Page 222 of A Merry Mountain Christmas

Once the washing machine is running, hopefully removing the stains, we get settled on one of the unstained cushions. I pull a blanket from the pile next to the sofa over us, and he says, “Tell me, Mary. I’m sorry I wasn’t ready to listen earlier.”

Nestled together as we are, in front of the tree that we decorated together, it’s tempting to let the whole thing rest for a while longer, if only so we can stretch this moment out. But Jace needs this information, and I need to give it to him.

I clear my throat. “Dennis is the private investigator who works for our firm. He’s a good guy, and I trust him, which is why I trusted him with this.”

He nods, and there’s no doubt or anger in his face, so I continue.

“He found several suspicious wire transfers to subcontractors your father worked with at Hagan Construction. Although they weren’t made by Lester himself, they can be directly traced to him. Dennis reached out to a few of the guys, and one of them talked. Apparently, the whole thing never sat right with him. He confirmed that he’d been paid not to do business with Hagan Construction. Another guy Dennis tracked down, an ex-employee of Lester’s, backed up his story.” I take a deep breath and squeeze Jace’s hand, because I know this next part is really going to hurt. “Jace, your sister fed Lester information that he used against your dad. I don’t know if she understood what she was doing, or rather whathewas doing, but she was his source. And she continued giving him information about the company after your father died.”

“Fuck,” he says, flinching as if I’ve hit him with a sledgehammer. And I suppose I have.

I let the information settle for a moment, then say, “Maybe that’s why she didn’t want to believe the truth about Lester? Because if she lets herself believe he was really out to get your dad, then she has to admit she played a role in that.”

He runs his free hand through his hair, the ends flickering with gold in the light of the tree.

“What if she did it knowingly?” he asks softly, the vulnerability in his voice cracking something open within me.

“Then she might not let you see Ben willingly,” I say. “Maybe it’s no longer time to play nice.”

From the look on his face, I know he doesn’t want it to come to that. This woman’s treated him horribly, but she’s his only remaining family other than Ben. Still, his jaw sets, and he gives a slight nod. “Whatever it takes.”

I squeeze his hand. “There’s more.”

His lips tilt up slightly as he squeezes me back. “Give it to me, Mary. Tear it off like a Band-Aid.”

Holding his hand like a lifeline, I say, “He had a closed-door meeting with the county prosecutor after you were arrested. There’s no evidence that money changed hands, so I don’t think we can get your conviction overturned, but it doesn’t look good for either of them. Especially since they used to play golf together.” I stroke the back of his hand with my thumb. “He also has a confirmed social connection with your defense attorney, so the man should have recused himself and didn’t. We can’t sit on this. We need to hand the information over to the authorities. Lester made damn sure you paid for your crime, many times over, so it’s only right that he pays for his, even if it’s just a dent in his reputation. And if Dennis found all of this out in a matter of days, then you can bet you and your father aren’t the only ones who were burned by him.”

He’s quiet for a moment, staring at the tree. “This will stir up a lot of old shit, and there’s no guarantee any good will come of it.”

“No,” I admit.

Turning to me, he reaches up to cradle my cheek. “Let’s make that bastard pay.”

“Good.” I lean forward and kiss him, because I’m proud of him and also because I want to. I could go on kissing this man forever, and it still wouldn’t seem like enough. But I’m not donewith truth bombs, so I lean back and say, “There’s something else you should know. Glenn wants to see Aidan.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

JACE

Cal gave me a large bonus for helping him finish the house early—three days before Christmas—and Mary finally took Dottie, proprietor of Tea of Fortune and sometimes officiant, up on her many offers to babysit so we could go out to dinner. I’m somewhat shocked that Mary agreed to it, both because it’s Dottie and because it’s the night before Christmas Eve. Then again, Mary keeps surprising both of us.

I reach across the linen-draped table and curl my fingers over hers. Her mouth lifts into the softest of smiles, and my chest fills with heat.

This woman makes me feel things I never thought were possible.

Mary told me that Glenn has been reaching out to her, saying he wants to see Aidan. While she wants Aidan to have a relationship with his father, she’s worried about Glenn’s motivations, especially since the first time he texted was the night his mother questioned Mary about me. I’m not surprised by his sudden interest. He deserted his family, but he doesn’t want any other man to have the honor of being in their lives.

“Heard anything else from Glenn?” I ask, at the risk of ruining our night.

She doesn’t look irritated by the question, thankfully. “He hasn’t given me any more pushback. The plan is for us to talk after Christmas and possibly schedule a visit for after the New Year. Speaking of Christmas, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about Roger.”

My brow lifts slightly in surprise.

“I know Mrs. Rosa has plans with her family, but what’s Roger going to do? You said you’ve spent the last three Christmases with him.”

“Well,” I say carefully. Mary’s already asked me to Christmas dinner with her family, and Aidan invited me to come over in the morning to open gifts. “I thought maybe Roger and I could spend time together before I come to your house. Maybe make a terrible breakfast casserole.”

My heart aches for my friend. Christmas was always special for him and his wife, and now the holiday is hard for him. We usually spend the entire day together, and I was already feeling guilty about leaving him to his own resources for dinner. Now I’ll be gone for most of the day. Worse, when I told him, he just patted my hand and said Cleo was fine enough company for him and reminded me that I’d better not fuck things up with Mary, especially if I didn’t want to end up alone in my eighties with an indifferent cat for company. He didn’t even say it to make me feel guilty; he meant every word.

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