Chapter Ten
Fire Away
Rowan
Time was running out. I could see it happening right before my eyes. If only I’d known what Maeve was thinking and what she was feeling before she stepped foot into her doctor’s office that day. I wouldn’t have been able to change the prognosis, but maybe I could have softened the blow. I had to give it to her, Maeve Bostwick was one tough cookie, but even she had her limitations. In a matter of moments, her inner flame had been snuffed. Now, it was up to me to reignite it. Only, I wasn’t sure I could. As I stood in the doorway of her bedroom, watching her sleep, I contemplated my next move.
Two weeks had passed since that horrible day at the doctor’s, and Maeve had only gotten worse. She was an inmate awaiting a death sentence. Gone was the teasing. Gone was the laughter. Gone was the hope. Her once full glass was now drained dry. I’d seen this happen too many times to count, but this wasn’t just anyone. This was Maeve. I’d tried talking to her. I’d suggested counseling. I’d even cried a time or two. Her despair was insurmountable, her pain immeasurable. I wanted to tell Nash, but I’d made a promise not to. I hadn’t broken it yet, but I was close.
This past week had been especially rough. The only way I could get Maeve out of bed each morning was by threatening to call Nash. She complained incessantly about everything and had taken to calling me names like slave driver and bitchy boss lady. I could tell her pain had worsened, but she refused to talk to me about it. By Tuesday, I was out of patience. Maeve was being especially hateful. Mean was her middle name, and torturing me had become her game. I understood her need to lash out. She was angry. Pushing me away was her best form of defense. However, the harder she pushed, the tighter I held on. On Wednesday, when she threatened to fire me for the thousandth time that week, I finally lost my cool and screamed at her to do it. After which I burst into tears, stormed upstairs, and slammed my bedroom door. It was entirely unprofessional, and I was ashamed. I was drowning in hurt and seething with anger. She’d given up. The woman who’d become like a mother to me was going to die, and I couldn’t save her. No one could.
Fifteen minutes after my break down, I heard a knock. Wiping the tears from my face, I sat up and stared at my bedroom door. Surely she hadn’t come all the way upstairs? Maeve hadn’t been able to maneuver the stairs for months now.
“Maeve?” I called out.
“No, it’s the Hamburgler,” she replied from the other side of the door. Her smart ass tone reminded me of the old Maeve, and I couldn’t help but smile.
“Are you going to be nice?” I waited for another witty reply. Instead, the door swung open, and in she hobbled. She was moving slowly, but other than that, she didn’t appear to be too overtaxed by her journey up the stairs.
I watched as she inched across the floor and sat on one of the decorative arm chairs by the window. Once she was settled, her eyes lifted to mine, and I tried not to flinch. They were ringed with pain, but also determination. God, I loved this willfully bullheaded woman. What was she thinking, coming all the way upstairs? Suddenly fully realizing how difficult that must have been, I jumped to my feet and raced over to where she was sitting.
“Let me get your pills.”
She held up her hand, and I paused mid-step. “Maybe in a minute, but first I have something to say.” She waved me back to the bed. Once I was settled, she asked, “Have I ever told you about Nash’s dad?”
“You’ve mentioned him a time or two, but not in any detail.”
She nodded her head up and down a few times. Slowly, she relaxed back against the chair cushion. Once she was somewhat comfortable, she began. “Nash’s father, Nate, played guitar. He was nowhere near as good as Nash, but he wasn’t half bad. He could have been good. Heaven knows he had the potential. He could have gone places and done great things. Only, the man had no staying power. Once he started something, no matter how good he was at it, he never finished.” Her eyes zeroed in on me. “This includes being a parent. Nate was terrified of commitment. I knew this, but I still pushed. I was young, dumb, and in love. Boy, did I love that man. When I found myself pregnant, I gave him no choice in the matter.” Her wistful tone hit a chord. I knew there was a reason for her trek down memory lane, but I wasn’t quite sure I wanted to hear it. “A month after I told him he was going to be a daddy, he was gone. I’m talking here one day, and gone the next. Poof!” She made an exploding motion with her hands. “I was heartbroken, destroyed, but I had a baby to take care of, so I did just that. Nate came back when Nash was five months old. I’d barely picked up the pieces from his first vanishing act, and there he was again. He stayed long enough to bleed me dry of food and finances, before he was gone again. The last time I saw him was at Nash’s twelfth birthday, when he showed up drunk and begging for money. He’d aged poorly. Thank God Nash didn’t recognize him. Somehow I managed to get him out of there, and later explained to Nash that he was just an old friend. A month later, we relocated to Austin for my job. Nate could have found us through the years if he’d tried. It wasn’t as if I could prevent him from contacting Nash, but I certainly wasn’t going to encourage a relationship either. Nash wanted nothing to do with his father. As far as he was concerned, the man didn’t exist. I honestly thought he was gone for good.” My stomach clenched with trepidation. I knew what she was going to say. “But then a few months before Nash hired you, right after I’d found out I had cancer, Nate came knocking at our door. He’d seen a picture of his famous son. He wanted to meet his boy,” she mocked. Bile swirled in the pit of my stomach. “Nash was in Dallas with the band, and I panicked.” She wrung her hands together, as if trying to muster the courage to continue.
“What did you do, Maeve?”
Staring down at her hands, she answered, “He kept talking about how proud he was, about how his genetics had rubbed off on our boy…about how flush we must be. Our boy, my ass,” she hissed.
“Please tell me you kicked him to the curb?”
“I did.” Thank God, I thought as I relaxed back onto the bed. “After I paid him off,” she continued.
“You…what?” I screeched.
“I only gave him enough to get by. He promised to go away, to leave us alone. What else was I supposed to do?”
“Uhhh, I don’t know, how about call the police? Tell Nash? Tell someone? Wait, why are you telling me this? Has he been back since then?”
“I think so.” Her vague reply made the hairs on the backs of my arms stand on end.
“What do you mean you think so?”
“A few days after the rose incident, I thought I saw a man lurking outside the house. It looked like Nate.”
“And you didn’t tell us? Why?”
She threw up her hands, and winced in pain. “Because I wasn’t sure! Because Nash had it all figured out.” She slapped her hand on her head, and her shoulders slumped. “Because I’m losing this, and it’s scaring the ever-loving hell out of me. I thought I saw a man, but what if I imagined it, or better yet, dreamt it?” Her confession rocked me. I knew that she was deteriorating, but I had no clue that it was this bad.
“Oh, Maeve,” I sighed.
“I wasn’t sure. I-I-I’ve been seeing things, hearing things.” She dropped her head to her hands. “I think I’m losing my mind.” I scrambled over to her and dropped to my knees in front of her chair.
“The doctor explained what could happen. You refused the scan, so we’re not sure where the cancer is. It’s okay. You’re just starting to forget things. That’s all. Your mind is still very much intact.” I was scrambling for platitudes, but we both knew that was all they were. “Have you seen the man since that day?” She shook her head. “Other than the day you gave him money, have you seen or heard from Nate?”
“No,” she quietly replied, and I slumped against her in relief.
“I think you should tell Nash the truth about Nate.”
She frantically shook her head. “I can’t. He’ll never forgive me for paying him off. Please don’t make me,” she begged. I thought about what to do. Did the rose come from Nadine or Nash’s dad? Was Nash’s dad really here or did Maeve imagine it? Someone put the rose on her pillow, but who? And better yet, why?
I hugged her knees and she patted my head. “If anything else happens, we’re telling Nash, okay?”
“Yes. Thank you, Rowan. I’ve been so scared. I’m sorry. I’ve been absolutely horrible to you. I’m so, so sorry. I-I-I think I should go lie down. Would you please help me back down the stairs?”
Thirty minutes later, Maeve was settled in bed, and I was left reeling. When Nash found out what Maeve had done, he was going to be furious, and not just with Maeve, either. He was going to be furious at me for keeping her secret. Nash may write my paychecks, but Maeve was my priority. So why did I feel as if I was betraying him?
Late the next afternoon, I was stretched across my bed looking at smoothie recipes for Maeve, when she screamed, “Rowan! Rowan! Come quick!” I stared at my ceiling and sighed.
“I’m looking for a recipe, like you asked! You’re supposed to be resting!” I called out.
Maeve’s demeanor had improved after she confessed about her encounter with Nate. She was still depressed, but at least she was no longer taking it out on me. I was worried about her pain. It was progressively getting worse. Pretty soon I would no longer be able to manage it with pills. Over the past few days, I’d mentioned moving to an intravenous drip. We could start slow with nights only. Maeve flat out refused. I was afraid I was going to have to speak with Nash about it.
Suddenly I heard the alarm system beep, indicating that a door in the house had been opened. What in the world? “Maeve!” I shouted, and bolted from my room. When I reached the bottom of the stairs, I came up short. Standing there with a duffle in one hand, the other wrapped around an ecstatic looking Maeve, and a breathtaking smile on his face, was Nash.
“Look who came home for the weekend?” Maeve gushed.
“Surprise,” Nash announced. I stood there with my heart beating out of my chest and my tongue tied in a thousand knots, staring at him like a star-struck ninny. He’d finally gotten a haircut, but was now sporting a full beard. It looked really good on him.
“Are you hungry?” Maeve asked.
“I could eat. First, let me dump this.” He held up his duffle.
Maeve motioned for me to join her in the kitchen, and Nash bolted up the stairs to off load his bag. Once he was out of ear shot, she turned to me, and said, “I’ll allow the IV drip at night on one account.” I raised a speculative brow at her. “You keep that pretty little mouth of yours shut.” This was so…Maeve. I was impressed, yet irritated.
“Oh, so now we’re negotiating?”
“Life is one big negotiation, sweetheart. We both know I’m out of time.” I opened my mouth to argue, but the obstinate look on her face stopped me. “Give me this time with him. Please.” Her eyes implored. Her lips begged. Her words seared through me. How could I deny her this? I couldn’t. However, two could play at this game.
“Fine, but I need something from you in return. I need for you to try to remain upbeat and to try and limit the negativity from here on out, okay?”
“What’s up?” Nash asked from the doorway.
“Okaaaaaay?” I repeated.
“Fine,” Maeve snarled. Then she turned to Nash, and smiled.
“What are you two up to?” Nash asked again.
Maeve held out her hand. “Nothing is up. Rowan just wants me to eat more greens. Greens make me poot. Now, come over here and let me feel that hairy face of yours.” Nash laughed, and the crisis was averted.
Over dinner Nash told us about New Year’s Eve, and finding out about his intern and the roses. Maeve instantly perked up, while I simply tried not to panic.
“What about Nadine?” I asked.
“Good question. Not only has Blane not been able to find her, but it seems that her parents are missing as well,” Nash explained.
“So, if Nadine didn’t leave the rose on my bed, then who did?” Maeve asked. I could tell by her tone that she was afraid. Well, she wasn’t the only one. So was I.
Sensing her unease, Nash reached over and grabbed her hand. “We still think it was Nadine, but we can’t be sure until we find her. Remember Garrett and Cas, the guys from North Carolina who own the security firm, LASH? Maeve nodded yes. “We’ve hired them to find Nadine and her parents. You’re still being monitored here, so all is good, okay?” Maeve and I both stared at him. He looked back and forth between the two of us. “All is good, right?” Now was the perfect time for Maeve to tell him about his father’s surprise visit. Do it, I mentally begged.
“Other than being a prisoner in my own home, things are just spiffy.” Maeve’s snarky answer made Nash laugh. Not me. All I felt was disappointment. Nash’s eyes drifted to me, but I couldn’t give him mine in return. If I did, he would know something was up.
Conor, Gavin, my father, Maeve, and now Nate. When were secrets no longer secrets, but merely lies? I had a feeling we’d probably gone way past that point. Someone was bound to get hurt. I just prayed it wasn’t the three of us.