“Your kryptonite?”
“Not sure I’m in the same league as Superman,” he said with a grin, “but I think you’ve got the idea.”
“Why don’t you take a shower and get dressed while I get busy in the kitchen?”
“You don’t find the scent of smoke and burned belongings agreeable?” he asked.
“Yes, I hear it’s the hottest new men’s cologne in the country. However, I’m more partial to soap and water.”
Tony stood to his feet, his curly hair hanging down in his eyes. He swept it off his forehead and smiled at her. She couldn’t help but think about how handsome he looked when he was unkempt and at his most casual. Surprised by her thought, she forced herself to focus on something else.
“There are towels and washcloths on the shelf in the bathroom,” she said a little too quickly. She turned to leave, afraid for him to see her face since she was fairly certain she was blushing.
Before she reached the kitchen, she heard noises and smelled food cooking. When she entered the room, sure enough Mrs. Weyland was already there, and she was standing over the stove.
“I was going to make breakfast,” River said. “I thought you might enjoy someone cooking a meal for you for once.”
Mrs. Weyland turned around and smiled at her. “Oh, honey. That’s so sweet. I was thinkin’ about you and Tony and everything you’ve been through. I decided you needed a special breakfast.” She put one hand on her hip and frowned. “I don’t wanna take over if you really want to do this. For Tony, I mean.”
Once again, she felt her face grow hot. “I said I wanted to cook for you, not for Tony.”
Mrs. Weyland didn’t say a word. She just smiled at her.
“Okay, okay. But it was for you too, I promise.”
“I appreciate that, River. But why don’t you make a meal for me another time? You just rest this mornin’, And I don’t plan to say anything to Tony about your feelin’s for him.”
River wanted to argue with Mrs. Weyland, but the older woman was too sharp. There was no way she would ever be able to convince her of something she’d clearly seen.
“I can’t hide anything from you or my mother, can I?”
Mrs. Weyland laughed. “It doesn’t take the sharpest person to see that you two are crazy about each other.” She gazed at River for a moment and then said, “My husband and I had something really special, and I see the same thing when I see you and Tony together.”
River sat down at the kitchen table and Mrs. Weyland poured her a cup of coffee. “You know, there aren’t many couples who so easily put each other first.” Her eyes got misty. “It isn’t something they have to try to do. It’s . . . it’s like breathin’ in and out. One breath. One heartbeat. And that’s what you two have.”
“It was like that for you and your husband?”
The older woman nodded. “From the first moment we met until I watched him take his last breath.” She smiled sadly. “That’s why I wanted to come here. I needed to take care of someone. Needed to pass on the love we lived for over forty years. I’ll never be able to thank you enough for allowing me to take care of your mama.”
River didn’t know what to say. Mrs. Weyland was thanking her for everything she’d done for her and her mother? “I think we’re the ones who are blessed,” she said softly.
Mrs. Weyland turned back to the stove, and a peaceful quiet fell over the kitchen. River turned over Mrs. Weyland’s words in her heart.
You know, there aren’t many couples who so easily put each other first. It isn’t something they have to try to do. It’s . . . it’s like breathin’ in and out. One breath. One heartbeat.
She realized it was true. From the moment they’d met, she’d cared more about Tony than she did herself. Even before she’d let God into her heart, she’d loved Tony St. Clair with everything within her.
CHAPTER
THIRTY-SEVEN
He glared at Jeffrey over the tabletop. “I won’t put up with it,” he said in a low voice that almost sounded like a growl.
A feeling of panic rose inside Jeffrey. He knew how dangerous this man really was. “It wasn’t my fault,” he said. “It was that nurse. She was the one who—”
“No, it wasn’t her fault. It’s yours. I should never have let you talk me into this. I told you from the beginning that I wanted her gone.” He struck his fist on the table and several people turned to look at them. “First you send that stupid picture. Then you threaten the kid.”
“He told me he’d gone to see those PIs,” Jeffrey insisted. “I wanted to stop him.”
“It was stupid and amateurish. I had to clean up your mess by killing that guard. It’s only gotten worse. This thing is out of control.”
They’d decided to meet at a nearby coffee shop. Jeffrey looked around. The people who had glanced their way a few seconds ago appeared to have gone back to their own business. He hoped none of them were listening.
“She’s my daughter,” Jeffrey said, keeping his voice low. “I can’t . . . I just can’t let you kill her.”
“You mean the way you killed her mother?”
“I didn’t do that. You did.”
He laughed quietly. It was ugly and full of venom. This was a truly evil man. Why had Jeffrey ever gotten involved with him? It was the stupidest thing he’d ever done.
“You wanted the money more than you wanted your wife. I gave you the perfect way out. You had an ironclad alibi because of me.”
Jeffrey sighed. “It was wrong. I was wrong, and I’m sorry about it.”
“Look here you little worm, I don’t care about your regrets. You got the money. After the cops stopped sniffing around, you paid me. Since then, you’ve been raiding your daughter’s—correction—your stepdaughter’s trust fund like a bandit. You’ve padded your pockets and now you can’t allow anyone to find out. If they do, you’ll go to prison. You may know my secret, but I know yours too. We have a partnership. You try to break it, and you’ll regret it, I promise you.”
“What happened to the nurse?” Jeffrey couldn’t help but ask, but he was afraid to hear the answer.
