The Country Guesthouse

by Robyn Carr

  “I just came by to see if you needed any help,” he said, holding up his hands, palms toward Owen. “I drove by a few times and I can see you’re moving out. I just thought I’d check on my nephew, see if there’s anything I can do. Maybe I should take him for a McDonald’s or something. You know, a little family time...”

  Owen got very close. “You listen to me. We’re not family, all right? You don’t go near the boy under any circumstances. In fact, stay away from all of us. If I see you again, you’re going to be sorry.”

  “You threatening me, man? Because I didn’t do anything to you! But I thought, since you have the boy, maybe we should talk. Maybe there are some things I could tell you that will help you.”

  “Hannah, call the police,” Owen said.

  “For what?” Roger asked.

  “For harassing us,” Owen said. “You’re a felon on parole and you’ve been told to stay away from us.”

  “I wasn’t told no such thing!”

  “You’re being told now,” Owen said. “When the police come, they’re going to hold you long enough to find out what your purpose in coming around here is. I’m willing to bet they find you guilty of something. Just go away before there’s trouble.”

  “I don’t know what your deal is,” Roger said. But he turned to go.

  “Did your mother send you here?” Hannah asked.

  He whirled around. He scowled. “My mother doesn’t tell me what to do,” he said. “I told you, I thought I’d check on the kid. With Erin gone, I don’t have much family.”

  But Erin hated him, Hannah thought. “Erin said she hadn’t seen you in years,” Hannah said.

  “That was her choice,” he said.

  “And now it’s mine,” Hannah said. “I want you to stay away and let her little boy recover and build a new life. He just lost his mother. He doesn’t need more trauma. He has no idea who you are. That’s the way it has to be. Good luck to you, and please, don’t harass us.”

  “Listen, I know I deserve that cold shoulder—I earned it. But I haven’t been in trouble in a long time. I’m in a program. I’m turning my life around and making amends. I just wanted to check on the kid. Noah. Is he okay? He lost his mom. Is he doing okay now?”

  “He’s okay. So there, you checked,” Hannah said. “He’s adjusting pretty well, considering. It was Erin’s decision that he be placed with me and not her family. Please don’t push it.”

  “Okay, but there are a couple of things you should know. Important things.”

  “Like what?” Hannah asked.

  “Hannah, let him just go,” Owen said.

  “I’m going,” he said. “Be careful of my mother. She isn’t who she seems.” Roger backed away while he talked, then turned toward his truck. “I’m not going to bother you.”

  If you met my mother, you’d like her, Erin had said. But she isn’t really who you think she is. It rang in Hannah’s memory.

  Roger got in his truck and drove away.

  Hannah ran to the SUV and opened the back door. “Where’s Noah?” she shouted.

  “I took him to Kate’s,” Owen said. “He was dirty and tired and I wanted to get back here to pick you up. We’ll have dinner with them, then head back to the hotel. I think we’re all done here. Let’s lock up.”

  “Owen, what was he doing here?” she asked, tears in her voice.

  “I have no idea,” Owen said. “But damn, doesn’t he just look like trouble? I’ll be glad to get us back on home turf. Romeo might not be mean but he knows how to look scary.”

  A coward is incapable of exhibiting love;

  it is the prerogative of the brave.

  —Mahatma Gandhi

  13

  It was a great relief to get back to Colorado. Hannah took Noah to check in with the doctor and physical therapist, both of whom said he was doing great. They shopped for some school clothes and a few supplies, went to Meet the Teacher Day before school started and got back into their routine.

  Victoria called and asked when it would be convenient to see Noah, and Hannah politely told her it was much too soon, that Noah was very busy getting ready for school.

  “But it’s been a couple of weeks!” Victoria said. “And I miss him!”

  That just plain rang false to Hannah. She hadn’t seen him in his life till now. How could this have suddenly become so important? She knew the excuses—regrets, mistakes, et cetera. “I’m sorry, but we can’t fit you in just now.”

  “I’d love to hear about his first week of school,” she said.

  “I’ll give you a call and let you know how it goes,” Hannah said.

  “I was hoping to hear it from him,” she replied.

  Hannah paused dramatically. “We’ll see,” she said tiredly.

  Hannah was trying to get her things settled into Owen’s beautiful house and she ran into even more things she didn’t need. Her giveaway pile grew as she let go of things that really had no place in Owen’s house. But that locked trunk in the master bedroom closet was emptied of Owen’s things and Hannah was invited to use it for her sweaters or wraps. It took her the better part of a week to settle in.

  “This is as lived-in as my house has ever felt,” he said. “I love having your clothes in the closet and your pretty soaps and lotions in the bath.”

  “I have work to do in Noah’s room,” she said.

  “I saw. I think that room needs another bureau and some shelves.”

  “Don’t you have work to do?” she asked.

  “I’m planning a big catch-up once Noah is in school. For now, helping you make this your house is a priority.”

  Through the last dog days of summer, late August, there was a lot of time in the lake swimming. There were fishing and reading and visiting friends and neighbors. Then first day of school finally rolled around.

  And Noah couldn’t eat his breakfast.

  “You really need a little something in the tummy,” Hannah said. “It’s going to be a long day.”

  “I don’t feel like it’ll fit,” Noah said.

  “Are you nervous?” she asked.

  “No,” he said. “I think it’s way worse than that.”

  “And you know what? That never changes. First day of kindergarten, first day of junior high, first day of high school, first day of college...”

  “First day of a new job,” Owen said, coming from the back, rubbing a towel over his wet hair. “First days have a reputation that way.”

  Noah promptly leaned over and threw up on the floor.

  “Well, that should take care of an immediate problem,” Hannah said.

  Noah looked up at her with watery eyes. “Hannah, what if I throw up at school?” he shrieked.

  “A lot of that stuff happens in kindergarten,” Owen said, bringing paper towels to the table, wiping up. “You’re not the only nervous one, Noah. I promise.”

  “I’m the only one who can’t walk,” he said.

  “Are you kidding me?” Hannah said. “You get around as well and as fast as Romeo. All I have to say is, please be careful until you get the lay of the land and find out where all the bumps and holes are in the playground. Try not to crack your head open on the first day.”

  “Maybe I shouldn’t go today,” he said. “I don’t know anyone there. I don’t feel scared when I have Romeo but when I don’t have no one, I could fall or throw up or... What if I... Hannah, what if I cry?”

  She pulled him into her arms, kissing his cheeks. “Noah, there isn’t anything you could do today that the teacher hasn’t seen a lot of times before. The best thing to do is get that first day out of the way. Let’s get your teeth brushed and get your backpack. Let’s do this!”

  “Ohhhh,” he said. But he crutched off to his bathroom.

  And Hannah leaned against Owen and said, “Ohhhh.”

  “He
’s going to be fine,” Owen promised. “We’ll take Romeo.”

  The atmosphere around the school was festive and charged with excitement of all sorts—kids running, reuniting with friends, small children clinging to their mothers or fathers, older kids walking younger siblings to the door, teachers waiting near the doors to welcome children.

  Owen parked in the lot and got out of the car with Romeo on a leash. He bent down to kiss Noah on the head. “Knock ’em dead, Noah.” Then, to be manly, Owen gave him a fist bump.

  “’Kay,” he said. Then he gave Romeo a loving stroke.

  “Hey, that your dog?” someone said. A child of about seven or eight came over and got close. “He bite?”

  “Nah, but he sometimes steps on people,” Noah said.

  “Can I pet him?”

  “Sure,” Noah said. “He doesn’t have a mean bone.”

  The boy started running his hand from Romeo’s head, down his back. Romeo obediently sat. “He’s cool. What teacher you have?”

  “Mrs. Dempsey,” Noah said.

  “I had her! She’s cool. Now I’m in second grade.”

  A young couple migrated over and introduced themselves as Rick and Lydia. Then suddenly a firefighter they knew stopped by with one of his kids. “Hey, Noah,” Rafe Vadas said. “First day, good for you.” Then Rafe shook hands all around.

  A couple of other kids approached, making a fuss over the dog, and Romeo was in his element. It clearly gave Noah some confidence.

  “Let’s get going,” Hannah said. “I want to walk with you to the classroom, make sure you find your seat and cubby for your backpack. Did we forget anything?”

  He shook his head. “Can Romeo come?”

  “Not in the building,” Owen said. “I’ll wait here. But I’ll bring him this afternoon when we pick you up.”

  “’Kay,” he said, then bravely started off toward the doors.

  Children poured in. It was noisy and disorganized. A couple of little ones cried noisily and begged their mothers not to make them go. There were women with babies bringing their older children to school. Older kids who knew the routine jumped out of cars that were dropping them off. Some rode bikes to school and they were stowed in a long bike rack. Some women were dressed for work; Owen spied a woman in hospital scrubs taking her son into the building.

  Lots of passersby stopped to say hello to Romeo and he thanked many of them with a face wash using his oversize tongue. Owen opened the back door of his car and asked the dog to get in, but he stood by the car waiting for Hannah.

  Then he saw her on the other side of the parking lot. Victoria. She stood outside her car, hands clasped in front of her. She lifted one hand in a brief wave. Owen didn’t return the wave. He watched while Victoria slowly got in her car to leave. He watched her drive away.

  That was intimidation, plain and simple. He knew she had called Hannah, asked to see Noah, and Hannah told her they had too much going on.

  Damn, he hated to do this to Hannah, give her any more cause for worry than she already had after dropping Noah off for the first time. When Hannah finally arrived at the car, she was wiping the tears from her eyes.

  “Is he okay?” Owen asked.

  “He’s fine! He made friends instantly! The boy sitting next to him wanted to try his crutches.”

  Owen smiled. “I’m afraid there’s a small complication. We’re going to have to take Romeo home and come back. It’s too hot to leave him in the car. Maybe things will quiet down by then.”

  “Why?”

  “Victoria was standing on the other side of the parking lot watching.”

  “Why would she do that? I told her it wasn’t convenient to see Noah right now. I didn’t make plans with her for another time.”

  “She knows what you want,” Owen said. “I don’t know what she’s trying to do. Wear you down? Show how determined she is? It doesn’t matter. We need to have a talk with the principal and let her know we have a custody issue with his biological grandmother. Even though we were very specific about who he could be released to, we didn’t tell the principal there’s one person who might be a danger to Noah.”

  “A danger?” Hannah asked. “What in the world...”

  She got in and Owen started the car. “Anyone who tries to spend time with Noah without your consent is suspicious and could be dangerous. Would she try to check him out of school and take him? I can’t answer that.”

  “Stop! Stop the car!” She jumped out and ran over to Rafe Vadas, who was just leaving the building. Then both of them came back to the car together. “Go ahead and park. Rafe said he has time to stay with Romeo while we talk with the principal. I’m not leaving Noah here without doing that.”

  “Everything all right?” Rafe asked. “Is Noah okay?”

  “Oh, yes, he’s fine. But there’s a grandmother who met Noah for the first time a few weeks ago and she tried to get custody. She’s been granted supervised visitation at my discretion, and the last time she asked I told her we were too busy. She doesn’t know him, he barely knows her, and Owen saw her standing in the parking lot, watching the children go into school. We really should tell the principal.”

  “You really should,” Rafe said.

  “This is so uncomfortable,” she said, waiting for Owen. “She’s probably harmless, but I’m not willing to take any chances.”

  “Hey, don’t let that worry you,” Rafe said. “I’m sure they hear about these issues with noncustodial family members all the time.”

  * * *

  By ten in the morning, Hannah was stir-crazy and bound to drive Owen crazy, as well. She finally decided to go see Helen and Sully. Helen was so calming, so worldly.

  Labor Day having passed, the campgrounds at the Crossing didn’t seem to be very busy. The weather was still warm and a couple of campers were sitting on Sully’s dock, soaking up the sun. Helen’s laptop was open on the table on Sully’s porch, so Hannah went to the store first.

  Sully was putting up stock, wiping the shelf clean of dust as he went.

  “Hey, Sully,” she said.

  “Hey, girl! I haven’t seen you in about two days.”

  “Today is the first day of school. We dropped Noah off and he made a friend before I even left the classroom.”

  “And now, doesn’t that make you happy?” he asked.

  “Sure, I’m just so nervous. Do you think I’d be a huge pain in the butt if I interrupted Helen?”

  “Might cost me the Pulitzer,” Helen said from the doorway. “Come over and I’ll put on some water for tea. It’s just finally cooling off enough.”

  “I promise not to stay forever,” Hannah said.

  Helen slipped her arm through Hannah’s. “Stay long enough for me to get an idea, will you please? It’s been sheer drudgery this morning. It feels like I have a rock in my head, not a brain.”

  “I don’t know how you do it in the first place,” Hannah said.

  Once they were seated at Helen’s table on the porch and her laptop was closed, tea in front of them, Helen pulled the trigger. “Something’s bothering you.”

  Hannah took a sip of her tea. “Today is Noah’s first day of school. He was so scared to go but he sucked it up and off he went. By the time I left him, he’d already made a friend, and the teacher is a dream. But I’m a wreck. I realized that Noah hasn’t been away from me unless he’s been with you and Sully, Owen or one of my two best friends, who have known him since he was a baby. I thought you, being a teacher, could talk me through it.”

  “Oh, my. I remember being a little distracted when Leigh started school, but I was much too busy to let it bother me. How’s Owen holding up?”

  “Very well for someone who should be paranoid. Do you know about Owen’s son?”

  “I didn’t know Owen had a son,” Helen said.

  “He died twelve years ago. He
was only seven.” Then Hannah proceeded to tell Helen the story. By the time she got to the end, Helen was wiping away tears. Hannah, already in a sentimental and emotional mood, shed a couple herself. “Owen admits he doesn’t talk about it. I can’t blame him for that. It’s not a secret, though. I was researching Owen when I first met him and I found only one brief mention that he’d lost a son but I didn’t see many details. However, if you were to look up Sheila Abrams, his ex-wife, you’ll see that she has been an advocate and activist for over ten years. And she’s the most wonderful woman.”

  “She must be! And I already know Owen is an amazing man. I can’t imagine one ever gets over something like that.”

  “I’m sure he’ll never be over it,” Hannah said. “But you know what’s so powerful about Owen? His understanding! I’m sure the temptation to hover over Noah is there but he said, ‘Why should I make Noah’s life difficult because I’m a little crippled?’ He encourages Noah’s independence, though that must come at a price. I think if it hadn’t been for Noah getting Owen’s attention, he’d never have noticed me.”

  “Oh, now, I’ve seen the way Owen looks at you, Hannah. I guarantee it isn’t because of Noah. Even though Noah is irresistible. I’m sure if I were in his position, I’d be volunteering at the school every day.”

  Hannah tilted her head. “There’s a thought. Do you think they’d let me?”

  “Now, you don’t want to be that mother,” Helen said. “I’ll see if Sully will do it.”

  Hannah laughed in spite of herself. “I know Sully is great with kids, but I doubt he’s going to fall for that one. He has too much to do and too many little ones in the family.”

  “I don’t usually advocate for hiding your feelings from your children—they always figure you out anyway. But in this case I think it’s admirable to encourage Noah’s independence. Teach him safety but push him to rely on himself. It’s essential for every child, but more so for Noah. He’ll need the confidence going forward if he’s to overcome his limitations.”

  “I know. That’s what keeps me from running back to the school and guarding him. It doesn’t help that even though Victoria has been told she can’t see him right now, she turns up in the parking lot, lurking, watching the kids. I don’t know what’s going on with that woman but she sure knows how to make me uncomfortable.”