This Side of Heaven (14 page)

When the last guest left, and after Nate turned in for the night, Annie went outside on the front porch and stared through the evergreen tops to the distant stars. Josh’s funeral service had been like his life—small and insignificant. Just as well that Babette stayed away. The service would’ve given her one more way she could compare Josh with her son and find Josh lacking.

A breeze blew against Annie’s brow and she thought of one more sad detail. The daughter Josh talked about, the one he was sure was his own, was also not at the funeral. She wasn’t his daughter, definitely not. But still, something hurt deep inside her because the girl he’d thought about and prayed for and longed for didn’t know he had died. But there was something even sadder than that. Whoever she belonged to, the girl hadn’t only missed Josh’s death.

She’d missed his life.

THIRTEEN

F
reddy had saved the message for her, and by Sunday morning Maria had listened to it four times. Each time, the lawyer’s words held a deeper reservoir of hope and potential. A settlement? From a big-time lawyer? So, maybe she
had
picked the right guy that night in Las Vegas. Josh hadn’t been worth anything last time they’d talked, but he must have come into some kind of fortune, because now there was a settlement at stake.

And her Savannah was the guy’s only heir. What kind of great luck was that?

The thought made her giddy with possibility. She had Savannah dress in her best jeans and T-shirt, the one with the flowers on it, and she took her downtown on the subway to Central Park. But this time Maria had no intention of begging money off people. Today was the turnaround Maria had been waiting for. They would walk the path through the park and talk about mother-daughter things, the way they always should have. And Maria would dream about all the ways she could spend the money.

Strange about the timing. On Friday night Maria had placed an anonymous call to Child Protective Services asking whether it was possible to turn a kid in if you couldn’t handle raising her any longer. She wouldn’t give her name, but the lady she talked to said it was definitely possible. First, they’d give the overwhelmed parent a class on child rearing and then they required the parent to take several counseling sessions and blah-blah-blah. But the bottom line was yes, CPS would take her. Maria was seriously thinking about taking Savannah this week and dropping her off for good.

Freddy was tired of sleeping with her, and a couple opportunities had come up with a pimp in the financial district. High rollers with big money and no one to spend it on. She could see herself in a penthouse suite, the kept woman of some bank manager or investment millionaire. But not with Savannah in tow, definitely not.

Late Friday she’d even told Savannah her plans. “My days as your mama might be just about over.” She’d talked real nice, giving Savannah her most kind smile. “I care about you too much to let you live like this any longer. Plus, some big opportunities are showing up for your mama.” Maria had drunk nearly a bottle of Freddy’s burgundy wine, so she probably said more than she should’ve. “You understand, right?”

Savannah shook her head. “No, Mama. I don’t wanna leave you.”

But the girl had to know that her life was about to change. “Don’t worry, Savannah. There’s someone out there who wants you a whole lot more than me. Someone better for you.”

“My daddy, you mean?”

Maria had only laughed. “Yeah, sure, baby. Maybe it’ll be your daddy.” What mattered wasn’t who took Savannah in, but that Maria could finally be free of her. At least that’s how she felt Friday and Saturday. But all that changed the minute Maria listened to the message from the lawyer.

“Today’s a celebration,” she told Savannah when they stepped off the subway. She reached for her daughter’s hand and realized how good it felt to connect with her this way. “Mama’s ship has finally come in.”

“What ship?” Savannah seemed confused, like she didn’t know what to make of her mother’s new attitude.

“The ship of good fortune.”

“Is it in the harbor?”

“No.” Maria laughed and she felt like other mothers for the first time, the ones she saw near the zoo and the playground and the fountain. The ones who were always walking and talking and laughing with their daughters. She smiled at Savannah. “This ship used to belong to your daddy, but now—now it belongs to me.”

“To you?”

Maria suddenly worried about that answer. What if the attorney arranged a talk with Savannah and heard that Maria thought the money was her own? She cleared her throat and slowed her pace. “Actually, the ship belongs to—to both of us.” She found her smile again. “Isn’t that wonderful?”

Savannah shrugged one shoulder, but her eyes looked happier than they had in a long time. Maria could’ve burst into song. She still had a little money from her time with the high roller in Central Park, the one with the gold chains. At the hot dog cart, she pulled a ten from her pocket, bought chili dogs and pop for both of them, and together they sat on the nearest empty bench.

Maria savored every bite of her dinner and breathed in deep the air of change around her. She had been looking forward to the next chapter in her life, finishing her role as a mother and moving into the world of people with lots of money. But she could get used to this, being a mother without having to sleep with anyone just to survive. If the settlement was large enough, she wouldn’t need to work her way into the world of the wealthy.

She was about to become one of them.

On Monday morning, Maria paced, checked her watch, and counted down hours until finally it was nine o’clock on the West Coast. At one minute after nine she placed the call to Thomas Flynn, attorney.

A woman answered on the first ring. “Flynn and Associates, how can I help you?”

Maria felt a little breathless. She stood straighter and leaned against the kitchen wall in Freddy’s apartment. “This is Maria Cameron. I’m returning a phone call from Thomas Flynn.”

“Just a moment, please.”

Her heart beat hard, and she hoped this Flynn guy wouldn’t hear it over the phone lines. Savannah was watching something on MTV, and Maria had turned the sound down so she could hear every detail of whatever good had come their way.

There was a click on the line. “Thomas Flynn here.”

“Hello.” Maria wasn’t sure how formal she should be. “Mr. Flynn, my name is Maria Cameron. You left me a message on Friday.”

“Yes.” There was a pause and something changed in the man’s voice. “I called about a client of mine—Josh Warren. Are you familiar with that name?”

“Yes, of course. We were—we were very close.” Maria silently congratulated herself on her acting job. Besides, for those few days in Vegas, she and Josh truly were close. She would have moved in with him if he’d been honest about his financial status. She turned up the concern in her tone. “Has—has something happened to him?” Maria was pretty sure about the answer, otherwise there wouldn’t be a need to discuss the fact that Savannah was his heir.

“Yes.” The attorney let out a breath, as if the news was still difficult for him. “Mr. Warren passed away a week ago.”

Maria allowed a soft gasp. “That’s terrible. Was it an accident?”

“We aren’t sure what happened. He died in his sleep.”

“No.” She pictured the virile young man who had shared a bed with her some eight years ago. His death truly was a shame. If he’d lived long enough to win the money coming to him, he would’ve been a great catch. She softened her voice. “That’s just awful.”

“Yes, well . . .” The attorney sounded disturbed by the fact, and maybe a little suspicious. “The reason I’m calling, Ms. Cameron, is because Mr. Warren was at the end of a major lawsuit when he died.” He asked if Maria had a seven-year-old daughter named Savannah, and when Maria assured him that yes, she did, he went on. “His estate stands to receive a major settlement, and, well, he told the court that your daughter was his sole heir.”

“That’s true, at least as far as I know.” Her contrite tone hid the excitement starting to build within her. “Do you mind if I ask—how much is the settlement for?”

“That hasn’t been determined.” This time there was no doubt about Mr. Flynn’s disgust toward her. “The point is, paternity needs to be determined before we can consider your daughter a rightful heir to Mr. Warren’s estate. Would you be willing to subject your daughter to a paternity test?”

From the beginning Maria had known Savannah belonged to Josh. Her husband at the time rarely slept with her, and Maria suspected he was sterile because he’d never managed to get her pregnant. Not that she really wanted kids. She wanted the child support, and she’d figured a child wouldn’t be too bad. Better than getting a job, anyway. When Savannah was born, she’d seen Josh in her from the beginning. The girl had his eyes and the shape of his face, and after a few months she was sure. Regardless of what people thought about her, she hadn’t slept with more than a few men in the time frame when she’d gotten pregnant, and Savannah looked more like Josh than any of the others. She glanced at her daughter, sitting cross-legged in front of the TV. “Yes, sir, for sure. I don’t have medical insurance, but if you set it up, I’ll take her wherever you want for a paternity test.”

“Very well.” The man sounded tired. “I’ll take care of the details and get back to you.”

“Thank you, Mr. Flynn.” She was still sounding the part of the grieving friend. “I’ll share the news with Savannah.”

“Let’s wait. I think we should have test results first.”

“Okay.” Maria sounded hurt. “But I can assure you with my whole being that Savannah is Josh Warren’s daughter. If you want us to wait for the test to talk about it, I can do that.”

“Thank you. I think it’s the least we can do.”

Maria hung up the phone and for a brief moment she felt sorry for Josh. He’d been a nice guy, a little heavy but good-looking. And in the few days they’d known each other he had fallen hard for her. There was something sad about the fact that he was dead—especially since he really was Savannah’s father. But on the other hand . . .

For the first time in her life something good had come her way and she wasn’t going to do a single thing to mess it up. Not this time. Once they had the results of the paternity test, she and Savannah would take the money and make the kind of life for themselves Maria had only dreamed about. The thought made her smile as she found a box of macaroni and cheese in Freddy’s cupboard.

Poor Josh. He was just like any other guy until now. But once they had the paternity test, she and Savannah would ride this all the way to the bank, and in some ways that would mean Josh’s death wasn’t in vain.

All of which made Maria feel better about herself than she’d felt in a very long time.

Thomas felt like he needed to take a shower after just five minutes on the phone with the woman. From the tone in her voice and her hurry to find out the amount of the settlement, he could sense that Maria Cameron was just like he’d imagined her to be. She couldn’t care less about

Josh Warren—only that by some good twist of fate she’d managed to trick him into fathering her child. If she was right, anyway, and Josh really was the girl’s dad.

The paternity test would be the deciding factor, and he would set it up through a clinic in New York City. She had no insurance, so clearly Josh’s estate would be footing the bill. He allowed a heavy sigh. With the certainty in the woman’s voice, he had no choice but to give Josh’s parents a warning.

He dialed Annie’s cell phone, and when she answered, he heard the same thing he’d heard each time he’d talked to her since Josh’s death: the hollow emptiness of someone whose heart had broken, someone who would never be the same again. “Hello, Thomas. How are you?”

“Hi, Annie. I’m fine.” He wished he could tell her he was just checking in with her, and that he had no news on the lawsuit. He wished he could tell her anything but the truth. “There’s, uh, there’s some new information that’s come to light in the court case.”

She uttered a sad laugh. “It’s been three years. How could there be anything new?”

“It’s nothing for sure yet, but I wanted you to know I’m working on the case and I’ve come across a few speed bumps.” His stomach churned with the possibilities. “When I have more information I’ll call or come see you.”

“Is this about the settlement?” The word “settlement” sounded bitter on her tongue.

“Well . . .” He was still standing at the window, still looking out over downtown Denver and wondering how he could find some good news for the woman. “It’s more about Josh’s estate, how the settlement will be disbursed.”

Thomas hated being evasive, but he had no choice. He had to raise the possibility of a problem, but there was nothing to tell her, not until the paternity test results were in.

“His estate?” Annie was a smart woman. Her voice told him that she suspected the news might not be good, even if she had no idea what the details involved.

“Yes.” Thomas stood and paced to his window. How much heartache could the woman take? “I’ll tell you when I know more, Annie. I promise.”

There was a slight pause on the other end. “Can I tell you something?”

“Of course.”

“My husband and I don’t care about Josh’s money, not in the way some people might care about a large settlement.” Her voice sounded strained, like she was on the verge of crying. Each word was deliberate as she continued. “But my son lost his life because of that accident, because that driver drank himself into a stupor and got behind the wheel. Whatever this new information is, whatever’s happening with Josh’s estate, we’re trusting you, Thomas, to see that justice is done.” She hesitated. “The same way Josh trusted you.”

Her words were like so many weights on his shoulders. “I appreciate that.” He tried to imagine how she’d feel if the paternity test came back positive, and he put the possibility out of his mind. “Every day I ask God to give me the wisdom to do what’s right by Josh’s memory.”

“Thank you.” She sniffed softly. “Nate and I are doing the same, praying for you. No settlement will bring Josh back, but we have ideas about how to use the money he has coming to him. Charities and family members who can benefit from his legacy. A college fund for Josh’s niece and nephew. That sort of thing.”

“Right.” Thomas swallowed hard. “Good. Well, like I said, I’ll be in touch when I know more.”

The call ended and Thomas lowered the phone to his side. He didn’t know Maria Cameron but he could picture her, a single mom raising a lonely girl in New York City. What sort of married woman would go to Vegas alone and trap a man into sleeping with her? That’s what she’d done, no question. He lifted his eyes to the hazy sky. He’d heard it said that when the haze didn’t quite burn off over the city there was always sunshine just beyond the clouds.

But today he had to wonder.

Dear God . . . You know all things and I believe in You even when life doesn’t make sense. But just know I’m struggling with this one. If the paternity test comes back positive, then everyone loses—even the little girl. She’ll never see any of the money if her mother gets her hands on it.
His head hurt again and he willed himself to trust.
If all things really work to the good of those who love You, then please work in this situation and let the right thing happen for Josh’s family. Please.
As he finished the prayer, he didn’t hear an answer or sense a Bible verse come to mind. But he had the undeniable assurance that he’d been heard by God Almighty—whatever lay ahead.