No tears. Very little emotion. She could have been talking about what kind of toppings to order on pizza rather than the person she had planned to spend her life with.
“Why did David break up with you?” Jayden asked.
Finally clean, except for a smudge of dirt on her neck, Skyler slipped the T-shirt over her head and sat down on the other sofa. “Because he can’t forgive, and he claims to be a Christian. He’s not even thinking about the position he put me in. I’m scrambling to find another job before school starts. Do you know how hard it is to find just the right fit for someone like me?”
“I didn’t ask you about the school administration,” Jayden said. “I asked why David broke up with you.”
Skyler tilted her chin up and looked down her delicate little nose at Jayden. “I don’t want to talk about that.”
“You’re going to talk about it, or else I’m not listening to anything else you’ve got to say,” Jayden told her.
“I’ve got an interview at a Catholic school in Brownsville tomorrow morning. I’m on my way down there now, and I’m going to give you as a reference.” Skyler scowled. “I need you to back me up.”
Jayden cleared her throat, tucked her chin against her chest, and looked up from under her drawn dark brows at her sister. “If I remember right from your last visit, we aren’t friends or sisters. That was your choice, not mine, and you still haven’t answered my question about you and David.”
“I don’t appreciate your snide remarks.” Skyler jumped up and popped both her hands on her hips. “If you won’t agree to help me, then I’ll just leave.”
“You’ve always gotten your way about everything,” Jayden said. “It must be hard for you right now, but either tell me what happened or there’s the door.”
“He caused me to lose all my friends at Glory Bound, and he took back my ring.” Skyler sniffled.
Tears wouldn’t work this time on Jayden. “Keep going. You must want a reference pretty bad to come to me. Am I the last person on your list? You do know that whatever school you apply to will call Glory Bound and ask them why you weren’t given your old place back, don’t you?”
Skyler’s chin quivered and tears rolled down her cheeks. She put her head in her hands and wept worse than she had at any one of the three funerals Jayden had attended with her. “I messed up real bad. If I have to work at a minimum wage job, I’ll lose my car and have to move into a ratty apartment.”
“Keep talking.” Jayden felt so sorry for her that she almost went over and put an arm around her.
“Do you remember Ray Don Wilson?” Skyler raised her head, but the tears kept flowing.
“That bad boy that Mama and Daddy wouldn’t let you date back in high school?” Jayden asked. “He was always into something shady or downright illegal.”
“He’s settled down now and is part owner of a construction company that frames out houses,” Skyler defended him.
Suddenly, everything came into focus for Jayden. “You haven’t been . . . you didn’t . . .”
“We’ve been friends with benefits since our senior year in school. Every now and then we get together and spend a weekend with one another, or maybe just a couple of hours together. David and I decided not to have sex until we were married, and, well, I do have needs,” she stammered. “Ray Don came over to my apartment, and dammit! David was supposed to be at a meeting with his grandmother all morning.”
“Good Lord!” Jayden gasped. “He caught you cheating on him.”
“We weren’t married yet.” Skyler’s tone went back to the ice stage. “And I told him that it would be the last time.”
“So, you think that it’s not cheating since you weren’t married? For God’s sake, Skyler, own up to your mistakes. This is your fault, not David’s,” Jayden told her.
“Well, you should be happy,” Skyler all but hissed at her. “David took back my ring and called off the wedding. Ray Don offered to marry me, but I can’t be tied to a man like that.”
“Why not? He’s a hardworking guy, and he probably makes three times what a teacher or even a guidance counselor does, so he’s got more money than David had, if that’s what makes a good husband in your eyes,” Jayden said.
“I don’t love him,” Skyler moaned.
“But you loved David?” Jayden frowned.
“No, but he would be an ideal husband. His family has money, and we were going to start our own private school, and the ring . . . Lord, that ring was beautiful,” Skyler said. “Now no one at Glory Bound will even talk to me just because David couldn’t keep his mouth shut.”
“Grow up!” Jayden began to pace around the room. “You’ve been spoiled your whole life, and it’s time you figure out that things aren’t as important as other people’s feelings and for sure aren’t as important as love. I’ll give you a recommendation if a private school calls me, but only because I believe you can do any job that you set your head to do. My opinion of you as a person . . . well, that’s a different story.”
“How can you talk to me like that when I’m scrambling just to survive?” Skyler whined. “I will probably have to borrow money from you just to get by since I spent that thousand dollars on a wedding planner.”
“I’m not your bank.” For the first time Jayden didn’t even feel guilty about telling Skyler no.
“Why are you so mean to me?” Skyler asked.
“I will not loan you money,” Jayden said. “I will give you a piece of advice. Learn to live within your means, and if you ever want to have a sister or even a relationship with me as a friend, I’ll be right here. I’m not leaving at the end of next week. I’m taking the job of cook for this place and moving into Elijah’s cabin. He’ll be moving over to Henry and Mary’s place.”
“Well, well, well.” Skyler’s grin was downright condescending. “So, you owe me. I’ll take that payment in cash.”
“I don’t think so. I came down here as a favor to you because you begged me to, so you could go to Europe, and now that I think about it, if you hadn’t bought a new sports car every year since Mama died, you’d have more than enough money to go anywhere in the world,” Jayden reminded her.
The door opened and all three of Jayden’s girls rushed in out of the rain. They stopped dead in their tracks when they saw a strange woman sitting in their living area.
“We saw a car out front, and it looks like the one my mama drives,” Tiffany said. “I thought maybe . . .” Her voice trailed off.
“This is my sister, Skyler.” Jayden made introductions all around.
“So, y’all are the Daydreamers this summer! Are you ready to get back home where you can have your makeup and jewelry? I used to have little make-believe makeup parties with my girls. We’d use my makeup and have facials. Does Jayden do that with you?” Skyler came alive. All the tears dried up and her eyes sparkled.
“That would be against the rules,” Tiffany said without so much as a tiny grin.
“Why did you make our Jayden cry?” Ashlyn asked.
Skyler’s face turned red and she ignored the question. “I really must be going now.” Skyler stood up, kicked her muddy clothes to the side, and headed for the door. “And, Jayden, thanks for the recommendation. Maybe someday I’ll stop by again.”
All three girls gave her the stink eye, but Skyler ignored it as she rushed out the door.
“I can’t believe you were nice to her,” Tiffany said and then blushed, “but then you were nice to all of us when we were hateful to you.”
Jayden didn’t feel like she’d been nice at all. She actually felt sorry for her older sister. The woman had some hard lessons ahead of her, and Jayden had no doubt that their paths would cross again the next time Skyler needed something. Most of the time, after Gramps died, she only came home to see Jayden and their mother when she wanted money for something, and Mama always gave it to her.
They all heard the sound of Skyler’s engine starting and her vehicle driving away. “She’s sure nothing like you. I
’m glad we didn’t get her for our counselor this year.”
“Me too,” Jayden said. “Because if you had, I never would have gotten to know you amazing girls, and I would have never gotten to make the decision to stay right here rather than going back to school.”
The girls’ whoops and hollers filled the whole cabin. When they finally settled down, Tiffany asked, “Can we tell everyone else? Does Elijah know?”
“Yes, and yes,” Jayden answered. All was well in her life at the moment, and if any other problems arose, she would have Elijah to help get her through them.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Each day for the next week more peace settled into Jayden’s heart. By the last day in July she had already called a moving company to pack her things and bring all her belongings—and her truck—to Alpine. When Elijah flew her and the other counselors to North Texas, she would take the time to go to the school and clean out her room. Everything was planned and she was happier than she’d ever been.
Thank goodness it wasn’t raining, because this was the day the girls would make their hike out to the foot of the mountain. Tomorrow, they would all be taken back to the airport, where they would depart for eight different towns or cities in the state of Texas. Jayden wouldn’t think about saying goodbye. Every time she did, her eyes welled up with tears.
She vowed that she would simply dwell on today, the camping trip, and the fact that several of the girls had asked again if they could come “home” sometime during the Christmas holidays.
The siren blew that morning, but it was just to remind the girls that breakfast was ready. They didn’t have to stand at attention, their toes on the edge of the sidewalk—and it would be the last time they would hear the noise. Their days of exercises every morning had ended the day before. As soon as breakfast was finished, Elijah would lead them out to the campsite that Jayden had helped him set up the day before. Bedrolls had been tossed in tents that made a circle around what would be their firepit, and everything was ready for the rest of the day and night.
The girls were too excited to eat much that morning, so Jayden made sure they had energy bars and an extra bottle of water in their backpacks before they left on the long hike out to the mountains. Novalene and Diana had gone to their cabins to get some last-minute packing done while she finished loading and starting the dishwasher.
“Hey!” Elijah poked his head in the door. “We’re leaving in five minutes. The truck is loaded with the rest of the supplies. Everything is taken care of around here. Demon and Thunder have been put out to pasture for the next four weeks. Sam and Elvis have promised to keep the coyotes at bay so they don’t bother our calves, and the hogs and chickens have plenty of food.”
“Looks like you’ve got everything under control.” She smiled.
He crossed the room and took her into his arms. “I’m looking forward to us having time for each other this next month,” he whispered.
Like always, his warm breath sent delicious shivers down her spine. “Me too,” she told him.
“See you in a couple of hours.” He brushed one more kiss across her lips. “I’ve fallen in love with you, Jayden Bennett.”
“I love you, too.” She had thought that when they finally said those three magic words, there would be bells and whistles. Maybe they would say them after their first night together in bed, or the morning after. Today, there were no sparkles dancing around her, but instead a calmness in her world. What she and Elijah had, she realized, wasn’t pretty fireworks that lasted only a few minutes and then faded. What they had was something that went so deep that it would last through eternity. She believed that with all her heart and soul.
She watched him all the way out the door and wondered how she’d ever gotten so lucky. If she hadn’t agreed to let Skyler go to Europe, she would have spent the summer in her apartment, going about her normal routine, and would have never met her soul mate. Thank goodness she had agreed to come to Piney Wood, because now she had two new adult friends, eight little adopted sisters, and Elijah, the biggest prize of all.
She had removed her apron, hung it on a hook, and taken a few steps into the dining area when her phone rang. She saw that the call was from Skyler and almost hit the “Decline” button, but with a long sigh she answered it. “Hello from the beautiful Piney Wood Academy, where it’s supposed to be hot and sunny today.”
“I’d like to tell you not to be a smart-ass,” Skyler said.
“So, why don’t you?” Jayden asked.
“Because I didn’t call to argue or to be . . . oh, hell, you told me to grow up, and I’m trying to do just that. It may be the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” Skyler said. “I called to say that I’m sorry for everything, for being mean to you, for everything. Ray Don tells me that getting away from narcissism is like admitting you are an alcoholic. In either case, a person has to want to change before anything can get done.”
“You are listening to Ray Don now?” Jayden asked.
“It’s all part of that thing called growing up that you talked about. When Ray Don told me that’s what I had, I argued with him and cried, but my tears didn’t faze him. I went home and looked up the symptoms, and that’s when your words came back to me,” she said. “This thing has even more steps than alcoholism, and it’s tough to change.”
“Good for you for realizing you have a problem,” Jayden said.
“Thank you. It’ll be a long process, but Ray Don says I’m making progress already. He’s my rock. I just didn’t know how much until these past few weeks.” She paused so long that Jayden held her phone out to be sure that she hadn’t lost the connection.
“I didn’t get the job at the private school or at the place where you taught, either one,” Skyler finally spoke up again. “At the time, I whined to Ray Don, and he told me the same thing you did. He told me it was past time for me to grow up. I got mad and stormed out of his house. The next day, he came by with a pint of my favorite ice cream, and he gave me a ‘come to Jesus’ talk. He told me that you can kick any bush between here and New York City and find a dozen friends, but family can’t be replaced, and that I needed to open my eyes and see what has always been right in front of me.” She stopped and took another long breath. “He reminded me that I had thrown away the best sister ever, and I had taken him for granted. Then he gave me an ultimatum. Either be with him all the time right out in public, or it was over.”
“Did you believe him?” Jayden asked.
“Yes, I did, and the thought of never being able to see him again terrified me. I realized right then that I’d been in love with him for sixteen years. I also know that the reason I’ve treated you so horrible is that I was jealous. You’ve always been what I wanted to be. Tall, confident, and you have such a big heart. I’m sorry about everything. If you’ll let me have it, I’d like a second chance,” Skyler said.
Did Novalene put liquor in Jayden’s coffee that morning? Surely, she was hearing things. Skyler just paid her the first-ever compliment, and she wanted a second chance. Jayden frowned, and something the preacher had said the previous Sunday came to her mind: forgive your brother seventy times seven.
“I forgive you.” Jayden realized in that moment that forgiving her sister had little to do with Skyler and everything to do with herself. Looking forward to the future depended on her letting go of the past—forgiving was part of that.
“Thank you,” Skyler whimpered.
“Are you crying?” Jayden asked.
“I don’t deserve to be your sister, but I’m glad you’re going to let me be. I should also tell you that I’m not going to teach next year. I started to work here at Ray Don’s construction company last Monday. His secretary plans to retire in a couple of years. She’s training me to take her place, and . . .” Skyler hesitated.
Jayden sat down and waited.
“And what?” she finally asked.
“Ray Don has been here for me since high school. He’s the one I run to for booty calls, and he’s th
e one who offers a shoulder to cry on when I break up with a boyfriend. He held me while I cried my eyes out the night before I made the decision to take Mama off life support. The one I was always meant to be with right there before my eyes all this time, and I was too proud to see it,” Skyler admitted. “The rest of the story is that we went to the courthouse yesterday and got married. I’m three months pregnant, and my baby needs her aunt Jayden to keep her feet on the ground when my DNA gets too strong.”
“What does that mean?” Jayden still wasn’t sure she wasn’t dreaming. David would have been shocked at the surprise “preemie” born six months after the wedding. She couldn’t begin to imagine Skyler pregnant or as a mother. Poor Ray Don had a hard row to hoe, as Gramps used to say.
“It means that this narcissism has been part of me my whole life. It won’t go away in a day or even a few months. I pray that my child . . . our child . . . mine and Ray Don’s . . . don’t get our genes, like the spiteful ones or the bad boy ones we had when we were young, and that you’ll be there for her like you’ve been for those girls at the camp,” Skyler stammered through an explanation.
“What makes you think you’re having a girl?” Jayden asked.
“If I don’t, I’ll have a boy, and he’ll need his uncle Elijah and his aunt Jayden, and Ray Don will be in seventh heaven with a son.” Skyler giggled.
Jayden was glad that she was sitting down. “Is the baby Ray Don’s? And what makes you think he’ll have an uncle Elijah?”
“Can’t be anyone else’s,” Skyler answered. “I haven’t been with anyone other than Ray Don in a year. And your eyes light up when Elijah’s name is mentioned. I didn’t realize it at the time, but that’s the way I must look when I think about Ray Don.”
“You said you didn’t love him,” Jayden reminded her.
“I know what I said, but I do, Jayden. I’ve always loved him, ever since high school. I just didn’t want to admit it because he wasn’t rich enough to suit me, but now I’m happy for the first time in my life. I was wondering if maybe we could come visit a little while over Christmas. Ray Don says he can take a few days off, and I’m going to work on my attitude even more,” Skyler said.
The Daydream Cabin Page 29