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He scoffed. “You’ll change your mind.”
Rather than argue with him, she simply walked away. She was so furious her head felt about to explode. Mingled with the anger was a profound hurt. Roy didn’t respect her, let alone love her. He viewed her as an object he could control—and then discard when he’d finished.
“Julie?” Ms. Johnson stood as Julie walked by.
Numb now, she only half heard the other woman. All Julie wanted was to escape. She hurried toward the elevators, hitting the down button.
“I shouldn’t have let you see him,” Ms. Johnson said anxiously. “He hasn’t had a good afternoon.”
“Don’t make excuses for him,” Julie told her, stepping into the elevator. As soon as the doors closed, she slumped against the wall. Everything had become clear. She knew that some people were unable to move past the pain inflicted by others. They carried it with them for the rest of their lives, and everyone they met, everything they accomplished, was blighted by that pain. Roy, sadly, was one of those people.
When the elevator reached the lobby, Julie straightened, eager to get away from Fletcher Industries—and Fletcher. When the doors slid open, Jason stood directly in front of her, legs braced apart, hands on his hips.
“Mr. Fletcher would like to see you,” he announced.
“Tell him another time would be better,” Julie said, attempting to get past him.
“He insisted. I’m sorry, Ms. Wilcoff, but I have my orders.”
“Which are what? Shoot me on sight if I refuse to talk to your boss? This is illegal confinement, in case you weren’t aware of it.”
A smile cracked Jason’s tight lips. “Just talk to him, all right?”
“I’m supposed to take the elevator up to his office?”
Jason nodded.
“I won’t do that.”
Jason’s eyes pleaded with her. “As a personal favor to me, would you just do it?”
“Sorry, no.”
“Ms. Wilcoff, he called down here himself and asked me to keep you in the building.”
Despite her anguish, Julie laughed. “That’s quite a contrast to his earlier commands, isn’t it?”
“Can’t help that.” He shrugged. “I will say this—you’ve certainly made my job interesting.”
Julie gave an exasperated sigh. Talking to Roy, especially now, wasn’t going to solve anything. “I’m sorry, I can’t.” When it looked as if Jason was about to detain her, Julie leaped agilely to the right and then just as quickly to the left. To her astonishment, without the least bit of effort, she sprinted past the guard.
Jason appeared stunned. “How’d you do that?” he asked, chasing after her.
She was at the door, pushing it open, when he reached her. He stretched out his arms, lunged forward—and froze in place. “I can’t move,” he cried. “Something’s holding me back.”
“Good try, Jason,” she said as she walked outside, taking a moment to admire Anne’s angel windows. Too bad Roy didn’t understand the spirit of Christmas—or the nature of faith and love—the way his mother did.
“I’m not joking!”
The door closed behind her as she bolted toward the visitor parking lot. She glanced over her shoulder once to find Jason still in that odd position, one leg stretched out as if stepping forward to grab her. When he noticed her watching him, he called out for help. Smiling, Julie simply shook her head. He certainly had an inventive approach to getting her sympathy.
After she drove away from Fletcher Industries, Julie headed toward the school. It was almost dark now, but she needed to vent her frustration, so she changed into running gear and jogged toward the track. After doing a couple of quick laps, she left the field and took one of her usual routes in a friendly neighborhood near the school. Generally she avoided running in the dark, but her gear had reflective tape so she could be seen by oncoming traffic.
Her feet hit the pavement in a rhythm that matched the pounding of her heart. Her thoughts, however, flew at a far greater speed. Anger was soon replaced by sadness. Sadness became regret … and resignation. As she approached the five-mile marker, she became aware of a car driving behind her.
It could only be Roy.
He eased his car alongside her and lowered the passenger window. “You have a hard time following directions, don’t you?”
“Not at all.” She slowed to a clipped walk, her arms swinging. “Why would you say that?”
“What did you do to Jason?”
“I didn’t do a thing to him.”
Roy brought his sedan to a stop, parked it by the curb and then jumped out. Jogging around the front of the vehicle, he joined her. “That’s not what he told me.”
“Believe what you want.” She tried to hide how hard she was breathing—and how pleased she was to see him. Because, in spite of everything, she was. But that wasn’t going to change the situation.
“Come on, Julie, be reasonable. If you want an apology, you’ve got one. I was rude and arrogant.” He paced his walk to hers.
“Yes, you were.”
“Thank you for being so gracious,” he muttered.
“I don’t think we’ve got anything left to discuss. You have my answer.”
“I want you to reconsider.”
“It wouldn’t work,” she said, and she meant it. She stopped walking, and at the risk of letting down her guard, raised her hand to his cheek. “In the beginning, living together would’ve been wonderful—”
“It still can be.”
“But it wouldn’t last.”
“Nothing lasts forever, and we’d be foolish to think otherwise.”
“My parents’ love for each other did.”
“Mine didn’t.”
Julie shrugged. “I’m sorry for you, sorry for them, but I can’t let what happened between your mother and father taint my life. I’m falling in love with you, Roy, and I want it all.”
With an angry sigh of frustration, he threw back his head to stare at the dark sky. “Julie, come on! I’m willing to give you whatever you want.”
“But that’s just the point—you aren’t.”
He placed his hand over hers and brought it to his lips, kissing the tender skin of her palm. “We could have something good. Who cares if it doesn’t last a lifetime?”
“I care, Roy. I’m sorry, I really am. It would be so easy to let you persuade me, but in the end I’d have nothing left except a broken heart.” He couldn’t possibly know how much she already loved him.
Roy released her hand. “You’re like all the rest, aren’t you? You want to control me, get your hands on my success and make it your own. Naturally, your term for this is love. I’m supposed to marry you and promise to spend the rest of my life with you? Well, you can forget that.”
“Oh, yeah, the old marriage trap. It’s worked for thousands of years, but it’s not good enough for you. Silly me—refusing to settle for anything less than love and commitment.” She gestured wildly with one hand.
“I can’t do it, Julie.”
“I know.”
“Then there’s nothing more to say.”
“Obviously not.” Her throat constricted with sadness.
Neither moved. Neither wanted to be the first to turn away, Julie suspected, or to acknowledge that this relationship was over almost before it had begun.
Finally she was the one who turned and, with tears burning her eyes, ran in the opposite direction.
Twenty-Two
Saturday afternoon, Christmas music played softly in the background as Anne pulled her suitcase from the closet and laid it on her bed. She sang along with her favorite carols as she started to take sweaters from her dresser drawers. Since Marta had sent her the airline ticket online, she’d had two additional phone conversations with her. Things seemed to be looking up. Jack had made numerous attempts to speak to her and she’d agreed to meet with him—after she got the report from the private investigator. Needless to say, she didn’t tell him that part; Jack had no idea his wife was having him followed. Their conversation would depend on what the investigator discovered. Still, Jack’s willingness—indeed frantic desire—to get his wife back boded well, Anne thought. She was grateful Marta could benefit from her experience.
Marta hadn’t given Anne any new details regarding the sale of her angel portrait. However, from everything her friend had told her, the news was good. The painting would definitely sell, and for a high price, too.
A noise in the living room startled Anne, and she paused to listen again. Someone was in her home. “Who’s there?” she called out, a little nervous. She tried to remember where she’d left her portable phone.
“Mother?”
“Roy?” She hurried out of the bedroom. “What are you doing here?” Her son’s appearance shocked her. He hadn’t shaved in a day or two and looked as if he’d slept in his clothes.
“Frankly, I don’t know,” he said, not meeting her eyes. “I started driving and then all of a sudden I was on a ferry, headed to your place. I guess I just need to talk.”
“My goodness, what’s happened?” she asked, resisting the urge to take him in her arms.
“I wasn’t sure if you’d already left for New York or not.”
“I fly out in the morning. Now, sit down and tell me what’s wrong.” For once he didn’t argue. She directed him into her kitchen, sat him down at the small table and immediately started cooking. At times like this, food could be a wonderful comfort. She put on a pot of coffee, then took out a pan and set it on the stove. After that, she retrieved two eggs from the refrigerator. When she saw that she was paying more attention to creating the perfect omelet than to her son, she stopped. She pulled out a chair and sat across from Roy.
“What is it?” she asked gently.
“I asked Julie to move in with me,” he mumbled.
Anne sighed heavily. That wasn’t what she wanted for her son; in fact, she saw it as a mistake for both of them, but young people always thought they knew best.
“You don’t approve. Julie knew her father wouldn’t, either, not that it matters, anyway.”
“She turned you down?”
“Lock, stock and barrel. I guess I should be grateful.”
He certainly didn’t look grateful. If anything, Roy seemed distraught. Immediate questions came to mind, but Anne avoided asking, knowing Roy would explain everything in his own time. “I’m sorry.”
“So am I. Julie insists on what she calls love and, of course, marriage.” He spit out the words as if they tasted foul.
“You’ve had setbacks before,” Anne said, hardly able to credit this kind of reaction to a simple rejection. Privately Anne was cheering Julie for having the courage to hold out for what she wanted. It couldn’t have been easy to turn him down. When Roy went after something, he did it with a determination that was difficult to ignore.
“This is more than a setback.”
“How do you mean?”
Roy rubbed a hand tiredly down his face and shook his head. “I was foolish enough to believe she was different.”
“Julie is different. She’s special. I know you think every woman’s like Aimee, but you’re wrong.”
“No, Mother, in Julie’s case I’m right.”
“Julie isn’t anything like Aimee,” she said adamantly.
“She just proved to me she is.”
“What are you talking about?” He’d have to show her the evidence before Anne would believe him. Although she didn’t know Julie well, Anne had sensed genuine goodness in her. She felt, too, that Julie had attained the spiritual and emotional insights that only someone who’d suffered could fully understand.
Roy reached inside his jacket and pulled out a wad of folded papers. “Read this.”
Anne took the papers, opening them on the table. She put on her reading glasses and quickly scanned the contents. As far as she could see, it was a bunch of legal mumbo jumbo. “It’s some sort of settlement offer,” she said. “Oh, here’s Julie’s name.”
“I know what it is,” Roy barked, then cast her an apologetic glance. “Remember when I ran into her?”
“Yes, of course, your car collided with her bike. It’s a miracle she wasn’t hurt.”
He gave an unpleasant laugh. “Correction, Mother. She was hurt twenty-five-thousand dollars’ worth.”
Anne snatched up the papers and skimmed them again.
“She signed the settlement offer,” he pointed out. “A check’s already been issued to her in the amount stated.”
Anne knew that wasn’t possible. Yet there was Julie’s signature, plain as day.
Roy focused his gaze on the kitchen wall. “I pressured her at first, believing it was best to deal with the incident quickly rather than have her come back and bite me later. She repeatedly refused, and after a while I started to trust her.
“I finally decided she wasn’t a gold digger. She had me convinced that money didn’t mean a thing to her—and now this.”
“Roy, I don’t think—”
“You’re holding the evidence in your hand,” he countered, his voice raised in anger.
Only he wasn’t really angry, Anne realized; he was hurt and disillusioned and growing more so by the minute. Oh, this was dreadful. It was as if God had broken a promise. Anne had felt so sure that Julie was the woman she’d been praying for all these years and now this … this betrayal.
“All along, Julie was holding out for more money.” He rubbed his eyes as if he was exhausted. “I forgot about the settlement when we started dating.” He expelled a shaky breath. “Then she declined to move in with me, and that was the end of our fine romance. Except that I remembered we hadn’t settled her so-called accident and I contacted her again.”
Anne didn’t say anything, waiting for him to continue his story.
“She wouldn’t talk to me about it.”
Anne silently applauded; perhaps everything wasn’t lost, after all.
“The thing is, Mother, I thought she was different, that I could trust her.”
Anne reached across the table and patted his hand.
“Then she proved I can’t.”
“Roy, let’s not be hasty here. Yes, it looks bad, but let’s face it—if Julie was interested in your money, she would’ve moved in with you. Don’t make the mistake of judging her too harshly.”
“Harshly?” he snapped. “It isn’t just about the money. I went over to her place to see her, to talk to her. I hoped we could find a way to compromise…. All I wanted was for the two of us to be together.”
Anne bit her lower lip, afraid of what he’d say next.
“I told her if she didn’t want to move in with me, I’d be willing to set her up in her own apartment.”
After a moment, Anne managed to speak. “She wasn’t interested in that, either, I take it.”
“Not at all.”
Anne smiled to herself. Perhaps, just perhaps, Julie was everything she’d hoped for. Surely God wouldn’t be so cruel as to send another Aimee into Roy’s life.
“I reminded her that I wasn’t offering marriage, but she could have the next-best thing. I made it clear that this was my final offer. If she said no, I was walking out that door once and for all.”
“She was willing to accept that?”
He hung his head. “Apparently so. Then I brought up the settlement. I told her I wasn’t upping the ante. If she was going to get anything out of me, she’d better sign.”
“You left the papers with her?”
“Yes,” he said bitterly. “I had my attorney contact her. This afternoon I got the signed papers by messenger, with the attorney’s notice that the check had been mailed.”
Roy looked so disheartened Anne ached once again to take him in her arms the way she had when he was small. He’d come to her for solace, but there was nothing she could do or say to ease this pain. Julie hadn’t turned out to be the woman Anne had hoped, after all.
“She has her money, then?”
He nodded. “It’s what she always wanted. Twenty-five thousand—no strings. I’ll say one thing for her,” he muttered cynically. “She was good.”
Anne’s shoulders sagged with disappointment. “Live and learn,” she said under her breath.
“She came in right after Aimee that afternoon,” Roy said, speaking almost to himself.
Anne leaned closer, certain she’d misunderstood. “Aimee was five years ago.”
“No, Aimee was three days ago.”
Anne thought her heart had stopped beating. She needed a couple of minutes to calm herself before she asked, “Aimee came to see you? Recently?”
Roy’s gaze darted to hers. “I didn’t mean to say anything—I shouldn’t have. I apologize, Mom, for bringing up unpleasant memories.”
“Tell me,” Anne insisted.
Roy tilted back his chair, staring at the ceiling. “She stopped by the office, unannounced and unwelcome.”
“Whatever for?”
“Why does Aimee do anything?” Roy said sarcastically. “She wanted something.”
“What?”
Roy shook his head as if to say he still didn’t really believe it. “She came with some ridiculous story about my father loving me and wanting to see me again.”
“I know Burton’s tried to contact you,” Anne said.
“Who told you that?”
She didn’t want to get his assistant in trouble, but Ms. Johnson had volunteered the information. “It wouldn’t do you any harm to talk to him, you know.”
“I don’t have anything to say to the man,” Roy said bluntly.
Anne felt herself go rigid. “It’s been five years since you last talked to your father. I know you don’t want to hear this, but I think it’s time you two called a truce.” As difficult as it was, she gave Aimee credit for supporting Burton’s desire to make peace with his son.
“We don’t have anything in common.”
“He’s your father.”
“He betrayed us both.”
Anne didn’t have a response to that. She wasn’t in any position to defend Burton, and wouldn’t. “At least Aimee tried to help.”
Roy snickered. “Don’t go painting her in any chivalrous light. She had her own agenda. She always has. I should’ve recognized it at the time, but fool that I am, I took her at face value.”
“What do you mean?”
Roy looked away, as if he’d said more than he intended. “I called Dad.”
“Oh, Roy, I’m so glad you did.” Part of that was a lie, but for Roy’s sake she was grateful. A son, no matter what his age, needed his father.
He shook his head. “The conversation didn’t go well, but I did learn an important piece of information.”
Anne waited for him to explain.
“Aimee wants something big and expensive for Christmas, and Dad told her if he was going to plunk down thousands of dollars, she could do something for him.”
“I see.”
“He got what he wanted,” Roy murmured. “I phoned him, just like she knew I would.”
Aimee’s manipulativeness had left Roy deeply cynical toward women; Julie’s actions, unfortunately, had only confirmed that cynicism.
“How is your father?” Anne asked despite herself.
“You honestly care?” Roy’s eyes were skeptical. “The man betrayed you, cheated you, and now you’re concerned about his well-being? Don’t be, Mother. Dad is getting exactly what he deserves.”
“And what’s that?”
He laughed. “Aimee. She’s spending money faster than he can earn it.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
He cast her a doubting look.
Anne grinned. “Okay, that’s not entirely true. But I really don’t harbor any ill will toward your father. I’ve gotten on with my life. After the divorce, I felt used up and old, but now …” She got to her feet, still talking, and poured them each a coffee. “Well, the thing is, I found a whole new part of myself. I believe that our world was created with a sense of order. For every loss, there’s a gain. Sometimes we’re so blinded by the loss that we don’t see the gain, don’t recognize the gift.” She paused, handing him his cup. “There’s a wonderful gift for you in Aimee’s betrayal, and one day you’ll discover it.”
Roy gazed at her with puzzlement and what seemed to be renewed respect. “You’re a better person than I’ll ever be.”
Anne hated to ask again, but she was curious about her ex-husband. “Is your father … well?”
“What you really mean is, does he have any regrets?” Roy supplied for her.
There was some truth in that. “I don’t think your father would admit any regrets to you, would he?”
Roy agreed. “Not in so many words, but it was easy enough to read between the lines.”
Anne held her breath. So often she’d speculated about Burton and his new life. “Other than financially, is everything as it should be?”
“I don’t think so. My guess is that Dad’s having trouble keeping up with Aimee, uh, physically. Now that he’s in his sixties, his work pace is taking its toll. He didn’t sound happy.”
“How did he sound?”
“Tired, exasperated, overworked.”
“I thought your father would’ve retired by now.”
“He can’t,” Roy said, “not with the speed at which Aimee is spending his money, and that’s only the half of it.”
“What do you mean?”
Roy shrugged and she thought for a moment that he wasn’t going to tell her. “It also seems that Aimee’s taken a liking to some of his clients—men who are seeking comfort after their divorces.”
Anne was shocked. “Your father actually told you that?”
“Not exactly, but close.” He shook his head in disgust. “She spouted all these platitudes about loving my father and building a bridge between us, and it was all lies.” A muscle leaped in the side of his jaw. “She came with a purpose, which she advanced with her lies. She wanted something from me, just the same as Julie did.”
Obviously, it was Julie who was on his mind. “No matter what papers Julie signed,” Anne said, “I still don’t think she’s anything like Aimee.”
“I’ve been fooled before, and I’m not going to let it happen again.”
“I know.” It broke her heart to admit that. “I wish I wasn’t leaving you over Christmas.”
He frowned, and then smiled. “Do you honestly think it bothers me? Christmas doesn’t mean a thing to me.”
“But, Roy, it should.” Her heart ached for her only child. Nothing had worked out as she’d hoped. Her prayers, like so many before, had gone unanswered. Roy would be alone on Christmas Day.
Twenty-Three
Three days before Christmas, Julie knew this was destined to be the worst one of her life. She was already dealing with the loss of her mother and now she’d lost Roy, too.
Even her twin sister’s call hadn’t raised her spirits. Julie ended the conversation and then wandered into the living room, where her father sat watching the evening news.
One look at her, and Dean grabbed the remote control and muted the volume. “That bad?”
“I feel just awful.”
“Because of Fletcher?”
Slumping into the chair next to him, Julie nodded. “I don’t know what happened. I went to see him on Wednesday afternoon, and it was as if he’d shut me out of his life.” Julie still didn’t understand it. He’d been so cold and defensive; nothing she said had reached him. And their second meeting, a day later, was even worse.
“Is it the settlement money?”
She shrugged. She’d never intended to accept a dime of that settlement, but Roy had angered her so much she’d agreed to his terms out of pure frustration. He seemed to believe all women were greedy for money and power.
“I was tired of fighting with him,” she said in a subdued voice.
“I know. Fletcher’s gone far in the business world by the sheer strength of his determination.”
“Only in this instance, he’s wrong.”
“I know, Kitten.”
Her last angry exchange with Roy lingered in her mind. Furious, she’d signed those stupid papers. It was what he’d expected, what he’d demanded she do—and so she had. But oh, how she regretted it. She hated to end their relationship on such a negative note, but what choice did she have? Roy had cast her from his life as if she meant nothing.
“I don’t know if he’s capable of love,” she murmured, hoping her father had some consolation to offer.
“Every human has the capacity to love,” he said with such confidence that her heart surged with hope. “But a person’s ability to love is only equal to his or her openness in receiving it.”