Way to Her Heart (15 page)

“Every time I come here I like it more and more. The food is fantastic and the decor is just beautiful,” she said as she looked around the restaurant.

Since its opening, Seven-Seventeen had enjoyed great business. There were many reasons why the place was always busy—the food was delicious and the ambience was soothing yet sophisticated. It was beautifully furnished with dark hardwood floors, slate tiles on the walls, copper wall sconces and rich deep blue walls. There was also a waterfall on the wall in the entrance.

“Camilla, Jared’s youngest sister, did the decorating. She does all of their restaurants. Very talented young lady and so sweet. Well, you know, you met her when we got married,” Alexis reminded her.

“I remember all of them. They’re just the nicest people in the world. His parents and his grandmother were so sweet to Sydney. You married into a great family, Lexie.”

A ripple of excitement ran across the room as Lucas, dressed in his black chef’s coat and slacks, walked through the main dining room, greeting guests and chatting with the regulars. He came to their table with his usual charming smile and greeted his sister-in-law and Sydney, and then he bent and gave Sherri a brief but meaningful kiss.

“You look beautiful,” he said in a soft voice. “Did you make it to church?”

“No, we slept in because Mommy was tired,” Sydney chirped. “Uncle Lucas, can I come see the kitchen with you?”

“Sure you can, honeybun. C’mon and I’ll give you the grand tour.”

As the two headed off to the kitchen, Alexis was obviously pleased that Sydney was out of earshot. She didn’t waste any time in getting down to business with Sherri.

“What’s on your mind, sweetie? I can tell you’ve been entertaining some deep thoughts,” she said gently.

“You know me too well,” Sherri said, and sighed. “I’ve been all caught up in this whole Trevor mess. Do you know that he calls my mother ‘Mother Stratton’? What’s that about? I know that she and Father were all excited when I was dating him and that they blamed me for getting pregnant, but I had no idea that they were still charter members of the Trevor Barnes fan club.”

“Good grief. How can they possibly want to be involved with him after what he did to you? And did you ever find out what he’s up to? Something rotten must be afoot for him to come to Columbia and seek you out. He’s up to something and it must be no good, the bastard.”

Sherri’s mouth twitched. “According to Trevor, he’s back because he’s realized the error of his ways. He wants me back and he wants the three of us to be a family—me, him and Sydney. Can you beat that?”

Alexis’s mouth dropped open and her eyes widened. “When did you talk to him?”

“He waylaid me in the parking lot at the hospital on Friday when I was leaving work. ‘Mother Stratton’ told him where I’d be, and he came looming over me when I was walking to my car. I gave him fifteen minutes to state his case and that’s what he came up with. But, Alexis, he said something about wanting to be a part of Sydney’s life and not wanting to have to go to court over it, something like that. I was barely listening to him because I was so mad, but I think I should get some legal advice.”

She stopped talking long enough to take a healthy swallow of her Bellini before continuing. “I don’t see how he can force me to let him have visitation or partial custody—not after the way he’s behaved—but nowadays you never know what the court system is going to do in these cases. I hate to admit it, but I’m really concerned about this.”

“What did Lucas say when you told him about it?”

Sherri looked sheepish as she stirred her grits. “Nothing.”

Alexis was shocked. “Nothing? He didn’t give you his support, offer comfort, suggestions, anything?”

Sherri swallowed a forkful of shrimp and grits and dabbed her mouth with her napkin. “He couldn’t say anything because I didn’t tell him about the parking-lot incident.” She raised her hand to forestall the yelp that she expected from Alexis.

“I just didn’t want to talk about it then. We were going to Hilton Head to pick up Sydney and I just wanted to enjoy myself, and I did. Everything was so much fun and so peaceful and loving. I would’ve given anything to have a family like that,” she said wistfully.

“You know how my parents are. It was like living in a walk-in freezer. If I hadn’t had your mother and Emily’s mother to love me I would’ve grown up to be the most neurotic, needy heifer in South Carolina.”

“Instead of being the wonderful woman that you are,” Alexis said fiercely. “Just forget about the family dynamic for right now. Let’s just concentrate on that fool Trevor. We need to find out what he’s up to and fast. I agree—I think you could use some advice from a good attorney because Trevor sounds like he’s prepared to be conniving if you don’t give him what he wants. I mean, it’s not like you’re not irresistible, but I’m having a hard time believing that after almost eight years he suddenly decides that you’re the love of his life and he has to have you back in his arms—not to mention the child that he’s never acknowledged.”

She ate with great appetite for a few minutes and then pointed her fork at Sherri. “Are you going to introduce Sydney to that asshat?”

Sherri’s face looked pale and pained. “I don’t want to. I really don’t. I don’t want her to get confused and I certainly don’t want her to be hurt, and there’s every possibility that this could end badly. But suppose there’s some legal ramification for not allowing him access to Sydney? Could that make a judge decide in his favor for custody?”

“Considering the fact that he’s never acknowledged his daughter, never tried to communicate with her in any way and never paid a dime in child support, I’d say fat chance of that, but like you said, these days who knows. We need to talk to a lawyer for sure.” She took another sip of juice before adding, “And you need to talk to Lucas. He’ll be really hurt if you leave him out of the loop.”

“You’re right,” Sherri admitted. “And I will. But you know how I hate drama. His life is so normal, so free of these crazy details, and here I come with a full load of baggage that I didn’t even know I had.”

Their server came back to the table with plates of big golden waffles and crisply done chicken. They both sighed with anticipation. There was a smaller waffle for Sydney. She came skipping back to the table with Lucas just in time.

“Uncle Lucas made these just for you, Mommy. Aren’t they nice?”

Sherri smiled gently as Lucas placed Sydney back in her chair. “The nicest thing ever, sweetie.”

“This is the best day, isn’t it, Mommy?”

Sherri looked at Sydney and then at Lucas. “Yes, it is. The best day ever.” She just hoped that there would be many more after she got Trevor out of their lives once and for all.

Chapter 15

Lucas leaned back in his desk chair and rubbed his face with both hands. He wasn’t tired from a long day of work; he was energized, the way he usually was. He had the stamina of a young stallion and it took a lot to make him weary. He felt a weight on his shoulders, however, but it wasn’t his. His concern was all for Sherri and Sydney. She’d finally told him about her confrontation with Trevor, and he was proud of the fact that his head hadn’t exploded when she did. She had told him Sunday evening after Sydney had been tucked into bed. They had gone downstairs and snuggled up on the sofa. He remembered every word of her confession, if that was what it was.

“I didn’t say anything before because I just didn’t want to deal with it. I wanted to get Sydney and have a great weekend and just not deal with the crap. I wasn’t scared or anything. I was just angry. The nerve of him, just showing up out of the blue with this crazy idea that we should suddenly be a family after all this time. I couldn’t believe the nerve of him. And there are a bunch of holes in his story, Lucas. Like why he’s decided all of a sudden that I’m the answer to his prayers or something.”

Lucas had listened quietly as she vented her rage over Trevor’s sudden appearance in Columbia, but he had a few questions for her.

“So what’s your mother’s role in this scenario? Was she really close to him or something?”

Sherri’s face had darkened, and she frowned. “My parents always loved Trevor. He had finished law school and he’d just started working for a firm here. They just thought he was the best thing that ever happened to me, probably because he came from a wealthy family. They live in L.A. and they’re big society people, whatever that means. My parents have always been image-conscious, really concerned about appearance before substance. Father was always worried about what ‘people might think’—that was his mantra when we were growing up. And Mother was even more so,” she said with a slight roll of her eyes.

“I know he worked hard to make his business successful and I respect him for that, but it always seemed to me that he was more concerned about his public image than anything else. So was Mother. The way the house looked, the way we were dressed, the way we behaved, all of those things were more important than anything else,” she had said sadly.

“Do you know why they were like that? Was it something in their past that made them so status-conscious?”

“I have no idea because strange as it may seem, I don’t know that much about how they grew up. Neither one of them will talk about their families much at all. Mother is an only child, and Father has two brothers but they don’t live here. They’re originally from Virginia, both Mother and Father, and as far as I know neither one of them has been back there since they moved here.

“I have so many questions I don’t even know where to begin getting answers. I’m calling my mother tomorrow to find out why she and Father have decided to be on Trevor’s side, and I hope she has a good answer because I truly have no clue. You’d think they’d be on my side seeing as how he’s the one who ditched me and took off like a jackrabbit when I found out I was pregnant. But they blamed me and my loose behavior for the whole thing. Can you believe it?”

“No, I really can’t. I can’t imagine my parents acting like that toward my sisters. In fact, I can guarantee you they would have had the opposite reaction.”

“Yes, well my parents have always been the way they are—very cool and lacking in emotion. Tomorrow I’m going to pin Mother down for some answers and we’ll see how unemotional she is then,” Sherri had said grimly. “But as curious as I am about her role in this, I have bigger things to deal with. Like why has Trevor decided that he wants to be a part of Sydney’s life? I don’t even know if I should introduce him to her, but he made it seem like he’d go through legal channels if I don’t.”

Lucas had had to work hard to contain himself once he’d heard that. “Don’t do it, Sherri. I don’t know much about the law, but after the way he’s behaved I doubt that he has a leg to stand on as far as any kind of custody is concerned. Have you thought about talking to an attorney?”

“Of course I have. I have an appointment tomorrow with an excellent guy who specializes in family law and custody issues. Sydney’s well-being is my first and foremost concern. I have to protect her above all else,” she had said fiercely. “I don’t want her to be hurt by whatever craziness Trevor has cooked up in his head.” She then had sighed deeply and put her head on his shoulder. “What a mess.”

Lucas had just held her for a few minutes, but he had to make a point. “Sherri, sweetheart, I wish you’d talked to me sooner,” he had said gently. “That’s what I’m here for—to listen to you and to give you support and whatever else you need.”

“I didn’t want to bother you with my problems, Lucas. I’m used to handling things on my own.”

“I’m not trying to say that you can’t handle your business. You’re one of the most capable people I’ve ever met in my life. You put yourself through med school, and you raised an astounding child while you were doing it. Now you have a successful practice and the greatest little girl in the world, so nobody can say you’re not capable. But what’s the point of having a man if you can’t confide in him and lean on him once in a while?”

Sherri had gone so silent that Lucas was afraid he’d said something terribly wrong, but then she’d looked up at him with a sweet smile.

“So you’re my man?”

“Of course I am, and you’re my woman. I think we’re too old to be boyfriend and girlfriend, but I was under the distinct impression that I mean something to you. You mean everything to me, you and Miss Sydney.”

“You mean a lot to us, too, Lucas. Sydney’s crazy about you and so am I,” she had confessed. “I’ve never felt like this about anyone else.”

“That’s good to know because I was hoping that I wasn’t the only one who’d fallen in love. You know I love you, right?”

She’d given him a mischievous smile and said, “I thought you might like me a whole lot, but I didn’t want to assume anything.”

He had kissed her hard and long to shut off her merry laughter and when the kiss had ended, he’d told her, “Just assume this—as long as I’m breathing I’m not going to let anything happen to you or Sydney and that includes anything that jackass Barnes has up his sleeve. So just put him out of your mind, okay?”

“If only it were that easy,” she had said with a sigh. Then she’d kissed him, and they didn’t talk about anything else for a while.

As Lucas recalled that conversation, he was very happy with parts of it, but he was still troubled by Trevor Barnes. He needed to know what the sleazebag was up to and fast. He glanced at the clock on his desk, calculating that Sherri was having her showdown with her mother right about now, which gave him time to check in with a man who was the most reliable source of information about any and everyone in the world. If he couldn’t get to the bottom of the Trevor Barnes mystery, no one could.

* * *

Sherri turned off her engine and glanced at the back door of Stratton’s Funeral Home. She wasn’t impressed by the appearance of the building at all, even though it was, like all of the locations, in superb condition. It was basic brick, painted white with gray trim, very plain and austere but with the dignity that was appropriate to an establishment of its kind. The lawn was perfectly green, the shrubs were meticulously trimmed and the sidewalks were cleaner than some people’s floors. Even the parking lot was devoid of so much as a leaf or scrap of paper. With a brief sigh she got out of the SUV and walked to the door. She knew her mother was there because her schedule was maintained so rigidly that nothing would have kept her from being at her desk.