Beachcombing in the Bahamas (Once Again #11)

Chapter 23 – Adeline

23

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ADELINE

G ood riddance to that little mushroom. I hope he rots in jail. He was never good enough for my granddaughter. I should have talked her out of dating him the first time she brought him to the house. But sometimes you have to let a relationship run its course, because sooner or later it will die out on its own anyway.

Except for Pierce and Yvette.

It was only because of Harris and Yvette’s dirty little pregnancy trick that their affair hadn’t died after the first few weeks.

We’re all seated in the living room where I preside. Just the women of the family, not those two hangers-on clinging to Ethan and Malcolm because they both know a gold mine when they see it.

I have to act as if there isn’t glee in my heart. But I couldn’t have orchestrated this scenario any better. Even if I want to murder my eldest son for sleeping with the enemy.

It should be a book title. Oh wait, it already is.

Brock, Trevor, and Garth drove into town to meet up with Ethan and Malcolm at the jail. The big tough men going off to do battle with the local authorities. I could have handled it far better. But then, I don’t want to.

“Drink your tea, ladies,” I order. Olive has brewed two pots exactly to my specifications.

“We can’t just sit here and do nothing.” Kacey’s voice wobbles.

I turn to her, softening my tone, because coming across as a hard case right now won’t benefit me. “You know your Uncle Brock will take care of everything.” I need to show that I am on her side. On Jodi’s side.

And the three of us are sitting on the opposite side from their mother.

“He has all the connections,” I go on. “He’ll get this sorted out. But in the meantime, you need to calm down.”

Then I turn to Yvette, the true villain of this debacle. And my victim. “You and Brock were at the spa with them. How could you let this happen?” I have eyes and ears, and I know what we’d walked in on as soon as the car rolled into the driveway. Guilt was written all over the two of them. And it still stains Yvette’s cheeks. But it suits my plan to pretend I haven’t guessed.

My darling granddaughter jumps in with the damning words. Better Kacey says them rather than me. “They both said at the last minute that they didn’t want to go. That they wanted to stay behind and soak up the sun.”

I smile inside, not a flicker of it showing on my lips. Instead, I look aghast. “You let them all go on their own?”

I expect her to fight back. And she does. “They’re adults, Adeline. They can go to a spa on their own.”

“So you could—” I spread my hands, fluttering them as if I just can’t grasp the truth. “So you and your brother-in-law could enjoy the sun?” My tone got harder with every word.

Yvette can no longer say a word. There is no defense.

I’m not surprised at the scene we came upon once we’d returned to the house. I could hardly not hear Kacey say that word. Screwing . That’s what they’d been doing. Thank God Kacey called me when she couldn’t get hold of her mother. She’d been in tears. Garth had taken over the phone, saying he couldn’t get hold of either Brock or Yvette. It was fortunate Kacey made that call. If it had been Garth, he’d have called Trevor first. At that point, I’d immediately directed Trevor back to the house.

So the scene we came upon wasn’t a shock, not at all. It was obvious after Trevor herded me into the car the way he did. Something was up. Though I hadn’t known exactly what, I did know my two sons were colluding against me.

Thank goodness for Darryl and whatever horrific thing he’d done.

And again, I smile deep inside. It’s just so perfect.

Especially when Kacey says, “And they weren’t just sunbathing, Grandmother.” She sends her mother a glare that shreds Yvette to pieces. “They were in bed together.”

If I were her mother rather than her grandmother, I would slap her for that tone. No one talks to me that way. But right now, she’s doing and saying exactly what I need her to. Because that means I don’t have to be the bad guy.

The harlot gives a horrified little gasp. But that traitor Lorna jumps in as if she’s suddenly taken on the role of peacemaker. “Kacey, sweetheart, they’re consenting adults. They can do whatever they want.”

Kacey spits out exactly what I want to say. “It’s disgusting.”

I see Yvette breaking down, bit by bit, first her fingers digging into the chair arms, then her eyes turning to blurred pools, and finally her bosom heaving as if she can’t make her lungs work. I’d broken her once, long ago, and it had sent her running down to the gatehouse to live. Although she hadn’t left Pierce the way I’d hoped.

I will break her again. And this time when she runs, that will be the end of her. I can wash that girl right off my hands.

But Jodi isn’t chiming in. I need her to back up her sister.

“I’m sure you were both shocked.” I set my watery gaze on my two granddaughters and play the mediator. “But your Aunt Lorna is right. They’re adults.” Then I give my youngest granddaughter a needed push. “Are you all right, Jodi? You haven’t said a word. Please, we all need to talk this out.”

Jodi opens her mouth, but Kacey jumps in before her sister can speak. “This is all your fault,” she shouts at her mother.

Good, very good. The more blame cast about, the better.

“Darryl told me there was something going on between the two of you.” She points her finger at Yvette like the bony hand of judgment. “I wouldn’t believe him. But now I wouldn’t put it past you to send the police to arrest him because he knew what was going on.”

Oh my. I want to clap my hands. I want to cheer. She is marvelously off the rails, to use an old but very apt cliché. And I say softly, “Please, Kacey, you need to calm yourself.” Of course, when you tell someone to calm down, that just works them up even more.

Kacey doesn’t calm down, and she hurls the words at her mother. “I hate you for what you’ve done.”

Ahh, this is perfect.

But I do wonder why they arrested that little mushroom, Darryl. Not that it matters. I don’t care one whit. It would be even better if we left him here. He isn’t our responsibility. Let his parents bail him out.

Jodi stands, puts her arm around her hysterical sister. “Come on, Kacey, this isn’t doing any good. Let’s go back to your room. Maybe you can sleep. Or take a shower. That’ll help you feel better.”

Kacey bursts into tears again, and her sister leads her away. I expect Yvette to melt into a miserable puddle on the floor after what her daughter said.

But the harlot is glaring at me with the venom of a rattlesnake in her eyes. “You’re a witch.”

No. I’m a python.

And I will suffocate the life out of this relationship she’s forged with my son if it’s the last thing I ever do.