Second Chance Girl (Happily Inc. #2)

Nick put his hand to his chest. “Was that a compliment? I might faint.”

Elaine’s hands began to flutter, as if she wasn’t sure what to do. “It is nice, isn’t it? There’s going to be a special event on Thursday night. To raise money for Millie.” She frowned. “Or is it to get Millie a mate?”

Mathias took pity on her. “It’s to buy Millie a herd, Mom. Male giraffes are solitary, but the females stay together in a loose herd. Millie’s lonely, so we’re raising money to buy three giraffes and have them transported to the animal preserve.” He thought about mentioning the plans to hire a vet, but figured no one was that interested in the details.

“Ronan donated the large bird piece to be auctioned off,” he continued. “The rest of our work is going to be on display, as well.”

Elaine’s gaze settled on Ronan. “That was very generous of you.”

“It was Mathias’s idea.”

“Someone had to do something,” Mathias said.

“Yes, and it’s not as if you could have donated a set of dishes and raised more than a few dollars,” Ceallach said, still studying Nick’s work.

Elaine’s gaze darted around the studio. Mathias wondered if she was looking for a distraction or an escape. She spotted his piece in the back and hurried toward it.

“Ceallach, look. This is wonderful.” She paused. “Nick, you didn’t make this, did you? You don’t work with glass anymore and it’s not Ronan’s style.” She turned back to Mathias. “You made this! Ceallach, you have to see this. The way the woman is looking up and the giraffe is gazing down... It’s beautiful.”

Mathias felt both proud and annoyed. He wasn’t ready for his father’s assessment—whatever Ceallach had to say, it would be biting. Telling himself he was the bigger man didn’t make him feel any more comfortable with the situation.

But his father being his father didn’t even glance in that direction. He explored the rest of the studio, carefully avoiding the pedestal with Mathias’s statue.

Nick stepped close to Mathias. “He’s jealous as hell. That’s why he can’t say anything.”

Mathias nodded even though he wasn’t sure his brother was right. Maybe he’d been fooling himself into thinking he had something. Maybe he should stick to dishes and vases. Ordinary pieces people used in their everyday lives.

“Who’s in charge of the fund-raiser?” Ceallach demanded.

“Atsuko,” Mathias told him. “She owns the gallery.”

“I’m going to speak to her. I’ll donate a piece, as well. Something the whole world will want to see. We’ll raise enough for the giraffes and whatever they need.”

Elaine hurried to her husband’s side. “Darling, that’s wonderful. With you donating, they’ll get more press and the whole evening will be special.” She beamed. “Isn’t your father the best?”

The three brothers exchanged a look. Mathias knew they were all thinking the same thing. Ceallach didn’t give a damn about the giraffes or anyone but himself. He only cared about making sure no one got more attention than him.

Being in the spotlight had always been their father’s drug of choice and each of them had experienced the pain of stepping between him and that light. Punishment was swift and brutal.

Mathias started to say something but before he could speak, Ronan slipped out the studio door. Elaine saw him go, as well. Her shoulders slumped and her mouth turned down. She looked old and sad and lost. Then she drew in a breath and smiled at her husband, leaving Mathias to wonder if he’d only imagined the transformation.





CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CAROL KNEW SHE would wait as long as it took. Mathias had shown up at her door nearly an hour before. She’d let him in and they’d settled in her living room. She’d put on music and had waited for him to speak, only he hadn’t. Every few minutes, he got up and paced the length of the room, then returned to the sofa.

Just when she was about to give in and ask if he was all right, he looked at her.

“Sorry.”

“For what?”

“Invading your house. Being a pain. It’s my family.” He shook his head. “Mostly it’s my father, but the rest of them aren’t helping, either.”

She wanted to say she was fine with whatever he needed, that knowing he saw her place as a refuge meant a lot to her. What she said instead was, “Want to talk about what happened?”

“Nothing. Everything.”

She glanced at the clock. It was nearly nine. “Did you eat anything today?”

He flashed her a smile. “It’s not your job to take care of me.”

“We’re friends. I don’t see it as a job. Besides, you’re dealing with a lot right now. I want to help.”

“You are. Thank you.” He leaned back against the sofa. “Has Atsuko called you?”

“No. Is there a problem with the auction?” Her mind whirled with possible disaster. Had someone dropped Ronan’s donation, shattering it and Millie’s herd into a million pieces?

“Not a problem.” He glanced at her. “My father is going to donate something to the evening. Whatever it is, it will go for a lot of money and bring a lot of attention to the event. Atsuko doesn’t have much time to pull it together, but if anyone can do it, she can.”

Carol honestly had no idea what to say. “Wh-why?”

Mathias’s mouth twisted. “You want the politically correct answer?”

“Sure.”

“It’s a worthy cause. He wants to help where he can. Pick your platitude.”

“And the truth?”

“He doesn’t want to see Ronan getting all the attention.”

She angled toward him. “Seriously? But Ronan is his son.”

“Glory is far more important. Ceallach came and toured the studio today. He made sure to criticize everyone’s work. When he saw the bird piece he asked what it was for, then thrust himself in the middle of all of it.”

He took her hand in his. “It’s okay. He’s always done this. When Ronan and I were in the second grade, he came to parent-teacher night. When he saw the display of our artwork, he had to immediately do a few sketches, then sign them. God forbid some kid should be center of attention when he was around.”

“I don’t know what to say,” she admitted. “He’s horrible.”

“That he is. Did I tell you how we found out about Ronan being his bastard?”

“You didn’t, but Pallas mentioned that he was in the hospital after a heart attack.”

Mathias nodded. “He asked Ronan and me to come see him. It was still early and we had no idea how bad things were. For all we knew, he was going to die.”

His hold on her hand tightened. She wasn’t sure he even knew they were touching—but that was okay. She knew.

“He told us about the affair and said that Ronan was the result of that, but Elaine had taken him in. Then he said he was tired and wanted to sleep and that we should leave. Oh, and not to tell our mother. That was it. Don’t tell your mother.”

“What did you say?”