His Hush-Hush Baby - Holly Rayner Page 0,38

him?”

“No. Not because of him.” She couldn’t look at Brie and instead turned her gaze to her mother, who now sat on the edge of the fountain.

“Hey.” Brie touched Diane’s hand. “Whatever is going on, you can tell me. If Kai did something to hurt you—”

“What? No. He didn’t do anything to me. I’m just not in the place for a relationship right now.”

Brie’s lips pursed. “It’s not something else?”

Diane’s heartbeat sped up. Did Brie know about the emails? Or at least suspect them? She was Kai’s second-in-command. If dirty deeds abounded, maybe she was picking up clues.

It didn’t matter. The whole mess was one that Diane couldn’t get involved in.

“It’s not something else,” she lied. “But thank you for asking.”

“Okay.” Brie’s hand slowly slid off Diane’s. “I’m here if you ever want to talk. Kai and I might have a close working relationship, but I’ll keep whatever you want between me and you exactly that.”

“Thanks. I appreciate it.”

With a smile, Brie stood. “I have to run. Thanks for letting me meet your mom.”

“Thanks for coming.”

“See you later.” With a wink, Brie walked off.

Diane sat on the bench, stewing in their conversation. So Kai had left town. Was that because he was hurt by what she’d done and needed some time to himself?

She was having trouble marrying that version of Kai with the one who blatantly lied in business. How could it be that he was so good with her and yet so bad with others?

Ruby wandered away from the fountain, but more in an aimless direction.

“Mom!” Standing, Diane waved her down.

Ruby smiled in that confused way, and Diane held her breath, but then she walked over to the bench.

“How is the water?” Diane asked, taking her elbow and guiding her to sitting.

“Nice. Very cool.” She smiled.

“That’s good.”

They sat there in silence. Since Ruby didn’t bring up Brie’s absence, it was likely she didn’t even remember the other woman had been there.

“How are you?” Ruby asked, patting Diane’s knee.

“I’m…” She couldn’t get anything else out. Tears filled her eyes, and she felt like she was choking on all the unsaid words.

“Honey, what’s the matter?”

“Nothing.” She looked away and quickly wiped at the tears.

“It’s something.” Ruby put her arm around Diane. “Tell me.”

Diane’s breath rattled in her chest. Before her disease took over their lives, Ruby would have been the first person she told about Kai, the emails, and the pregnancy. Her advice would have been invaluable, the springboard from which Diane would have made her next decisions.

She ached to open up and get everything off her chest, to take comfort in her mother’s arms.

Turning back to Ruby, she found an open expression on the other woman’s face. Hope entered Diane’s heart.

She hadn’t completely lost her mother. The kind, wise woman was still there, only in snippets.

And maybe she was the person to reveal secrets to. Ruby remembered next to nothing these days. Whatever Diane told her would be forgotten in a matter of minutes.

So she took a deep breath and began.

“Have I mentioned Kai to you?”

She had, of course, but she had developed ways of bringing up topics in a way that was less jarring to her mom.

Ruby’s brow furrowed, and she shook her head. “I would remember that. What an unusual name.”

“Okay. Well, he’s this guy that I was dating.”

Ruby’s eyes lit up. “Oh! Tell me all about him.”

“I was dating him. Not anymore.”

“Oh, that’s too bad.” Ruby’s face crumpled.

“Yeah. I had to end things because I found these emails at his place.”

With that first sentence, it was like the floodgates were open. Diane couldn’t stop herself from talking.

“He owns this investment firm, and I was at his apartment alone one time when I found these printed-out emails where he gave different people different prices for the same stock.”

She had no idea whether her mother followed any of this or not, but it almost didn’t matter anymore. It felt so good to say all of this out loud.

“Basically,” she went on, “he’s cheating clients. I haven’t confronted him, though, because I’m working on a mural at his place and he’s paying me a lot of money. Money I really need.”

Ruby nodded slowly, some confusion creeping into her eyes.

Diane paused, not wanting to overwhelm her mother. “But you know what? We don’t need to talk about this stuff. Would you like to get ice cream?”

“No,” Ruby said firmly. “I would like to hear more about this. What do you need the money for?”

Diane and her dad had talked to Ruby