She sighed. Her eyes focused on his face and he could practically touch the compassion and earnestness oozing from her. “I know that when you look at Colton you see David. That has to be painful now, but in time you’ll appreciate the connection to your brother. You’ll be happy that a piece of him lingers on. You can transfer the love you have for your brother to Colton. Love is very flexible that way. It bends and grows to fit the situation.”
He couldn’t believe what she was saying. Worse, he couldn’t believe
“I don’t know where you got your information,” he told her, “but I’m not in mourning for my brother. I don’t feel regret or even remorse that he’s gone. I have no emotions. Only questions.”
“I understand,” she said. “You want to know who killed him.”
He shrugged. “I have some mild curiosity about that, but I’m mostly concerned with why he was stealing from the company and why he hired someone to try to kill me. That poison you accidentally drank was compliments of him and intended for me.”
Chapter 6
“No,” Cynthia said, vigorously shaking her head. “That’s not possible.”
Jonathan stared at her blandly, as if he’d just informed her about rain in the morning’s forecast. He didn’t look upset or angry. She couldn’t have heard him correctly. That was it. He hadn’t really accused his brother of trying to have him killed.
Jonathan leaned back in the sofa. He shifted so that his ankle rested on his opposite knee. Most of the light in the room came from the reading lamp by her right shoulder which meant that he was in shadow. His new position made it even more difficult for her to clearly see his face.
“It’s more than possible,” he said, his voice low, as if he were tired. “David and I-” He hesitated. “To say we didn’t get along is putting it mildly. David always hated me. I never understood why. He was the favorite, he had every opportunity, but it wasn’t enough. About a year ago I realized that someone was stealing from the company. I had my suspicions but I didn’t think David would be that stupid.”
“I thought he worked for you,” she said, still trying to make sense of what he’d said. “Isn’t the company partially his?”
“It was. Our father left us each ownership of different divisions. However, I had control over the day-today operations. David hated that.”
“But if he stole from the company, he was stealing from himself.”
“David wouldn’t see it that way. He was only concerned about taking what I had. It was months before I figured out how he was doing it, and even longer to get proof. I confronted him at the party last week. I told him he had until morning to put the money back or I would have him arrested. But he didn’t care. He said he was leaving the country and while he was gone, I would have a fatal mishap. Then he would own it all.”
She stared at him. “I can’t believe this.”
“Not every family is like yours. Not everyone is good.”
“I know that,” she said defensively. “I’m not stupid.”
“I think you’re innocent. That’s different from stupid.” He shrugged. “The police found tickets to Rio in David’s possession after he was killed. He’d meant everything he said.”
Cynthia leaned forward. “I don’t understand. How could you be so different? I don’t want to speak ill of your brother, but he sounds like a horrible man. Yet you’re so good.”
“I’ve told you, I’m a bastard. You’d better learn that. As for us being different, we are that. I learned early that I had to work for what I wanted. I don’t think David ever figured that out. He got used to taking what interested him, whether it was a toy, a business or a woman. In the end, he played out of his league and it cost him his life, along with his wife’s.”
She pressed her lips together. If she believed what Jonathan told her-and he had no reason to lie-then the current situation here at the house started to make sense.
“So you’re avoiding Colton because of his father. You’re angry at David and angry at the baby.”
“So much for me being a saint,” he said lightly.
“Oh.” She touched her hand to her chest. “I didn’t mean that in a bad way.”
“Of course not. It’s quite a compliment.”
“Jonathan, no. It’s a perfectly natural reaction.”
He gazed at her steadily. “I’m not angry with Colton, nor am I punishing him. I don’t feel anything for him. Until the woman from child protective services showed up with him at your house a few days ago, I’d never seen the kid. I told you-David and I weren’t close. I hadn’t been to his house in years and I’d never met Colton. I’m not hostile, I’m just not interested.”
His words eased some of the tension inside of her. While she might not know how to handle the rest of Jonathan’s situation, she knew how to deal with people who had never been around babies.
“It’s just a matter of getting used to him,” she said. “Give him a chance. He needs you, Jonathan. And I think you need him. Just try. Spend some time with him. Learn what it’s like to be with him. I think you’ll find you like it. Being a positive part of a child’s life is the greatest joy in the world.”
She didn’t have to clearly see his expression to know that he wasn’t impressed with her argument.
“I don’t share your love of family,” he said flatly. “Most aren’t as perfect as yours.”
“Mine isn’t perfect,” she told him. “If it’s good now, it’s because everyone worked hard to make it that way.” She pressed her lips together and wondered how she could convince him of the importance of making a choice.
“My mother got pregnant when she was fifteen,” she began. “Her parents, my grandparents, were furious. My father ducked out on his responsibilities. He disappeared, never to be heard from again. When my mom turned eighteen, her still angry family threw her out. I was barely three.”
She smiled wryly. “I don’t remember much about that time in my life. My mom had to have been terrified. She had no skills, no support system and she was responsible for a toddler. But we grew up together. We were poor, I guess, but that wasn’t important. My mom loved me and was there for me.”
Warmth filled her along with the memories. “There were so many times she could have given up, but she didn’t. She kept struggling and she kept us together. It was a conscious choice on her part. It’s like when she married Frank. I could have decided that I wanted my mom all to myself and have made his life difficult. But I didn’t. I chose to get to know him. And then I found out he was a wonderful man. I was lucky to have him in my life.”
She shifted until she was sitting on the edge of her seat. “You are such an amazingly giving person, Jonathan. Your generosity has changed dozens of lives. By funding the seed money for new businesses, you give people a chance to make their dreams come true. You have such a big heart already. Can’t you open it enough to let in a little baby boy?”
He sprang to his feet and paced to the fireplace. There, he braced one arm against the mantel. “I don’t know where you get off saying these things. You’re nothing but a Pollyanna. You always see the best in people.”
She couldn’t help laughing. “You say that like it’s a flaw.”
He spun to face her. “Of course it is. People are not good or selfless. They’re selfish bastards and they’ll take you for everything you’ve got if you let them.”
“You want the world to think you’re the big bad wolf, but the truth is, you’re a
