Lakeshore Secrets: The McAdams Sisters - Kate McAdams (By The Lake Series Book 1) (15 page)

“Marcus you are very much like your father.” That was a lie right across her lips. Oh good Lord they were not getting anywhere.

“Eliza,” a concerned Carl said from behind him. “Maybe now isn’t such a good time.”

“It will never be a good time,” she told him.
What would never be a good time? Why all the secrets?
“Marcus, I love you.” Marcus stilled. It wasn’t odd for her to profess her love, but the tone told him there was something to follow. Something not good. He watched his sister’s expressions alter. She continued. “Robert was a difficult man who craved power and wealth above all. Above me and above his family. He could be a mean man. But he wasn’t always like that.” She breathed a sigh, her mind travelling back to the time to the moments she was sharing. “There was a time long ago before his father died when he was a good man. But after the passing of his father, he changed. The power and the money he inherited changed him.” Marc realized then, that this was her greatest fear for him and contributed towards manifesting all the secrets between them. She feared Marc might follow in his father’s footsteps as his father had followed in his grandfather’s. Marc lacked his father’s desire for money and control and he hoped somewhere deep inside his mother would know that he never craved the life his father led.

“It was the lies and the secrets behind your grandfather’s office that changed him and I know your heart is good but so was his, so I feared changing it. Do you understand?”

More than he had before, although he wished she had been upfront and honest with him. He couldn’t be mad at her about her decision to protect her children. Marc wrapped his hands around his mother and squeezed. “I understand.” Marc turned to his uncle. “I’m sorry I have been short with you lately.”

He nodded.

“Momma, we can help you in any way,” Violet said. “We want to help.”

Emma agreed quickly, rubbing their mom’s arms. “If we all help, it won’t be so much on you both.”

Eliza hugged her supporting daughters. “Right now we are tying up some loose ends, such as the deal today. We knew he wouldn’t accept the offer but it had to be done in person. They didn’t only want us to buy the hotel...they wanted us to provide information your father had agreed that would destroy another’s life.” So, that was why they didn’t want him at the meeting. They were shielding him like from the dragon’s lair.

She turned to Marc. “There is more. Can we sit please?”

Marc wasn’t sure he liked where this was going. They pulled Adirondack chairs in a circle and sat together just as they would from here on in with no secrets between them. Marc remained across from his mother, Carl beside him and a sister on each side of Eliza.

She took a deep breath before she started. “At the beginning I wanted to help Robert deal with everything that had been given to him. He seemed so lost in that office, hours upon hours doing...I have no idea what.” She lifted her hands into the air and twirled them about. “He learned things, things that made him cold and angry and as the years passed, he became the man you remember. He became his father.”

No one talked about Marc’s grandparents. They both died long before him or any of his siblings had been born. Although their picture hung in the foyer of the suites, and they had built this empire in turn made the Caliendo’s a wealthy, well-known name, there wasn’t much said personally about his grandparents. He knew that his grandfather had bought the property and converted the house into an Inn, continually building into the resort they ran today. However, it was never clarified where his grandfather’s money came from: family money or illegally grossed money.

His mother continued her story. “At that time Corbin wasn’t even a year old and the hard days turned into years. Your father had changed so much and whenever I talked to him, he would fume. I felt so alone. So one night I packed a small bag of our things to leave and with a tired three year old I wasn’t sure what I was going to do, but it had to be better than living alone in fear. Would I say something to set him off? Would Corbin say something to set him off? Would he come home already set off by something at the resort?”

Carl continued. “He stopped checking in with staff and customers, and left everything up to me, except his files.”

Marc had never seen the files, so he assumed at some point his uncle and mother had tucked them all away, more than likely in Carl’s suite where Marc wouldn’t snoop.

“He caught me trying to leave,” his mother continued. “And it wasn’t good. It was the worst I had ever seen him.” Marc could see the memories making her tremble. Marc didn’t know exactly what she was about to tell them but he suspected if he had known the next revelation about his father before he passed they wouldn’t have parted on the better terms of their relationship.

She shook her head. “I didn’t want to give you more bad memories of Robert. That was not my intention.” She paused, her eyes moving to share a moment with Carl that they all observed but remained quiet. There was history between them with a man they both loved. She was gathering the strength to continue her story. “It happened more than once. I can’t say it ever really ended.”

“Momma, what happened?” Violet asked. “Did Dad hit you?”

She nodded, looking ashamed. “He only raised a hand to me once.” She wasn’t making sense.

“Then what never stopped?” Emma inquired.

“I couldn’t leave after that, he wouldn’t let me, but I also couldn’t stay living the way we were. I needed help and I had no one.” His mother lost her family in a fire before she met his father. “So, I found Carl and he stood up for me and Corbin. He set Robert right in his place.”

Carl took the spotlight. “We were all very young with a lot of responsibility and no family to help guide us. Your father needed guidance even if he didn’t think so. There were things I knew that would land Robert in a jail cell so we all came to an understanding.”

Marc could never picture his uncle being responsible for sending family to jail. But then, he hadn’t pictured his father raising a hand to his mother.

“It’s hard to explain to you so you will understand,” his uncle continued. “We were all much younger than you are now and we were all we had. So the three of us worked out an arrangement that benefited all of us.”

“Marcus,” his mother said pulling his eyes away from his uncle. “I say you are like your father because you are soft-hearted and a family man. You stand up for what you believe in and your beliefs are true to your heart. You can define the difference between right and wrong. Robert wasn’t that man. He was never that man. You are that man. You may have gotten some of that from me, but you got the rest from your father.” Her words were conflicting, leaving them all confused.

“I don’t understand.”

“Carl is that man.” Marc’s breathing skipped a beat. He knew the meaning behind that statement faster than it took for his heart to jump back to beat. His sisters both gasped.

Marc’s eyes flew to his uncle...father. It was them, they never ended. There was something between them...love?

“He’s also Isabelle’s father,” she added in a quick breath.

“Mother!” the girls cried in unison.

“Oh my gosh! What about us?” Emma asked.

“You two are Roberts,” she quickly clarified.

Marc stood up.

His mother caught his hand. “Marcus, say something,” she pleaded.

“It doesn’t seem that Robert was the only deceitful member of this family.”

Marc stared down at the cello wrapped brightly coloured gerbera flower bouquet in his hands as he waited in the lineup to pay. It was the only thing he had purchased.

It had been a week since the big Caliendo breakdown confession show and Izzy had just arrived home late the afternoon before. She was exhausted and skipped supper to
rejuvenate herself,
her words, before disappearing into her suite.

It seemed like now that his mother’s conscience was freed with three quarters of her children she could hardly wait to tell the last child. He almost understood her desire to keep such secrets to herself as he played out the inevitable scene causing his stomach to knot with anticipation. It was so different not knowing and being told, than knowing and watching someone else have to endure the reality. And being Izzy, who was one hundred percent more irrational than him, he figured she was going to go on an all-so-famous Izzy rant leaving everything upturned like a rabbit digging carrots out of a garden and putting everyone in a chaotic state like the farmer whose day of planting was spoiled. And that was only if it didn’t go over too badly.

His mother was preparing them a meal in her...and Carl’s suite. Apparently, although Carl’s suite was just next door. Carl had become a regular fixture in his mother’s suite since Robert’s death, continuing their blooming romance which was concealed until now. Marc still wasn’t sure how he felt about that.

The blue, purple, yellow and pink petals stared up at him bright and bold as if loudly stating that bringing flowers to smooth over your sister’s paternity reality was absolutely ridiculous. And it would look odd. He was one person away from paying, when he decided he would present them to his mother instead of Izzy and prevent further suspicion before supper even began.

“I would speculate those are for my sister but considering the way you two parted I’m going to assume I’m not accurate.” Peyton’s voice sliced through his thoughts. “Unless, you’re planning an apology. Not that I am assuming it was your fault because of course she didn’t tell us anything.”

With all the extra family drama and all the women in his life smothering him with concern, he hadn’t had any spare time to think about Kate. Until the lights were turned off and he lay alone in his bed, but even then he was usually so exhausted he passed out in minutes and Kate was only a drifting thought. He couldn’t very well tell Peyton that.

“Didn’t go straight home after your trip?”

She smiled and winked those matching hazel eyes to a woman he’d thought he caught again and was never letting go. “I got it, none of my business. And I’m staying in town at my dad’s. I have a few appointments lined up at the banks in town.” She wrinkled her nose. “I had one this morning that didn’t go over as good as I had hoped.”

The empty building Gran had left them. “Your spa/soap shop?”

She beamed. “Kate told you?”

He nodded.

“Hmm, she must have
really
liked the idea then.”

He nodded again.

Her smile fell to a frown. “I called in a contractor and got a quote to fix the building up and took it to the bank. Along with the start-up cost of supplies to make the soap and body products on a bigger scale then what Gran and Abby were producing out of their kitchen. It didn’t go over so well.”

The lady in front of him finished her sale and Marc set the flowers, that would reassure his mother he had forgiven her on the counter. Carl was his father and his mother had lied so sure he was angry. This was unacceptable. However, how would that look to people? He already knew his father wouldn’t have allowed it. Marc was left either being totally furious with all of them or moving on. Forgiving them...that would take some time, but he understood.

He dug one of his business cards out of his pocket and flipped it over quickly jotting his cell number on the back. “Here take this. If it doesn’t work out with any of your other appointments give me a call and we
will
work something out.” He stressed the word will to let her know it wasn’t negotiable. He would help them.

Peyton took his card a bit reluctantly and stared up at him a bit surprised. She waited for him to pay and followed him out onto the cold November sidewalk. “Marc, are you serious?”

“I wouldn’t have handed you my card otherwise.?

She smiled shyly. “That’s amazing.”

“I will want to see the business plan, the profit turnover, the expenses...the whole deal before I hand over a cheque.”

“I have all of it.”

He nodded. “So give me a call.”

“Thank you.”

“Talk to you soon.”

***

Three hours later his family had all gathered for supper, sharing secret worrying glances between them. Marc had also been pulled aside by every member of the family to have a secret conversation...again.

His mother had wanted to apologize and confirm he was alright and that he had actually forgiven her for all the lies that had unfolded. Even if she didn’t come right out and say it. Carl wanted to verify they were alright and asked for his consent to continue a relationship with his mother, which was completely unnecessary and awkward. Violet wanted to make sure he was able to discuss the events again with Izzy so soon and make sure he was alright. Emma ventured over to remind him that Melissa was only a phone call away if he needed someone who wasn’t family to talk to. And Izzy wanted to whack his shoulder a few times and tell him what a dumbass he was for abandoning Kate after they’d been tapping all night. Tapping? What was with the term?

He smiled remembering Kate specifically telling them there would be no tapping hardly an hour before he made her a liar. Kate. What was he going to do about her? They’d exchanged numbers before his accusations, so he was planning on calling her to apologize. He had been way out of line. He wanted to wait until after her trip and even then he knew his words would probably be unacknowledged. He had truly messed up big time and realized it may not be fixable.

They sat down to a delicious roasted chicken, potatoes and vegetable meal that his mother had been busy preparing all week. Not literally, but the menu had changed a minimum of once a day.

“How was your week?” she asked Izzy.

“Awesome. Those McAdams sisters are crazy. They are all willing to do almost anything, except Sydney, she seems a little more mommy-like and Kate was a little bit...” She looked at Marc. “Distracted. But she busted a mean move on that dance floor. I mean I personally didn’t get any action while I was there.”

His sisters both sighed in disapproval and said in unison, “Izzy seriously?” and a “Really Izzy, come on, we are eating.”

“What? I was just trying to break in that Marc banged Kate in a cabin in the woods where they spent the night together.”

Everyone stopped eating and five sets of eyes fell on him. His only went to Izzy’s. “What?” she said innocently then ate a forkful of potatoes before mouthing,
You’re welcome
.

“Marc?” his mother asked.

“Long story.”

“Where is Kate when you need a good story,” Violet teased.

“Well, he dropped her off at the hotel in quite a mood. She looked like she wanted to drill a fist through the wall,” Izzy continued.

They turned to him again. “You do all realize however many times you glance at me, what happened in that cabin was between me and Kate.”

“Have you talked to her since?” Izzy pushed.

“When I saw you two, she was fine,” Carl observed. “Did something happen after that?” That was a big “
Yes
”.

“Again, not open for discussion.”

“Maybe we should invite Melissa over so you’re willing to dish out details to make her uncomfortable,” Emma suggested. “Like the whole sauna story,” she added.

“I can’t help if parts of my life make Melissa uncomfortable. If the two of you would get it through your heads that I’m not interested we wouldn’t all have to walk on egg shells.” Emma glared at him. Sometimes the truth hurt...obviously from recent events...and those two needed to move past some teenage dream they were becoming sister-in-laws through him.

“Alright,” his mother interjected. “That’s enough. If Marc doesn’t want to talk about it, let’s drop it.”

“Until after supper and Mom’s all over that,” Izzy said. “I call first dibs on the replay.”

She shook her head briskly at her daughter with a scowl to try quieting her. Izzy retaliated by continuing tales of her fun-filled weekend, throwing in quips about Kate every opportunity she had. They got to hear about Kate’s revealing bathing suit, and how she could out drink all of them and still wake up earlier than all of them in the morning with a mouthful of jokes and laughter. Marc didn’t comment.

When his sisters started to clear the dishes, his mother ushered everyone into the sitting area. It was time to sit down and tell Izzy who her biological father was. But before that subject came up, Eliza decided she better start with her other bombshell since at the end of the last discussion Marc had been walking away before she finished. He still didn’t know how he felt about her confession but he’d wanted all the truth.

She started with her same story, but before the part where Marc and Izzy were Carl’s children she dipped into what would change all their lives forever. Sure, Carl being their dad was a surprise but the only thing it changed was the formalities of titles. Carl had always been a part of their entire lives growing up and at times he’d been more of a father than Robert. He could sit around and debate what it would be like if they’d known the truth when they were young and how different their lives would be, but there was no changing it, so he didn’t purposely venture down that road.

“Robert,” his mother was saying and he noted her referring to their names instead of using their titles because after the exposure the titles were going to be reissued for the two of them. “Was a bad influence on Corbin. He was always trying to manipulate Corbin to his own benefit, usually in regards to us, his family. They spent a lot of time together even against my better judgment and one night, when he was only seventeen, he was acting strange.” Her eyes looked so sad as she retold the story. “I managed to discover he had been instructed to cut the brakes on Carl’s car the night of March eighteenth.”

Izzy gasped. “That’s the night Corbin died,” she said. “He had come to you? He had told you?”

“Yes, he did tell me and we went to Carl and arranged for the car to crash.”

“What?” Izzy looked horrified.

His mother looked exasperated. “Isabelle, let me finish. He never cut the brakes. His car was in the parking garage which is under video surveillance,so we had Corbin fake cutting the brakes, then get in the car and drive away.”

“Mother!”

“Corbin didn’t die in that crash Isabelle!” His mother’s unusually frantic voice echoed through the house and finally quieted her daughter who sat back in her chair and stared wide eyed at her mother...was she speechless? Marc had to resist pulling his phone out and snapping a picture. When his mother regained her composure, she ran her hands over her lap and folded her hands on them. “We whisked him away from the resort and away from Robert. We faked his death to keep him safe.”

Izzy’s horrified face dropped instantly like a child’s and confusion etched its way across her features. “Corbin’s not dead?” Izzy looked around. “Why don’t any of you look shocked? Do you already know?” Their guilty eyes answered her. Her hands flew in the air. “Are you kidding me? You all knew and are just telling me now?”

“No, no,” Violet assured her. “We didn’t know until this week, but you weren’t here.”

Izzy laughed suddenly. “Oh my gosh, you all were breaking me into this. I wondered why Momma was cooking. Actually I didn’t even know that she could cook so that’s two things I learned today. Oh my goodness Momma do you know him? What’s he like? Does he look like any of us?” Her reaction was like no other Was she even taking this seriously?

Marc would have like to have stopped there. Izzy seemed quite content learning about her oldest brother. His mom continued and plainly told her who her biological father was. Quick and fast like ripping off a band-aid, nothing like the way she had told him.

“I know,” Izzy said. Now the puzzled looks were across everyone else’s faces.

“You know?” Eliza asked.

She nodded. “Ya, Dad told me years ago.”

Everyone looked at Carl, but he shrugged, just as puzzled as the rest.

“No, Robert told me,” Izzy clarified. “He was mad because I didn’t want to go to a private school and he was ranting away and it came out.”

“And you believed him?” Eliza asked. “Just like that you thought I would have an affair?” Marc didn’t know why she was so shocked...she did have an affair...more than once.

“Of course not, although I wouldn’t have blamed you. I thought Dad was just being
Robert
, but then I saw it. The way you and Carl shared glances or would stare at each other when you thought no one was looking. You two laugh together whenever you sneak away in a corner or are alone at a table and I just knew. It was love.” His mother flushed. Carl turned away.

“Why didn’t you come to me?” Eliza asked. “That’s a pretty big burden.”