Then, Lucca lost it.
Breathing hard, seeing little beyond the haze of rage and heartache and guilt roaring through him, he swept his arm across his desktop, sending everything crashing to the floor. Next he eyed the trophies on the wall shelf.
Within minutes, he’d trashed his entire office. With nothing whole left to destroy, he turned on himself, balling up his fist and punching the wall.
He was pretty sure he broke some bones. The pain felt good. It felt deserved.
Using his bloody, damaged hand, Lucca removed the folded check from his pocket and looked at it. Fifty thousand dollars. Because he’d felt sorry for a dog, killed two kids, and paralyzed another? He tossed the bloodstained check away. It floated toward the floor and landed atop shards of a shattered crystal trophy.
Lucca quit the room and the campus. Within days he’d departed the state, and by the end of the month, he’d fled the country. Lucca Ryan Romano couldn’t live with himself. He was done.
TWO
Hope Montgomery flipped through the curriculum planner with the scheduled events for the upcoming school year. When her gaze settled on a particular date, she sucked in a sudden breath. March 15. The most horrible day of her life. The day her world changed forever.
She closed her eyes and absorbed the hurt. This was the way it happened now, five years later. Rather than being her constant companion, the pain would slither up and strike when she wasn’t prepared or braced for it.
“‘Beware the Ides of March,’” she softly quoted.
She shut her planner and set it aside, then reached for her coffee. Her hand trembled as she raised the china cup to her mouth, but she concentrated on savoring both the smell and the taste of the aromatic, full-bodied brew. Using her senses helped anchor her to the present, and besides, the coffee at Angel’s Rest Healing Center and Spa was truly sublime.
Nevertheless, she teetered on the brink of tears until Celeste Blessing swept into the old Victorian mansion’s parlor saying, “I’m so sorry I’m running late, Hope. It’s been one thing after another today. First we had a plumbing problem in the showers beside the hot springs pools, then one of our guests suffered a death in the family, the poor dear, and I helped arrange emergency transportation home. Finally, my sister phoned, and I’m afraid I lost track of time.”
Hope stood and smiled at the vital, active, older woman whom she’d come to view as the matriarch of Eternity Springs. The owner of Angel’s Rest, Celeste wore black slacks, a gold cotton blouse, and a harried smile.
“Celeste, I love your new haircut,” Hope said.
“Thank you. I do, too.” Celeste lifted a hand to fluff the short, sassy style, her blue eyes twinkling. “One of my male guests told me I look just like Judi Dench. He’s an old flirt and I think he was hoping for a discount on his bill, but I’ll accept the compliment.”
“As well you should,” Hope agreed. “He’s right.”
“Thank you, dear. I’m going to tell my sister you said that.” Celeste wrinkled her nose as she added, “She told me I was too old for this style.”
Hope couldn’t help but smile. She had met Celeste and her sister when they’d rented the South Carolina beach house next door to Hope’s vacation rental the spring before last. The sisters had caught Hope crying on the beach one March morning, and they’d offered comfort to a stranger and changed the path of Hope’s life. Like most sisters, they’d bickered, but the love they shared had been obvious. Hope could picture Desdemona making the hairstyle remark to Celeste. “How is Desi doing these days?”
“She’s well. Busy, but then, aren’t we all? She tells me she’s let her hair grow and dyed it bright red.”
Mentally picturing the tall, flamboyant woman, Hope grinned. “Is she still traveling quite a bit?”
“Constantly. As a result we don’t have the opportunity to see each other as often as we’d like. I’m trying to convince her to visit Eternity Springs sometime soon. She asked me to tell you hello and to blame her for my tardiness, but we’re both to blame. It was downright rude of me to ask for a ride to the baby shower and then not be ready on time. Please forgive me.”
“Don’t be silly, Celeste. We have plenty of time.” Besides, no matter how happy Hope was for the expectant parents, baby showers were always a little tough for her. She thought that being with Celeste might make the day easier. “Your front desk worker gave me a cup of spectacular coffee, and I used the time to my benefit, looking over some of the paperwork Principal Geary gave me this morning. It’s hard to believe that school starts in just three weeks.”
Hope picked up her purse and slipped the strap over her shoulder. “Can I help you carry anything?”
“Thank you. I have a few gifts in the kitchen.”
Celeste led Hope down the hallway toward the kitchen. Upon entering the cheery room, Hope stopped and laughed. The kitchen table was covered in gaily wrapped and ribboned packages and bags, all in nursery themes in shades of a beautiful baby blue. “A few bags?”
“It’s the latent grandmother in me, I fear. I just love buying for little ones.”
Hope’s smile softened to bittersweet as she recalled stacks of pink onesies and a closet full of ruffles. “I do, too.”
They loaded the gifts into Hope’s crossover SUV, chatting about the presents they’d chosen. This would be Hope’s first visit to Jack and Cat Davenport’s mountain estate, Eagle’s Way, and she looked forward to seeing it. She’d heard it was fabulous.
They picked up two more passengers for the drive, Maggie Romano and her daughter, Gabi. An attractive widow in her early fifties, Maggie was the newest full-time resident of Eternity Springs, having relocated at the beginning of the summer to be nearer to two of her adult children. Gabi was the town’s deputy sheriff, though with her long legs and high cheekbones and her mother’s beautiful blue eyes, she could have been a model if she’d wanted. Hope was in the early stages of friendship with the Romano women. She liked them both very much, but considering her history, she was cautious about letting anyone get too close. Experience had taught her that people invariably got too nosy, or they failed to be a friend when she needed one the most.
Celeste Blessing had been the lone exception. Being around Celeste was like slipping into Angel’s Rest’s inviting hot springs pools—sans the sulfur smell—on a cold winter’s night. She simply made Hope feel better. She’d planted the seed about moving to Eternity Springs during those beach house days, then nurtured the notion with phone calls. Once Hope expressed real interest in making the change, Celeste had championed her with the principal and school board. One job offer later, Hope packed her bags for a fresh start in a place that called to her, instead of in a place she’d run to, like the last move she’d made.
The four women made small talk as their trip commenced. Gabi relayed a story about the sheriff’s office dispatcher’s unfortunate experience with online dating, and with the laughter the story elicited, the melancholy that had lingered within Hope after the unfortunate lesson planner incident began to dissolve. She turned onto the road that climbed out of the valley, and her spirits rose along with it.
They were halfway up the ridge when Maggie observed, “I’ve not been up this road before. What a spectacular view!”
“Isn’t it lovely?” In the front passenger seat, Celeste twisted around to speak with Maggie directly. “This is one of my favorite Gold Wing rides. There’s a scenic overview before the turnoff to Jack and Cat’s place where you can look down on Eternity Springs. It just makes me feel good to be there. And when I travel on up to the highest point of the road, I sometimes feel like I can reach into the sky and touch heaven.”
“Maybe I’ll have to get a motorcycle,” Maggie mused. “We could form a gang, Celeste.”
