THIRTEEN
I SAT STRAIGHT up in bed. Something just wasn’t right. Lola had been seventeen kinds of determined to call the cops when everything fell apart with Gord and the Hooters girl. Why would she call the cops if she was up to her neck in criminal activity? Had it just been a bluff? I tried to remember exactly what Teagan had told me when all of this first started.
Teagan had said Lola was going to the cops and the press, and she was going to create a media shit storm. Teagan doesn’t say things like that a lot, which is why I actually remember it clearly.
So how did we get from Lola being a criminal in partnership with her husband Gord, but not in a real marriage, to Lola threatening to go to the cops and tell her story on the ten o’clock news? To the cops figuring it all out, and it has nothing to do with Teagan at all?
That adds up about as well as two plus two equals a hundred and thirty seven. In some form of mathematics that doesn’t use any numbers, that might be true, but here in the real world, there’s something really wrong.
Does that put Teagan in some kind of danger?
I swear to God, if Lola shows up with Honey and a bunch of porn people at my wedding, I am not going to be amused.
I tried to turn my brain off for most of an hour, but it didn’t work. I finally got up around three thirty and went into the kitchen.
Suzi was wearing an oversized nightshirt, and Evelyn was sitting in her chair. Suzi was doing everything she could to stay awake while she fixed Evelyn a bottle. Evelyn seemed to be ready to start her day.
“Sorry, did we wake you up?”
“Nope, I did that all on my own. I didn’t even hear you guys.”
“That’s just one more thing I love about this house. If you stay to the side of the stairs when you go up and down so that they don’t squeak, the place is virtually soundproof. Are you okay? Why did you wake up?”
“Oh, it’s just all the stuff with Teagan. She says the cops figured it all out, but it doesn’t make sense to me.”
“Sometimes things don’t make sense. You’re an O’Flynn. You know this to be true. You survey a thousand people about anything the O’Flynns do on a regular basis, and they’re going to tell you it doesn’t make sense.”
I tried not to be offended, but I kind of was. Probably lack of sleep. I tried to keep it out of my voice. “Like what? Do you have an example?”
“Not really. Just all the things that make you guys strange and wonderful and the envy of all of us damaged normal people. You guys don’t keep score or judge each other or a million other things that we normal people consider normal. You guys consider us strange.”
“No example, huh?”
“Sure. You could call Teagan right now and tell her that you were awake thinking about her problems, and she would either thank you for the concern, or she’d get in her car and drive over here and rub your back to help you get back to sleep.”
“We’re not that bad.”
“Cara, that’s not a bad thing. You guys have what I want. I would love to have a family like that.”
“A.J. would do anything for you, Suze.”
“I know, and I’d do anything for him, but our family is so messed up. A.J. is panic-stricken about having my parents at the wedding. Gran is more weirded out than A.J.”
“Maybe that’s what A.J. was picking up on earlier. He was upset because he feels like Gran is keeping something from him.”
“I’m not trying to influence you about your wedding” — she rolled her eyes and blushed — “okay, that’s a lie, I am trying to influence you. If you don’t absolutely need my parents to be there to make your life complete, please don’t force A.J. to invite them. I know you’re all about family, and you want some miracle to come along and make everything okay with us and our parents, but it is never going to happen, Cara. Just the things I know about — and I don’t pretend to know about everything — my father treated A.J. badly. Really badly. When he was in seventh grade, A.J. had a real anger issue. He was not a nice guy, and he had a temper that was so short and quick that he blew up, and the outrage he had bottled up since birth would explode all over whoever was close. The school made him go to a counselor. I saw her a couple of times myself. She was this really calm and serene and loving person. A lot like Morgan. She told A.J. he had some choices to make about how to live his life. Did he want to turn out just like my dad, or did he want to make better choices? It was an immediate change. Total. I’ve never seen A.J. blow up again.”
“That’s kind of scary. I read an article that says if you hold rage in, it attacks your own body and makes you sick.”
“But that’s just the thing, A.J. doesn’t hold in the rage; he let it all go. I don’t know how the hell he did it. Especially as a little kid. But he just let it go, and it has never come back.”
“What do you think it would take to make him explode like that?”
“I don’t think he would. You don’t have to worry about marrying him, Cara. He’s a good guy. I didn’t tell you this stuff to freak you out, just to explain what’s going on with my parents.”
“I’m not worried.”
“I know after the whole Barry thing you have to have a little part of your brain that wonders, but I swear on everything that is important to me, you’re fine.”
“I know.”
“You don’t sound convinced.”
“I’m not worried about me, or A.J. blowing up. I know him. I know how kind and gentle he is. He’s a lot like my dad in that way.”
“Then what am I missing?”
“I just ache for him. I have such wonderful memories of my life with my dad. I remember when we used to go for walks, and it was cold, he always took my hand and put it in his pocket. Or when we would cry, he would pinch our tears off of our faces and put them in his pocket to make tea later. Or he would hold a leprechaun in his hand and pass it to us, and we couldn’t open our hands to look or it would escape, but I would have sworn on my life that I could feel it moving around on the palm of my hand. I can’t think of a single unkind word my father has ever said to me. I wish you and A.J. had those kinds of memories.”
“It explains the difference between your family and mine. Yours was butterflies and unicorn farts, and mine was chaos and cruelty.”
“Mine wasn’t without its challenges, but you’re right. Compare the two, and there is really no comparison.”
“Are you okay without my parents coming to the wedding?”
“I told A.J. whatever he wanted to do was fine with me.”
“Then I’m one hundred percent sure he isn’t going to invite them. If he really believes it’s okay with you.”
“Won’t that be hard for you guys? I’ll have my whole family there, and you guys will have each other and Gran.”
“It’s simple. We won’t pick sides; we’ll just have a seat. In case you hadn’t noticed, your mom made sure that A.J. and I were a part of your family a long time ago. The way your mother treated me after Barry kicked the crap out of you was not only one of the biggest lessons I’ve ever learned in my life — and taught me everything about being a real mother and having grace — but it also healed so much of what has happened to me in my life. Your mom did more for me in the first ten minutes that I was at the hospital than my mother has done for me all my life. Your mother parented and nurtured and loved me — the woman responsible for her daughter being in the next room, beat to crap — I can’t tell you what that did for me. It set me on a completely different path. Your mother saved me from myself, Cara.”
When A.J. walked into the kitchen, Suzi and I were hugging and crying and laughing because of it, and Evelyn was singing away in her little seat. She is such a special little girl. Happy all the time.
A.J., of course, was alarmed. “What happened?”
“I’m just so glad your sister lives here.”
He shook his head and turned around.
Suzi is right. He has a gift for letting things go and knowing when he shouldn’t.<
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Suzi and A.J. decided to take Gran out for brunch. I decided to stay at home and try to really decide what I wanted for a wedding. A.J. says other than picking the photographer and setting some of the shots he wants, all he needs to know is what to wear and when to show up. He’s willing to do anything that needs to be done, help in any way I want, but he’s good with anything I decide.
That is a blessing and a curse.
I kept Evelyn with me. I love to spend time with her, and I figured that Suzi could get to the bottom of what was bugging A.J. more easily if she could put all her focus on A.J. and Gran instead of Evelyn.
After a rousing game of peek-a-boo that started with her on my lap and ended with me ducking in and out of the hallway while she squealed and clapped her hands with delight, we settled in for a snuggle and reading a book. She was sound asleep on my shoulder when Teagan called.
“How’s the wedding planning going?”
I filled her in on some of the decisions I’d made. Still not sure what I want the dress to look like, but from everything I know in life, all I will have to do is describe what I want for the wedding, and Teagan will come up with a bazillion suggestions about a dress.
We were about to hang up when I decided to go for it. “Teagan, two questions.”
“Shoot.”
“Remember the whole thing with Honey when she said she knew my address because she had to know where to deliver a subpoena?”
“Yeah.”
“Did you ever find out exactly what that means? I wasn’t there when Honey got arrested. Unless she specifically told them I was there earlier, they wouldn’t even know I exist. Even if they knew I did a little bit of peeping-tom-ery, that isn’t really a huge deal, is it?”
“I wouldn’t think so.”
“So how did I get pulled into that drama?”
“I really didn’t pursue it.”
“Great. Thanks.”
“I’ve had some stuff of my own to deal with, Cara.”
“Speaking of which, unless they have changed the sum of two plus two, I’m missing something.”
“What?”
“The whole Lola and Gord thing doesn’t make sense to me. It seems like the cops have it all tied up in a pretty little package complete with a bow, but it doesn’t work for me.”
“Leave it al… ”
I didn’t hear the rest of her command, what with the house alarm blaring and Evelyn screaming in terror.
ALSO BY THE AUTHOR
THE TEA SERIES
Hot Tea
Sweet Tea
Iced Tea
Green Tea
Peppermint Tea
Tea To Go
Summer Tea
Traditional Tea
Tea & Honey
Happy Tea
Dark Tea
Healing Tea
THE TEA SERIES: THE BLENDS
Romantic Blend
Perfect Blend
THE GIRLS SERIES
Las Vegas
Hawaii Can Wait
On the Road (Again)
Spoiled Fruit
THE AUNTIE SERIES
Abbie
LESSONS, THE SERIES
Consequences
Coming soon — Promises
Learn more about Sheila and her books at www.SheilaHorgan.com
Strong Tea Page 21