She shook her head. “You can’t fix all my problems, Montgomery. I need to do this for myself. It’s my life. My family. Yes, I appreciate your concern and your willingness to place yourself in danger, but Danny is the master of avoiding assistance from anyone. Including me. You wanted to learn all the sordid details, exposing every twisted dark secret. So here goes. We’re orphans. Our parents were killed while enjoyingtheir first vacation alone in the Caribbean. I won’t bore you with the details, but their bodies were never recovered. I was eight, Danny was four, just a baby. We had an aunt who couldn’t or didn’t want to take us in and both sets of grandparents were already dead, so we went into the foster system. Nice, huh?” She laughed bitterly, the memories obviously ones she’d rather not return to.
I said nothing, but the protectiveness inside of me was just below the surface.
“We were lucky in that we were kept together, even hopeful we’d be adopted to a wonderful family, but the adoption never happened. We were moved from one family to another. You see, my brother was a handful. Argumentative. Too much to handle. Yes, there are a couple horrible stories, but mostly we were just placeholders. After I’d aged out of the system, I fought to become his guardian. That took me a full year dealing with bureaucracy and bullshit, but I managed. Like I knew what I was doing. I was working two jobs, trying to attend community college although that was a stretch, but I was able to put food on the table and a roof over our heads. I assure you not glorious by any means.”
“Jesus.”
She nodded. “Trust me, as I look back, I have no idea how I managed. After our parents died, Danny was never the same. He’d been such a sweet little boy, but he turned into a hellion. Usually, he listened to me, but as he got older, he was determined to make his own way. You know the drill. He got in with the wrong crowd. At that point, I was offering nothing but tough love because I was angry and bitter. Exhausted and lonely. I wasn’t equipped to handle a teenager determined to destroyhimself. Drugs. Crimes. He did a few months in jail, but that didn’t help.”
“Even kids who are offered everything in the world can surprise you.”
She looked me directly in the eyes. “You, a hellion? I can’t imagine.”
Laughing, I nodded as I leaned against the counter. “Oh, hell, yes. Every Prince boy was a hellion. I can’t imagine what you went through.”
“When he hit twenty-one, things almost evened out with Danny and his life. He got a job after getting his GED. He was so proud of himself that he had an apartment. But I noticed when he appeared driving an expensive car, his clothes were more expensive. He’d returned to his criminal ways. On top of that, he hated the man I was dating with a passion. They argued all the time. It was one reason I left my ex and never looked back.”
“One reason?”
“The only one that matters to this conversation.” Her eyes held total bitterness.
This was where the story became muddled and I sensed it was one she wasn’t ready to tell.
“In my effort to continue providing for Danny and to try and help him move forward as a man, I made several very bad decisions. I know that now. It put a further rift between us. Danny would disappear then return asking for help. Just one last time. He tried to get his hands on a small trust fund our parents had established for both of us, but I refused. You can see where this is going. The last time when he ripped my house apart, Iended the relationship and changed my life altogether. My life was a total mess by then and I feared losing myself altogether.”
“The reason you moved to Stowe.”
While she nodded, my instinct was still pinging. “A fresh start. And you know what’s funny? It’s like karma brought me here.”
“How so?”
She remained nervous yet a hint of her whimsical side reappeared. “Don’t laugh at me, but I read a novel with Stowe as the small town where two strangers fell in love. The description was beautiful, creative, and peaceful. I came here on a whim and never left.”
“I think that’s amazing.”
At least I was offered a smile for my compliment. “Without your father’s generosity, my little store would never have happened.”
“My father was a complicated man, but I’m glad karma worked in your favor.”
“Me too.” She fidgeted with her glass before bringing it to her lips. The way she fingered the necklace captured and held my attention. Fleur noticed my stare. “Danny gave me this pendant almost seven years go. He’d worked a couple jobs to purchase me a present and I accused him of heinous things. He’s never forgiven me.”
“Time has a way of altering memories, Fleur. The fact you’re wearing the necklace likely means more to him than an argument when you were both still children.”
“I’m not a child any longer.” She had a faraway look in her eyes. “Look, I’m not trying to be rude, but I need time to process Danny’s arrival.”
“You’re going to talk to him?”
Her shrug was filled with angst. “I don’t know, but it’s my choice to make. Thank you for intervening.” Even her laugh was tense.
“Where’s your phone?”
“Why?” She was genuinely curious.
“Because I’m going to add my contact information. If you need anything, including someone to talk to, I’ll be happy to lend an ear.”
She seemed perplexed I’d make such an offer. Obviously, I hadn’t done a good enough job of making her feel special in my life. With another deep sigh she stood, retrieving her phone from the counter. I couldn’t help noticing her hand was shaking as she handed it to me.
I purposely forced our fingers to touch, thankful she didn’t pull away after she shuddered.
