Bittersweet Surrender (37 page)

Just as her world was spinning out of control, his question jarred her to a sudden halt.

“Do I know something about this? Of course I do. It was my mother's ring. The question is what were you doing with it?”

“Your mother's ring?” He rubbed his jaw and looked away. “That makes no sense.”

Fresh anger replaced her fear. “Exactly. It makes no sense. Dad gave this to me after Mom died, and it came up missing when I was in the hospital.”

Scott's eyes widened again as he seemed to understand her inference. “You think I . . .” His breath stuck in his throat.

The pain on his face not only softened her, it made her heart constrict. “I'm sorry, Scott, but I don't know what to think. Everything is so confusing right now.”

He blew out a sigh. “It's just as well. That's why I brought you here to talk tonight anyway.”

She swallowed hard past the thickness in her throat. “So it's true? You stole my ring?”

He held up his hand. “No. Hear me out. I hate to tell you this. I wish you didn't have to know, but there's no way to hide it. I should have come clean with you awhile back, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it.”

Her stomach clenched. Come clean with her? What could that mean? Would this be another life-changing moment that would spin her world in another direction?
Please, God, not again.

“Carly, it seems neither one of us really knew Ivy.”

Ivy? This was about Ivy?

“There was a side to her I knew nothing about.” He looked into the distance. “I was gone too much. Maybe that's what caused her to get into trouble. Like a child left alone, she couldn't be trusted.”

To Carly this was a good thing. All this time she worried about telling him of Ivy and C. J. and it seemed he already knew. “So you know about C. J.?”

He turned to her. “Huh?”

Carly's breath froze in her throat.

“What about C. J.?”

“I thought you were—Oh, never mind. Go ahead with what you were saying.” If this wasn't about C. J. and Ivy, what was it?

“You first. What about C. J.? Was he part of the embezzlement?”

“What?” She couldn't imagine what he was talking about. “Embezzlement? What do you mean?”

“Ivy embezzled money from the spa.”

Carly opened her mouth, but not a single word came to mind.

“She'd been doing it for quite some time.” Scott told Carly about the key, the moneybox, the checkbook, the ring, everything.

The pieces fit.

She rummaged through her bag again. “So that's where this came in?” She waved the checkbook.

“You found it.” Scott shook his head. “I'm so sorry, Carly.” He explained how Ivy had embezzled the money, how he had sold his motorcycle and obtained a loan and had paid most of it back.

A tear slipped down Carly's face that Scott would go to such lengths to right Ivy's wrong.

“I would have done anything to spare you this. I know you're saving money for something, and I'll get every penny back to you, Carly. I promise.”

“It's not that, Scott. I'm not worried about the money anymore.”

And the unbelievable thing was she really didn't care. Oh, she still wanted to have the surgery one day, but it didn't seem so important now. Besides, she'd pretty much decided any profits they made she'd just put back into the business for now.

“I still don't know what she did with all that money,” Scott said, running his hand through his hair.

“She was gambling with my brother.” There. She'd said it.

“Gambling? With C. J.?”

“Yep. Listen, Scott, I'm sorry to tell you this, but they were having an affair.”

“I know.”

“You do?”

“Yeah, C. J. pretty much told me that.” His eyes lit with understanding. “So the ring—”

She nodded. “It's my guess, C. J. took it and gave it to her.”

Scott stared at the carpet. “I don't know what to say. This was my fault. I should have been here for her.”

Carly placed her fingers at his lips. “Stop right there. She had a choice. You didn't make her do that. We all make choices, some good, some bad. Unfortunately, Ivy's bad choices affected a lot of people.”

“Did C. J. give you the details of that night?”

Scott looked up. “I don't know what you mean. When he told me about him and Ivy getting cozy, I didn't give him much time to say anything else. I was pretty hot at the time.”

“I can imagine.” Carly told him how C. J. had called off the relationship, and then how Ivy's accident happened later that night. She didn't bring up the baby. If C. J. wanted to tell people, he could. It wasn't her place. Why make them hurt even more?

Scott was silent for the longest time. Carly was afraid the news was too much for him. Maybe his love was so strong, he wouldn't be able to move past this hurdle. He wouldn't be able to forgive himself.

“Guess I have my own guilt to work through. The truth was Ivy and I had drifted apart a long time before she died. I just refused to see it. I worked longer hours. She had an affair. We were both wrong.”

“I'm so sorry, Scott.” Carly squeezed his hand.

“Yeah, me too,” he whispered, her head beneath his chin as she leaned into him, both mourning the friend and wife they once loved.

“Does this mean you won't hold it against me. The C. J. thing?”

“Why would I hold it against you?”

“Well, if we, if you and I—” Suddenly she couldn't find the words. He had said he loved her, but now she felt foolish bringing it up. What if he had changed his mind?

He tipped her chin in his hand. “Nothing could change the way I feel about you.” He bent down and kissed her soundly on the lips. Nothing,” he mumbled again, his lips still pressed against hers as though he couldn't bear to pull away.

She didn't dare think about the future, because right now all she wanted was Scott and the dream of growing old with him. Still, even though she had earlier entertained a life with Jake, deep down it had never gotten so serious that she had to completely release her heart. But now with Scott, things were serious. Very serious. She had released her fears to God, but there was one thing that bothered her.

Could she leave them there?

twenty-three

“Can I come in?” Scott asked when C. J.
opened the door. The man looked like death warmed over—not unusual for a Friday night, but he looked bad. Scruffy whiskers, wrinkled shirt, and dirty jeans.

C. J. eyed him with suspicion then finally stepped away to allow Scott to enter. Putting his bottle on the stand, C. J. motioned for Scott to sit down.

The room smelled of stale beer. “I know,” Scott said. “I know everything.”

C. J. looked through cold, bloodshot eyes. “Did you come over here to beat me up or something?”

“No. I came over here to tell you it wasn't all your fault. We both played a part in Ivy's downfall. And what's done is done. We can't change the past, but we do have a choice about our future.”

C. J. grunted. “You're beginning to sound like Carly.” He picked up his bottle and took a swig. “I'll never change.”

Scott shrugged. “It's your choice.” He got up from the sofa and headed for the door. He wouldn't force his ideas upon C. J. He would just lay them out there for him to think about. “But if you want to get your wife back, you'd better think about it.” He walked out the door, praying that C. J. would stay sober long enough to see what God had to say in the matter.

Scott and Carly had decided to give each
other some space, time to sort through things. For the past two weeks things had been a little awkward at work. Carly had prayed through her fears, but she still wanted to make sure she did the right thing. She'd been hurt once and didn't want to go there again.

Still, life offered no guarantees. She knew that. Sometimes risks had to be taken. And God would be there every step of the way, just as He had always been.

Back and forth she went in her mind, trying to make sense of it all, wanting to make sure she did the right thing.

“Hey, Carly. I wondered if you'd go to lunch with me today.” Jake's offer surprised her. She hadn't seen him in a while either. Was she becoming a recluse? She'd been busy with work and sorting through the mess Ivy left behind, and Jake had been most likely preoccupied with Melissa.

“Everything okay with Katelyn?”

“Yeah, everything is fine.” He grinned, then turned serious. “But I still need to talk to you.”

She didn't really want to take the time right now, but Carly needed to let Jake know she wasn't interested in a relationship, other than friendship. Though she suspected he already knew that and most likely felt the same way.

Carly looked over at Scott. “All right with you if I leave awhile?”

“If that's what you want to do, go ahead,” Scott said, keeping his face buried in his work.

“Be back soon.” Carly grabbed her bag and followed Jake out the door.

“Thanks for meeting with me,” he said a few moments later as they slid into their booth at the cafe. After placing their orders, they shared small talk until the server brought back their meals. Carly was beginning to wonder what this lunch date was all about.

“By the way, C. J. told me he's agreed to counseling with Rita.”

“Yeah, Rita told me,” Carly said.

“I'm glad to see he's getting some help. I've been worrying about him. We're going to meet for breakfast on Saturday mornings. I'm trying to help him get through this.”

Will wonders never cease?

Carly would never have dreamed Jake was strong enough to help her brother, but they were best friends. If anyone could knock some sense into him, it would be Jake.

“Thanks for doing that, Jake.”

“Hey, that's what best friends do. I think he'll make it. He loves Rita, and he sees now that he's been a total jerk. I just hope she doesn't give up on him too soon.”

“Yeah, me too.”

“I'm sorry about keeping things from you. C. J. asked me to keep it quiet, and then the night he told you, I don't know what got into me. After seeing the agony he had been going through, I guess I just wanted to protect him.”

“I understand.” Carly wondered if Jake knew about the baby. If C. J. told Rita, he'd most likely have to tell Scott. It could cause a whole lot of hurt. Maybe it was better if no one knew. One thing she knew: if and when C. J. decided to tell someone, it wouldn't be easy. “Listen, Jake, I need to talk to you about something.”

“Wait. Me first. If I don't tell you now, I'll lose my nerve.”

The big Marine might lose his nerve?
Okay, he had her full attention. “All right, go ahead.”

He swallowed hard. “You're a great kid, Squirt—er, uh, Carly. You always have been. You've been the little sister I never had.”

Uh-oh, this couldn't be good.

“But, well, I'm afraid it's not going to work between us.”

Carly tried to hide her smile. “Melissa?”

His eyes lit up and he nodded. “We didn't mean for it to happen; it just did.”

Carly had a sneaking suspicion that Melissa fully intended for it to happen, but she was okay with that. “It's all right, Jake. I feel the same way.”

“You don't love me either?”

She shook her head.

He looked as though she'd just belted him one in the gut. “Well, that's a blow to the old ego.”

She laughed. “I think you can handle it.”

He grinned. “So is there someone else?”

She almost said no, but she realized it was time to face her fears. “Yes.”

“Anyone I know?”

No one had a clue because she and Scott had been friends for so long that seeing them together did not bring on suspicions.

This time she grinned. “Yes. Scott.”

“Is that right? All this time you've been trying to convince me you were just friends.”

“We were. Then something happened.”

Jake reached over and put his hand on hers. “Good for you. If anyone deserves happiness, it's you. You're a beautiful woman, Carly. Despite all you've been through.”

She looked up at him. “You know? About the cancer?”

“Sure I know. C. J. told me that way before you and I started writing. He was worried about you.”

She was totally speechless. All those months of worrying what he would think if he knew. Could it be that she was the only one who worried about it? Could it be that people accepted her just the way she was, for who she was, not for what she looked like?