Sins of the Father by Angela Benson

been thumbing his nose at me and
     I had no idea.”
    “I’m sorry, Isaac, but I didn’t know.”
    He leaned back in his chair, took a deep breath. “But if you had told me about the
     gifts, I would have looked into it and maybe learned about my dear brother long before
     now.”
    “We’re going to get past this, right?” she asked, praying for an affirmative answer.
    “I don’t know.” Isaac steepled his fingers across the bridge of his nose. “I know
     it shouldn’t matter, but it does. One of the downsides of being born into a family
     with money is that you always wonder about the motives of the people you meet. I never
     had those questions with you, but I do now. When you tell me thatyour relationship with Michael was based on what you thought he could do to advance
     your career, I have to wonder if our relationship is any different. Being married
     to me has certainly helped your career.”
    Rebecca felt like a battered boxer in the ring with a much more talented opponent.
     “How can you even say that to me?” she asked. “I love you, Isaac. I’ve always loved
     you. You have to know that.”
    He shook his head. “Let’s not get into it now. There’s too much going on with Dad.
     We’ll get through this storm and then we’ll deal with our marriage. In the meantime,
     in public we’ll act as if everything is all right. I don’t want to add to my mother’s
     stress. She’d be in a bed beside Dad if she knew about your history with Michael and
     those gifts he’s been sending. I can’t do that to her.”
    Rebecca accepted this punishment, though she didn’t think it was fair. “I understand.
     I’ll do whatever it takes.”
    “Thanks. Right now what I need is for you to cover for Mom, take over her PR responsibilities
     so she can focus on Dad. You should probably head over to the hospital after the companywide
     meeting and talk with her.”
    “Aren’t you going too?”
    He rubbed his temples as if he had a headache. “I stopped by to check on her and Dad
     on the way over this morning.”
    “How is he?”
    “The injuries from the accident aren’t serious, but they’re worried about his heart.
     They want to run more tests. He’s in a lot of pain and they can’t figure out the cause.”
    “So we probably won’t see each other until dinner. I’ll pick up something and we’ll
     eat with your mother at the hospital. I’m sure she won’t want to leave.”
    He shook his head. “That won’t be necessary. I told Mom you had to work tonight, so
     she isn’t expecting you for dinner. You can see her and Dad when you meet her to discuss
     work.”
    Her heart ached. “So that’s how it’s going to be, huh? You’re shutting me out.”
    He met her gaze. “I’m doing the best I can, Rebecca. I can put on a front for a few
     hours at work but I can’t do it for an extended time around my mother. She’s not stupid.
     She would know something wasn’t right between us and she would worry. I don’t want
     that.”
    “I don’t want it either, Isaac, but surely your mother will realize that we’re rarely
     together.”
    “We’ll just attribute it to work. I’ll be busy here at the office trying to catch
     up anyway, so we won’t really be lying to her.”
    “Yes, we will. We won’t be telling her the full truth.”
    He met her eyes, his full of accusation. “Well, then that shouldn’t be a problem for
     you, should it? You’ve had a lot of practice at it.”
    Those words stung and she had no comeback. The ringing phone saved her from having
     to respond. What had she done to her marriage? What would she have to do to save it?
     The questions filled her mind and she had no answers.
    “Calm down, Mom,” Isaac said as he stood, the phone to his ear. “We’re on our way
     to the hospital now.”
    “What is it?” she asked when he hung up.
    “They’ve put Dad into a coma,” he said, rushing for the door.
    “Oh no!” Rebecca said, running to catch up.

Chapter