“He’s exceptionally good with computers and dedicated to running down criminals.” For a moment Constance’s clear blue eyes glowed with maternal fondness, then she sighed. “It caused quite a stir in our family when he opted to go work for the police department out of college rather than join Watts Shipping, but he needed to follow his heart.”
“Catching crooks seems to be his passion.”
“Yes, but it’s grown into more of an obsession these last two years.”
“How come?” Lia cursed her curiosity. She should be fighting her interest in the elder Watts brother not delving into his psyche.
“His friend’s network services company was hacked and implanted with a bug that affected four million domains, causing them to leak sensitive customer data, including credit card details, for six months before it was discovered. The resulting bad press led to the company losing nearly all their major accounts and forced them out of business.”
“Did Paul catch the hackers?”
“Eventually, but not soon enough to stop what happened to Ben.”
Although she regretted that the topic had distressed Constance, Lia couldn’t stop herself from wanting the whole story. “What happened to his friend?”
“After losing everything, he died in a terrible car accident.” Constance’s expression turned grim. “Paul thought the circumstances were suspicious because there were no other cars involved. Ben lost control, went off a bridge and drowned. Plus, there was a cryptic email Paul received shortly before the accident. Taken together, he thought perhaps Ben killed himself.”
“That’s awful.”
Constance nodded. “Ben’s death hit Paul really hard. After that he became even more committed to shutting down hackers.”
Sympathy for Paul momentarily pushed aside her wariness of him. At the same time she recognized this complex man had the power to turn her inside out.
“You know, I can’t get over how much you look like your mother,” Constance said, the abrupt shift of topic catching Lia off guard.
Lia knew her dark hair and hazel eyes set her apart from the blond and green-eyed Wattses, Ava included. She’d seen pictures of the woman. Yet on Ethan’s word, the family had embraced her without question. At least most of them had.
“Tell me about her.” Lia couldn’t bring herself to say my mother.
“She was beautiful and talented.” Constance’s gaze turned inward. “She played tennis until she was fourteen at a level that she could’ve competed professionally.”
“Why didn’t she?”
“She had trouble staying focused on anything,” Constance said. “By the time she hit her teenage years Ava was a handful. She grew up without a mother and Grady indulged her terribly. Everyone did because she could be charming when she set her mind to it.”
“Ethan said after high school she headed to New York City to pursue modeling.”
“She and Grady had a terrible row when he found out she didn’t intend to go to college. He gave her a choice—get a degree or find a job. He had such high hopes for her future and wanted to motivate her.” Constance sighed. “After years of no contact, Grady hired a private investigator to find her. That’s when we learned she’d died. The police never contacted us because Ava did such a good job cutting her ties to Charleston. By the time we discovered Ava had given birth to you, you’d been adopted and the court records sealed.”
“And my...father.” The last word stuck in Lia’s throat. Never mind her fake father—she knew nothing about her own father because her mother had refused to discuss him.
Constance blinked in surprise. “We don’t know anything about him. Whatever your mother was up to in New York remains a complete mystery.”
Both women lapsed into companionable silence, each occupied with her thoughts. Lia was wondering how to extricate herself without seeming rude when Paul’s mother spoke again.
“It’s so good to have you here,” Constance declared with sudden vehemence. “I’m just sorry it took so long for us to find you.”
“I had a good life.” For some reason Lia felt compelled to defend her childhood. “A happy life.”
“Of course you did,” Constance said. “It’s obvious that you’re a loving, caring person. That sort of thing only happens if you’ve had the right upbringing. Your aunt Lenora and I were talking last night,” Constance said, “and we think that you should move into your mother’s old bedroom.”
“Oh, well...” Overwhelmed by the thought of having to maintain her deception all the time, Lia scrambled for some polite way to refuse. “I couldn’t impose.”
“You’re family. You wouldn’t be imposing. And we have purely selfish reasons to suggest it. We all feel that the more time you spend with Grady, the faster he’ll improve.”
“Yes, but...”
“He’s been without you for too long. You two have a lot of catching up to do.”