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The air in Luke’s truck sizzled with a mix of excitement and adventure. Rain splattered across the windowpane as they drove off from the Keating House, taking the driveway that led past the Keating Inn. Luke pointed toward a large parking spot in the gravel, where two large marks swept into the ground.
“That’s where your uncle Joe used to park his truck,” he explained somberly. “For years and years. Nobody dares to park there now that he’s gone.”
Heather’s heart jumped at this. “Where is the truck now?”
“He left it to an old friend of his,” Luke explained. “Marvin.”
Heather opened her lips with sudden excitement, even as Luke explained, “But Marvin never knew your dad. He came around years later.”
“You knew what I would ask even before I asked it? Who’s the real detective here,” Heather asked.
Luke banged his fist against his chest, faking his pride. “You know me. I’m a regular Sherlock.”
At that moment, Heather’s phone blared with news from the outside world. Bella’s name appeared, a reminder that Heather hadn’t exactly been Mother of the Year in terms of communication lately.
“You should take that,” Luke advised. “The drive to the Snow mansion isn’t a quick one. They tucked themselves as far away from the other Bar Harbor idiots as they could. Their word for us, not mine.”
“Are you serious? That’s what they call the people of this community?” Heather was infuriated by the comment.
“Of course,” Luke confirmed. “You don’t want to hear all my boring drivel. I’m about used up in the conversation department.”
Heather chuckled. “I don’t think that’s true for a minute.” Still, she answered the phone and soon heard her twins. The sound of both of them together lightened her heart. Since they were identical twins, many assumed their voices were similar, but as their mother, Heather knew their differences in her soul. Bella’s was lighter, airier, while Kristine’s told a more serious story. This translated to their personalities, as well. Kristine was more artistic like her mother, and Bella planned to take on the medical world and become a nurse.
“Mom!” Bella cried.
“There she is. The mystery woman,” Kristine added.
“Hi, girls.” Heather’s eyes darted toward Luke. What did he think of her having daughters? What did he think of children at all? “How is everything?”
The twins were silent for a moment.
Finally, Bella said, “We want to come see you.”
“Oh, girls. I don’t know if that’s necessary.” In truth, Heather just couldn’t comprehend explaining the depths of all this chaos. How could she possibly be a mother to her girls if she didn’t know who she was any longer?
“Necessary? You don’t think it’s necessary to see your two only children?” Kristine asked half-jokingly.
Heather’s nostrils flared as the rain ramped up. She heaved a sigh, then said, “What were you thinking of doing?” If they had a plan, maybe she could somehow hide her quest. Maybe they could do regular mother-daughter things. Hike the mountains. Eat in some of the ridiculously delicious seafood restaurants. Engage in the world around them in some way that didn’t involve Heather crying in her bed.
“We already took the next week off,” Kristine explained.
“Girls, you should have told me...” Heather said.
“See? She doesn’t want us,” Bella teased.
“That’s not it,” Heather stated.
“Are you really so busy in Bar Harbor?” Kristine asked.
“No. I mean. No.” Heather wanted to lie and say she was knee-deep in plotting a new book, but she bit hard on her tongue just before. “I’ll book the flights when I get home. Okay?”
Bella whooped. Kristine heaved a sigh and said, “Thank goodness. I need some time away from this place.”
“This place? You make it sound like New York is a prison,” Heather interjected.
“Kristine just got dumped,” Bella countered.
Heather’s lips curved upward, but Kristine gasped. “Bella! Why did you tell her that?”
“Darling, it’s okay. We’ve all been dumped before,” Heather said.
Luke glanced her way. The red light above them flashed to green, and he shifted the truck forward as his face played out a little laughter.
“The great Kristine Talbot has never been dumped,” Bella jested.
“I’m going to kill you, Bell,” Kristine muttered.
“Suffice it to say, we need ice cream, hikes, and plenty of wine,” Heather said finally. “I’ll send you the flight info when I have it, okay?”
They said their goodbyes and then jumped off the phone. Heather burst into a silly laugh and tossed her head back.
“What was all that about all of us being dumped before?” Luke asked, still with that crooked grin across his face.
“One of my twins got dumped,” Heather explained as she swiped a tear from her cheek. “Just reminds me of being a teenager. When you feel like your whole life is attached to this stupid boy, you know, just before he breaks your heart for the head cheerleader or something. The girls are twenty-two now, but you know how things go these days. People don’t marry as early as they used to. They’re bound for a few more years of heartache before they find their forever person.”
“And you’ll be there to pick up the pieces of their hearts along the way,” Luke countered.
Heather laughed again. “They’ve spent the past year watching me crumple after their father...” She trailed off as her lips quivered—what a strange mix of emotions this all was. “I thought I didn’t want them here in the midst of all this. But Nicole and I are sending in the DNA tests, and the wait for the results will be hellish. I think the girls will be a welcome distraction.”
“I hope you’ll let me meet them,” Luke said softly.
Heather’s heart banged hard against her rib cage.
“I mean, if you stop by the Acadia Eatery, I can cook something up for them,” Luke hurriedly added. “I’m one of the best chefs in Bar Harbor. Don’t tell your sister I said that.” He winked as silence fell between them.
“It’s just so strange not to know anything or the real truth about my family and then have the girls come up in the middle of all of it,” Heather said finally. “But I guess a whole lot of parenting is not knowing anything at all and figuring it out along the way.”
“Well said,” Luke concurred. “Never been a parent myself. It looks messy.”
Messy. That was a word for it. Heather thought back to that diary she’d found of her father’s, in which he talked about the struggles of parenting Casey. That had only been his first child. What had happened next?
The Mansion owned by the Snow family was an elaborate, stone-built home from the mid-1900s, with a cast-iron gate nearly ten feet high around the grounds. The grass was so green it almost looked like fake turf, as though it had never had to handle the weight of a human foot. The grounds themselves seemed like royal gardens anywhere else. Rose petals of many shades caught the gray light perfectly, and the shrubs had been manicured into elaborate shapes.
“What is this? The Secret Garden or something?” Heather muttered.
“Not so secret,” Luke shot out as he eased the truck toward the intercom near the fence.
“I never imagined it would be like breaking into a castle,” Heather commented while her eyes took in the sight before her.
“Good afternoon,” a man’s voice sounded from the intercom. “How may I be of service to you today?”
“Hi there,” Luke said. “Henry, isn’t it?”
The man sputtered into the intercom. “Is that Luke?”
Luke flashed his eyes toward Heather, who nodded, impressed.
“Sure is,” Luke replied. “Haven’t seen you down at the bar lately. I guess Old Snow has you running wild with tasks. What was it you said you are now? The house butler?”
Henry’s voice lowered. “It’s quite an undertaking, to be honest with you. I’m too exhausted for my pint at the end of the day.”
“Phew. Can’t imagine.”
Heather weaved her arms across her chest. Where was this going?
“Anyway. You must know about Old Snow’s operations with the Keating brothers,” Luke continued. “I have one of the daughters of the Keating brothers here. She’d like to speak with Evan. Not sure if you can arrange that?”
Henry grumbled into the mic. “Luke, I don’t know. I just started this job. I don’t know that I can really strong-arm Mr. Snow into a meeting like that.”
Heather whispered then, “Tell him about the will.”
Luke nodded hurriedly. “One of the daughters of Adam Keating spotted an addendum in the will regarding a piece of property that should belong to her and the rest of his children. Maybe you could mention that to Mr. Snow? Otherwise, you know we could always track down a lawyer and come on back.”
Henry’s voice darkened. “I’ll be right back.”
In the silence that followed, Luke smashed his hands across the steering wheel and whooped. Heather laughed brightly.
“That was sinister, Luke.”
“Sinister?” Luke’s smile faltered the slightest bit.
“But also one of the coolest things I’ve ever witnessed in my life. You intimidated him.”
Luke shrugged playfully. “I never liked Henry that much. He was always too snooty for his own good. He belongs to the Snow people now— and anyone with any self-respect wouldn’t go near Snow Enterprises these days.”
“Huh.” Heather’s mind raced with intrigue.
“Not to say your father and uncle made a mistake in working with them. I think Snow Enterprises was brand-new back then. They came to Bar Harbor with dreams of taking over. And boy, did they take over. Ah. Look! It worked.”
The cast-iron fence began to creak open, apparently automated by a button somewhere on the inside. Luke’s tires creaked against the pavement as they drove through the gates.
“I don’t think they’ve ever had the likes of this truck on these grounds,” Luke said. “Nothing short of Porsches and Lamborghinis.”
“Maybe you should run off the driveway just the slightest bit. The grass won’t know what hit it,” Heather teased.
“I think if I did that, Evan Snow would have me thrown in jail,” Luke told her as he cut the engine.
At that moment, a man in a little black suit appeared in the doorway. He had a small mustache and a bald head, and his ears stuck out on either side of his egg-shaped head, like a child’s.
“That’s Henry,” Luke muttered. “Gosh, he’s really gone all out with the butler thing, I guess.”
Henry beckoned for them to enter. Luke and Heather stepped out of the truck. Heather adjusted her cardigan as her stomach sizzled with anxiety. Whoever these people were, the way they flaunted their wealth didn’t appeal to her. She’d always felt like the odd woman out at various publishing functions around people who wore their wealth in this way. They’d always looked at her like she had a third head. “What are you doing here? You don’t belong.”
“Hi there, Henry,” Luke greeted casually.
“Mr. Snow will see you in his office, but he doesn’t have much time,” Henry informed them curtly.
“Perfect. We don’t have much time for him, either,” Luke informed him.
Heather grimaced. Fear rushed over her. Why had her father been involved with these people? And if they actually had answers for her, would she like what she found?