You Belong to Me

by You Belong to Me (NCP) (lit)

  Julie smoothed her wrinkled dress. "I'll explain later, find who?"

  Royce came around the end of the counter. "Why, Shannon, of course. That is where you've been, isn't it, looking for Shannon?"

  Julie grasped the back of a booth as an emotion dangerously near panic clutched at her throat. "I thought Shannon was looking for me." She sat down in the booth and scooted over so Max could sit beside her.

  Royce slid onto the bench opposite them. "You didn't go home last night?"

  "No." Julie pressed her fingertips to her aching temples. "Shannon's done something terrible, hasn't she?"

  Royce narrowed hid eyes in Max's direction. "She's run off with Brett Morrison."

  Julie's heart fell to the pit of her stomach. "Oh, no!"

  "Oh, yes, she called Dan last night around nine o'clock and told him she couldn't marry him and that she was going away with Brett."

  Over the sound of her heart pounding in her ears, Julie asked, "Where is Dan now?"

  Royce grimaced. "Looking for Shannon."

  Julie shuddered to think what would happened if he found her with Brett. "Oh, my God!"

  "Dan is devastated," Royce's voice cracked. "Shannon has broken his heart."

  Max had the audacity to say, "He'll get over it."

  Royce clenched his fists. "This is your fault, Anderson."

  Julie shook her head. "No, it's mine." If she had come home last night she could have put a stop to this nonsense of Shannon going anywhere with Brett Morrison. Instead, she had been making out in the back seat of a car with her ex-husband like some silly, infatuated teenager. "How long has Dan been gone? Do you know where he went?"

  "About thirty minutes. He was going to Brett's grandparents' house. Brett lives with them."

  Max was being unusually quiet. Julie nudged him with her knee "Move, Max."

  Max didn't budge. "You can't live your children's lives. This is their problem. Let them work it out."

  Julie rammed her elbow into his ribs. "This is more than a problem it's a catastrophe." She jabbed him again. "Get out of my way." In the same breath, she asked Royce: "Do you know where the Morrisons live?"

  Royce was untying his apron. "On a farm somewhere south of town, I'm going with you."

  Max still hadn't moved. Julie shoved him with her shoulder as she asked Royce, "What about the restaurant?"

  "Joe's here. He can manage the kitchen for a few hours. Christine and Alma will both be in soon. I'll ask Kim to stay until we get back."

  Max laid his hand on Julie's arm. "Julie, you're making a mistake."

  Julie glared at him. "Am I going to have to crawl over you to get out of here?"

  Royce tossed his apron onto the table. "Your ex-husband encouraged Shannon to dump Dan and run off with that Morrison kid." He taunted, "Go on, ask him if he kept you out all night so she'd have time to get away."

  Max slid from his seat and stood. "I'm going with you."

  "Julie and I don't need you along causing more trouble." Royce turned toward the kitchen. "I'll only be a few minutes."

  Julie waited for Max to deny Royce's accusations. When he didn't, she asked, "Did you know Shannon was slipping out to see Brett?"

  Max put a supporting hand under her armpit. "We can talk later when you're not so upset."

  Julie pulled from his grasp. "Tell me you didn't plan this with Shannon, because if you did..." Her threat died on a long intake of breath. "Where the hell is Royce?"

  Royce came through the swinging kitchen doors. "Are you going to let him tag along?" He nodded toward Max.

  Max fell in step with Julie as she rushed toward the door. "She can't stop me. Shannon's my daughter too and she's going to need someone in her corner."

  Julie would deal with Max later. Right now she had to find Shannon.

  In a matter of minutes the three of them had scrambled into the front seat of Max's rental car and were driving down Main Street toward Highway 35 South. As they made a left turn onto the interstate, Max looked around Julie and asked Royce, "Do you know the Morrisons?"

  "Not personally," Royce replied. "But I know where they live. Take the next right."

  Max held the steering wheel with deft ease. "It might be a good idea to call before the three of us descend on them like a band of storm troupers."

  Royce stared straight ahead. "You can dispense with the delaying tactics, Anderson."

  The Morrison farmhouse was large and impressive. It sat far back from the road in a clump of huge oak trees. By the time Max stopped in the driveway Julie was a bundle of nerves and Royce was puffing like a steam engine. He got out of the car and then stepped back, waiting for Julie to follow. "You can wait in the car, Anderson."

  Max snorted, "Like hell."

  Julie raced up the walkway with Royce practically stepping on her heels and Max lagging far behind. Her heart was beating triple time as she pushed her finger into the doorbell and waited.

  The chimes had hardly died away when an elderly woman opened the door and peered out at them. "May I help you?"

  Julie cleared her throat. "Are you Brett Morrison's mother?"

  The tiny little woman smiled. "I'm Brett's grandmother."

  From somewhere inside the house a male voice called, "Who is it Mother?"

  The woman answered, "I don't know, Daddy."

  From behind Julie, Royce spoke, "We're looking for Shannon Anderson."

  The little woman turned. "Guess what, Daddy, someone else is here looking for Shannon." When she looked in Julie's direction again, she was frowning. "Some very distraught young man was here about an hour ago looking for Shannon."

  As the woman spoke, a tall, gray-haired gentleman came to stand behind her. Picking up the conversation where the woman had left off, he said, "He was very upset when we told him Shannon wasn't here."

  Julie asked, "Where is Shannon?"

  The woman shook her head "We don't know exactly..." When Max stepped onto the porch the man smiled broadly and the woman's face to brightened in recognition. "Mr. Anderson, it's so nice to see you again." She opened the screen. "Won't you come in?"

  The truth struck Julie like a bolt of lightening. Max was an accomplice in this debacle. When she could find her voice, she gasped, "You know these people?"

  Max moved past Royce and stepped in front of Julie. "We met a few days ago." He followed the elderly couple into the house. "It's good to see you again." Looking over his shoulder asked, "Aren't you two coming in?"

  As Royce followed Julie inside, he rasped, "I told you Max had a hand in this."

  Julie's only concern now was finding her daughter. "I'll deal with Max later."

  Royce sneered, "Like you dealt with him last night?"

  Before Julie could find a scathing enough answer to that taunt, she found herself in a large, well-kept living room.

  With a smoothness that set Julie's teeth on edge, Max made introductions. "Mr. and Mrs. Morrison, this is Shannon's mother, Julie and her business partner, Royce Garner."

  Mr. and Mrs. Morrison nodded in Royce and Julie's direction.

  Mrs. Morrison asked, "Won't you sit down? We're glad you came to call." She perched on the edge of a straight chair and folded her hands in her lap. "Mr. Anderson explained that you were working when he and Shannon called a few days ago."

  Mr. Morrison sat beside Max who had proceeded to make himself comfortable on the couch. "How can we help you?"

  Julie was in no mood to mince words. "You can tell me where my daughter is."

  With an uncomfortable glance in his wife's direction, Mr. Morrison said, "Brett doesn't want anyone to know where he and Shannon are, not for a few days at least."

  Julie reminded herself that she was in the home of strangers and that she had come here unannounced and uninvited. She framed her words carefully. "Did Brett talk Shannon into going away somewhere with him?"

  Mrs. Morrison's tiny body stiffened. "Brett didn't talk Shannon into anything. She went with Brett of her own free will."

  Th
is was getting worse by the minute. Julie steadied her voice. "How long have they been gone?"

  Mr. Morrison's cultivated tones sounded from the couch. "There's no reason to be upset, Mrs. Anderson. Brett didn't take Shannon away without benefit of clergy."

  The words that had obviously been spoken to set Julie's mind at rest had the opposite effect. She collapsed into a nearby chair. "Are you telling me that Brett and Shannon are married?"

  Mr. Morrison nodded. "They were married last evening just before they left."

  Max bolted from the couch as if he'd been shot from a gun. "They promised me they'd wait."

  Mrs. Morrison smiled. "You know how young people are. They changed their minds."

  Royce threw both hands in the air. "I can't believe Shannon married that no-good little punk!"

  With a swift movement that belied his age, Mr. Morrison was on his feet and moving across the room. "I won't have you insulting my grandson in his own home."

  Royce dropped one hand and ran the other through his hair. "Forgive me, Sir. I didn't mean to offend you."

  Julie's little world came crashing down around her head. She tried to stand and couldn't. "I think you can forgive Mr. Garner when I tell you that Shannon was scheduled to marry his son tomorrow." Shannon had, in the short space of one afternoon, thrown away her future. Julie fought to keep back the tears. "We have to go now." She scrambled to her feet. "Thank you for your time."

  Mrs. Morrison came toward Julie with both hands extended. "Please, Mrs. Anderson, don't look so unhappy. Brett and Shannon love each other very much. I'm sure they're going to be very happy together."

  Miserable was what Shannon was apt to be for a long time to come. Julie was too upset to be diplomatic. "Shannon has ruined her life." She hurried out the door followed first by Royce and then by Max, who lingered long enough to say a polite goodbye.

  They were in Max's car and far down the road before any one dared speak. Finally Max swore under his breath. "She promised me she'd wait."

  Julie's disappointment converted to shimmering anger. "You and Shannon conspired to betray me, didn't you?"

  Before Max could answer Royce said, "So the light is beginning to dawn."

  From the side of his mouth, Max barked, "Shut up, Garner."

  A tidal wave of defeat rolled over Julie. She was tired, dirty and slightly hung over. Her daughter, the pride of her existence, had just married a man who would bring her nothing but unhappiness and heartache. Her ex-husband, the only man she had ever loved, had once again made a fool of her. Her best friend and business partner now had every reason to hate her. Silent tears spilled from her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. She reached for Royce's hand and held onto it.

  Royce squeezed her hand. "Why don't you take the day off?"

  Julie smiled through her tears. "You're a dear, but I want to work. I do need to go home for a quick shower and a change of clothes." She told Max, "Let Royce off at the restaurant and then you can take me home."

  For once Max didn't argue. He didn't even speak. Ramming his foot down on the accelerator, he drove like the wind toward Summerville.

  No one spoke for the rest of the short drive to The Hungry Farmer. There seemed to be nothing left to say. As Max stopped in front of the restaurant, Royce opened the door. Giving Julie's hand a last squeeze, he asked, "Are you sure you're up to coming to work today?"

  Julie returned his squeeze. "I'm positive. I'll be back before the noon rush starts."

  Max raced his motor. "Not if you sit here talking all day."

  Max was being rude. He was also right. "Goodbye, Garner"

  Royce got out of the car and slammed the door; before the resounding echo could die away Max pulled from the curb and into the stream of traffic.

  Julie rested her head against the seat of the car and closed her eyes. It had been a long time since she had felt this sad and defeated. What would happen to Shannon now? Would she go back to college? How long would it be before she discovered what a terrible mistake she'd made? Julie thought of the traumatic years that had followed her breakup with Max and cringed. She wanted something better for her daughter than years of loneliness and struggling to get ahead in the world. Twin teardrops slid from under her closed eyes and ran down her cheeks.

  Max slowed his car to pull into another lane of traffic. "Julie, I owe you an explanation and an apology."

  Julie opened her eyes and turned to look at him. His Romanesque profile seemed strangely out of place against the backdrop of this little town and these ordinary people. "Neither of those things will change what's happened."

  Max's hands tightened on the steering wheel. "I swear to you I didn't know Shannon was going to elope with Brett."

  Julie had to know. "How long have you known that Shannon was having second thoughts about marrying Dan?"

  Max wheeled into Julie's driveway and stopped his car. Unfastening his seat belt he turned to face her. "Shannon called me a couple of weeks ago. She was upset and crying. She asked me to come to Summerville and spend some time with her. She said she needed me." He sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair. "Can you imagine what that did to me? Shannon has never needed me before."

  How could an intelligent man be so blind? "You're wrong, Max. Shannon has always needed you. She needed you when she was a baby and there was no father to cuddle her because you were too busy getting ahead in the world. She needed you when she was five and starting kindergarten with all the little girls who did have fathers to take them by the hand and lead them up the front steps. She needed you when she went on field trips and when she had to look for substitutes to take her to father-daughter banquets. It would have been nice to have you around when she got braces on her teeth, or broke her arm playing basketball. She needed you when she went on her first date, to her first prom. She needed you--" The pained look on Max's face caused Julie to stop her tirade. She unfastened her seat belt, and opened the door. "Thanks for the ride." Stepping from the car, she slammed the door, hard.

  Max hurried around the car and fell in step with her. "Julie, there's something else we need to talk about."

  Julie unlocked the front door, pushed it open and went inside. "I can't talk now. I have to get back to the restaurant."

  Max followed her into the living room, grabbed her shoulder and pulled her around to face him. "This can't wait."

  Julie pitched her handbag toward the couch and lowered herself into a chair. "Make it fast."

  Max strode across the room before turning to face her. "We should try to find Shannon and talk to her."

  "I don't have time to look for Shannon and even if I did, I'm not sure that would be such a good idea." Julie felt again the swift stab of betrayal. "Shannon chose to go behind my back when she could have faced me and told me what she was going to do."

  Max dropped onto the couch. "This is what I was afraid would happen." Then jumping to his feet he began to prowl across the room like a caged animal. "This was Shannon's decision to make, not mine, not yours, and certainly not Dan Garner's." Turning, he faced her. "She made her choice. You and I have to respect that choice and our daughter's right to make it."

  Regret left a bitter taste in Julie's mouth. Max was asking her to do the one thing she couldn't do, forgive Shannon's headlong plunge into heartbreak. "I can't do that. I don't even want to try."

  Max extended both hands in a pleading gesture. "If you don't want to alienate Shannon, you have to accept the fact that she's married to Brett Morrison."

  "How can I accept the fact that my daughter has made a foolish, maybe a fatal, mistake?" Julie didn't want to have this conversation. She glanced at her watch. "I have to get back to work."

  Max seemed determined have his say. "You don't even know Brett. Can't you at least give him a chance? He's very young and a little brash, but I do believe he loves Shannon and I think she loves him too."

  Julie placed her hands on the arms of her chair and raised herself to her feet. "I don't have to know Brett to know what he's
like. He's not brash he's arrogant. He doesn't love Shannon. He's suffering from a strong case of temporary lust. When that's sated, and with time it will be, he'll be gone."

  "Will you please try to consider Shannon's feelings?" A pleading note had crept into Max's voice. "In some ways she's little more than a child. You know how it is when a young couple is first married. The next few months will be a time of tremendous adjustment and she's going to need her family to be there for her."

  "We are not a family." A blaze of anger flashed through Julie's regret. "How can you argue in one breath that Shannon has the right to make adult decisions and say in the next that she's a child?" Her voice rose as she felt her temper slipping away. "And don't try to tell me this marriage will work. I know it won't."

  Max wasn't moved by her argument. "Yes it will if it's given half a chance. That's why Shannon and Brett need our love and our support right now."

  Julie's amber eyes blazed yellow fire. "Don't preach to me, Max, and don't talk to me about love or support. You don't know the first thing about either. All you've ever done is roar through my life every so often, like a Texas tornado, wreaking havoc, creating utter devastation and then you blow out again, leaving me to pick up the pieces." She could feel the anger of years building inside her. "Don't come intruding into my life again, trying to tell me how to deal with my daughter's betrayal when you're her accomplice."

  Answering anger tightened the muscles in Max's face. "Shannon didn't betray you!"

  Julie's arms stiffened at her sides as she balled her hands into fists. "Yes, she did! And you helped her do it!" She could feel her fingernails digging into the palms of her hands. "My God, Max, how low can a man sink?" She was saying too much, but she couldn't stop. "Couldn't you have found some other way to keep me occupied while Shannon was running off to marry Brett Morrison?"

  Max's brows pulled together in a thunderous scowl. "I don't like what you're implying."

  "Oh?" Julie raised a caustic eyebrow. Some demon had taken possession of her tongue. "Then I won't imply. I'll say it straight out. You didn't have to screw me in the back seat of your car to keep me away from home all night." Even as she spoke, she was appalled at the crude words that rushed in a torrent from her mouth. "Or did you throw that in for good measure as a way of twisting the knife you had just stuck in my back?" She was shaking now and tears were rolling down her cheeks. "Maybe it was for old times' sake. Good old Julie was always a pushover for a quickie in the back seat of a car."