No Take Backs (5 page)

Nobody can ever find out.

Shannon’s eyes lift from my face, and she
smiles at someone standing behind me. I turn to Riley—and the most
embarrassing moment of my life—with his phone in his hand. “Sorry
to interrupt,” he says. “Your mom and aunt just landed.”

His cheeks are ten shades of red, so there’s
no question that he’s aware of my voyeuristic evening in Shannon’s
room. “Thanks.” I have to shove the word off my tongue.

“Mr. Rocha’s waiting to take you.” He points
to the golf-cart trail on the edge of the tree line where you’re
sitting in the driver’s seat of a cart ready to take me to the
helicopter.

Thankful for a quick escape, I jump up, tell
Shannon I’ll see her in a bit and dart across the lawn.

You’re smiling, and your eyes are creased in
amusement when I get to you. “How was that?” you ask. “Not too
awkward seeing Shannon and Riley this morning, huh?”

I smack my hands to my cheeks. “I don’t want
to talk about it. Do they know you were watching too?”

You pull my hands down. “I don’t think so.
Riley didn’t act differently.”

“Of course they wouldn’t notice you.”

“I stayed in the doorway. You wandered into
the middle of the room.” You chuckle and rub a hand over my
thigh.

“Stop talking about it. I have to see my
mother in a minute.” I fan my face and pull my hair off my
neck.

We bump along the trail and come to a
clearing. It used to be a field, but now there’s a manicured lawn
with a square asphalt landing pad in the center. The black
helicopter sits like a large, winged bug in the middle of a red
X.

Beck helps my mother out of the back with
one hand on her head like he always does to me, making sure she
stays under the slowly rotating blades.

You get out of the cart and come around.
“Are you getting out?”

“No.”

“I thought you’d be excited to see her.”

“Me too.”

You take my hand as I slip out of the cart,
and we stroll across the grass to meet them. “Rachael!” Mom sees me
and starts jogging toward me with her arms outstretched. You give
me a gentle push on my back, and I lunge forward before falling
into a run for my mom’s arms.

Aunt Jan and Beck follow behind her with
arms full of bags. “Slow down!” Aunt Jan yells. “We don’t need a
helicopter trip to the ER for a twisted ankle.”

Mom grabs me and squeezes me hard. “I’ve
missed you so much.”

“Me too, Mom.”

She smacks a kiss on my cheek. I catch the
scent of her bath powder and hairspray. Nostalgia floods through
me. For a moment I want to be young again, living at home with her
and Dad. But he’s gone, dead, and I left Mom too. I shouldn’t feel
guilty. A woman in her mid-twenties should be on her own. But I am
guilty for leaving her alone.

“Merrick,” she says, letting me go and
giving you a big hug. “What a beautiful island. This is where
you’ve been keeping my girl hostage?”

I inhale sharply and my back stiffens. You
laugh and reach out to squeeze my arm. She’s joking. Mom’s only
kidding around with you. She knows nothing.

“What can I say? She’s too perfect to let
her get away.” You take the bags from Aunt Jan’s arms. “How’ve you
been, Jan?”

“Better now,” she says, rubbing her arm.
“This one likes to bring everything she owns when we leave home.”
She points to Mom with her thumb.

I give Aunt Jan a huge hug. “I’m so glad
you’re here.” She and I have always been close. I can talk to her
about things I wouldn’t dare tell my mom. She’s more open-minded
and accepting.

You stride a few feet behind Jan, and I’m
surprised to see Max standing there beside Beck. He must’ve taken
the helicopter with Mom and Aunt Jan. “You met Mr. Campbell then?
Merrick’s lawyer?” I ask them.

“Of course. We had a drink with Max at the
airport before Beck arrived. He’s a lovely man.” Mom pats the side
of her perfectly coifed blonde bob.

God, is she’s attracted to Max? I
shoot Aunt Jan a desperate look.
Later,
she mouths.

You escort Mom and Aunt Jan to our cart. Max
and Beck take another from the small fleet parked on a slab of
cement under an awning and follow us down the path.

“How was your flight?” you ask breaking the
silence. I’ve somehow lost all ability to speak along with my place
and time in the world. I can’t get over how bizarre it is to have
my family here, like planets colliding that should stay firmly in
their own orbits.

“It was fine,” Mom says, looking left and
right like she’s in Disney World. “What’s that little house over
there?” She points to the roof of the tree house, barely visible
through the leafy canopy.

“I built that for Rachael,” you say. “It’s a
little place for her to escape when she needs to.”

Mom stares at you, taken aback. “Escape from
what?”

“I don’t need to escape from anything, Mom.”
I twist a ring on my finger. “If we open the hotel to the public,
that will be a place just for us, private.”

Mom still looks confused.

“Oh, jeez,” Aunt Jan says, nudging Mom.
“It’s a love nest. Got it?” She looks at me and rolls her eyes.
“She’s dense sometimes.”

Mom smacks her arm. “Maybe I prefer to not
think of my daughter needing a love nest until she’s married.”

You stifle a laugh, probably thinking of me
asking for it hard and rough last night, and train your eyes on the
trail.

“It’s not the ‘50’s,” Aunt Jan mutters.
“She’s a grown woman.”

“Can we stop talking about this now?” I say,
ready to dive and roll from the cart. “Shannon got here last
night.”

“Oh, good, your best friend and worst
influence,” Mom says, clutching her purse on her lap.

You lean in and whisper in my ear. “I think
she’s a damn good influence.”

“You would.”

“As long as it’s me reaping the
benefits.”

“What are you two talking about up there?”
Mom says. “I can’t hear anything with all this wind.”

“Nothing, Mom.” I point diagonally to the
right. “Look, there’s the hotel.”

Both of them swivel on the seat to get a
better view. “It’s beautiful!” Mom says.

“Fantastic,” Aunt Jan agrees. “You’ve had
your hands full with this renovation. I looked up some old pictures
online. I can’t believe it’s safe to stay in.”

“It’s one hundred percent safe,” you say.
“I’ve had…Rachael’s had the best foreman in the business and his
crew working to get this place in top shape.”

It’s killing you—giving it all up,
everything you’ve worked so hard for your whole life. You would
never admit it, but I can see it on your face and hear it in your
voice. You’re grieving for what you’ve lost. How could you not?

~~~

Mom and Aunt Jan settle in at the pool, and
you’re off with Max signing paperwork. Shannon’s disappeared again,
and this time I’m not going in search of her.

I know I should pull on my swimsuit and plop
in a lounge chair beside my Mom, but I’m desperate for even one
hour alone.

Taking one of the narrow trails off the main
path to the pool, I follow it around to a small, circular area
lined with pavers. Two wicker chairs with cushions sit hidden on
all sides by tall flowers and wide-leafed plants. It’s one of the
many secluded areas off of the main path that I designed, private
places for people to relax and unwind, maybe even fall in love.

I sit and fling my feet over the arm of a
chair and open my book. Not five minutes later, I hear a voice that
I don’t place until it gets even closer. Then I know it’s Heidi
carrying on a one-sided conversation. She must be on the phone.

When she steps into view, our eyes meet and
she stops talking. “I’ll call you right back.”

“Hi,” she says when she hangs up. “I didn’t
realize anyone was back here.”

“I didn’t realize anyone had found this
place already.” I swing my feet down and sit up. “Want to sit
down?”

She takes a seat in the other chair and
looks like she wants to say something, but doesn’t know how to
start. Finally, she says, “That was my dad on the phone. Has
Merrick told you about him?”

My back bristles. “Yes.”

“Can I talk to you, candidly, about
something? Something Merrick doesn’t know?” She blinks a few times,
like she’s not sure she should be bring this up, but it’s too late
now.

“Of course. What is it?”

“All of the properties—the different people
purchasing them? My dad’s paying them off. He’s the one buying
them. He doesn’t want Merrick to know.”

My head begins to spin. I feel ill. “So,
he’s getting them anyway? The lawsuit doesn’t even matter?”

She reaches out and grabs my wrist,
desperate for me to understand. “He has a reason, Rachael. A good
reason. He’s making sure his family is taken care of. He can’t be
sure Merrick will do what’s right. He’s always been so…” she drops
her hand and gives me a regretful look. “Selfish.”

“What reason could he possibly have for
taking the business Merrick has worked so hard to build? How is
that taking care of family? I’m not making the connection.” I stand
up and get ready to walk away when she shocks me again.

“My father wants to talk to you. He wants
you to call him. He can explain.” She holds up her phone. “Will you
talk to him?”

I let out an indignant laugh. “Why? Because
he knows I own this place? Does he think he can talk me into giving
it up to him? Not a chance.”

She holds out her phone. “Please? It’s not
what you’re thinking.”

I should talk to you about this first. Of
course, you might take the news that your father owns all of your
properties better if I have an answer as to why. “Fine. Dial.”

She presses a button, says hello and hands
me the phone.

“Ms. DeSalvo,” your father says, “I’m glad
my daughter convinced you to talk to me. I have something I’d like
to reveal to you. In person.”

The crystal vase hits the wall and shatters
in a thousand pieces. “What do you mean you’re going to see my
dad?” you shout.

I’ve never seen you as mad as you are right
now, lips pulled into a tight sneer, eyes squeezed into narrow
slits. “Stop packing!” You grab the clothes out of my suitcase on
our bed and throw them on the floor.

“Calm down. Please. I told you, I don’t know
what it’s about. He wouldn’t give me details.” I grab my clothes
and shove them back into my suitcase. “It’s one night.”

You run your hands through your hair and
pace the room. “No, it’s not one night. He doesn’t want me to be
happy. He’ll take you from me too.”

“How?” I place myself in front of you and
refuse to budge. “How is he going to take me from you? I can’t be
bought. I’m not property.”

Your eyes leap back and forth between mine,
searching and desperate. “I thought you understood. I thought you
got it. You don’t.”

I take your face between my hands. “I do. I
get it. I’m trying to help. I said I’d try to help, remember?”

You pull my hands away. “Not like this. You
said you’d never leave me.”

“I’m not
leaving you.
I’m going to meet your father to
find out what he wants to tell me.” I hook my fingers in your
pockets. “Do you trust me? Do you trust Heidi?”

“I can’t believe she’d do this to me.” You
shake your head. “And you.”

“And me, what? You’re the reason I’m going.”
I unplug my phone charger from the wall and toss it in my bag.

“I can’t believe you’d even talk to him
without telling me first.” You scratch your chin, running your
short nails through your beard. “Do you have any idea how that
feels? It feels like betrayal, Rachael.”

“Betrayal?” I fling my arm out in the
direction of Shannon’s room at the end of the hall. “I talked to
your father on the phone. I didn’t have a threesome with Riley and
Jesse.” My neck starts to flame in anger. “Betrayal? Really? That’s
what you’re accusing me of?”

“You don’t understand.” You fling the door
open and slam it behind you.

I slump down on the end of the bed, torn.
Tears well in my eyes. I fight them back, but there’s no keeping
them at bay. We’ve never fought like that before.

Now what do I do? Do I go and try to fix
your relationship with your dad—try to get your business back? Or
do I stay and let it go?

Heidi was so adamant that there was
something I didn’t know. Something that would change everything.
Something you don’t know that your father hasn’t told you.

Why would he tell me?

What I do know is that there’s a man I love
more than anything suffering because he’s been left with no choice
but to give up the life he made for himself.

I want to know why.

I love you too much not to fight to get it
back.

Even if you’ve given up.

~~~

Beck stands off to the side of the cart by
the trees, clearly trying to get away from our heated
discussion.

“What am I supposed to tell your mom and
aunt? Shannon?” Your hand grips the side of the golf-cart so hard,
I think you might tear it apart.

“Tell them I had to go away for the night,
and I’ll be back in the morning. Hell, tell them I felt sick, had a
headache and went to bed early. I’ll be back first thing tomorrow.”
I swing my suitcase in the back of the cart and strap it in the
seat.

“You’re hurting me, Rachael. You know that.
You’re going to him.”

I step into you so our bodies touch and lift
on my toes until my lips meet your ear. “I’m not leaving you. I
promised I wouldn’t leave. I’m not.”

Your fist pounds on the roof of the cart. “I
can’t promise I’ll be here when you get back.”

My heart bleeds as you stride away from me.
Last night you told me you love me, now you’re walking away because
I’m fighting for you.

Don’t you see I’m fighting for you?