Escorting the Billionaire - Part 3

“Being holier than thou’s not for everybody,” Audrey said.

“You don’t have to tell me that,” Mrs. Reynolds said, through a cloud of smoke.

* * *

Audrey called Elena from the car and quit. “I’m not coming back to the service, Elena,” she said. The relief was evident in her voice.

“You and Jenny both?” the madam wailed. I could hear her from across the car. “Jenny already called me from the island. Jesus, it must’ve been quite a vacation.”

“It was, Elena.” Audrey said, lacing her hand through mine. She hung up and turned to me. “I’m officially unemployed,” she said.

“In this particular case, it’s really for the best,” I said.

Audrey smiled at me but wrinkled her nose. “I’m pretty young to be retired.”

“I’ll keep you busy,” I said.

“You have to. You promised. Remember the cowboy thing?” she asked.

“Can the cowboy thing get retired?” I asked.

Audrey laughed. “Maybe. I don’t mind you being the bed, though,” she said, and snuggled against me.

“When you put it like that, I guess I don’t either.” I pulled her close to me, not minding at all.

* * *

“I have to return those clothes to Elena,” Audrey said later. We were in her room and she was staring at the formidable closet.

“Nah,” I said, “I’ll just pay her for them. I’m very fond of that black dress. And I might frame that bikini.”

* * *

All things considered, I was happier than I thought I could be. Especially because I was about to meet my mother at the airport with two police detectives and Danielle’s parents in tow.

I still couldn’t believe that my parents were involved in Danielle’s death. And yet, I did believe it. What my mother had said to Audrey, and the way that she’d threatened her, confirmed my worst fears. I knew in my heart that my mother had done something terrible, even though I still didn’t know exactly what it was.

I also believed that my father knew. Even if he’d done nothing to help my mother, I was certain that he’d done nothing to stop her. And that made him guilty and reprehensible, too.

We didn’t know what, if any, charges the police would bring. We didn’t know if my father would ultimately be implicated as well. But still. Danielle had been an innocent girl, and her murder deserved justice. For Danielle’s sake, her parents’, and for mine. If we couldn’t have justice, we could at least have some sort of public acknowledgement. Some sort of reckoning.

Danielle’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Anderson, were waiting for us at the airport. I hugged them awkwardly and introduced them to Audrey. They looked tired and strained, but they said they were glad to be there. They wanted to see my mother’s face.

“All these years, and we’ve never made peace with Danielle’s death,” Mr. Anderson said. His wife blotted her eyes. “I told myself it was because it’s so terrible to lose a child. And it is—but it was more than that. It seemed more than just… unnatural. Like it was more wrong than that.”

Mrs. Anderson cleared her throat. She had aged gracefully, but there were dark circles under her eyes. She looked hollowed out. “When you called it was like we’d been waiting for that call for twenty years,” she said. “We didn’t know it, but we had been. Your mother never thought Danielle was good enough for you, James. Danielle used to tell me that. I always thought your mother would finally warm up to her, see what a great kid she really was. Now I know the truth. My daughter never had a chance.” She started crying and Mr. Anderson pulled her to him. I turned away.

The two Boston police detectives we’d spoken with were waiting nearby. There was also a reporter from The Boston Tribune and a photographer for Paparazzi.

“How did the press know about this?” Audrey whispered to me.

“I took a page from your mother’s playbook and called them,” I said. “I figured that would push Celia right over the edge. Which is exactly what she deserves.”

Audrey nodded at me, and I held my breath, watching as the plane pulled up to the gate. I waited for my mother to come out and meet her fate. And my brother. I had to tell my brother the horrible news.

Todd and Evie came first, followed by Cole and Jenny. They all looked surprised by our presence. “What’re you two doing here?” Todd asked. “Mother said—”

“Don’t believe it,” I said, grabbing his shoulders. “Everything’s fine. Audrey and I are engaged.”

“That’s so great,” Todd said. He beamed at us.