Charles indicated the stools at the island. “Have a seat. Breakfast?”
“No thanks. Coffee is fine. We saw Will yesterday. He seems to be dealing with it all okay.”
Charles poured coffee into a to-go cup and slid it to him. “We need to head out. I made a call to juvie and arranged to see Will. I have to bring you along though. I hope you’re okay with it.”
Reid blinked. “That’s fine. I wouldn’t turn down any opportunity to see Will.”
“Let’s go then.”
Reid took the cup of coffee and followed Charles outside. What had just happened? Charles seldom asked for anything, and he hadn’t this morning either. He’d just made arrangements and expected Reid to fall in line. It was going to take a while to figure the man out.
For the first part of the drive to Bay Minette, Reid tried to make small talk, but Charles replied with one-word answers and stared out the window at the passing scenery until Reid gave up. When they were ten minutes from the juvenile center, Charles finally turned to Reid.
“You’re good for Jane, Reid. I want you to know that.”
“Thank you. She’s good for me and Will.”
“Jane and I have always had a . . . difficult relationship. My fault, not hers. She wanted what I couldn’t give her. I’m not the warm sort of dad most girls need. Just who I am. Sometimes I look at her and can see she wants me to tell her I love her. I open my mouth and nothing comes out. Of course I love her. That’s why I dragged her out of that hellhole. That’s why I lied in the first place.”
The tension left Reid’s shoulders. “I think you should tell Jane all this, Charles. She’d listen, and it would warm her heart.”
“I don’t think I can. I’ve tried so many times. It’s not in me. I know what she sees in you. You’re everything I’m not—caring, warm, fiercely loving. I put food on the table and took care of things. It’s not enough for her though. I can see that, but I can’t fix it. I’m glad she has you.”
He reached over and gripped Charles’s shoulder in a quick squeeze, then released it. “I know Jane loves you, Charles. It would go a long way with her if you’d talk to her. She has so many questions about her mother. Why you really left her. Why she didn’t want to see Jane. I think you have more answers than you’re willing to admit.”
Charles looked at the road ahead. “I’d like to keep those memories sealed away. They’re more painful than you can imagine.”
“Not any more painful than mine. I had to face looking at pictures of my father murdering my mom in cold blood. I did it for Jane. For Will. If you reach down inside yourself to where you say you love Jane, you can summon the strength to talk to her too. You can work past all that.”
Charles nodded and put his hands in the pockets of his shorts. “I’ll think about it.”
“You could write her a letter if you can’t say the words. It might open up the dam.”
“I’m not the eloquent sort on paper or with words.”
“Plain truth doesn’t have to be eloquent.”
“I suppose not.”
Reid parked in the lot at juvie hall. “Does Will know you’re coming?”
“I didn’t talk to him, but I’m sure he knows by now. He should be waiting for us in a room.”
Reid wanted to know why Charles had arranged this meeting without Jane, but he kept his questions locked behind his teeth. After a few minutes of good-old-boy talk with Charles’s acquaintances, they were at the door to the same room as yesterday.
Will jumped up when he saw them. “Grandpa!” His voice wobbled, and he practically fell into Charles’s arms.
Reid’s heart squeezed to see the special bond between the two. Charles might have trouble sharing his feelings with Jane, but Will had no problem seeing right into his grandfather’s heart.
Reid took his turn hugging his son before they settled around the table.
“I didn’t expect to get to see you, Grandpa.”
“I pulled a few strings.” Charles stared at Will with a pensive expression. “False accusations like this are particularly hard to deal with. Being arrested is bad enough when you know you were in the wrong, but this isn’t your fault, Will. Not in any way.”
Will’s head lowered. “I shouldn’t have left her. It wasn’t gentlemanly. I should have stayed there until I was sure she was out of the water.” His chin trembled, and he swiped at tears tracking down his face.
Reid stared at Charles. How had he known Will was wrestling with this?
“It wasn’t that long ago Elizabeth tried to frame me. I thought she loved me. I trusted her. I still wake up in the night mad about it. Betrayal is hard to get over.”
Will clenched his fists. “It’s so unfair, Grandpa! Why would anyone try to frame me? I don’t understand.”
“I don’t know, son. But I want you to hold your head high. Don’t take on the guilt people will want you to feel. This is not your fault. Hold the course. Your mom will figure this out.”
Will’s nod was shaky, but at least it was agreement. The guard came to the door and their conversation was over, but Reid could tell by the light in Will’s eyes that the visit had done him a lot of good.
Now they had to solve this like they’d promised.
Thirty-Four
Reid had sounded reserved when Jane called him to meet for a picnic lunch by the dock, but she hadn’t asked any questions. She sat at a picnic table under a large water oak tree overlooking the water. Pete had already eaten all the fish she’d brought while she waited for Reid, and the big bird sat on a piling, watching her with an intent expression.
“All gone.” She rinsed her hands in the water and dried them on a napkin.
Reid’s SUV pulled into the parking lot, and she waved before unpacking the bag of sub sandwiches, chips, beignets, and sweet tea.
She drank in the sight of him in khaki shorts and a red tee. His straight black hair stood up on end from the salt-laden breeze. His smile surfaced when he saw her, and he hurried to join her.
He dropped a kiss on her lips. “Did you get my text about the new aide for Olivia? She’s coming this afternoon so Megan can go to cheerleading practice.”
“That’s great. I got a text from her a little while ago, and she’s doing fine. Rebecca’s getting out of the hospital this afternoon. Mild concussion and she’ll need to rest, but she will be fine too.”
“Any more thoughts on that nuclear device? I’m worried who has it.”
She handed him a meatball sub. “Me too. I sent Jackson out to the island to talk to Gabriel. Even though it’s unlikely he has it—not when he wanted those pictures.”
“What did you do all morning?” His lids came down, and she could tell he didn’t want to talk about it. “What?”
“Your dad wanted me to go with him to see Will. I had to accompany him because of regulations.”
She couldn’t help the stab of jealousy. Why hadn’t her dad called her? “What was that all about?”
“He wanted to tell Will he knew how hard it was to be accused unjustly. Your dad feels more things than he ever reveals.”