Page 48 of Crashing Into Me
“Go ahead. I want to show you how much of a monster my mother can truly be.”
Lana picked up the envelope and pried apart the metal tabs. She pulled a stack of photos out and looked them over. Dropping them on the table, she looked up at Paula in horror and almost fell out of her seat.
“Let’s get you packed,” Paula said, standing from the table.
Lana was still not believing what her own eyes were seeing. There was Rachel, in New Orleans—very much alive and well.
18
a mother’s work
Maureen perused the local grocery store, pushing her own cart for a change, grabbing the ingredients needed to cook her son one of his favorites, shrimp scampi. She hadn’t cooked in so long, she wasn’t certain how good it would be, but was sure he’d love it either way. She was feeling relieved for the first time since arriving in Hamby. Her son was finally becoming the man she’d always needed him to be, and she was that much closer to being able to retire.
The papers required for Kayden to take over Capshaw Realty were all drawn up, and the only thing that was left was for him and Kim to say “I do.” Once that wedding was over, he was free to sign on the dotted line. Kayden hadn’t been behaving the same since Lana finally left. It was very apparent that his heart was still broken, but it had been a month now.
In her opinion, he needed to hurry up and get over her already. In all honesty, she assumed the situation was just a fling and hadn’t realized how wrong she was or how much he loved her already after such a short time. Not until she saw him on the floor of the house, crying on his knees. Perhaps she could’ve left well enough alone and let him marry the girl, but the influence she had over her son didn’t sit well with her.
She needed to be able to maintain influence over him and the projects Capshaw was involved in, and Lana being in the picture wouldn’t have allowed that. She would coddle him and his fantasy about restoring old buildings, not help usher him into the future. And she certainly wasn’t anything like Kim. Kim was pliable, gullible even, and did what Maureen said and when.
Maureen convinced herself that every move was made to preserve her family, and removing "the girl" from the equation was simply a necessary act. When Kayden hired private investigators, she discreetly ensured their reports always led to dead ends, easy enough given Lana's initial disappearance. His eventual acceptance of their fabricated accounts only affirmed Maureen's belief: he was finally moving on, just as she intended.
Pushing her cart to the checkout line, she caught a glimpse of a Page Six magazine and picked it up, smiling. On the front was a picture of Kayden and Kim showing the wedding announcement. Boy, did he and Joel look like Vince when he was younger, she thought, and threw it on the conveyor belt along with the rest of the items she needed for the dinner. Tonight would be a good night. The restoration project was complete, and Aunt Mae’s would be opening tomorrow. A few of her media connections were coming into town to cover the story of how Capshaw was returning to its roots—at least for this project,she said to herself. It was all almost over.
Kayden's desire to spread Rachel's ashes in her beloved New Orleans had been a recurring problem earlier in the week, one Maureen skillfully deflected. He'd inevitably make the trip, and she couldn’t have Rachel there when he did; she would orchestrate a vacation or something to get her out of dodge whenever she got the details of when he planned to go, making sure those loose ends stayed tied.
Convincing Rachel to abandon her life in Hamby had been a challenge at first, requiring a terrifying fabricationabout Kayden's legal jeopardy and imminent prison sentence—a narrative the poor woman swallowed whole. A hefty one-and-a-half-million-dollar deposit into her bank account undoubtedly silenced any lingering reluctance.
A mother’s work is never done,she thought to herself as she loaded her items onto the belt. The checkout girl smiled as she scanned the groceries, and Maureen smiled back.
“Hello, did you get everything you wanted today?” she asked.
Maureen flashed her that million-dollar smile and thought of all she had accomplished since arriving in town.
“I most certainly did,” she replied.
One more day and she’d be back in New York and couldn’t wait for a second more.
AS LANA BOARDEDthe private jet, she was worried about how the night would end. She still wasn’t sure how deep Kim’s claws had sunken into Kayden yet and hoped she wasn’t too late. It would be easy to convince him of Maureen, yes, but if he rekindled his relationship with Kim, everything could be for nothing. Kayden was a naturally forgiving person. Lana could visit Hamby all she wanted, but without Kayden in her life to enjoy it with, nothing they did in the next few hours would be worth it anyway.
She sat down in the plush leather seat next to Paula, who was already sipping a glass of white wine. One of the flight attendants closed and locked the airplane door, as the other brought the bottle over to Lana, but she held her hand up in protest. After the night in the club, she was doubtful she’d ever drink again. The cockpit doors were closed, and the plane began rolling forward. As the jet sped up, she closed her eyes andsaid a silent prayer for a safe flight. One way or another, her life was about to change again, and the anxiety was making her nauseous.
KAYDEN STOODFROM the dining room table where Maureen and Kim sipped wine after dinner. He picked up the plates and took them to the kitchen, neither of them attempting to help. He thought about the last time he had a shrimp dinner when Lana had made it for him. She still occupied his mind and that house in her absence. He put the dishes in the dishwasher and leaned against the counter, watching his mother and Kim talk about the latest reality show on television. They’re both so empty, he thought, as the dishwasher began its cycle.
He stuck his hand in his pocket, feeling the engagement ring he bought Lana. He didn’t trust leaving it anywhere in the house, not with Kim always snooping around, and he didn’t want to think what he’d do to her if he ever came home and saw her wearing it. To keep the “what ifs” at bay, he opted to keep it close to him at all times.
As he twirled it around in his pocket and watched Kim laughing the annoying way she did, he knew there was no way in hell he was marrying her. Kayden didn’t give a damn what she posted in Page Six or how his mother felt about it. At the start of all this, he agreed so he could stick it to his mother by getting Capshaw Realty, along with his inheritance, leaving him free to find Lana and have the financial means to fight his mother. But the thought of going through a wedding with Kim was too high a price to pay.
He would face whatever consequences he had coming because of it head-on. He took a breath, readying himself to dropthe bomb; it was now or never. He pushed off and started toward the table to sit down and end the cackle fest they were having. They sounded like a couple of witches stirring a cauldron.
As he sat, Maureen looked at him and recognized the expression on his face—it meant something was up. Keeping her composure and trying not to reveal her concern, she took a sip of her wine, smiled lovingly at him, and set her glass back down.
“What is it, dear?” She asked as sweetly as she could.
Kim watched them both, still grinning ear to ear, and poured herself another glass of wine. As Kayden opened his mouth to speak, his cell phone rang. He reached into his pocket and pulled it out—it was Taylor.
“Excuse me,” he said and stood from the table.
He walked upstairs, leaving them sitting there, and Kim now glanced at Maureen, panicked.
