The Heart of Christmas (24 page)

* * *

Rex watched Eve from a distance. She’d spent most of the evening in the front parlor at Little Mary’s, providing hot drinks and cookies and nodding and smiling at everyone who visited her inn. He knew because the place was lit up with all the Christmas lights and, from where he was leaning against his rental car down the street, he’d been able to spot her occasionally through the window, milling about in the crowd. Her parents had been there for a while, too. Now that it was getting late, and there weren’t many people left, she’d come out to enjoy the celebration herself. Arm in arm with Callie Something—he couldn’t remember Callie’s last name but she was one of the people he’d met in the hospital waiting room—Eve meandered from booth to booth.

“Hey.”

Startled to hear a voice so close to him, Rex twisted around to see another of Eve’s friends coming up from behind. He’d met so many people when Cheyenne had her baby, he couldn’t remember the name of this guy, either. “Hi.”

“Sort of removed from the action, aren’t you?”

“Guess so.”

“Why are you standing over here in the dark?”

“I’m waiting for Mrs. Higgins. I gave her a ride and I’ll need to take her home.” Some of the vendors were beginning to pack up. He didn’t think it would be much longer before Mrs. Higgins was ready to leave.

“I’m Kyle.” The other guy stuck out his hand. “We met last night.”

“Yes. I remember.” Rex shook hands with him, then leaned against the car again.

“My ex-wife is Noelle Arnold.”

That was one name Rex wasn’t likely to forget. “I’m sorry.”

“I see you’re familiar with her,” Kyle said with a chuckle.

“I am.”

“She mentioned that you and Eve, er, met at Sexy Sadie’s, but I didn’t realize you were...you know, actually seeing each other until last night.”

Were they seeing each other? At this point, Rex would probably describe it more as a series of hit-and-runs. He knew he should leave her alone but couldn’t stay away. “I won’t be in town for long.”

“Eve hasn’t met up with us in three weeks. I feel as if I’m out of the loop on what’s going in her life.”

“Met up with
us?
You mean you and Noelle?”

“No. Eve and I belong to a group of friends who have coffee together every Friday at Black Gold.”

Rex nodded, thinking it must be nice to have such a strong network. These days, people didn’t stay put the way they used to, so something like that was rare. “Only in Whiskey Creek.”

Kyle didn’t seem to know how to take the comment. “You don’t like it here?”

“I do. It’s like...a snow globe,” he said, voicing what he’d often thought of the place.

Kyle laughed. “Is that why you’re standing over here, just watching everyone?”

He was standing to the side because he didn’t belong, could never belong, and didn’t want to disrupt the lives of those who did. “No need for me to get in the way.”

“Of the party?” he said with a scowl.

Of Eve’s life, of everything she had to look forward to. When he drove out of San Francisco for the last time, he’d planned to stay only one or two nights, long enough to buy some clothes and get another computer. But he’d paid rent at Mrs. Higgins’s through December. Given the fact that money might become extremely tight until he could get his business up and running again, he figured he should conserve where possible. What was the difference between leaving now or after Christmas?

“Of the relationships here,” he replied.

“We’re not as unfriendly to outsiders as we might seem.” Clasping Rex by the shoulder, Kyle dragged him out of the shadows and into the flow of pedestrians.

Rex could smell alcohol on Kyle’s breath and suspected the guy was a bit tipsy. But he wasn’t falling-down drunk, and Rex couldn’t help feeling a sense of relief at encountering a little friendliness.

“How ’bout we get you a drink?” Kyle said.

They stopped at a vendor selling beer, but before Rex could order, Kyle noticed that Eve wasn’t far away and called out to her. “Hey, Harmon! Look who I found.”

When Eve glanced up, she said something to Callie, who nodded and called Kyle over. A second later, they walked off, leaving her to approach him alone.

“I wondered if you were going to show up tonight,” she said.

He offered her a lopsided smile. “Mrs. Higgins wouldn’t hear of me staying home and missing the celebration.”

She looked around. “Where is she?”

“I drove her here, but as soon I parked, she got out and hurried off to help with some quilt for an orphanage or something. I haven’t seen her since.”

“That quilt is actually for our ‘Sub for Santa’ project. She and the other members of the historical society sew one every year.”

“Nice.”

“Yeah.” Eve rubbed her hands against the cold. “Does that mean you’re staying at her place?”

“For the time being.”

“Because...”

“It’s for the best, Eve. Don’t pretend it’s not.”

“So that’s it?”

“Better now than later. It’ll only get harder.”

She considered him for several seconds. Then she said, “Tell me something.”

He met her gaze a bit reluctantly. “What’s that?”

“Is it really your situation that’s got you running so scared? Or is it that I’m going to have your baby?” She started to walk away, but he grabbed her arm.

“I’ll still pay, if that’s the problem.”

“That’s definitely
not
the problem. I don’t even want your money.”

“Then what are you accusing me of?” he asked. “I’m thirty-six, Eve. You think, at this age, I’d be afraid of the responsibility of having a child?”

She jerked out of his grasp. “I think you’re afraid of getting too close to me or anyone else. That you believe you’ve failed your father, your mother, your brothers, Laurel, almost everyone who’s ever really meant anything to you—and you’re afraid you’ll fail again. So you’ve locked your heart in a cage and you reject any love that comes your way.”

“Don’t try to psychoanalyze me, Eve,” he said.

“Can you honestly tell me I’m wrong?” she asked. “Have you ever wondered why you keep everyone at arm’s length? Always hover on the periphery so you can make a quick exit? Tell the women you sleep with not to expect anything from you?”

“I don’t need to wonder. The fact that my house just got shot to hell answers that question,” he said. “This thing with The Crew—it isn’t a game, Eve. And it’s not me I’m afraid will get hurt!”

“Yes, it is,” she insisted. “Maybe you’re not afraid of bullets. You’ve proven that. But you’re afraid of other things besides The Crew. If you weren’t, you’d keep the name Brent Taylor and stay right here.”

“I would.”

She lifted her chin. “Yes. You want to, or you’d already be gone. You know Whiskey Creek would be good for you, probably the best place you’ve come across, at least recently. But you won’t let yourself put down any roots, because you don’t think you deserve it.”

“That’s bullshit,” he growled.

“Is it? Tell me this. How is Phoenix or...or Portland or Seattle any better for you than here? Those places are just farther away. That’s all.”

“They offer me a chance to make a living!”

“What you do for a living puts you at risk of being found again. You admitted that’s probably how they found you this time. You need to give it up and start over.
Really
start over.”

“And do
what?
”

“You’re smart enough to figure something out.”

“So you want me to stay here? Want me to...what? Be with you? We only met three weeks ago!”

She shook her head in apparent disgust. “That’s it, then? What we feel doesn’t count because it’s so new?”

“It’s not much to base a relationship on!”

“And if you have your way, we won’t get the chance to base it on anything more. You’ll make sure of it.”

“I don’t have any choice!”

“Yes, you do. Fight for what we could have—for the chance to be a father. I believe you would if you thought you deserved the happiness it could bring. But you’ll move on, and you’ll keep moving on every time you meet someone who could mean something to you until...when?” she asked. “Where will it end?”

“Stop it,” he replied. “I can’t love you, Eve. That would only give me someone else to lose. Why would I put myself in that position?”

“Why did Virgil put himself in that position?” she asked.

When he didn’t answer, she said, “Because having someone is worth the risk. But if you keep lying to yourself, keep telling yourself it’s The Crew that’s stopping you from making any sort of commitment, you’ll wander through life alone.”

28

S
he’d done the right thing, Eve told herself. Rex needed to hear the truth and she needed to face it. But Eve couldn’t go home for fear that she’d stare at the ceiling all night, thinking about him. So she drove over to the hospital.

“How was Victorian Days?” Cheyenne asked as soon as Eve walked into the room.

Dylan was sitting in a rocking chair next to Cheyenne’s bed, holding Kellan and watching him sleep in that love-drunk way so many new parents gazed at their babies.

“Fun.” Eve forced a smile and asked to hold the baby. But after a few minutes, Cheyenne let her know she wasn’t fooled by the small talk.

“Tell me what’s wrong,” she said.

“Nothing,” Eve insisted.

Cheyenne gave her husband a pleading look. “Honey, is there any chance you could take the baby for a stroll through the hospital?”

Dylan had been running a finger over the peach fuzz on Kellan’s head while Eve held him, and hadn’t really been listening, which was obvious when he blinked and focused on his wife. “What did you say?”

She grinned at his preoccupation. “He’s been like this all day,” she explained to Eve. “It would be nice if you would take your son out of the room for a few minutes. I’d like to talk to Eve alone, if you don’t mind.”

“I don’t mind.” He took the baby from Eve, cradling Kellan as carefully as though he were made of glass and flashing her a proud but embarrassed smile.

“Your baby’s beautiful,” she told him as he left. Then she turned Cheyenne. “It looks like Daddy’s happy.”

“I want this baby to be...an uncomplicated joy for him. You understand, don’t you?”

They were talking about the way she’d gotten pregnant. “I understand that you love him and did what you thought would serve him best. But...I just about had a heart attack when he named the baby after Aaron. Didn’t you try to discourage that?”

“No. I couldn’t say anything.”

“Why
not?
”

Cheyenne dragged a hand through her hair. “Because it would’ve seemed strange. Aaron’s always been the black sheep of the family. Now that everyone’s maturing, things are getting easier between them, but Dylan wants to make sure all those old fences have been mended.”

“He couldn’t do that a different way?”

Cheyenne sighed. “He was so excited when he came up with the idea I didn’t have the heart to tell him Aaron probably wouldn’t be pleased.”

Or that it would be a constant reminder of their secret, Eve thought, but she didn’t say that.

Cheyenne angled her head to catch Eve’s eye. “How did he react?”

Eve considered telling the truth—that Aaron had looked like he’d swallowed something difficult to get down. But she didn’t see how that would lighten Cheyenne’s concerns, and there was no point in adding to her worries. “He seemed fine with it. I’m sure that as time goes by, it’ll get easier to...you know, forget.”

“Yeah.”

“And this baby will be a breeze for Dylan to raise, nothing like what he went through with his brothers.”

“Dylan loves his brothers as fiercely as he loves that baby,” Cheyenne said. “And they love him, or...or Kellan wouldn’t be here.”

“I know.” Eve fiddled with the strap of her purse.

“Aren’t you going to sit down?” Cheyenne asked.

“I don’t think so. I just wanted to check in.”

“I hope that doesn’t mean you’re leaving already!”

“I’ve got three more nights of Victorian Days ahead. I should get some sleep so I can be a little more engaged than I was today.”

“Why weren’t you engaged today?”

Eve gave her a look. “You have to ask?”

Cheyenne reached for her hand. “Did you tell Rex about the pregnancy?”

She nodded.

“And? What did he say?”

“Nothing. He made it clear from the beginning that he wouldn’t be staying. Having a baby won’t change his mind. He’ll pay child support, and that’s it.”

“He said as much?”

Eve considered the conversations she’d had with him earlier and then the one tonight. “Yeah. He said as much.”

“So where will he go?”

“I have no idea. And he won’t be able to tell me.”

“I’m sorry,” Cheyenne said.

Tears burned Eve’s eyes, but she blinked them back. “It’s okay. I think. I’ll get over him, right? That’s what my mother would tell me.”

“Maybe his situation will change, allow him to come back.”

“I doubt it,” she said. “He’s running from more than The Crew.”

Cheyenne looked alarmed. “What does that mean?”

“Nothing more than what you might’ve guessed. He’s trying to protect himself from suffering like he did in the past—by shoving away all the people who’d care about him if he’d let them. And what kind of life is that?”

“Then maybe his leaving will be a blessing in disguise, Eve. You don’t know that he could be a good father to your baby any more than he does. He has a lot of...issues.”

“Sometimes people with ‘issues’ can overcome them. Look what Presley’s done with her life, Chey. Look at Aaron. Aren’t you glad you didn’t give up on them?”

“I am. But I’d have to say they’re the exception to the rule.”

“Rex could do the same,” she insisted.

Cheyenne moved a rolling table farther to one side so she could raise the head of her bed. “And The Crew? Whiskey Creek isn’t that far from San Francisco.”

“They’d have no reason to look here. Not if he got into a different line of work.”

“He’s in his thirties, Eve, and changing professions is easier said than done. What would he be able to do?”

“I don’t know,” she said. “But I’d rather he worked at a fast food joint than be at risk. Life is a series of compromises.”

“That’s a big one.”

The door opened and a nurse walked in. “Sorry to interrupt,” she said. “But I need to take Mrs. Amos’s blood pressure.”

“I’d better go,” Eve told Cheyenne.

“Wait,” Cheyenne said. “When are you going to tell your parents?”

She didn’t specify “about the baby,” but Eve knew what she meant. “Not now,” she said. “Maybe after the holidays.”

The nurse slipped the cuff onto Cheyenne’s arm and began to inflate it. “Everything’s going to be okay,” Cheyenne said. “You’ve got me, and Dyl and all the rest of us.”

Sophia had told her the same thing. At least, considering the way things were going with Rex, she wouldn’t have to worry about leaving all her friends behind. Not to mention the B and B and her parents. If it came right down to it, she wasn’t sure she could do that, anyway. “I know,” she said. “Thanks.”

* * *

“How come you’re back?”

Cecelia, her night manager, was understandably surprised to see Eve at the B and B. It was after eleven.

“I’m too wound up to sleep,” she said. “So I decided to get a few things done here.”

“But you were exhausted when you left. You look exhausted now.”

She shrugged. “Like I said...”

Cecilia’s lips turned down. “Are you okay? You don’t seem yourself these days.”

Eve
wasn’t
herself. She was in love with a man who was pursued by a dangerous gang, and she was pregnant with his child. Now he would leave, and she would probably never hear from him again. Not only that, but the news of her pregnancy would cause a stir in town. Her parents would have to defer the trip they had planned for this summer so they could be home for the birth. And she’d have to make an acceptable babysitting arrangement so she could continue to work after the baby was born—at least once the child got a bit older and wanted to run around.

“I just have a lot on my mind,” she mumbled.

“Of course you do. You’re a godmother now.”

She was going to be a
mother
this summer. “Cheyenne’s baby is beautiful,” she said, mostly to change the focus of the conversation.

“No wonder you’re excited. I can’t wait to see him.”

They chatted for a few minutes about Kellan and how proud Dylan was to be a father. Then Cecelia returned to the kitchen, presumably to handle her part of the food prep for breakfast as well as afternoon tea, which was something she did every night.

Eve remained where she was. A text had just come in from Ted. He was responding to a message she’d sent him earlier, amid the clamor of Victorian Days, thanking him for trying to protect her, for caring enough to get involved and for going to so much trouble and expense to solve the mystery of Little Mary’s death.

You can be a pain in the ass sometimes,
he’d written in reply.
But I’ll always be there for you.

She had to smile at that.
That’s your way of accepting my apology?

That was an apology?

It was an olive branch.

I was never mad at you. Just worried.

I know.

Are you going to be okay?

Whatever happens, I’ll get through it.

She’d dropped her phone back in her purse, intent on heading down the hall to the office, when the doorbell rang. For the sake of safety, whoever it was couldn’t get in after eleven unless he or she was already a guest and had a key or a staff member opened the door. Having heard the bell, Cecelia poked her head out of the kitchen but Eve was closer and waved her off. “I’ve got it,” she said.

Occasionally someone showed up late, looking for a room. Thanks to Victorian Days, they were nearly full tonight, but there was one room left. Eve would’ve been eager to book it, except that as soon as she opened the door, she knew she didn’t want to let the four men standing on her porch inside. They smelled of alcohol, were covered in ink depicting immoral and violent acts and wore hard-ass expressions, indicating that their attitudes weren’t any more appealing than their appearance.

“What can I do for you?” She offered what she hoped was a professional smile.

“What do you think?” the guy closest to her replied. “This is a B and B, isn’t it?”

The others snickered at his rudeness.

“I thought maybe you’d like the wedding suite for you and whichever one of these men is your partner. Is this a celebration?”

His eyes flashed in anger when she drew more laughter than he had. “Fuck, no. Not that kind of celebration. Just give us a couple of rooms.”

She almost said she was booked for the night. She doubted her current guests would feel comfortable sharing lodgings with such people. But as she opened her mouth to say the words, she noticed that the man who’d spoken had letters tattooed on the knuckles of one hand. They were written in such elaborate script that it took her a moment to realize what they spelled. But when that word registered, her blood ran cold.
C-R-E-W.

Swallowing hard, she backed up a step. “I’m afraid we don’t have much available.”

“What the hell does that mean?” he asked.

She almost told him he had to go, that she’d call the cops if he didn’t. But the fact that he might react violently stopped her. So did the thought that it might be wiser to know where these men were than to send them away and then wonder.

“It means, because of Victorian Days, we’re down to only one vacancy.”

He stared at her for a second. Then he nudged the guy standing behind him. “Give me that photograph.”

She hadn’t noticed it until that moment, but the other guy held a manila envelope. He handed it over, and the first man pulled out a glossy eight-by-ten, which he shoved at her.

“You ever seen this guy?”

Eve’s heart was pounding in her ear so loud she could barely hear above it. Trying to keep her hands from shaking, she took hold of what he was giving her, but she knew before she even looked that it would be Rex.

Sure enough, they had a picture of Rex exiting an office building. The image was slightly blurred, since he was in movement, but there was no question about his identity. She could easily make out his blond hair, his well-sculpted features, his lean, wiry build.

But she frowned as if she didn’t recognize him and shook her head. “No. I’m sorry. He a friend of yours?”

“My long-lost brother.”

The others laughed again.

“You
sure
you don’t recognize him?” the first man asked.

“Positive,” she replied. “If he lived in this area, I’d know it. I’ve been here my whole life.”

“He don’t live here. He’s just passin’ through.”

She almost volunteered the fact that there was another B and B in town. She was nervous enough to let just about anything come out of her mouth. But she was afraid the Russos, who owned A Room with a View, or one of their employees, might’ve seen Rex around town and wouldn’t know to claim otherwise. “If so, he’s not staying here. I’d remember a face like that.”

“’Course you would. Too bad he’s got nothin’ a little lower down.”

Too bad she knew otherwise.

She handed the picture back. “So...would you like to book the room? I doubt you’ll find anything else in town this late.”

“Why not?” he said. “Asshole and Dickhead, here, can sleep in the car.”

“Ah,
man!
That’ll be a bitch!” either Asshole or Dickhead cried.

“Hey, who you callin’ Asshole?” the other guy asked.

The one who seemed to be in charge turned to scowl at them both, and the complaints stopped.

“I’ll just need to see some ID and a credit card,” she said.

“I’ll pay cash,” he responded, as if that was all she should require.

Curling her fingernails into her palms, she told herself to stay calm. “You can pay with cash if you like, when you check out, but I’ll need a credit card to book the room. And I’ll need to see some ID, too, to prove that the credit card you’re using belongs to you. It’s nothing personal. Just our standard operating procedure. These days it’s the same for practically all hotels and motels.”

“Stupid whore,” he muttered, and got out his wallet.