What Echoes Render Page 15

  She was about to say “nothing” when everyone else at the table prompted her to explain as well. Shooting an annoyed look at Caleb, she told them what little she knew—only that Vivi and Ian were going to look into complaints at the hospital and maybe talk to a few folks. When she’d finished recounting the facts, she made it clear that she knew nothing more and all but pleaded to change the topic of conversation.

  As if to help her out, Bob suddenly came tearing by on the lawn dragging a stick three times his size with the rest of the dogs in hot pursuit behind him. It wasn’t much of a conversation starter, but it did move their banter onto lighter things.

  After the gluttonous meal, Matty and Dash banned everyone from the kitchen while they prepared another pot of coffee and started some cleanup. Kit’s cell rang and she headed into the study to start what would likely be a lengthy conversation with her publisher. Jesse and Caleb found themselves alone at the table. Needing to move around after such a big meal, she stood and walked to the porch railing. In a few weeks, when the bugs started to get bad, Dash would put up screens to enclose the area, but for now it was open, and inhaling deeply, she took in the scents of spring—fresh grass and lilacs. Caleb came to stand beside her.

  “You looked like you weren’t quite sure what to do with all that food,” she commented.

  He shrugged. “I can’t remember the last time I sat down to a home-cooked meal, let alone one that size.” She turned and looked at him, again, wondering just what kind of life he led.

  “Tell me about David,” he said. It wasn’t a request, but his command confused her for a moment. That he’d mentioned David at all was a surprise. As was the fact that he felt he could demand anything of her. She didn’t feel put out or self-righteous about it; actually, she was more curious than anything else.

  She turned back to the lawn as the dogs came racing back into view. “He’s an arson investigator. I met him at the hospital two weeks ago when he came to interview a young man who’d been burned in a house fire here in town. I guess there aren’t that many arson investigators in the area so when the explosive went off at the quilt shop, he was assigned to that as well.”

  “And was he around when you were run off the road?”

  “He was there, yes. We were supposed to meet for lunch. He called when I didn’t show up and came out to the scene. He was the one who suggested that Ian look into things, given there had been three incidences in less than two weeks.”

  “Three?”

  Crap, she’d let that slip. Briefly she told him about the tires, and begrudgingly added that the vandalism had happened the same day she’d met David—she’d thought about holding that piece of information back but got the sense that Caleb could and would find out if he really wanted to. But she did make a point of asking him not to bring it up to the others. Ian and Vivi knew, since they’d been there when it happened, but no one else needed to know. Why make them worry about her any more than they already were?

  “And are you seeing this guy?” Caleb asked baldly.

  Her eyes flew to his for a moment, startled by such a personal question.

  In a flash, her mind went to David, to his voice, to his phone call earlier that morning, to his concern over her.

  Thankfully, Kit walked out just then, and Jesse was saved from answering the question. She didn’t think Caleb was the type to banter David’s name about, so, unlike with the others, she didn’t find herself feeling the need to keep this thing with David, whatever it was, a secret from him. She just didn’t know how to answer the question, exactly.

  “Is Jesse telling you about how I thought about trying to set you two up?” Kit asked with a mischievous smile. It was obvious she was trying to prod her brother more than anything else.

  Caleb’s eyes sought Jesse’s—this time he looked startled. She smiled. “I told her it would never work. Seeing as this is the first time in years you’ve set foot in Windsor and most of the time Kit doesn’t even know where you are, things would just be more complicated than I’m interested in. Besides, I thought you would be taller and the mechanics of things would just, well, they’d be awkward. Matty agreed with me on that point, I’d like to add.”

  His lips quirked into a grin. “The mechanics?”

  She gave a dramatic sigh. “I know, tall and handsome is the stereotype fantasy man, but being five foot two, for me, ‘tall’ is a relative term. Speaking from experience, a huge height difference does sometimes, well, like I said, it can sometimes make things awkward.”

  Kit laughed, and on Caleb’s face Jesse saw the first real smile he’d allowed himself all morning. He was an attractive man; of that there was no doubt. But judging by the vibe she was getting from him, he was no more sexually attracted to her than she was to him.

  “So, how tall is David?” he asked, crossing his arms.

  “Caleb!” Kit chided. But when she didn’t answer, Kit turned to her. “Well, how tall is he?”

  Jesse rolled her eyes and shook her head. “You, my friend, will probably never know.”

  “You’re not going to introduce him to your friends?” Caleb sounded genuinely curious now.

  “It’s a long story, Caleb,” Kit said, taking her brother’s arm and pulling him toward the house. “But suffice it to say, I’m encouraging her to go for the sex and not the happily-ever-after.”

  “Kit,” she warned, following them into the house.

  Without turning around, Kit waved a hand at her. “And I shall say no more on the subject.”

  As Dash and Matty entered the kitchen, Kit said, “I need to go. My publisher just called—we need to set an itinerary for my Europe tour so I have to review some dates in the next few hours.”

  Matty expressed her disappointment, but, being a writer herself, she was sympathetic. Jesse considered staying to chat with her friends for a while longer, but then remembered the work she still needed to get done before meeting with her lawyer the next morning. Plus, she had to pick up the boys in thirty minutes. Leaving now would give her just enough time to make a quick stop at the grocery store before swinging by the school.

  “I’ll walk you to your car,” Caleb offered, surprising her. She glanced at Kit who was frowning at her brother. Matty and Dash looked curious. Rather than making a fuss and drawing more attention to his offer than was warranted, she agreed. After bidding her friends good-bye, the two headed down the driveway.

  “What do you know about David?” he asked.

  “I beg your pardon?”

  “What do you know about the guy?”

  She wasn’t an idiot; she knew where this was going. And she also knew Caleb couldn’t be further from the truth.

  “Like I said, he’s an arson investigator. He’s also a firefighter who moved here a little less than a year ago when his only daughter, whom he raised on his own from the day she was born, started college in Rhode Island.”

  “And the first incident happened on the day you met him.” They reached her car, and much to her dismay, he made an obvious scan of it, then took her keys. Unlocking the door, he ordered her to step back before he started the engine. When it turned over just fine, he pulled it forward enough to be able to see the ground that had been underneath it. Putting it in park, he got out.

  “Looking for bombs?” Her voice was dry; she couldn’t help it. He didn’t seem to notice.

  “Among other things.” He was searching the ground now; for what, she didn’t know. Brake fluid maybe? Would that leak onto the ground?

  Finally, looking satisfied with whatever he’d found, or hadn’t found, he turned to her. “You should have Ian look into David.”

  “No,” her answer was emphatic.

  “Why not?” His arms crossed over his chest.

  “Look, I’m not some Pollyanna who only sees the good in people. I work in a hospital, in a county-funded hospital. I’ve seen what people can do to each other. And while in your world, whatever world that may be, everyone may have questionable intentions, in my world, th
is world, that isn’t the case.”

  He studied her for a long moment and then cracked a grin. “Well, I guess you just put me in my place.”

  She rolled her eyes at him. “I’m pretty sure that David’s only intentions regarding me aren’t of the violent sort. And don’t think for one second that I think I’ve put you in your place. I don’t know who you are or what you do, but I have a sneaking suspicion you’re going to check into him anyway.”

  He tilted his head in response and stepped aside so that she could get into her car. “You’re one of Kit’s friends. I don’t see her all that often, but I do care about her. And the life she’s made for herself. You’re a part of that.”

  “Then, just for the record,” Jesse said as she climbed into the driver’s seat, “you’re wrong about David.”

  “Duly noted.” He shut the door and she backed up, then began to pull away.

  She watched him in the rearview mirror as she headed down the drive. Whoever Caleb Forrester was, he was not a man to be messed with. And even though she didn’t think he was even close to the truth when it came to David, he seemed like the kind of man who would be good to have on her side if she ever needed it. She just hoped she would never need it.

  CHAPTER 11

  JESSE SAT IN THE CHAIR across from Wilton and gave him a blank look. At least she thought it was a blank look, since that was how she felt.

  “Trust? Mark and I never set up a trust for the kids.” Wilton returned her look with one that would seem condescending coming from anyone other than the paternal man in front of her.

  “I know you never set up that kind of trust. Or at least not with me. But Mark came by to talk to me about it a while back. It was a month or two before he died. He said he was thinking about setting something up for the kids. I gave him an envelope of material to go through at his leisure.”

  “But we don’t have that much money, why would we need a trust?” She was still confused. Maybe not so much by the idea of setting up a trust for the kids, but by the fact that Mark had been considering it before he died but had never mentioned it to her. It was true, their marriage wasn’t as rock solid as people thought it was, but it was unlike him to make a decision like this, about the boys’ future, without her.

  “There are many reasons to set up a trust, and they aren’t just for the wealthy. You know they help avoid probate and can make the transfer of the estate much smoother, which is why you have the one trust you do. But since we’re having this conversation, which I’m happy to have by the way, I assume he never mentioned anything to you?”

  Jesse shook her head. No, Mark hadn’t mentioned anything to her. But what that meant, she wasn’t sure.

  “Well, it’s something to consider, especially now,” Wilton said, leaning forward to sort through some papers.

  “What do you mean, ‘especially now?’” She hadn’t expected to enjoy this morning meeting with her attorney, but she also hadn’t expected to feel two steps behind from the moment she walked in.

  “Well, Mark’s insurance money, of course. And the settlement from the university for his case. You signed all the documents, all the court filings, Jesse. Don’t you remember?” he asked, as he pulled a few sheets loose and handed them to her.

  She shook her head to clear the cobwebs. Of course she remembered doing those things, and the evidence was right in front of her. But she had been in such a daze then, and, well, until Wilton had reminded her, she had sort of forgotten that the money existed. Her job paid her well, Matt was on scholarship, and the house was paid for. She and Mark had gotten into the habit of saving early—for both retirement and the boys’ college—so those accounts were healthy, too. She hadn’t needed the money, so when the settlements came in, she vaguely remembered asking Wilton to put it into a safe account somewhere.

  “Where is the money and how much is there, exactly?” She felt ridiculous asking the question, but better to be asking it of Wilton than anyone else. He gave her a look that seemed to express both sympathy and disapproval at the same time.

  “The insurance money is in a mutual fund and the settlement is being managed by a broker I recommended in the city.”

  “Is there anything left?” The economic downturn must have made a dent in it to some extent.

  “Actually, yes. Both accounts are doing well. The insurance started at a million and has made about 10 percent. The settlement was slightly more than that and has made about 6 percent.”

  Jesse blinked. She and the boys had over two million dollars. It was a lot of money. Maybe not by the standards of the ultrarich. But for someone like her, someone who lived simply and didn’t need much, it was a lot of money.

  “Wow.”

  Wilton chuckled. “I’m not sure if this changes things for you, but maybe we should talk about those trusts and what might make sense for you and the boys?”

  Jesse looked at her longtime lawyer and friend, still absorbing the news. Then, finally, she spoke, “Yes, yes I think we should talk.”

  ***

  Later that night Jesse curled up in bed with her computer and a glass of wine. The boys had made dinner and, miracle of miracles, cleaned up, too—even after finishing all their homework. It was the last week of school, and truth be told, they didn’t have that much homework. But Matt had one more paper due tomorrow and James had two exams left. One was math and one was biology so she didn’t feel the need to check up on him as much as she would have if one had been an English class.

  She could hear them now upstairs, getting ready for bed. For a moment, she leaned back against her pillows and just listened. She could hear them walking around in their rooms and imagined them picking up their things, putting their backpacks together, and changing into their pajamas. Every now and then she could hear the murmur of their voices and occasionally one would laugh. Maybe they were talking to friends on their phones, or maybe, she liked to think, they were talking to each other.

  It was hard to imagine that in three months Matt would be gone. And three years after that, James would follow. Time had gone by so fast, even the bad times, that it still caught her off guard sometimes.

  Thinking of the passage of time brought her mind back to her morning meeting with Wilton. Throughout the day, whenever she’d had a spare moment—which, between working on the hospital budget and working with the lawyers on Ian’s request, wasn’t often—she’d thought about what Wilton had said. She still couldn’t shake the fact that Mark had talked to him about trusts for the kids without mentioning it to her.

  Maybe he just hadn’t had the time to look into it before he’d died, or the time to tell her. There was probably a logical explanation, but still, something just didn’t sit right.

  She looked at her phone lying on her bedside table and considered calling someone. But what would she say? Mark’s actions weren’t totally out of character and everyone would tell her that. Everyone who’d known him anyway. She considered calling Vivi or Matty, neither of whom had known Mark, but dismissed the idea. She would probably sound like a crazy suspicious wife to the two newly married women. David popped into her mind. He would probably have a good perspective, but the thought of calling him to dish on her deceased husband felt, well, weird.

  Finally, after mulling it over for what seemed like too long, she came up with an alternate plan. All of Mark’s things, except his clothes, were still in his office in the barn. Several months after his death, she’d asked some friends to come over and help close it up. They’d boxed everything up and weather- and rodent-proofed it. Jesse had kept it locked away ever since. She hadn’t had the energy to go through everything, or, honestly, the interest. If there was anything Mark had been keeping to himself, chances were she’d find it in his office.

  But not wanting the kids to know she was going through their father’s things, she decided she could spend the hour or so she had alone in the morning, after they left for school and before she left for work. And once they were off at their various activities next wee
k, she’d have a lot more time. With the plan fixed in her mind, she pulled her computer over and opened up the latest budget.

  As she perused the numbers, she tried pushing aside the disappointment creeping into her mind. Having dismissed the idea of calling David to ask his advice, she no longer had a reason to call him, fabricated or otherwise. But it would be nice to hear his voice. What they would talk about, who knew, but it would still be nice to talk.

  Jesse’s eyes travelled to her phone. She didn’t know what time he got off work, where he was, or if he could even talk. Much less whether or not he’d want to. Still, her eyes lingered.

  After a few more minutes, she decided not to be so girly about it and picked up her cell phone. As she hit the button to bring it to life, it vibrated in her hand.

  “Is it too late for you?”

  She smiled into the phone. “No, I was just picking up the phone to call you.”

  “You were?” The surprise in David’s voice made her laugh.

  “And that surprises you?”

  “No, well, maybe. I just know you have a busy week this week. I remember what it was like. And then I was debating whether or not to hang up, thinking it might be too late given everything that’s going on. How are you?” he asked.

  “I’m good, much less sore. And you?”

  “Good, the rest of the weekend was mostly uneventful. That’s a good thing but the time passes slowly, that’s for sure. How was brunch? Was the enigmatic brother there?” Jesse was pretty sure she heard more than just curiosity in his voice, but he was doing a good job trying to hide it.

  “He was, yes. Caleb,” she answered. “He’s not quite what I’d expected. He’s very intense, but he has a better sense of humor than Kit led us to believe. The topic of Ian’s investigation came up. Caleb insisted on checking my car before I left. Seemed like a bit of overkill, but he’s not the kind of guy to be swayed in his opinion.”