Only Yours (Fool's Gold #5)(48)

She asked the question in such a way that Montana realized the mayor knew the answer.

Montana shifted in her seat. “He hasn’t told me.”

“Do you want to know?”

The tone was gentle, the expression caring. Mayor Marsha wouldn’t tell her if she didn’t want to know.

Montana nodded.

Marsha slipped on her reading glasses and opened a slim folder in front of her.

“From what I’ve been able to find out, his mother was largely a disinterested parent. There’s no word on Simon’s father. He seems to have disappeared fairly early on. Possibly while she was pregnant. According to the police reports, her boyfriend left because he found Simon…disconcerting.”

Marsha glanced at Montana, looking over her half-glasses. “He was very intelligent, even when he was young. He’d skipped a couple of grades by the time he was eleven and was expected to skip even more.”

Montana gripped the edge of the large conference table. She sensed she was going to need the support.

“When the boyfriend took off, Simon’s mother blamed her son. She pushed him into the fireplace.” Marsha looked up again and removed her glasses. “Obviously we’ve all seen his scars. When he tried to climb out, she pushed him back in. It’s something of a miracle he didn’t die.”

Don’t throw up, Montana told herself as her stomach turned over and over. Don’t think about it and don’t throw up.

Horror swept through her. Her brain flashed to Freddie, whose father had cut him on purpose.

“The neighbors called an ambulance, who in turn called the police. When Simon was taken away, the mother confessed all. She didn’t care if she went to jail. She never wanted to see her son again. As far as she was concerned, Simon had ruined her life.”

The mayor slipped on her glasses and continued to read. “He spent nearly four years in the hospital. There were countless surgeries. Amazingly, he was able to study on his own, without the benefit of much more than a part-time volunteer teacher. He achieved nearly perfect scores on the SAT and ACT tests and was given a full scholarship to Stanford at the age of sixteen. From there he went to UCLA medical school.”

Montana couldn’t listen anymore. “Excuse me,” she said, pushing her chair away from the table. “I have to go.”

She grabbed her purse and hurried out of the room. The door to the outside seemed miles away, but finally she made it and was able to breathe again.

This wasn’t happening, she thought, bent over slightly, sucking in air. She didn’t want to know.

But the knowledge couldn’t be unlearned. The reality of Simon’s past horrified her. She’d seen Kalinda’s burns. Simon’s would have been as bad. Maybe worse. She knew they were on his face and went down his neck. They were also on his body, she remembered. He’d told her that.

His mother hadn’t just pushed him into a fire, she’d tried to keep him there. She’d tried to punish or even kill him in one of the worst, most hideously painful ways possible. All the while, Simon would have been screaming, fighting to get out. The one person who was supposed to love him had nearly destroyed him.

She straightened, only to find she was crying. Tears filled her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. Tears for the boy who had been brutally disfigured and tears for the man who insisted on living in emotional solitary confinement.

As she brushed her face with her fingers, she drew in a breath. Mayor Marsha had known all this when she’d first approached Montana about helping convince Simon to stay in Fool’s Gold. She’d wisely kept the truth quiet until Montana was ready to handle it.

Whatever her personal feelings for Simon, there was more at stake than her fragile heart. Simon needed to see there were good people in the world, people who cared about each other. She had to find a way to make him want to stay in Fool’s Gold. No matter what.

“TELL ME WHAT YOU LOVE about this,” Nevada said as she pulled weeds from between the roses. “It’s hot and sweaty. You’re digging in the dirt and the roses are attack plants.” She sat back on her heels and studied a new scratch on the side of her arm.

Denise laughed. “You make it sound so unpleasant. I happen to like gardening.”

“I get that. What isn’t clear is why.”

“It relaxes me. And I have something to show for my labor. I can stand back and look at what I’ve accomplished. I don’t get the same satisfaction from things like doing laundry. There will just be more tomorrow.”

“There’ll be more weeds tomorrow, too.”

“You’re missing the spirit of the work,” Denise scolded her.

Denise had been surprised when Nevada had shown up a few minutes ago, claiming to want to spend a little time with her. While she had close relationships with all her children, they seldom stopped by just to catch up. Usually they invited her out to lunch and dinner for that. When one of her children came home, it usually meant there was a problem.

What Denise didn’t know was what Nevada wanted to talk about, but many years of being a mother had taught her patience. Her daughter would tell her when she was ready. Which turned out to be sooner than she had expected.

“I’ve been thinking about my job,” Nevada said a few minutes later. “Ethan’s doing more with his windmills and less construction.”