Beyond the Garden (Magnolia Series Book 2)

by Ashley Farley

  They stood, glaring at each other in the hallway, their bodies rigid with tension. “I admit I may have acted in haste. But I wasn’t trying to go behind your back. I was on my way home from Social Services yesterday to talk to you about being Ruby’s foster parents and to give you your portion of the paperwork when I had the miscarriage. Please, won’t you at least consider it? Ruby needs me. She needs us. I can’t just turn my back on her.”

  “There are three other people in this house who need you, Ellie. Our unborn baby needed you.”

  His words stung, and she took a step backward as though she’d been slapped. “That’s not fair, and you know it.” She placed her hand on her belly. “I would never have done anything to hurt this baby. That pregnancy was my only chance to have a child of my own.”

  “Which is exactly why you shouldn’t have pushed yourself so hard. You’ve been stressed out for months about finding your sister, not to mention the additional stress caused by renovations on the house and gallery. And why on earth you were teaching that art class in the first place is beyond me.”

  “I was trying to make a difference in those children’s lives,” she said in a quavering voice. “You were with me at my last checkup when they did the ultrasound. There were no signs the pregnancy was in trouble. You heard the doctor say that everything appeared to be perfectly normal and for me to go about my business as usual.”

  “You need to get your priorities straight, Ellie. The twins come first. We can’t commit to another temporary situation with another child until we figure out this mess with your sister.”

  When he turned away from her, she grabbed him by the arm. “Please don’t walk away from me. Listen, Dad will be here soon. Let’s relax over dinner and a glass of wine, and then discuss this in a civilized manner after he leaves.”

  Julian yanked his arm free. “Go ahead and eat without me. I have work to do.” He stomped off to his study, the sound of the door banging shut echoed throughout the hallway with a tone of finality.

  Squeals of happiness drifted down from the upstairs hall bathroom. The twins would be out of the bath soon, and her father would arrive any minute. She stared down at her bathrobe. She would make herself presentable even if her heart wasn’t in it. She would take Maddie’s advice.

  When you feel like it, you eat some food. When you have your strength back, whether that’s today or the next day or next week, you put on some clothes, brush your hair, and face the world. Baby steps. She would start by facing her father. Your heart is full of love, Miss Ellie Pringle Hagood. And there are plenty of people who need that love.

  The twins weren’t the only ones who needed her love. She would stand her ground with Julian. She would not turn her back on Ruby, not when she had the means to provide her a safe and loving home.

  She hurried upstairs to her room and changed into a pair of Bermuda shorts and a pale pink polo shirt. The woman staring back at her from the mirror had aged ten years in twenty-four hours. The dark circles under her eyes stood out like purple bruises against her pale complexion. But it was her eyes, red-rimmed and haunted, that gave her pause.

  Ain’t nothing gonna take away the pain but time, she reminded herself.

  Her father had already arrived when she returned to the kitchen. He was sitting at the table with the girls, who were dressed in their pajamas, their dark manes still wet from their bath.

  “What’s all this?” Ellie asked, eyeing the colorful sheets of thick paper spread out on the table in front of the twins.

  “GoPa brought us mack-neck-tick paper dolls!” Bella answered, stumbling on her words.

  “Magnetic,” Abbott corrected her.

  “That’s what I said! Mack-neck-tick,” Bella said in a sassy tone.

  Upon closer inspection, Ellie saw that each twin had a cutout of a Barbie doll and several plastic-coated magnetic sheets containing colorful outfits and accessories for Barbie to wear. “Oh wow. I used to love playing with paper dolls.” She wagged her finger at her father. “You’ve got to stop spoiling them like this.”

  Abbott topped a cracker with Maddie’s herb cheese spread and handed it to her. “It’s a GoPa’s responsibility to spoil his grandchildren. And his daughter. How’re you feeling?”

  “Like I got hit by a locomotive.”

  “Why don’t I fix you a glass of wine?” He got up and pulled out a bottle of sauvignon blanc from the refrigerator. After uncorking the bottle, he poured two glasses and handed one to her. “Where’s Julian?”

  “In his study, working on his new project. Don’t count on him joining us for dinner,” she said, bringing the glass to her lips. After her three months of abstinence, the wine tasted crisp and sweet.

  Abbott knitted his brows together in concern. “Uh-oh. Something’s wrong. Other than the obvious, of course. Want to talk about it?”

  She shook her head. “Not really.” But it was pointless to try to hide her feelings from her father.

  He pulled one of the barstools out from beneath the counter. “Sit.” She obeyed her father’s command as though she were still a child. He sat down beside her. “Start talking.”

  “Remember I told you about Ruby, the little girl from my art class who I suspected was being abused?”

  “I remember,” he said with a nod.

  “Well, her parents were arrested night before last.” Ellie filled her father in on the details of the arrest and the events that had happened since. “Julian’s against being her foster parent.”

  Abbott fed himself two more crackers and washed them down with wine. “You may not want to hear this, honey, but I need to be honest with you. I can’t say I blame Julian for being upset. You should’ve talked to him about it before you went to the Department of Social Services.”

  “I realize I should’ve taken more time to think it through. But Julian and I have always seen eye to eye on everything. He’s always supported me. I assumed he would this time as well. Maybe I don’t know him as well as I thought I did. Maybe we should’ve taken more time to get to know each other before rushing into a marriage.”

  “If ever there were two people meant to be together, it’s you and Julian. You just need to be patient, give him a chance to warm up to the idea. One of the things Julian loves the most about you is your passion for helping others.” Abbott lowered his voice to nearly a whisper. “You just lost your baby, sweetheart. We all grieve in different ways. Some seek therapy while others suffer in silence. Give him some space. He’ll feel better in a day or so.”

  Ellie stared down at the counter, the bowl of cheese spread blurred by her tears. “He has a lot going on right now with this new project. And I know he’s worried about Katie,” she said, and then explained her stepdaughter’s recent odd behavior.

  “Sounds like your husband has reason to be concerned.” Abbott looked over at the twins, who were quietly playing with their paper dolls. “This unfinished business with Lia and the twins only complicates your lives more.”

  Ellie couldn’t hold back any longer. The dam she’d held in place all afternoon broke and a torrent of tears flowed out.

  Abbott reached for the paper towel roll and tore off a sheet. “I’m sorry, sweetheart,” he said, handing it to her. “It was callous of me to mention Lia when you’re already under enough pressure.”

  “It’s true, though!” Ellie sobbed.

  “You’ll work it out in due time.” Abbott massaged her back while she cried. “Until then, you lean on me for support. Tell me what I can do to help.”

  Ellie dabbed at her eyes with the paper towel. “I hate to ask you this when you’ve already done so much, but can you stay over again tonight? I don’t trust myself with the twins, and I can’t count on Julian right now. If one of them got sick during the night . . .”

  “Say no more. I’d planned to stay anyway.” He pushed back from the bar and stood up. “I don’t think this is helping any.” He took her glass of wine from her and poured it down the drain. “Let’s get you fed and off to bed
. You need rest more than anything right now.”

  By the time they’d finished eating Maddie’s fried chicken dinner, the twins were rubbing their tired eyes. “It’s time for these beauties to go to bed,” Abbott said, scooping one girl up in each arm.

  Ellie moved to clear the table, and he said, “Leave those. I’ll do them later.”

  But Ellie did the dishes anyway. She felt guilty for relying on her father as much as she had in recent days. Overwhelmed by events of the last few days and all the uncertainties looming in front of her, Ellie trudged up the stairs to her room. She crawled into bed fully clothed and cried into her pillow until she finally fell asleep some hours later.

  She woke with a start shortly before three in the morning. Julian’s side of the bed was empty, but she heard jazz music, the kind he listened to while he worked, coming from a distant part of the house. She smiled to herself. He was fortunate to have the Campbell project to take his mind off their problems.

  Maybe she needed a project as well. Tomorrow, she would start a new painting.

  #

  Pouring rain ruled out the possibility for outdoor activities on Saturday. Just as well, Ellie thought. The weather matched her mood. When her father left around ten to go home and work on his photography series, Ellie assured him that she and the twins would be fine.

  “We’re gonna watch Disney movies all day and eat all this yummy food Maddie left for us.”

  “Yay!” the girls responded, bouncing up and down on their toes.

  They pushed the sofa and chairs out of the way and set up a camp with blankets and pillows on the floor of her studio. The girls played with their paper dolls, colored, and watched movies while Ellie stared at her stack of blank canvases across the room. She’d been contemplating several scenes in her neighborhood. She was tempted by a row of single houses with colorful doors and flowers flowing from window boxes on a street several blocks away. But another subject inspired her more. Her experience with portraiture was limited to what she’d learned in art school. But she felt compelled to paint the twins—to have something to remember them by when her sister came to reclaim them. She pulled out her sketchpad and began to draw.

  Julian remained holed up in his study until three that afternoon. After a quick shower, he left the house without a word to Ellie or the girls. He’d still not returned when she retired for the night around nine. She tossed and turned, worried about where he might be. She ruled out the possibility that he’d gone to one of the many downtown bars. Julian was not one to drown his sorrows. At least from what she knew about him, which was turning out to be less than she thought. The Campbell property, currently empty of its occupants, was the only place that made sense.

  Julian returned sometime during the night. His study door was once again closed the following morning. Desperate for a diversion, Ellie took the girls to Fuel for Sunday brunch and then for a walk along the seawall. When they arrived home at three, Julian was gone again. The doorbell rang as she was tucking the twins in for their nap, and Ellie was shocked to see Julian’s daughter on her piazza, her purple suitcase on the wooden floor at her feet. Her chin quivered, and her eyes were puffy and red-rimmed from crying.

  “Katie!” Ellie embraced the trembling child. “What on earth are you doing here, honey?”

  “I ran away from home!” she cried.

  Ellie held the child at arm’s length. “You mean your mother doesn’t know where you are?”

  Katie shook her head. “We got in a fight last night. I told her I was gonna run away, and she told me not to come back.”

  Ellie fought to keep a straight face despite her alarm.

  Who would say such a thing to an eight-year-old child?

  “How did you get here?”

  “I used Mom’s phone to order an Uber to take me to the bus station.”

  “How did you leave the house without your mother seeing you?”

  “She was passed out, drunk. She didn’t have any money in her wallet. I had to spend my savings on the bus ticket. Can you please pay the taxi driver who brought me here from the station?”

  Ellie straightened. She hadn’t noticed the yellow taxi waiting at the curb. “Of course. Let me get my wallet.” She held a finger up to the driver, signaling she’d be with him in a minute. Retrieving her purse from the console table, she paid the driver the fare plus a hefty tip for taking such good care of the little girl. She turned her back on the taxi as it drove away from the curb.

  “Let’s get you inside,” she said, kissing the top of Katie’s honey-colored head. “You’ve come a long way all by your lonesome. Are you hungry?”

  Katie’s slate-blue eyes blinked back tears. “I’m starving. Do you have any pimento cheese?”

  Ellie laughed. “As a matter of fact, I do.” She dropped Katie’s suitcase at the bottom of the stairs, and they walked hand in hand down the hall. “Wait until you see the kitchen. They finally finished the renovations.”

  Katie circled the kitchen before sliding onto a barstool to await her sandwich. Ellie spread pimento cheese on wheat bread and poured a glass of milk. She set both on the counter in front of her stepdaughter. “Do you think your mother has any idea where you are?”

  The child lifted a bony shoulder. “I didn’t tell her, but she probably knows.”

  Ellie checked her landline and her cell phone for any missed calls from Katie’s mother. But there were none. If Laura had called Julian to alert him their daughter was missing, he would’ve rushed home in a panic to wait for her.

  “Your father’s not here right now. He’s working on a new project. But I imagine he’ll be back soon.” Ellie poured herself a glass of sweet tea and sat next to Katie. “Do you wanna tell me why you ran away?”

  “I don’t want to live in Spartanburg anymore,” Katie said, pinching off a bite of her sandwich. “Can I live here in Charleston with you and Daddy?”

  “It’s not that simple,” Ellie said. “In order for that to happen, your father would need to get permission from the judge, who will want to know what’s going on at home that’s made you so unhappy.”

  “I hate Mommy,” Katie said, pushing her plate away. “She’s mean, and I don’t have any friends.”

  “What about your friends on your soccer team?”

  “They’re not my friends.” She jabbed a thumb at her chest. “The other moms on the team are Mommy’s friends. She picked the team for me.”

  “I thought you loved soccer.”

  “I do! I just don’t like this team. We travel every weekend. The moms go out to bars at night and leave the kids to run around the hotel. The other girls do bad things. They play pranks on the other people staying at the hotel. I usually just stay in my room.” Katie took a sip of milk and licked her lips. “On the weekends when we don’t have soccer tournaments, she makes up excuses for me to miss my visitations with Daddy. She told me he doesn’t love me anymore, that his new family is more important to him. Is that true, Ellie?”

  Ellie’s eyes grew huge. “That is absolutely not true.” She tilted the little girl’s chin toward her. “You listen to me. Your father loves you more than anything in the world. And I adore you. You are welcome here anytime. Not seeing you these past few months has made your daddy very sad.”

  Katie’s face broke into a big smile. “Really?”

  “Really!” Ellie reached for her cell phone. “But I need to call your father and let him know you’re here.” She dialed Julian’s number. The line rang twice before going to voice mail.

  She typed out a text: Have you heard from Laura today? Katie ran away from home. She took the bus to Charleston. She’s here with me safe and sound.

  Her phone immediately pinged with an incoming text from him: Almost home.

  A minute later, the back door opened and Julian entered the room. He pulled his daughter off her barstool and hugged her tight. “Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine, now that I’m here with you,” she said, her small arms squeezing his neck.


  He danced her over to the table and sat down on the banquette bench with Katie on his lap. “Tell me what happened.”

  Ellie stood at the island, listening as Katie repeated her story. The more his daughter talked, the darker his face grew.

  “Can I live here with you, Daddy?” Katie asked when she finished.

  He kissed the side of her face at her temple. “I’m going to do everything in my power to make that happen. But you might have to go back to Spartanburg to finish the school year. It won’t be too bad. You only have a few weeks left.”

  “Please don’t make me go back,” Katie said, burying her face in his chest.

  “I could homeschool her,” Ellie offered. “If her teacher is willing to work with us. Becca will help. Together, we can figure out third-grade math.”

  Julian’s face was filled with gratitude as he mouthed “Thank you” to Ellie. He drew his daughter away from him so he could look her in the eyes. “I need to make a few phone calls, to see what I can find out.”

  Ellie held her hand out to Katie. “While he does that, why don’t you and I take your suitcase up to your room? You can wake the twins up from their nap. They’ll be so excited to see you.”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Ellie

  Julian spoke with his ex-wife on his cell phone for over an hour. Standing outside his study, Ellie listened through the door, but she couldn’t make out a word of what he said despite his raised and angry tone. He didn’t mention the conversation during dinner except to tell Katie he planned to call the principal of her school first thing the following morning.

  Much to Ellie’s relief, his anger toward her had metamorphosed into concern for his daughter. Witnessing his love for his only child caused Ellie’s heart to break all over again, knowing he would never experience that same kind of love for their baby.