Free A Perfect Forever (Leap of Love Series, Book 1) by Paige Powers

other."
    Neither Mrs. Sharp nor Alfred admitted anything.
    Jonathan continued.
    "Like I said, secrets ruin lives. Make us live in unnecessary discomfort. Telling the truth is much more admirable."
    "What is it that we can do for you, Mr. Smith?"
    "You know Mrs. Sharp, I did not come to San Francisco from Boston unprepared. I did my research on Amelia. The one thing that I did not anticipate was her courting such a fine young gentleman like your son here," he held his hand open in Alfred's direction. Alfred's only response was to look Jonathan up and down.
    "So when I found out she was spoken for, I did a bit of research on you, Alfred. It seems that our otherwise strait-laced young man is not quite who he appears to be."
    Jonathan watched for the slightest change in expression on either Mrs. Sharp or Alfred. Both of them sat there, staring, with no expression change.
    Jonathan leaned in closer. "It seems that both of you have built quite a life for yourself. Coming down here from a small town in Oregon, you can be whoever you would like to be. I mean, you could essentially go from being desolate and living in squalor to moving to the bustling city of San Francisco, working for a large grocery store chain as an accountant and preparing to take the hand in marriage of one of the wealthiest woman in the area. What a stroke of luck!"
    "Luck has nothing to do with how my life turned out, Mr. Smith. Hard work is the name of the game."
    Jonathan took a sip of tea. "Oh, I am absolutely sure of that. How hard did you work to pilfer money from the accounts of the businessmen that you worked for, though?"
    Mrs. Sharp's eyes narrowed. "Mr. Smith. I am not sure what you are accusing my son of."
    He smiled as he responded. "No accusations at all, Mrs. Sharp. There are such things as facts and sometimes those facts turn into secrets. Those dirty little things about ourselves that we won't share with others. Like how you got run out of town because you stole money from –, let's see, what was the name of the employer?"
    Jonathan snapped his fingers. "Bigelow Candle Makers. Yes. You were accused of stealing about half of their revenue for the year in 1858. Then there was the move to Seattle. And where was it you were employed? Ansel's Grocers. Yes, that was where you left your employment before they figured out that you have been stealing a percentage of their revenue as well."
    Alfred seemed unfazed. "All accusations, Mr. Smith. Pure accusations." He sipped his tea, and relaxed in his chair.
    "We all have secrets, Mr. Sharp," Jonathan replied.
    "And what would be yours, Mr. Smith? Since we all have secrets." Mrs. Sharp stared at him intently, waiting for her answer.
    "I just shared mine, Mrs. Sharp."
    "We all have secrets, Mr. Smith. And I am not sure what exactly your purpose or your angle is. And I am also not sure from where you have obtained your information, but Sir, please make sure that your sources are correct. It seems like your sources may be untrustworthy all the way around."
    "Mrs. Sharp, I cannot question the sources. I trust them and completely understand if you cannot trust those sources. If I were in your position, I certainly would not trust a man who marches in to my life with the claims that I have made. But what you can trust is the truth. You can trust the fact that you know exactly what your son has done and who he is."
    "And what is it that you want us to say, Mr. Smith? Do you want me to hang my head and admit to what you have proposed that I have done?" Alfred held Jonathan's stare.
    Jonathan clasped his hands together. "Not at all. I would never expect that. But what I would like, in return for me helping you to maintain your secret, is a bit of assistance from you in developing a relationship with my sister."
    "Mr. Smith. You will of course understand that all you have shared with us is a bit overwhelming. It would be helpful if we could let all of this information settle in and give us a chance to come up with a