"Aimee wants something big and expensive for Christmas, and Dad told her if he was going to plunk down thousands of dollars, she could do something for him."

"I see."

"He got what he wanted," Roy murmured. "I phoned him, just like she knew I would."

Aimee's manipulativeness had left Roy deeply cynical toward women; Julie's actions, unfortunately, had only confirmed that cynicism.

"How is your father?" Anne asked despite herself.

"You honestly care?" Roy's eyes were skeptical. "The man betrayed you, cheated you, and now you're concerned about his well-being? Don't be, Mother. Dad is getting exactly what he deserves."

"And what's that?"

He laughed. "Aimee. She's spending money faster than he can earn it."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

He cast her a doubting look.

Anne grinned. "Okay, that's not entirely true. But I really don't harbor any ill will toward your father. I've gotten on with my life. After the divorce, I felt used up and old, but now..." She got to her feet, still talking, and poured them each a coffee. "Well, the thing is, I found a whole new part of myself. I believe that our world was created with a sense of order. For every loss, there's a gain. Sometimes we're so blinded by the loss that we don't see the gain, don't recognize the gift." She paused, handing him his cup. "There's a wonderful gift for you in Aimee's betrayal, and one day you'll discover it."

Roy gazed at her with puzzlement and what seemed to be renewed respect. "You're a better person than I'll ever be."

Anne hated to ask again, but she was curious about her ex-husband. "Is your father...well?"

"What you really mean is, does he have any regrets?" Roy supplied for her.

There was some truth in that. "I don't think your father would admit any regrets to you, would he?"

Roy agreed. "Not in so many words, but it was easy enough to read between the lines."

Anne held her breath. So often she'd speculated about Burton and his new life. "Other than financially, is everything as it should be?"

"I don't think so. My guess is that Dad's having trouble keeping up with Aimee, uh, physically. Now that he's in his sixties, his work pace is taking its toll. He didn't sound happy."

"How did he sound?"

"Tired, exasperated, overworked."

"I thought your father would've retired by now."

"He can't," Roy said, "not with the speed at which Aimee is spending his money, and that's only the half of it."

"What do you mean?"

Roy shrugged and she thought for a moment that he wasn't going to tell her. "It also seems that Aimee's taken a liking to some of his clients-men who are seeking comfort after their divorces."

Anne was shocked. "Your father actually told you that?"

"Not exactly, but close." He shook his head in disgust. "She spouted all these platitudes about loving my father and building a bridge between us, and it was all lies." A muscle leaped in the side of his jaw. "She came with a purpose, which she advanced with her lies. She wanted something from me, just the same as Julie did."

Obviously, it was Julie who was on his mind. "No matter what papers Julie signed," Anne said, "I still don't think she's anything like Aimee."

"I've been fooled before, and I'm not going to let it happen again."

"I know." It broke her heart to admit that. "I wish I wasn't leaving you over Christmas."

He frowned, and then smiled. "Do you honestly think it bothers me? Christmas doesn't mean a thing to me."

"But, Roy, it should." Her heart ached for her only child. Nothing had worked out as she'd hoped. Her prayers, like so many before, had gone unanswered. Roy would be alone on Christmas Day.

CHAPTER Twenty-Three

Three days before Christmas, Julie knew this was destined to be the worst one of her life. She was already dealing with the loss of her mother and now she'd lost Roy, too.

Even her twin sister's call hadn't raised her spirits. Julie ended the conversation and then wandered into the living room, where her father sat watching the evening news.

One look at her, and Dean grabbed the remote control and muted the volume. "That bad?"

"I feel just awful."

"Because of Fletcher?"

Slumping into the chair next to him, Julie nodded. "I don't know what happened. I went to see him on Wednesday afternoon, and it was as if he'd shut me out of his life." Julie still didn't understand it. He'd been so cold and defensive; nothing she said had reached him. And their second meeting, a day later, was even worse.

"Is it the settlement money?"

She shrugged. She'd never intended to accept a dime of that settlement, but Roy had angered her so much she'd agreed to his terms out of pure frustration. He seemed to believe all women were greedy for money and power.

"I was tired of fighting with him," she said in a subdued voice.

"I know. Fletcher's gone far in the business world by the sheer strength of his determination."

"Only in this instance, he's wrong."

"I know, Kitten."

Her last angry exchange with Roy lingered in her mind. Furious, she'd signed those stupid papers. It was what he'd expected, what he'd demanded she do-and so she had. But oh, how she regretted it. She hated to end their relationship on such a negative note, but what choice did she have? Roy had cast her from his life as if she meant nothing.

"I don't know if he's capable of love," she murmured, hoping her father had some consolation to offer.

"Every human has the capacity to love," he said with such confidence that her heart surged with hope. "But a person's ability to love is only equal to his or her openness in receiving it."