But his sister’s words played over in his head. Now, for the first time, I feel hope.
Hope.
Was that what was making his heart race and his fingers tremble?
The possibilities lifted something from his shoulders that had been weighing him down for years.
His hands still shook as he cupped his sister’s face. “Thank you. Do you know how brave you are, Becs? Do you know how goddamn proud of you I am?”
Even though tears still shone in her eyes, she nodded. “That means a lot, Jack.”
“I’m going to suggest something, and you will not bite my head off.”
“Okay …”
“I want you to talk someone.”
“A therapist?”
He nodded as he brushed his thumb across her temple. “A lot of horrible things running around in this head, sweetheart. It needs to come out.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“That’s all I can ask. Second thing: you’re staying with me. I have a tenant in the house in North Hartwell, but I thought I could give them notice and we’ll move in there and move Mom into my place in South. Jamie, too, while college is out for the summer.”
“Do you think they’ll go for that?”
Jack knew his mom was intimidated by her husband. But he also knew she put up with most of his shit for the sake of her children. Stu’s death had broken Rosalie. Knowing her husband was inadvertently responsible for her eldest son’s murder … Rosalie had grown implacably cold with Ian, and none of his blustering made a difference.
And he knew to never lift a hand to her again. Last time he’d hit Rosalie had been when Jack was twenty-two, and he’d knocked his father on his ass. Now that he thought about it, only Kerr had stood at his father’s defense that night. Stu had sat back and watched the whole thing.
Jack had thought it was because he didn’t care.
But maybe he’d enjoyed watching Jack take their father down.
His head spun as he began to see the past through fresh eyes.
One thing was for sure—it would be much easier to convince his mom to leave Ian now than it would’ve been a year ago. “I think Mom’s been waiting for this chance for a long time.”
16
Emery
“The donations are finalized,” Hague announced without a hello. The call from Hague as I closed the shop for the day was a welcome distraction.
I worried about Jack and Rebecca. News traveled fast in Hartwell, so no doubt I’d hear something soon, but the not knowing was infuriating. And I hated that I still cared so much about what happened to Jack Devlin.
This news from Hague lifted my spirits as I walked along the boards toward home. “That’s wonderful.”
“And it was all anonymous, just as you wanted.”
“Excellent.”
“As for what’s left, I have some papers for you to look over and sign. I want to make sure you’re happy with the stock options I’ve selected on your behalf. The money you’re not investing has, as discussed, been split between several high-interest savings accounts, and we’ll move those around depending on changing interest rates. Of course, we’ll keep you apprised of any moves. And you still have all your grandmother’s real estate investments in place. On that note, the estate is officially for sale.”
“Thank you, Hague. I mean it. Really. I couldn’t have done this without you.” I let myself into the beach house, feeling at least one weight lift off my shoulders.
For years, I’d held on to my family’s estate and continued as the major shareholder in the Paxton Group. However, I disliked that house, and I loathed that company. I hated what it had taken from me before I was even born. And while I didn’t claim to be a climate change crusader, I wasn’t comfortable being so directly complicit in air pollution.
The only reason I’d hung on to the estate and the company was because I’d promised my grandmother I would. But the weight of both had plagued me for years. It wasn’t until I heard Jessica’s and Dahlia’s stories that I had an epiphany.
A few months ago, before Dahlia was shot trying to protect Ivy, she’d been reluctant to let Michael back into her life because of the guilt she carried over her sister’s death. While Dillon’s death hadn’t been her fault, Michael was once in a relationship with Dillon, and that’s really where Dahlia’s guilt stemmed from.
To help her, Jessica had revealed her own past to us. Discovering what trauma Jess had been through, and how she’d thrown off the shackles of the past, had been enlightening. Jess was strong—she hadn’t allowed her past to define her.
As much as my grandmother had been the only family to care for me, she’d also done her damage, to me and to others through me. The Paxton Group wasn’t the legacy I wanted for myself. And I realized that I didn’t owe my grandmother my future.