Serendipity (21 page)

“I'm sorry.” Faith didn't know what else to say.

“Oh, no. Never apologize for someone else. She's your mother, but you are your own person. You don't know how much I admire that. If I had a daughter, I hope she'd be as strong as you.” Caroline's voice softened.

Warmth spread inside Faith. It surely wasn't a sentiment her mother had ever thought about her. But Faith realized she had to be more like Caroline, accepting Lanie for who she was instead of being angry at her for her inability to be who Faith wanted her to be.

“That's one of the nicest things anyone's said to me,” Faith told Caroline.

“I'm sure since your return there haven't been many pleasant things said to you at all. Our set of friends don't know how to rally around someone when they're down.”

“I appreciate you saying that.”

Caroline straightened her shoulders. “Well then, back to business! When can you come over and look at the room? I have some ideas I'd like to discuss with you.”

Faith was grateful for the subject change and returned to her desk. She pulled out her appointment book. They agreed on a date and time and Caroline walked out.

She'd given Faith a lot to think about where her mother was concerned. Lanie was the only family Faith had. And while Faith was watching Ethan's struggles with his family first hand, she'd been ignoring her own. In Faith and her mother's relationship, Faith was more the adult, Lanie more the child. If anyone was going to make a true overture, it had to be Faith.

But right now, Faith had something else to think about and celebrate. A new client.

“Woo hoo!” She hung her head back and let the blood rush to her head, spinning around in her chair. She understood the importance of Caroline's offer. If Faith got this job right, a reference from Caroline would open all sorts of doors.

Faith had wanted independence and now she was on her way.

For Ethan, the weeks after he'd slept with Faith were all about Tess. Both his business and his personal life took a backseat to settling the teenager into his life and finding a routine. He followed up on Kate's recommendations and narrowed down the list of therapists, calling each and choosing the one he thought sounded like a good fit for Tess. Ethan met with the doctor by himself first to make sure his phone impression held up to real life.

He liked Dr. Tina Sinclair. About his age, she was young enough that Tess would be able to relate to her and seemed “with it” enough not to turn the teen off with too conservative views. That set, he took his silent, fuming sister for her first appointment.

Dr. Sinclair's first suggestion? Ethan and his brothers needed to form a tight-knit unit, setting up a schedule and a family the teenager could rely on. Easier said than done, Ethan knew. Yet his brothers were coming tonight for their first family dinner, cooked and served by Rosalita. His housekeeper had reacted to hearing about Tess just as Ethan expected.

She'd folded her arms across her chest and huffed. “You're a bad boy, Mr. Ethan. I'm not surprised you have a bad sister.”

But this time Ethan thought he caught a twinkle of amusement in her eye, then decided he knew better. She still hated him.

“Tess is misunderstood, like me. Give her a chance,” he'd said.

Rosalita had agreed, the woman having more integrity than to judge a child by her looks. Rosalita had extended her hours, coming in around ten and staying until dinner was served and the dishes cleaned. Of course, his housekeeper and Tess had gotten off to an expectedly rocky start, arguing over everything. But like Faith had promised, Rosalita dealt with the angry teen just fine, and her firm hand was exactly the help Ethan needed.

Then there was Faith, whom Ethan had given a bullshit line to about not wanting a relationship when everything in him screamed in protest. He damned well wanted something more than casual—because, so far, casual meant Ethan hadn't seen or heard from her since the night he'd found heaven in her body.

Except for an e-mail exchange about fabric and colors in the family room, she'd gone silent. So no, casual wasn't working for him. As soon as he survived this family gathering, he'd turn his focus to bringing Faith back into his orbit.

Ethan didn't kid himself that his brothers' willingness to come over meant they had forgiven him. But other than his promise to stick around, he was at a loss how to handle them. Just like he was at a loss how to handle Faith. Or his business, since Franklin had called earlier with the news that Ethan's onetime partner, Dale Conway, was sniffing around Amelia, Ethan's executive assistant, in his Washington, D.C., office. Since Amelia handled all the government contracts—sensitive information—transferred from the office in New York City to D.C., Ethan knew he was in trouble. The PI was now monitoring Amelia and promised to report back soon.

The doorbell snapped him out of his thoughts and brought him right into the present.

His brothers had arrived.

Ethan had instructed Rosalita to bring them right into the kitchen. No sense pouring drinks when they didn't want to give Tess the idea that they approved of drinking. Not to mention the fact that it would only lead to three men standing around, glasses in hand, in awkward, angry silence. Might as well have an awkward, angry meal instead. Though hopefully Nash and Dare would bury their real feelings for Tess's sake, he was about to find out.

He met them in the kitchen. Like Ethan, who'd dressed in jeans and a crew-neck shirt, Dare too was casually attired in worn, faded jeans and a New York Yankees T-shirt. Nash, the professional, wore a pair of khakis and a short-sleeved polo shirt. They couldn't look more different, but they stood shoulder to shoulder, facing Ethan.

“Thanks for coming,” he said to them.

“We're here for Tess,” Dare said.

Didn't Ethan know it.

Nash nodded. “DNA tests confirmed it,” he said, repeating what he'd already told Ethan on the phone. “Where is she?”

“Miss Tess right here.” Rosalita gave the girl a not-sogentle nudge in the back, forcing her into the room.

“Hey, watch it,” Tess muttered.

“You need to learn how to speak to people,” Ethan said. “Thank you, Rosalita.”

The other woman nodded and headed to the working side of the kitchen.

Dare walked over to Tess. The more casually dressed of the brothers, he'd have more of a shot of relating to Tess on an overall looks level—except that she knew he was a cop. Ethan doubted she'd cut either brother any slack.

“So, how are you doing?” Dare asked Tess.

She folded her arms across her chest, which had the effect of hugging that damned jacket closer around her slender body. “What's it to you?”

Ethan was about to reprimand her, but Dare shot him a warning glare, accompanied by a shake of his head. A silent
Stay out of it.

“You taking your coat off for dinner?” Dare asked, ignoring her attitude.

Ethan hadn't seen her remove the old surplus jacket ever.

She merely glared.

“Chicken and potatoes,” Rosalita said, rounding the counter, arms laden with dishes.

Grateful for the diversion, Ethan grabbed a seat and everyone followed. Ethan sat at the head and Nash and Dare united on one side of the small rectangular table across from Tess on the other.

Rosalita served them and they all began to eat in uncomfortable silence. Ethan didn't know where to begin to break the ice.

“So how come you didn't invite your girlfriend to this gig?” Tess asked, having no problem finding a subject to discuss.

“What girlfriend?” He decided to play this deliberately obtuse.

She rolled her eyes. “Faith Harrington. Unless you've got another girl on the side?”

“Of course not!” He gritted his teeth, unable to believe what a challenge this kid was.

“I thought Faith Harrington was just a
friend
.” Nash's disgusted tone indicated what he felt about Faith having even that status in Ethan's life.

Girlfriend wouldn't go over well. And Tess knew it, the little stinker, Ethan thought, catching the evil gleam in her eye. Of course it was hard to be sure with the black liner circling her lids, but Ethan was certain she was playing them, using the information she'd learned the one and only night they'd all been in the same room together. The night Tess had arrived.

“I thought tonight was about family,” Ethan said. “And all of us getting along. That can't happen if we're making digs and deliberately bringing up subjects to piss one another off.” He snagged Tess's gaze once more.

“Sounds to me like she fits right in,” Dare muttered under his breath.

“What the hell did I do?” Tess asked, shoveling chicken into her mouth. “I'm just making conversation since none of you wanted to do it.”

She'd picked up on the obvious.

“Don't talk with your mouth full,” Dare said. “And watch the language. We're here, so let's make the best of it.”

Ethan appreciated Dare's take on things, but his brother refused to meet his gaze so Ethan could acknowledge it or tell him so. Fine.

“How have you been keeping busy?” Nash asked the teen.

“He sends me to the community center to hang with other juvenile delinquents,” she said, gesturing to Ethan with an elbow.

Ethan groaned. “The community center has good programs for teens. She's been working with Kate Andrews.”

“She's
Faith's
best friend,” Tess said between gulping her drink.

Ethan ignored her. “Tess and I met with a therapist,” he said to his brothers. That particular appointment had been extremely enlightening and he needed to share the information, since helping Tess would be a group effort.

Without warning, Tess threw her silverware onto the table, the fork and knife hitting the plate with a loud clatter. “I'm outta here,” she said, rising from her seat. Apparently she didn't like the tables being turned and her being the focus of discussion.

“Sit down
now
,” Ethan said, taking charge of this fiasco.

“Hell, no,” she said, and stormed out of the room, leaving the brothers alone.

Dare and Nash looked at one another, some silent understanding passing between them that left Ethan out in the cold.

“What?” Ethan spat, annoyed.

Nash wiped his mouth on the napkin. “She follows orders just as well as you ever did.”

Dare's mouth lifted in a grim smile.

Ethan blew out a long, frustrated breath. “Don't you think I've grown up since I've been gone?”

Nash rose to his feet. “I don't know. Have you?” he asked in definite challenge.

With Tess gone, the gloves were apparently off.

Ethan pushed his chair back, and stood, meeting his middle brother's angry gaze. “Maybe if you came around more, you'd find out.” Ethan was finished tiptoeing around his past mistakes.

Nash shoved his chair beneath the table hard. “Tess aside, give me one other good reason I'd want to be here. Because it sure as hell wouldn't be to get to know you. You gave up being our brother the day you left.”

Without being asked, Dare silently stood, standing beside Nash, united against Ethan in every way.

Ethan braced one hand over the back of the chair, gripping the handle tight. “I was eighteen and fucked up,” he reminded them. “Do you think I knew what I was doing back then?” Not that it was an excuse and they all knew it.

“Apparently not since you got our parents killed,” Dare joined in with a lethal blow.

Shooting pain seared through both Ethan's head and heart. It was one thing to blame himself, another to hear his youngest brother say it out loud. To know his siblings held him responsible was a hell of a lot worse than to merely fear it, and Ethan felt a ten-ton weight settle on his chest.

He could barely catch his breath. “They were killed by a drunk driver,” he managed to say, repeating the logic he'd heard over the years. The same logic the army shrink had tried on him when nightmares drove him to seek help. It hadn't helped him then and it sure as shit wouldn't smooth things over now.

“And you were the reason they were out on that goddamn road.” Dare stepped forward, spine straight, face red. “And even then, you couldn't step up and be a man. You ran.” Dare's voice filled with disgust while Nash gripped his younger brother by the shoulder.

Holding him back or comforting him, Ethan didn't know. Didn't care. He had no excuses, no words to make it better. He'd thought the same things over the years, hating himself and the kid he'd been. But his brothers' loathing and disgust ripped him in two.