“I’m sorry, Amelia. I didn’t mean to yell at you like I did.”
She sat down beside me and laid her head on my shoulder. “I know you didn’t. I shouldn’t have pushed you like that. I love you.”
“I love you too, baby.”
Chapter 14
Connor
My mom decided to take a little weekend trip to Cape Cod with Cassidy, Ben, and Camden. She asked me if I would go through my dad’s office and clean it out for her. She had already cleaned out his personal stuff, but the business was never her thing. She wanted everything out of there so she could turn his office into a sitting room. It was a Saturday morning and Ellery and I met Collin and Amelia for breakfast before we headed to the house. Collin drove himself, and after we finished breakfast, he drove us to the house while Ralph took the women into the city to do some shopping for the day.
“Thanks for coming and helping me with this, son.”
“No problem, Dad.”
While Collin was going through the filing cabinet, I cleaned out the bookshelf. As I pulled some books from the shelf, a white envelope fell from one of them and onto the floor. I bent down to pick it up and noticed it was filled with pictures. Sitting down in his chair, I opened the envelope and pulled out a picture of me and my brother Collin at the beach. It was taken the day he died. As I sat and stared at it, an overwhelming sadness washed over me.
“What is that, Dad?”
“A picture of me and your Uncle Collin.” I handed the picture to him.
“Wow. Look at the two of you. I know he was your twin brother, but you almost look identical.”
I gave him a small smile as I looked at the other photographs. There was one of our family and my mom holding Cassidy on her christening day.
“Dad, you dropped one,” Collin spoke as he bent down and picked it up. He stared at it for a moment before handing it to me.
“Is this you or Aunt Cassidy?” he asked.
I took the photograph from his hand and looked at it in confusion. It was a picture of my father holding a baby in front of a house I didn’t recognize. “It’s neither of us. My father is a lot older in this picture.”
“Then who is it? Is it Camden?”
“No.” I looked through the remaining pictures. I stumbled across one of me and my dad at a banquet when he won the Businessman of the Year award. I held it next to the picture of him holding the baby and he looked the same. A sickness rose inside of me when my mind went to the place of something I didn’t want to believe.
“Collin, I think my father had another child.”
He laughed. “Dad, now you’re getting crazy. Grandpa would never have cheated on Grandma.”
“But he did, son, and I knew about it.”
Shock swept over his face as he stood there and stared at me. “Who was she?”
“I don’t know who she was. All I know is that he spent a month with her in the Caribbean while Black Enterprises was failing.”
“Dad, I’m sorry.”
I looked down at the desk and tried to pull open the bottom drawer. It was locked and I couldn’t find the key.
“Go ask Juan for a screwdriver. I want to know what’s in this bottom drawer.”
A few moments later, Collin came back with a screwdriver. I shoved it in and busted the lock. When I opened the drawer, I found a file for the purchase of a house in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, dating back twenty-eight years ago. I gave the paper to Collin as I rummaged through the rest of the files.
“I didn’t know Grandpa had a house in Cherry Hill.”
“I didn’t either. Let’s go, son.” I got up from the chair and walked out of the office.
“Where are we going?”
“To Cherry Hill, New Jersey.”
Collin pulled up to the curb of the house and we sat there a moment while I pulled out the picture of my father. It was the same house the picture was taken in front of. A small half brick, half vinyl-sided house with a bay window and a porch with a white railing. I swallowed hard as I climbed out of the Range Rover.
“Dad, what are you doing?”
“Hopefully getting some answers,” I replied as I walked up the driveway and to the steps of the house.
“You can’t just go up to someone’s house like that.” He followed behind me.
“I can and I will.” I knocked on the door and waited a few moments. There was no answer, so I rang the doorbell. Still no answer.
“Fuck!” I ran my hand through my hair as I stepped off the porch and looked around.
“Can I help you with something?” an older woman asked as she was watering her flowers next door.
“I was wondering who lived here,” I replied as I walked over to her.
“The Vines live there. Do you know them?”
“No. I don’t think so.” I handed her the picture. “Do you know this man and child?”
She looked at the photograph and then up at me. “You must be Mr. Black.”
I was stunned and then startled when my phone rang. I pulled it from my pocket. It was Ellery. “Excuse me one moment. I need to take this.”
She nodded her head and continued to water her flowers.
“Hey, baby,” I answered as I took a few steps away from the old woman.
“Hi, Connor. I was just checking in to see how things were going. We’ll be heading to the house soon.”
“Don’t come to the house, Ellery. Collin and I aren’t there.”
“Where are you?”
“We’re in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. It’s a long story and I’ll explain everything tonight. Just have Ralph drive you and Amelia back to the penthouse and Collin and I will be there later.”
“Connor Black. What is going on?”
“Baby, please listen to me. I will explain everything later. I promise.”
“You have me worried, Connor.”
“There’s no need to be worried. Collin and I are just checking out something we found in one of my father’s files. I promise to tell you everything later, but now I have to go. I love you.”
“I love you too. We’ll be waiting at the penthouse for the two of you.”
I sighed as I hit the end button and placed my phone back in my pocket. As I walked over to the older woman, she set her hose down and invited me and Collin inside.
“Please come inside for some iced tea and homemade cookies.”
“Ma’am, I’m sorry but we—”
“Do you want your answers or not, Mr. Black?”
I gave her a small nod and swallowed hard as Collin and I followed her into the house.
“Have a seat in the living room and I’ll get the iced tea and cookies.” She smiled.
Collin and I took a seat on the floral couch. The room looked like it hadn’t been updated in over thirty years.
“Here we go.” The old lady smiled as she set a tray of cookies and iced tea down on the coffee table. “First off, we haven’t properly met. I’m Flora Dunsworth.” She extended her hand.
“I’m Connor Black and this is my son, Collin.” I lightly shook her hand and Collin did the same.
Flora took a seat in the wing-backed chair that sat across from the couch. Collin reached over and grabbed a cookie from the tray.