Lost & Found
Page 34
“It’s not playing out right in my head.”
“I don’t see any problems with it.”
She knew she was making a bigger deal out of it, but she couldn’t help herself. “Tell me again why your uncle fired your aunt.”
He laughed. “You are worried, aren’t you?”
“They seem perfectly happy, that’s all.”
“They are perfectly happy.”
“They why would he ever have fired her?”
Ed drank down the last sip of his drink and then crushed the can. “Like I said, it wasn’t really that she did anything.”
“You said she’d lost him a contract.”
Ed wadded up the paper his hot dog had come in. Something about the subject she’d brought up was making him uncomfortable.
After a few moments of silence, he took a deep breath and dropped his shoulders. “My aunt was involved with a man long before my uncle. I didn’t know him. None of us did. In fact, I really don’t remember anything about her being with him. They lived in Hawaii, and then he tried to kill her.”
“He tried to kill her?” She nearly choked on her words. “Why would he do something like that? What kind of monster tries to kill someone as wonderful as your aunt?”
Ed shook his head. “I don’t know. I told you, I don’t really know anything about all this. She came back and was in the hospital. But my parents kept us far from all that. I didn’t see Aunt Regan for months after she moved back to Nashville.”
“Maybe they were afraid he’d come after her family.”
Ed nodded. “Well, they did tell him that she had died.”
Darcy covered her mouth. “Why would they…”
“So he’d go away.” He shook his head. “I know it was wrong, but it was the first thing Curtis could think to do. But the man found out that she was alive and came back after her…after her family.”
Darcy reached for him. “Did he hurt her? Did he hurt you?”
“No. Not me, but he started stalking Arianna and,” he cleared his throat. Something had choked him up. “He knocked my sister around.”
A tear escaped her. This wasn’t at all what she’d expected to hear. “Ed, I’m so sorry.”
“Anyway, he tried to kill John. Knocked him cold and then went after Clara, Arianna, and Regan. He cornered them into her theater and set it on fire.”
The tears streamed down her face now, but there was no wiping them away. “But they’re okay. They’re all okay?”
This time Ed smiled. “Have you ever met three more stubborn, more amazing women in your life?” He clasped his hands together. “In the chaos of the fire, Regan was able to grab hold of the gun in Arianna’s purse.”
“Oh.” She let the word breathe out on her exhaled breath. “She…”
“Yes. She shot and killed him.” He dropped his shoulders. “No one knows the story quite like that, so I’d appreciate if you kept it to yourself. I don’t know why I told you.”
That stung. “I’m hoping you thought you could trust me since you’ve said you love me.” Her words were curt, but what did he think?
Darcy lowered her defenses. What else would he think? She’d started their relationship on a lie—no wonder he’d worry that she’d spread some rumor.
“Darcy, it’s not that I don’t trust you.” He ran his hand over her head. “That man hurt a lot of people. That whole subject has been dead and buried for almost twenty years. It’s just something better forgotten.”
She nodded quickly. One thing about being an only child, and a protected one at that, she needed to learn that everything wasn’t about her. This was about Ed’s family—his entire family.
She understood now that Zach hadn’t fired Regan just out of spite. There was more, so much more.
Darcy reached for Ed’s hand. “Thank you for sharing with me.”
“Are you quite convinced that I won’t fire you yet?”
“No, but I will certainly keep my nose clean. I promise.”
He leaned in and kissed her softly. “C’mon, let’s get this paperwork all wrapped up so we can head home.”
Darcy had never been so glad to board an airplane in her life. If she never had to talk to another insurance person again, it would be too soon.
But the important part was that Benson, Benson, and Hart’s reputation was still intact, and Valerie’s company was able to stay in business, even if it was their steel that had nearly killed someone.
As the plane touched down in Tennessee, Darcy turned on her phone, and it beeped with a voicemail almost immediately.
It was a message from her aunt asking her to call as soon as she could.
“Do you think everything is alright?” Ed reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze.
“I don’t know. My aunt lives in Florida. I can’t imagine why…” She felt the blood drain from her face. “What if something happened to my father?”
“We’ll call the moment we exit the plane.”
Ed had pulled her to a bank of chairs the moment they were clear of the walkway. Darcy sat down and dialed her aunt’s number.
“Aunt Carol, is something wrong?”
“Your father had an accident, but he’s okay,” she was quick to add. “He hit his head, and he’s in the hospital. But they’re letting him go today, and Uncle Tom and I are headed his way.”
“I’ll be there when you get there.”
“Don’t you go being silly. You have things going on. Your daddy told me you got a good job, and you’re making your own way now.”
Darcy’s eyes stung from the tears that welled up in them. “I am, but I’ll be there. I want to make sure he’s okay.”
“Darcy Ann, if you show up there you make sure you tell him I told you to stay put. You know that old fart. He’ll blame me.”
Darcy laughed through her tears. “I’ll be sure to tell him. I’ll see you soon.”
She disconnected the call and stared down at her phone.
Ed slipped his arm around her shoulders. “Is everything okay?”
She nodded. “I need to go home for a few days.”
“Whatever you need.”
“He hit his head, and he’s in the hospital.”
“I don’t see any problems with it.”
She knew she was making a bigger deal out of it, but she couldn’t help herself. “Tell me again why your uncle fired your aunt.”
He laughed. “You are worried, aren’t you?”
“They seem perfectly happy, that’s all.”
“They are perfectly happy.”
“They why would he ever have fired her?”
Ed drank down the last sip of his drink and then crushed the can. “Like I said, it wasn’t really that she did anything.”
“You said she’d lost him a contract.”
Ed wadded up the paper his hot dog had come in. Something about the subject she’d brought up was making him uncomfortable.
After a few moments of silence, he took a deep breath and dropped his shoulders. “My aunt was involved with a man long before my uncle. I didn’t know him. None of us did. In fact, I really don’t remember anything about her being with him. They lived in Hawaii, and then he tried to kill her.”
“He tried to kill her?” She nearly choked on her words. “Why would he do something like that? What kind of monster tries to kill someone as wonderful as your aunt?”
Ed shook his head. “I don’t know. I told you, I don’t really know anything about all this. She came back and was in the hospital. But my parents kept us far from all that. I didn’t see Aunt Regan for months after she moved back to Nashville.”
“Maybe they were afraid he’d come after her family.”
Ed nodded. “Well, they did tell him that she had died.”
Darcy covered her mouth. “Why would they…”
“So he’d go away.” He shook his head. “I know it was wrong, but it was the first thing Curtis could think to do. But the man found out that she was alive and came back after her…after her family.”
Darcy reached for him. “Did he hurt her? Did he hurt you?”
“No. Not me, but he started stalking Arianna and,” he cleared his throat. Something had choked him up. “He knocked my sister around.”
A tear escaped her. This wasn’t at all what she’d expected to hear. “Ed, I’m so sorry.”
“Anyway, he tried to kill John. Knocked him cold and then went after Clara, Arianna, and Regan. He cornered them into her theater and set it on fire.”
The tears streamed down her face now, but there was no wiping them away. “But they’re okay. They’re all okay?”
This time Ed smiled. “Have you ever met three more stubborn, more amazing women in your life?” He clasped his hands together. “In the chaos of the fire, Regan was able to grab hold of the gun in Arianna’s purse.”
“Oh.” She let the word breathe out on her exhaled breath. “She…”
“Yes. She shot and killed him.” He dropped his shoulders. “No one knows the story quite like that, so I’d appreciate if you kept it to yourself. I don’t know why I told you.”
That stung. “I’m hoping you thought you could trust me since you’ve said you love me.” Her words were curt, but what did he think?
Darcy lowered her defenses. What else would he think? She’d started their relationship on a lie—no wonder he’d worry that she’d spread some rumor.
“Darcy, it’s not that I don’t trust you.” He ran his hand over her head. “That man hurt a lot of people. That whole subject has been dead and buried for almost twenty years. It’s just something better forgotten.”
She nodded quickly. One thing about being an only child, and a protected one at that, she needed to learn that everything wasn’t about her. This was about Ed’s family—his entire family.
She understood now that Zach hadn’t fired Regan just out of spite. There was more, so much more.
Darcy reached for Ed’s hand. “Thank you for sharing with me.”
“Are you quite convinced that I won’t fire you yet?”
“No, but I will certainly keep my nose clean. I promise.”
He leaned in and kissed her softly. “C’mon, let’s get this paperwork all wrapped up so we can head home.”
Darcy had never been so glad to board an airplane in her life. If she never had to talk to another insurance person again, it would be too soon.
But the important part was that Benson, Benson, and Hart’s reputation was still intact, and Valerie’s company was able to stay in business, even if it was their steel that had nearly killed someone.
As the plane touched down in Tennessee, Darcy turned on her phone, and it beeped with a voicemail almost immediately.
It was a message from her aunt asking her to call as soon as she could.
“Do you think everything is alright?” Ed reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze.
“I don’t know. My aunt lives in Florida. I can’t imagine why…” She felt the blood drain from her face. “What if something happened to my father?”
“We’ll call the moment we exit the plane.”
Ed had pulled her to a bank of chairs the moment they were clear of the walkway. Darcy sat down and dialed her aunt’s number.
“Aunt Carol, is something wrong?”
“Your father had an accident, but he’s okay,” she was quick to add. “He hit his head, and he’s in the hospital. But they’re letting him go today, and Uncle Tom and I are headed his way.”
“I’ll be there when you get there.”
“Don’t you go being silly. You have things going on. Your daddy told me you got a good job, and you’re making your own way now.”
Darcy’s eyes stung from the tears that welled up in them. “I am, but I’ll be there. I want to make sure he’s okay.”
“Darcy Ann, if you show up there you make sure you tell him I told you to stay put. You know that old fart. He’ll blame me.”
Darcy laughed through her tears. “I’ll be sure to tell him. I’ll see you soon.”
She disconnected the call and stared down at her phone.
Ed slipped his arm around her shoulders. “Is everything okay?”
She nodded. “I need to go home for a few days.”
“Whatever you need.”
“He hit his head, and he’s in the hospital.”
