Chain of Title (10 page)

He pulled back slightly and
tilted her chin up to look at him, his eyes full of promises, lust, and love. 
He couldn’t hide it—didn’t appear to even be trying.

“You know I’m not
superstitious,” she teased softly.  The corners of his eyes creased with the
hint of a smile.  “But sometimes,” she pushed up on her tiptoes bringing her
lips just a breath away from his, “I make an exception.”

Shayna
still couldn’t believe that Danielle wanted to meet at Kincaid’s, a well known
and longtime local steakhouse.  It didn’t seem like the kind of place a
twenty-something would want to dine with her mother—more like a place you would
take a date, or business clients you wanted to impress.  The atmosphere was
thick with masculine accents:  leather, dark wood finishes, and an expansive, glass-enclosed,
ambient lit, and temperature-controlled wine room with a tasting lounge.  There
was also a cigar club adjacent to the bar, nearer to the main entry, that drew
many executives and their associates on a regular basis.

Oh, well, she didn’t intend
to say a word to her daughter.  Didn’t want to seem like she was nitpicking,
didn’t want to start a fight or put Danielle on the defense.  She was just
relieved that Dani wanted to see her at all after their altercation.  Before
that day, Shayna had never found it necessary to lay a hand on Dani.  The
swiftness with which Shayna had slapped her daughter’s face, had shaken both of
them.

As Shayna drank her sparkling
water, she scanned the menu and revisited the past weekend in her head.  A warm
smile inched up one side of her face.  Sean Parker was proving to be quite
addicting.  She felt like a kid again around him, and the weekend they had just
recently spent together only solidified her growing attachment.

Inhaling deeply, she recalled
the day and night spent on his boat, then closed her eyes and shook her head faintly,
remembering their steamy encounter on the aft deck under the stars.  Their passion
had led to the galley, upper and lower salons, and ultimately the master
stateroom.

Shayna crossed her legs even
tighter at the erotic memories.

Sean Parker had been a man on
a mission that night, seemingly wanting to christen every square inch of the
year-old Tuscan Dream.  She giggled inwardly.  Thank the stars she had been
there to help him pop the cork.

Releasing a contented sigh,
she placed the heavy, leather-bound menu on the cloth-draped table just as
Danielle approached the arced booth.

“Hi, Mom.  I hope you don’t
mind that Harper tagged along with me,” she said sweetly, sliding in and giving
Shayna a quick peck on the cheek.

Shayna’s heart did drop a
little, just a little.  She liked Danielle’s boyfriend, but had hoped it would
just be the two of them tonight.  Another time, she thought, smiling at her
daughter’s handsome boyfriend.

“Nice to see you, Harper. 
It’s been awhile.  How are things going out in San Diego?” Shayna asked with
genuine interest.

“Oh, the job’s great and I
love the area.  The weather is fantastic, just like everybody says.”  He paused
for a moment.  “There’s only one thing missing,” he said with a sly smile and quick
sideways glance at Danielle, who blushed, giggled, and swayed gently into him.

Shayna watched the two
lovebirds.  She was certain that Harper Stevens would be proposing to Danielle
in the near future.

“When did you get back into
town, Harper?” Shayna asked.

“Yesterday.  I’m only here
for a few days and then I’ve got to head back.”

“Well, thanks for sharing
Dani with me tonight.  I appreciate it,” Shayna said, smiling, before smoothly tipping
her water back for another drink.  Just as she placed the glass goblet back on
the table, Harper stood and extended his hand.

“Hello, sir,” Harper said in
a serious tone.

“Harper.”

Shayna’s head snapped up at
the sound of Frank’s booming voice.  She literally stopped breathing and then
quickly glanced at Danielle who sheepishly looked down at her fidgeting hands
in her lap.

A set-up!  They had planned
it from the beginning.

Shayna’s jaw clenched and her
stomach tightened.  Frank and Danielle knew that she wouldn’t do anything to
embarrass Dani in front of Harper or make him uncomfortable in any way.  She
released the buildup of hot air through the tight slit between her lips.

Frank leaned in and gave
Danielle a kiss on the cheek.  “Hi, sweetheart,” he said, stealing a brief
glance at the stony expression on Shayna’s face.

“Hi, Daddy.  I’m glad you
could make it.  It’s nice when we can all be together...like before,” Danielle
said meekly, refusing to look at Shayna who exhaled loudly.

“I agree, sweetheart,” Frank rumbled
as he gently squeezed her shoulder and softly brushed his thumb against her
cheek.

Frank looked as if he had
come directly from the office in his impeccable black Armani suit.  He removed
his suit jacket, hanging it on the hook just outside the booth, before sliding
in and acknowledging Shayna.

“How are you, Shay,” he asked,
with a mixture of trepidation and superiority.

She slowly pulled her stare
from the distance to lock her icy gray eyes onto his glimmering sapphire eyes,
a soft smile curving at one side of her lips.

“I couldn’t be better,
Frank.  The single life agrees with me.  How about you?” she asked coolly, as
her eyes narrowed slightly.

Dani inhaled sharply, then
coughed to cover it.  Frank bit down on his lip and then wet it.  His chest
expanded, then he exhaled resignedly.

“I’m good.  I could be
better, but I’m good,” he said tightly.  Disappointment shaded his face, and he
chewed at the inside of his lip in apparent aggravation, never taking his eyes
off hers.

The remnant of her smile now
faded, Shayna motioned to the server and then glanced back to her menu.  “Glad
to hear it.  Now let’s order.  I have some place to be.”

****

Shayna
spent most of the meal listening remotely.  Danielle’s discomfort eventually
dissipated and she and Harper eased into one another as they brought Frank and
Shayna up to date on the current events in their lives.  At times Shayna felt
like she was watching someone else’s life unfold, helpless to change its
direction.  All the while, she knew she was only temporarily visiting a
parallel universe, where her life could have been like this—she and her husband
of twenty-five years sharing a warm, friendly dinner with their daughter and
future son-in-law.

Before Harper and Dani left
for the evening, Danielle kissed Shayna’s cheek and thanked her for coming. 
Then she had whispered with desperation, “Please stay a little longer and just
talk to him. 
Please
, Mom,” she begged, pleading with her beautiful blue
eyes, that were capable of thawing the coldest of hearts.

The rumble of Frank’s voice
interrupted Shayna’s musings.  “I’m glad that we could all sit and enjoy a meal
together, like a family.  That’s something we’ll always be, whether you like it
or not, Shay.  Even you can’t will it out of existence.”

He watched her cautiously as
he took a drink of his neat scotch, watching her jaw tense and release.

She continued staring blankly
at him.

Frank leaned back against the
tall leather booth.  “Jackson’s worried about you.  You know that, don’t you?” 
Her eyes widened and her lips thinned, nostrils flaring slightly.  “We’re
both
worried about you.”  Shayna snorted subtly and shook her head in annoyance,
looking away.  “Why do you push away the people that love you?  We’re all
human, Shay.  We all mess up, make mistakes.”

“Some more than others,” she
calmly reminded him, tapping her fingers calmly on the tabletop while scrutinizing
her ex.  “Tell me who exactly I’ve pushed away, Frank, other than you and my
pathetic excuse for a mother.”  He bristled from the chill in her tone. 
“There’s no pattern here, Frank.  No matter how hard you try to create one out
of thin air.  I haven’t pushed Jackson away.  I’m giving him and Scotty the
space they want, so they can get to know Abigail.  I don’t need to know any
more about her than I already do, so I choose not to be a part of it.”  She was
seething on the inside.  How dare he contact Jack about any of this!

She noticed he hadn’t
mentioned Scotty.  Not surprising.  Scotty never liked Frank and never made
much effort to pretend otherwise.  Jackson had been lukewarm toward Frank in
the beginning, too.  Then, when Frank helped get Jackson’s construction
business off the ground, everything changed.  Understandably so, she figured.  Now
Jackson made no bones about the fact that he thought she was nuts not to take
Frank back.  Scott, on the other hand, hadn’t said a whole lot other than “
About
damn time
.”

“Well, we’re two pretty
important people in your life, Shay.”  Frank remarked indignantly, attempting
to keep his voice down.

She eyed him carefully and
exhaled softly.  “You’re right,” she acquiesced softly.  Frank’s expression
softened at her unexpected words.  “You were both very important to me.  The
problem is I wasn’t nearly as important to either of you,” she said without
emotion.  “So spare me your flowery words of love, devotion and making amends. 
I don’t owe either of you
anything
.  This is one situation you can’t buy
your way out of, Frank.  Even you can’t have everything you want.”

Frank’s broad shoulders
slackened, and regret colored his face.

She leaned casually back
against the soft leather booth and gauged him.  He looked defeated, but she
wasn’t fooled.  Shayna knew Frank Chastain didn’t give up when he wanted
something.  He would bully, bribe, and manipulate to get his way.  She had
learned that about him after many years of marriage, recognizing he had done
the same thing to her since they had first met more than twenty-seven ago, only
his approach with her in the beginning had been so much more subtle.  Not to
mention she had been young, naïve, and grieving.  She hadn’t stood a chance against
what he wanted back then, but she had wanted him, too.  They had loved each
other.  He had been good to her for so many years.  It was hard to remember
that, sometimes, because it
hurt
to remember it.

In a beaten voice, he asked,
“What do I need to do Shay, to make things right, to prove to you that I’m
serious.  Crawl?  Because I’ll do it.  I know I’m responsible for our family
being torn apart, but now you’re
keeping
it apart.  Let me put it back
together, Shay.  Just tell me how.  Talk to me.  Get the anger and hurt I’ve
caused you out of your system so that we can move forward together.  If you
need to use me as a punching bag to do that, then do it.  Hell, I don’t care. 
I’ll do anything, Shayna.  Anything.”

Oh, he was a persuasive, handsome
man.  Shayna couldn’t believe that thought had even crossed her mind, but it
did.  He still looked so virile and strong, exuding self-confidence and
command.  How could she not have known he was cheating on her?  Not have at
least considered the possibility?  She shook her head faintly.  Women must
throw themselves at Frank Chastain on a daily basis.  Wealthy
and
handsome.  Quite often, the two didn’t pair up.  Shayna closed her eyes and
inhaled slowly before opening them.

“How long, Frank?” she asked
simply.

His brow quirked in question. 
“What?  How long, what?”  He shrugged with a quizzical expression.

“How long were you cheating
on me?” she asked in a monotone voice.  His breathing hitched before he sighed
resignedly and then looked away, pinching the bridge of his nose and dragging
his hand down his tired face.

“Shay, what’s done is done. 
I can’t change any of it,” he said remorsefully.

Shayna puffed softly at his candor. 
“I’m well aware of that.  In fact, I’m the only one that seems to understand it.” 
They stared unflinchingly at one another.  “How. Long,” she repeated.

Frank swallowed loudly and
the tension stiffened his back.  His chest expanded and he released a tormented
breath.  “A year or so.”

Shayna was certain she must
have doubled over from the punch to her gut.  She tried to restart her
breathing, never taking her eyes from his.

“
Exactly
a year or
longer
than a year?” she bit out.

Frank closed his eyes and shook
his head somberly.  “Longer,” he pushed out in a pained voice.

“Year and half?” she asked
falteringly.  He wouldn’t look at her.  “Two years?”  He shook his head in
reply.  “More than a year and half but less than two.  Am I understanding you?”
she choked out, as her heart jackhammered against her chest.  He wouldn’t make
eye contact with her and remained still.  “Jesus Christ,” she whispered
involuntarily, as a wave of nausea washed through her.  “Oh my God.  You were
fucking
both
of us the whole time!  Looking
me
in the eyes that
whole fucking time!”

She saw the shock on Frank’s
face.  Shayna Montgomery rarely dropped the f-bomb, but when she did—look out. 
Frank moved toward her in a motion of silence.

“Oh, go to hell, Frank!  You
think everybody doesn’t already know about this?  The only person who doesn’t,
or pretends not to, is Danielle.”  She gulped in deep, unsteady breaths.  “I
must’ve been a huge punch line with our friends.  They probably all knew,
didn’t they?  They must have.”  She shook her head in disbelief and renewed
humiliation.  “I was the idiot that didn’t know!  Didn’t see!  The
laughingstock!”