Tessa's Temptation(33)

"I came for you." Her mother stared into Tess's eyes and for a brief  moment, that same old hope surged. Maybe things could work out between  them. Maybe not right away but Tess was willing to try. "But, I do need  money."

Or not. That sense of elation drained from her body faster than it had  come, replaced by an overwhelming dread. "I don't have any money to give  you. I'm sorry. I don't even have a job right now. I'm focusing on  school."

"You can do that because Chase is supporting you. Think about how scared  you were when you thought you were going to be evicted. You know what  it's like to live paycheck to paycheck and wonder where your next meal  is coming from. I'm in trouble, sweetie."

Tess wiped the tears from her eyes because she knew exactly what her  mother was talking about. She'd lived her whole life below the poverty  line. No matter how hard her father worked, they always came up short.  For the first time in her life she didn't have to worry about money or  food or how they would pay to keep the lights on. Children weren't  supposed to worry about those things. Her dad always did the best he  could do, but even as a child Tess had been perceptive and knew when  they were struggling to pay the bills.

"I'm sorry." Tess took a deep breath, trying to stay strong. "I can't help you."

"I can," Chase said without missing a beat.

No, no, no!



***



Tessa tensed beside Chase. She would be furious with him but something  wasn't sitting well and he was going to draw it out of her mother. It  wasn't just the fact that Nina had popped up at his door after years of  not seeing her daughter. It didn't take long to figure out what she  wanted and it infuriated him that she would use her daughter like that.  She was all over the place. First she acted as if she was there to save  Tess from his inappropriate advances, but when that didn't work she  showed her true colors. She was looking for any angle.

"Chase," Tess pleaded. "You don't have to give her money."

"Is your daughter right?" Chase directed his question to the con artist  standing in his living room. "Do you want a relationship with her or do  you want my money?"

"I'm not lying," Nina said. "I'm in financial trouble and if Tess  doesn't come back with me..." She stopped mid-stream. "I don't want to  get into all the details. I thought by coming here, something else would  pan out, but it doesn't look like it's going to happen."

"You didn't come here for me?" Tess asked. "I should have known. When have I ever been a priority to you?"

"I had planned to contact you," she said. "You know what it's like to need money and what it's like to need it now."                       
       
           



       

"You're unbelievable." When Tess's voice cracked, Chase just about lost  his patience. She was trying to stay strong but how much more could she  handle?

He wouldn't stand by and watch this woman hurt his girl. Nina was up to  something much bigger. Much more than what she was telling, and Tessa  was smack dab in the middle. He was about to remove her from the  equation all together.

"I'll write you a check and then I want you out of this house. You will  not contact Tessa unless she initiates it." If paying Nina would make  her leave Tessa alone, no price would be too high. "I'm sure we could  come up with a figure."

"Why aren't you listening to me?" Tess shouted. "This is crazy. You  can't just pay her off and expect her to go away." Tessa looked at Nina.  "If you take his offer, I'll never forgive you."

"I don't think you're ever going to forgive me anyway. There's too many  years and too many regrets. You'll never understand the things I've  done." Nina stepped toward Tess and put her hand on her daughter's  shoulder. "If I had any other option, believe me, I would take it. Rocco  is in trouble with men he never should have associated with. I need to  clear his debts and I'll do whatever I have to."

May came in with the tea, setting the beautiful walnut tray on the  coffee table just as Tessa responded to her mother's admission.

"Too bad you never felt that kind of motivation to be there for me whenI  needed you." Tessa stepped away from both her mother and Chase. "I  don't care what the two of you do." She looked into his eyes and the  hurt he saw there tore at his gut but he wouldn't back down. "I don't  understand what you're doing."

"You don't have to understand. You just have to trust me."

She ran past May and up the main staircase. He fought the urge to go  after her, but he had to take care of Nina before he could fix things  with Tessa.

"May," he said. "Please go after her. I'll be up in a few minutes."

"Chase, are you sure whatever you're doing is the right thing?" May asked. "Tess is so upset."

"May, please." He nodded toward the staircase. "Go and make sure she's okay."

"I can already tell you she's not okay." But May did as he asked,  knowing she couldn't win an argument with him in this matter. She left  the room without another word.

"Chase," Nina said. "The things I said when I first got here …  well, I meant nothing against you."

"I don't believe anything that comes out of your mouth. The only person  I'm concerned about in all of this is Tessa. I would do anything for  her."

"I can see that."

"Then you know I'm serious when it comes to her." He motioned for her to  follow him down the hall to the study. The quicker he got this over  with, the faster he could get to Tessa. He pulled the door shut behind  them. "Have a seat." He leaned against the desk, crossing his feet at  the ankles as she sat in the chair across from him. "I don't trust you."

"I didn't want to come here and cause trouble." She fidgeted with her  hands. "Idid want to see my daughter. I've failed as her mother."

"That's an understatement." Even now he sensed no remorse in her voice.

"I hope someday she'll understand why I made the choices I did. I  couldn't stay with Pat. I thought by leaving I'd find a better life. I  always planned to send for Tess when I could, but things never worked  out as I had hoped."

"I'm not the one you should be explaining all of that to." He wondered  if anything she said about her daughter was genuine. He certainly hadn't  felt any sincerity in her approach when she blew in and upended Tessa's  world. She was no sooner in the front door when she demanded her  daughter leave with her. She had to know Tessa wouldn't just pack up and  go with her after everything that had come between them through the  years. "In any case, you hurt Tessa and I won't allow that anymore."

"I didn't mean to hurt her."

"A few other things are bothering me about your impromptu visit. If  you're as broke as you say you are, how did you make the trip from  Philadelphia to Boston?"

"I had a little money."

"Money that should have gone to buy groceries or gas?" Nothing about  this woman made any sense. "Or possibly to help pay off your husband's  debts? What are you really doing here?"                       
       
           



       

"Does it matter?" She shifted in her chair.

"It might."

"If my original plan had worked out, my trip here would have been worth  it." She stood and paced the room. "I thought seeing Tess would be a  good thing. I had no idea how upset she was with me."

"There's a lot you don't know about your daughter." He calmly walked  around his desk and sat, retrieving his checkbook from the drawer.  "Luckily, I know her pretty well." No matter how Tessa felt about her  mother, the guilt would kill her if anything happened to Nina. His girl  was tough but her heart was too big to let her mother end up on the  street, or worse if Rocco's debts were too high to pay.

"I was misinformed," she said. "I shouldn't have come here and judged you the way I did."

"Misinformed?" Audra. He should have known. That was why this whole  scenario didn't feel right. Lately anything involving Audra had a sour  taste.

"I mean, I shouldn't have made assumptions about your intentions with my  daughter." She glanced down at his checkbook. "I assumed that because  you're older and more experienced, you would only be interested in her  for sex. She's a remarkable beauty and men aren't always very noble."

"I'm not sure what my attorney has told you about my relationship with  Tessa." He wrote Nina Alesi on the check. "It's clearly her who  misinformed you and I'm sorry if she said anything offensive."