Back and forth, Michelle paced the length of the porch as her mind raced in anxiety. She was a desperate woman who had lied to her husband, and if her brother didn’t go along with her, she could lose everything.
Robert had to corroborate her story. He just had to.
It was exactly a week since her secret marriage and one-night honeymoon in Boston. There hadn’t been time to dwell on the memories since Erik had been preoccupied with Danielle’s death. Last Sunday, they’d driven up to Granite Falls for the funeral that took place on Tuesday. It was during the ride back on Thursday that Erik told her he wanted to meet her brother and Yasmine, the two people who were closest to her. He wanted to invite them to dinner before he left for a medical conference in D.C. tomorrow.
When she’d asked him why he wanted to meet them so suddenly, he’d simply stated that they were married, albeit secretly, so it was time he met his in-laws.
Michelle couldn’t argue with his logic without causing suspicion, and so had reluctantly made the phone calls, hoping that since it was short notice both Robert and Yasmine would have prior engagements. They didn’t.
With Robert and Yasmine coming to dinner, the subject of her father was bound to wind its way into the conversation. So while Precious and Erik were getting dressed, she’d decided to keep vigil on the porch for Robert. He’d always been there for her. He had to come through for her again tonight. Her entire future depended on him lying for her, just this once.
Michelle stopped her pacing when she spotted her brother’s car coming up the long winding path to the house. She was down the stairs waiting anxiously in the driveway by the time he pulled to a stop in front of the three-car garage. She broke out into a wide grin as Robert pulled his tall, lean frame from his silver Lexus.
“Come here, little sister,” he said.
Michelle threw herself into his arms. She hadn’t seen him in weeks, and even though they spoke on the phone regularly, she still missed him.
Myriad memories assailed her. Noble ones of Robert as a young boy, working at the local supermarket after school, bagging groceries, sweeping floors, cleaning up, just so he could earn some money to buy them food. Robert shoveling snow, mowing lawns, delivering papers in sub-zero temperatures on an old bicycle he found at the dump and fixed up. Robert reading to her at nights, calming her, soothing her fears.
Then there were the unpleasant ones of Robert standing in front of her to shield her from their drunken father’s rage. Robert taking a beating for her while she crouched in a corner, listening to the blows their father delivered to his young body. Tears sprang to her eyes at those memories.
Robert held her at arm’s length so he could look into her eyes. “You still crying, Mich?”
She chuckled at the endearing nickname. He and Yasmine were the only people who called her Mich. She sniffled and poked him in the chest. “I’m just happy to see you, you big hunk.”
Robert grinned and looked up at the house. “Some place. Big change from where we came from.”
“Well, you live in a brownstone on Beacon Hill.”
“True,” he said with a whimsical smile.
“Did you ever imagine I’d end up in a place like this?”
“Well, I did teach you to dream high. But you just work here, Mich,” he astutely added.
Michelle gave him an obscure look.
“Oh, it’s more than that. See, I’ve been racking my brain, wondering why I got an impromptu invitation to meet your employer of barely two months. What’s going on, Michelle?”
“We’ve become very close, and he wants to meet my family.”
“Sounds serious.”
She dropped her gaze.
He put his hand under her chin, raising her face. “So it is. Are you in love with him?”
She so wished she could tell Robert everything. But Erik was right. It was best they kept their marriage a secret, especially for Precious’ sake. They had to consider the psychological and emotional impact it might have on her. “Yes, I love him.” That much she could share.
“Then my only question is, does he deserve you?”
“You’ll get your chance to judge him. See if he’s good enough for your little sister.”
“In my eyes, nobody would ever be good enough for you, Michelle. And if Dr. Erik LaCrosse can’t see what a terrific woman you are, I would be very happy to tell him what a dumb turkey I think he is, right to his face.”
Michelle laughed with a mixture of warm emotions. Robert used to warn the boys in their neighborhood to stay away from her, or else. Because of him, she’d managed to hold on to her virginity until she was old enough and ready to give it up. She wished she’d waited for Erik instead of wasting it on Ryan who couldn’t even appreciate the priceless gift she’d given him.
But there wasn’t one shred of comparison between Erik and the men in her old neighborhood, nor her father. Erik would never hurt her intentionally. She was the dishonest one here. If Erik found out about her father, he might want nothing more to do with her. She was certain of it. He might fire her—contract or not—annul their secret marriage, and worst, cut off her relationship with Precious.
That last reality brought her back to the reason she had been lying in wait for Robert. She wasn’t a little girl anymore and Robert didn’t need to protect her—except from herself—but she would ask him to do her one last favor.
Michelle took a deep breath of the warm, late-summer afternoon air. “Robert, before we go inside, I need to ask a favor of you.”
“Anything for you, little sister.”
“I told Erik that Daddy is dead.”
Robert slumped against the car and let out a mild swear. “Why did you do a stupid thing like that, girl?”
“At the time, I thought it was the best thing to do. Now I’m not so sure. But I can’t change my story. Not yet.”
“Lying to him, Mich? How could that be for the best?”
Michelle saw the disillusionment in her brother’s eyes. She had looked up to Robert her whole life. He had always been her hero. He’d taught her the good principles of life that had kept her honest and out of trouble. The last thing she wanted was to disappoint him. “Because it was a drunk who killed his wife,” she said in defense. “I’m ashamed of him. I hate him for what he did to us.”
Robert wiped his hands down his face. “Oh, Michelle, I hate the bastard, too, especially for stealing from you and nearly destroying your life. But I don’t go around telling people he’s dead. I’m proud of the man I’ve become. It doesn’t matter who or what my father is. He can’t take my pride or my dignity away from me.”
Michelle sighed. Robert was right, but she knew how passionately Erik felt about drunks. They were all suspects, and he would keep on believing that until the one who ran his wife down was brought to justice. “I just know I can’t tell him about our father.”
Robert placed a hand on her shoulder. “What does Daddy have to do with it, Mich?” he asked in a big brotherly tone. “He didn’t run down Erik’s wife, and even if he did, Erik wouldn’t hold it against you, I’m sure. You don’t lie to people you love. You can’t build a relationship on deception. What do you think will happen when he finds out you’ve been lying to him all this time?”
“He isn’t going to find out,” Michelle said adamantly. “Not as long as Daddy stays wherever he is. And if he does come back, I hope Erik would have grown to love me enough by then to understand why I lied to him.”
Robert shrugged as he pushed off his car. “I don’t know, Mich. Seems to me you are setting yourself up for a lot of grief. I don’t think Erik would care if your father were Charles Manson as long as you were truthful with him. When he finds out that you deceived him, it will destroy any trust or faith he may have had in you. You’re taking a big chance, little sister.”
That was a chance Michelle was willing to take, because if she came clean now, she was sure the end results would be the same. She had already lied.
“Well,” she added, crossing her fingers behind her. “It’s possible that I may not even be lying. Our father may really be dead.”
Robert’s face furrowed into a frown. “What are you talking about, Mich?”
“Remember I told you Yasmine thinks Dwight may not be our real father? Our real father could be dead, or out there looking for us.”
Robert sighed and shook his head. “Michelle, you need to stop this foolishness. Horrible as he is, Dwight is our father. I would have remembered if it were not so.”
“But you were really little when we moved to New Hampshire, and Mom was already pregnant with me. You could have suppressed a terrible memory. And Mrs. Hayes says he used to act suspicious when he saw our mother talking to her, or anybody else. He practically kept her locked up in the house.”
“You talked to Mrs. Hayes about this?”
Michelle shrugged. “Yeah. She was like a grandmother to us after Mom died.”
“What did she say?”
“She said if I believe there’s a secret to be uncovered, I should go uncover it.”
Robert regarded her quizzically for a moment. “You really believe there’s something out there, Mich?”
“Yes. I mean, look at the way he treated us. He hated us, Robert. Especially me. He accused me of killing our mother. If I can prove he is an impostor, I wouldn’t be so scared of telling Erik about him.”
“This man… Erik means that much to you, Mich?”
“He means everything to me.”
“Okay, little sister. Even though I think it’s a futile cause, I’ll give it some thought and perhaps hire an investigator, just to put your mind at ease. And speaking of Erik,” Robert declared as he looked up at the house, “he’s waiting for you.”
Michelle’s heart leaped at the sight of Erik standing on the porch. He looked appealing in an indigo short sleeve shirt and grey linen slacks. “Come on. You have to meet him.” She threaded her arms through Robert’s and started for the house. The smile in his eyes assured her he’d agreed to keep her little secret, even though he didn’t approve of it.
When they reached the porch, Michelle did the introductions.
“I’ve heard a lot about you,” Robert stated as he shook Erik’s hand. “Your excellent reputation as a doctor and as an employer precedes you.”
“As does yours as a dentist and big brother,” Erik remarked as he studied the man—Michelle’s brown-eyed, black-haired brother, who almost matched him in height. He and Michelle would have tall children, some with grey gold-speckled eyes, some with brown, some with black…
His eyes wandered to Michelle, dressed in an ankle-length animal print dress with a knotted sarong at the front. She looked like a female leopard, strutting gracefully through the jungle, and he felt like the hunter, the predaceous male in hot pursuit.
He missed her terribly, and he wished…
“…surprised I was when Michelle called last night and invited me to dinner.”
Robert’s hearty laugh dragged Erik out of his daydreams. He chuckled, having no idea what he was chuckling about. “Come on in, Robert. Mrs. Hayes has set out some hors d’oeuvres. We could have a drink until our other guests arrive.” He led the way into the house.
“Other guests? I thought I was the only family you had,” Robert whispered to Michelle.
“Oh, I forgot to tell you, I also invited Yasmine and her nephew, Peter.”
“Yasmine? How is she?”
“You can ask her when she gets here,” Michelle said, wondering at the smile on his face.
“What would you like to drink, Robert?”
“A martini, please. Dry, if it’s available.”
“Coming right up.” Erik made himself busy at the bar.
“Michelle, can you tie my bow in my hair, please?”
Michelle turned at the voice of her ward. “Sure, baby. Come on.”
“You must be Precious.” Robert smiled, crouching down to eye level with the little girl as Michelle fiddled with the long strip of ribbon.
“And you must be Robert.” Precious returned his smile.
“Mr. Carter to you, young lady,” her father stated sternly.
“Robert’s fine with me.”
“She must respect her elders.”
“How about Uncle Robert? I never had an uncle before.”
“And I never had a niece,” Robert said with an animated smile. “Deal?” He held up his hand for a high-five.
“Deal, Uncle Robert.” Precious slapped her palm to his.
“All done.” Michelle almost choked on the words. She turned to the table, laden with goodies, picked up a chunk of cheese and stuffed it into her mouth. The very idea of Precious calling her brother ‘Uncle’ shattered her nerves. If Robert was Precious’ uncle, that made her her mother. And she was her stepmother, so Precious was indeed Robert’s niece—by law. But nobody knew that—nobody but her and Erik.
She cast a wary look at Erik who was keenly observing his daughter and her brother as they talked and laughed as if they’d know each other for years. He turned his head and his eyes caught and held hers. The warmth she saw spilling from him made her heart ache with need.
The doorbell chimed, breaking the intangible web of memories spinning between them.
“Peter is here!” Precious deserted her new uncle and raced to the door.
“The real man of her dreams,” Erik murmured. “Even I come in second to this Peter guy.”
“So I figure you haven’t met him yet?”
“Not yet.”
Robert laughed as he took the martini glass from Erik.
Michelle left the men, but by the time she got to the foyer, Yasmine and Peter were already inside.
“I saw Robert’s car outside, I hope we’re not late,” Yasmine said.
“You’re fine.” Michelle hugged her friend. “I asked Robert to come earlier. I had to talk to him about something. You look good, girl,” she added, taking in the little black dress her friend was wearing. “I know you didn’t wear that for Erik, so it must be for Robert.”
“Robert? Please.” Yasmine tossed the absurd statement aside with a swipe of her wrist.
Michelle laughed. Robert and Yasmine never mixed well. He used to call her a sassy-mouth little minx, and she’d called him a stiff-shirt prude—all in teenage jest of course. “Come on, the men are waiting,” she said as Precious and Peter raced back to the formal living room.
“Smells great in here,” Yasmine said.
“We’re having roast quail for dinner.”
Yasmine smacked her lips. “Lead me to the kitchen, now.”
As they entered the room, Michelle saw Erik standing tall and imposing over poor little Peter, a devilish look on his face.
“So, you are the young man who’s been courting my daughter? Keeping her out at all kinds of ungodly hours. Well, let me tell you, young man, I won’t stand for it.”
Peter literally trembled in his little sneakers. “I… I didn’t coat her,” he stammered, backing away from Erik. “I… I just play with her. I… I didn’t keep her out late.” He turned frightened eyes to Yasmine. “What’s coating, Aunt Yasmine?”
The adults burst into laughter.
“Well, if you have to ask, I guess you’re on the up and up.” Erik tried to keep a straight face. “Just remember, she’s my baby, so you better treat her right.” He ruffled Peter’s curly black hair. “Now, run along. Precious is anxious to show you her fish. And keep the noise down,” he called, as they scrambled up the stairs.
“Wow, talk about pressure.” Yasmine fanned her flushed face with her hands. “You almost made that poor little boy wet his pants.”
“He’s practicing for the real thing when Precious is old enough to date,” Michelle said.
“That’ll be about thirty years from now.” Erik chuckled.
Michelle noticed Yasmine eyeing Erik up and down, practically sizing him up. If it were any other woman, she would wrap her hands around her hair and rip it from her scalp. But she knew her best friend would never make a move on a man she was interested in, much less her husband. Yasmine was just trying to figure out if he was worth Michelle’s trouble.
Michelle stepped forward and introduced them.
“Nice to finally meet you, Erik.” Yasmine smiled sweetly.
“Yasmine,” he said simply, shaking her hand.
“You have a very lovely home.”
“Michelle will be delighted to give you a tour after dinner.” He gestured for them to sit.
“Michelle has told me a lot about you,” Yasmine kept up the conversation as she sat down next to Michelle on a burgundy divan.
“Really?” Erik cast a questioning glance at Michelle.
“Just what a brilliant doctor, devoted father, and marvelous employer you are,” Michelle chirped. Was he being cool toward Yasmine because he thought she’d told her about their marriage and night of passion? Men assumed their women talked to each other about such private matters. She hoped Erik knew her well enough to know she’d keep their intimate relationship a secret.
“Would you care for a drink, Yasmine?” Erik asked.
“Yes, Chardonnay, please.”
“I know what you want,” he said, his eyes softening as he gazed at Michelle.
Yeah, I bet you do, she thought at the loaded statement.
“Help yourselves to the hors d’oeuvres, ladies,” he said on his way over to the rolling bar cart.
“Where’s Robert?” Michelle asked, as she and Yasmine reached for plates and began filling them with the delicacies on the long low table in front of the divan.
“He’s visiting with Mrs. Hayes in the kitchen.” He brought over Michelle’s Perrier and Yasmine’s glass of white wine then sat in a chair facing them.
“So, Dr. Erik,” Yasmine drawled in a silky tone, battering her eyelashes at him. “Are you receiving any new patients? I haven’t had a thorough checkup for a while.”
“It’s recommended you have one every year.” Erik was mildly amused with her audaciousness. No wonder she and Michelle were best friends.
His gaze wandered to Michelle. He wanted so badly to erase the memories of her abusive childhood, give her some new ones to muse on, like those they made in Boston a week ago. Because of Danielle’s death, he hadn’t had time to properly reminisce on that night. But now that life had somewhat resumed its normal pace, he’d begun craving the taste and smell of Michelle in his mouth again, the feel of her tight body gripping him like a glove.
He would have to wait another week since he was leaving for Washington, D.C. tomorrow for a medical conference. He’d thought of taking Precious and Michelle along with him, but there were more pressing matters to attend to.
He’d learned that Clayton had recently returned from a medical mission to Uganda, and would be attending the conference. This was his chance to learn the truth about the scene he’d walked in on between Clayton and his wife, over two years ago. The scene that had started the argument that ultimately led to Cassie’s death. He was not leaving D.C. without answers.
“Yasmine,” Michelle scoffed, “when we were kids you always said you would never go to a male doctor.”
“The doctors we knew back then were old and bald. I’ll make an appointment anytime to see a hunk like Dr. Erik.” She placed a stuffed clam in her mouth and slowly chewed on it.
“Yasmine Reynolds, you’re still the impertinent fresh-mouthed girl I remember.” Robert strode into the room.
“And you still have the most kissable lips I’ve ever seen on a man—stiff, but kissable.” Yasmine set down her plate and hurried over to give Robert a big hug.
Michelle smiled at the pair who as far back as she could remember fought like cats and dogs. But when the mist cleared, they were one happy little family.
Yasmine reclaimed her seat while Robert sat in an identical chair close to Erik. He picked up the martini he’d left on the table.
“You look yummy, Robert. Perhaps I should make an appointment to have my teeth cleaned,” Yasmine said with a twinkle in her eyes.
“I’m sure you have very strong teeth, Yasmine Reynolds.”
“I don’t know, maybe if I bit you on those kiss—”
“You two need to stop,” Michelle said, feeling herself flush at the heat her brother and her best friend were generating. Was something going on between them? She looked at Erik who was watching them with a purely enjoyable expression on his face. She was certain he was thinking of their time together in Boston and the sexual banter they’d exchanged while making love. He’d made it fun. She wanted to smack the stupid grin off his face.
“Just like old times?” Mrs. Hayes bustled into the room, grinning from ear to ear. “Never in a million years would I have thought I would be serving dinner to Robert and Michelle in the doctor’s dining room.”
“Mrs. Hayes, do you remember Yasmine Reynolds?” Michelle asked.
“Of course. Luke and Marie’s little girl, right?”
“Right.” Yasmine said. “I remember the delicious bread pudding you used to make and invite the neighborhood kids to sit on your porch and wash down with cool lemonade.”
“Those were the good old days.” The older woman’s eyes lit up with joyful memories. “You’ve all grown up into such beautiful young people—Robert a dentist, Michelle advocating for the poor and needy, and Yasmine, Michelle tells me you’re studying law. The good Lord didn’t see fit to bless my womb, but I couldn’t be prouder if you were my own children.”
“Oh that’s very sweet.” Michelle dabbed at her tears as she rose and walked over to her dear old friend.
“We think the world of you, too. You kept Michelle and me alive, gave us hope,” Robert said as he and Yasmine joined Michelle in giving the kind old soul a group-hug.
A smiling Mrs. Hayes finally turned to Erik. “Dinner is about ready, Dr. Do you want me to call the children down?”
“Please.” Erik waited until the housekeeper had vacated the room and everyone had returned to their seats. “So, Yasmine, you grew up on the same street as Michelle and Robert? You must have been friends since…”
“First grade,” Yasmine supplied. “We were pavement poor, but happy.” She glanced at Michelle. “Well, sometimes we were.”
“Michelle told me about the abuse she suffered from her father,” he said to let her know she was not betraying her friend by telling him about her past. “I’m really impressed at how all of you have made such successes of your lives. I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth, yet I feel like a failure compared to you who had to work so hard for your achievements.”
“To balance it out, Erik, lots of kids from your side of the fence end up on ours. The teenage daughter of one of my affluent clients got hooked on drugs. They tried everything to rehabilitate her, but eventually had to let her go for the sake of their other children. She’s now living on the streets of Boston, doing any and everything to find her next fix. That’s just one example,” Robert added, dolefully. “We have no control over where we come from, only where we end up.”
“A proven truism,” Erik declared. “You’re all survivors, and now you’re helping others find their way out of the same situations you were in.” He glanced at his darling Michelle, the sweetest, most altruistic soul he’d ever met. “The work Michelle is doing at the youth center is absolutely amazing. She gives of her time to make sure those kids have a chance to make it over the fence.”
“Michelle has the biggest, kindest heart. I’m not surprised at the path she’s taken.” Robert smiled at his sister. “We had very little as kids, but Michelle still gave away what she had to her friends who had even less.”
“You’re very protective of her.”
“Yes, I am.”
Erik reached for an escargot. He heard the pride in Robert’s voice. He’d done an excellent job of raising a beautiful, self-assured young lady who’d easily held her own in a room full of brilliant doctors. “I’m an only child. Often I wish I had the support of a sibling, like what you and Michelle had when your mother passed away, and more recently when your father died.”
Yasmine coughed. Michelle glanced at her, and their eyes held for a few seconds before Yasmine looked away. Michelle could just imagine what was going on in her friend’s mind.
“Sorry.” Yasmine covered her surprise and took a long sip of wine. “The shrimp’s a little too spicy for me.”
Robert got up, walked to the back of the divan and placed his hands on his sister’s shoulders. “I’ve been taking care of Michelle since the day she got home from the hospital, Erik. Our father was so busy feeling sorry for himself over the loss of our mother, he forgot about us. I was only five years old, but with the help of kind neighbors like Mrs. Hayes, I learned real fast how to feed, bathe, burp a baby, and change diapers. So, yes, Michelle and I have always had each other, and I will continue to protect her until another man steps up to the plate.”
Michelle trembled with anxiety, but gathered strength from her brother’s supportive touch. She was such a hypocrite for teaching the children at the center to always tell the truth, no matter what, when she, herself, was living a blatant lie.
She glanced at Erik. He stared back at her with tenderness and admiration brimming in his eyes. Michelle knew at that moment that she had to tell him the truth. He didn’t deserve this kind of dishonesty. She could not continue with this lie. Not after what they had shared in Boston. Not after all the sweet things he’d just said about her. And not after dragging Yasmine and Robert into her dark dungeon of deceit. She hadn’t had time to warn Yasmine, but her friend had come through for her, as well. Robert and Yasmine had proven their loyalty. It was time she proved hers.
Coming clean was the ethical thing to do. She didn’t think Erik would fire her since she took such good care of his daughter. Precious’ happiness was the most important thing to him. Although it may mean losing whatever it was he felt for her, at least she would regain her dignity. She had no idea what he would do, but she had to trust in what they shared.
So when Mrs. Hayes announced that dinner was ready, it was with a prayer in her soul and a strained smile on her face that Michelle took Erik’s arm and allowed him to escort her into the dining room.
His eyes were warm as they stared into hers. His hands were strong as they guided her. He had shared his name and his body with her. It would make her confession so much easier if she only knew exactly what was in his heart.
That part of himself he kept locked away from her.
It still belonged to Cassie.
