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CHAPTER SEVEN
Anna spent the next two hours getting to know Skylar’s sister. They sat in rockers on the back deck while Skylar played ball with Joey in the yard below. He taught the boy to catch and throw with such unexpected patience that it warmed Anna’s heart. How could one man be so ruthless in the courtroom and yet so sweet with the child?
“He’s good with your son,” Anna said.
Becca went quiet for a moment. They had eagerly discussed fashion trends, hobbies, and fantasy vacations, but the woman seemed to lose the power of speech at the mention of her brother. Interesting. When Becca finally spoke again, Anna understood the hesitation.
“Skylar avoided him at first when he was born. I guess it hurt too much to look at Joey. I’m sure my son reminded him of Michael and Matthew.”
Anna bit her tongue to keep from making another mistake. She nodded, pretending to know who Becca was talking about. His eagle-eyed grandmother wasn’t fooled. She caught something in Anna’s eyes, something that gave her away.
Dottie abandoned the swing to approach them with a suspicious expression. “You don’t know who Michael and Matthew are, do you? First, you don’t know about Clare. Now, you don’t know about the boys.” Dottie made a clicking sound with her tongue. “You aren’t in love with my grandson. Who are you, and why are you really here?”
“Hush, Grandma Dot!” Becca said. “Stop trying to stir up trouble, and go see if Mom needs help in the kitchen.”
Dottie gave Anna one moreI’ve-got-my-eyes-on-youlook before heading inside.
“Sorry about her,” Becca said with a shake of her head.
Anna tried to put Skylar’s advice into practice. Be a lawyer. She tried to lead the witness with some half-truths. “I was tired earlier and when your grandmother mentioned Clare, my brain wasn’t functioning. What were they like together?”
“He was in law school when they met. She was a professor, and they were mad about each other. Clare had two kids from a previous marriage, so Sky got an instant family. He adored those little boys like they were his own. He was a husband, a father, and then one day it was all gone.”
“What happened?”
Anna held her breath, knowing she shouldn’t ask. He would hit the roof if he found out she was snooping. They weren’t in love, and she didn’t have any real business getting into his. Besides that, the question might put doubts in Becca’s mind. She might start to agree with Grandma Dot that something wasn’t right.
Becca didn’t immediately answer that question. She smiled as Skylar scooped her son up and swung him around. Joey’s squeals of delight filled the air.
Becca cleared her throat. “Clare took the boys to the mall one morning, and they didn’t make it out alive.” Anna’s gasp hit the air, and Becca’s cheeks turned pink. “Please don’t tell him I told you. I mean, you have every right to know, but he should be the one to tell you. Skylar is a private person, and he doesn’t open up easily. He’s worse than Dad about keeping his feelings bottled up.”
Anna remembered the three-year sobriety chip he’d had in his box on the elevator. She was ashamed to admit it even to herself, but seeing the chip had made her lose respect for him... until now. A mean-spirited voice deep inside had judged him for being a drunk. Now that she knew about his painful past it made sense. Even the strongest man in the world had limits.
“I won’t say a word.”
Relief filled Becca’s eyes. “I am so glad my brother found you. You’re good for him. I can tell.”
Another sliver of guilt embedded itself in Anna’s heart. Sitting next to Becca, a potential life-long friend, and lying to her put a rock in her stomach. She literally wanted to kick herself for getting involved in Skylar’s plan. He had a point about it working, sure, but were the perks worth the consequences? Eventually his family would find out. Either Skylar would tell them or they’d put it together.
Maybe if she gave Becca some truth now, it would make up for the charade. Not many people knew about her past. She didn’t like talking about personal matters either, but she felt she owed it to Becca. “I lost my whole family,” she said. “It happened when I was a kid.”
Becca gave her the sympathetic look she’d learned to hate. “I’m sorry,” Becca said. “How did they die?”
Anna gave her the short version, the summary that kept her from crying. “Car accident.”
Before Becca could ask for more details Skylar carried Joey to his mother, hanging him upside-down like a bat. “This kid wants a cookie. He’s hungry. I’ll take him in to get one if that’s okay with you.”
Becca stood. “I’ll take him. You should spend time with your fiancé. Grandma Dot already thinks there is something off about you two.”
He rolled his eyes. “What now?”
Without answering Becca took her son and went inside, leaving Anna to explain, but she shrugged it off. It didn’t matter. They had two more days to get through. Less, if she had anything to say about it. She loved spending time with his family, but every minute there brought them closer to being exposed.
“Is there something I should know?” he asked.
She shook her head. “Your family is wonderful. I enjoyed getting to know your sister.”
“And my grandmother?”
