she finally said. “And a father.”
“I got that much from your phone call,” Melanie said. “Let’s start with your brother.”
“He showed up at the salon last night after we were closed,” Melanie said. “I thought he was someone from the trust, so we scheduled a meeting for breakfast. I showed up thinking that he wanted to interview me, go over the business plan and all that.”
She had to stop and take a breath. “I was so excited, but then all of a sudden, Jacob is telling me that he’s my brother and that my father is looking for me.”
Janice fell silent as the memory washed over her, Jacob sliding the envelope over to her, picking it up and sliding out the birth certificate. “Your real name is Sophia Francisco; you were taken away when you were toddler to keep you safe,” he’d said. “I know this must be a shock, but it’s important that you know who you really are.”
“What else did he say?” Heather asked, coming into the kitchen with a stack of papers in her hand.
Janice took a deep breath. “He handed me an envelope with a birth certificate in it. He said I was taken away to keep me safe,” she said, shivering. “I don’t understand. My mother told me that my father abandoned us. Why would she lie to me?”
“Okay, let’s back up for a second,” Heather said. “How do we know this guy isn’t lying to you? Did he give you any proof besides the birth certificate?”
“I didn’t give him a chance,” Janice said. “I got so freaked out, I just jumped up and left.”
“And the other birth certificate?” Melanie asked. “Did you grab it?”
“I left it on the table, but Jacob followed me and shoved it in my purse,” she said, shivering again. “I haven’t had the guts to look at it again.”
“Well, I think that might be the place to start,” Melanie said, getting to her feet. “I’ll get it and some more tea.”
When Heather slid the birth certificate and a stack of pictures out of the envelope, Janice’s heart began to pound, and for a second, she thought that she was going to pass out. “That looks like me,” she finally said, her voice only a whisper that quickly turned to a whimper when she saw a picture of her with her mother.
Melanie reached over, took her hand, and gave it a squeeze. “Do you want to stop for now?”
Janice shook her head. “I need to know,” she said, taking another deep breath.
Heather put another picture down in front of her; this time, she was in the arms of a man she didn’t recognize but looked a little like her. Next came a picture of her with a boy; he wasn’t smiling. Instead, he was staring down at her with a look of wonder and fright. She picked up the picture and stared at it for a long time, then set it back down with shaking hands.
“That could be Jacob,” she said. “The eyes are the same; the hair is the same.”
Heather and Melanie exchanged a look. “You didn’t look like your mom, did you?” Melanie finally asked.
Janice shook her head. “We were almost exact opposites. She was blonde and petite, and I’m, well, dark and not exactly petite,” she said. “She had brown eyes, and mine are blue.”
Heather picked up the birth certificate. “I’ll have to do some research, but to me, this looks like the real thing,” she said. “I think we have to consider the possibility that what Jacob told you is the truth.”
Chapter Four
***Reggie***
Reggie was too stunned to respond for a second. “That’s...he can’t...does he know where your sister is?” he finally managed to ask.
Jacob shook his head. “Not yet, but now that things have changed, my father seems to think it’s a good idea, and he’s started looking for her,” he said.
“So, he suddenly claims your sister as his?” Reggie asked, sitting back in his chair, wondering why he’d ever thought that things couldn’t get any worse. “We can’t let him find her. I won’t marry her; you know how I feel.”
“You may not have any choice,” Jacob said. “It might be the only way to keep her safe.”
“By bringing her into that world?” Reggie said, getting to his feet and beginning to pace the patio. “That’s the exact opposite of what your mom wanted, Jacob, and you know it; that’s why we risked everything to get them away all those years ago.”
“Do you think I don’t