Return To Sender (The Hart Brothers #2) - J. S. Cooper Page 0,12
I’m sorry.”
“I only know what he looks like because he’s had his photo in the papers.”
“Oh no, really?”
“I can’t remember ever meeting him in real life. I can’t remember even having a conversation with him. It’s like I didn’t exist in his world. I was nothing.” His voice echoed down the hall. “Wow, I see why you love this room. Look at all this natural light and wow, the books.” He stared around the library and I watched him, my heart aching for him.
“Why didn’t your dad ever talk to you?” I asked him softly as my phone beeped again. I knew it was Wade without even looking and I ignored it.
“I guess because he didn’t care.” He shrugged. “He didn’t want me. I was nothing in his life.”
“But still he should have been there …” My voice trailed off as he walked to the window that looked out to the forest behind us.
“He was married. He had his ‘legitimate’ kids. I was nothing but the bastard.”
“The bastard …”
I'd heard those words before. Hadn’t Louisa, Wade’s mom, said that her husband had cheated on her and gotten another woman pregnant? Hadn’t that been the reason why she’d said she’d left? I looked over at Gordon, and as he turned his face to the side and I studied his profile, a jolt of recognition hit me.
Was Gordon a Hart? Was he in fact Wade’s brother?
“Gordon, can I ask you something?” The words barely left my mouth and then I heard a large creaking from the door as if someone had opened it. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up as if someone were behind me and staring at me. I turned to look at the doorway, but there was no one there. I walked over to it quickly and looked down the corridor, but it was empty.
“What did you want to ask me?” Gordon asked as he walked over to the bookshelves and started fumbling through the books.
“Uhm …” I felt hesitant to ask him what I was thinking now. If he was Wade’s illegitimate brother, why hadn’t he told me already? “I was just curious if you had any fun plans for the summer?”
“Oh, hmm, not really.” He shook his head. “So, did I tell you that I met Wade’s last assistant in the village as well?” He spoke idly. “She was a real looker, tall and blonde. Did Wade ever mention her to you?”
“No.” I swallowed hard, not wanting to think about Wade being close with another woman. I was about to ask Gordon what he knew about her when he suddenly made a face.
“Where’s the bathroom, please?”
“Oh, go down the hallway, last door on the right,” I said and watched as he walked out of the room. I waited for a couple of seconds and then pulled my phone out of my bag again to see a few more messages from Wade.
“Are you still alive?”
“Have you run off with my millions and headed back to the City?”
“Savannah, where are you?”
I smiled at the texts and then responded. “Hey, I’m still here in Herne Hill, where exactly are you?”
“I told you I had to go away.”
“Okay then, can I help you?”
“You sound cold.”
“I didn’t realize texts could sound cold.”
“Where are you?”
“Why do you care?”
“Just wondering if you’re thinking of me.”
“Not.”
“Are you mad at me?”
“What do you think?”
“Last night was special.”
“Bye.”
“Savannah …”
I was about to text him back when I heard a door slam. I frowned. Leaving the library, I headed for the kitchen.
“Gordon?” I said as I stopped outside the guest bathroom. There was no response. I said his name again, this time louder. “Gordon?”
“Hey, sorry.” Gordon’s voice sounded manic as he came out from a room across the hall. He’d been in Wade’s office.
“What were you doing in there?”
“I got lost. Sorry. There are so many rooms in this place.” He gave me a wry smile, but I found it hard to smile back. I walked over to Wade’s office to close the door. As I peeked inside, I saw a piece of paper lying on the ground. Had Gordon been going through Wade’s stuff? I wanted to confront him, but it made me too nervous.
“Hey, I just got a text from Lucy. There are some things she wants me to get from the store before I pick her and Jolene up, so I think I have to cut our time short here. Sorry about that.”
“Oh, man.” He frowned. “I could wait here for you