Page 53 of Jael

“It’s not just that. Mr. Heber was so good to me for so many years.”

“And you were good to him. He’ll be missed.” The words tasted sour, but they were no less true. Jael would miss him. It would be impossible not to. As much as he frustrated her in life and diminished her by his manipulation, she’d come to rely on his support. She’d taken it for granted as much as she’d loathed it.

But there was no need to feel fearful about that now. He would have left her his estate, which meant she’d be in control for the first time in her life. It was both a thrilling and a terrifying thought. It would also mean that Vita Nova wouldn’t need to rely on Heber Industries any longer. Jael could run her company the way she wanted.

“Are you feeling all right?” Sofia was giving her an odd look, and Jael screwed her mouth up when she realized she’d been smiling.

“I was remembering the good things about my father,” she lied. If being cold-hearted was required to help others, then she’d give away all her warmth so others could have it. Her heart had lightened at the thought of all the doors opening before her. It was a life she’d never dared imagine, but even now it was beginning to take shape.

Chapter 14

The sky wasdark and heavy, and Danny was reconsidering his decision not to bring an umbrella. It had been sunny during the service, a solemn event full of family, friends, and a crowd of people who wanted to be associated with someone who had money and power.

Jael had spoken well, saying nice things about a father who she would have struggled to love. But now that they were at the gravesite with dark clouds pushing across the sky to blot out the sun, a weariness sat upon her shoulders as she listened stone-faced while the minister read from the leatherbound Bible lying open across his palms.

She wore a long, straight black dress that made her appear sophisticated and sturdy. It was another wall he knew she would have erected to get her through the day. She rarely let her true self show. She’d only really let him in once, and he’d made sure at the time she never made that mistake again. As much as he never would have admitted it back then, it had hurt him to hurt her.

The crowd stirred as the minister finished, and Jael slipped her arm into Sofia’s, pulling the housekeeper forward so theycould place a rose on the grave together. It was a thoughtful gesture on Jael’s part, to involve a woman who’d been a diligent employee of the Heber household for years.

Artus and Christopher followed along with a cousin Danny had met once and a woman he thought may have been a niece, although he’d never met Gregory’s sister.

A line formed, but Danny remained at the back until most had gone through. Then he moved up slowly, feeling the first pellet of cold rain on his cheek.

When he passed Jael, they made eye contact for a moment. He nodded, and her lips turned up in a sad smile, but she flinched when the rain hit her face, and she tilted her head toward the ground.

Danny tossed his flower onto the casket and moved to stand under a tree as the drizzle picked up and umbrellas were raised.

He watched as several people spoke quietly to Jael, but she was brief in her responses. Soon, only a few stragglers remained. Today, he wasn’t here as Deborah’s man. Today he was here as a friend, and he wanted to make sure that Jael understood that.

He waited until she’d finished speaking to a wide man with a grey handlebar mustache, then approached her.

“Thanks for coming,” she said formally. It was the first time they’d spoken that day.

“I wanted to say,” Danny started, but wished he had more substantial words to offer besides, “I’m sorry for your loss.” She gave him the same nod she gave everyone else, and he was surprised how that stung. He shouldn’t expect any different. He was no one special to her.

He turned to go but stopped when she said, “I was surprised you weren’t at the house with me.”

“At your dad’s?”

“When I found him…I thought you would have followed me there. I got a phone call after I discovered my—what had happened. I assumed it was you.”

“I wish it had been me. If I’d known, I would have been there for you.”

“Would you?”

He stared at her too long. It wasn’t a subject he should get into. “Your dad was a good man,” he said to fill the silence.

“No he wasn’t,” she murmured, and he wondered if he’d misheard her.

“I’m sorry?”

She looked more confused than sad or angry. “Why is it that, when someone dies, no matter how they lived their lives, they suddenly become a saint?”

His lips flattened. “I didn’t mean it that way. I know you two had your differences.”

“Differences. That’s a polite way to put it.”

“I don’t mean to upset you today of all days. But he was good to me.”

---