” he finally said as he pulled out on the main road and headed south toward Savannah’s apartment.
“Oh, I guess you can start with why your parents don’t know Savannah cheated on you with Gideon.”
“Let’s get one thing straight,” he said, swallowing hard. “They aren’t ‘my parents,’ and I don’t like the term.”
“Semantics, dude, and you know it. Why don’t they know? Why won’t you tell them about the dog? Oh, and did you know that your mother thinks Stella is dead?”
He whipped around. “What?”
“Oh yeah.” She leaned back and propped her sneakers on the dash. “Do you mind? I feel the need to settle in for a nice big post-mortem from my first meeting with the Addams family.”
He laughed, something he couldn’t ever remember doing this close to that house. “Told you.”
“Oh, no,” she said. “You didn’t even begin to tell me.”
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He glanced at her, warmed by her very presence after leaving the hell house. “I wanted you to go in with no preconceptions, so I didn’t color your thinking.”
“Okay, my observations? One, your mom and dad—sorry—stepfather, but please let me use shorthand, because there’s so much to say.”
“Fine.” He ached to reach over and take her hand, longing to hold it while they talked about his family, but she had her hands steepled under her chin, tapping her fingers, organizing her thoughts.
“First of all, Christine and Mal love each other. That’s as plain as the nose on my face.”
He took a quick look at that nose, enjoying the way it tilted up a tiny bit and was peppered with freckles. “I don’t argue that point. They genuinely care for each other. Enough that they could rationalize the collateral damage of their union and wear blinders where Gideon is concerned.”
“Their union is a marriage,” she fired back. “And it’s real. And good. Your mom deserves it, because I think she’s got a good heart, and she genuinely loves you.”
He exhaled, turned onto the interstate, and considered that. “All true. No argument.”
“But none of you actually communicate, have you noticed? You talk around stuff, you let assumptions rule the day, and no one is honest. That’s why the family is broken.”
“Maybe.”
She snorted her response to his maybe. “And what’s with Savannah and Gideon?”
“They’re together, I’d bet money on it. If he’s in Singapore on business, she went with him, in the jet, no doubt.”
“Even though he knows she’s been accused of stealing things from clients? Why would he want her?”
“She was mine,” he said simply. “And that makes her infinitely attractive to Gideon.”
“Then why haven’t you told your mother she cheated on you with him?”
“Because I’m not twelve, and she didn’t take my side then, either.” He heard the bitterness in his voice and tried to tamp it down. “I’ve been the recipient of Gid’s resentment and jealousy for twenty years, and one thing I’ve learned is I will not be believed because he is a Bucking and I am a Ranier.”