“Stubborn?”
“Well, yes. But it’s more than that. Landry thinks she’sembarrassed. It’s one of those things she got herself into but doesn’t know how to get out of.”
“I think y’all are seeing what you want to see. Bronwyn needs my help. She knows I’m trustworthy. That’s one thing she knows about me.Ihave never lied to her. I won’t start now. She doesn’t have to like me, forgive me, or even be friends with me. She’s a great businesswoman. She’s in a situation, and she’s going to use whatever means she has available to her. I’m the means.”
“You’d never let any harm come to her.”
“Never. I owe her that much. She’s changed. I can see that. Everyone can see that. She messed up. She paid for it. She’s still paying for it. But forgiveness is a two-way street. And trust once it’s broken? Sometimes it can’t be restored. We’re not like that Japanese pottery they break and glue back together with gold. We’re more like recycled tires. We’ve been chopped up and while we can still do some good in the world, we won’t ever be a tire again.”
Cal rubbed his eyes. “Did you just describe yourself as playground mulch?”
“If the shoe fits.”
“That shoe doesn’t fit. I don’t even know what kind of metaphor that was. No, I take it back. I do know. It was stupid. Why can’t you be Japanese pottery?”
“Cal, we weren’t broken in pieces. We were crushed. We’re lucky to be what we are. But we won’t ever be what we were.”
“You’re wrong.” Cal’s face was set in a stubborn line.
“And you’re delusional. But you’re allowed to be. Life kicked you in the teeth and then brought you more beauty than any of us could have imagined. I’m happy for you. Ecstatic. And I’m glad I get to enjoy some of the spillover. When Eliza runs over to see me in the morning before school, she melts me every time.”
Cal’s voice was rough when he said, “You spoil her.”
“Sure do. Gonna keep doing it. She deserves all the spoilingshe can get. So will her sister. I’ve accepted my fate, Cal. I really have. I don’t know why God gave me this road. All I can do is make the best of it.”
Mo could see Cal thinking through multiple arguments, but he didn’t share them today. Instead, he asked, “What do you need for tonight?”
“I should have what I need at home. If I think of anything else, I’ll pick it up and bring it with me.”
“Want to ride together?”
“Nah. I’ll see you there.” Mo walked out of Cal’s office a few minutes later.
When he got home, he spent two hours on his current projects. Then he went to his storage building. By the end of the night they’d know if Bronwyn had been bugged or was being tracked, and he’d have access to her entire system.
Then the real work would begin.
Eight
Twenty Years Earlier
Thirteen-year-old Mo waited by the side of the school building. Bronwyn climbed out from the limo.
They’d sent her to school in a limo. The driver was probably headed to Asheville to pick up a guest for The Haven and Bronwyn’s trip to school was tacked on to the route.
Even though he was out of her line of sight, Bronwyn came straight to him.
“Hey.” Her voice was tight, but her smile was real.
“Hey.” He rolled his eyes in an exaggerated fashion. “Nice wheels.”
She groaned, and they fell into step beside each other. “Mother saw no reason whatsoever to miss her Pilates class this morning. There’s another one in an hour. She could have taken me and gone to that one. But no. A future senator and his wife are attending the eight thirty class, and she wants to make a good impression.”
Mo bumped her arm with his. “Sorry.” She hated coming to school in the limo. The last time it happened, some girls had made fun of her in the bathroom. Meredith had been in there with her. That time. It made him wonder how much teasing she endured.
“My parents shouldn’t have had a child. They have no clue what to do with one.”
Mo didn’t have words for his reaction to her words. Anger? Frustration? Fear? Horror? “I’m glad they had you, even if they’re clueless.”
