Chapter 7 - THE ENVELOPE VANESSA BROUGHT TO GRACE|
Three days after the engagement dinner, Vanessa Bellini appeared at Grace Hayes's apartment carrying a cream-colored envelope.
I happened to be there when she arrived.
Grace had invited me for coffee after I helped Ethan finish his science-fair display.
The boy was at school.
Grace was preparing for an afternoon shift.
When the doorbell rang, she expected a package.
Instead, she opened the door and found Vanessa standing in the hallway.
Vanessa wore an expensive camel-colored coat and dark sunglasses.
Her hair was perfectly arranged.
She looked as though she'd come from a fashion magazine rather than from the engagement dinner where she'd humiliated a grieving child.
"Grace," she said brightly.
"I'm so glad you're home."
Grace didn't move aside.
"What do you want?"
Vanessa glanced past her and saw me standing near the kitchen.
Her smile vanished.
"Of course you're here."
I set down my coffee cup.
"Good afternoon, Miss Bellini."
She ignored me.
Then she looked back at Grace.
"I think we should talk privately."
Grace folded her arms.
"Anything you have to say, you can say in front of Natalie."
Vanessa's jaw tightened.
But she stepped inside when Grace finally made room.
She placed the envelope on the coffee table.
"I came because this whole situation has gotten out of hand."
Grace stared at her.
"You told my son that Luca didn't want him anymore."
Vanessa sighed.
"I was trying to encourage independence."
"You told me I wasn't welcome to call him."
"Grace, you have to understand how complicated Luca's life is."
Grace's voice remained remarkably calm.
"I understand that you lied about what he wanted."
Vanessa sat down without being invited.
"Let's not make this emotional."
Grace gave a humorless laugh.
"You frightened my thirteen-year-old son, Vanessa."
"He's very sensitive."
"He lost his father."
"And Luca can't spend the rest of his life making up for that."
I saw Grace's hands tighten into fists.
For a moment, I thought she might shout.
Instead, she said something much more powerful.
"I never asked Luca to replace Daniel."
Vanessa looked away.
"Whatever you say."
"I asked whether my son was still welcome at Sunday dinner."
"Which is exactly why boundaries became necessary."
Then Vanessa slid the envelope across the table.
"This is an opportunity for everyone to move forward."
Grace didn't touch it.
"What is it?"
"A settlement."
The word sounded absurd in that little living room.
Grace stared at her.
"A settlement for what?"
"For the misunderstanding."
Vanessa opened the envelope and revealed a cashier's check.
The amount was twenty-five thousand dollars.
I felt my stomach turn.
Grace looked at the check without reaching for it.
Vanessa continued.
"All I need is a signed statement confirming that you voluntarily requested the education payments to stop."
Grace slowly lifted her eyes.
"And?"
"And that you won't pursue any allegations concerning me or my family."
Vanessa smiled.
"Naturally, there would also be a confidentiality agreement."
Grace sat down opposite her.
For the first time, I noticed how exhausted she looked.
Twenty-five thousand dollars was more money than she could save in a long time.
It could replace what she'd spent on rent and bills.
It could give Ethan breathing room.
It could allow her to stop taking extra shifts for a while.
Vanessa seemed to understand exactly how tempting that amount might be.
"You deserve some security," she said softly.
"And Ethan deserves a fresh start."
Grace glanced at the check.
Then she asked, "Does Luca know you're here?"
Vanessa paused.
"He knows I want what's best for everyone."
"That wasn't my question."
Vanessa's smile disappeared.
"Grace, don't make this harder than it needs to be."
Grace picked up the envelope.
For one terrible second, I thought she might accept it.
Then she closed the flap and pushed it back.
"My husband worked hard his entire life."
Her voice trembled, but she didn't look away.
"He taught our son that your word is worth more than your possessions."
Vanessa scoffed.
"How sentimental."
Grace continued.
"Daniel died without many expensive things to leave behind."
"But he left Ethan his name."
She pointed toward the envelope.
"I'm not going to sign a lie about my family because you think we're desperate enough to be bought."
Vanessa stood abruptly.
"You have no idea what you're interfering with."
Grace stood too.
"I'm trying to protect my son."
"So am I," Vanessa snapped.
Then she corrected herself.
"I mean, I'm trying to protect Luca."
I stepped toward the door.
"I think you should leave."
Vanessa turned toward me.
"You're a maid, Natalie."
Her voice was icy.
"Don't confuse being invited into this apartment with having any importance in this family."
Grace answered before I could.
"Natalie has shown my son more kindness in the last week than you have in months."
Vanessa's face reddened.
She grabbed the envelope from the table.
"You both think you're being very brave."
Then she looked directly at Grace.
"But when the truth about Daniel's finances comes out, don't say I didn't warn you."
Grace's expression changed.
"What truth?"
Vanessa moved toward the door.
"Ask Luca why Daniel's name appears on some old business documents."
Then she left.
The apartment door closed behind her with a soft click.
Grace sat down slowly.
For several seconds, neither of us spoke.
Finally, I asked the question neither of us wanted to consider.
"Grace, was Daniel involved in any business with Luca?"
She nodded.
"They worked on cars together years ago."
"Anything else?"
Grace looked toward her husband's photograph.
"Daniel kept old records in a storage cabinet at the garage."
She swallowed.
"He told me they were important, but I never had a reason to examine them."
Then she looked at me.
"Natalie, what if Vanessa knows something about my husband that I don't?"
I sat beside her.
"Then we'll find out what it is."
But as I spoke, I remembered Vanessa's expression when she'd offered that check.
She hadn't looked generous.
She'd looked frightened.
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And I was beginning to suspect that the old business documents didn't contain Daniel's secret.
They contained hers.
