THE SANCTUARY (14 page)

“Quit stalling and get on with the mission,” Sonya said.

They found out from one of the staff that the boss had decided to catch up on some paperwork while all the guests were either at the Chuckwagon or the nightly Mount Rushmore sound and light show. Sonya, Liz, and Julia pushed Lydia towards the hill leading to the lodge.

“It’s now or never,” Julia said.

“It’s why we’re here,” Sonya said.

“Time to face the music. Do you want us to go with you?” Liz asked.

Lydia knew she had to do this alone. She found her inner strength and marched up the hill. The lobby was empty. She found a petite woman with short blond hair sitting behind a desk in a tiny room behind the front desk. The door was open, and she could see that no one else was around.

“Hello,” she called out nervously.

The young woman came out of the office and seemed surprised to see her. Lydia guessed that she wasn’t expecting anyone and had probably been startled by the disruption.

“Hi, sorry to bother you but I’m looking for Chris Miller. Could you please tell me where I might find him?” Lydia asked.

The woman was obviously thrown by Lydia’s question. She didn’t respond.

“I was told that he was working in his office. I’d like to have a word with him if you could go get him,” Lydia said.

“I’m Chris Miller,” she answered nervously. “And you’re Lydia Coble.” It was a statement, not a question.

“I was expecting a man. Wait, how do you know who I am?” Lydia asked in confusion.

“Why were you expecting a man?”

“How do you know my husband? How do you know me?”

“Does David know that you’re here?” she asked.

Now it was Lydia’s turn to be confused. “Wait a minute. You mean that you don’t know about David?”

“Okay, I think we’re talking in circles. Let’s go into my office and start over. Follow me,” she said. Lydia followed her into her office and waited while the woman closed the door and poured coffee for both of them. Chris pointed to a chair, “Have a seat, make yourself comfortable. I have a feeling that this is going to take a while.”

Lydia sat down, shaking her head when the woman pointed to the cream and sugar containers. She seldom drank coffee but took the steaming mug. If nothing else, it was a distraction. She focused on sipping and swallowing.

“Let’s start over. I’m Chris Miller,” she said.

“As you seem to already know, I’m Lydia Coble. David’s wife. And how do you know him? How long have you known him? What’s your relationship?” Lydia asked.

“It’s a long story,” she said.

“Seeing as how I’ve just driven across America to meet you, I think I can find the time,” Lydia said sarcastically.

“You know, I always wondered if I would meet you one day. I wondered under what circumstances that might happen. I just didn’t picture it like this,” Chris said.

“You still haven’t answered any of my questions,” Lydia pointed out.

“I’m just trying to figure out where to start. What has David told you?” Chris asked.

“Unfortunately, David didn’t tell me anything. I didn’t even know you existed until the estate lawyer told me about you,” Lydia said.

“Estate lawyer? Does that mean…” She let the question trail off.

“Yes, it means that David’s dead,” Lydia said. It hadn’t occurred to her that the person whom he’d given all that money to wouldn’t even know that David was deceased.

She was shaken from her thoughts by a quiet sobbing. Lydia realized it was Chris crying. She seemed genuinely distraught.

“You mean that you didn’t know?” Lydia asked.

Blowing her nose with a tissue she had extracted from her pocket, Chris Miller shook her head. “I haven’t heard from David in a week or so. The last time I talked to him, he was planning your anniversary celebration, and he mentioned that there was a lot going on at work, so I just assumed that he was busy. What happened?”

“He suffered heart failure seven days ago. He died quickly, so he didn’t suffer. Then I got a call from the estate lawyer saying that he needed to see me as soon as possible. I was blown away when he told me that David had used property of mine to secure a loan to a Mr. Chris Miller, whom I had never heard of.”

“I can assure you that I didn’t ask him to do that. He insisted,” Chris said.

“You should know that he didn’t have the money to give you, so he tricked me into signing my land—land that’s been in my family for a long time—over to the bank as collateral for your loan. I feel very betrayed and confused,” Lydia confessed. “That’s why I’m here. I need answers, and I need that money back. I’m broke. I’ll probably lose my house and the island without that money.”

“I am so sorry to hear that. I swear to you that I had no idea about David’s financial situation. I guess he felt responsible since he got me into this. I own the land but had to get a loan to build the campground and prairie town. David talked me into adding the lodge, which made my loan much bigger. But the place was doing so well that he suggested I add a spa and some amenities to make it a destination spa resort. Since I’m not located at a national park or beach, I needed to do something extreme to add to my customer base. So, I borrowed more money for the expansion and everything ran over the projected cost. Then the economy went kaput and bookings dropped sixty-five percent. I had a balloon payment due and all kinds of bills that I couldn’t pay. I was going to lose the resort. I was going to lose everything, so David lent me the money. I was going to pay him back over time and no one would be the wiser, but we obviously didn’t anticipate this. I’m sure he hoped that his own financial situation would improve, and everything would work out. You know what an optimist he was. I promise you that I will pay you back every cent eventually. But I don’t have it right now. I’m just so sorry about everything…about David…about your situation.”

“Well, sorry doesn’t even buy me a cup of coffee. But right now I’m more concerned about why he gave all that money to you. Who are you to him? His mistress? How long have you two been involved?” Lydia asked.

“First of all, I never had an affair with David. That wasn’t what our relationship was all about. I promise you that.”

“I’m growing old waiting for an explanation,” Lydia prompted.

“As I said, it’s a long story. We met at a sales convention in Las Vegas. We were both lonely and had too much to drink and one thing led to another. It was just a stupid one-night stand, as they say. We both regretted it in the light of day but what was done was done. We went our separate ways, and that would have been the end of it, but a few weeks later, I realized I was pregnant. Months went by and I didn’t know what to do. I was terrified. I couldn’t imagine being a single mother, a single full-time working mother without any savings. I couldn’t figure out what to do, if I should tell him or not. I realized that I had to tell him. He deserved to know he was a father. I remembered the name of the company he worked for and tracked David down. I told him that he didn’t have to have a role in my child’s life, but I did think that he had a financial obligation to us. I hated asking him, but I needed some financial help. I couldn’t continue to work in sales, being gone all the time with a newborn.” Chris took a deep breath before continuing. Lydia noticed her hands were trembling as she tried to hold her mug steady.

“Turns out that David let things go too far with me that night because you two were having serious marital problems. He was getting ready to move out. He said that you had lost both your parents, and it had been a terrible time. He wanted to help you, but you didn’t want his help. You didn’t want him. He sincerely thought the marriage was over. By the time I got in touch with him, things were much better. He didn’t dare tell you about the baby because he knew that would devastate you and ruin what progress had been made in mending your relationship. He was terrified that you would leave him. Said he couldn’t live without you. He really loved you,” Chris said.

“So, you had a secret affair for all these years to protect me?” Lydia said sarcastically.

“No, we were only together that one night nine years ago. We became parents and good friends—that’s all. Well, I suppose he was my business partner and advisor, too. David had planned to tell you everything when he felt your relationship was back on strong footing, but by then he was so happy to have your marriage back on track that he decided it would be better to stay silent. Also, he wasn’t sure how you’d handle it since you couldn’t have any kids. He thought it might be too hard for you to know he had a child with someone else. But David desperately wanted to be a father. He was a good father, too. I realize that this is all very unconventional, but we made the arrangement work for us. I know this must be so incredibly hard for you, but I’m glad you know the truth. I envy you. David loves our daughter, but he never loved me. I’ve never had anyone love me like David loved you. He led this double life because he loved you so much. He had such guilt over that one night and all the secrets he had to have because of it.”

Lydia felt a surge of emotions that she struggled to sift through. She thought back to the time Chris was talking about. It was true that she had been inconsolable over the loss of her parents. She had lost her only sibling when she was a kid, so her parents were all the family she had left other than Aunt Francis. They had become especially close after the death of her brother, Tommy. Her mother had fought valiantly, but cancer had claimed her in the end. She had been a daddy’s girl, so when her father had a massive stroke and died six months later, it had been too much. She had retreated into herself in order to survive. She recalled having been emotionally and physically disconnected from David for more than a year. If she allowed herself to really think about it, she had been awful to him during that time. She had refused to talk to him or let him touch her or even be in the same room with him. He had tried repeatedly to help her, but she had rebuffed his every effort. She had completely shut him out.

Lydia still had a million questions. “How did you get into this resort thing in the first place?”

“I realized that I wouldn’t be able to continue my job in sales because I couldn’t travel four days a week with a baby at home and no husband or family to help. I needed another way to earn an income. Opening the resort was David’s idea. Land was dirt cheap in this area at that time, so it was a good investment. He helped me buy this land and build the campground using my savings and cashing out my retirement fund. With an established business, the bank gave me a loan so that I could expand. But as I mentioned, I’ve had some tough breaks the last couple of years. Sometimes I feel like throwing in the towel but I can’t. This place affords me the luxury of being available for my daughter and being able to support us. And it will hopefully be a legacy if I can hold on to it. When it’s finished, we’ll be a five-star destination spa. If that goes well, I’ve got plans for a cowboy camp. It’s the same concept as racecar or astronaut camps for men, only for wannabe cowboys. I love this place. I love what I’ve built here, but I’m having trouble doing this all by myself,” she confessed.

All the emotions Lydia had been feeling for days exploded. The anger. The grief. The fear. The confusion. Everything came pouring out of her. Lydia began to cry, not delicate sobs but pitiful bawling with her whole body convulsing.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” Chris kept mumbling, fumbling in her desk for a box of tissues. She pushed the box towards Lydia. “I imagine you hate me. Is there anything else that you’d like to know?”

But Lydia was unable to speak.

She finally got a hold of herself. She blew her nose and wiped her face. “Believe it or not, I don’t hate you. I think I might even like you. I don’t blame you either. It takes two consenting adults to equal an affair. To tell the truth, I was a terrible shrew back then. David was miserable, and the worst part was that I knew it. I just didn’t care. I was too busy wallowing in my own misery to care about David’s unhappiness. I’ve watched cancer claim my mother and brother. They died painful, awful deaths. The final straw was my dad dying within a year of my mom. It made me really bitter and angry and depressed. And maybe unconsciously I was trying to drive David away before he abandoned me, too. I can’t believe that he hung in there, that he stayed with me. Don’t get me wrong. I wish that he had never cheated on me, but I understand it. I’m glad that David got a chance to be a father. And I’m glad that there’s a piece of him still here. I always thought with my family history that David would outlive me. I have been struggling to come to terms with his death. This mission has been the only thing keeping me going. I swear to God that I would have fallen apart if not for you, so I guess I owe you.”

Both women laughed at the absurdity of the situation. As Lydia blew her nose, Chris smiled. “Your husband was a remarkable man. Mattie and I cherished him. He was a good friend. I will miss him so much. I don’t know how I’ll tell Mattie. It still doesn’t seem real that he won’t walk through those doors or call ever again. Thank you so much for having the courage to come here. I’m so glad to finally meet you.”

They both began to cry. After a few minutes, Lydia blew her nose, came around the table, and hugged Chris. “I have to admit that it wasn’t all that courageous. I’m broke and desperate!” Lydia reminded Chris.

“Me too, but we’ll figure something out,” Chris promised.

“I hope so. I have a loan payment and a big tax bill due that I have to pay. I cannot allow anything to happen to that place. It’s very special, and there is a group of people called the Gullah who make their home on the island. I can’t imagine what would happen to them if they had to leave,” Lydia said.