Storm of ambition, p.18
Storm of Ambition, page 18
“Of course!” Grace said. “I should have realized she’d need it back.” Up close, the other girl appeared thoroughly frozen, and Grace’s heart went out to her. “Come inside. I’ll start the fire.”
“Thank you, it would be nice to warm up.” Krista followed Grace inside.
Stepping to the gas fireplace, Grace flicked it on. She quickly shifted one of the throw blankets to make room on the chairs as well, but Krista was still standing by the door.
The girl flushed and dropped her eyes. “I’m sorry. It’s just, you’re so nice, and I—” She met Grace’s eyes. “I just wanted to say I’m sorry. That everything turned so ugly earlier and that people are saying the things they are online.”
“It’s not your fault.” Grace lifted one shoulder in a small shrug. “Besides, I haven’t checked social media or watched the news beyond one short snippet earlier. I don’t know what they’re saying—though I can probably guess.”
“Oh!” Krista flapped her hands, as if that would clear away any hurtful words. “You shouldn’t get on. There’s just so much ugliness. About you and Aaron. And me and Aaron. I guess because the clips show that he helped me earlier, when we heard that Deborah—” She gulped a breath.
“But none of that is your fault.” Grace spoke gently. She didn’t enjoy hearing any of it, but the poor girl seemed on the verge of a breakdown.
“I know.” Krista’s voice was squeaky. “But if I could have managed better, then Aaron would have gone with you, and the news people—” She gulped again and failed to swallow a sob. Putting her hands over her face, she stood, shoulders silently shaking.
“Oh, you poor thing.” Grace’s own emotions trembled as sympathy flooded her. It had been a long day for her too. She reached out to lead Krista to a chair. “Come sit. And let me say how sorry I am about Deborah.” Grace grabbed a tissue box as she walked by one and slipped several tissues into the other girl’s hands. “This has been an incredibly long day for you.”
For several moments, Krista cried and gulped out words, then nearly complete sentences, by which Grace was finally able to understand that Krista wasn’t crying about today—or wasn’t only crying about today. She and Deborah were friendly but recently had something of a falling-out. The other woman was secretive and sometimes shut everyone out. But Krista was worried about her father—who Grace gathered was an independent businessman but might be doing some under-the-table bookkeeping, possibly to fund a drug relapse. And for some reason, all of that made her worry about Aaron too.
“I don’t understand,” Grace said gently once Krista had finally stopped crying. She wanted to be sensitive and there for Krista but couldn’t deny the fear clawing at her heart over Krista’s mention of Aaron. “Why would your father having a relapse have anything to do with Aaron?”
“Well, he works for him,” Krista said with a sniff. “And they have a lot in common. Plus, Aaron has been so distracted...”
Grace was still baffled. “Aaron has a lot in common with your father?”
“Of course.” Krista spoke as if Grace were very slow. “My father is a vet, too—Sergeant Roberts?”
“Ooh,” Grace said. She very much had not made that connection, and now her mind was tumbling with missed meanings.
“You probably didn’t realize because my last name is Pulless.” Krista crumpled the tissues in her hand. “But my mom reverted to her maiden name when they divorced and changed mine too.”
Grace had no idea what to say to that—one way or another. She was still trying to assimilate the fact that this was Sergeant Roberts’s daughter. No wonder Krista and Aaron had hit it off. She tried to steer things back to the pertinent problem. “So, what makes you worried your dad may have relapsed?”
“Well, I worked for my dad for a few months when I first came back to Willowdale, in the office updating his dinosaur computer system. It was then that I saw his second set of books—” Fear flashed across Krista’s face.
“What is it you’re afraid of?” Grace asked gently. As an accountant, her curiosity was roused, but she also felt it necessary for the redhead to come clean.
Krista hesitated then shook her head. “I’ve already said too much. And anyway, I’m sure it’s nothing. But with a recovering addict in the family, it’s hard not to worry, you know?”
Grace nodded sympathetically and made the proper murmuring sounds, but she could scarcely keep her focus on Krista. Something she’d read earlier tickled her brain, something in the reference papers she’d printed off in the library.
“I love my dad,” Krista murmured. “I just—sometimes also wish I could strangle him.” She seemed a little surprised she’d said that out loud. “Does that make me sound like a bad daughter?”
“Not really,” Grace said with a rueful smile. “I think the feeling might be universal between dads and daughters, actually. It’s certainly true for me.” She bit her lip, wondering how that had slipped out. True, she had spent the last couple hours at the library digging in the ground where her dad had figuratively buried the bodies, but she was usually more discreet.
Seeming to sense her mood shift, Krista stood. “I’d better run. I need to talk with Marybell before meeting the costumer. But thank you for letting me have a good cry and unload on you... especially given that I only stopped by to make sure you were okay and pick up Jackie’s cloak. I really appreciate it.”
“Of course.” Grace reached out on impulse to give the other girl a quick hug. On stepping back, she held out the cloak. “It’s amazing what a good cry can do, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is.” Krista stopped just before reaching the door. “Would it be okay—would you mind keeping this between us? My father’s something of a hero to this town, and I wouldn’t want anyone to get the wrong idea. Especially since it’s probably nothing.”
“My lips are sealed,” Grace told her firmly. She of all people knew how rumors could spread and what they could do to someone’s reputation.
Krista flashed her a grateful look then was out the door and hurrying up the path. Grace watched her go then closed the door, feeling thoughtful.
Maybe it was nothing. But maybe this was the missing piece they’d been searching for. Sergeant Roberts would be above reproach—no one would question anywhere he went or anything he did. He also likely knew all of Aaron’s secrets, including whether or not his leg had ever been in jeopardy. And if anyone knew how to disable the brakes on Deborah’s car, it was the owner of a mechanic shop.
She popped leftover fried rice and dumplings in the microwave and sat down to dig the papers out of her purse. There, near the bottom of the stack, was the article she’d been thinking of. It was a discussion of the different challenges facing vets, and it mentioned that pain and PTSD could lead to struggles with substance abuse, which could then lead to financial problems. And of course, Grace knew financial problems could result in blackmail.
The paper fluttered to the table as Grace dropped it to rub her temples. She remembered the first time she’d seen Sergeant Roberts, outside the office door in the auto shop. He’d stood as if listening and quite possibly heard every word she and Aaron had said. After all, they hadn’t kept their voices down. And the way he’d watched Grace when she came out—as if he knew there was more to her being there than met the eye.
Her gut said he might have known more than he was letting on, but the same could be said of the way Mark had behaved—and the odd way he’d avoided her since that lunch at Belly of the Whale. And of course, now she had to add Deborah’s brother, Bill, to the list of suspects. He certainly seemed violent enough to consider blackmail, and it would be easy to fake the wild accusations and drama he’d shown in the Green Dragon. It didn’t take great acting skills to yell.
Alexa had told her to trust her instincts, but Grace had little practice with that. She trusted her head, the things logic and numbers could tell her. Besides, trusting her heart had gotten her into this mess in the first place because she’d been sure she didn’t need to speak out when the press first accused her of breaking up with Aaron—she could trust him to tell them the truth and her father’s people to shield her. Both had proven a lie, and now she didn’t know what to think.
The microwave dinged, and at almost the same moment, her cell phone buzzed in the special ringtone they’d established so she would know her security officers were calling.
Grace answered. “Hello?”
“Hi, Ms. Meredes.” The voice on the other end was the same fellow who’d admired Jackie’s hat. “You have another visitor. Aaron Farsee. Shall I send him down?”
Aaron—just who she needed to see. Grace opened her mouth to welcome him down then paused. It had suddenly occurred to her that if Sergeant Roberts had something off about his bookkeeping, as Krista had suggested, it was possible but unlikely that Aaron didn’t know about it. It seemed even less likely that Aaron wouldn’t know if the aging veteran had a substance problem. And she also needed to consider how well Aaron would be able to conceal his knowledge of the sergeant’s possible wrongdoing if he hadn’t known about these things and learned now that the sergeant was possibly blackmailing her.
Perhaps more to the point, if Grace accused the sergeant of being her blackmailer, she wasn’t sure Aaron would believe her instead of siding with his mentor and boss.
Today Aaron had shown his loyalties, at least as far as Grace’s family was concerned. When the press swarmed in, he’d thrown her to the wolves. She had no logical reason to think he would stand by her in this.
“Tell Aaron I’ve gone to bed and won’t be taking any more visitors tonight.”
She said goodbye and sat staring at the table for a moment before getting up and retrieving her leftovers from the microwave. Refusing Aaron was the right thing to do. She needed to think, figure out who she could and couldn’t trust. And she couldn’t do that with him there. Logically she understood that, but on an emotional level, it felt as if she’d just slammed the door on her best friend.
AARON SWALLOWED HIS frustration in order to give Grace’s security officer a quick thanks and wish him a nice night. It wasn’t this fresh-faced kid’s fault that Grace had turned him away. He wasn’t sure what he’d expected—maybe a red-carpet walk up to her cabin? She must have seen the newsreels. Right now the only place she was likely to send him was somewhere they served a side of brimstone with every meal.
He tried not to limp as he walked back toward High Street, but he was suddenly feeling tired. He should have seen this coming. Now that the media knew she was there, Willowdale had become a mini outpost of DC, and the old rules of the life he hated there applied. News media stood at the ready to twist everything their own way. Security stood by to deny access, and any interaction between him and Grace was twice as complicated as it needed to be.
“It’s like she’s brought her own DC machine,” Aaron muttered.
“What was that?” Krista popped up nearly in front of Aaron.
“I—what? Nothing.” Aaron frowned. “Where did you come from?”
Krista flinched at his curt tone. “I stopped to pick up Jackie’s cloak from Grace and check with Marybell about my schedule. I plan to take the next few days off because of festival practice but wanted to make sure she’s okay since she doesn’t have—since she’s short on staff.”
“Right. I’m sorry.” Aaron shook his head, trying to clear it of his funk. “How is she doing? How are you?”
Krista shrugged and fell into step with him as they headed for High Street. “Not great, but we’ll keep going. What else can we do?”
Aaron nodded. He was happy to hear Krista rolling with the events. She could sometimes be a little dramatic and volatile. Which meant the conversation they were about to have could go in a very ugly direction, but there was no helping it. Ever since the luncheon at the Green Dragon, he’d known he had to do it.
He cleared his throat. “I’m happy to hear you’re doing okay. And I want to apologize in advance for the timing of this—but we need to talk.” He stopped, kicking himself for letting that slip out. He didn’t want to make this worse by putting things front to back and leaning on clichés. He plunged on. “I’ve never thought of us as dating exclusively but wasn’t sure how you felt and wanted things to be clear, what with—”
“Dating exclusively?” Krista scoffed, her laugh perhaps a little too high-pitched. “I should hope not. Don’t you worry. There are lots of guys in town I’m interested in. As the snow queen, I plan to play the entire field and see what my new fame can do for me.”
“Oh,” Aaron said, a little taken aback. Relieved too. Once he’d realized how much he was comparing Krista and Grace, and wishing she were more like Grace, he’d known he had to be honest with Krista. “I’m glad we’re on the same page.”
“Yep, definitely,” Krista answered in a more confident voice. “I might even pick up with Mark since that would be kind of fun, his being my prince consort and all.”
Aaron winced. Krista probably wouldn’t thank him if he told her Grace had a past with Mark as well, but perhaps he should anyway. On the other hand, Krista was always online, so she was sure to see the headlines once the media got wind of any drama in Mark and Grace’s past. She would learn of it then. Perhaps he was a coward, but he found himself unable to risk destabilizing Krista’s mature emotional response tonight by throwing cold water on a future for her with Mark.
He realized the silence was stretching and spoke weakly. “Your being the snow queen seems like a great way to open all kinds of doors.”
“It will be,” Krista said with satisfaction. “I am a little worried about Grace though. She seemed... different.”
“Really?” Aaron frowned. Despite his frustration from moments ago, he found himself eager for any update on Grace. On the other hand, Krista didn’t know Grace that well. “Different how?”
“I don’t know,” Krista said, tilting her head as she thought. “Distracted? Or just not as there? And when she mentioned her dad—” She cut herself off, coloring like she’d said too much.
Aaron’s eyes sharpened on her face. He was surprised Krista was willing to talk about the senator like this since she generally disliked him even more than Aaron did. But that only fed his curiosity. “What about her dad?”
“I just think all of this must be super hard for Grace.” Krista cut her eyes at him, as if trying to gauge his reaction. “The whole town hates the senator, and now there’s the media stuff and people pointing fingers because of Deborah’s accident. She said...” She trailed off then spoke in a conspiratorial tone. “She said sometimes she wants to strangle him.”
“Really?” Aaron could hardly hide the eagerness in his voice. Grace removing the rose-tinted glasses with which she viewed her dad was the best thing he’d heard in a long time. For one thing, it would mean they could finally see eye to eye on her father, and for another, it would mean Grace could stand a little taller and not always be watching to make sure she was in step with her dad. “Grace said that?”
Krista watched him with sharp eyes. She tugged her coat tighter. “Well, perhaps not in so many words. But that was the gist of it. And who can blame her? I just hope she doesn’t let all the ugliness get to her.” Once again she glanced sideways at him. “That she doesn’t let it, you know, get her down.”
Clearly Krista thought she was talking around some delicate issue Aaron should understand from her words, but he could only frown at her. It almost seemed she was suggesting Grace might be depressed, but that was ridiculous. Grace was the coolest cucumber under pressure Aaron had ever seen. It was practically her superpower.
Still, despite Krista’s mature handling of their dating-or-not conversation, there had definitely been some rivalry between Grace and Krista, so he wasn’t going to argue with something that would help Krista see Grace in a sympathetic light.
“I’m sure you’re right that this is difficult,” he said carefully. “It’s good of you to check on her.”
Krista’s tone was determined. “I’ll make sure no one bothers her. She’s helping me learn the snow queen’s dances, and I’ll be there to make sure she stays calm and happy.”
Aaron hid his amusement because Krista sounded like she was an expert on Zen, when in reality, he’d seen her totally lose her cool over something like a tipped stack of papers when she worked in the office at the auto shop. That was one reason the sergeant had recommended she take a job with someone else—so she would grow past her tendency to blow up then demand her dad fix whatever had gone wrong.
The rest of their walk to High Street, Krista bounced around from chattering about how excited she was to be snow queen to sadness that Deborah wouldn’t be able to enjoy the festival, to rhapsodizing about the big stars in the new Transmutant movie, which she was dying to see, and the stage names she would use if she ever made it big in Hollywood. By the time they parted ways, Aaron was more than ready to tell her good night. Either he’d forgotten how self-absorbed Krista was since their last date, or he’d woken up to that fact. Either way, he felt sorry for Grace since she would have to work closely with Krista over the next few days and try to channel all that self-absorption into the role Krista was supposed to play.
As he walked back to his house—sneaking through the neighborhood to once again avoid the media guys—he thought back to only a few weeks ago, when he’d seen himself as kind of dating Krista. He was grateful Grace’s coming had at least knocked that thought out of his head. Krista was cute, but she wasn’t the kind of girl he would settle down with—if he was ever ready to try a long-term relationship again. He wanted someone steadier, with more self-assurance. Someone he could turn to when he needed them and know they were strong enough that his leaning on them wouldn’t hurt them, and also someone mature enough to know when they needed to lean on him as well. In fact, a partnership was at the core of what he wanted. Someone who was a friend first and loved him despite his weakness. Someone—well, someone a lot like Grace was proving herself to be with her steady loyalty to seeing the festival through. Only of course not Grace, because with Grace came political drama and people like her father, who would make deals with the devil while stabbing three people in the back.
