Page 5 of Too Broken to Love

As he hit send, his phone rang. Turning to the bronze statue of Thomas Jefferson in the center of the dome, he glanced at the number. Cursing, he hit accept. “What do you want, Vivian?”

“Where in God’s name are you?”

He rounded the memorial toward his rental car. “In D.C. Leaving now. Don’t tell Pop I’m coming home early. I want to surprise him.”

“But don’t you have a meeting in the morning?”

“I canceled it. And cancel my plans with Nathaniel tonight too.”

“You do it.”

“You scheduled the dinner with your new husband. You can unschedule it.”

Vivian sighed. “Fine. But his company is bidding on military contracts, and he’s been dying to get your opinion. When you come home, make an effort.”

Hudson ignored the request. According to Pop, Nathaniel Montvale was still a pompous prick, just like his father. He was perfect for Vivian, the daughter of Pop’s deceased second wife, who acted like Pop’s mansion belonged to her.

Vivian clucked her tongue. “Stop being a jerk and listen. Your grandfather is about to ruin everything.”

Hudson held his hand to his unhappy ribs as he laughed for the first time in weeks. “What’s the matter? Did he move his fishing buddies into your wing of the house?”

“Stop being facetious. Your old-as-the-sun grandfather has a girlfriend.”

“Really?” Hudson smirked. Had Pop fallen in love with Tessa, his lady friend who lived next door in the duplex Vivian knew nothing about? He picked up his pace, eager to get home and meet the mystery woman. “So, what’s the problem?”

“She’s much, much younger than him. Like in her twenties.”

“That’s ridiculous, Viv, and you know it. Pop possesses a few questionable behaviors, but he’s not the kind of man who sleeps with a woman young enough to be his granddaughter.”

“Your grandfather isn’t any man. His money makes him vulnerable to all kinds of schemers. I’m afraid some woman with a sob story will tug at his big heartstrings and he’ll loosen his purse strings even more.”

Dammit, Vivian had a point. “How do you know about Pop’s alleged girlfriend?”

“I saw them together in Atlantic City, hugging when she won at blackjack.”

“Really?” Pop had mentioned his friend Tessa liked blackjack. Maybe she had a granddaughter who liked to gamble too.

“Yes, really. I’m texting you the address where I followed them to.” Vivian’s sneer sliced through the cool breeze. “It’s in Belmarva, of course.”

“Stop talking about Belmarva like it’s trashy. It’s where Pop grew up.” And where the old man went to the house he’d bought in his hometown to escape Vivian, no doubt.

“You need to go there and find out who this woman is and then have a talk with your grandfather.”

No, Vivian needed him to make sure she didn’t lose a piece of her inheritance. Still, unease skittered down his spine as he folded himself into his rental. He wouldn’t relax until he’d sorted out this girlfriend claim and met this Tessa woman who’d worked her way into Pop’s life.

As he headed out of the city, the midday tourist traffic increased with each turn. So did the unexplainably desperate, yet sensible in a way he couldn’t process, need to see his grandfather.

Tessa’s knuckles whitened around the knife as she sliced into a tomato. If Sam didn’t walk through that door in the next minute, he was a dead man.

Cursing over an eighties hard rock song, she waved the knife at Hudson’s picture on Sam’s refrigerator. “If your grandfather doesn’t get his ass home soon, I’m going to skin him alive.”

The hard glint in his two-dimensional gaze dared her.

Blowing curls from her face, she checked the microwave clock. The numbers, as red as the ruby in the ring she’d been shocked to tears to find inside the gift box from Sam, jumped from 4:14 to 4:15.

As she rinsed her hands, her gaze landed on the ring she’d taken off to cook next to the vase of red roses Sam always kept by the sink. Dammit, where was he? And why wasn’t he picking up his phone?

Memories from the last time someone she loved hadn’t answered knotted her stomach. Relief flushed her system as footsteps thudded across the deck. She paused the music. “About time you showed up, Sam Langley. You’d better have a big ass bass with you?”