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Of all the things I expected to come out of my mother’s mouth, this would not have even made it among the top ten. “How can you afford all that?”
She waved an airy gesture in front of her, as if it was no problem at all to shell out a ton of cash on elaborate trips and charity work. “Oh, we do fundraisers and have a couple wealthy donors. My point is, I like this. It makes me happy, and I want you to do what makes you happy. If that means jet-setting around the world with your little blonde heiress, then I will be fine.”
I only mentioned Lyndsey a handful of times. Never once did I mention her beyond that of my matchmaker. Had I been that transparent in my feelings?
“I already have my own plans, and they don’t revolve around tending to grandbabies,” my mother added. “Though I’m not opposed to grandchildren… eventually.”
There was nothing left for me to say. Perhaps, she was right. Perhaps, it was time I practiced what I preached and fought for the one woman I wanted in the world, even if she wasn’t returning my phone calls—even if she was too busy making the biggest decision of her life.
“I’m here, Mother.” Vanessa entered the room, tossing down her purse in one chair and flopping down into another. “What’s this big announcement you need to make?”
I exchanged a tense look with my sister, secretly wondering about her role in all of this. Was she as eager to turn in Lyndsey as her husband was? Did she know about the supposed arsonist being the former groundskeeper they fired?
My mother filled her in on all the information, though my mind was already on solving Lyndsey’s problems. Her parents wanted her to take things more seriously. Holding a job for an extended period of time had been a part of that plan. Though maybe, they would accept another display of responsibility in order to sway them back to her side.
After all, we’d proven the fire was not caused by Lyndsey. Even if I still wasn’t convinced Yehven was responsible for it either.
“I’m going to go get the brochures for our next trip,” my mother said, and stood up from the table. “Wait here.”
I waited for my mom to leave before speaking. “They let Yehven free today.”
“Odd they would let an arsonist go free so soon,” Vanessa said, completely nonplussed.
“Turns out his explanation held up.” I was lying through my teeth, but doing it so well it didn’t matter. Vanessa inhaled sharply. Her eyes darted to the side, and she gently picked at her sleeve.
“Oh?”
“Yeah, Flynn said they ran his phone records and came across the number that supposedly called him,” I said. “Want to take a guess as to who’s number came up?”
She rolled her eyes. “I have a feeling you’re going to tell me anyway.”
“Yours.”
“Impossible.”
“Well, it was on there.”
“Well, I used a burner phone, so—” She stopped, instantly recognizing her mistake. I only smiled, a paragon of innocence and sweetness. “He never pulled the records, did he?”
“No.” I shook my head. “But you’re going to go down there and tell him it was you.”
Vanessa scoffed. “Why would I do that?”
“Because it’s the right thing to do. A man’s in jail because of you and Kyle,” I said. “How long is this going to go on for? How many more people are you going to drag into your petty fighting?”
“I don’t owe him or you any explanation,” Vanessa hissed. “I did what I had to, to get the job done. We both did. And there’s nothing you can say to persuade me into doing something so stupid as turning myself in for a crime. Especially when there’s little evidence to support it.”
“I’ll turn you in myself.”
Vanessa laughed. One of those throaty cackles cartoon villains always use. “You can try.”
“When I turn you in to Flynn, I’ll also make a stop at the press...” I explained. “...which will publish a tame headline somewhere along the lines of ‘Proud Business Owners Suspected in Arson Scandal’, which is entirely true. That will not only put a hell of a lot of attention on the two of you, but it will also be bad for business.”
Vanessa swallowed tightly before speaking. “If I turn myself in, it’ll still be bad for business.”
“We might be able to come to some sort of arrangement,” I said. “You might be able to chalk it up to an accident. Lyndsey might even let you off the hook.”
Vanessa’s chest heaved up and down.
