Change of Heart Read online

  Val left them to their clumsy kissing. She pulled out her phone, wondering if she dared text Nathaniel this late. He would have to wake the kids to come and get her, but the cottage was too far to walk. What other choice did she have? Seth? She dialed Seth’s number as she walked to the parking lot, but he didn’t answer. Val sighed as she scrolled down to Nathaniel’s number and pressed Send.

  He answered on the second ring. “Val?”

  “Mr. Cavanaugh, I’m so sorry to wake you. I—”

  “Val, are you all right? Did he hurt you?”

  The concern in his voice brought tightness to her throat. “No, I’m not hurt. But, I need a ride. I’m in the parking lot at Craigwood Beach.”

  “I’ll be right there.”

  The call disconnected and Val sat on a large rock to wait. She hadn’t taken any pain medication for a few hours and the ache of her injuries had returned. She replayed the phone conversation in her mind and her heart did a slow roll as she thought of Nathaniel’s words, his voice, how quickly he had pledged to come to her rescue. Why in the world am I so breathless? She examined her feelings and stopped quickly, afraid of what she would find, and afraid of the heartbreak the discovery would cause.

  Chapter Five

  Nathaniel drove down the dark road as quickly as was safely possible, scanning the side of the lane for the Craigwood sign. His heart had pounded steadily for twenty minutes as he envisioned different scenarios that would have led to Val’s phone call. His hands shook as he thought of that punk on the motorcycle taking advantage of her. Images filled his mind, and he had to force them out to concentrate on driving. Once he spotted the turn off, he followed the side road to the parking lot, squinting as he searched for Val.

  The beams of the headlights swept over the ground and finally illuminated her sitting on a rock near the edge of the lot.

  She waved and started toward him.

  Nathaniel braked, threw open the door, and sprang out of the car. He grasped Val by the shoulders. “What happened? What did he do to you?” He stepped to the side and tilted his head to get a better look at her face in the light. She looked unharmed, only tired, and cold.

  “Nobody hurt me.” She squinted and lifted her hand, blinking against the bright lights. “He’s drunk. I didn’t want to let him drive me home.”

  The flood of relief that swept over Nathaniel nearly choked him. He released his tensed muscles and wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms.

  Instead, he led her to the passenger side of the car. He opened the door, reached inside for the blanket she’d gotten after her accident, and wrapped it around her shoulders, and then settled her into the car. Once he’d closed her door, he sagged against it. Thank goodness, she’s okay. He climbed behind the wheel and turned the car around, heading back to the cottage.

  “Mr. Cavanaugh, I am so sorry for dragging you out of bed in the middle of the night. And Finn and Ruby, too.” She motioned toward the back seat where his children slept. “I didn’t know what else to do…”

  “Don’t be sorry, Val.” He glanced toward where she sat, wrapped in the blanket. Her hair was a mess. “I’d take a midnight drive over another late-night visit from the Highway Patrol any day.”

  Val formed her mouth into an ‘o’ and lowered her eyes.

  When they arrived at the cottage, Nathaniel lifted Ruby carefully out of her seat. It’s amazing what children can sleep through.

  Val carried Finn

  They held the screen door for one another to keep it from banging and tiptoed up the stairs, using hand gestures to communicate as they tucked the kids back in their beds.

  Val closed Ruby’s door behind her and grinned. “Mission accomplished. Nice work, partner,” she whispered.

  Even in the shadows her dimples showed. Nathaniel smiled back. He saw the hour was well past midnight, and he was not tired in the least. “I could use some hot chocolate, could you?”

  Val nodded. “I’ll make it. Let me change first.”

  “You obviously have no idea how good my hot chocolate is, or you wouldn’t offer.”

  Her grin grew. “Meet you on the porch then?”

  Ten minutes later, Nathaniel carried two cups of thick hot chocolate through the screen door.

  Val had changed into pajama pants and a sweatshirt. The blanket was spread across her lap. “Thanks.” She took the mug he offered.

  The outfit was the most clothing he’d seen her wear at one time. He slid back into the Adirondack chair and watched her, both relieved to have her safe and anxious to see her pleased expression when she tasted the drink. A burst of contentment filled him every time he made her happy, and the confidence in his ability to do something right for a change grew. He realized no matter how hard he’d tried, where Clara was concerned, he’d failed at everything he’d attempted for so long that he’d stopped making any effort.

  Val blew across the top of her hot chocolate and took a sip. “Mmmm…”

  Nathaniel nodded. “I told you it was good.”

  “Not just good. Liquid-heaven-in-a-mug good. What’s in it?”

  “Secret recipe.” He wasn’t disappointed. It only took the simplest of things to bring utter joy to Val’s face and he found the sensation of watching her immensely satisfying.

  “And you don’t share your secret recipe?”

  He shook his head. “I’m taking it to the grave.” The crashing of waves soothed him and let him relax as he enjoyed the warm drink. His eyes drifted shut.

  “Mr. Cavanaugh?”

  With a start, he opened his eyes. “I really think you should call me Nathaniel.” He was starting to get drowsy.

  “Sir, that would be completely inappropriate, not when I’m working for you.”

  “That’s true, but sometimes you don’t seem like an employee.”

  Val raised her eyes and their gazes met. “I don’t act very professional, do I?”

  “That’s not what I meant. Sometimes, you seem more like a friend.” Nathaniel could tell that his guard was down. Why did talking to someone at night free people of their inhibitions? He needed to be careful not to say anything he’d regret.

  Val picked at her nails. “I need to thank you again for coming to get me. It’s the second time you’ve rescued me. I’m not doing very well in the whole ‘being an independent woman’ department, am I?”

  “That’s what friends do.” He closed his eyes and let his head fall back against the chair. Moments later, he sleepily registered Val had moved the blanket to cover him and took the empty mug from his hand, but he was too tired to do more than mutter, “Thanks.”

  “Good night, Nathaniel.”

  ****

  The next morning, Nathaniel walked into the kitchen, massaging his neck as he leaned his head from side to side. He loved the porch chairs, but spending the night in one definitely did his back no favors.

  Ruby sat at the table, coloring.

  Val stirred something on the stove and held Finn on her hip.

  Nathaniel looked over her shoulder before he took his son. “Smells wonderful.”

  “Daddy sleeping outside,” Finn said.

  “Y’all sit on down, and breakfast will be ready in a few,” Val said.

  Nathaniel placed Finn in his booster chair and sat next to Ruby. He leaned his elbows on the table, pushing his fingers through his hair.

  “Good morning, Daddy.” Ruby looked up from her coloring. “We’re having a ‘real suthin breakfast’.”

  “And what is a ‘real southern breakfast’?” He smiled a little at his daughter’s imitation of Val’s accent.

  Ruby shrugged.

  “Biscuits, gravy, eggs, sausage, bacon, grits.” Val set a basket of warm biscuits on the table. “And I cut up some fruit, just in case y’all feel like being healthy.” She fixed the children’s plates, pouring gravy over their biscuits and cutting up sausage. She lifted a bowl and offered it to him. “Grits, Mr. Cavanaugh?”

  “Thank you.”

  �
�Do y’all eat a ‘real suthin breakfast’ every Sunday, Val?” Ruby asked.

  Nathaniel cringed a little. He hoped this was just a phase and not a permanent change to Ruby’s speech pattern.

  “My momma used to make a big breakfast on Sunday. But after she died and my daddy lost his job, we…didn’t.” She reached to pick up a piece of sausage that had fallen from Finn’s plate.

  Nathaniel wondered just how hard things had gotten when Val’s father was out of work. He watched her pouring juice for the kids and thought about how much of a role she must have played in raising her brothers and sisters. Hadn’t she said she had a large family? Why had he never asked her about them before?

  “What are we doing today, Daddy?” Ruby asked.

  He pulled his thoughts from his nanny and focused on his daughter. “I’m leaving for Boston tomorrow morning, so you and Finn should choose our activities for today.”

  “I want to see the lighthouse.”

  “Finn, too.” He raised his arms up in the air.

  Val lifted Finn out of his booster seat and took him to the sink to wash his hands and face.

  “Can Val come with us?” Ruby tugged on his sleeve.

  “Certainly, if she wants.” He lifted his gaze to meet Val’s.

  Her brows furrowed and rose the slightest bit.

  Nathaniel nodded, smiling to indicate she was welcome to join them. He loved sharing a silent communication with someone. Her smile set off that surge of contentment inside him again.

  Val set Finn down and started stacking plates to clear off the table. “I wouldn’t miss it, Miss Ruby.”

  After Nathaniel showered, he drove the four of them out to the point.

  A silver-haired man in a flannel shirt met them outside the museum. He introduced himself as K.S. Bennson, the lighthouse keeper, and led them up the winding staircase to the observation deck.

  “Look!” Val pointed out at the water.

  Nathaniel squinted into the distance and saw a spray of water and the dark shape of a whale as it breeched and re-submerged. A swell grew in his chest. Though he’d seen similar displays often enough, he never failed to marvel at the sight.

  “Did you see it?” Val’s voice carried a note of delight.

  He turned to reply, but saw she was speaking to Ruby. He felt a twinge of disappointment, but pushed it away. He was being ridiculous to assume he was the first person Val would turn to in her excitement. He lifted Finn and stepped closer to watch for the whale again.

  K.S. leaned his arms on the rail next to Val. “Nevah get tired of that sight myself.”

  “I don’t imagine ya would.” Val smiled.

  The lighthouse keeper returned her smile and glanced at the others. “Would yah like a picture of your family?”

  Val opened her mouth to reply.

  Nathaniel handed K.S. his phone before she could explain their actual relationship. “Thank you.” The man didn’t need to know every detail about them. He lifted Finn and moved back to stand next to Val.”

  “Yah better move closer together.” He looked at the phone screen and motioned with his hand.

  Val caught Nathaniel’s gaze and shrugged. Pink spread over her cheeks, but she grinned.

  Nathaniel smiled and waggled his brows, causing her to laugh. Joking around with Val felt good. Just as he told her the day before, she seemed more like a friend than an employee. He stood next to her and smiled for the camera, then thanked K.S., and retrieved his phone.

  Finn leaned from Nathaniel’s arms toward Val. “Go back downstairs now.”

  She took him from Nathaniel. “I’ll take Finn down if y’all want to stay up here a little longer.”

  “I’m hungry.” Ruby pulled on Nathaniel’s shirt, her lips turned down at the corners.

  He breathed out a sigh and caught Val’s gaze again to share a look of pretend frustration at the children’s interference. They trooped out to the car. He drove back to the main part of the town. They wandered through the local shops and stopped at Ned’s Lobster Shack, sitting at picnic tables while they ate lobster rolls and watched the fishing boats in the harbor.

  Nathaniel was fascinated by the way Val interacted with the kids. She never seemed irritated when they wanted her attention. She’d stop what she was doing and listen to any observation, answer any question, no matter how many times they’d asked the same thing before. She seemed to have an endless supply of patience.

  Later, the four of them licked ice cream cones as they walked around the Memorial statue of the Lost Fisherman.

  He studied the names of the watermen lost at sea engraved at its base while the children played at the park.

  Val sat on a bench, watching Finn, and stood a time or two.

  Nathaniel figured she was ready to run after him when he chased seagulls. He grinned when he realized he hadn’t thought of the caseload once. He’d actually enjoyed an entire day with his family and the stress that typically started his head pounding in the early afternoon was surprisingly missing. He surveyed the park with his hands in his pockets and inhaled a deep breath. This is what he’d hoped for when he brought his kids to Maine.

  As the afternoon grew later, they strolled out toward the pier where the scales of today’s catch glistened in ice chests. The children studied the fish and squealed as the lobsters opened and closed their claws. After an entire day of playing tourist, they all returned to the cottage, exhausted. Val had diligently applied sunscreen to the children, but Nathaniel could feel his arms and neck were sunburned.

  Once she’d bathed the kids and tucked them into bed, Val joined Nathaniel on the porch. The sun was nearly gone, and the sky was bathed in a soft glow.

  “I have no idea how you do that all day. I am completely exhausted.” He stretched out his legs in front of him and rested his head back against the chair.

  Val smiled and leaned back against the railing. “You’re a fun daddy. Finn and Ruby are lucky to have you.”

  Her words took him by surprise. He didn’t consider himself fun at all, and he was unused to being complimented for his parenting skills. His wife had regularly done the opposite. “I wish I could be with them more. The firm takes up so much of my time.”

  Val moved to sit in the chair next to him. “They know you love them. And when they’re older, they’ll realize the reason you work so hard is for them.”

  “It’s not the entire reason.” Nathaniel rubbed his palm over his chin. “Some of my professional goals have nothing to do with making myself a better father. And I have days when I’ve given all I have to my job, and I can’t find any more to give when I get home. A lot of guilt comes with juggling a career and family.”

  “A man who’s fulfilled in his work will be happier, and that translates into his relationships with his family. That’s my opinion, anyway. You shouldn’t feel guilty or selfish for doing things for yourself.” She shrugged. “I guess it’s just a matter of balance.”

  Nathaniel pondered her words. She’d used the term balance twice now. Wise advice from someone who had seemingly very little world experience.

  Val tipped her head. “From what I’ve seen, you do it better than most.”

  “Thank you.” He was glad she didn’t know the truth. In Boston, he rarely saw his children. A few hours on the weekends were all. He left for the office early and arrived home long after they were in bed. Advancing in his competitive career meant some things had to be sacrificed. He wished he could push away the tight lump of guilt that burned in his chest when he thought of what he was sacrificing.

  “Do you like your lawyering job?” Val twisted to face him.

  Nathaniel laid his ankle on his other knee. “I forgot, you don’t trust lawyers.”

  “That was last week,” Val said. “Now I trust one.”

  He smiled. Her declaration was so simple, and yet, he felt as if he’d won a victory. He didn’t imagine earning Val’s trust to be easy, or that she bestowed it often. “You never told me why you don’t trust lawyers.”<
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  Val looked at him for a moment. “My momma died in a factory accident. Witnesses called it negligence by the company, but in the end, my daddy couldn’t afford a lawyer as good as the company’s, and the jury determined the accident was her fault.”

  Nathaniel felt a niggle of conscience. He knew companies hired big-shot lawyers to protect themselves from this exact thing. In fact, he was one of them. The idea that money could buy a verdict didn’t sit well, but when a company could afford to appeal again and again, they typically won. “How old were you when your mother died?”

  “Ten.”

  “And you raised your brothers and sisters?”

  Val nodded and rubbed her arm.

  “Where was your father?”

  She looked at him quickly.

  But she must have seen his question was asked out of concern instead of accusation, and the defensiveness left her expression.

  “After we lost Momma, we watched Daddy change.” She pulled her legs up to her chest as she talked, wrapping her arms around her knees. “He stopped smiling and singing. He’d leave for work in the morning, and then come home and go straight to bed. He got so skinny. After a few months, he stopped going to work at all and lost his job. Then, he just shut down. He stopped taking care of us, stopped buying food, and didn’t respond when we talked to him. Now, I realize he most likely suffered from depression, but a ten-year-old kid doesn’t understand something like that.”

  She looked toward him again, and then turned her gaze toward the sea in the darkness, letting out a heavy breath. “Not seeing any fireflies here is strange, don’t you think? I miss fireflies.”

  Nathaniel had learned the best way to keep someone talking was not to ask questions, but to wait and allow them to open up at their own pace.

  After a few minutes, Val twisted around, leaning her shoulder against the back of the chair. “Since I was the oldest, I cared for the babies. I took money from my daddy’s wallet to buy diapers and milk. We ate day-old bread that was thrown away behind the bakery. Every day, I would beg my daddy to eat. When my brothers were old enough to start hunting, they’d bring home whatever they’d killed.” She ducked her head. “Sometimes, we sneaked vegetables out of people’s gardens.”