“He discovered you lived with Trevor’s mother and sought you out.”
She nodded slowly. “Yes.”
“That...” Lou sucked in a deep breath, his eyes angry and bright. “Go home and rest peacefully, knowing he’ll pay for what he did to you.”
“Please don’t take revenge,” she said quietly.
“I don’t get revenge, sweetheart. I get justice.”
Two hours passed before the lawyer arrived. Trevor and Gracie followed close behind.
“Mary! Lou telephoned our hotel. I’m so sorry.” Gracie rushed forward, arms enveloping her in a gentle embrace that brought tears to her eyes. It had been too long since she’d seen her exuberant friend. Gracie had cut her hair short in a stylish bob, and her beaded dress swirled around her knees.
Mary’s smile wobbled as she extricated herself from Gracie’s grasp.
Trevor hugged her next, and she felt the support from her childhood friend in the firm pressure of his hands. He stepped back and put his arm around his wife’s shoulders. They fit well together, and his face held a peacefulness that hadn’t been there when he and Mary were growing up.
Warmth at her side brought her attention to Josie.
“This is Josie,” she told them, patting the little girl’s shoulder. She’d been too quiet today.
“A pleasure to meet you,” Gracie said in her bubbly way.
Mary glanced at the lawyer behind Trevor, a lean man with a tired air to his sunken features. A chill rippled through her—this might be the last time she saw Josie.
Lou stalked toward them. She averted her gaze. She could not bear to look at him, not after their disastrous conversation.
“Are you okay?” Gracie peered at her, eyes wide, and Mary realized she’d missed something.
“I’m sorry. Just thinking.”
“No, I shouldn’t be chatting your ear off. They’re going in for the meeting, though. I will wait out here for you. Shall I watch Josie?”
“Are you okay with that?” she asked the girl at her side. Josie’s head moved slightly and though it pained her to leave Josie again, she took her hand and brought it to Gracie’s.
“We’re going to have great fun. I know a wonderful game....” Gracie’s voice faded as Mary swiveled and headed toward the same interrogation room where Lou had kissed her. Her lips burned with the memory. Her heart ached.
He’d shot down her profession of love so easily.... Had she misread him this entire time? But surely he did not feel only brotherly things for her. No, he was a man in flux and there was nothing she could do about that. Feeling grim, she squeezed into the room.
The lawyer hadn’t bothered sitting at the little table with its scrawny chairs. Instead, the men crowded into the small space, filling it with the scent of cologne and rustling suits. Lou’s blue jeans were out of place and yet he still managed to look more comfortable than everyone else.
Even Trevor waited near the wall, his eyes sympathetic. She flashed him a weak smile and took a spot in the corner. Another man stood near Lou, perhaps a fellow agent? She huddled against the wall, feeling its bareness at her back.
The lawyer cleared his throat. “This is a highly unusual situation. Unforeseen, actually. The will is binding and unchangeable.” His eyes skittered to Mary. Did he feel her fear? She blinked and looked away.
She found Lou staring at her. His face was unreadable, his thumbs hooked into the pockets of his jeans, and yet she thought she detected regret on his face. Or maybe she imagined it. With difficulty she pulled her attention from him and focused on the lawyer who held the rest of her dreams in his hands.
Mentally she shook herself. No. God held her dreams. She must trust Him because she had nothing left, no one left, to turn to.
The lawyer held up the packet, which looked cumbersome to her. “Are all parties ready for the reading of the will?” he asked.
Chapter Twenty-Six
God worked amazing wonders.
Mary watched passengers board the train in front of her. People milled around her, their voices melding with the sound of brakes and steam. Dirt and perfume mingled in the air, stirred by the excitement of those whose lives would change with a train ride, if only temporarily.
“When do we get to go on?” Josie tugged the hem of Mary’s dress, her eagerness palpable.
Mary grinned at her and pulled her close. “As soon as Trevor returns.”
They’d stayed in Portland a few days longer, going to the funeral and making arrangements for Josie’s home, which Josie had inherited in the will. It had become obvious why Mr. Langdon wanted Josie out of the picture. She was a wealthy little girl now, but if she died, the money went to Mr. Langdon as next of kin. The lawyer had pronounced Mary, of all people, to be Josie’s legal guardian. Apparently Mrs. Silver had changed her will at the last moment. Not only was Mary the named guardian, but she was also in charge of funds for the child’s care.
They spent the nights at the hotel, and Josie slept in Mary’s room with her. Though joy filled her at the thought of taking care of her precious girl, at being a mother, she hadn’t been able to sleep well.
Her thoughts always returned to Lou.
Beside her, Gracie bobbed up and down on antsy feet. “It’s been so long since I was home. Has anything changed?”
“Not quite. I had planned to paint the sitting room but someone spilled the bucket.” Mary winked at Josie, whose smile widened in the burgeoning dawn light. “Maybe we can try again.”
“Ooh, I’d love to help paint,” Gracie gushed. “A passionate purple. Or maybe a subdued pear. It will be just the thing, except... Well, I must be careful of the fumes.”
Fumes? Mary looked at her friend and saw the secret smile playing about her lips. Gracie’s fingers splayed across her belly and knowledge sunk in. “You must be very careful, indeed. No ladders, either,” she said.
They smiled at each other, the moment bonded
