Lewis patted the dog’s head. “I’m not surprised.”
“And I gave notice on my job.”
He nodded. “Was that hard?”
“It kind of felt like I was burning my bridges…although my boss said they’d consider rehiring me if things don’t work out.”
“Hopefully things will work out.”
“And Faye came by,” she said quietly, almost as if she thought Cherry might be in her yard listening. “It sounds like my family is mad at me.”
“That’s too bad.”
“And Faye asked about what I would do with the money after my year is up—that is if I make it a year.”
“If you make it a year, it all belongs to you—lock, stock, and barrel.”
“So I can do as I please with it.”
He simply nodded.
“I mean I’d want to do what Nona would want.”
Now he smiled. “Maybe by then you’ll know.”
“Hope,” Brian called from in the house. “You out there?”
“I’ll let you get back to it,” Lewis told her quickly. “And if you need help painting, I’m pretty handy with a brush. You might not remember that my dad was a painting contractor. So I got plenty of hands-on experience growing up.”
She held her finger in the air. “Thank you for telling me, Counselor; I will definitely take you up on the offer.” Then she went inside to see that Brian had made her another list.
“I’ve got more lists,” she said as she looked at it.
“I figured you’d want to start ordering your appliances and countertop and all the fun stuff. These are some measurements and whatnot to help you out. And I noted the names of the plumbing place, as well as a good tile shop and a few other places you might want to check out. All but the plumbing place are in Bend.”
“Thanks.” She held up the contract. “I’ll get back to you.”
“And I better get Jack some lunch before his ball game. Don’t want him fainting out there in right field.” He paused by the door. “Hey, you could come to the game, if you want. I mean it’s not too exciting, but it’s kind of fun in a small-town way.”
“It actually does sound fun,” she said. “But I think my niece is coming over to help me. We’re getting stuff out of here still, and then we’re going to start painting.”
He tipped his hat. “Maybe another time then.” He stepped out the door and, putting his fingers to his lips, let out a shrill whistle. Mere seconds later, Jack came running over.
“Impressive,” she said to father and son, waving as the pickup backed out of her driveway, but after the truck was gone, she could see that Lewis’s SUV was parked in front of Cherry’s house now. And when she looked closer, she saw that Lewis was sitting inside, and Cherry was leaning over on the passenger’s side, apparently in deep conversation with him. Feeling like a voyeur, Hope backed away and went inside the house. Still, she wondered what they were talking about. And then she was reminded of the little scene at the restaurant the other day. What were those two up to anyway?
Chapter Twelve
Shortly after Brian and Jack left, Avery popped over. Hope put her to work clearing things out of the bathroom while she attacked the spare room. Hope was slowly removing large items that she didn’t plan to keep and storing them outside in the driveway until she could get someone to come pick them up next week. Maybe Faye and Cherry would want to look them over first. But slowly the house was emptying.
“Check this out,” Hope said as she held out an old fur coat she’d found in the back of the closet. “I’ll bet it will fit you.”
“Cool.” Avery slipped it on. “Ooh, it’s really satiny smooth inside.”
“But kind of musty smelling, huh?”
Avery ran her hand over a furry sleeve. “But it’s so beautiful.”
“You want it?”
“Really? I can have it?” Avery looked stunned.
“Why not? You’re the only one I know who would be able to fit into it.”
“Or my mom.”
Hope nodded. “Yes. Cherry would probably fit into it as well. Maybe you two can share it.”
“She probably wouldn’t like it.” Avery rubbed her cheek against the collar.
“You never know.” Hope wanted to add that if Cherry thought Hope liked it and wanted it, she would probably like it a lot. “I saw your mom talking to Lewis Garson, Nona’s attorney…,” she said in what she hoped sounded like a casual way.
“Yeah, Mom and Lewis are old friends. They went to school together.”
Hope refrained from pointing out that Cherry had been two grades behind Lewis in high school, and that they probably never exchanged more than two words back then.
“Mom thinks Lewis is uber-smart because he went to college.” Avery turned to look at Hope. “Just like you did.”
“That’s right. We both went to law school. But at different colleges.”
“Do you think it’s weird that both my mom and dad didn’t go to college?”
“Actually, your dad went to community college. A couple of years, I think.”
“But then he quit to marry Mom.”
“I know.” Hope opened the linen closet by the bathroom and pretended to be absorbed by it.
“And you know that he had to marry my mom, right?” Avery’s voice was quiet, as if she were worried that her parents could be listening from next door.
“What do you mean he had to?” Hope kept her back to Avery as she removed a stack of old pillowcases. They had embroidered lace on the edges and were definitely keepers. She sniffed them. Lavender. Nona loved lavender.
“You know…because mom was pregnant.”
Now Hope turned to Avery, keeping her courtroom face intact. “No…your mom didn’t get pregnant until after they were married. I remember that you were born more than a year—”
“I don’t mean me.”
Hope calmly smoothed her hand over the soft and well-worn pillowcase on the top of the stack. “I’m confused, Avery. What are you saying?”
Avery took off the fur coat, hung it over her arm, and sighed. “I just thought you already knew…I mean because you’re her sister.”
“Knew what?”
“About the baby.” Avery looked worried now. “Don’t tell Mom I told you, okay? She doesn’t even know that I know.”
“I’m still confused, Avery. What baby?”
“Mom got pregnant during her last year in high school. So Dad had to marry her. And then she lost the baby before anyone, well, besides their parents, figured it out.”
“She lost the baby?” Hope was stunned.
“I mean she had a miscarriage. And, don’t worry, Aunt Hope, I already know about all the sex stuff. They had a special class in school last month. I didn’t even want to go, but Mom signed the permission form, and so I sort of had to. Lucy and I sat together in the back and drew pictures and giggled. But I listened, too.”
“Oh.” Hope felt the need to sit down.
“I thought you knew.”
“Does Aunt Faye know?”
Avery just shrugged.
“Do you think Nona knew?”
Again with the shrug.
Hope didn’t know what to say. Or how to react. It was almost too much to take in. Cherry had been pregnant? Drew had to marry her? Had they even been in love? Did they regret the marriage?
“Please, don’t tell Mom that I told you,” Avery said again. “She doesn’t even know that I know. I just heard her and Daddy fighting one night a few months ago, and I eavesdropped. I know it was wrong, but I couldn’t sleep.”
Hope set the pillowcases back in the closet then reached out to hug Avery. “No, of course I won’t tell your mom or anyone what you told me. Remember, I’m a lawyer and I know about keeping things quiet. You can trust me.”
With the fur coat between them, Avery hugged her back. “Thanks.”
They worked quietly together for the rest of the afternoon, but all Hope could think about was what Avery
had disclosed to her. Hope actually wanted to talk about it, to hear it played out, and to eventually wrap her head around the whole thing. But she knew she’d respect her promise to Avery. It would remain their secret. Only it would be easier if she didn’t know.
Now she actually felt sorry for Drew. Had Cherry trapped him into marrying her? And, if so, why? Just because his family was well-known and respected in the community? Because she wanted to run for Rodeo Queen? But that was crazy. Or was it because Drew had been Hope’s…and because Cherry had always wanted what Hope had? And had Cherry really been pregnant at all? Or had she pretended to be so that he’d marry her? Oh, what a can of worms…and one she wished had never been opened!
By the end of the day, the living room was mostly cleared out, and the garage was stacked high with boxes to be picked up. Both bedrooms, the bathroom, and the linen closet had been cleared out and sorted and were nearly empty as well. Hope had put the few things she wished to keep, including the old linens, a couple of silk scarves, a box of old letters, and several books and photos into a plastic crate with her name on it. The other possible keepsakes she had laid out on the spare room bed for Faye and Cherry to sort through later. Hopefully tomorrow, because she wanted to get everything else out of here by Monday or Tuesday so that she and Avery could begin painting the bedrooms.
In the meantime, she would get exterior paint and hopefully start on the outside of the house tomorrow. She had some colors in mind, too—a warm buttery yellow for the body of the house, milky white for the trim and the little picket fence in the front yard, and the flower boxes and doors would be a dark olive green. And then she would plant pink geraniums in the window boxes. In her mind’s eye it was perfect.
She hoped to sleep better tonight. With the cleared-out bedroom and fresh sheets that smelled of lavender on the bed, she felt more like this was becoming her own space. And yet Nona was still there, too. Not in a haunting way, but in a comforting way.
The next morning, she slept in a bit later. But when she woke, it was to the shrill sound of the telephone. And when she answered, it was Faye and she sounded frantic.
“What’s wrong?” Hope demanded.
“It’s Monroe!”
“What?” Hope felt a rush of panic. “Is he okay?”
“I don’t know.”
“What do you mean you don’t know?”
“Have you seen him?” Faye asked.
“No, of course not. What is going on?”
“He’s missing.”
“Oh…”
“He never came home yesterday. I figured he was just trying to jerk my chain, you know, to let me know he’s unhappy. Then it got later and later…and he never came home at all. I called the sheriff’s, and they said they’d be looking for him, but they didn’t seem too concerned. Apparently fourteen-year-old boys have been known to do this before in this town.”
“I’m sorry, Faye.”
“I don’t know what to do. I thought maybe he’d run to you or Cherry. I mean you are his aunts. But she hasn’t seen him either.”
“What can I do to help?”
“Just keep a lookout for him. And let me know if you see him.”
“I’m going to the hardware store for paint,” Hope told her. “I’ll drive all around and look for him.”
“Thanks. Jody’s husband has been all over town.”
“Do you think he met someone—you know someone his age, who might’ve taken him in for the night?”
“I hope it’s something like that.”
“Keep me posted,” Hope told her. “And I’ll look and ask around, okay?”
“Thanks.” Faye’s voice sounded flat and hopeless, and Hope remembered what she’d said just yesterday about how Monroe was all she had. And now he was gone. Hope hurried to dress and tended to Andy and then got in her car. Like she’d promised, she drove all over town. To both parks and even up Three Creeks where high school kids had been known to “camp” in the summer. Of course, “camping” was just another word for partying. Hopefully Monroe hadn’t connected with kids like that. But it wouldn’t surprise Hope if he had. Still, she wasn’t sure she wanted to go snooping around in the woods by herself.
Instead, she drove back through town, watching for teens that she might be able to question. But being it was still early and a Sunday, she figured most of the teens were probably still in bed. Finally she parked at the hardware store and went in to study paint colors. She decided to go with her yellow, white, green color scheme, and while a nice woman was mixing her paints, she went over to the bakery to get something to eat.
A teen was behind the counter and so she figured she’d see if he knew anything about where a runaway kid might be hiding. “My fourteen-year-old nephew is missing,” she told the lanky boy as he counted out her change.
“Huh?” He looked confused.
“His name is Monroe,” she continued. “And he and his mom are just moving to town so he doesn’t really know anyone.”
“And he’s missing?” the kid asked with what seemed genuine concern.
“Yes. He was gone yesterday, and his mom just figured he was checking out the town, but he never came home last night.”
The kid just nodded like he was taking this in. “What’s he look like?”
Hope wondered if she had a photo in her purse, but if she did it was probably old. “He’s about my height and medium build,” she began. “Light brown hair, kind of shaggy long. He probably had on baggy jeans, kind of scruffy, you know.”
The kid nodded like he knew the type.
“And I grew up in this town, so I remember how kids used to camp up Three Creeks in the summertime.”
The kid chuckled as he filled her coffee cup. “Yeah. They still do that. Well, as long as the sheriffs aren’t out. They’ve been coming down hard on camping these last couple years.”
“Anyway, I realize he could’ve made a friend and gone camping.”
“Yeah, that’s a real possibility.” He was putting her quiche on a plate now. “And if that’s the case, I wouldn’t be too worried. I mean those kids aren’t going to hurt anyone or anything. They just like to have a good time.”
“Right.” She nodded then reached for a pen to write her sister’s name and cell phone number on a napkin. “Anyway, if you happen to hear anything…” She wrote Monroe’s name and age down, too. “…Could you give this number a call?”
“Sure.”
“Thanks.” Now she moved out of the line because a couple had just come in. But as she sat down, she kept wondering what else she could do to help. For some reason, she had a feeling that Faye was just sitting in Jody’s house—probably paralyzed with fear. And probably afraid to call Monroe’s dad, too. Poor Faye.
Hope looked at the numbers in her cell phone and, seeing Lewis’s, decided to give him a call. When it went to voicemail, she left a brief message about her missing nephew, and to make it sound less dire she added, “And I plan to start painting the outside of the house today so if your offer’s still good, feel free to stop by. Free pizza could be involved.” Then, feeling silly and slightly selfish, she hung up and ate her breakfast.
After picking up the paint and miscellaneous supplies, including a painting outfit that consisted of a funny pair of men’s work jeans, green rubber flip-flops, and a bright orange T-shirt that said Do It in Sisters. She packed everything into her car then cruised around town again, once again hitting both parks and then going over to where the schools and baseball fields were as well. She even toured some of the newer neighborhoods and was surprised at how much this town had grown and changed since she’d been a teen. Finally, she went home and let Andy outside to run. She wanted to start painting but felt guilty for not doing more to search for Monroe. But what?
She glanced over to Cherry’s house to see that both vehicles were gone. Were they, too, looking for Monroe? Or more likely still at church. Avery had said she wouldn’t be able to come over to help until afterwards. Hope had been mildly surprised
to hear that their family went to church. But maybe it had been Nona’s influence. And maybe one of these Sundays, Hope might go to church, too.
She decided to call Faye and see if anything had changed. It would be like Faye to forget to call Hope even if Monroe had made it safely home.
“No,” Faye said dismally. “I haven’t heard from him. No one has seen him. I really don’t know what to do.”
“Could he have gone home?”
“Home?”
“You know to Seattle…to be with Jeff.”
“Oh…”
“Did he have any money? Could he have taken a bus or hitchhiked?”
“I don’t know…”
Hope wanted to reach through the phone line and shake her sister. “But it’s a possibility, right?”
“I suppose.”
“Maybe you should call Jeff.”
“No.”
“But what if Monroe is there right now? Wouldn’t you want to know?”
“Jeff would call me.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course he’d call me. That’s the responsible thing to do.”
“But what if Monroe told his dad that you were moving to Sisters and that you didn’t even plan to tell him?”
“Oh…”
“Well, think about it, Faye. I mean Monroe’s a kid. But someone’s got to be a grown-up.”
“Thanks for the little lecture, sis.” Faye’s old sarcasm was returning. “Coming from someone who doesn’t even have kids, well, it’s really quite effective.”
“I just thought you might want to—” And then Faye hung up on her. Hope wondered who the child really was—Monroe or his mother? She went into the bedroom and changed into her working clothes, tucking the horrible orange T-shirt into the weird-looking jeans, but the waist was so big that she found an old piece of rope to make a belt, tightening it until she looked like a sack of potatoes. “Lovely,” she said to the image of herself in the closet door mirror as she slipped on the neon green flip-flops. If her friends could see her now!
Suddenly, Andy was barking again. Someone was at the door. Thinking it might be her long-lost nephew, she made a dash for it, but was surprised to find Lewis standing there, not wearing a suit today, but neatly dressed all the same.
Love Finds You in Sisters, Oregon Page 11