Silver Bells

by Raney,Deborah

  He found it difficult to concentrate on the story he was working on—a boring school board meeting. His mind kept going to Michelle’s reaction when he’d said Kevin’s name. He’d just assumed she wasn’t going steady with anyone. But maybe that had been wishful thinking.

  Still, if she did have a boyfriend, it cast her flirting in a whole new—and not very attractive—light. He shoved aside the notes he was working from and raked a hand through his hair. As if he didn’t have enough going against him and Michelle with his dad’s stupid office policies.

  One thing was sure. He had to get out of here. If Michelle was available, he had to be free to go after her. And if she wasn’t, he couldn’t torture himself by being around her every day.

  * * *

  Michelle stared at her keyboard, the numbers blurring. She’d had two years to get over Kevin. And she was over him. She was. But why did it still hurt to think about what had happened between them?

  When she thought about Rob questioning her, about having to try to explain it to him, she felt sick to her stomach. It wasn’t like she was the first woman who’d ever been dumped. But being dumped for Vietnam? That might be a first.

  Against her will, memories came flooding in. Kevin had looked so handsome that night. A year older than she, he’d been working on his father’s farm for the past year. He’d always wanted to farm, and even though Michelle wasn’t sure she wanted the life her mother had lived, she was sure she wanted Kevin. And if that meant being a farmer’s wife, she was okay with that.

  He’d invited her to go out to Mercer Lake with him for a picnic. She was sure—more sure than she’d ever been about anything—that Kevin was going to ask her to marry him. Kathy had been sure of it too, and she and Carol had been waiting with bated breath to hear all about it.

  As it turned out, Kevin’s “romantic” picnic had been planned to soften the news that he’d enlisted in the army. He was headed for boot camp in two weeks and likely to Vietnam as soon as he finished basic training.

  She stared at the Selectric keyboard, her cheeks heating. She still felt the humiliation when she remembered how long it took her to realize that Kevin was not just telling her he was headed for Nam. He was breaking up with her. For good.

  The next weeks had been the most painful of her life. She’d had to figure out how to tell all her friends that instead of an engagement ring, she’d gotten the rules of engagement. Kevin Ferris’s rules of engagement.

  She’d been in mourning the rest of that summer, feeling as bereft as though she’d lost Kevin to death. Her parents had indulged her the hours spent holed up in her room, reading sad novels and soaking through box after box of Kleenex. But when she’d finally let her mother in long enough to reason with her, Mom had gently pointed out that while it was normal to grieve the loss of a boy who’d been her steady for almost three years, it was perhaps more a dream she was grieving than the boy himself.

  “What do you mean?” Michelle had asked, sniffling.

  “Oh, honey…” Mom wrapped her in a hug. “I know you miss Kevin, but I think you’re mostly sad that you didn’t get to have the wedding you dreamed of and the charming little house in the country to fix up.”

  “And the babies. Don’t forget the babies.”

  Mom laughed softly, but Michelle heard the deep relief in her voice. “Sweetie, you have your whole life to make that dream come true. You’re still young. There will be a husband, and there will be babies. I know it’s hard to be patient, but I have no doubt that God has everything planned out better than you or I could ever imagine.”

  Well, she wasn’t so young anymore. She would turn twenty-two in December and the family-shaped hole in her heart was still empty. She felt like she’d wasted the last two years, wasted the money Dad had paid for tuition. And now she was wasting her time at a job she wasn’t gifted for, that she saw no future in.

  She was trying her best to be patient, but if Mom was right about God, she sure wished He’d hurry up and start letting her in on His plans for her life.

  Chapter 17

  Michelle rubbed her arms briskly and walked faster. It was chilly even for October, but in spite of her mother’s claims that she was anorexic, she’d actually gained six pounds since she started working at the newspaper. She was determined to get the weight off before she had to buy a new wardrobe. She hadn’t realized how crucial those walks across campus had been at keeping her as thin as she’d been while she was on the cross-country team in high school.

  She had recently started taking brisk walks around the block over her lunch hour. It wasn’t a vigorous workout, but already she could tell that her clothes weren’t fitting quite as tight. She headed east across Main, taking a different route than she normally did and trying to walk with the wind. She smiled, imagining Rob giving her a hard time about that. “You’re going to have to walk against the wind one way or another, babe,” he’d say.

  She’d walked about five blocks when she looked up at a street sign and realized she was on Donner Avenue. Glancing farther down the street, she recognized the house. Three-fifty-eight Donner.…where she and Rob had witnessed Becky Preston’s husband being hauled off in a police cruiser.

  In its drab surroundings, the house looked even more barren now than it had last summer. The paint was chipped, and the shutters hung crooked or were missing altogether. Even the leaves still clinging to the trees were brown and shriveled. Looking up at the front porch, Michelle could still recall how helpless she’d felt to see that sweet little girl, so terrified and confused, clutching her mother’s knees. The yard was devoid of toys, and Michelle wondered whether Becky and Eden even lived there anymore. And whether the husband was out of jail yet. She hoped not.

  She walked on by, trying to ignore the twinge of guilt she felt. It had been weeks since she’d run into Becky at the grocery store. She’d thought of the poor woman many times since then, and she felt bad that she hadn’t done the one thing Becky asked her to do—destroy the photos Rob had taken that day. She truly didn’t think Rob would ever do anything harmful with them. The incident was old news by now. And she hadn’t exactly promised Becky…. Still, she’d said she would do her best to get the pictures back, and she hadn’t even tried.

  Stretching out her stride as she walked past the house, she made a mental note to ask Rob if she could have the photos. She hesitated at the thought. He’d seemed a little preoccupied lately. They talked shop over the partition between their desks several times a day and he still teased her every chance he got, but he seemed more distant than he had at first and she wasn’t sure why.

  Maybe he was as afraid of his father as she was. If she couldn’t afford to lose her job, how much more could he not afford to lose his? But none of that changed the fact that she still found herself wishing for a chance to be alone with him, like when they’d ridden to the game together or chatted over coffee in the break room. She didn’t think it was an accident that, recently, he’d waited to take his break until after she’d come back from hers.

  She checked her watch. If she was going to have time for a sandwich, she needed to start back. She made a U-turn and walked back by the house on Donner. As she crossed the gravel drive, a car pulled in off the street. The driver slowed to let her cross and Michelle realized it was Becky. She gave a little wave, feeling trapped yet glad to see her at the same time.

  She stopped and waited for Becky to roll down her window. Eden was in an infant seat on the front passenger seat. Michelle’s heart did the little flip-flop it always did when she saw a baby. Bending to look through the window, she smiled and waved, earning a sparkly smile from the toddler in return.

  She took a step back and spoke to the child’s mother. “Hi, Becky. Do you remem—”

  “Sure. I remember…” Her eyes held a question, as if she wondered why Michelle had come to visit her.

  “I was just out walking,” she explained. “Trying to lose a little weight.” She gave an awkward laugh and felt badly as soon as she
said it, since Becky looked as though she could stand to gain a few pounds. Her cheeks had that sunken “Twiggy” look, and her blouse hung loosely on her. But when Becky turned off the ignition and crawled out of the car, Michelle saw why. It was a maternity blouse, and from what Michelle knew of those things, it looked like Becky might be five or six months along.

  “Yeah, I’ve got another bun in the oven.”

  “Oh!” She hadn’t realized she was staring. “That–that’s great. Congratulations.”

  “It happened before…well, before all that with Mack.” She hung her head, and her mousy hair curtained her face.

  “Oh. Of course. Is—is he out yet?” So Becky had been pregnant when Mack beat her up. Michelle’s estimation of Mack Preston took another nosedive.

  “His next parole hearing is in a couple of weeks. But he’ll be out for good before the baby comes. No matter what.” She sounded glad about it.

  “Is he coming back here? Are you two still together?”

  Becky tugged at the hem of her maternity top. “I don’t really have much choice.”

  “Of course you do!” She hadn’t meant to blurt it out like that. “Sorry. Not that it’s any of my business, but…” She reached over to put her fingertips lightly on Becky’s belly and was surprised at how firm it was. “Don’t let this force you into something you don’t want. You have to think about your babies.”

  “Could you support two babies on what you make at the Beacon?” Her voice held no malice, yet the implications of her question made Michelle wince.

  “I—I don’t know. I guess I’ve never thought about it.”

  “And I’ll never find a job like yours. I was lucky to get out of high school with a diploma.”

  “Doesn’t your husband have a job?” She backpedaled. “After he gets out, I mean?”

  “We’ll see. He’s had trouble holding a job in the past.”

  “I’m sorry. I really don’t mean to pry. I’m just worried about you.”

  Becky smiled. But it looked practiced…and sad. “I’m okay. We get by.”

  “Maybe we could get together for lunch sometime?”

  Becky studied her, as if she thought it was a trick question. But apparently she decided Michelle wasn’t just stringing her along. “I’d like that.”

  “I’ll give you a call. Are you in the book?”

  “Um, no. I don’t have a phone…yet.”

  “Oh. Well, maybe we can just figure out a time right now. Are you free any days next week? Except Tuesday or Wednesday. Things are pretty crazy at the paper then.”

  “Take your pick.”

  Michelle wasn’t sure what had prompted her to be so bold, but seeing the genuine smile her simple invitation had brought to the young mother’s face, she was glad she hadn’t talked herself out of it. “Okay. I only have an hour for lunch and my boss is pretty strict about that, but maybe we could meet at the café downtown?

  A stricken look crossed Becky’s face. “How about if I just fix us something here? It won’t be anything fancy, but—”

  Michelle suddenly realized that Becky must not be able to afford to go out to eat. She should have thought of that. “I have an idea. Since you’re providing the house, I’ll bring the food. And if you want to make something for dessert, that would be great.”

  Relief flooded Becky’s features. “Sounds perfect.”

  “Is there anything special I need to bring for Eden?”

  “Oh, I’ll probably feed her first and put her down for a nap. Then she won’t bother us.”

  Michelle was disappointed, but she didn’t say so. “Okay. It’s set, then. Shall we just plan on Monday?”

  “That would be great. I’ll see you then.” Now that they’d settled on a time, Becky seemed more relaxed—buoyant, even. She climbed back into the car and closed her door. “I’m so glad you came by.”

  “Me too.” And it was true.

  She waved good-bye to Eden and was rewarded with another toothy smile.

  A chilly gust made Michelle realize that she hadn’t even noticed the wind and cold while she’d stood talking with Becky. Becky Preston wasn’t the type of friend she ever would have steered toward before, but there was something in her that drew Michelle. And it would be fun to spend time with little Eden too. Maybe she could even offer to babysit once in a while after the new baby came.

  But the image of herself in that house, with the possibility that Mack Preston might show up, stole away the warmth of the last few minutes. She’d have to tread carefully if Becky was serious about getting back with that monster.

  Chapter 18

  Michelle knocked on Becky’s door and waited. The picnic basket full of food—and a little gift for Eden—was heavy in her left hand. She looked at the peeling paint and crooked shutters and counted to sixty before knocking again. The house seemed too still for having a toddler in residence. But she didn’t want to ring the doorbell and wake the baby if she was napping.

  Crisp fall leaves crunched under her feet as she went down the steps and around to the driveway where Becky had parked her car the other day when they’d talked. The door to the garage behind the house was closed, but judging by the tangle of tall, dried-up weeds poking through the gravel in front of the garage, it hadn’t been used in a long time.

  Michelle went back up on the front porch and knocked again. Was she mixed up on the date? No, she remembered them deciding on Monday. She couldn’t call because Becky didn’t have a phone, but she didn’t want her to think she’d forgotten.

  Feeling like a Peeping Tom, she went to the window overlooking the porch and peered in, praying she didn’t get caught. The living room was strewn with toys and toddler paraphernalia, but there were no lights on and it didn’t appear anyone was home.

  Not knowing what else to do, she scratched out a note on a paper napkin from the picnic basket. Hope I didn’t get the time wrong. Call me at the Beacon if you can.

  She felt foolish, asking Becky to call her, since she didn’t have a phone, but she didn’t know what else to say. She decided to risk leaving the basket of food on the porch. It was cold enough out that nothing would spoil, and hopefully Becky would discover it before some dog roaming the neighborhood did. At least this way Becky would know she hadn’t blown off their lunch date. And she could use retrieving the picnic basket as an excuse to stop by Becky’s house again tomorrow.

  She started to get back into her car then decided to walk around the block a couple of times. She could get some exercise in and maybe catch Becky before she had to go back to work.

  She locked her purse in her car and set out around the block. She hadn’t worn the best shoes for walking, and it was too cold for the light jacket she was wearing.

  A twinge of worry niggled at the back of her mind. Something didn’t seem right. More than likely something had come up and, not having a phone, Becky just didn’t have any way to let her know. But still, it didn’t seem like her new friend not to at least leave a note on the door.

  When she got back to her car, she tried the door one more time. Again no answer. Resigned, she climbed into her car and drove back to the office. She was probably worrying needlessly, but she was going to ask Rob to help her find out whether Mack Preston had gotten out of jail yet. She knew Rob had access to the police reports each week, and if Becky’s poor excuse for a husband hadn’t been transferred out of the county jail, Rob would be able to find out his status. For Becky’s sake, she hoped he was still locked away.

  * * *

  “Where’s Michelle?” Rob tried to sound nonchalant as he stood at the tall layout desk and helped Joy place the finished ads on the week’s page flats.

  She looked askance at him. “How should I know? Am I my sister’s keeper?”

  “Well, excuse me. Sorry to trouble you.” Could this woman’s parents have chosen a more inappropriate name for her? He didn’t know what he’d ever seen in Joy Swanson.

  “Sorry. That wasn’t very nice.”

  “You
don’t like her much, do you?”

  “Michelle? I like her okay…”

  “But…?”

  “But nothing. She’s fine. Not saying we’re going to become best buddies or anything, but I don’t have anything against the girl.”

  “Then why are you so cool toward her?” Rob felt his defenses kick in. He really hadn’t intended to launch this conversation, but he’d often wondered the reason, and now seemed as good a time as any to ask the advertising saleswoman—emphasis on the woman, as she liked to say. Joy fancied herself a mover and shaker in the women’s movement, which might explain why she wasn’t a fan of the ultra-feminine college dropout and farmer’s daughter, Michelle Penn. Or maybe it was because Michelle had landed the ice cream truck ad that Joy had never been able to nail down.

  Joy glared at him. “Why do you care? Not that it’s any of your business.”

  He stripped columns of waxed copy from last week’s flats, tossed them into the barrel, and replaced them with the new ads. “Is the Friends of the Library promo supposed to run again this week?” He knew when it was time to drop it with this woman. In a rare moment of insanity, he’d asked Joy out on a date shortly after he came back to work at the Beacon. In his defense, the woman had put on a sweet-and-pleasant front back then, and it hadn’t hurt that she was good-looking.

  It didn’t take more than that first date before he saw her true colors. Unfortunately, he’d let her finagle a second date. He broke things off after that, and since then, she’d gone out of her way to win Grouch of the Year at the Beacon while also making it clear that she had no respect whatsoever for Robert Merrick III. He’d never tried to lord it over anyone that he was the son of the publisher, but in his position as managing editor, he was second-in-command.

  After things went sour with him and Joy, his father had been adamant about the importance of keeping distance between himself and the other employees. But he wasn’t about to let the thing with Joy ruin it for him with Michelle.