“I can manage. I’ll be ready. What are we doing about saying good-bye to my hostess?”
“I thought you said good-bye last night. I did. Aunt Maggie said she was sleeping in. I guess Cole did the same thing.”
“You’re right. I’m just a bit foggy. Do what you have to do.”
Sawyer snapped the latch on her bag and looked around to see if she’d forgotten anything. She was bundling her damp hair into a knot on top of her head when the door opened. Maggie stood in the doorway.
“If you’re here to gloat, do it quickly. It’s almost time to leave,” Sawyer said flatly. “I want you to know something before I leave because I won’t ever be coming back. All those years when you were so rotten, I found excuses for you. I used to cry myself to sleep saying over and over, ‘Tomorrow she’ll write,’ or ‘Tomorrow she’ll call.’ You never did. You simply didn’t give a damn. I feel sorry for Cole. At least I had Grand to care. And you know what, Maggie? You deserve to see all your chickens come home to roost. I hope I never have to see you again.”
Maggie’s insides crumbled. She listened and knew she deserved everything Sawyer said. But it didn’t make it any more bearable. “I thought you had more guts, Sawyer,” she said. “I’d hoped you were a fighter, a survivor like me. I was wrong. Good-bye.”
Sawyer stared at the closed door. Guts. Be a fighter, a survivor like her. No thanks, Mother, not if it means being like you.
Cole raced up the stairs, taking them three at a time. As he rounded the corner of the wide upper hallway, he met Riley. “Where’s Sawyer?”
“She’s almost ready. She told me to get lost,” Riley muttered.
“That’s probably the best advice you’ll ever get,” Cole answered coldly.
“I’ve had enough of you, Cole! Get off my back. You want to start something, now’s as good a time as any.”
“I’m not afraid of you. I’ll take you on, but some other time. First, I want to get away from this place.”
Both boys eyeballed each other. Their day of reckoning was coming and they both knew it.
Maggie stood by her bedroom window watching the limo roar down the drive. She sank against the window, her brow cooled by the glass. How could things have gotten so messed up? She hadn’t wanted an open confrontation with Sawyer; she had gone to her daughter’s room to check on the boys and say her good-byes. It had been Sawyer who’d lashed out first. Maggie’s hands formed into fists, the knuckles whitening. Why did she have to fight for everything she wanted? And why was she always the one to wear the black hat?
“They’ve gone, have they?”
Maggie swung around to see Rand standing in the open doorway. He looked terrible.
“Yes, they’ve gone,” she replied. “And as usual I’ve made a mess of things. I got up to say good-bye to the boys and came face-to-face with Sawyer. She let me have it with both barrels.”
“Were you surprised?”
“No, but I regret it. I’ve never had much of a relationship with Sawyer, but when she said she never wanted to see me again, that she’d never ever come back here to Sunbridge, it was like being hit over the head.” She laughed, a bitter sound in the quiet room. “I’ve got a lousy track record, Rand, and it doesn’t seem to be improving.”
“What will you do?”
“I was just thinking about that. I was remembering the way they sent me to Vermont after Sawyer was born, and how I cried and cried and told Mam that I hated her and that I’d never love her again.”
“And what did Billie do?”
“She said it wasn’t important that her children love her. That she hadn’t brought us into the world to fill a gap in her life. She brought us into the world because she loved us and that love carried a responsibility. And that’s why she was sending me away from Sunbridge, because she loved me and it was for my own good.”
“Do you believe that now?”
“Yes, without a doubt. But I can’t seem to get over the hurt that I wasn’t wanted here in the first place. That I could never seem to find my own niche here.”
“You do belong at Sunbridge, Maggie. And you also belong here.” He opened his arms to her and she walked into his embrace. He held her close, burying his face in the fragrance of her neck. “And I do love you, Maggie. Without doubt.”
The ski lodge was toasty warm. Adam leaned back in his swivel chair by the fire. How was he going to tell Paula he had to leave? Just up and tell her, or take the coward’s way out and fake a virus? She’d be fine on her own, and since everything was paid for, she could stay on. The hot coffee mug warmed his hands. His breakfast was lying heavily on his stomach. He was brooding, fighting off a feeling of impending doom. All was not right with his beloved Sawyer. He had to get back to New York.
“Paula,” he said lazily, “how upset would you be if I cut out and returned to New York?”
“Work, stomach virus, or the truth? ... You’re worried about Sawyer. I’m sure I can manage. I am staying on here, right?”
Paula was a great girl. Fun, understanding, and no strings attached. Bedroom eyes smiled at him. “Go, you big goof. You’ll only make both of us miserable if you stay. The shuttle leaves”—Paula looked down at the slim square on her wrist—“in forty-five minutes.”
“You’re a sport. I can be packed in five minutes.”
“You never really unpacked, did you, Adam? Just pay the bill, honey, and leave my airline ticket on the dresser.”
“I should marry you is what I should do.” Adam grinned.
“No way. You’d be drawing cartoons of me and hanging them in the bathroom after the first month. Why spoil a good thing? Enjoy yourself, because I’m going to have a ball.”
“See you.” Adam waved airily. Paula waved back. She would have a good time, the witch.
Sawyer herded the boys into the dingy freight elevator. “I know this looks rather weird, but when you see the loft, you’re going to be surprised.”
As soon as they walked through the front door, a horn blared. Confetti streamed from the top of the door sill. “Welcome home, gang!” Adam yelled at the top of his lungs.
“Adam! What are you doing here?”
“I got tired of sitting by the fire and drinking toddies. You must be Cole, and of course you’re Riley,” Adam said, extending his hands to both boys. “Are we going to have a ball. I’ve been dying to see New York ever since I moved here. I mean really see it. This slug”—he indicated Sawyer—“is just along for the ride. Come on, I’ll show you where you’re bunking. Then I’ll show you some of my better work; we’ll catch some news on TV—that’s a must, because I make my living spoofing the politicos—and then we’ll take off for one of my favorite eating places, the Back Porch. There’s no place like New York for eating out. You guys are gonna beg to come back here.”
The Texans took on the Big Apple with verve and determination. The hectic week started off with a visit to the most famous lady in the world, the Statue of Liberty, followed by Wall Street, the Twin Towers, the Village, and Chinatown’s Mott Street. They breakfasted at Samantha’s, lunched at the Four Seasons, dined at the Sign of the Dove, and managed to fit in Sloppy Louie’s for the best fish in the world. Cole, who’d lived in New York most of his life, discovered places he had never known.
Bloomingdale’s, Saks Fifth Avenue, and St. Patrick’s Cathedral were followed by a trip to the Seventh Avenue garment district. The Museum of Natural History and the Modern Art Museum vied with a matinee of the Broadway show Cats and a screening of the latest Chuck Norris adventure.
“Someday I’m going to write a book about this town,” Adam said during the hair-raising ride to Kennedy Airport in a cab being driven by a Lebanese camel jockey.
There were manly handshakes, boyish kisses and hugs. The memories of New York were something none of them would forget.
“By God, that was one of the best weeks I’ve ever had,” Adam said happily on the ride back to the apartment.
“Adam, I don’t think I can ever th
ank you for what you did this past week.”
“Thank me? Hell, I should be thanking you. I really saw New York. I lived it; I loved it. I’ll probably never do it again. I think the boys had a ball.”
“They did. They really liked you, Adam. Texas is going to seem tame after this glorious visit.” She paused thoughtfully. “I was surprised that Cole went to see his father yesterday. For some reason I thought Cole had scratched him off his list of people to know and love.”
“New Year’s Day, what do you expect? He probably felt it was something he had to do. He did seem a little subdued afterward, but he snapped out of it.”
“Subdued? I thought he was like the cat that ate the canary. I know him. Something went on yesterday, and we probably won’t know what it is until he’s ready to tell us.”
Back in the loft in front of the fire, Adam poured generously from the wine bottle. “Now, tell me, how are you? We’ve danced around it all week. It’s time to talk.”
Sawyer’s voice was flat, almost a monotone. “I feel like I’m in a holding pattern over hell. Does that explain it?”
“It explains the way you feel; it doesn’t tell me what happened,” Adam said gently.
“There’s not much to tell. Rand’s having an affair with Maggie. I asked him point-blank and he didn’t deny it.” She laughed bitterly. “Then I got drunk, very drunk. Cole found me early in the morning. That kid’s okay, Adam, he really is. Maggie screwed him up just like she screwed me up. If there was a way I could take him away from her, I would,” Sawyer said grimly. “I’ve been thinking all week of having a talk with Cranston. Maybe we could strike up a deal.”
“You’d go that far to get back at Maggie?” Adam asked in awe.
“I’d go that far. Don’t judge, Adam. Not until you’ve walked in my shoes.”
Marble, tired of warming herself by the fire, leaped onto Sawyer’s lap, knocking the wineglass out of her hand. The cat immediately began licking the wine.
“Don’t worry about it; she’s been drunk before,” Adam laughed, and the tense moment was over.
“I’m not worried about the cat,” Sawyer grumbled good-naturedly. “What about my skirt?”
“Sponge it off. It’s no big deal. That’s the secret to life, you know. You have to know what’s important and what isn’t.”
“You really can be a nag, Adam. However, I love you dearly. I don’t know how I could have made it through the week without you.”
“No thanks are necessary. Have some more wine. Do you think Marble’s whiskers are turning gray?”
“Probably. She’s old, or hadn’t you noticed? Speaking of old, you should have seen the show Ms. Eileen Farrell put on for my aunt Amelia. She had her hooks out for Cary, but when she found out Rand was what she called ‘nobility,’ she homed in on him. Aunt Amelia is so jealous, it oozes out of her pores. I had a few moments of feeling sorry for her, but I was so wrapped up in my own problems, I forgot about it till this minute. Cary is such a good-looking man. You know, I really believe he loves my aunt. She adores him, but she’s playing the same game we all play, making her own hell. She’s just waiting for the day he wants firm flesh and nubile breasts.”
“Did you ever think about talking to her? Maybe she needs an ear. We all do at one time or another.”
“Not my ear. I’m young. I’m the enemy. Grand is the one she’ll talk to if she ever needs a confidante. I think we should eat something; I’m getting woozy from all this wine.”
“I’ll cook if you clean up. I’m just as woozy, so you’re taking a chance letting me cook. Of course, you don’t know how to cook, so maybe you aren’t taking a chance after all.”
“You’re not woozy; you’re blitzed.”
“So are you.”
Sawyer giggled. “I know. Just make sandwiches.”
“Fluffernutters okay with you? Those boys ate us out of house and home, and that’s all that’s left.”
“Sounds good to me. Put a dab of jelly on mine.”
“You got it,” Adam muttered as he went into the kitchen.
Sawyer watched him for a moment, then rubbed her eyes. She could hardly focus. Wine never did this to her before, and she was getting another one of her headaches. Too much excitement. She’d rest up tomorrow or go into the office and think about taking a vacation.
The New Year began for Maggie with a mixture of joy and sadness. Joy because Rand was staying on at Sunbridge, sadness because of Sawyer.
They played a little game, Rand and Maggie. By day, they enjoyed riding in the frosty winter air and made the rounds of holiday parties with Susan or Amelia and Cary. By night, they made love and slept in each other’s arms.
It had been decided that Rand should remain at Sunbridge until Cole and Riley returned from New York. If there was to be any flak, Rand wanted to be there for his share instead of leaving Maggie to face it alone. When they did return, the day after New Year’s, neither of the boys seemed to have much to say, but their sympathies clearly lay with Sawyer.
For once the two boys seemed to be in agreement about something. At times Maggie thought they were engaged in a conspiracy against her, although she knew they still didn’t get along. Even Riley had changed toward her. Before the trip he’d always asked her how her day had gone, was interested in the daily workings of Sunbridge. In return, he’d share his day with her, air his views, and discuss his plans. Now he had nothing to share and little to say. Cole was so openly hostile, Maggie avoided his company altogether. Something about his bearing, in the way he looked at her, told her he’d found a way to strike back. Only in her darkest hours did she think of Sawyer, and when she did, Cole was always there in her thoughts. The two of them allies, children against their mother.
Aside from Rand, the only bright spot on Maggie’s horizon was her divorce from Cranston. She could hardly wait to put it behind her. Once she was a free woman, she and Rand could bring their feelings for each other out in the open. Then, and only then, would they be able to face the family together, firm in their right to be together. Disapproval for other reasons, such as loyalty to Sawyer, would simply have to be ignored. Besides, they loved each other and didn’t need anyone else’s approval.
Just after New Year’s the phone at Sunbridge shrilled to life. Maggie caught it on the fourth ring, taking her coat and hat off at the same time. A cheerful voice told her Cranston Tanner was calling long distance. When he came on the line, Maggie took a deep breath and said cheerfully, “Happy New Year, Cranston.” Then she waited.
“I’ve decided to sue for custody of Cole,” he said abruptly, not bothering to return her greeting. “You can fight me, Maggie, but it won’t do you any good. Of course, that puts the divorce on hold for now. You’ll want time to see your lawyers and time to speak to Cole. In the end it will be what Cole wants, and he wants his father.”
She’d been expecting it; she’d known Cole had been up to something when he’d returned from New York. “Why?” was all she said, all she could say.
“Because I’m getting married again and the boy deserves a family.”
“You said you weren’t seeing anyone,” Maggie said hoarsely.
“That was in September. This is now. You could say I’ve found the love of my life. Cole will fit in nicely.”
“You don’t want him; you’re just trying to get back at me for rejecting you. I thought we came to an understanding. You said the divorce would come off on schedule and we’d do what was best for Cole for the second semester.”
“That’s exactly what I’m doing. Cole can finish out the school year, then come here in June. This way he can spend as much time with Sawyer as he wants. I’ve spoken to Sawyer and she thinks it’s a good idea.”
“Sawyer! What right do you have to...Damn you, Cranston! Sawyer has nothing to do with this.”
“Sawyer has everything to do with this. She’s Cole’s sister and probably the only person he really cares about. He came to visit me while he was in New York. He didn’t tell you, did
he?”
“No, he didn’t, but I suspected. What did he tell you?”
“Enough so you’ll never keep the boy. I’ll win, Maggie. I always win. Look, I admire the fact that you’ve gotten your life together and stopped drinking. I’m glad that you’re happy at Sunbridge. But you’re no good for Cole. You never were. You weren’t any good for Sawyer, either. You’re not a mother. That about sums it up. Now, we can do it the easy way or the hard way.”
“You can go to hell, Cranston.”
“I expect I will someday. I’ll probably see you there,” Cranston replied smoothly. “Nice talking to you, Maggie. Give my love to Cole.”
“You bastard!” Maggie screamed into the mouthpiece as she hung up.
“Who’s a bastard?” Amelia asked. “God, I need a drink. Tonic water,” she added hastily.
“Have what you want. Other people drinking doesn’t bother me. That was Cranston. He’s going to try to take Cole away from me. He’s getting married and he wants Cole to be able to see Sawyer as much as he wants. That girl has ruined my life. I can’t even stand to hear her name anymore.”
“You don’t mean that. You’re upset.”
“Of course I’m upset, and you’re right; I don’t mean it. My bottom line is always Sawyer. I don’t know how much more I can handle.”
“You’ll handle whatever is dished out. That’s how you survive. According to Cary, God never gives us more than we can handle. Personally, I sometimes have trouble believing it, but there must be truth in it because we’re both here kicking and scratching. Was going to bed with Rand worth all of this? That’s what it’s all about and you know it.”
“Who I go to bed with is none of Cranston’s business. If he’s getting married, he’s gone to bed with someone, too.”
“What are you going to do?” Amelia asked curiously.
“Spend a sleepless night and call Dudley Abramson first thing in the morning. I can’t believe Cranston could be this cruel. I’m going to call Sawyer and give her a piece of my mind, and then I’m going to talk to Cole.”
Texas Heat Page 29