Silken felt like he’d just stabbed her in the heart. You must never know…the stricken look on Suave’s face told Silken that the words had hurt her sister as much as they’d hurt her.
“But you have to tell us.” Suave looked like she was about to cry. “You must.”
The man drew in a breath and let it out slowly. On his face was a look of deep regret. “I swore,” he began, then cleared his throat. “I swore I would never let her name be known even if…even if you came looking for me.”
“Then why did you let us come all this way,” Silken could not keep the bitterness out of her voice, “if you knew you weren’t going to tell?”
The man shook his head as he lay there on the pillows, looking from one woman to the other, then his gaze focused on Silken. “I wanted you to know, to understand,” he said. “There were circumstances.” He dropped his gaze. Then, as if he suddenly felt cold, he clutched the sheet and pulled it up under his chin. “Your mother…she wished to…put this behind her. Try to…understand.”
“So you’re not going to tell us?” The room suddenly felt hot and Silken felt like she was stifling.
“No.” His face resolute, he stared at them for a moment longer and then closed his eyes.
Well, that was that. He wasn’t going to talk and there was nothing she or Suave could do about it.
She turned away from the bed and made a step toward the door. “Come on,” she said to Suave. “We’re wasting our time here.”
“But Silken…” Suave looked from the old man to her then back again.
“Come on,” Silken said again, her voice more insistent this time. “He’s not going to talk. Didn’t you hear him? Let’s go.”
She could see the hesitation on Suave’s face but finally, sensibly, she backed away and turned toward the door. Silken put her arm around her sister and they headed back to the door.
“Wait.”
They both froze then turned as one to stare at the man in the bed. He lifted a shaking hand to point at them.
“Make sure,” he said in a whispered shout, if there was such a thing, “that you give Mrs. Detlef your contact information.”
Silken looked at Suave and Suave looked back at Silken. They both shrugged. What did it matter anymore? He wasn’t talking so his demand didn’t make much sense. Still, just to humor a very sick man, Silken decided to agree.
“We will,” she said, then with Suave in tow she turned back toward the door and went on her way.
CHAPTER TEN
When Max went to see Silken after a silence of almost a month it was a very different woman that he found that day he walked onto the lot of Steady Auto.
He’d called ahead and got Suave on the office phone so he’d asked her to let Silken know he’d be dropping by. He didn’t ask to speak to her. He didn’t want to risk it. Knowing how contrary Silken could be, she would probably say no.
He’d expected to find her with her head stuck under the hood of a car but this time she was sitting on a boulder in the shade of a tree, a somber look on her face. He walked over and stopped right in front of her.
She looked up and gave him a weak smile. “Hi, stranger,” she said, and he could detect no sarcasm, no impudence, no…Silken.
He shoved his hands into his pockets as he stared down at her. “What’s up?”
She shrugged. “Oh, nothing.” Then she shifted over and jerked her head toward the free space on the boulder.
Taking her up on the invitation, he sat down beside her and looked out over the yard, just like she was doing. “I thought you’d be in the garage, working on a car,” he said, his tone casual.
“Suave told me you were coming over so I decided to take a break.”
He looked across at her. “I’m honored.”
She gave a soft laugh. “Don’t feel too honored. I was tired, anyway.”
Max frowned as he took in her face, the lines between her brows, the slight downturn at the corners of her mouth. “That doesn’t sound like you.”
“Yeah, well…” She looked away like she didn’t want to continue the conversation.
“Silken, talk to me. What’s going on inside that head of yours?” When she just shook her head, looking crestfallen but saying nothing, he reached over and grasped her hand. Something was definitely wrong but she wasn’t talking…and he needed to find out.
“I…it’s nothing.” She shook her head then she bit her lip.
Now he was beginning to get really concerned…and angry. If something was wrong, why the hell was she acting like a clam? “Don’t give me that ‘it’s nothing’ crap. Tell me what’s wrong or else I’ll talk to Suave,” he fixed his narrowed gaze on her, “and I don’t know if you want that.”
She frowned and tried to pull her hand away but he refused to let her go. She wasn’t going to get off that easily, not without him finding out what was wrong. She pulled again and when she saw that he had no intention of releasing her she gave a defeated sigh.
“Are you going to talk?” he asked.
She shook her head. “Not here, not now.” She looked around the yard, her gaze bleak, and she was like a little girl lost.
“We’ll talk tonight then. I can come to see you.”
She shook her hear again. “No, not at my place. I don’t want…Suave to know how upset I am. Somewhere else.”
“Do you want to come over to my house?” He asked the question but he really didn’t want to go there, not after what had happened last time.
She shrugged. “I guess so.” Then she looked up at him. “Is Reed still there?”
“No, he’s been back in London two weeks now.” Would that make a difference to her? They’d be all alone at the house. His eyes roamed her face but there was no change there.
“Okay, I’ll come over. Seven o’clock. I’ll talk to you then.”