Protecting the Enemy (19 page)

The heavy man who opened the door was well dressed. “Hello?”

“Hi, I am looking for Victor West.”

His mouth opened and his hand went to his chest. “Oh, honey, I’m sorry, but Victor died.”

“I’m very sorry for your loss.”

He nodded and pursed his lips. “Your nose is just as red as Rudolf, come inside.”

She hesitated, then nodded and stepped into the foyer. The warmth giving her limbs pins and needles.

He crossed his arms. “How did you know Vic?”

“I met him a party once and he told me I could stop by if I was ever in the area.” If she had to guess, the reason why Victor wasn’t interested in her had something to do with the man standing in front of her.

“Oh, are you a journalist, too?”

“No, not exactly.”

“Oh, well the reason I ask is, before Vic died, he was working on some secret story about that Senator Grant—that scandalous man on the news. Anyway, I guess it doesn’t matter now, I’m sure whatever juicy tidbit he had on the senator already came out in that last press release.”

A thin man walked up behind him. “Who is it, buttercup?”

“A friend of Vic’s.”

Julianna looked at the men feeling awkward. “I should go. Again, I’m really sorry about your loss.”

The thin man stood behind the other man massaging his shoulders.

“Thank you. Vic worked too many hours. He was bound to give himself a heart attack sooner or later.”

She nodded and turned to go.

“Thanks for stopping by,” he called after her.

Her whole body ached as though she’d caught the flu. Enough punishment, what she needed now was a hot bath and a bed.

***

After breakfast, Julianna sat cross-legged on the bed inside her hotel room. It was surreal to be in another hotel room without Reid. Her surroundings were quiet and calm. If she knew how to meditate it would be a good place. But she just felt silly when she tried. She missed Reid, but she needed to figure out who she was and what she wanted before she gave herself to him. If he was what she really wanted and it was meant to be, he’d be there when she returned. She already felt better after yesterday. That had to be a step in the right direction. Noah really had helped guide her. For that she would be forever grateful to Reid’s brother.

She stood up from the bed, took one last look around and walked over to the door. After a deep breath, she walked into the hall letting the door close behind her. It was time to go visit her grandma. The worse thing that could happen is that the woman would be cold and reject her as her foster parents had. The best scenario would be if she got to learn more about her mom and could have a real relationship with her grandma.

Julianna got into her red Jag XF. With a full tank of gas she, started the car. She was more than ready for the four hour drive ahead of her.

***

Even in late fall with the trees stripped of their leaves, the town of
Fairhope, Connecticut was charming. Julianna drove through the covered wooden bridge anxious to reach her grandma’s house. She had no idea what to expect, just that she had to meet her even if she turned out to be as crazy as Brandon.

Julianna’s hands shook as she pulled into the long driveway of the
New England style home. She got out of her car and took in the symmetrical house before her. The bright white trim stood out against the grayish-blue siding. Large, empty flower pots decorated the lawn under the large windows. Something about the house felt right, which didn’t make any sense.

She walked up five wide steps that led to the wooden porch centered in front of the entry. White wicker chairs topped with blue striped cushions set on either side of the door. She stood on the coir welcome mat and rang the doorbell.

A woman much younger than she expected with shoulder-length blond hair opened the door holding a towel in her hands. The slight wrinkles around her wide blue eyes were the only indication that she was old enough to be her grandma. She raised a thin eyebrow at Julianna.

“Hi.” Julianna flattened her hands on her pants to keep them steady. “I’m Julianna Fox. Your granddaughter.”

The pretty woman studied her face while wiping her hands on the towel. “My daughter didn’t have any children.”

Julianna almost turned around and ran to her car. She didn’t know if she could handle the rejection she was about to receive. “My mom, Scarlett Fox, gave me up the day I was born. I grew up in foster homes, but I don’t blame her for giving me away. She was trying to do the best thing for me.”

The woman stopped wiping her hands and tilted her head. “Julianna, you say?”

She nodded, hope filling her heart.

“I’m Vivian. You can call me Viv.” She shook her head. “But, don’t ever call me grandma.” She held the door open. “You must have a reason for showing up on my doorstep after all these years. Come on inside and tell me.”

Julianna took a step into Viv’s home. There wasn’t a foyer. She entered right into the large space that consisted of a hearth room open to a kitchen with a very large island. An enticing spicy aroma filled the air. The open space felt warm and not just because of the temperature.

The ceilings were natural exposed wooden beams and the floors were hardwood topped with a large elegant floral rug. Two floral chairs flanked the brick fireplace. A fire was roaring inside, the crackle sound soothed her as her eyes wondered around the muted green room and landed on a long shelf in the kitchen that held colorful ceramic plates in an assortment of shapes and sizes. “Yes, I wanted to meet you. You’re the only family I have left.”

Her grandma nodded and walked to a hallway off to the side of the room. “That makes two of us.” She looked back when Julianna didn’t follow her. She motioned for her to tag along.

Julianna walked into a large room that was set up as a pottery studio. The room was bright and smelled of wet clay.

“When I buried my daughter, I moved out here. I needed to run away from my pain and guilt, so I closed my eyes and this town happened to be where my finger landed on the map. A parent should never have to bury their child.” Her grandma sat down at a potter’s wheel. “Grab some clay.”

Julianna felt like she’d tuned in right in the middle of a movie and was having a hard time catching up to the plot, nonetheless the woman was drawing her right in with her melodious voice. Julianna could listen to her all day. She picked up a hunk of the semi-soft substance from the table and brought it over to her grandma.

The woman slapped the clay onto the wheel and dipped her hands into a bucket of water to wet it. “I’m not saying that I was mom of the year. We had our problems, your mom and I.”

Julianna pulled up a folding chair near her grandma. “What kind of problems?” She watched as the woman turned a hunk of clay into the shape of a bowl. The humming sound of the electric wheel spinning was calming.

“I was a single mom and did the best I could, but your mom was wild and stubborn. You couldn’t change that girl’s mind for anything once it was made up to do something. When she was twelve, she brought home the class goldfish in her pocket. It had died at school and the teacher was going to flush in down the toilet, so she snuck it home in her pocket and buried it in our yard—which wasn’t even really ours since we were renting. Well, when it was time to move she dug that fish up and took it to the next place with us, against my wishes.” Her grandma paused as if remembering. “Things only got worse from there. She had her own mind and made some poor choices. She left home when she was nineteen. The next time I saw her was when they called me to ID her body.”

Julianna kept her eyes on her grandma’s hands as they expertly turned the hunk of clay into a bowl. “I’m sorry.”

“Why? It wasn’t your fault. It was mine, I should have checked on her and made up after the huge fight we had.”

“It wasn’t your fault either. It was a car accident.”

She turned the wheel off and wiped her hands on a wet towel. “Where do you live, Julianna?”

Her first instinct was to lie, but instead the truth escaped her lips. “I did live in Baltimore, but I left.”

“I see.” She picked up the clay bowl and walked over to the table where more pottery was drying. She placed the bowl down next to the others. “I have an extra room upstairs. You’re welcome to stay as long as you like.”

Her eyes filled with tears, but she blinked them back. She’d been accepted, without judgment or condemnation. “Thank you, Gra—Viv. I’d like that.”

Viv washed her hands in the small sink and dried them on a clean towel. “Come, I’ll show you to your room, so you can bring your bags inside.”

Julianna bit her lip. “I don’t have any bags. I kind of left in a hurry.”

“Hmm, I supposed that means we need to make a trip to town. You’ll need a change of clothes and a toothbrush.”

“I have plenty of money. And I do have lots of clothes, back at my—Reid’s apartment.”

Viv raised an eyebrow. “Man troubles?”

Julianna swallowed. “No, nothing like that. It’s a long story, but I needed to get away for a while.”

Viv pursed her lips. “I bet you’re hungry. I’ll put us a pot of clam chowder on the stove. Crumb cake is already in the oven.”

Julianna inhaled the delicious aroma. “Is that what I smelled when I walked in?”

Viv nodded. “Not to boast, but my crumb cake is the best. When I moved here, twenty-five years ago, I took up baking and pottery. Something had to fill my life and it has, better than I expected.”

Julianna followed her back to the kitchen. She sat down at the island and watched Viv put pot holders over her hands to remove the cake pan from the oven. A brown sugar and cinnamon aroma filled the air. “That smells delicious. I love sweets. Sugar has always calmed me and cleared my head.”

“Mmm, you get that from Scarlett. When she was a teenager she’d eat candy everyday and that girl was still skinny as a rail, same as you.” Her face saddened as she removed a stainless steel pot from the refrigerator and placed it on the gas stove. “You look a lot like her.”

Pride filled her chest. “I do?”

“That’s how I knew you were telling me the truth. Can’t argue with genetics.” She stirred the chowder with a long spoon.

“No, I guess not.” Julianna watched her grandma. “I met her cousin, Brandon Voss.”

She ladled the chowder into two large bowls and set one in front of Julianna. Her face turned into a brief scowl. “That no good for nothing.” She looked up and smiled. “Sorry, how is he?”

“He’s dead.”

Viv cut the cake and placed an extra large square in front of Julianna. “Well, I’m not surprised. From her dad’s side of the family. He was in and out of trouble more than Scarlett. I hated it when she’d hang out with him.”

“You have no idea.” Julianna spooned a bit of the creamy soup.

Viv poured them some fresh-squeezed lemonade and sat next to her. “Did you live in
Baltimore your whole life?”

Julianna knew her grandma may ask questions that she didn’t know the answers to. “I don’t know. I can’t remember much of anything past seven months ago. I woke up in a hospital and they explained I had Repressed Memory Syndrome.”

Viv dabbed the corners of her mouth with a napkin. “Well, that’s odd isn’t it?”

Julianna laughed. “Yes.”

“Is there anything you can do to get back your memory?”

Viv was different than anyone Julianna had ever met—in a good way. “There are a few things I could try. I’m just not sure I want to.”

“I can’t imagine just waking up one day and not knowing who you are. Having to start all over. I guess there’s been a couple times in my life that may have been a good thing.”

Julianna took a bite of the moist cake amazed that it tasted even better than that delectable chocolate brownie Reid had gotten for her at Blondie’s. “Exactly.”

“Life is too short not remembering every good thing that has happened to you, though. That reason alone would be enough for me to get my memory back, no matter what it took.”

She did want to remember the special times her and Reid had shared. Just the glimpses she’d had of their relationship had made her happy. “I’ll think about it.”

Chapter 18

A
fter taking a relaxing hot bath in the claw foot tub, Julianna got dressed. She hadn’t slept as well as she had last night in a really long time. In fact, when the sun hit her face she still hadn’t wanted to get out of bed. She’d even had a sensual dream about Reid. It was good to feel his arms around her again, even if it wasn’t real. The room Viv had put her in was small, but the bed was comfortable and the sheets were soft.

Julianna walked over to the window to take in the tranquil view of the hills and pond. It was nice here. Such a huge difference to being on the run and shooting people. She’d only been at her grandma’s for one night and already felt like she belonged. She had family now.

Julianna went downstairs to find Viv making coffee.

Her grandma stood in front of the coffee maker wearing a fashionable lavender sweater. “Hope you got rested, I’d like to take you to town today. I need to pick up some more glaze for my pottery and you need some things, too.”