The Broken One (Corisi Billionaires, #1)(40)

Marc took out his phone and sent a text off, smiling as he did, then returned his attention to Judy. “Hang on.” His phone binged with a message. He read it, and another huge grin spread across his face. “You’re right; she’s pregnant. I really am going to be a father.”

Win lowered his voice and asked Judy, “So do you want to try again tomorrow?”

“No. I’ll find another way.” Judy watched Marc reduce to a giddy mess. He stepped away, but his happy exclamations carried.

“Do you think your parents were that happy when they found out about you?” Win asked in a subdued voice. “I don’t think mine were.”

Judy put an arm around his shoulders. Her problem could wait. “I’m sorry, Win.”

“My dad said if I screw up one more time, he’s sending me to a boarding school in Europe.”

Turning him toward her, Judy said, “Is that why you stole the watch?”

Win shrugged. After a moment, he said, “I’m sorry you got a bad grade on your family tree.”

“I don’t care about the grade,” Judy said. “I didn’t want to hand it in because it wasn’t done. I thought I would have something to add to it.”

“Judy,” Marc said, interrupting, “Alethea wants to talk to you.”

Judy took the phone and guessed at what her aunt wanted to hear. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything to Marc.”

“I’m the one who’s sorry. I should have told him. I was waiting for the right time, but I’m glad he knows.” She let out an audible breath. “Marc said you were coming to see me.”

“You found my dad’s family, didn’t you?” Judy demanded.

“I did.”

“I knew it. And?”

“And I don’t like what I’ve discovered so far. My gut tells me they’re hiding something, and my gut is never wrong.”

“You were supposed to tell me when you found them, and we were supposed to watch them together—to make sure they’re okay.”

“You’re nine, Judy. I know you feel like you’re old enough to handle anything we might find, but you’re not.”

Judy handed the phone back to Marc.

Even though he was still beaming, he did notice she wasn’t. “Are you okay, Judy?”

All she’d wanted to do was make her father smile, but all she’d done so far was cry when she’d handed in an eraser-torn-up project, cry again in front of her class, break up with her best friend, get Win in trouble, and spill a secret. Not okay at all.

Judy shook her head, turned, and gave Win a hug. “Don’t go away to boarding school.”

He hugged her back but didn’t promise he wouldn’t.

Marc held the back door of his car open. “Come on, Judy. Go home, Win.”

Win nodded and headed back toward his house.

As they pulled away from the curb, Judy said, “Do you have to tell my mother about this?”

“It’s my responsibility to keep you safe, Judy. You’re too young to understand that the world is a dangerous place.”

“Being nine sucks.” Judy slumped in the back seat.

Marc glanced back at her through the rearview mirror. “That bad?”

“Worse.”

“Want to tell me about it?”

After letting out a long sigh, Judy did just that. She told him all about the project, her father’s reaction to it, hiring Alethea, crying, Grace’s betrayal, Win’s situation, and how instead of making things better, she was afraid she’d made them worse. “Now I’m probably grounded too.”

“Sounds like a mountain of problems to me.”

“It is.”

“Do you know how to conquer mountains?”

“No.”

“One step at a time. Is there anything you can make better? Like with your friend Grace?”

“She laughed, Marc.”

“Everyone makes mistakes. Maybe even you. Could you have handled it differently?”

“I could have punched her. Win says that works better.”

Marc coughed. “You know that’s not what I meant. Did you tell her she hurt your feelings?”

“I told her she was dead to me. Is that the same thing?”

He made a pained face. “Not really. Why not call her and see if she feels as bad as you do about what happened?”

Judy took out her phone but didn’t call Grace. “Marc, why don’t you get mad at Alethea when she keeps things from you?”

He sighed. “Everything Alethea does, she does out of love. But you’re asking because you’re angry with her, aren’t you?”

“I’m not too young to hear whatever she found, Marc. It’s not fair that she won’t tell me.”

“Do you believe she loves you?”

“Yes.”

“And that she loves your family?”

“Yes,” Judy said with less patience.

“Then trust her, Judy. You won’t be nine forever. Let her protect you while you are.”

How could she argue with that? “Thanks, Marc.” Judy glanced down at her phone. “I don’t hate Grace, but she hurt me.”

“Tell her all that.”