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There was genuine relief and happiness to see Hattie though, and he could tell their relationship ran deep. He knew Atticus and Hattie’s father had been as close as brothers. And he was trying not to let it drive him crazy that Atticus knew therealHattie.
Duncan knew Hattie was hiding from someone. He also knew she was afraid, though she tried not to let it show. But from time to time when she was caught off guard he would see the flash of fear on her face or the way her body braced for impact.
There was too much at stake—too much between them—for the secrets to go on much longer. And maybe now that Atticus was here he could get some real answers and know what he was up against. Because he would protect her with his life, especially if she said yes to the question he was about to ask her.
* * *
The second Hattie saw Atticus, she ran toward him and threw her arms around him. He’d been her father’s closest friend, and he knew parts of her better than anyone else on the planet. After her father’s death and the will and succession plan in place, the shares of the company had been divided between her mother, Hattie, and Atticus. But her mother had immediately sold her shares to Derek and put all her support behind him to the board of directors, putting things in turmoil with the company.
And then Derek had filed a lawsuit against her claiming Hattie was depressed and showed signs of irrational behavior after her father’s death, so he was demanding her shares be turned over to him for the good of the company. That’s when Derek had upped his game. He’d poisoned her food so she’d been sick and hospitalized. He’d hired men to keep her under surveillance, watching her every move until she was jumping at shadows. And when she tried to report it to the police he told them she’d been having hallucinations and was crazy. He’d built his case very steadily, and all for money. He’d told her it was the reason he’d married her in the first place. Access to billion-dollar companies didn’t come along every day.
The only loophole Atticus had found was that in the event of a major shareholder’s death, there was a twelve-month hold on any transference or sale of shares while the board conducted a full audit of the company and where the remaining shareholders and board members could vote on how best to divide up the company.
She hadn’t planned to stay “dead” forever, but her death had been the only way to keep her safe. Derek would have eventually had her committed to a hospital or he’d have left her in a vegetative state so she was out of his way.
There had been no other way. Atticus was the best at what he did. She knew that he’d used this time to compile evidence against Derek. But she wasn’t sure how much longer she could play this game. She loved Duncan. She loved his entire family.
“We need to talk,” she said.
He nodded. “I never imagined this would happen when bringing you here, but the network said things are pretty serious between you and Duncan. And the network is never wrong.” He smiled wryly.
“I thought between running the store and your natural introvertedness that you’d be able to hide effectively. At least for the first year until we can get everything sorted out.”
“It’s not your fault,” she told. “You did what you do best. And I had no plans of anyone ever knowing the truth. If things were different, no one ever would. But…I love him.”
His lips twitched. “Like I said, the network is never wrong. I’ve already put in some calls to move the timeline up. We’ve got everything we need to put Derek away. Don’t worry about any of that. Your father’s legacy is safe. Go enjoy your birthday.”
She nodded. Atticus would know what to do. He had the connections and the power to make things right. The hardest part was going to be making things right with Duncan.
“You’re right,” she said. “I trust you. And once Duncan knows the truth he has to understand.” She swallowed nervously. “Don’t you think?”
Atticus grimaced. “O’Haras are a hardheaded bunch. And no man likes to feel like he’s been made a fool of. Just keep the status quo for a few more days and then the three of us can have a family meeting and straighten everything out.”
“Status quo,” she said. “I can do that.”
“That’s the spirit,” Atticus said, squeezing her shoulder.
Hattie hadn’t realized that a band had been playing until things went unusually quiet. There was a murmur of voices and then Duncan jumped up on the stage and grabbed the microphone. Everyone’s attention went to the stage.
“Oh no,” she said, her skin flushing with heat and her heart pounding in her chest.
Duncan tapped the mic to make sure it was on.
“Are you going to sing for us, Duncan?” his father yelled out. “Are you taking requests?”
There were groans and Hank yelled out, “Please don’t sing! Everyone old enough still has trauma from when you sang in theMusic Manproduction in fourth grade.”
“True,” Aidan said. “If I recall Mrs. Hartegan ended up muting his mic.”
“I’m going to save my payback for that for another night,” Duncan said, narrowing his eyes at his brothers. “Because tonight is for Hattie and I don’t want to embarrass y’all when I knock your heads together.”
“I promise y’all I raised them the best I could,” Anne said from across the room. “I blame their father.”
“I thought tonight was to celebrate Hattie,” Mick said. “Now grab your glass of champagne and zip it, O’Haras.”
“Well said, Dad,” Duncan said, raising his glass and waiting until everyone followed suit.
Someone had put a glass of champagne in her hand, but she couldn’t be sure who. There was no one but Duncan in the room. She knew he was completely out of his comfort zone. He was an observer, someone who liked to stand in the shadows. But he had put all of this together for her.
