Adam's Daughter Part 58

"Yes. Shall I tell him you're here?"

"No," Kellen said, heading for the door. "I want to surprise him."

"Kellen, his mother's with him -"

But Kellen was already through the door.

Ian looked up from his desk, his eyes widening with surprise. "What are you doing here?" Ian said.

Kellen closed the door. "I just thought I'd pay you a little visit. h.e.l.lo, Lilith."

Lilith gave Ian a sour questioning look.

"You're not supposed to be up here," Ian said. "In fact, you're not even allowed in this building."

"Don't worry, I have my little badge," she said, taking it out of her pocket. She tossed it on Ian's desk. "Is this what you're reduced to these days? Playing office police?"

"You'd better leave," he said.

She shook her head. "Not this time."

"Ian, call security," Lilith said.

Ian stared at Kellen. "That's not necessary, Mother. Kellen's a reasonable woman."

"No, she's not," Lilith said. "She's crazy."

Ian folded his hands in front of his face. "What do you want, Kellen?"

Kellen took a paper out of her briefcase and held it out to Ian. With a c.o.c.k of an eyebrow, he took it. Slowly, his expression changed, pa.s.sing quickly through disbelief and into anger as he read the contract.

"This is crazy," he said, tossing it onto the desk. "Do you expect me to believe this is real?"

Lilith s.n.a.t.c.hed up the paper and read it. "Ian!" she said. "This says that Richardson has sold the corporation back to her!"

"It's not possible," Ian said with a shrug. "Arthur Richardson would never allow it."

"Arthur Richardson is dead," Kellen said. "You should read the newspaper, Ian. You ran the obit."

Ian stared at her. "It's not possible. You don't have enough money to buy it back."

"Tyler gave me half. The rest is being made in annual payments."

Ian's mouth fell open then his face blackened. "That G.o.dd.a.m.n f.a.ggot," he said. "I'll kill him for this. I'll make sure everyone knows about him and his f.u.c.king little --"

"Tyler doesn't care anymore," Kellen said. "And neither does J.D. You can't do a thing to either of them anymore."

Lilith was white with shock. "Do something," she hissed at Ian.

"Do what?" he shouted.

Lilith jumped and stared at him.

"What in the h.e.l.l do you want me to do, Mother?" Ian said. He grabbed the contract and crumpled it into a ball and flung it at Kellen. "What do you want me to do, Mother? What...do...you want?"

He jumped to his feet and swept his arm across his desk, sending everything on it cras.h.i.+ng to the floor -- papers, pens, a bra.s.s lamp, a crystal ashtray.

Lilith drew back into the chair, and Kellen stood frozen, staring at Ian. His face was pale and his chest was heaving. She felt a ripple of fear go up her spine.

"All my life I've listened to you," he said, staring at Lilith. "Listened to you b.i.t.c.h about Father, how he stole the newspaper, how he hurt you. How I had to fix it all for you. Well, I'm sick of it! I'm sick of you using me to get back at him!"

He glanced at Kellen then back at Lilith. "What am I going to do about this?" he said with a smile. "I'll tell you, Mother. I'm not going to do a f.u.c.king thing. I've had it. I'm leaving."

He stormed out of the office, slamming the door. For a moment it was perfectly still. Lilith sat frozen in her chair, staring at the mess on the floor. Finally, Kellen went over, picked up the lamp and put it back on the desk.

"You won't get away with this," Lilith said. "In the agreement we made with Arthur Richardson it said that Ian would remain publisher here in perpetuity. This sale does nothing to negate that." She paused. "Ian will still be here and so will Robert after him."

"I know," Kellen said. "But it doesn't matter. I own these newspapers now. Ian's name may remain on the masthead as publisher but mine will always be above his as owner. He'll never have any power. As his mother, I'd think you'd be more concerned for his state of mind than his position here."

Lilith shrugged. "He'll be fine. He's always had a temper. He'll get over it and he'll be back. By rights, all this is his."

Kellen shook her head slowly. "Not anymore." She leveled her eyes at Lilith. "This is my office now, Lilith. And I'd like you to leave."

Lilith stared at her for a moment. Slowly, she withdrew a mirror from her purse, checked her reflection then put the mirror away. With a last look at Kellen, she rose and walked out of the office, leaving the door open.

Kellen went slowly across the room and closed it. She turned and leaned back on the door, looking over the office. It looked different than it had when her father had occupied it. Ian had changed it too much. But there was still a feeling about it that he had not been able to erase, a presence, as if her father were still there. The feeling was so strong that it brought unexpected tears to her eyes.

Quickly, she went back to the desk. She knelt down and gathered up the papers that Ian had flung aside. There was nothing important among them, so she dropped them all into the trash. The crystal ashtray, in two pieces now, was also dropped in, along with a few knickknacks.

There was a copy of that morning's Times, which she put on the desk. Just as she was about to stand up, something caught her eye under the desk. It was a frame, and she picked it up, staring at it. It was a picture of a somber dark-haired boy --Robert. She stood up and put the picture in her briefcase. She would have it sent to Ian's home.

She reached into her briefcase, withdrew two silver frames. She set the first one, of Sara and Ben, on the edge of the desk. She sat staring at the second one. Adam and Elizabeth looked back at her, smiling.

She set the frame next to the one of the children.

Her gaze went to the newspaper. Slowly, she unfolded it and ran her hands lightly over the front page. She raised her hands, turned them over and looked at her palms. They were smeared with ink. She thought of what her father had said a long time ago.

I don't want my daughter dirtying her hands with the business.

She glanced at his photograph, and she knew that if he could see her he wouldn't mind it at all now.

CHAPTER EIGHTY-SIX.

Ian stood high on a cliff, staring down at the ocean far below. He watched the breakers cras.h.i.+ng on the rocks and the rhythmic advance and retreat of the waves. He closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath of the ripe humid air then let it out slowly. He repeated the exercise ten times, just as the doctor had told him to do. Then he opened his eyes.

It didn't work. He still felt bad. Usually, coming to the house on Hana gave him an immediate lift. But now, three weeks after his arrival, he still felt...so empty.

In the last few days he had come to a revelation: He could do anything he wanted. He didn't have to go back to Clarisse if he didn't want to. He never had to talk to Lilith again. He could stay right here in Hana and never go back. He was, for the first time in his life, truly free of responsibilities and everyone else's expectations. He could do whatever his heart desired.

He glanced back at his magnificent house. Whatever his heart desired...

But it desired nothing, really. As he stood there on the cliff, he realized he couldn't think of one thing he wanted to do or one person he wanted to be with.

He stuck his hands in his pockets, and his fingers closed around a wadded letter. He unfolded it and read it again. It was from Lilith, a rambling appeal to come back and resume his figurehead role of publisher. "Not for my sake, Ian," Lilith wrote, "but for your son's." It went on and on, ending with a discordant note of sentiment: "Please come home, dear. You know I love you and want you to be happy."

Ian folded the letter in half. Happy...what a strange word for Lilith to use. What the h.e.l.l did she mean? He couldn't think of any moment in his life to which he could apply the word happy. Contented, satisfied...that was how he usually felt here at Hana. But not happy. Never happy.

No, that wasn't entirely true. He could remember feeling happy twice in his life. When he was with Chimmoko. And a faint memory of that day he had gone to look at the new bridge with his father.

His thoughts went to his son Robert. He had not seen him now in weeks and he realized suddenly that he almost missed him. The boy was a mystery to him, a stranger really. But there was some sort of connection there, something he felt with no one else on the face of the earth. Whenever he looked into Robert's eyes, he could see a reflection of himself as a boy there.

But it was growing dimmer, always dimmer. He was losing Robert. Just as a.s.suredly as the business now belonged to Kellen, Robert belonged to Clarisse and Lilith.

He had ...nothing.

He glanced at Lilith's letter in his hand. Slowly, he tore it into pieces and threw them into the wind, watching them swirl down to the water below. He looked out at the ocean and then down to the rocks. He closed his eyes and slowly raised his arms, holding them straight out. His body swayed, caught in the wind, and his senses became suddenly sharpened by the salty smell, the pounding waves, and the delicious vertigo.

His lips parted in the beginning of a smile. Then he opened his eyes, squinting at the glint of the sun off the water. Slowly, he lowered his arms and took a step away from the cliff's edge.

He knew suddenly that he would go back. He had to. He had to make sure the connection was maintained. For Robert. For his son. For himself.

CHAPTER EIGHTY-SEVEN.

The afternoon sky was overcast, but inside the beach house there was laughter. Kellen sat at the dining room table talking with Clark, Tyler, and J.D. Out on the deck, Sara and Ben were seated at a table, engrossed with their crayons, paper, and scissors.

Tyler reached for another bagel. "I didn't even know you could cook," he said with a smile.

"Only omelets," Kellen said. "The kids and I live on them when we come down here."

J.D. leaned back in his chair. "This is a great house," he said. "Thanks for inviting us, Kellen. It was good to get away for a couple days before the crush starts up again. I'll need all the strength I can get this time around."

J.D. was up for reelection and was about to set out on the campaign circuit. Last week, he had called a press conference and made his h.o.m.os.e.xuality public.

Clark raised his gla.s.s. "To Mr. Greenjeans's reelection," he said with a smile.

They all took a drink. Kellen turned the wine bottle around to look at the label. It was the same as the sketch Tyler had once shown her -- a gray gull on a field of blue with silver letters spelling out Ingram Hills.

"So, tell me again how much you like our wine," Tyler said with a smile.

Kellen took a sip of the Chablis. "A presumptuous little domestic," she said. "The perfect complement to runny omelets." Then she smiled. "You know I'm proud of you. And you know I know nothing about wine. But I really do like it."

Tyler turned to Clark. "You, on the other hand, have not said a word. So what's the verdict, you old sn.o.b? After all these years of taking your grief, I can take one more insult."

Clark raised his gla.s.s, peering at the wine in the light. "Kellen's right. It's presumptuous, but it has a certain insouciant charm. Reminds me a little of a Montrachet I had in France once, from a vineyard called Les Pucelles."

"That's as close to a compliment as Clark will get," Kellen said.

They were all silent for a moment, happily satiated by the meal and company. Ben began to fuss that Sara wouldn't give him a crayon.

"Sara, share with your brother," Kellen called out.

"But I need the black one," she protested.

"Break it in half and give him a piece," Kellen said.

The kids became quiet again. Tyler watched them for a moment then turned back to Kellen. "How are they taking the divorce?" he asked.

"As well as can be expected," Kellen said. "They were upset at first but Stephen's been great. He comes up to see them nearly every week and calls all the time. They both know we both still love them very much."

"How's Stephen doing?" Clark asked.

"He likes the new job, says he has a real challenge ahead of him trying to shake the Los Angeles Times out of its complacency." She paused. "He seems happy."

Tyler stared at her. "What about you? Are you happy?"

She looked at the children. "Yes. Things are turning around at the newspapers. I have everything I want."

They all fell silent again. J.D. glanced at his watch. "It's nearly three. Tyler," he said. "We'd better get going."

"You're right. It's a long drive."

They all rose, and Tyler helped Kellen clear the table while J.D. put the suitcases in the car. Kellen walked them out to the car. J.D. got in the car, but Clark said he had forgotten his coat and went back into the house.

Tyler and Kellen stood there for a moment without saying anything. Then a small smile tipped Tyler's lips. "Strange, isn't it, how things turned out," he said.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Oh, I don't know. All the time when I was growing up I never felt like I was part of the family. I always felt like an add-on to Father's life. I never really felt he loved me. I always envied what you and he had. And I envied your love of the newspapers because it was your connection to him, something I never had."

"Oh, Tyler," Kellen said softly.

"But a couple months ago I realized something really important," he went on. "I have a connection, too. Father left me something without even knowing it."

"The vineyard," Kellen said.

Tyler smiled slightly. "Yes, the vineyard. But also a sister. Who loves me enough to forgive me for what I did."