Christmas Steele (11 page)

“It just hurts so much,” she said.

“I know, baby,” he soothed. “I know.” When
she had cried herself out, he transitioned them to the porch swing.
Keeping his arm around her, he began to swing them as her
grandfather had done the night before. “I have to tell you
something about Riley, Lacy, something you don’t know. It doesn’t
excuse her behavior, but maybe it might explain it a little.”

“What is it?” Lacy asked, fear making her
throat constrict. Was Riley dying?

“Riley has always been jealous of you,” he
said.

The statement was so unexpected that Lacy
laughed. “What? Why me?” Riley had always been the center of
attention, always been the fun little fireball that drew adoration.
She knew how to work a room, how to flirt with men, how to make
friends. She had been the popular cheerleader while Lacy had been
the stuffy band geek.

“Because you possess something naturally that
Riley has to work hard for,” her father said.

“I don’t understand what you mean,” Lacy
said.

“I know you don’t, and that’s what drives
Riley crazy about you. Don’t misunderstand what I’m about to say. I
think both my daughters are the most beautiful girls on the planet.
But Riley, with her curly brown hair and freckles, looks like a lot
of other girls with curly brown hair and freckles. Her dream is to
stand out, to be different, to be the woman in the room who draws
everyone’s eye. And that’s what you do, honey, without even trying.
You with your long red hair and piercing green eyes. You walk into
a room and heads turn, and you don’t even know it. Riley has to use
everything at her disposal to gain the kind of attention that you
receive without even trying. And it makes her crazy.”

“Dad, I think you might be a little biased.
I’m not an ingénue. I’m the chubby girl who played clarinet in the
marching band.”

“Lacy, you’re still looking at yourself with
an old mirror, honey. That was a long time ago. Since then you’ve
blossomed into an incredibly beautiful woman and you don’t even
know it. That and the fact that you’re naturally aloof and reserved
drives men crazy. You’re a challenge without even trying to be
one.”

She blinked at him in surprise, sure he was
exaggerating. Her, a challenge? What was challenging about her?
They swung in silence for a few minutes as Lacy tried and failed to
process the new information. At last she gave up, sure her father
was exaggerating. If Riley was jealous of her then it was because
she was jealous of every other woman on the planet. Riley was one
of those women who had a lot of friends but still couldn’t seem to
get along with anyone.

“Dad, I have to tell you something,” Lacy
blurted, not even knowing she was going to unload on her father
until she started.

“What is it, honey?” he asked.

“Mom’s adopted.” She dropped the bombshell
and waited for it to find its mark.

“I know,” he said mildly.

“You know?” she exclaimed.

He nodded. “Your grandfather, your adopted
grandfather, told me when Frannie and I were first married. I think
he was dying to get the weight off his chest, and he also wanted to
know if I thought Frannie should be told. I didn’t think so then,
and I still don’t. It would kill her. I also know Mr. Middleton is
her real father. I’m glad he and Lucy have found each other, and
I’m glad you and he seem to have developed a bond. He’s a good
man.”

“Do you think Mom will ever come around?”

“I don’t know, honey. You’re mom can
be…difficult.” His tone was strained, making Lacy wonder if there
was more going on between them than the current problem with Mr.
Middleton.

“Dad, is everything okay with you and Mom?”
Lacy asked.

“Sure it is,” he replied unconvincingly.
“Don’t worry about it.” He gave her shoulders a reassuring squeeze
and, despite the fact that she knew the words weren’t true, she
allowed herself to be reassured. She couldn’t handle any more
emotional turmoil right now.

“I’m also a millionaire,” Lacy said.

He sputtered and choked, coughing. Apparently
he hadn’t known that part of the story. “What?” he croaked.

She filled him in on Barbara Blake’s murder
and her subsequent inheritance. “It’s funny,” Lacy said, though her
voice lacked humor. “She wanted me to inherit because she thought I
was the most like her. But I only looked like her; Riley’s the one
who inherited her personality, by all accounts.”

“I don’t know about that, Lacy,” he said. “I
think you probably each have a little of her inside you, and a
little of Lucy, and me, and your mom, and Mr. Middleton. Life’s not
only about nature, there’s nurture, too. That’s why there’s good
inside your mom, because she’s not only part of her biological
mother, but part of Lucy, too. Riley may do hurtful things that you
don’t understand, but she has a big heart, too. Someday maybe
she’ll surprise you and show you that there’s more to her than a
selfish and spoiled brat.”

She looked up at her father in surprise. She
had never heard him speak so disparagingly about her sister
before.

“I’m being unbiased for once,” he said.
“Riley got away with far too much when she was little. If there was
one thing I wish I could change, that would be it. I can only hope
that hidden somewhere deep inside are all the good character traits
I tried to instill.”

Lacy nodded, wishing she could offer more
encouragement, but the truth was that she wasn’t sure about Riley.
She wanted to believe what her father said--that Riley had goodness
buried somewhere down deep below the selfishness. But right now
Lacy was too hurt to be charitable. “’Truth will come to light,’”
Lacy said absently, thinking that one day, for better or worse,
Riley’s true character would reveal itself.

Her father chuckled, giving her shoulders
another squeeze. “Know one of the things I love best about you,
Lacy? It’s that you can quote Shakespeare in random conversation
without being pretentious.”

Lacy smiled. Resting her head on his
shoulder, they stayed on the porch for a long time, gently swaying
back and forth.

Chapter 11

In the morning, it occurred to Lacy that her
father might be the provider of her mystery locket. Like with Tosh,
she didn’t have to beat around the bush with her dad, and she asked
him as soon as she saw him at breakfast the next morning.

“Dad, did you buy me a locket for
Christmas?”

“To be honest, honey, I have no idea,” he
said, looking up in surprise from his piece of coffeecake. “Your
mom buys all the presents and puts my name on them. Sorry to
disillusion you.”

“That’s okay; I sort of knew that already. I
was just checking.”

He nodded, returning his attention to his
cake. Lacy sat across from him and cut her own generous serving of
cake. That left only Jason, but for some reason she didn’t want to
accept that the necklace was from him. Maybe it was because the
inscription was so direct and personal that it left no doubt about
his feelings. Though, if he really intended to tell her he was in
love with her, why would he do it in locket form? The locket was
beautiful and thoughtful, but the anonymity left a bad taste in her
mouth. If someone really loved her, why not come out and say it?
Unless there was a reason he couldn’t. But what could that reason
be? Did she have a secret admirer in prison? Travis flashed in her
mind when she thought of the jail, but he wouldn’t send her a
locket. They had already discussed and ruled out the possibility of
them dating. At five years her junior, Travis was too young.

Thoughts of Travis led her to remember she
had to deliver Jason’s present. “Dad, what are you doing today?”
she asked.

“Nothing,” he said. “Unless you count
finishing the book I started yesterday. Do you need something?”

Lacy nodded. “Can you come with me to deliver
a present to one of my friends?”

“Sure,” he said.

“We’ll sort of have to break into his house
and he’s a cop. Is that a problem?”

He blinked at her. “Uh, I guess not. It’s
been a while since I was last arrested. Could be an adventure.”

“He won’t arrest us,” she said. “He’s the
type to shoot first and ask questions later, so we have a better
chance of winding up dead than in jail.”

“Oh, good, something to look forward to
then.”

They shared a smile over the table. “When do
we get to meet this man?” her father asked after a few minutes of
silence.

“Don’t you remember Jason?” she asked. “He
was the quarterback my last couple years of high school.”

While her mother had been more interested in
making sure Lacy looked presentable and watching Riley cheer, her
father had actually immersed himself in the game, becoming a big
fan of their high school football team.

“Jason Cantor?” her father said.

“Dad, your incredulous tone stings, it really
does,” Lacy said.

“It’s just that you’ve never really
gravitated toward the athletic type. You’ve always seemed more
interested in the artsy types.”

“Yes, well, Jason and I are just
friends.”

“Jason Cantor, and he’s a cop now. Wow.”

“If you want, I can get his autograph,” Lacy
offered.

Her dad laughed and cleared their plates from
the table. “All right, I’ll simmer down my enthusiasm. It’s just
that he always reminded me a bit of myself when I was his age. Did
I ever tell you I played quarterback?”

“You did?” Lacy asked, feigning innocence.
“If only you had mentioned that before. I don’t suppose Mom was a
cheerleader, was she?”

“Ah, the merits of a sarcastic daughter. I
had almost forgotten what it was like to live with one. Thanks for
the reminder.” He ruffled her hair. “Ready to get this show on the
road?”

“Let me call Travis and make sure we’re a
go,” Lacy said. She dialed Travis, who told her the key had been
obtained with the help of about half the force who was curious as
to what Lacy was planning.

“We’re all hoping it’s something bad,” he
said. “Just so you know. Like a huge prank or something.”

“Sorry to disappoint, but I’m not really the
pranking sort. It’s just a Christmas delivery that I’d rather not
do in person. Thanks for this, Travis. Do you want your usual
coffee order?”

“Yes, please,” he said, sounding
enthusiastic. “I’m on hour fourteen of sixteen. Coffee makes
everything that I had to go through for this key worthwhile.”

Lacy smiled as she tucked her phone in her
pocket, grabbing her purse and linking her arm with her father on
the way out of the house. Her father drove, which was good
considering she still didn’t own a car. First they went to pick up
Travis’s coffee, and then they drove to the jail. Her dad scanned
the place through narrowed eyes.

“You come here often?” he asked.

“More often than I would like, yes,” she
said.

“I’m coming with you,” he said, hopping out
of the car and quickly catching up with her. She introduced her
father to Travis as she gave him his coffee and Christmas
present.

“Aw, Lacy, you didn’t have to,” Travis said,
though his overjoyed smile told him he was glad she had. “I didn’t
get you anything.”

“Sure you did, Travis.” She held up the key.
“Thank you so much. I owe you one.”

“You owe me more than that,” he said.

She laughed. “True. It doesn’t bode well for
me that you’re keeping track. Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas,” Travis called as Lacy and
her father walked back outside. She had just finished tucking
Jason’s key in her pants pocket when she heard him calling her
name.

“Lacy!”

She and her father paused, turning toward the
door in time to see Jason sprinting through. “What are you doing
here?” he asked, stopping short in front of her. “Don’t tell me
someone else you know is in jail.”

“I was bringing Travis a Christmas present,”
Lacy hedged. “Jason, this is my dad, Clint Steele. Dad, you
remember Jason Cantor.” Her smile was teasing, but she didn’t
mention her father’s previous adoration of Jason.

Clint threw his daughter a knowing smile as
he held out his hand to Jason. “It’s nice to meet you, Jason. I
don’t believe we ever had the privilege when you were in high
school.”

“No, sir, your daughter was too stuck up to
talk to me then. It’s only lately that she’s lowered her standards
enough to mingle with jocks and other riffraff.”

“You’re working all day, right?” Lacy asked,
ignoring Jason’s teasing and her father’s amused chuckle.

“Twelve hours,” Jason replied. “But I told
you I would try to stop by your party tonight if that’s what you’re
worried about.”

She was more concerned that he would stop by
his own house. “Is it busy today? Have there been a lot of
calls?”

His eyes narrowed suspiciously as he searched
her face. “What’s up, Red? You’re acting weird.”

“Even for me,” she finished for him.

“Especially for you,” he said.

“Not a thing is up, Jason. Don’t be so
suspicious on Christmas. And be careful, please.” She lightly
touched the button on his pocket, remembering he had once told her
holidays were dangerous because so many people used the day as an
excuse to drink as much as possible.

“I’ll be careful if you’ll stay out of
trouble,” Jason promised.

“What do you mean? It’s Christmas Eve. What
trouble could I find?”

“Let’s not tempt fate by asking that
question, okay, Lacy?” Jason said as her father chuckled again. “It
was good to meet you, Mr. Steele.”

“Call me Clint,” her father commanded. “And
it was nice to meet you, too, Jason. I hope you can make it for the
party tonight.”

“So do I,” Jason said. “See you, Red.” He
reached out to give her waist a squeeze, and then turned and jogged
back into the building.

“So that’s what you call friendship,” her
father said when Jason was gone. “Things are beginning to make a
lot more sense now.”