Golden Lies - Barbara Freethy [130]
Nan's eyes sharpened. "Who else is going to get hurt?"
"Maybe Grandpa."
"Oh, honey, I don't think your Grandpa could get hurt right now."
"Wallace Hathaway claims that Grandpa stole that dragon from him and tried to burn down the store fifty years ago. It's crazy, I know. Grandpa would not do any of that. And I know they don't have any proof, or they would have done something before now. But I don't want your name being dragged through the mud."
Nan's expression grew troubled. "Oh, dear. That doesn't sound good."
"You don't sound as shocked as I thought you would be." An uneasy feeling ran through him.
"I don't know anything about what you just said, honey, but I know Ned had a bit of a temper when he was younger. And he could be a show-off, a braggart. He liked to impress people. I thought it was rather charming. I kind of liked his bad boy image to tell you the truth."
Riley's eyes widened. " 'His bad boy image'?"
"He drank quite a bit when I first met him. He was always hanging out at the Irish pubs, telling stories. He was a little wild back then. All the girls loved him, but he didn't always treat them right. Until he met me, of course. Then he changed. Not all the way, though—there was always a toughness about him " She paused. "Life wasn't that easy for Ned. He grew up poor, got drafted when he was eighteen, went to war, almost got killed from what I understand. Then when he came back, he had to find work in a city that didn't think much of Irishmen. He always struggled. But he always found a way to survive."
"Do you think he could have stolen something from Hathaway's?"
"No," she said quickly. "He wasn't a thief."
"I didn't think so," Riley said, much relieved.
"But there could have been a misunderstanding," she continued.
And just like that his relief fled. "What kind of misunderstanding?"
"I couldn't say. But now that we're talking about all this, I do remember that Ned was very upset after the fire at Hathaway's. I thought it was because he would be out of a job for a few months. Maybe there was more to it. I don't know. We didn't talk about his work much. I do know this. Your grandfather wasn't perfect. He made mistakes. He was human. I know you love and respect him, Riley, but don't put him up on a pedestal or under a microscope. Not many of us could withstand such scrutiny."
"It might not be my choice."
"Paige won't hurt you. She likes you too much. I saw it in her eyes." She smiled at him. "And I am never wrong."
"You might be this time."
"We'll see. I have faith in that girl. She'll come through. She'll do the right thing."
He had a feeling that Paige's idea of the "right thing" would be vastly different from his own.
Chapter Twenty-Four
"We need to do this," Alyssa told her mother as Jasmine prepared breakfast for them in her apartment.
"We are not invited to the New Year's Eve celebration."
"It's a family party, and we're family. I say we go."
"Why?"
"Because this is the most important holiday of the year. It's a time when families are supposed to be together, and I feel a strange and intense need to be with my family this year."
"You do?" Jasmine asked with surprise.
"Yes. I want you to come with me. I don't care what Grandmother has to say about it, or anyone else for that matter. Just this once, Ma. Please say you'll come with me."
"You're up to something," Jasmine said. "What is it? What are you planning?"
"Nothing," Alyssa lied. Actually, her plan was only half formed at the moment. She knew one thing for certain, though. She needed to stop running away from who she was and face up to it. Ben was right about that. Tonight would change that. Tonight would
be a step forward for all of them. "Will you come?" she asked again. "I won't take no for an answer."
"I will bring dishonor to the occasion."
"No, you will bring pride and strength and love." Alyssa got to her feet and kissed her mother on the cheek. "It's about time the rest of the family sees what I have always known."
"You have such faith