“Do either of you have children?”
They shook their heads.
“Too bad. That makes you the last of a generation.”
The significance of that statement hit Kate hard. How would her dad have felt about that? After all, he passed out pennies to the nearby children every time they passed a gumball machine. Even when Mom was sick and he did all of the household chores, he always took the time to read her a bedtime story. He obviously loved children. And he would’ve loved being a grandpa. Kate’s eyes grew moist.
Mr. Donner explained that it would take a few weeks to process their brokerage accounts and transfer the money into their names. Apparently, Joely couldn’t take the suspense any more. “Could you please tell us the amount in the account?”
He typed some numbers into his computer. They waited in heavy silence. Then he announced, “There’s a little over three thousand dollars. For each of you.”
Kate nodded, feeling like an idiot. She was barely able to wait until she and Joely went back outside before bursting out in laughter. “Three thousand dollars?” Kate appreciated the money, but had imagined more of a windfall. “I figured Dad inherited at least a hundred thousand from Grandpa.”
Joely wasn’t laughing. “He must have spent it all on hospital bills.”
Kate sobered and shivered in the frigid air. “Let’s get in my car and talk.” They speed-walked down the cement path and jumped in Kate’s Miata.
“So what are you going to do with your share? Decorate the nursery?” Joely asked.
“I don’t know.” Kate paused. “There was a time when that money would’ve really helped out. Like when we were in college blowing our noses on toilet paper because we couldn’t afford tissues.” The windows started to fog up so Kate started the car and turned on the defrost. “I guess it’s just one more reason to hate Aunt Suzy.”
“I don’t hate her. She’s just a self-centered person who got stuck raising two kids that weren’t her own. Some people would’ve risen gracefully to the occasion, but she didn’t. It’s better to just forget about it,” Joely said.
Kate couldn’t help but pause, surprised that Joely wasn’t willing to exchange Aunt Suzy stories. “But she ruined our childhood.”
“Yes. But that was half a lifetime ago. I think it’s time to move on.”
Kate wasn’t so sure she wanted to give up one of their sisterly rituals. She stared at the steering wheel, thinking about how talking about the neglect cemented their bond. She also considered how rehashing the details agitated her. Maybe Joely was right. It was time to move on.
Then she thought of a better tradition. She remembered their trip to Disney World. “Et’s-lay o-gay et-gay ome-say ice-way eam-cray,” Kate said, hoping her Pig Latin wasn’t too rusty. “My treat.”
They walked to a small restaurant on the opposite corner from the law firm. As they sat in a wooden booth, Joely chewed on her straw until the end was flat.
Kate stopped drinking her root beer float. “What’s wrong?”
Joely sighed. “A client fired me today.”
“Really? What happened?”
Joely twirled the straw in the brown foam. “I’m not sure exactly. I’ve been working long hours lately—pushing myself now that I’m feeling better. Anyway, I was painting this mural on a dining room wall and the next thing I knew, the client, a highly successful advertising executive, was standing over me and I was slumped on the floor. I don’t know how, but I must have fallen asleep.”
“Oh, Joely.” Kate reached across the table to touch her sister’s hand.
“I was so embarrassed. I apologized profusely, but she just told me to go home and tell Kelly she would find another interior decorator.”
“Did you tell her about the lupus?”
Joely shook her head, looking down.
“You should have. Maybe she would’ve understood.”
“I couldn’t. It’s no excuse.”
Kate squeezed Joely’s hand. “It’s not an excuse. It’s a legitimate explanation.” She thought for a moment. “Maybe you should ask Kelly if you could go part-time.”
“Then how will I pay my rent?”
“You have this inheritance.”
Joely stared out the window. “What will I do when that runs out?”
“You’re always welcome to come live with Mitch and me.”
Joely’s cell phone rang. She looked down to silence it and the corner of her mouth pulled upward.
Kate took a drink. “Who was it?”
“Nobody.” Pink spread over Joely’s cheeks.
“It looks to me like it was definitely somebody. Somebody special. Come on. Are you seeing someone and you didn’t tell me?” Kate cajoled.
Joely’s eyes fluttered a little as she avoided looking at Kate.
Kate leaned forward. “Joely, do tell.”
“Oh, OK. But you can’t judge.”
Kate tilted her head. “Why would I judge you? I’m happy for you.”
Joely paused and stirred her drink. “If you must know. . .it was Jake.”
“Jake?” Kate exclaimed so loudly that an old woman in the next booth looked their way. “Why is Jake calling you?”
Joely’s gaze settled on the table. “We’ve been sort of seeing each other.”
“What? I thought you said he was married.”
“See, Kate. I knew you’d get all judgmental on me. That’s why I didn’t tell you.”
“How long have you two been involved?”
Joely folded her napkin over and over until it became a tiny square. “Since November. I went to see him after you left me in California.”
“I did not leave you in California.” Joely still hasn’t let this go? But she called from San Diego and said she never should’ve asked me to stay. She seemed happy. Oh—that’s why she was so happy. She had reconnected with Jake.
Then it hit Kate. “Did you cancel your Christmas plans with me to be with him?”
Joely chose not to answer, giving Kate one more reason to detest that man. First he practically left Joely at the altar and now he had returned to trample her heart again. What a self-centered jerk! She wanted to strangle him! “I can’t believe you’re involved with him. He’s married. He has kids. You’re ‘the other woman’.”
“It’s not like that. He only proposed because she got pregnant with the twins. He thought it was the right thing to do. But they’re not a good match.”
Kate looked into Joely’s eyes. Somehow she had to stop her. “Joely, listen to me. This is not a smart idea. You know that.”
“He’s my soul mate,” she crooned. “We should’ve married years ago.”
“There was a reason you broke up. You wanted different things.” Kate felt her stomach twist. Was it time she told Joely the truth?
“But now it doesn’t matter. He’s thinking about moving back. Says he misses the Midwest. Misses me.”
Kate’s sister could not fall in love with a married man and certainly not that one. Joely would only end up damaged all over again. But would it do any good for Kate to confess?
Kate licked her lower lip, preparing to speak. “Didn’t you think it was strange how Jake suddenly changed his mind about having a family?”
“It wasn’t sudden. The twins were an accident.”
Kate picked at a hangnail, wishing this moment had never arrived. “The truth is Jake did want kids.” She swallowed, trying to get rid of the fear constricting her throat. “Just not with you.” As the words left Kate’s mouth, she couldn’t believe how sharp they sounded.
Joely’s mouth fell open. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. You know as well as I do, that’s the whole reason we broke up.”
“Joely, you broke up because he found out about Mom’s illness.”
“He already knew about that.”
If only she could let her believe that. She wanted to. But she couldn’t risk Joely getting sucked in by Jake’s charm. He would only leave her in the end—worse off than before. “You did
n’t tell him the gruesome details. How Mom couldn’t take care of herself, how she couldn’t take care of us.” Kate chewed on her bottom lip as she considered her words. “But I did. And that’s why you two didn’t get married.”
“Why are you saying this? Why are you making stuff up about Jake?” Joely squeezed her glass.
“I’m telling you that man cannot be trusted.”
“That’s not true.”
Kate shoved her unfinished ice cream away. “He lied about not wanting kids and now he’s lying to his wife every time he’s with you.”
“I think you don’t want me to find someone because then I won’t need you any more.”
Kate’s heart jumped into fight or flight mode. “That’s ridiculous. I would love it if I didn’t have to worry about you any more.”
“Well, you can stop worrying. I’m fine. I’m more than fine. I’m happy.” Joely crossed her arms.
Right. Kate took shallow breaths and gazed into Joely’s eyes. “Does Jake know you have lupus?”
Joely tucked her hair behind her ear and looked off into the distance. “No, but I’m sure it wouldn’t matter.”
“Then why haven’t you told him?”
Joely furrowed her brow. “Because it hasn’t come up.”
Kate couldn’t stop now. “I think it’s because deep down you’re afraid. Afraid that he doesn’t really love you. Afraid that as far as he’s concerned, you’re damaged goods.”
Now Joely was the one with judgment in her eyes. “What a shitty thing to say, Kate.” She grabbed her purse and stood. “I hate you!”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Rubbing her eyes, Kate logged on to her work computer. The nightmares had returned. Only this time Joely held Jake’s hand as their bodies sank to the bottom of the pool. And Kate found herself locked inside Mrs. Pilo’s house, pounding on the sliding glass door, unable to jump in and save her sister.
Kate had left Joely five voicemail messages. She wondered how she would ever get Joely to speak to her again. This wasn’t like a petty disagreement about going on a vacation together. Joely had spent years remembering Jake the way she wished and not as the self-centered jerk Kate exposed him to be. Perhaps Joely had never stopped loving him.
Kate tapped her fingers on the keyboard until she saw an e-mail message from Mr. Mohr regarding Linda Cochran. Would the principal notify the staff through e-mail that Mrs. B had been let go? Kate couldn’t wait to click “open”.
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Re: Linda Cochran
We would like to congratulate Linda Cochran as the teacher whose students scored the highest in the state on the US History AP test. She will be recognized at Senior Awards Night.
“You’ve got to be kidding!” Kate shouted at the screen.
She didn’t have time to deal with her outrage because a parent and student hovered in her doorway. The callous-handed Mrs. Descartes and her husky son took seats across from Kate, barely fitting in their chairs. As Kate looked at a transcript with more C’s and D’s than A’s and B’s, she remembered recently seeing that same young man outside the truancy officer’s door. Kate wondered why he wanted to spend any more time in school than he had to.
“Tell me, Philip, what type of job are you hoping to have some day?” Kate asked.
“I don’t know.” He looked at the candy dish on the desk instead of at Kate.
Kate held out the bowl. “You can have a piece.”
“No thanks,” he said.
Kate suspected that Mrs. Descartes was more interested in higher education than Philip.
He bounced his leg up and down. “I like to work on cars. Can I study that in college?”
“Sure. At a vocational school.”
“If I have to go I’d like some place that has an ice hockey team,” he said.
“Philip is the team captain,” his mom added proudly.
Kate smiled, hiding her mild distress. “Would you be happy playing intramurals?” Finding a school that offered both automotive classes and inter-collegiate sports was not going to be easy. “We have a computer program where you can input what you’re looking for in a school and it suggests options.”
Mrs. Descartes looked at her son. “That sounds good.”
Kate went through the computer inventory regarding housing, majors and athletics. When she was done she was pleased that there were a few schools that offered everything Philip and his mom wanted.
“I’ll print this list out for you, so you can remember their names,” Kate said, pushing the “enter” key. A moment later she handed the printouts to Philip, who looked at them with interest.
He pointed at the list. “They have an awesome team.”
Mrs. Descartes smiled as her eyes filled with tears. “I wanted to go to college, but my senior year my mom got very sick. I ended up staying home and taking care of her for a year. Once she passed away. . .” A tear rolled down her cheek. “I was done with high school. And I didn’t know how to apply to college. I wish I would’ve had a counselor as friendly as you.”
This was a first. A parent had never cried during a college consultation.
Once they left, Kate experienced an incredible feeling of satisfaction. She realized that was something she could offer her own child: starting early, Kate could help him or her see the value of a good education and offer career advice. Assuming, of course, she lived that long.
The school’s volume level rose instantly when the dismissal bell rang and the halls filled with celebratory teenagers. Lily, her red hair pulled back into a ponytail, stuck her head in Kate’s office. “Is Mrs. Descartes still here?”
“She left a few minutes ago.”
“Damn. Oh—I mean, darn,” she said, looking somewhat remorseful.
“That’s OK.” Kate didn’t believe in writing kids up for what they said in her office. “Why?”
“She’s my new foster mom. I wanted to tell her I’m not going to be home right after school. I’m going to help a teacher grade papers and then to thank me, she’s cooking me dinner.”
Kate’s pulse quickened. Most teachers understood the boundaries between school and personal life, but just in case, Kate asked, “What teacher?”
“Mrs. Cochran.”
Hot adrenaline shot through Kate’s veins. How dare she! How dare Mrs. B go after my Lily. “Lily, you had better go straight home.”
Lily didn’t move. “But I don’t want to.”
“The buses are leaving any minute. Hurry up. I’m sure Mrs. Descartes wants you to eat dinner with her tonight.”
“Did she say something?”
Kate hated to lie to students. “Trust me. Go home.”
Lily walked away without answering.
Could that have been Mrs. B that Lily was kissing and holding hands with in that parking lot surveillance video? The hooded wool coat was more sophisticated than the ski jackets most of the kids wore. In fact, she remembered seeing Mrs. B wearing one like it. Kate decided she had to talk to Rhonda.
Kate entered Rhonda’s office and closed the door behind her. She felt her heart beating out of control. She sat down in a wicker chair and took a deep breath, remembering that Mr. Mohr said not to discuss it with anyone.
Rhonda looked up from her computer, her face beaming. “Just the person I wanted to see. I have some good news.”
Kate raised her eyebrows.
“I found a teacher with a counseling license who would be interested in job-sharing with you next year.”
Kate chewed on her lip. That would be perfect except for Mitch’s veto on daycare. They still hadn’t resolved that issue. “Who is it?”
“Yolanda.”
“Really?” Yolanda was the first teacher Kate met on her first day of work. She walked up to Kate, stopped humming “You are my Sunshine” and proclaimed, “Welcome to Foxworth High. We’re so glad to have you on board.” She shook Kate’s hand enthusiastically.
It turned ou
t Kate wasn’t the only one drawn to Yolanda. She was one of those teachers students adored. Kate was surprised once to find out that Yolanda used to be a trouble-maker when she was in school. Her background provided her with an uncanny ability to bond with even the toughest adolescents. And yet the prom queens and valedictorians liked her, too. Kate knew she would be a great counselor. “I didn’t know she had her license.”
“Yes. And she’s looking for a change of pace. She’s very excited about the idea.”
Kate hated to tell Rhonda that she went to all of this effort for nothing. Why did Mitch have to be so determined that having your mom around twenty-four hours a day was the only way to go? “Sounds good.”
“Kate, I’m so excited for you. I just loved making mud pies and playing Chutes & Ladders. It was a wonderful time.”
Kate nodded, forcing a smile.
“You look like you have something else on your mind.”
Kate wasn’t always good at hiding her feelings, but Rhonda definitely had a knack for seeing right through her. “I need your expert opinion.”
“Oooh, I’m an expert, am I?” Rhonda joked.
Fondling her wedding band, Kate considered how to begin. “You know about that former student accusing a teacher of inappropriate conduct?”
She nodded her head hesitantly. “Sure.”
“How much do you know about it?”
“I’m not really at liberty to say. Why?”
“You know it’s Mrs. B, right?” Kate blurted. “I mean, Linda Cochran.”
The expression on her face confirmed Kate’s suspicions. She wondered if the principal was simply seeking her expert opinion on this topic when Kate overheard them a few weeks ago. After all, many of the staff members used Rhonda as their own personal therapist. She helped a secretary a few years ago acknowledge that she had a problem with Ambien and she helped several teachers (including Mrs. B) through painful divorces.
Rhonda looked her in the eye. “How do you know?”
“It doesn’t matter. I’m just glad you know because I need to be able to talk to someone about this. Ever since I found out my stomach has been in knots. I can hardly think about anything except how to get rid of her.”
Rhonda started shuffling papers on her desk. “What do you mean ‘get rid of her’?”
A Sister's Promise (Promises) Page 22