New Beginnings (16 page)
“I know and I want to keep it that way for now.” Max laughed. “I wrote this song to express my love for you all and I wanted to play it for you all.”
“Oh Max.” Sophie stared at him with adoration in her eyes.
“Please excuse me if I’m out of tune or emotional.” He looked into Sophie’s eyes and blew her a kiss before singing. He strummed his guitar and started playing and singing:
I’ve been blue, I’ve been sad, but I’ve never been down and out,
I’ve been to hell and back but the flames didn’t burn me,
The sun has blessed me with a woman who holds the key,
The key to my heart, my soul, and to everlasting happiness.
Life can’t burn me, can’t stop me, can’t hold me back
Because I love you, I love you, I love you
You’re the yin to my yang, the light to my bulb,
You’re my somebody.
I’ve been used, I’ve been abused, but I’ve never been down and out,
I’ve been to the ends of the earth and back and didn’t get lost,
The paths of fortune have blessed me with a woman who holds the key,
The key to my joy, my peace, and to my families wellbeing.
Life can’t burn me, can’t stop me, can’t hold me back
Because I love you, I love you, I love you
You’re the yin to my yang, the light to my bulb,
You’re my somebody
Max’s voice caught with emotion as he sang to Sophie and he was overwhelmed by the tears that rolled down her face. He put the guitar down and Sophie placed Jacob on Ella’s lap and ran into his arms. He bent down and kissed her tears away. “I love you, Sophie. I don’t know if those words can convey how much you mean to me, how important you are to me, but I want you to never forget how much I love you.”
“Max, you are my heart. Our family is my life.” She fell into his arms and they held each other tight.
“You make me complete, Sophie.” He stared at her in wonder. “I never knew I could be so happy.”
“Max, I want to read you something.” Sophie looked embarrassed and ran from the room. She came back a few moments later with an old diary. “This is my diary from childhood. I want you to hear something.” Max stared at her in shock, his heart beating.
Sophie cleared her throat and started reading:
“We went to the park today. Maxwell chased us around and I think I saw him staring at me. I want to tell him my feelings very badly but I don’t think he would be interested in a teen like me. Ella says that I’m too serious and that boys don’t like that in a girl. I suppose she is right. Maxwell is handsome and kind and I don’t know if I could ever capture the heart of someone so wonderful. Dear Diary, please don’t tell anyone but I love him. I love him with my whole heart. I know it’s wrong because he is Ella’s brother and he’s older but I want so very badly to be with him. It’s my heart’s desire to marry him one day. My heart is full of love for him. I hope that one day he comes riding in on a black stallion and carries me away to a new land where we can be together forever. Today I vow that my heart belongs to Maxwell Van Harkel, forever and always.”
She stopped reading and she and Max stared into each other’s eyes in silence.
“Momma loves Daddy,” Jacob whispered up to Ella and she nodded. Her brother and Sophie had found something special and awe-inspiring. She tried not to sigh but her heart was heavy and sad as she stared at Jacob. She saw her lover’s face shining out through Jake’s eyes. She closed her eyes and tried to ignore the pain in her heart. Looking at Jake and playing with him reminded her of Frank, the love of her life. What would her life had been like if she had met Frank when he was younger? She sighed as she opened up eyes again to see Jake staring at her face.
“Don’t be sad, Auntie. I love you.” He pressed his face to hers and she kissed his forehead. What if she had been Jacob’s mother? How different would her life have been? She thought about the text message that Frank had sent her that morning. He had filed for a separation from his wife. He said he was willing to give up his position for a chance to be with her but she knew she could never tell her family about their relationship. She wasn’t even sure how it had happened. She had been in such a dark place back then, but when she had met him at The X Club she had felt an instant connection with him. He had been an asshole but when she had met him again at an AA meeting, they had somehow connected and eventually they had fallen in love. She knew that no one would understand and she knew why it was impossible for them to be together. Frank had tried to ruin too many people’s lives; she didn’t know how anyone could ever forgive him. And they would think that he was just another married man that she had taken up with. They’d think that she hadn’t changed. That she was still the love-starved and sex-driven young girl that she had been. And there was nothing she could do to stop them from thinking that if she tried to have a future with Frank.
“I love you too, Jacob.” She kissed his cheeks and held him tight. “And I love your daddy even more,” she whispered into his ears and let a single teardrop onto the top of his head. She breathed in his baby scent and hugged him close to her. “I love you Jacob, more than you will ever know. But you have wonderful parents and they will shower you with more love then you will ever need.” She kissed him one more time before she jumped up. “Okay guys,” she called out to Sophie and Max, who were still embracing. “Enough with the love fest, let’s go celebrate.”
Sophie and Max sprung apart and looked at Ella guiltily. “Sorry.” Sophie smiled. “Sometimes we just get caught up.”
“I know, I know.” Ella grinned at them. “You guys are my inspiration to not give up on love.” She walked out of the room, “But let’s go and toast to my new move and hope that I have a wonderful new beginning in my life as well.”
“Amen to that.” Max went over and rubbed his sister’s back. “I know about Frank, Ella, and I forgive you and love you,” he whispered in her ear and she looked at him in shock.
“I…what…how?” she mumbled back at him.
He shook his head. “It’s not important, sis. I love you.”
“I loved him, Max,” she whispered, trying to explain how she could have dated such a man.
“You can’t choose who you love.” He smiled at her with such love that she hugged him tight. “It’s not for me to judge you, darling.”
“Thank you, Max.” She felt herself finally relaxing and releasing the guilt that had built up in her. She couldn’t believe that he’d known all along and he hadn’t judged her or tried to tell her what to do. He still loved her. He was finally the brother she had always wanted him to be.
“Momma, Auntie is hugging Daddy,” Jacob sung. “We one big happy family.”
“Yes we are, Jake.” Sophie picked up her son and kissed his cheeks. “We are one big happy family, forever and always.”
“You, me, Auntie, Winter, Daddy, Grandpops, Grandma and Boom Boom,” he shouted and they all laughed.
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OTHER BOOKS BY HELEN COOPER
Exclusive Teaser From Illusion
EXCLUSIVE TEASER FROM ILLUSION
Prologue
“Bianca, where are you?” His voice sounded angry, and I shivered as I opened my eyes.
I stared at the large expanse of blue sky through the tree branches and prayed that he didn’t find me. I could see the white-sand beaches from my vantage point. The whole island looked so much smaller from up here. My limbs felt numb, but I was too scared to even move an inch. If he heard the rustling of leaves, he’d know where I was. I closed my eyes again and tried not to think about falling.
“Bianca, this isn’t funny.” His voice was hoarse, and I heard his footsteps moving closer to me. “Bianca, if you can hear me . . .” He paused, and his voice changed. “Please don’t make this harder than it has to be. I’m not going to hurt you.”
I heard a branch snap below me, and I knew he was close. All he had to do was look up. If he looked up, he’d be able to find me. This man who’d become my most intimate confidante was now my predator, and I was his prey. I opened my eyes and took a deep breath before looking down. An involuntary gasp escaped my mouth as I realized how high up I was. That was my first mistake.
“I’ve found you,” he whispered as he looked up at me with dark eyes. “When will you learn? You can’t escape me.”
“Did you hurt him?” My fingers started trembling as I looked back down at him. “Tell me. Did you hurt him?”
“It depends on what you mean by hurt.” He lifted his hands up, and I saw that his fingers were drenched in blood.
I closed my eyes; I had my answer.
“I did it for us,” he said simply, and I felt my heart drop into my stomach. “Don’t you trust me?” he asked me softly as he started to climb the tree. I saw the shiny glitter of the silver knife in his left hand before he placed it into his pocket and my heart stopped beating for a second.
“I trust you.” I nodded and waited for him to reach me.
That was my second mistake.
Chapter One
One Week Earlier
“Can I have this seat?” A deep voice interrupted my typing and I stifled a sigh.
“Uh, sure.” I replied without looking up. I had to finish my latest movie review in the next ten minutes and email it to my editor if I wanted to get paid for the article.
“Can I have some space on the table?” His voice was dry as he spoke again and I pulled my laptop towards me quickly, my eyes never leaving my screen. “I don’t mean to disturb you.” He continued and this time I ignored him completely. I didn’t have time for chitchat. Not when I had to find to finish an article on Adam Sandler’s latest movie and convince viewers to go and watch it without completely lying about my feelings towards the acting and the poor jokes.
I typed away as quickly as I could, but I could feel that the man was staring at me. I bit down on my lower lip to stop myself from looking up at him and asking what his problem was? It wasn’t his fault that I was on high alert and anxious. I knew that I couldn’t have an expectation of privacy if I was working at a coffee shop, but I didn’t normally have to worry about a stranger talking to me. People in New York never talked to strangers, not unless they were tourists.
I sighed and looked up, “did you need help with something?” My breath caught as I stared at the man’s face. He was handsome, or appeared to be under the Yankees cap that covered half of his forehead. His blue eyes looked into mine with a bright light and I could see a hint of a smile on his full pink lips. I licked my lips unconsciously as I stared at the man across from me and attempted to brush my messy hair back.
“No, you’ve done enough. Thank you.” He nodded and looked down at his book in a dismissive fashion. Served me right, I suppose. I hadn’t really given him the time of day and it would be way too obvious if I tried to start up a conversation now. I looked at my watch and then back at my article, I had five minutes to sum up a lackluster review of a movie I’d thought was inane. If I didn’t send it over, I wouldn’t get paid. And now that this was my only form of income, I needed to get paid. I went back to typing, though my mind was partially on the man I was sharing the table with. His knee was rubbing against mine and I couldn’t help but laugh at myself for the slight thrill his touch was giving me.
“Loser,” I whispered to myself under my breath as I wrapped up the article and attached it in an email. I knew that I was sending the email without rereading the article one more time so that I could try and chat to the man. Though, I really had no business trying to flirt with a strange man in a coffee shop. I was about to ask him what he was reading when I got the strangest sensation that someone was watching me again. And this time I knew it wasn’t the man sharing the table with me. I looked around the coffee shop and saw an older looking man sipping his coffee and staring at me over a newspaper. As soon as our eyes made contact, he looked away and back down at his paper. I felt my heart racing as I stared at his coffee cup on the table. It wasn’t from this coffee shop. I pressed send on my email and grabbed my bag up from the floor in a panic, spilling half of its contents on the ground.
“You need some help?” The man looked up from his book and stared at the ground. He leaned down and picked up my lipstick and some mints and handed them to me. Our fingers brushed each other as I took my belongings from him and I felt a dart of electricity running through me at his touch.
“Thanks.” I stared into his deep blue eyes and nodded quickly.
“Is everything okay?” His eyes crinkled in concern and I was about to answer when I felt the man in the corner staring at me again.
“I think I’m being followed.” I said as I shook my head and jumped up. “Sorry, I have to go.” I grabbed my laptop and pushed it into my bag. “It was nice meeting you.” I gave him a quick smile and ran out of the coffee shop. I continued running down the street until I could no longer run anymore. I stopped outside a donut shop and leaned back against the wall, breathing deeply. I looked left and right to make sure I didn’t see the man that I was pretty sure had been following me and then rubbed my forehead.
“You’re going crazy, Bianca.” I muttered to myself as I straightened up and started walking at a normal pace. I started laughing as I reached the subway station and went down to catch my train. Not one person had looked at me like I was crazy as I’d run down the street like I was in the 100m sprint finals at the Olympics. That was part of the beauty to living in the City. You could be who you wanted and you weren’t judged. The other side of the coin, the side of the equation that made me stop smiling was the wonder of what would have happened, if the man had been following me. Would anyone have come to my aid? I walked onto the subway and held onto the rails without looking at anyone. As I stood there I thought about both men in the coffee shop, one that I’d wanted to get to know better and the other that I hoped I never saw again. I shook my head as I realized how different I was now. My life had changed completely and so had I.
***
I never thought I was particularly brave until recently. I don’t enjoy watching horror movies. I sleep with all my doors double-locked and I go through and check all my windows are closed tight every night before I go to bed; and I live on the eighth floor of my apartment building. No, I’m not someone that anyone would call brave and definitely not an amateur sleuth. I’ve always been someone that likes to keep to herself. Some people would call be quiet, but those are the ones that don’t know me well. Inside I’m a dynamo of activity and fun.
I used to be the sort of person that froze when she heard a creak in the floorboards or heard a sudden scream. My father always used to call me his little frightened rabbit when I was growing up. I heard the term a lot as there were always sudden and unexplainable noises in New York City. I don’t think he realized that it was his overprotectiveness that led to my lack of trust of most people. However, my whole demeanor changed when my father died.
My father died of a broken heart. Or rather I should say he died with a broken heart. I don’t think he ever got over my mother’s death. I’m not sure that I ever got over it either, even though I was a young girl when she passed away in a car accident. Her English ancestry was the reason I studied British history in college and my love of her memory was the reason why when I found my father’s secret box, I knew I had to do something about its contents. My mother’s death changed my father’s life and my father’s death changed mine. The moment I read his letter to me was the moment I felt steel implanted in my backbone. It was the moment I knew that I wouldn’t allow anything to frighten me until I found out what had really happened to my mother.
***
I wasn’t surprised when the letter arrived. It was only after I read the note that I looked back at the envelope for clues. Only then did I realize there was no postal stamp. Whoever had left the note for me didn’t want any clues leading back to them. I stared at the letter in my hands and shivered slightly. It read simply:
Beauty and Charm. One survives. One is destroyed. What are your odds?
I read it again, trying to make sense of the note. I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to take from it. I picked up the envelope again to see if there was anything inside that I’d missed. While I hadn’t been surprised to receive the letter, I had been surprised by its contents. I hadn’t expected such a blatant threat, though it shouldn’t have surprised me. My father had warned me in the letter I’d found in his box, that there were people willing to do anything to keep their secrets safe. His letter had stated that he suspected that my mother’s car accident hadn’t really been an accident. However, his suspicions had come too late. It was only on his deathbed, that he had started to remember conversations and actions that had happened previous to her death. His letter spoke of his sadness and regret at having shutdown after my mothers death. He felt that if he’d not been in such a deep state of depression, that he would have made the connections earlier. His letter didn’t directly ask me to find out the truth, but I could read between the lines. He wanted justice for my mother. It was the reason why he’d written the letter in the first place. The only problem was, my father didn’t say whom he suspected. All he had left me was a one-page letter, talking of his suspicions and a box full of paperwork from the corporation he’d used to work for, Bradley Inc.
After I’d read my father’s letter and gone through the paperwork he’d left for me, I had started investigating. Well, I’d done my best to get on the inside of Bradley, Inc., so that I could find clues that might help me figure out what my father had found out and if my mother had been murdered. I hadn’t been careful enough with my investigation and so I wasn’t surprised that I had been contacted. Though, I was taken aback by the letter. Frankly, it wasn’t what I’d expected to receive.
I stared at the letter in my hands again and frowned. There was a veiled threat and a challenge in the note. “One survives and one is destroyed.” Destroyed was a pretty powerful word. Destroyed was sending a message. I could feel my fingers trembling as they held the letter. I knew that I was getting close to the truth. To the answers that would prove my father’s suspicions had been correct. I was about to take out a pen and paper and write down the words I thought were most telling in the note when I heard a loud banging on the apartment door.
“Open up!” a masculine voice shouted as he banged. “Police.”
Police?
I walked to the door with a perplexed expression. “I’m coming!” I called out as I opened the door. I felt a little taken aback that someone had made it into the building without calling up. How had he gotten into the building without someone buzzing him in? I dismissed my thoughts as I realized the police must have master keys to every building in the city, though I still felt some discomfort as I looked at him,
“Are you okay?” The policeman had his hand on his gun in its holster, and I swallowed.
“I’m fine. What’s going on?”
“There was a nine-one-one call from your apartment.” He pushed past me. “And then a hang-up.”
“I didn’t make a nine-one-one call.” I shook my head and pulled my cell phone out of my pocket. “Look, you can check my calls. There is no call to nine-one-one.”
“It was made from your landline, ma’am.”
“I don’t have a landline.” I frowned and followed him around my apartment. My voice rose as I wondered who had called nine-one-one on me. “There must have been a mistake. I can assure you that I didn’t call nine-one-one and hang up.”
“I’m still going to check through your apartment, if that’s okay?” He didn’t wait for an answer.
“I already told you that I didn’t call the police, and I’m the only one who lives here.” I called after him and watched as he walked into my bedroom. I stood still, unable to move as I thought back to the letter that had just arrived. Had the writer of the letter sent the police to my house? And if so, why? Why would the people who killed my mother want the police involved in the matter? It didn’t make sense. I chewed on my lower lip, deep in thought, when I heard a slamming. “What’s going on?” I walked to my bedroom quickly, my heart pounding. “What are you doing in my room?” My voice was jittery and I tried not to look in the one place I was scared he would find.
“I was just making sure that no one was in your closets mam. It doesn’t hurt for me to make sure everything is okay.” He walked out of my room with a slight frown. “All looks clear.”
“I already told you that.”
“You have any issues, you call us.” His eyes searched mine as he spoke and then he handed me a card. “You can’t be too careful these days.”
“I’m very careful.” I walked him to the door and wondered if I should tell him about the note I’d just received. I was about to when I realized what my father had always told me when I was growing up. “The pockets of the rich are deep. Bianca only trust someone if they give you reason to trust them. Even the police aren’t above being bribed.” “Thank you for your concern, Officer.” I nodded at him and waited for him to leave. My heart was pounding and I needed to think.
“No worries. Stay safe, Ms. London.” He nodded his head, and I closed the door. It was only after he left that I realized he knew my name. How had he known my name?
I leaned against the door and closed my eyes. What was going on here? Today was turning into one mysterious day. First the note, and then the police showing up. I didn’t know: who sent the note, why the sent the note, who called the police, how he had gotten into my building, and how he knew my name. I chewed my bottom lip as I tried to figure out what was going on. I stared around my apartment and suddenly the coziness of the room felt claustrophobic. I’d always loved living in New York City, but today my small one-bedroom felt like a cell. The building that had seemed so safe when I moved in, suddenly made me feel like a fallacy. I didn’t know my neighbors and I had no one to talk to about how the policeman had gotten into the building or the mysterious letter that had arrived.
The dirty peeling walls directly opposite seemed to be closing in on me as I stood there hoping for clarity to hit and questions to be answered miraculously. I walked to my tan leather couch and sat down, leaning back into the plushness of the cushions. It was the only nice piece of furniture I owned. And even then it had been a gift from my best friend, Rosie. I could barely afford the rent in my apartment as it was and I wasn’t living in Trump Towers either.
I picked up the bright red and orange patterned cushions that my father had gotten me in India when I was a teenager and then froze as my cellphone rang. The noise was jarring in my eerily quiet living room. I normally always had the TV on or music playing; I didn’t like being in quiet spaces for too long. It reminded me of how alone I was. I grabbed my cell phone and dropped it as I stared at the screen. My father’s phone number flashed on the screen. My
dead
father’s phone number. I stared at it for another second, before reaching down and picking it up again.