boys would chase away any ghosts.”
He spoke lightly, but meant every word. He didn’t expect to ever make peace with his past. Just being in David’s house made him uncomfortable. He knew whatever ghosts might still be in residence would wait and follow him home so they could haunt him in the lonely hours of darkness, moving into his dreams and making him remember.
“We’re here,” Betsy called.
He and Cynthia made their way down to greet them. The twins grinned at them.
“Mom says we can have L’Italiano deliver dinner later, and she brought brownies for dessert,” Brett said in a rush. He turned his attention to Jonathan. “The house is way cool. Do you have video games here?”
Betsy put one hand on each boy’s shoulder. “Calm down. Let’s start with hello and a thank you to Mr. Steele for inviting us.”
“Hello,” the boys chorused together.
Betsy smiled at them. “Jenny had some after-school activities, so it’s just the three of us.” She looked at Jonathan. “Are you sure you want these two terrors in a house this beautiful. Anything breakable is at risk.”
“They’ll be fine,” he said. He looked at the boys. “You know, I’ll bet my brother has a real high-tech video game system. Let’s go find it and you two can play.”
Brad shifted his weight from foot-to-foot. “Can’t you play with us, Mr. Steele. It’ll be more fun that way.”
There was something familiar in their expression. It took him a couple of minutes to figure out that they were looking at him the same way Jenny looked at Cynthia. With complete worship.
The attention made him uncomfortable. Even so he forced himself to smile. “Sure. I can spare the time for a couple of games.”
“Do you want me to go through the rooms and pick out my suggestions for the Keep pile?” Cynthia asked. “I don’t mind.”
He tried not to notice that she had the same worshipful light in her eyes. “I appreciate that,” he told her. “I didn’t mean to leave you with all the work.”
“I’ll help,” Betsy said. “We can indulge in girl talk. I’ve missed having Cynthia home these past weeks, so it will be fun.”
Jonathan knew only Betsy realized he was tarnished goods. But even she wouldn’t say anything. He hated that her silence made him feel as if he should rise to everyone’s expectations and be the man they wanted him to be. Didn’t she know that was impossible? He did. He’d known it for years.
Chapter 14
Cynthia sat in the middle of the living room, surrounded by boxes of pictures. “They could have put these in albums,” she said, sorting the photos into piles.
Her mother had an open album in her lap. “At least this way, we can choose what goes where. What do you think, maybe three of these?” She held up photos from a cruise vacation.
“That sounds right.”
At Betsy’s suggestion they had collected all the loose photos they’d found in the house and were putting them together for Colton. She and her mother sat in the white-on-white living room at David’s house. The floor-to-ceiling windows provided an unobstructed view of the city below. Lights twinkled in the night.
From a distance of halfway across the house came the faint sounds of beeps, crashes and laughter. She didn’t know how Jonathan was surviving, but she would bet that her brothers were in ten-year-old heaven.
Speaking of brothers…Cynthia glanced at the handful of pictures she held. They were all of David as he grew up, or David with his parents, or David at school. So far she hadn’t come across a single snapshot that included Jonathan. Not even the posed family portraits. It was as if he’d never existed. Brad and Brett were twins, which made them closer than most brothers. Even so she doubted there was more than one or two pictures of the boys alone. In family pictures, they were always together.
“Did you know the Steele boys went to prep school?” Betsy asked, flashing a picture of David in a school uniform.
Cynthia smiled. “I didn’t know for sure, but I’m not surprised. It’s the rich, you know,” she said in a mock aristocratic accent. “They require a different sort of education.”
“Maybe. I’m not one to speak ill of the dead, but if you ask me, David Steele looks like he didn’t get enough discipline when he was growing up.”
Cynthia thought about all Jonathan had told her. She considered his confidences private and hadn’t shared any of them with her mother. “I suspect you’re right.”
They looked up as they heard footsteps on the marble floor. Jonathan walked in. He’d changed when he’d come home to get her that afternoon and wore a sweater over jeans. While she liked him wearing anything…or nothing…she had to admit that he had the kind of body made for faded denim. The fabric hugged his narrow hips and butt and made her remember how he’d looked late last night when they’d both been naked and making love.
“Okay, I know they each had a big serving of lasagna, not to mention garlic bread, less than two hours ago,” he began when he entered the room. “But they’re swearing that if they don’t eat again, they’re going to die.”
Jonathan came to stop behind the white sofa across from them. He settled one hip on the back and gave Betsy an engaging grin. “I told them I would come and plead their case.”
Her mother laughed. “They know I brought brownies for dessert and they’re afraid I’m going to forget. Yes, they may each have one, but make them eat in the kitchen. They make a mess.”
“Consider it done,” he said and turned to leave. Then he faced them again. “I don’t mean to sound presumptuous,” he began slowly and shoved his hands into his pockets. “But there are some nice crystal and silver pieces in the hutch in the dining room and in the butler’s pantry. If either of you see anything you’d like, feel free to take it. I’m not keeping any of that.”
“Thank you, Jonathan,” Betsy said. “I don’t have much use for anything too formal, but I’ll give it all a once-over before we leave. You’re more than kind.”
“I’d like you to take whatever you like. Or all of it.” He paused, as if he was going to say more, then he left.
Cynthia returned her attention to the pictures she held. “We should go look, Mom. I’m guessing all the stuff is spectacular, even if you don’t want any of it.”
Her mother didn’t answer. Cynthia glanced up and saw the older woman studying her. “What?” she asked.
Betsy frowned. “I’m not sure. I’ve just had this feeling all evening. As if there was something I didn’t know. And I think I’ve figured it out.”
Cynthia wasn’t sure what her mother was talking about. “You mean because Jonathan wants us to take anything we like from the house? I know it sounds strange, but he wasn’t really close to his brother.” She pressed her lips together, wanting to be careful not to give away any secrets. “Jonathan has had several bad family experiences. He doesn’t think the way we do about heirlooms or family treasures. He’s really going to sell everything and put the money in trust for Colton.”
Her mother shook her head. “That’s not what I mean,” she said and placed the open album on the coffee table in front of her. “You’re involved with him. A few days ago you hinted that you’d fallen for him but this is more than a crush.”
It wasn’t a question. Cynthia reminded herself that she was well over twenty-one
