Laney and I ask each other, “Did you know?” at the same time. We both answer with shakes of our heads.
I say, “She’s been working at the Bistro lately, but what’s this about being a ‘team’? Never dawned on me they had the same initials. Some reason I thought his last name was Moon, but he is Diego's sister’s son. Are they dating?”
Laney just keeps shaking her head, then says quietly, “She’s never dated anyone. Anyone. And he sure doesn’t seem like the type a girl starts with.”
We push the stroller along the path through the pavilion and just as we come through the other side, Laney starts laughing. She stops and rests her arms on the stroller handle. “I’m sorry, I know Savannah is your daughter, but that was funny.”
I smirk. “It was, just because we know Angie and Savannah, and that was so out of the blue. Angie said she’s tried to tell Savannah, but my daughter has had tunnel vision when it comes to Alex.” Then I laugh with an eye roll. “Bet this cures that!”
We follow the path down the hill to a picnic table near the edge of the water. As she lifts a fussy Cayden from his stroller, Laney says, “Gotta say, I might’ve seen Jenna doing something like that, but Angie? My Angie? However, that is how you keep a man like Alex. Make everything nice and clear.”
Then she stops and gasps, “Oh no. It’s me that has to worry about him having his own apartment now. Shoot.” She looks down at Cayden who is really starting to cry. “With you not sleeping, and Jenna being Jenna, Angie was my easy one.”
Dusk, with its blues and purples, has settled in over the lake. Everyone is full of food and praise for the food truck. Cayden is sleeping soundly in his stroller, and the older teens have left to go to the movies over in Canton. Bryan and his friends are congregated out on one of the docks, and Brittani, in that tiny blue bikini, is sitting on Bryan’s lap. Makes me wish he would sneak around more so I wouldn’t actually have to see things like this.
The one disharmonious note is Kimmy’s table. The Kendrick clan only got here about twenty minutes ago, and Kimmy has been shrieking most of that time. Zoe is there, mostly dealing with the kids and ignoring her stepmother. Finally, I can’t stand it any longer. (I used to never get involved in things like this, but I guess it’s the Chancey effect.)
“Hey, guys,” I say in a nice, sing song voice as I walk up. “What’s going on?”
Kimmy’s allergies must be on overdrive as her eyes are red and swollen, and she’s sniffling between shrieks. “These kids are driving me crazy. Look at ‘em! Just bought them all this expensive food, and they won’t eat. Can’t I get a minute’s peace?”
Zoe shrugs and explains. “I told you they wouldn’t eat the tacos. They’re spicy and have green stuff on them.”
Katherine and Kevin are crying while K.J. pulls on his mother’s arm whining about going swimming. Looking around I see they don’t have any bags or coolers with possibly more kid-friendly food. “Hey,” I offer quietly to Kimmy, “I have some crackers and peanut butter and some grapes, if they’d like that?”
Zoe brightens up and nods at me. Kimmy throws her hands in the air and exclaims, “Sure! Throw all this food away! Just let them have their way. Everyone but me gets to do whatever they want. Sure, whatever!” She begins grabbing the food from off the table, and now the kids cry harder.
Laney, bless her, has apparently been listening and comes up at that moment like Lady Bountiful. “Here we are! Crackers and grapes. Yum.” She’s laying the food out and smiling at the kids, who immediately quit crying and start filling their mouths. Another mom hands me some juice boxes and quietly backs away. While another sets a bag of cookies on the table as she slips past. This is not a scene folks want to be a part of, because now that the kids are happy, Kimmy is sitting at the end of the picnic table wailing. She’s buried her face in her hands, and her long, dirty blonde hair hangs like a curtain to the tabletop.
Laney and I look at each other, then at Zoe. Zoe comes up close to Laney and whispers, “Dad moved out.”
You know, I didn’t really think it was allergies after all.
Chapter 40
“So what are you and Grant going to be doing at the golf course today?” I ask as Bryan and I wind up the sunny mountain road toward the Laurel Cove clubhouse.
“I think we’re going to caddy for Grant’s dad and a couple other members. He said we might get paid.”
“Do you even know how to caddy?” Dawns on me having non-golfing parents might be a handicap if you lived somewhere like Laurel Cove.
Bryan shrugs and says, “That’s why we might not get paid. It’s kind of an experiment.”
Jackson and I weren’t up when Bryan knocked on our bedroom door saying he was ready to go. I’d completely forgotten I’d told him I would drive him to Laurel Cove this morning. Jackson offered to bring him, but figured he needed to relax a bit and try and sleep in. Plus, I want to talk to Susan. We’re going to have coffee at the clubhouse.
Car rides provide the best opportunity for learning what a kid is up to. So I ask, “Saw you and Brittani last night. Guess you’re back together?”
I wait for the shrug and noncommittal yeah. But he gets still. Very still. Then he starts tapping his fingers on his thigh. So I wait.
“There’s this other girl…” he mumbles. “She kind of likes me, and I kind of like her.”
“But last night Brittani was sitting on your lap. You were holding hands.”
He looks over at me with wide eyes and sighs. “Yeah. I know.”
“Son, if you like this other girl, you need to break up with Brittani.”
He screws up his face and whines, “But she’ll be mad. I didn’t think she still really liked me, but last night she was all about how we were going to be a couple at school this year.”
Exasperated, I pull into the parking lot, and as I put the car in park, I say, “Boys are awful at breaking up, and I understand it, because you will be the bad guy. So, you ignore the girl or make her mad so she’ll break up with you. Well, you missed your chance earlier this summer. Now you are going to have to break up with Brittani, or you’ll end up two-timing her.” I look over my sunglasses at him and speak sternly. “And that’s not allowed.”
He scowls and opens his car door, and says just as he gets out of the car, “But you don’t know Brittani. I don’t think she’ll let me break up with her.” He slams his door and jogs over to the grass where Grant waits with his mom.
By time I get to Susan, the boys are around the corner headed to the golf course. We walk towards the outside café area to find a seat. On the way, I relay Bryan’s conversation.
Pulling out chairs at a small table on the edge of the patio, she sits down and waves at a waitress, then says, “He’s right about her not letting him go. The Bennett women don’t actually get broken up with.”
“For crying out loud, they’re kids! Anyway, he can figure it out. He got himself into this mess without my permission, so he can get himself out.” I hand my menu back to the waitress. “Just coffee, please.”
“Me too,” Susan says. “We had breakfast before I left this morning.”
“Not us. I left Jackson in bed, and we’re having breakfast when I get home. Nice lazy day for us.” I close my eyes in a cringe and ask, “So, did you hear all about Savannah and Angie last night?”
She laughs. “Every last word, several times. But, hey, you wanted her to get over Alex.”
“Well, did you know your niece and he were an actual item, and a business partnership?”
It’s her turn to cringe. “Yeah, you know, I did. I’ve been working with them on the food truck idea, and I just assumed everyone knew. They didn’t really hide it. They’ve done everything under the AC logo that Angie came up with. But it seems to have really thrown Laney for a loop, she isn’t sure what to think. As different as she thinks Angie is from her, she’s really so much like her mother. Jenna looks like Laney, but Angie acts like Laney.”
I think back and smile. “You know,
you’re right. But with the dyed hair, black makeup, and sullen attitude, I didn’t see it.”
Susan leans toward me. “And Shaw was every bit as much of a player as Alex ever hoped to be. That is until my sister jerked a knot in his tail one time after they were in college.”
“Just like Angie did!” I say, then after a pause, I add, “Boy, Kimmy was a mess. You heard Kyle’s moved out?”
Susan nods. “Yeah, can you imagine being left with all those little kids? And the good one, Zoe, isn’t even hers. Thank God for Zoe, though. I don’t think Kimmy could manage without her.”
Thinking about the sad little family puts a pause in our conversation until Susan clears her throat. I look at her. “What?” I ask.
She chews her bottom lip and then takes a deep breath. “We’re putting Grant into Darien Academy.”
My shoulders slump. “No, Susan. Really?”
“Yeah. He’s excited, and well, it’s such a good school and so close to us. Much closer than Chancey High now. He’s going to tell Bryan today, so I wanted to let you know. We had to make sure he could get in.”
I scowl. “So he did get in? I guess, congratulations. I’m sure it’ll be good for him.” I fake grin. “It makes my life suck, but don’t worry about that!” Laughing, I lay my hand on her arm. “But really, congratulations and I’m sure it’ll be fine. Now, that’s my stomach growling, so I need to get home and make some breakfast.”
Up on top of the mountain, it feels like I can see forever. It’s a clear summer morning, and the air is so clean and fresh. As I pull onto the road down the mountain, I make a mental note to see if Miss LaVada’s rosebush is still in bloom. It would be wonderful to fill the house with them again. On the way up, I was distracted by Bryan’s relationship woes.
With the windows down and the warm breeze in my face, I slow down near her curve and prepare to pull off the road. But there’s no room to pull off as there is a car parked in the only open spot. The UGA window sticker catches my eye.
It’s Will’s car.
There’s no one behind me so I slow down to practically a stop, and as I do, the front door of the tiny house opens. I lift my hand to wave at Miss LaVada, but it’s Will coming out the door with Rose beside him. As I start to shout his name, he leans Rose against the doorjamb and kisses her. And he keeps kissing her. A car horn startles me, and I look up into my rearview mirror. As I wave in apology and put my foot onto the gas pedal, Will sees me. We lock eyes and then I’m gone. Driving down the hill. Headed home. Alternating between two thoughts:
I’m going to kill my son.
Poor Anna.
Chapter 41
My phone rings as I pull into the driveway, and I see that it’s Shannon. “Hi, what’s up?” I say.
“Bonnie’s temporary crown came out, so you need to come to the shop. I have the wedding today. Bonnie’s dentist is coming in just for her, so she needs to leave as soon as possible.”
I groan and get out of the car, saying, “I’ll be there in just a few.”
Shannon is either still mad at me because she thinks Peter was watching me the other day or it’s just stress from the hillbilly wedding she’s trying to pull off. She’s complained about this wedding for weeks, and now it’s finally here.
“Jackson?” I call as I cross the threshold. No fear of waking up our guests as I can hear them on the back deck. Sticking my head out the back door, I greet them and look around for my husband.
“Your hubby is down at the river. We might’ve been a bit loud for him.” This brings more laughter.
Another of the teachers says, “And that pretty daughter of yours, the one who got an earful at the lake last night? Well, she might not be feeling that well this morning.” The ladies, all mothers of grown kids, raise eyes at each other, and then one nods at me and finishes. “We were on the porch when she came home last night and, well, it looked like she had a… a full night. We wouldn’t say anything, but well, we know how it is to have a houseful of teenagers. It’s always something, and it’s better to know, right?”
I sigh and thank them. Not that I wanted to thank them, but, you know, manners.
Up the stairs, I don’t even stop at my bedroom, but plow on ahead up Savannah’s staircase, too. Needless to say, by time I got to the top I couldn’t breathe, much less talk. But there’s nothing to say as she’s not in her bed. Then I hear her commode flush, and by time she walks out in her cami and pajama pants, I’m actually standing up straight and not sucking wind.
She screams and that makes me scream. “You scared me!” she accuses as she moves past me to fall onto her bed.
“Are you okay? The ladies said you didn’t look that great when you came home last night.”
She speaks into her pillow. “They scared me, too. Sitting there watching me stumb—walk up the sidewalk.”
I put my hands on my hips. “You were drinking, weren’t you? And you drove yourself home?”
She coughs and then raises up on one arm. “No, I wouldn’t do that. Terry drove me home.”
Then I think back, so her car wasn’t in the driveway this morning and I didn’t even notice? My phone rings in my pocket and makes me jump. It’s Shannon. I don’t know why I’m answering. Manners again?
“Hi, I’ll be there soon,” I answer.
“Tell me you are on your way! That you are parking as we speak!” She’s yelling, so I hold the phone away from my ear. Then my manners completely disappear, and I hang up on her.
Savannah appears to be back to sleep, but I step over and nudge her. “I have to go to work, but we’ll talk about this later.” I turn away and start down the stairs. Then I remember and ask, “Terry drove you home? Who’s she?”
Mumbling from the bedclothes I hear, “He. You know, Terry. Air-conditioning Terry.”
I take a step back up. “The Terry that fixed our air conditioning? The man that works with your brother? That Terry?”
My phone rings again, and I decline Shannon’s call. Even with the yelling and phone ringing, soft snores tell me my daughter has fallen back asleep. Or she’s faking it. Either way—I’ve got to go. But this is not the end of this discussion.
Things are lively downtown, and I can see why Shannon was so upset. The parking places are full, and people fill all the tables in front of the Bistro. There are people on the lawn of Andy’s Place, and Ruby’s looks to have a line out the door.
What in the world is going on?
When I stride in the front door of Blooming Books, Shannon throws up her arms and shrieks, “Finally! Bonnie had to leave, and this awful wedding is only four hours away.”
She turns back towards her worktable and then plunges into her cooler, yelling behind her. “You are in charge of it all.”
At the counter, I look to see the notepad, which is full of purchases from this morning. There are two ladies shopping in the store, one browsing the books and one looking in the cooler of nosegays and small arrangements Shannon keeps stocked for immediate purchase.
As she brings a small bouquet up to me to purchase, she says, “That piece in the newspaper was right about y’all.”
Wrapping her flowers in a cone of light gray paper, I ask, “What piece in the paper?”
She pulls out money and takes her flowers. “The Thursday local travel piece in the Atlanta paper. It always has nearby places to visit. And when today turned out to be such a beautiful day, my husband and I decided to take a little ride.”
I’m shocked to hear about our free publicity. “Oh, okay. That explains why we’re so busy, I guess.”
She tucks her purse back on her shoulder. “Of course, my husband isn’t much interested in the rest of the town. He’s holed up at that Andy’s Place, wouldn’t you know it?” She laughs and walks to the door. “Thanks, and I’m sure we’ll be back!”
The day was so busy, I didn’t have time to think about Will or Savannah or Anna. I did get the chance to talk to Jackson and fill him on the happenings with our kids, though. He couldn’t
get off the phone fast enough when he heard who brought Savannah home last night. He said he was going to handle that, and I could hear him stomping up the stairs when I hung up. Finally, he’s home when something happens.
I call the Bistro, and Angie answers. She fills our orders for sandwiches and brings them over herself.
As I pay her, she pauses and takes a breath. “Miss Carolina, I hope you weren’t upset about what happened last night with Savannah.”
“With Terry? Were you with them, too?”
She squints her black-rimmed eyes so that I can only see the black, no eye at all. “With who? I meant at the Lake Park.”
“Oh.” I shake my head at her. “Oh, no. I’d already forgotten about that.”
She continues. “I tried to tell her. Honestly, I did. We work so well together. Me and Alex, I mean, and well, things just progressed.” Her face hardens. “Don’t think Savannah believed he could prefer me over her. She and my sister are like that.”
As an older customer comes near the counter with a handful of paperback books, Angie steps to the side, but asks, “Did you say Savannah was with Terry? Terry Minns?”
“Yes, why?” I ask as I reach for the books to ring up.
The girl shrugs and shakes her head. “No reason. Just wondering.” But she has a reason, I can see it in her nonchalance. “Well, I better get back to work.”
After that customer there is a break. Shannon leaves for the wedding with a rented van loaded with flowers. She takes her sandwich to eat on the road, and I move back to her workspace to eat where I can see the front door, but also have a bit of privacy.
Just as my mouth is full, the door opens and Missus comes storming in. Oh no, I bet she’s heard about Will and Rose. She is sputtering mad, but I don’t hear anything that sounds like my firstborn’s name in her sputtering.
Kids are Chancey Page 28