Frank had been staring at her cup but now blinked and looked up. “Oh, uh, sorry. I guess that slipped my mind. So much to do, you understand.”
He reached across the table and patted her hand. “There is one thing that came to light as I’ve been going through the finances. An extremely large check you might be interested in.”
Why she should be interested in the finances of the company, she didn’t know, but if Frank wanted to inform her, she’d let him.
Reaching in his coat pocket, he pulled out a sheet of paper and unfolded it. When he handed it to her, she glanced at the copy of a check and the amount. Half a million dollars. Okay, definitely a good deal of money.
“Why…?” She took in the name scribbled across the top line in her father’s familiar cursive. Theodore Lapierre.
“My father tried to pay off Theo. Why? So he’d take Jordan or leave me alone?”
“He didn’t try, Chelsea. He did. The check was cashed.” He pointed to the scan of the back of the check where it showed it was paid and canceled.
The room spun, and she held onto the edge of the table. Theo had taken money from her father. He’d never said anything. But there was Theo’s signature on the back and a bank account number underneath.
“I know you want to get back together with this guy and raise your daughter,” Frank said, his fingers skimming the top of hers. “I only wanted to make sure you know what you’re getting into. He’s not the altruistic father of the year you seem to think he is.”
Her throat dried up, so she grabbed her mug and downed the rest of her tea. What did this mean? Theo had lied to her. Or at least hadn’t told her the whole truth about how Jordan had come to stay with him. Half a million dollars wasn’t something you forgot.
“I can’t stay too long, but I wanted you to have this information. I don’t want to see you hurt, Chelsea. You mean a lot to me. I hope you know that. If you need me to do anything, you know I’ll be there for you.”
“Thanks, Frank.” She stuffed the paper into her purse. “I’ll let you know. Will you be in town for a while?”
He shook his head. “No, I need to head back. Always something to do. But I’ll drop everything if you need me. Call.” With that, he rose. She stood, too, and he pulled her in for a hug.
They left the coffee shop, Frank heading left toward the house while she headed toward town. As it was early, she’d found a parking spot by the harbor, but her thoughts were too muddled to get behind the wheel. That fog rolled in again, and her stomach knotted tight. It had happened a few times in the last week, and she hated to think it was stress causing it. Maybe Mrs. Cullen had been wrong about the mental illness. Or perhaps all the damage her father had done was permanent.
Should she confront Theo about the money? After his shoulder injury, he’d been put on desk duty. He’d insisted he was fine, but his boss, Norma, took doctor’s orders seriously, refusing to let him go back to trail detail for a few more weeks. Instead, he’d been put on the information desk at the Hull’s Cove Visitor Center. To say he wasn’t thrilled was an understatement. At least he wasn’t in the same office as Dina.
Breathing in the fresh air, she finally felt a little clearer and got in her car and drove back. Today and tomorrow Theo was home due to working this weekend, so if she was still ticked off about the money after they’d talked, she could head to the cottage and get stuff done there without Jordan drawing her focus.
Theo’s new SUV sat in the driveway, and she gritted her teeth. If he had half a million dollars, he could have bought his own stupid car.
“Hey, Mama. You just in time to play.” Jordan rushed over from where she’d been swinging on her swing. Theo was finishing up the portable fencing they’d been using for the kittens while they were outside. He’d said he’d used it when Jordan was a toddler, as it gave her some room to roam but kept her from running into the street.
“What are you playing right now, sweetheart?”
“Daddy setting up a lava pit, and we gonna put pillows in to make islands, so we can save the kitties from the lava.”
“Lava, huh?” Her gaze wandered to Theo, who shrugged.
“Some dinosaur show the boys at school were talking about. Apparently, lava is the thing.”
“And there are bad guys in the lava, and we need a make ‘em stay away, so they don’t push us in the lava.”
“Lava is bad, I take it?” Chelsea bit her lip at how exuberant and excited Jordan was.
“It burns you,” the girl said dramatically, then moved in closer and whispered, “But it only pretend, so you don’t need a worry.”
“Phew, okay. I won’t worry. Good thing I have you to keep me safe.”
Theo connected the last section and threw a few old pillows on the grass inside, along with the kittens. Jordan jumped up and down until her father lifted her over the gate.
“Come on, Mama. You need a help fight the bad guys.”
“I’ll be there shortly, sweetheart. I need to talk to your dad for a few minutes.” She staggered over to lean against the picnic table, and Theo followed her.
“Everything okay with Frank? You seem a little tense. Is he saying he can’t run the business without you again?”
