Page 133 of Everything Has Changed
“Piper, I promise I wouldn’t agree to the terms if I thought Gwen was in any danger.”
I raise my eyebrows at him. “And you’re sure I’ll be okay?”
“You’ll understand when you meet them.”
***
The restaurant I was told to be at is actually an intimate Italian bistro. The room is mostly lit by only the candles on the checkered cloth covered tables and string lights along the wall. I would probably laugh at how cliche it felt to be in such a secluded meet up spot as if this were a spy movie if I weren’t so nervous.
The entire drive here, I wrestled with the thoughts of how stupid this was. Did I trust that Mitch wouldn’t put me in danger? Sure. But it was wired in my DNA to think ‘strangerdanger’. Especially as a woman.
With my leg shaking under the table and my hand tapping on the tablecloth in an erratic rhythm, I gave myself a pep talk.
I can do this. I’m a strong, independent woman. And my friends and family needed me.
When the waiter stops by to ask if I wanted to order a beverage, he flinched when I enthusiastically shouted yes, requesting a glass of red to offset some of the jittery feeling overtaking my body.
He must have also felt the vibes going haywire as he wasted no time returning with a heavy pour and a worried expression.
“Thank you,” I say to his back as he makes a hasty retreat to the kitchen.
I’m one healthy sip in when I feel a presence approach the table and a voice I was not expecting chuckles.
“I’ve always said you were a girl after my own heart, Gwen.”
The way my eyes pop out of my face is almost painful as I take in Margot Spencer placing her jacket on the back of the chair before sitting down. I still haven’t recovered as she waves the waiter back over, asking for her own glass to match mine.
Again, he hurries to retrieve her a glass and I’m grateful she doesn’t say anything until he walks away again. Giving me a moment to compose myself.
“Don’t look so shocked, sweetie. I might have a Bachelors of Fine Arts degree, but there is a reason I didn’t do anything with it. Though, maybe after all the years of acting like I give a shit about my husband, I should pat myself on the back for still having some skill.”
My mouth gapes a few times until I find my voice again. “You’re the informant? But why?”
She takes a sip of her wine, humming her enjoyment. “Oh, you do have good taste,” she says before setting her glass back down. Interlocking her fingers on the table, Margot leans forward. “I guess I need to give you a little backstory so you can understand the why.”
“Richard and I haven’t always had a rocky relationship. The problems really started around the time Jake passed. Granted, he was never the easiest person to get along with, especially when it came to our sons, but it came from a place of love. He only wanted the best for all of us. But, after Jake passed and Richard was solid in his seat with the town, he turned his anger and frustration into something toxic. Nothing physical, not really. Mostly just using his words as a weapon. He placed such a weight on Logan that there was no way for him to get out from under it, no matter how hard I tried to alleviate the pressure.”
“Did you try?”
Margot pops an eyebrow at me and I wish I could walk back my question, it wasn’t my place to ask it. I fully expect her to lash out, tell me I’m in the wrong, but she doesn’t. Instead, she lifts one side of her mouth up in a sad smile.
“More than you could ever imagine, Gwen. It haunted me every day to see my son struggle with reaching the heights his father wanted him to be at. Richard didn’t want Logan to be Logan, he wanted him to be an enhanced version of himself. And we both know how much of a wedge that has placed between all of us.”
I shake my head in confusion. “What does that have to do with what is happening now? With this deal your husband is forcing us to make. Which is more money than anyone could ever need, by the way.”
“When Richard started rubbing elbows with men like Marcus Antonio, he got a taste of more power. Of what more money brings to the table. How a well-known name can open doors that would otherwise stay sealed shut to regular people. He hated not being part of the inner circle. The first time Marcus showed him how much money they could get from buying land from farmers for cheap and reselling for a bigger profit, Richard realized how much more they could do as a team. It snowballed from there until he met Triton Resorts. They flashed a pretty idea with a ton of zeros behind it and unfortunately my husband lost his mind to greed.”
I’m quiet as she tells her story, taking small sips of my wine to keep my mouth busy so I didn’t interrupt her. Margot’s eyes were slightly unfocused as she recounted the past, and I could see the pain in them as she talked.
“I tried my hardest to talk him down from the dangerous ledge he was hurdling toward. I begged him not to get into something that would change the fabric of our home forever. But he wouldn’t listen to me. Said that I was determined to make him fail. I learned pretty quickly to keep my mouth shut. Then he brought Logan back into the fold.”
She takes a sip from her glass, spinning it around in her fingers by the stem as she blinks back into the present.
“That brings us to now,” she smiles softly. “I wasn’t sure what to do or how to get my husband to see rationally. He just kept talking about how Logan was finally going to step in and he would get to live the life he deserved. Even if that meant changing Willow Grove as we knowit. Even when I reminded him Logan would have to pick up the pieces he shattered.”
As she continued talking, I realized how lost she looked. The haunted look in her eyes of a tired woman at her breaking point stared back at me.
“You called Mitch when you felt you couldn’t do any more to stop him,” I whispered.
