Mad About Moon

by Melissa Foster

  “Oh gosh, I didn’t think you did,” Penny said. “I figured Jed had invited you. The Whiskeys close down their bar, and the Dark Knights have a party for family and friends. It’s really fun.”

  “Oh. He didn’t mention it. But it’s okay. I have so much to do anyway. Thanks again. I’ll see you next week.” As they left the store she wondered why Jed hadn’t mentioned it. Despite what she felt toward him, she had a child, and New Year’s Eve was for dates, and kissing at midnight, not for single moms who lived in shelters.

  “Where to now, Mama?” Hail asked, breaking through her thoughts.

  She glanced down at him, catching a glimpse of a pregnant woman across the street, leaving a salon. Josie’s heart beat faster as Sarah came into focus. She held tightly to Hail’s hand and said, “Across the street.”

  Chapter Six

  GOOSE BUMPS ROSE on Josie’s arms as she and Hail rushed across the street. Sarah was walking in the opposite direction. She was so nervous she was sure Hail could feel it, but she wasn’t going to chicken out again and forced herself to call out, “Sarah—”

  Sarah turned, dressed beautifully in a navy-blue coat and jeans. The confusion in her eyes morphed to shock. “Josie…?”

  As Josie and Hail stepped onto the sidewalk, Josie’s throat felt like it was closing. She didn’t know what to say, but she wanted to try to bridge the gap between them. “Hi,” came out stilted and soft, like a question.

  “Hi,” Sarah said. Her brown eyes moved to Hail, then back to Josie, with a plea so strong her eyes teared up. She had always been the stronger sister, but also the most emotional.

  “Hail, honey,” Josie said shakily, “this is your aunt Sarah, Mommy’s sister.”

  Hail gazed up at Josie through his bangs and said, “I thought she lived far away?”

  That was what she’d told him, because she didn’t know if she’d ever see Scotty or Sarah again. “She did, but now she lives really close.”

  “Hi,” he said to Sarah. “I got an ice cream named after me. Where do you live?”

  “That’s neat to have an ice cream named after you. I live really close, near the water.” Sarah pointed to the salon and said, “And that’s where I work. I cut hair.”

  “Mama’s going to work with Penny at the ice cream store!” Hail exclaimed.

  “You are?” Sarah asked. “I heard she came to see you. Penny’s really nice. I know you’ll love it, but it’s quite a drive from Parkvale.”

  Josie nodded. “I’m starting next week, when Hail goes back to school. It is a drive, but there aren’t any jobs over the bridge.” They were making small talk to fill the uncomfortable gap, and Josie desperately wanted to find a way past it.

  “Sarah—” Josie said at the same time Sarah said, “Josie—”

  They both smiled.

  “I just got off work. Bones took the kids to story hour at the bookstore. Would you like to come?” Sarah asked. “Scott’s there, too.”

  “At story hour?” She still had the image of her angry and protective seventeen-year-old brother in her head. It was hard to imagine him at something like story hour.

  “He says he goes to help Bones because Lila likes to toddle around and Bradley gets restless,” Sarah explained. “But Bones said he goes because Quincy Gritt does the readings and lots of single moms come to see him. I think Scott’s using my children as wingmen.”

  They both laughed a little uncomfortably.

  “Story hour is for all ages, and we can sit down and talk at the café in the bookstore if you want,” Sarah suggested.

  “Can we go, Mama?” Hail asked hopefully.

  Josie was afraid she’d be an emotional mess, but at least this way Hail would be busy listening to a story and not watching her cry.

  “Sure.”

  An awkward silence fell around them as they walked to the bookstore.

  “We met Quincy at a bonfire with Moon—Jed. He seemed nice. I didn’t know he worked at a bookstore.”

  “He’s worked there for a while. The kids love him. He also runs Narcotics Anonymous meetings and helps troubled teenagers. He’s quite a catch. I can’t really blame the single ladies of Peaceful Harbor for wanting to spend an hour in his company.”

  “It seemed like he was into Penny at the bonfire,” Josie said as they turned the corner and the green awning over the entrance to Downtown Books came into view.

  “He is. The Whiskeys have a bet going on at the bar for when they’ll finally kiss. Bear, Bones’s brother, picked Christmas. You should have seen him following them around with the mistletoe.”

  A soft laugh escaped. She’d missed Sarah so much, even just talking to her made her heart so full it hurt. She studied the sister she was sure had abandoned her a decade ago, and a streak of pain sliced through her. She needed to ask Sarah why she hadn’t come back for her as she’d promised, but not now. Now she needed this, to be near her, to feel like she didn’t want to run.

  Josie pulled the door open and held it as Hail and Sarah walked in. Sarah stopped midway through and whispered, “I’ve missed you so much.”

  And just like that, tears fell from Josie’s eyes. She ducked her head, wiping them away as she walked in, so Hail wouldn’t see, and inhaled deeply.

  “They read over here in the children’s section.” Sarah pointed across the store.

  Josie followed her toward a green-carpeted area where a number of children sat on the floor listening to Quincy, who sat on a chair reading aloud. He was even more handsome in the light of day, with clear blue eyes and a few days’ scruff covering a strong jaw. He reminded Josie of a longish-haired Brad Pitt.

  Quincy glanced up and winked at them. Sarah waved. Josie was too focused on not letting more tears fall to do anything more than remain erect.

  Several women sat with the children on the carpet, while others sat on chairs and stood close by. It was easy to see who was single and who wasn’t by the difference in their perfectly applied makeup, styled hair, and sexy choice of clothing.

  Josie spotted Bones sitting on a chair with Sarah’s adorable little girl on his lap. Lila. She recognized Lila from the From Homeless to Happy pamphlet. She had wispy sandy-blond hair a shade lighter than Sarah’s, and she was clinging to Bones’s hand. Beside them, chatting with a pretty blonde, with a little sandy-haired boy Josie recognized as Bradley on his lap, was Scotty. Tears burned her eyes, and when Scotty met her gaze, her legs nearly gave out.

  The color drained from his face, and he said something to Bones. Bones’s eyes moved between Sarah and Josie as Scotty set Bradley on Bones’s lap beside Lila.

  Scotty rose to his feet, and Josie’s heart beat faster.

  At thirteen she’d been smaller than most of the girls her age, and Scotty had seemed massive, but she knew that was a little girl’s perspective, magnified over years of missing him. No matter what she remembered, he was nothing like the man who stood before her now. He was taller, more muscular, broader, and he emitted a different type of toughness. As a teenager, he’d always seemed coiled to strike, like a viper. Now he exuded the confidence of a man who had seen too much in life and wasn’t afraid to face it. His dirty-blond hair was longer than he used to wear it, brushed back away from his face, and he had thick scruff a shade darker than his hair. She saw a hint of their father around his cheekbones and the set of his jaw, but that hint instantly disappeared when she saw the love in his familiar hooded eyes.

  “That’s Scott,” Sarah whispered as he approached.

  Bradley pushed from Bones’s lap and darted around Scotty. He threw his arms around Sarah’s legs. “Hi, Mommy!” he whispered loudly.

  Josie glanced down at him, but her eyes were drawn back to Scotty limping toward them. Everything around her turned to white noise as her brother approached. The night of their accident came rushing back, and she struggled to gulp air into her lungs. Sarah had written about Scotty’s injuries and recovery. He had a permanent plate and pins in one leg. He must have been in so much pain when it
happened.

  And I ran away.

  She became aware of Hail tugging on her hand. Only then did she realize Hail must have been talking to her because he, Bradley, and Sarah were all watching her expectantly. Bones was standing beside Sarah with Lila in his arms, and Josie hadn’t even seen him come over. But what surprised her even more was that she was clinging to Sarah’s hand like a lifeline—and she couldn’t let go.

  “Can I, Mama?” Hail’s eyes pleaded. “Can I sit with Bradley and listen to the story?”

  Bradley. He was adorable, too, and he even looked a little bit like Hail, with shorter, lighter hair and a similar sweet face.

  “I’m sure Bones wouldn’t mind watching him so we can talk,” Sarah said quietly.

  Josie forced herself to think as best she could, while still holding both Hail’s and Sarah’s hands. She bent to speak to Hail. “Do you remember Dr. Whiskey from the shelter?”

  Hail nodded. “He said I could call him Bones. Can I still call him that?”

  She glanced at Bones, who nodded and mouthed, Of course.

  “Yes. I want to talk to Aunt Sarah,” she said, purposely leaving out the introduction to Scotty for fear that she might fall apart. “But I need you to stay with Bones, okay, bean? If you need me, you can ask Bones to bring you over.”

  He nodded, and she kissed his forehead. “I love you. Have fun.”

  She watched as he and Bradley went to sit on the carpet. Even though she knew about Sarah’s children, seeing them in real life hit her hard.

  “I’ve got him, Josie,” Bones said with a gentle touch on her arm. “Don’t worry.”

  “Thank you,” Josie managed.

  Bones went to sit with the kids, and Scotty came to her side, his brown eyes glittering down at her. He didn’t say a word as he wrapped his strong arms around her, holding her so tight she could barely move. Sarah joined the embrace, and when Scotty said, “God, I’ve missed you,” Josie’s tears broke free.

  “I can’t…” She struggled for air around her tears and felt Scotty freeze. She quickly said, “I can’t do this here. Near Hail. Can we go somewhere else?”

  Scotty’s arm moved protectively around her shoulder, and Sarah took her hand as they guided her away from the children. It was a good thing they were flanking her, because she was shaking so badly, she probably would have collapsed if left on her own. Scott said something to a woman at a desk, and the woman hurriedly led them to a private room.

  “Take your time,” the woman said, closing the door behind her and leaving them alone.

  “I’m sorry,” Josie said, clinging to them both as their arms came around her again. “I was so awful to leave the hospital that night and to run from Sarah at the shelter.”

  “It’s okay,” Sarah said through her tears.

  “We love you, Josie,” Scotty said, causing her tears to come faster. “You’re here now. That’s all that matters.”

  They held one another for what felt like hours and not long enough at the same time. Eventually they drew apart, and Josie was sure her eyes were just as puffy and her nose just as pink as Sarah’s. Even Scotty was crying, but he cleared his throat and wiped his eyes, regaining his composure much easier and quicker than his sisters.

  “Let’s sit down and talk,” he said, pulling out two chairs for them from around a small table.

  He grabbed a box of tissues from a desk across the room and put it on the table as Josie and Sarah took off their coats and set them on another chair. Josie and Sarah kept smiling at each other, laughing a little, then swiping at their endless tears.

  “This is so weird,” Josie finally said as she wiped her eyes.

  Scotty sat beside her and reached for her hand, holding it tight. “Jed said you weren’t in danger. Is that true?”

  “You talked to him about me?” Josie asked.

  “He’s a good friend, to both of us.” He glanced at Sarah, who nodded her agreement. “I knew he was going to see you, and, Josie, I stayed away because it seemed like it was what you needed, but I had to know you were safe. He didn’t tell me anything other than that. He said it wasn’t his place to talk about your life.”

  Fresh tears slipped down her cheeks, and “Moon—Jed,” came out laden with gratitude. “I knew him a long time ago. We met just before I turned eighteen. I liked him a lot then, and I still do. I’m glad he’s your friend, and I appreciate him not saying more.”

  “Sarah and I have been so worried about you,” Scotty said. “If you don’t want to talk about what happened between the time we left and now, that’s okay.”

  Josie lowered her eyes, and the question she’d been wanting to ask for so long bubbled out just above a whisper. “Why didn’t you come back for me?”

  “I’ll never forgive myself for leaving you two that night.” Scotty squeezed her hand and said, “I don’t expect you to forgive me. I went to work on an oil rig, trying to get enough money to save you guys. I’m not sure if you remember, but the night I left Dad said he’d put me in jail if I came anywhere near you two.”

  “I remember,” Josie said softly. As she spoke to Sarah, the pain came out. “But I waited nearly two weeks for you, and you never came. I was so scared, and I’d never been alone before—”

  “I did come back,” Sarah’s teary eyes implored Josie to believe her. “Two weeks after I left I came back, and a girl from your school said she saw you leave with a guy in a blue or gray car and she hadn’t seen you since. I searched for you everywhere for weeks. Then the girl I was staying with got scared she’d get in trouble.”

  Sarah went on to explain the details of her horrific life after leaving home, some of which Josie had read in the pamphlet. Her sister had taken a job as a shampoo girl in another town, and then she’d moved to Baltimore and worked as a stripper to put herself through cosmetology school. That’s where she’d met the man who’d fathered her children. Unfortunately, a while later he’d had an accident and had gotten hooked on drugs, sending Sarah’s life into another downward spiral. She was pregnant, had two small children to care for, no money, and no car to escape his wrath. One night that awful man had pimped her out for drug money, allowing several men to rape her. That was the night Sarah had taken her children, stolen a car, and run for her life for the very last time.

  It hurt so much to hear her story, to see the pain in her eyes. Josie reached for her, sobbing as she choked out, “I’m sorry, Sarah. So sorry.”

  “I’d never abandon you,” Sarah cried. “I just had to find a place for us to live first. And then I had to get a ride back to you. I’m so sorry.”

  “In my heart I knew you wouldn’t, but I was thirteen, and every day without you two felt like a month. And then…”

  Scott looked like he wanted to kill someone, and for a moment Josie thought about lying, telling them their father never touched her. But she’d already caused her siblings so much pain, if they found out she lied, even to protect them, they might think they couldn’t trust her.

  Sarah drew back with tears in her eyes and said, “Did he…? Did they hurt you?”

  Josie nodded, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it out loud like she had to Jed.

  “Fuck,” roared from Scotty’s mouth, and he shot to his feet, his hands fisted. “It’s all my fault. I never should have left either of you.”

  “Scott,” Sarah said sharply. “We talked about this. You couldn’t have stopped him, and you would have ended up in prison for killing him.”

  “I think Brian might have had that taken care of,” Josie said softly.

  “Brian?” Scott crossed his arms. “Who’s Brian?”

  “He was my husband, Hail’s father. He’s the guy that girl told Sarah about. He drove an old blue Chevy at that time.” She told them how she’d met Brian and everything she’d told Jed, and then she said, “He was good to me, and he loved me and Hail so much. We were his whole life. And then, as if God wanted to remind me that life just couldn’t be that great, Brian was chasing a dog from the
yard one day, because he was afraid it might bite Hail, and he collapsed. He died instantly, before the ambulance even got there. They said he had an undetected heart defect. Of course, I had Hail checked out immediately afterward, and he’s fine. But that’s when our lives went downhill. But losing my house and starting over at a shelter? That’s nothing compared to what you two went through with our parents and what Sarah went through afterward—” Sobs stole her voice.

  “It’s okay.” Sarah hugged her tight, letting her cry it out. And when she had no more tears to cry, her sister lifted her chin and wiped her eyes. “We’re all fine, and Bones and his brothers took care of the man who hurt me. He’ll never touch us again. Josie, I want to hear about Brian and your life. I’m so glad you were loved. You named your son Hail, just like we used to talk about. Our children’s names pact.”

  “Names that come from nature, because nature signifies strength and freedom. Nothing can stop a hail storm,” Josie said. “But you didn’t name Bradley or Lila after nature.”

  Sarah shook her head. “I couldn’t. When they were born, I didn’t want any of my past to touch their lives.”

  “I understand,” Josie said.

  “How come I never knew you guys had that pact?” Scotty asked.

  “Because you were a guy, and if you knew your sisters were thinking about their future children, your male mind would have instantly seen us being deflowered by some guy and wanted to give us both chastity belts,” Sarah teased, making them all laugh.

  “Damn right,” Scotty said.

  He was always so protective of them. Josie would bet he’d never forgive himself for not being able to protect them from their father. “I almost changed my name when I got married, but it was my last link to you guys, so I kept it.”

  Sarah sat back, rubbing one hand over her burgeoning belly, and said, “What was life like when you moved here?”

  “I don’t know. A lot of it is a blur, but I remember being so relieved to be away from our parents, I slept for what felt like the first time ever. I was always so afraid to sleep back home.”