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It didn’t excuse Jessica’s behavior.
“I won’t let Nate take my little girl away from me. It won’t happen. I won’t allow it. He will not come between us. Darling,” her mother implored, “whatever this man told you is a lie.”
Summer felt more than saw Cody take a step to move around her and confront her mother.
Summer sidestepped and cut him off. “You’re lying. You’ve been lying to me my whole life.”
“You’re going to takehisword for it?” The cracks were showing in her mother’s carefully erected facade.
“Yes. Because he has integrity. He wouldn’t lie. Not about this.” She knew it to her soul, Cody Larkin had a stake in coming here on her father’s behalf.
Cody leaned in. “Miss Weston, let’s go have a cup of coffee and discuss your father’s request.”
“There’s nothing to discuss, Mr. Larkin,” her mother snapped. “You tell Nate she isn’t interested in anything he has to say. It’s too late for him to come after her now. I raised her. She’smydaughter! He’s got two of his own.”
“Mom! That’s enough.” It hit Summer hard that her mother knew her father had a family. Which meant she’d known the whole time how to get in touch with him and hadn’t.
Cody didn’t back down. “Mr. Weston has every right to contact his daughter and request a meeting with her, if for no other reason than to tell her himself that he had no idea she existed. You took away his parental rights. While there’s nothing I can do about that now, I will fulfill my client’s wishes and speak with Miss Weston on his behalf.”
Summer pressed two fingers to the bridge of her nose and hopedthe ache behind her right eye didn’t bloom into a full-fledged migraine before this awful day was over.
“Really, darling, this isn’t the time or place to discuss this ridiculous matter.”
Ridiculous matter?Well, that said everything, didn’t it? They were only talking about her life.
Roger took Jessica by the shoulders. “Darling, you’ve kept something extremely important from her. Don’t you think you owe her a proper explanation?”
Jessica gave Roger her famous pout.
Summer turned her back on her mother, who just didn’t get it, and went to the one person who would understand—and had some explaining to do.
“Where are you going?” her mother called, the panic in her voice warranted. No doubt she recognized Summer’s intentions. Jessica wanted to keep her father out of it.
While her grandfather drilled into Summer the value of education and a work ethic built on achieving success by working hard and earning what you achieved, he’d spoiled and indulged his only child. Worse, in adulthood, he gave Jessica the freedom to do as she pleased. Consequences were never foremost on Jessica’s mind and easily dealt with when you had Charles Sutherland there to clean up the mess left in your wake.
Not this time. Her mother was going to answer for this.
Summer wasn’t about to let her grandfather off the hook, either. He would account for his part in breaking her heart.
So she barged right into his office spoiling for a reckoning.
Chapter Four
The door to Charles Sutherland’s office flew open and his granddaughter marched in with fury and fire in her eyes. “Grandfather, I need to speak with you privately.Now.”
Charles took note of his granddaughter’s squared shoulders and the stubborn tilt of her chin. This was a side of her he didn’t often see. Sometimes, he wished to see it more. “Summer, whatever has you riled will have to wait. I’m in a meeting.”
Summer barely spared a glance for the two men seated in front of him. “I’m your granddaughter and I want to talk to you.Right now,” she snapped. She hardly ever used the fact that she was his granddaughter to get her anything. It was a source of pride for her to earn her own way and do things for herself. This time, she wanted to be heard, and she wasn’t going to be put off for business or anything else.
Charles leaned back in his chair and looked over Summer’s shoulder. His daughter, Jessica, looked a little frazzled as she stood beside the man he’d handpicked to be his newest son-in-law. After all these years, he hoped Roger would be the one man who could rein in her penchant for always having someone or something new in her life.
He sensed a family squabble brewing, most likely stirred up by something Jessica had done.
Still, it wasn’t like Summer to come to him spoiling for a fight. Certainly not in the middle of the day, in his office, while he discussed business with employees.
And when it came to situations involving her mother, she usually came to him privately with a sense of calm resignation.
This was different. And once he recognized the man who came in behind Summer, he had a feeling he knew why. He caught himself before he smiled. His plan had finally worked, though he couldn’t let on that he was behind it.
