People stand, and I see this is my opportunity.
“Let’s go,” I say to Cody.
He nods.
I turn to say goodbye to Connie, but she’s gone. That’s strange.
Cody leads me through the crowd, but before we exit the park, a hand grabs my arm, pulling me away from Cody. Startled, I turn to see my mother. She’s wearing a hat and sunglasses.
I roll my eyes. Instead of being in disguise, she stands out. But fortunately, she’s pulled me behind a wall where there is no crowd.
“Mother, what are you doing here?”
She releases my arm. “I texted you that I would be here.”
Cody steps up beside me. “You being here isn’t a good idea, Valerie.”
She straightens and lifts her chin. “I want a moment with my daughter. Since she won’t return my calls, what choice do I have?”
I sigh and turn to Cody. “It’s fine. If I don’t talk to her now, she’ll keep calling.”
He stares at me for a moment. “Okay, but I’ll be right over there.” He points a few feet away.
Once he’s gone, my mom glances around. No one is close.
I cross my arms. “What do you want to say?”
She smiles. “I need to ask you something.”
“Go on.”
“As a Gardiner, you have a right to your trust fund, and I’ll reinstate it. I also want you to know that you can be involved in the business. I understand the university might hold some distaste for you now, after everything that happened with that student and professor.”
My mind is whirling. “What are you talking about? I thought you sold Dad’s business.” Really I had hoped all the rumors I’d heard weren’t true.
She smiles. “I sold off his interest in the investment firm, yes. But he had other lucrative interests that I plan to continue.”
I’d heard the talk in town that my dad, besides his legitimate business, also held an interest in some criminal activity. I didn’t want to believe it but deep down I knew it was true. I’d also heard my mom was taking over. That’s when I knew my mom had been more involved than she ever let on.
And she’s here asking me to be a part of the business? Just on the off chance I may be wrong, I ask just in case.
I drop my voice to a whisper. “Are you talking about criminal business?”
She arches a brow. “Oh, don’t act all innocent. You were aware of what your father was doing. We all were. And now with Vince out of the picture, I need someone I can trust to help me run things.”
Oh, my god. My mother is trying to recruit me into… what exactly? I don’t know. I don’t want to know.
“No. Say no more. That way, I won’t have to testify against you because I won’t know anything. Keep your money. Keep all of it. I want nothing to do with it.” I turn to walk away.
“Lucille Antoinette Gardiner!” she snaps.
I press my lips together and turn back, not wanting to cause a scene. Not here. Not with my mother, who shouldn’t even be here.
“I don’t think you understand what you are turning down. I worked hard to keep this in our family.”
I narrow my eyes. “What do you mean you worked hard?”
She takes a step back. “I meant being with your father.” She sniffs. “He was a hard man to love.”
