Secrets and sin, p.1
Secrets and Sin, page 1
SECRETS AND SIN
WINSLOW HEIGHTS
BOOK 1
OLIVIA JAYMES
CONTENTS
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
About the Author
SECRETS AND SIN
Copyright © 2023 by Olivia Jaymes
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
1
The house hadn’t changed much since the last time Zack Winslow had been home. The trees lining the long winding driveway were taller and the flowers in front of the wrap-around porch were different, but it was still mostly the same.
He and his siblings had grown up in this rambling old Victorian with the black shutters. They had played in the yard, jumped in mud puddles when it rained, and eaten ice cream on the back patio on hot summer nights. His early years had been happy ones, filled with so many wonderful memories. He’d had a magical childhood in this little town.
To get here from the airport, he’d driven through Winslow Heights - the town his ancestors had helped found many generations ago - and it hadn’t changed much either. There were a few new businesses in the quaint downtown area, but most of it had almost been frozen in time. He could have navigated his way here with his eyes closed. He’d seen pictures of it from back in the 1960s, and it didn’t look much different today except that the cars parked on the streets were modern.
In a way it was comforting to come home to something that held on so fiercely against the tides of inevitable change and what some people called progress. There was a certainty in it that was a balm to the soul.
Sameness didn’t always equal happiness, though. He was sure that there were things that should have changed but hadn’t. At least not for the better.
The door flew open, and their housekeeper Emma stood on the front porch with her arms outstretched and her smile wide. Emma was also a constant in the Winslow home and a good one. She’d been with the family since Zack was ten, and every year she talked about retirement. And every year she said maybe next year. At this point, she only managed the staff needed to maintain a house and grounds this large. She wasn’t taking care of little kids or scrubbing bathtubs.
There was more gray in her hair than the last time he’d seen her, but she still looked energetic and vibrant. Her blue eyes twinkled as she beckoned to him, reminding him of all the times he’d sat in her kitchen and had an after-school snack. She’d feed him brownies and juice all the while asking him about his day. No detail was ever too small.
“Come give us a hug,” Emma laughed. “Damn, it’s good to see you. I think you’ve grown another foot since the last time.”
Emma always said stuff like that even though he was the same height he’d been when he left for college eighteen years ago.
“If I grew as much as you seem to think I do, then I’d need a whole new wardrobe every few years,” he said, giving her a warm hug. She always smelled of Chanel No. 5. She said it had been a gift from his mother, and she’d instantly loved the scent. “How are you doing, Emma? Life treating you okay?”
“You’d know the answers to those questions if you were around more,” she shot back. “When was the last time you were here? Five years ago?”
He knew exactly how long it had been. He’d come for Christmas three years ago. Zack and his father had argued about the family firm, ruining dinner according to his Aunt Kimberly. Zack had left two days early. He hadn’t been in a hurry to come back.
“Not that long.” He took a step toward the doorway and then paused, thinking better of it. “How bad is it?”
Emma sighed and shook her head, her hands on her hips.
“It isn’t pretty, I’ll tell you that. Your aunt’s in a tizzy, and your dad is trying to keep her calm. He’s on the warpath, too, about your sister.”
“Frankie or Piper?”
“Both, if I’m honest. Frankie is back in town, but she says she’s not coming to the wedding although she also says that she’s here because Cooper asked her to be. Piper isn’t coming either, but your father didn’t expect her to. He expected Frankie, though. He’s not happy about that. Kim is upset too.”
“What about Cooper?”
Zack knew that his brothers Tate and Sam would attend. But Cooper? He was a wild card.
“How is it that I talk to your siblings more than you do? Don’t you talk to your brother? I thought you two were close.”
Of all his siblings, Zack had been closest to Cooper. They were only two years apart, so it had seemed natural. They’d had fun together as kids and then teenagers, but somewhere along the line Cooper had become a stranger, getting married and then divorced, all the while wandering the world aimlessly. He’d come back to Winslow Heights a few years ago and didn’t appear to have any source of income but he didn’t seem hurting for money either.
Cooper romanced the ladies in four counties, seeming to have all the time in the world to simply have fun. Zack was afraid that his brother’s devil may care attitude and abundant charm was going to get him in trouble one day. As it was, Cooper might deal drugs or rob banks for all Zack knew.
“He doesn’t call me either,” Zack replied defensively. “The phone goes both ways.”
To be fair, Cooper had come to New York City to visit Zack about eighteen months ago, but Zack had barely spent any time with him. His job - make that former - had him working insane and inhumane hours. Cooper, on the other hand, had gone out every night and had a blast, always inviting Zack along, of course.
“Cooper says that he’s not coming to the wedding either. I hope you can talk to your brothers and sisters, Zack. Your father is very hurt about all of this, as is Kim.”
“They’re adults, Emma. They make their own decisions.”
Zack wasn’t all that sure why he was here, either, although he didn’t say so. He’d been of two minds about attending this wedding, but eventually, he’d decided that he didn’t want to have regrets later. Besides, he didn’t have anything better to do anymore.
“I thought I heard someone out here,” a familiar voice boomed from the doorway. “We could have sent a car to pick you up from the airport if you’d told us when you were flying in.”
His father. Joel Andrew Winslow.
Unlike Emma, his father wasn’t smiling happily or holding out his arms for a hug. Joel Winslow wasn’t a hugger, and he didn’t spend a great deal of time smiling.
Unless he’d just made another million.
With a head of silver hair and lines at his temples, his father looked every inch the prosperous businessman in his dark suit. Zack had rarely seen his dad in casual clothes unless he was playing golf or on vacation. His mother had joked that Joel was born in a three-piece suit and had carried a briefcase to kindergarten on his first day of school.
The suit? Armani, of course. The briefcase had been Coach.
“I wanted to get a rental, Dad, so I would have transportation to get around.”
Joel’s frown deepened.
“You could have just driven one of our cars. Waste of money.”
If it wasn’t Joel’s idea, then it was usually deemed a waste. Even with Zack, who was Joel’s favorite child.
Not that I’m celebrating that fact.
“Zack, is that you?” another voice called from behind his father. His Aunt Kimberly.
His aunt, carrying car keys and a handbag, walked out on the porch before giving Zack a brief hug. His aunt was pushing fifty-five, but she didn’t look a day over forty with her dark brown hair and brown eyes, slim figure, and stylish clothes. She was wearing a pair of pin-striped black pants and a floral patterned silk blouse. Today, she was wearing black flats instead of her usual high heels. At five-two, she joked that she needed them just to reach things in high places.
Anyone walking by her would also easily see the platinum and diamond ring she was wearing on her left hand - an emerald cut center stone that was easily six or seven carats. Clearly, his dad had spared no expense.
Zack’s mother’s ring had been an amethyst - her birthstone - surrounded by diamonds.
“The rehearsal dinner is tonight,” Kim said now that the greetings were done. “Please be on time because the minister is on a tight schedule. Love you. I’m off to check out the wedding venue and make sure it’s set up right. See you later.”
Kim was already down the stairs and climbing into her sedan before Zack registered the words.
“Rehearsal dinner?”
This was the first Zack was hearing about it. He wasn’t against going. Probably. It was one thing to show up at the wedding, but the rehearsal dinner, too? That mig ht be too much support. He wasn’t sure that was a place he wanted to go to.
Emma cleared her throat loudly and gave his father a scorching look that would have quelled most men. Not Joel. He simply shrugged and waved them all inside.
“Let’s have a chat about that, Zack. Come into my office for a drink.”
Emma disappeared, probably into the kitchen, but not before rolling her eyes so only Zack could see. She knew that Zack didn’t always get along well with his dad. Sometimes, it was fine, and other times it wasn’t. It was a toss-up as to which way today was going to be.
He followed his dad into the study that looked exactly as it had for the last thirty-plus years. Dark wood, brown leather, floor-to-ceiling books that Zack was sure his father had never read. They were there for show, to impress when people came over to the house. It had always been about appearances.
“I’m surprised you’re not having the wedding here on the grounds,” Zack remarked as his father poured two glasses of whiskey.
He accepted the glass but didn’t take a drink. It wasn’t his habit to have alcohol in the early afternoon. Maybe he’d sip at it so his father wouldn’t make a remark.
“The venue means a great deal to Kim,” Joel replied. “It has historical meaning.”
“It’s a nice location.”
“And we won’t have the wedding ripping up our landscaping,” Joel said, sitting on one of the brown leather couches. “Sit down. Relax a bit.”
“I’ve been sitting on a plane and then in the car,” Zack said, standing by the window and looking out at the grounds outside. There must have been rain recently as the lawn was lush and green. “I need to stretch my legs a little. I might go for a walk later.”
There was a tension in the air now that it was just the two of them. It was awkward as hell, but it had been for a long time. Zack had grown used to it, to be honest.
“There’s going to be a moment of remembrance for your mother at the ceremony.”
Fuck. This was one subject Zack didn’t want to discuss. Why had his father even brought it up? This only led to one thing…a disagreement.
Was Joel spoiling for a fight? Was that what he wanted? Did he need to be able to complain to his friends that his kids were spoiled brats who acted like assholes?
“I doubt you need to do that,” Zack finally remarked. “I’m guessing everyone will be thinking about Mom tomorrow.”
“It’s been ten years—”
“Yes, I’m aware of how long it’s been. She was my mother, after all. Now you’re marrying her baby sister, and for some reason you think that we should be throwing you a ticker tape parade. Sorry to dash your hopes.”
Joel was rubbing his chin, his jaw tight with frustration.
“Just once, I’d like my family to be happy for me. I’ve found happiness after your mother left—”
“She didn’t leave,” Zack cut in, anger beginning to churn in his empty stomach. “She disappeared and was probably the victim of foul play. As you well know. The police questioned you, remember? You were suspect number one for years.”
A muscle jerked in Joel’s cheek. Zack had scored with that statement.
“I didn’t have anything to do with your mother’s disappearance, Zackary,” his father said, his tone low. “I loved your mother. But we had our issues as all married people do. But not enough to do something like that. I would never do that. I tried for years to find her, but we both know she’s probably…”
His father’s voice trailed off, so Zack finished the sentence for him.
“Dead. My mother is probably dead,” Zack said, his tone hard. “That’s why you had her declared dead.”
Joel looked up from his drink, his face pale.
“I did that so we could all heal and move on. It isn’t healthy to live in the past.”
This was all so much bullshit. Zack had moved far past the point where he tempered his feelings around his father.
“Since when have you cared about how me and my brothers and sisters feel? Christ, Dad. Do you know why it’s awkward as fuck whenever you and I are alone? It’s because we barely know one another. You were never home and when you were you were holed up in this office. We all knew we couldn’t compete with you being a big, important businessman.”
“I’ve made mistakes. I don’t deny that.”
His father didn’t sound sorry. At least to Zack’s ears.
“Of all the women in the world, you had to run after Mom’s sister. Her sister.”
“It wasn’t like that at all. Kim and I were both lonely. It just…happened.”
“Just so you know, from where I’m standing, it looks shady as hell.”
Joel jumped to his feet, his face red. He took a step forward, his hands furled into fists at his side before abruptly stopping. His father was many things - a lot of them not good - but he wasn’t a violent man. At least, Zack had never seen that side of him. Joel, however, was angry, and there were some things he wanted to say but had decided not to.
I could say a few things, too. We have that in common. Not much else.
“I know what some of the town busybodies have been saying, but I never thought my firstborn son would say it, too.”
Zack shrugged, already tired of the conversation. It was always the same. Zack would say what he thought, and his father would act all shocked as if he hadn’t heard it before.
“It’s being in New York City that’s made you this way,” Joel said. “You need to come home. Get back to your roots. You’ll see things differently when you’re here with your family.”
“It isn’t New York that’s made me this way.”
“You can come back to the firm,” Joel went on, ignoring Zack’s reply. “I’m getting close to retirement age. I can start handing you the reins. In a few years I’ll step down as CEO, retire, take Kim on a world cruise, and you’ll run the firm. It’s in your blood. Winslow’s is your legacy.”
The family financial firm had been run by a Winslow for over a hundred years. And it still would be - but not by Zack.
“What about Sam?” Zack challenged. “Did you forget that one of your sons has been toiling away at the firm since he got out of college? Sam should run the firm, Dad, not me. He’s earned it.”
“Sam will understand. It’s business. All you have to do is say the word and we’ll make it happen.”
Sam would not understand. Fuck that shit.
“That’s the problem, Dad. You’d pull the rug out from under Sam in a second. That’s not right. I don’t want to work in a place that would do something like that.”
That’s one of the reasons I’m unemployed now.
“Are we talking about ethics?” his father scoffed, tossing back the rest of his whiskey. “How much ethics do you have at that cutthroat Wall Street firm you work for? You take money from widows and orphans. Make money off of people suffering and dying.”
“That’s your argument?” Zack asked, incredulous at his father’s pure gall. “It’s okay to screw your own son - your own flesh and blood - because everybody does it? Jesus, Dad. That’s some cold shit right there. Do you trip blind people, too?”
“I just want the best for the business,” Joel argued. “It’s been in our family for generations, and I want to see it endure for many more. You know more than Sam. You’re better than he is.”
Apparently, Joel wasn’t pretending to love all his children equally anymore. Zack had always known he was his father’s favorite. He sure as shit hadn’t courted that favor, but he still was. Joel had always tried to put up a facade that he cared about all of them the same, but the veneer had been stripped away simply leaving the truth out in the open.
Zack had never truly understood why Sam had gone into the family business. His younger brother had always thought that he could get their dad to love him, but he didn’t realize that Joel’s emotions didn’t have a thing to do with him. There wasn’t anything on this earth that Sam could do to gain his father’s approval. Not one thing. Just as there wasn’t anything Zack could do to lose it.
