“There were more important things to talk about.” Jasper glanced at Delaney. “I wanted to see Charlotte, of course. But also, I saw a selfie on Violet’s Instagram that looked like it was taken in Driftwood. I happened to be in DC, so I thought I’d swing by, see if she’s giving you any trouble.”
“Violet?” Noah frowned.
Who was that? Before she could ask, Jasper explained. “Charlotte’s mother.” He spoke to Noah again. “I reached out to her, but she laughed me off, told me she was outside New York City. But…” He shook his head. “The leaves have fallen in New York, but in the photo, they’re still in full color on the trees. Maybe she took the picture a while ago, but it looks so much like the park.” He pulled out his phone and swiped through several pictures before finding what he wanted. “Here.” He showed the screen to Noah. “Doesn’t this look like Driftwood?”
Noah leaned forward, and his eyes widened as he stared at the photo.
“What’s wrong?” Jasper asked.
“Show Delaney.” His voice was tight.
Jasper handed her the phone, and Delaney’s stomach dropped at the image of the curly-haired woman smiling at the camera, Driftwood’s town square in the background.
“That’s Heather.” Her voice was barely a whisper as betrayal mixed with her few sips of coffee, souring her stomach.
Jasper’s brow furrowed. “Who’s Heather?”
“We met at the park.” Delaney’s mind raced to make sense of it. “She approached me when I was with Charlotte. She said she was new in town. I thought…I thought she was my friend.”
“Remind me,” Noah said. “When was the first time you saw her?”
Delaney thought back. “She was there the day you fired Mrs. Dechambeau.”
“Maybe she was the person watching Charlotte.”
She’d forgotten that moment, that person who’d ducked away when Delaney had caught up to the little girl wandering too near the street. “Maybe. I saw her again the first time I took Charlotte to the park after you hired me.”
Noah stood and paced. “And at the festival, she was with Hayes.”
“Who’s Hayes?” Jasper asked.
“Frederick Hayes,” Noah said. “Owner of Hayes Industries, the company we’re competing with in the Tidewater merger.”
Jasper seemed to take that information in. “How would Violet know him?”
“How am I supposed to know?” Noah snapped. “You’re the one who knocked her up. Maybe you should have a little more information about a woman before you go to bed with her.”
“Let’s catalog all my faults later.” His gaze bounced from Noah to Delaney and back. “What’s the deal with this Hayes guy? Why is it a problem if she’s with him?”
“He scared me last night,” Delaney said, “a few blocks from the festival. Told me to pass the message to Noah that he should back out of the merger.”
“It was a threat,” Noah added. “And he’s working with your…” His words faded.
“Doesn’t make sense,” Jasper said. “Violet’s a junkie.”
“If she is, she hid it well.” Delaney looked at Noah. “You met her. Did you get the feeling she was using?”
“People can hide it,” Noah said.
“For a little while. But she seemed…healthy, if a little haunted. Maybe she quit.”
That information seemed to worry Jasper more than anything. “I don’t understand.”
Delaney pushed to her feet. “Whatever’s going on, it’s none of my business.” It killed her to leave, but if she was going to make her flight, she needed to get moving. “I’m going to pack. I’ll check on Charlotte while I’m up there.”
“Don’t wake her if she’s still sleeping,” Noah said.
Delaney headed for the stairs, her legs growing heavier with each step.
