by Gerri Hill
“Spaghetti and meatballs?”
“Your other favorite.”
“The triple-cheese hamburger casserole?”
“That’s the one.”
He clapped his hands. “Oh, goody!” he yelled before running from the kitchen.
Well, at least I did something right, she thought as she turned the oven on.
* * *
After dinner, while Jack was playing with his game, she took her phone out to the back porch and called Lindsey McDermott.
“Yes, this is Hannah Larson. Jack’s mom.”
“Okay, sure. Hi, Hannah.” A slight pause. “Is everything okay?”
“I think…I think we need to talk,” she said.
“Is something wrong?”
“I don’t know. Is there?”
“Is…is Jack okay?”
She looked up into the sky. “Yes, he’s fine. It’s…it’s me, mostly.”
“I don’t understand.”
Maybe calling wasn’t such a good idea, she thought. “I feel like I’ve abandoned my son. And now…I can’t get him back.”
“Oh. I see.” There was another pause. “So you…you don’t want me to see Jack anymore?”
Hannah ignored the pain she heard in Lindsey’s voice. “I think…well, for the time being, I think I need to spend some time with him. Not you. I’d like you to stay away.”
Lindsey cleared her throat before speaking. “I understand.”
The call ended without goodbyes, and Hannah wondered if she’d done the right thing or not. Lindsey was clearly upset. She could tell that by the sound of her voice…by the silence. She held the phone tightly in her hand. Yes, of course it was the right thing to do. But how in the world was she going to tell Jack?
Chapter Sixteen
After a restless night’s sleep—the first one she’d had in weeks—Lindsey made herself fix breakfast. She had to keep things as normal as possible…whatever normal was. She tried not to think about the phone call last night, even though it was still fresh in her mind. Part of her wasn’t really surprised by the call. She’d been wondering how long Hannah Larson would allow Jack to spend his days with her. If things were reversed…well, if Jack were her son, she probably wouldn’t have let him out of her sight. She’d lost her husband…Jack was her only child. She imagined that, yes, she did want to spend time with him.
She took her coffee and the plain scrambled egg and toast out to the deck. Max took his normal spot beside her chair. She took a couple of bites, then put the fork down. Max waited patiently as she tore off a piece of toast. He’d gotten better about snatching food out of her hands, but he still swallowed whatever she gave him in one bite.
The day suddenly loomed long and empty. They’d planned on going to the pond first for Jack’s swimming lesson, then they were going to go upstream of her parents’ cabin to do some fishing. The river there was well shaded and she knew of several deep pools where she’d caught bass before.
Without Jack around, the pond would be a lonely place. And fishing? No.
She looked across to where her grandmother’s garden was. She still hadn’t gotten around to cleaning it out. Today would be a good day for that, she supposed. She took another bite of her eggs, her glance going to the bird feeders. Jack had helped her fill them yesterday. There were two cardinals there now.
She pushed her plate away. Surely when Hannah Larson said that she needed to spend some time with Jack, she didn’t mean that Lindsey couldn’t ever see Jack again. She didn’t know what purpose that would serve.
No. If in a day or two, if there wasn’t any word from them, she’d go over to their house. She had to. The thought of never seeing Jack again…well, she didn’t even want to think about it.
* * *
Hannah was washing the dishes from their lunch when she saw Jack hurrying toward the house. When he said he was going down to the creek—like always—she simply hadn’t had the heart to tell him that Lindsey wouldn’t be there today. He’d been so happy, she didn’t want to chase his smile away. So she let him go, knowing that he’d be back. Her plan was to take him to the state park for a swim, then stop in Concan for pizza and perhaps rent a couple of movies.
When he opened the back door, his young face was etched with worry.
“Something’s wrong,” he said.
She raised her eyebrows. “What?”
“I waited and waited, but Lindsey didn’t come.”
“Well, honey, maybe she had something to do today.”
“No! You call her. Something’s wrong. She might be hurt.”
“Jack, I’m sure she’s fine.”
Tears welled up in his eyes. “No…you’ve got to call her, Mom. What if she’s hurt or something?”
At that moment, Hannah felt like…well, like an ass. Like a selfish ass. She hadn’t considered how Jack would feel if Lindsey stayed away.
“Okay, I’ll—”
“Hannah?”
“Jesus…why does she think she can just come in unannounced?” she murmured as Margie came in through the front door. Margie was going to force her to start locking the damn door.
“There you are,” Margie said.
“Hi, Margie, I didn’t even hear you knock,” she said, hoping Margie would get the hint.
Margie waved her hands dismissively. “Oh, I never think about it. We’re all family here.” She pulled out a chair and sat down. “Hi, Jack. Why the sour look on your face?”
Jack ignored his grandmother and turned back to her with pleading eyes. “Mom…please?”
“Okay, honey. Why don’t you go outside.”
Jack’s shoulders sagged, and he turned away, dragging his feet as he went back onto the porch where Barney was waiting.
“What’s wrong with him?”
She rubbed her temples with both hands. “Lindsey didn’t show up at the creek today.”
“Are you still allowing him to see her? I thought you were going to put a stop to that?”
“Yes, well…”
“It’s just not natural, I’m telling you that. She acts like Jack is her son or something. She could kidnap him and take him away, Hannah. We don’t know this woman.”
Hannah held her hand up. “Okay, Margie, no, you’re freaking me out here. She’s not going to kidnap him.”
“You don’t know! She’s a McDermott! They’re crazy people.”
“Well, crazy or not, I called her last night. I told her…well, I told her that I should be the one spending time with Jack, not her. I asked her to stay away.”
“Well, good for you. It’s about time. That woman has no place in Jack’s life.”
Hannah jerked her head up, surprised to find Jack standing in the doorway leading to the living room. Apparently he’d snuck back in the front door and was listening to their conversation. The tears in his eyes told her he’d heard every word.
He looked at her accusingly. “She’s my friend,” he said around his tears. He tapped his chest. “My friend. You can’t make her stay away. You can’t! She needs me!”
Before she could even reply, he darted past her, out the kitchen door once again. She ran after him, barely catching a glimpse as he and Barney disappeared into the woods.
“Jack! Jack!” she yelled as she ran after him. When she got to the creek, he was nowhere in sight. “Oh, God…what have I done?” She stared down both directions of the creek, looking for him, looking for Barney. “Jack!” she screamed.
On the other side of the creek, she could see a trail. Was that Lindsey’s trail? Was that where she came from when she came to see Jack? Is this where Jack sat as he waited for Lindsey? Like today…waited and waited, but she never came.
She reached into the pocket of her shorts, only to find it empty. She’d left her phone on the kitchen counter. “Shit,” she murmured before turning and running back to the house.
Margie was standing on the porch, her hands held out questioningly. “Well?”
“I couldn’t find him.”
Margie followed her into the kitchen. “Should I call Dennis? Should we call the sheriff?” She pointed her finger at Hannah. “I told you this woman was going to be trouble! I told you—”
“This is my fault, not Lindsey’s,” Hannah said as she grabbed her phone from the counter. “And no, you don’t need to call the sheriff.” At least not yet, she added silently.
“Who are you calling?”
“I’m calling Lindsey.” She held her hand up when Margie would have spoken. “I’ve got this handled, Margie. Why don’t you go on home? I’ll call you later, after Jack comes back.”
“I can’t possibly leave when my only grandchild has run away from home! Who knows where—”
“He did not run away from home.” She held her head in her hands. “Please, Margie…just go. I can handle this.”
Margie squared her shoulders. “Well…I never…” she mumbled, letting her voice trail away. “I hope you’ll at least let us know if you need help.”
“You’ll be the first one I call,” she said as she walked back onto the porch, leaving Margie in the kitchen.
For all her brave words that she had a handle on this, that Jack hadn’t run away from home…her heart was still pounding nervously as the phone rang in her ear. What if Lindsey didn’t answer? What if—
“Hello.”
She felt relief wash over her at the sound of Lindsey’s voice. “It’s Hannah Larson…Jack’s—”
“I know who you are, Hannah.”
Yes, Lindsey’s voice was oddly cool, short. That, too, was her fault. She felt tears well in her eyes. “It’s…it’s—”
“What’s wrong?” Concern replaced the coolness immediately.
“It’s Jack…”
“Is he okay? What happened?” she asked, her voice urgent.
“He…he ran way,” she blurted out. “Sort of.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
“I’m sorry…it’s all my fault. He…he overhead me talking to Margie—that’s his grandmother—about you. He was…he was heartbroken when you didn’t come today, and he thought something might have happened to you.” She wiped at the tears on her cheek. “I was telling Margie that I had called you, that I’d…well, you know.”
“That you told me to stay away.”
“Yes. So he ran out the door with Barney, down to the creek. I followed him but I couldn’t find him. He was gone and I don’t know where he goes, where y’all go when you’re together. I just—”
“I’ll find him.”
“I’m sorry, Lindsey. I overreacted. I—”
“I’ll find him,” Lindsey said again.
The phone went dead, and she slipped it into her pocket, her gaze following the path to the creek. How many days…weeks, now…had she watched Jack make that solitary trek down there, just him and his dog.
Yes, this most definitely was all her fault.
Chapter Seventeen
Lindsey told herself not to panic. She told herself she knew where he’d go. But hell, the kid was nine years old. He was used to riding in the Mule, not walking the trails. He could so easily get lost.
No, he couldn’t. The main trail, the one by the creek that was the old Jeep road, made a loop around the property. If he missed the upper trail to the pond, he’d just keep on walking. He’d eventually get to the pullout where she’d showed him the view on both sides of the mountain. If he stayed on that trail, he’d eventually make it to her grandparents’ house.
She shook her head. He was nine freakin’ years old. Did she really expect him to walk across the whole damn mountain, over nearly fifteen hundred acres?
The logical thing for her to do was to go to the creek and follow the Jeep trail from there. She’d come upon him sooner or later. And if Hannah had called her immediately, she didn’t think Jack would have had enough time to make it to the pond, not unless he ran most of the way. Yeah…he’s a nine-year-old kid. She could almost see him running up the trail, Barney at his heels.
“Hang on, Max,” she said as she pushed the Mule, going faster than she should. She gripped the steering wheel tightly, bouncing over rocks as she practically flew down the trail. When she got to the spot where she usually parked the Mule to head down to the creek, she stopped, even though Hannah had said there’d been no sign of him down there. She left a whimpering Max on the back and she jogged down the trail, finding their spot at the creek. The water gurgled over the rocks lazily, a chickadee sang from the branch of an oak tree and two deer startled her as they ducked under a cedar not more than fifty feet away. Jack, however, was nowhere in sight.
She retraced her steps to the Mule and hopped in, taking the trail as it climbed up the hill. She slowed now, the rocks too large to bounce over as she’d done down below. When she got to the cutoff that would take her to the pond, she stopped, glancing up ahead in case Jack had missed the turn. Even though they usually took the trail from the other side, by the house, they’d come this way before. Surely Jack would know the way by now.
Again…he’s nine years old!
Well, she went with her gut and her gut told her she’d find him at the pond, so she turned left, taking the old trail that wound through the trees. As she got closer, she could see the water glistening in the sunshine. It was cooler down here, the trees making a canopy over the trail. She slowed as she came around the side, her heart jumping wildly when she saw him. He was sitting cross-legged on the pier, Barney at his side. Jack’s head jerked up when he heard the Mule approach. Barney barked and ran toward her. Max returned his bark as his big paws hung over the side as if he was about to jump.
Jack got to his feet, watching her. Then he, much like Barney had done, took off running. She’d barely gotten out of the Mule before he flung himself at her, nearly knocking them both down. He was crying—sobbing—and she squeezed him tight.
“It’s okay…I’ve got you,” she said. “It’s okay.”
“She…she said that we—”
“I know, buddy. She called me last night.” She let him slide out of her arms and back to the ground. His eyes were red from crying and his cheeks were tear-stained. She wiped at the tears, then ran her hand across his hair. “Come on. Let’s talk.”
Max’s high-pitched bark told her she’d forgotten him on the back of the Mule. She let the tailgate down, and he hopped off, circling around Barney with a wagging tail before heading toward the pond. She put her arm around Jack’s shoulders, and they went to the pier and sat down. Jack wiped his nose with his T-shirt.
“I probably shouldn’t have run away,” he said, his voice quiet and small.
“No…probably not. You scared your mom.”
“When you didn’t come, I…I thought maybe you were hurt or something. I asked her to call you.” Tears started flowing again. “I overheard them talking. She said she’d told you to stay away.”
“I think she wants to spend some time with you too,” she said.
“I’m with her all the time,” he said as he again wiped his nose with his shirt. “My grandmother doesn’t like you. Why?”
“I don’t know. I don’t think I’ve ever met her.”
“She said the McDermotts were crazy people.”
Lindsey laughed. “Well, she probably heard that from Lilly. She and my grandparents…well, they were complete opposites. I don’t think they got along very well.”
He leaned closer to her, resting his head against her shoulder. “I don’t want you to stay away.”
“Me either.” She patted his leg. “So you know what that means, don’t you?”
He looked at her. “What?”
“That means that we’ve got to start including your mom.”
“What do you mean?”
“When we go fishing, when we go swimming…we need to invite her along. That way, she can spend time with you and I can spend time you…and you can spend time with both of us.”
“Do you think she’ll go?”
“I don’t know. What d
o you think? Does she like to swim?”
He nodded. “My grandparents have a pool at their house. In San Antonio. We used to go over there all the time.”
“Well, see. She’d probably like going with us.” She nudged his shoulder. “While we’ve been out here having fun, she’s been at home by herself. I think maybe it was lonely for her.”
“She was cleaning and painting and stuff,” he said.
“Yeah. But she’s probably through now, huh?”
He nodded. “I guess.”
“So what do you say? Tomorrow we’ll go to the river. We’ll show her how you can swing off the rope.”
He smiled. “Yeah…that’d be good.” He pointed out at the water. “What about here?”
“I don’t know yet. This is kinda our secret place.”
He smiled broader. “Yeah, this is our place. We’ll need to wait a while before we bring her here.”
Lindsey laughed, then drew him closer in a hug. “You got that right.”
He looked up at her, his blue eyes blinking at her. “Was she mad?”
“Scared,” she corrected. “Now…when you get back home safe and sound, then she’ll probably be mad.” She reached into her pocket and took out her phone. “I guess I should call her and let her know you’re okay.”
“Can we still go swimming?” he asked hopefully.
“I think you’re pushing your luck, kid. I better take you back home before she’s mad at both of us.”
His smile faded. “Yeah…I guess.”
“But tomorrow…you ask your mom to go with us, okay?”
He bit his lip. “Why don’t you ask her?”
Chapter Eighteen
Hannah only barely resisted the urge to run toward Jack when he and Lindsey came walking up the trail. As before, the dogs beat them to the house, but Hannah didn’t need them to alert her. She’d been sitting on the porch, waiting. She was torn between beating the crap out of Jack for running away and hugging him to death. As soon as she saw him, however, thoughts of punishment vanished and she only wanted to squeeze him tight.
He looked at her a bit guiltily when they got to the porch. “You’re mad, I guess.”