“Two weeks?” Renee asked, surprised.
“I know it’s short notice but there’s no reason to wait,” Alex said.
“I’ll be there,” Danielle said.
“So will I, Alex,” Renee added.
“Oh, good. Having the two of you there will mean a lot to me,” Alex said. “Oh, but, Renee, you called me. What did you want to talk to us about?”
“I wanted to know if Marc gave you diamond jewelry other than your wedding ring,” Renee asked and waited anxiously for their response.
“No,” Danielle said.
“Me, either. Why?” Alex asked.
“I’m trying to find a piece of jewelry and I wondered if Marc had given it to you, but I guess he didn’t,” Renee replied. It had been worth a try.
“I’m sorry,” Alex said. Renee could hear the sadness in her voice.
“Don’t worry about it, Alex. You’ve got a wedding to plan. What do you wear to a wedding on a yacht?” Renee asked. She didn’t want bad news to spoil Alex’s announcement. She would tell them about Aunt Gert’s necklace after the wedding.
They yielded to Danielle, who’d been a fashion model and agreed to wear a nice dress before they ended the call.
Later that evening she’d placed two chocolate cakes on wire racks to cool when her cell phone rang. She wiped her hands on the vintage apron and removed the phone from the pocket of her skirt. She looked at the number on the screen and steadied herself.
“Hi, Aunt Gert. How was your day?” Aunt Gert and five of her friends had hired a van and a driver to take them to the casinos in Mississippi. She’d told her great-aunt that Marc had a younger brother and she was meeting with him about Marc’s estate. It was mostly the truth and would explain the time she’d have to spend with Chris Foster.
“Never mind about that. Tell me, how did your meeting with Marc’s brother go today?” Aunt Gert asked, her voice brimming with curiosity.
So much for stalling, she thought. She’d been expecting the question all evening. Aunt Gert had to be the nosiest person in the world. The older she got the more personal and blunt her questions became. She’d tried to get her to tone down her questions, but Aunt Gert had said to her, “I’m too darn old to be beating around the bush. If I want to know something I’m just going to ask.”
“It went fine. Both of us want to settle Marc’s estate as quickly as possible.” Okay, Chris wanted to settle the estate quickly and she wanted the necklace.
“So are you okay financially? Marc didn’t leave you in debt like Mrs. Hutton’s husband left her?”
“Oh, no, ma’am. There are just a couple of loose ends to finalize.”
“What kind of loose ends, and did you find out why Marc never told you he had a brother?”
Leave it to her aunt to get straight to the point. She wished she could tell her the truth and remove the weight of Marc’s betrayal from her shoulders. But she couldn’t. She was too afraid she’d lose the one person who hadn’t let her down, who hadn’t left her. “I don’t think they were close. He’s Marc’s younger brother.”
“They must have been close at some point for Marc to make him the executor.”
“I guess so.” Renee sighed. “At this point, I just want this whole thing over with.”
“I know you do, sweet girl.” Her tone softened. “You know if you need me, I’ll come back.”
“No. Don’t cut your trip short. I have got everything under control.”
“You don’t have to do everything yourself.”
“I’m not. Terrell is doing a great job of representing my best interests.”
“I’m sure he is. I’ll be back home next week. If there’s anything you want me to do just let me know.”
“I will, Aunt Gert.”
“Hmm. No you won’t. I’ll have to invite myself to do something, then you won’t have a choice but to let me help.”
Renee laughed. “I promise to let you help me.”
“See that you do. Love you much, Renee. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Good night.” Renee hit the off button and put the phone back in her pocket. She’d gotten off easy tonight. Usually Aunt Gert was focused when it came to asking questions and she had a lot of questions about Marc. Questions Renee couldn’t answer without risking Aunt Gert’s love. She didn’t know what it was about her that made her parents not love her. She’d spent years trying to be the kind of daughter they would love and in the end nothing she did made a difference. Aunt Gert loved the image she presented to the world and Renee had worked hard to never reveal her true self because no one loved the real Renee.
Gertrude Mitchell placed the cell phone on the nightstand and frowned.
“How’s Renee?”
Gert looked at the man she’d loved for most of her life. He lay back against the mound of extra pillows he always requested when they were together. He looked nothing like the bold young man she’d fallen in love with in New York. The doctors in Switzerland had done an excellent job of transforming gangster Ike “Big Ike” Henderson into now-retired businessman Dean Benson. They’d given him a new face, but the eyes were the same. Gert laid her head on his shoulder, enjoying the scent that was truly his own.
“Something’s bothering her and she’s trying hard to pretend everything is okay.”
“Is something going on with Marc’s estate?” He ran his hand along her shoulder.
“I don’t know if it’s Marc’s estate or Marc.” She placed her hand on his chest, indulging in the cool feel of the black silk robe. “Whatever it is, I’m going to make sure she doesn’t face this alone. You can best believe her selfish, no-good parents aren’t going to help her.”
He kissed her brow. “She’s lucky that she has you.”
“Yes, she is, and I’m lucky to have her. She deserves to be happy.”
“Wasn’t she happy with Marc?”
“I don’t think so. I know this business with the estate isn’t making her happy.”
“We’ll find a way to help her get through this.”
“I know.” She closed her eyes and enjoyed being held in his arms. They didn’t have much time left to spend together. He had an early-morning flight to his home in Switzerland tomorrow. “You will come to the dance in a few weeks, won’t you?”
He tightened his arms around her. “I’ll be at the dance. I want to see you wearing the necklace again.”
“I’ll wear it just for you.” Gert smiled and kissed his chin. She’d ask Renee to get the necklace from her safe deposit box before the dance. Her thoughts returned to her conversation with Renee.
Gert smiled and kissed his chin. One way or another she would find out what was bothering Renee.
Chapter 3
Renee looked at the Victorian-style clock that separated the biology and botany sections of the bookshelf across the room. At eight-thirty most Saturday mornings, she would still be in her pajamas and enjoying her first cup of coffee. Today, she had been awake since six o’clock, unable to sleep a minute longer. Chris Foster was coming to Birmingham to begin looking for the necklace. She’d been standing at the window waiting for a car to park in front of the house for the past five minutes. There was nothing else for her to do but wait.
She