Kayla Perrin - Surrender My Heart

The problem was, Rodney Cook was the only person they knew of who might know their mother’s whereabouts and the friends she’d had twenty-three years ago when she’d taken Natalie and her sisters from Cincinnati to Cleveland to stay with their aunt.

“So he’s going to be okay?” Deanna asked. “Because he can’t die…not before we even have a chance to talk to him!”

Natalie held her breath as she waited for Deanna to say more.

“Thank God,” Deanna finally uttered. Then to Natalie she said, “Nigel says Rodney is alive, and they’re keeping him in a guarded hospital room. Nigel stressed to the authorities there that Rodney needs to stay alive.”

Natalie simply nodded, her heart pounding furiously from the moment of fright that their only lead regarding their mother had just been lost.

“All I can say is that it definitely pays to have a cop in the family,” Deanna went on. “Maybe we can all head to California to question him.”

There was silence, and then Deanna shook her head. “No, of course not. We wouldn’t think of going anywhere until you’re back with Callie.” Deanna paused and her eyes misted. “No, let her get her rest. Tell her we love her and we’ll talk to her a bit later. Bye, Nigel.”

When Deanna hung up, Natalie went to her sister and took her hands in hers. Her own eyes filled with tears as she squeezed Deanna’s hands. “Good Lord, what a crazy twenty-four hours.”

“Tell me about it,” Deanna agreed.

“But at least the news is good on both fronts. Callie is going to be fine, and it sounds like Rodney will be, too.”

“Mercury must be in retrograde,” Deanna commented.

“Huh?”

“You know…astrology.” When Natalie looked at her blankly, Deanna said, “Forget it.”

Ah, that’s right, Natalie mused, a memory coming to her. Deanna and her horoscopes. She’d been into astrology as a young teen, always blaming the good or bad in her life on how the planets had aligned.

“The bottom line is, even though bad things happened today, the outcome is still positive,” Deanna said. “God was watching out for Callie. And for Rodney.”

“Exactly,” Natalie agreed. “The positive happened for a reason. It’s a sign from above that we have to keep believing. And I believe it, Deanna.” Natalie’s throat filled with emotion. “We’re going to find our mother—after all these years!”

Deanna nodded, but her expression instantly changed from excited to cautious. “I want to believe that, but—”

“Then believe it,” Natalie told her. “We can’t allow ourselves to think the worst.”

For Natalie, Rodney surviving the stabbing was further proof that they would find their mother. She knew that her sisters were more wary in general, fearing that their mother might not be found alive. After all, twenty-three years had passed since she had left them with their aunt. According to Callie, that was enough time for her to come out of hiding, no matter how afraid she was.

Natalie had to believe otherwise, that her mother had good reason to continue to stay out of their lives. And not because she was cold in a grave somewhere.

She could accept nothing else.

The doorbell rang. Deanna hurried through the kitchen exit, saying, “I’ll get it.”

Moments later, she said, “Natalie, it’s for you.”

“Me?” Natalie asked, making her way to the door.

A man in a suit stood on the porch, holding a large envelope and a clipboard. “Are you Natalie Cooper?”

“Yes,” she said, tentative.

“I have a delivery for you,” he said. “You’ll need to sign here.”

He handed her the clipboard, indicated where she needed to sign, and Natalie obliged. All the while, she wondered what on earth could have been delivered to her at her aunt and uncle’s home.

He took the clipboard, then gave her the envelope. “Have a good day.”

And then he was off.

Both Natalie and Deanna watched him get into a dark-colored sedan. Once he’d driven off, Natalie tore open the envelope’s seal.

“What was that about?” Deanna asked.

“I’m about to find out.” But Natalie had a sneaking suspicion whatever was in the envelope had to do with Vance’s text message the previous day. He’d asked for the address of where she was staying so he could send her important mail that had come for her.

She withdrew the papers. “I guess he’s filed for divorce,” Natalie said, trying to sound nonchalant as her eyes scanned the papers.

But something was wrong. Because while she wasn’t a lawyer, she noticed the papers didn’t say anything about a divorce petition.

Rather, page one of what was undoubtedly a legal document read Decree of Divorce. Now her eyes frantically took in the rest.

“Oh, my God,” Natalie uttered. Her insides began to twist violently. Vance had been given an uncontested divorce decree by the state of Nevada.

“What?” Deanna asked.

“Vance…he divorced me.”

Deanna made a face. “You mean he’s filed for divorce.”

Natalie handed her sister the papers, then went to the nearby living room and sank onto a sofa.

“But I don’t understand,” Deanna said after a while. “How could he get a divorce so quickly? And why in Nevada?”

“Obviously you can get rid of your wife in no time in Nevada.”

“But you don’t live there.”

“No.” Natalie’s mind began connecting the dots that were slowly coming together in her mind. “But we have a house there. Oh, that jerk! He must have used having a home there as a way to claim residency.”

Looking confused, Deanna’s eyes went over the pages again. A minute later, she spoke. “From what I see here, it looks like Vance claimed he tried to serve you papers but couldn’t find you, so the courts granted him an uncontested divorce. However, you are within your rights to contest it, have the case heard before the courts.”

Natalie waved a hand. “No.”

“But there’s property, none of which is mentioned in this agree—”

“I don’t care.” Natalie dragged a hand over her face. “Vance wants to get rid of me so quickly, let him have it all.”

“I used to date a lawyer,” Deanna said. “You have rights, sis. Do not let Vance walk all over you.”

“I’ll be fine,” Natalie said. “I have an account that’s mine. He used to give me an allowance—you know, money to go spend on myself shopping or with the other players’ wives. I wasn’t interested in spending my days acting like the spoiled wife of a basketball player. So I saved what he gave me for a rainy day.” She paused. “I guess this is my rainy day.”

And then Natalie started to cry.

Deanna sat beside her on the sofa and wrapped an arm around her. “Oh, sis. I’m so sorry.”

Natalie turned her face into Deanna’s shoulder, taking comfort from her sister as she cried.

Then the profoundness of this moment hit Natalie. Years ago, she had seduced Deanna’s boyfriend. That had to led to a ten-year rift between the sisters. Now here was Deanna offering her comfort over a marriage that had fallen apart due to infidelity.

“I’m not crying over Vance,” Natalie said through her tears. “Really, I’m not. I guess…I guess I’m just mourning the dream.”

And rationally, Natalie knew that was true. Because she had started mourning the loss of her marriage a long time ago. Shortly after she’d said “I do” two years ago, she had sensed that Vance had only married her so she would be eye candy on his arm.

Natalie wasn’t a fool. She had the kind of looks that caused men to crash their cars into light poles, she knew that. But she didn’t let those looks define her.

And she had hoped that when she’d met superstar basketball player Vance Cooper that he was different—that he had seen past her looks and into her fragile heart.