The view from his balcony made him feel like the King of all he surveyed. Edgerton Caine was as narcissistic as a person could be. The Trust fund baby of Montgomery Caine and his third wife, the Award-winning actress Natalie White, had the best of everything growing up. Save his parents’ undying love. Easy to understand a collection of narcissists; no one wanted to concede their self-perceived superiority. Though Edgerton did indeed love his parents on a small level, his father’s penchant to degrade his son’s flaws every chance he got caused a great deal of rivalry between the pair. Edgerton had rarely seen his mother for more than a few months in between film and modeling shoots.

  The loving family they portrayed to the world was more editing than actuality; much like his personal life. Everything went to the script. Family gatherings of his half siblings, their business dealings, even his amorous ties to a plethora of models and starlets are for maximum media effect. Currently, the world thought Edgerton was in the family home in Wake County grieving the loss of his father and three of his older half-brothers. The Media was running the devastating footage of the Family yacht exploding off the Mediterranean Coast of Israel. The News blaming a group of Hamas terrorists retaliating against his father’s goodwill trip to beleaguered country to promote an easing of tensions between Palestine and Israel. It’s amazing what a little money from an anonymous offshore account could buy these days.

  A malicious smile forms on his well moisturized lips as he walks back into the study of the four story turn of the 19th century manor he calls home for now. He walks to a floor-length mirror to make sure his stylishly groomed bleached blonde hair is perfect while he finishes tying his hundred forty-seven dollar black white and gray striped jacquard tie. He turns as he hears the study doors slide open to see his personal man Friday, Geoffrey Pennington. “Ah! Good morning, Geoffrey. What news is there today?”

  The Sixty-year-old well-groomed man with stylish squared framed glasses turned and slid the study doors closed before he turned back to Edgerton with a stoic look on his face. “I’m afraid unpleasant news, Sir,” he replied, “Your mother will arrive Friday and has showed the stay will be indefinite.” he added, then had become silent as if to brace himself.

  Edgerton cast a distasteful look at Geoffrey, “Now, Now Geoffrey. My mother is welcome anytime at the Manor. Please make sure everything is in perfect order and make sure we instruct the staff to make her feel at home. Will you, please?” he instructed.

  “As you will, Master Edgerton.” came Geoffrey’s reply as he stood still.

  “Something else?” Edgerton asked.

  Geoffrey had seen over this young man before him for most of Edgerton’s life. He knew the man’s likes, dislikes, and character flaws better than anyone. One of those flaws was an overzealous and volatile temper. He drew in a breath and let it out slowly before he spoke, “Your mother has indicated she would like to discuss Caine Industries’ business with you as her advisor before the first board meeting this month,” he stated.

  The look on Edgerton’s face said it all. It was one full of seething hate. “She what?!!” he yelled. “Who in the actual fuck does she think she is? I have a controlling interest in the company. I haven’t done all the kissing father’s ass and learning every aspect of the company under his demeaning gaze for the last ten years for her to play at being the head of the premiere Fortune five hundred company in the world.” he ranted.

  Shee has influence with the board, Sir.” Geoffrey relayed.

  “Meaning she has dirt on them. They don’t want to become public.” Edgerton said as he braced himself against the antique mahogany desk in the study. “Dirt harmful enough. They would risk a court suit to keep hidden," he added, stating it more to himself than Geoffrey. Slowly, his devious mind went into high gear. Though they were not close, he knew all about his mother’s vices. “Geoffrey, please coordinate with mother’s personal aide her schedule so we can make her transition here as smooth as silk,” he ordered.

  “Yes, Master Edgerton,” Geoffrey replied. “Anything else, Sir?” he asked.

  “Yes, contact Mr. Sterling for me. Tell him to meet me at the Golf club tomorrow,” he requested.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  The ride to the Moonstone Café was brief, only two miles from where Jesalyn had run off the road. They had passed Bobby on his way to fix her jeep along the way. She breathed a sigh of relief to know this day wouldn’t be a complete disaster. Now she sat at a booth in the diner with an early 1950s-era flair, holding a menu, trying awfully hard to remember when she last ate. Everything looked so good that it was hard to decide. Trying to keep her stomach from rumbling too loud wasn’t helping. The diner was full of such pleasant aromas of food it was hard to concentrate. Jesalyn looked up to The Sheriff who sat across from her. “What do you recommend?” she asked politely.

  “Depends on if you’re actually going to eat or you’re a salad grazer.” Mitch replied with a chuckle.

  As if on cue, her stomach growled loudly. She looked at him as her cheeks had turned crimson, “I’m starving.”

  Just the, a long gray-haired woman came over the table with two coffee cups and set them down on the table. She carried herself with a pleasant demeanor. Her warm smile immediately made Jes smile just as warmly back at her. “Hello there, Darling one,” she greeted Jesalyn. “How did you wrangle the sexiest Sheriff in the world to lunch?”

  “I drove off the road, had two flat tires, and he offered to feed me?” Jesalyn replied before retrieving a full cup of coffee.

  Mitch looked at Jesalyn, then at Martha Pardin. “Oh, you need to stop, Martha. I told you your son wouldn’t like me anymore if I became his stepfather,” he teased as he took his coffee, then winked at Jesalyn.

  “Ah! The agony of being a widow with an adult son still living at home.” Martha teased back with mock over dramatic flair.

  “Ms. Martha Pardin, let me introduce you to Jesalyn Masters. Harlan’s daughter,” Mitch introduced Jesalyn.

  Martha took a good long look at Jesalyn. A spark of recognition lit up in the elder woman’s steel-gray eyes. “Oh, my goodness, you look just as beautiful as your mother,” she said excitedly.

  Jesalyn looked at Martha quizzically. “I wasn’t aware my mother ever lived here, Ma’am,” she replied. Why is this place such a secret? She thought to herself.

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  Martha looked at Mitch, “Yep, she’s one of Harlan’s,” she exclaimed before she looked back at Jesalyn,” Your Mother’s name was Madeline correct? “Martha asked.

  “Yes, ma’am.” Jes replied with confusion on her face. Nothing was making sense to her. The entirety of her family, but she has been to this place. They had lived all her childhood in Virginia, save several summers she spent in Athens, Greece with her grandparents after her mother’s tragic death by a drunk, drag racing teenager.

  “Let me get your order in and I’ll come back to explain. What will you have?”

  Jes still hadn’t chosen as she looked at Mitch.

  He looked back at her and asked. “Trust me?”

  Well, you’ve blown every chance to kill me, rape my corpse, and bury me so far. She thought to herself, “Sure.”

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  The room was spotless. Everything was in its designated place in an exacting order. The black-haired man sitting in the middle of the room wearing only black coveralls and black latex gloves was meticulously inspecting the action of the custom 338 Lapua precision rifle on the granite table before him. The rifle disassembled down completely. Everything for him to inspect for any flaws in every part laid out in meticulous order. Cleaning tools, including various brushes, polymer picks, and various types of patches to use with the cleaning solvents, were all in order on his right.

  To his left, his cellphone vibrated. He patiently set the bolt action down on the cleaning mat before him and picked up the cell phone to see who it was. He let out a slow breath while setting the phone down as he intentionally took care to take off the latex gloves without the outsides touching his bare skin. He tossed them into the small wastebasket that was next to him. As he picked up the phone and swiped to accept the call, he spoke clearly in a flat tone. “Yes, Mr. Pennington. How may I be of service today?” he greeted Geoffrey Pennington on the other end of the line.

  “Mr. Caine, I would like to meet with you at the golf club tomorrow.” Geoffrey replied.

  “Time?” the man asked.

  “Eleven AM, Mr. Sterling.” Pennington offered the request information.

  “Mr. Cain understands my time is valuable, does he not?” Sterling posed the question.

  “Yes, Mr. Sterling. I have wired the consultation fee to your account on file.” came the response.

  Sterling walked at a measured pace to the desk across the room lined with various firearms, ranging from handguns to high-powered rifles designed to stop armor-plated vehicles to a desk containing only a laptop. He looked down at the screen as he swiped the mouse pad to the left, revealing his itinerary for the next day. “Tell Mr. Sterling I will promptly meet him at the clubhouse at eleven AM. He will have exactly forty-six minutes to relay the details. I will either accept or decline the offer and leave,” he gave Geoffrey the instructions as he had done twenty-seven times before.

  “Understood, Mr. Sterlin,” Geoffrey affirmed.

  “And Mr. Pennington?”

  “Yes, Mr. Sterling?”

  “Do have a fantastic day. Life is too short not to.”

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Jesalyn wiped her mouth with the napkin as she shockingly looked down at her empty plate. She could not believe she had eaten everything. The double barbecue bacon cheeseburger was almost as big as her head, and the amount of handmade from scratch beer battered onion rings bordered on the obscene. The plate barely held all of it, and the included daily made coleslaw came out in a cup that was more than a small bowl. The food was absolutely delicious, and she felt so stuffed that the fear she would hibernate for a week after she set foot in her new home for the foreseeable future came to the forefront of her mind.

  “I hope you have room for dessert.” Mitch laughed. He genuinely enjoyed watching her devour the best burger in three counties. The look on her face when they brought it out was worth it.

  Martha had sat with them while the food was being made and told Jesalyn about how she first met her mother. They came here on their honeymoon and stayed for a few weeks. Then, Jesalyn’s parents returned in the last trimester of her pregnancy with Jesalyn. So, it turned out that she was born here in Nowhere. The more Jesalyn learned about this place. The more questions stacked up, the more they had to be answered. Why did her birth certificate say she was born at Naval Air Station Oceana? The questions would have to wait to be answered.

  Jesalyn leaned back in the booth, her eyes getting big at his question. She let out a long, drawn-out breath. “I don’t think so,” she commented. I haven’t felt this fat and happy since ....” She stopped and thought a minute. “.... The end of the Crucible at Parris Island.”

  Mitch cocked his right eyebrow. “The what?”

  “The Crucible. All Marines must complete a 54-hour endurance test two weeks before graduation. It tested everything we learned in the weeks prior. They gave everyone two and a half MREs to get us through it. You get very little sleep, pushed to your limits physically and mentally,” she explained as she drained her coffee cup.

  He looked at this woman across from him as if she was insane. He met a few Marines during his twelve-year stretch in the Army. They were insane Marine Raiders, but he figured Marine Basic was like Army Basic. Run or march everywhere, learn to shoot, learn to fight, and off you go to defend the country. “Jesus, you just described Ranger school,” Mitch said.

  Jesalyn looked at him like he had just now figured out how to open an automatic door. “And you wonder why I got irritated when you asked if I was that bad a shot?” she asked. “Anyway, the Crucible ends with a fifteen-kilometer hike to the chow hall where you’re greeted with a Warriors Breakfast. All you can eat steak, eggs, and potatoes. God, I never ate so much in my life,” she added with a smile that only comes from a deep-seated pride of self-accomplishment.

  “More coffee, Jesalyn?” Martha asked as she came to the table with a box that she slid toward the young woman.

  Jes looked at the box. “What’s this?” she asked, holding out her coffee cup for a refill.

  “This, darling one, is my welcome home gift.” Martha smiled.

  Jes lifted the cover to see a pecan pie. “Oh my! That looks so good,” she commented as she looked up to ask but was stopped by a held-up hand.

  “No. You may not remember living here before, but you’re one of our own. Your mother and father were some of the best people I have ever known. You stop by here every once in a while. I’ll tell you more.” Martha said with a slight sparkle in her eyes.

  “I will. I promise,” Jes replied. The thought that her parent made a lasting good impression in this town gave her a brief sense of pride. Just as quickly, the downside came. The questions still loomed in her mind, and Martha just offered a way to answer some of them.

  “I’ll hold you to that,” Martha said with a smile, then looked at Mitch. “And you, Sheriff, lunch is on the house today.”

  He was going to protest, but there was something in Martha’s look that made him just ask, “Can I get a pie to go?”

  “Of course. I know Hayleigh and your mom would skin you alive.” She chuckled as she went to refresh coffee at the other tables.

  “Hayleigh?” Jes somewhat blurted out. I thought he said he lost his wife. She mentally asked herself.

  “My eleven-year-old daughter. My reason to live after we lost her mom six years ago, now.” Mitch answered to give Jesalyn insight into his compassion for her loss of family.

  Now Jesalyn understood what he meant about understanding the pain. However, her pain ran more profound than just losing her immediate family. She lost the love of her life as well.

  Nathan was the only man she ever loved with everything that she was. He was the only one to see past her masquerade of being the overgrown tomboy who was ‘Just one of the guys.’ Nathan saw the woman that she could be. The void in her soul threatened to overpower her again, but thankfully, her bladder beckoned to be relieved of the two pots of coffee she had had during lunch.

  Mitch looked at his watch. It was half-past two, and no one had radioed in. Let me hit the Men’s room, and I’ll get you to your place. Can’t have Mrs. Lorraine waiting.” He said as he drained his coffee cup and headed to the back of the diner.

  Jes nodded at the Sheriff and replied, “I’ll go to the lady’s room and meet you out at your truck.”She got up and gathered her pie. As she walked by the counter, Jesalyn smiled at Martha and raised her pie a bit. “Thank you,” she said, then went to the back of the diner to the lady’s room.

  Mitch got up and left a twenty on the table. He turned and stopped momentarily as he watched Jesalyn move toward the back. He realized he was staring just when Martha noticed he was watching Jesalyn. Busted. Mitch tried to walk toward the Men’s room casually, but Martha’s look from behind the counter stopped him in his tracks. Mitch looked at the older woman with a look that betrayed him. “What? She’s a pretty woman.”

  “Yes, yes, she is.” Martha responded, “And I haven’t seen you look more inspired for a long while. Maybe, just maybe, she’ll be what your ailing heart has needed for a while.”

  “We’ll see, Martha,” he said, “She’s dealing with a lot of pain. Miss Masters has lost her family.”

  Martha looked at him with that motherly sage look. “Who better than you to help her to deal with the pain?”

  “I’m not the only one who can help her with that,” he stated, knowing where Martha was steering the conversation.

  “True, but I believe God chose you for a reason.”