by Various
“How did you get it?” Chelsea asked. She looked at her mother then. “I don’t know any of this, Mom. He wouldn’t tell me until we got here.”
Jordan took a deep breath. “I heard the sheriff tell his wife at the store he’d given the hoodie to you, Patty, and he’d closed the case. A runaway.”
Patty nodded but didn’t say anything.
“And then?” asked Chelsea.
He looked at Chelsea. “I came here pretending to check on your mom, even though I knew she was at work. I asked Allison to use the bathroom and snuck into Patty’s room. I snatched it off
the dresser.” He looked at his hands folded in his lap, took another deep breath, and then looked up at Patty. “I stole it from you. It was wrong, so I’m here to return it. It should’ve been returned a lot sooner.”
Patty leaned back in the chair. “Why not ask me? I would’ve given it to you. I knew how much you loved her, Jordan.” She started to wheeze again, making Chelsea tense next to him.
“I still love her, Patty. This is yours.” He stood up and tried to hand the sweatshirt to her.
Patty put up her hand while she shook her head. “No, Jordan. You’re going to keep it. I insist. Now, there’s some unfinished business to attend to.” She stood up but held onto the arm of the chair for support.
“Yes?” asked Jordan.
After another cough, Patty said, “I saw that curly-headed child out front. She looks like the two of you and I want to meet her right this second.”
“I’ll get her, Mom. Relax.” Chelsea jumped up from the couch.
“I’ve never relaxed. Why start now?”
“Because I said so. Sit down so you can meet Elizabeth.” She eased her mom back in the chair before leaving out the front door.
Patty offered a feeble smile. “I forgive you, Jordan, under one condition.”
“Anything.” He sat back on the couch, his hands went back to being folded in his lap.
“Keep her here. Find a way.”
“I’ll try, Patty. Trust me. I would do anything for her to stay.” He felt tears forming behind his eyes. He couldn’t cry. Not here. Not in front of Patty and his Elizabeth.
“I know.” She nodded. “Figure something out.” She leaned back against the chair. Her eyes drifted shut as she struggled to take breaths. She wasn’t well. Did she know she wasn’t going to
make it much longer? Chelsea certainly did.
Patty snapped her eyes open as soon as the front door opened. “Aww, my granddaughter.” She smiled as Elizabeth came into view. “You’re beautiful.”
He and Chelsea smiled as they watched Patty hug Elizabeth.
* * * *
Wow, they’d been parents for a whole twenty-four hours and Chelsea was still amazed. Okay, so ten years, but actual in-the-flesh parents for twenty-four hours, she thought as she looked at the lunch spread out over the patio table. Balloons that read ‘Welcome’ hung all over the yard.
With everything ready for the pool party they were throwing for Elizabeth, Chelsea went to let the guests into the backyard. Jordan had mentioned inviting her family and mutual friends such as the Jackson family. Hannah had called three times that morning. Elizabeth never really had family she’d consider friends, so it was great for her. She seemed to be glowing with delight at the attention. What would happen after this attention died down? As long as she was in Wilson, she wouldn’t let it happen.
“Aunt Chelsea,” screamed Hannah as she bounced through the patio doors and straight into Chelsea’s arms.
Chelsea’s laugh rang out, making Allison giggle. “I’m glad you came, Hannah.” It still amazed Chelsea how much Hannah looked like her.
“Do you actually think I would miss this? Mom even bought me a new swimsuit even though she said she doesn’t have any money,” declared Hannah. She looked at her mom before lowering her voice. “She always says that, you know.”
She laughed as she watched Hannah bounce up to the table to grab some food.
“If you eat now, Hannah, you can’t swim for a half hour,” warned Allison. The frowned deepened when Hannah dropped the sandwich she had already taken. “Hannah Lynn Montgomery, don’t you dare do that again.”
“Sorry, Mom,” she called while she peeled her clothes off to reveal a glittery silver one-piece. Hannah twirled for Chelsea to see the suit.
“Beautiful.” She smiled at her niece.
“You need sunglasses to look at that darn thing. Can you believe the swimsuit cost thirty bucks?” Allison took a seat on the lounge chair next to hers.
“Are you serious?”
“Yep. I tell you, kids are spendy.” Allison laughed.
“Aunt Chelsea, where’s Elizabeth?”
“She’ll be here in a few. She’s at the store with her dad.” Man that sounded good. She could say that sentence over and over. Did Jordan feel the same way when he talked about her being Elizabeth’s mom, she wondered as she took a seat next to the pool.
“Fine,” Hannah announced with a disappointed huff. “Can I go swimming now, then?” As soon as she received a nod from Chelsea, she jumped feet first into the deep part of the pool.
“I hope she can swim.” Chelsea took a drink of her iced tea. She set the glass down and grabbed the sunscreen.
“I need some sunscreen. I wish I had Danielle’s skin tone, she never burns.” Allison held her hand out so Chelsea could put a dollop of the white cream in her hand. “Who else is coming?”
“Both Lisa and Danielle’s families.”
“Not Jordan’s?” Allison looked up from putting the lotion on her legs.
She sighed. “He didn’t want them here.”
“How have you been feeling since you’ve been back?” Allison went back to putting the lotion on.
“Fine.” Not the total truth. She hadn’t been nauseous today but she had slept in. Once again she blamed something and it was now jet lag that caused the intense fatigue. Who would want to ever leave those arms that made her feel so secure? If they could have skipped this party, she would have. They’d stayed in bed until Elizabeth had tapped lightly on the door, woke Jordan, and then crawled into bed with them. Good thing Chelsea and Jordan had decided to put on some pajamas before going to sleep.
The sliding door opened behind them.
“Elizabeth,” yelled Hannah. She ran out of the pool, ignored the yells from her mom to slow down, and then grabbed Elizabeth around the waist. Water dripped everywhere as they laughed.
One of them must’ve tripped because they soon were flying into the pool. Laughter arose from everywhere as the embarrassed preteens were climbing back out of the pool.
“Nice to meet you, too,” Elizabeth said with a chuckle. “But at least you were wearing a swimsuit, Hannah.”
“Did your dad get you a suit?”
Elizabeth nodded. “He said to pick a different one at first. I begged him, so he got it anyway.”
Her smile beamed. “You won’t believe what it looks like!”
“Well, go change and Hannah will wait for you out here,” ordered Chelsea.
Hannah rolled her eyes and turned back to the pool. “I can go with her.”
“Want anything, Chels?” asked Jordan.
She nodded. “Can you grab me a plate?” Her tummy growled underneath her t-shirt and shorts. Elizabeth must’ve ran into her room and speed-changed because she came hopping back
out in an identical swimsuit to Hannah.
“We match!” The girls squealed.
“The joys of living in a small town, huh?” Allison adjusted her sunglasses. “Everyone dresses the same.”
“They look like twins anyway. Same body shape, and similar faces. The only real difference is glasses and hair color.”
Jordan came back with a full plate for her. With his bad accent, he said, “Here you go, darlin’.”
“You guys make me puke,” Allison said before taking a drink. “I will never be like that with anyone.”
“Thanks, Allison.” Jo
rdan slipped his t-shirt off. He tossed it onto the ground before diving into the deep end of the pool. Water splashed over everyone.
“That hot-assed man can splash water over me any time he wants,” Allison declared.
“I never get tired of looking at him.” She took a bite of her sandwich. It was the only thing she could eat. The familiar feeling started boiling in the pit of her stomach. She put her plate on the table so she could excuse herself to use the restroom. Please
don’t barf out here. Please don’t let them know, she begged the higher-ups.
She ran into the house and looked around. Which bathroom? People would hear if she stayed downstairs. The odor would go into Elizabeth’s room. The upstairs would be a better choice. If she was able to make it.
Once her stomach seemed to be settled, she washed out her mouth and went back down to the party. As soon as she stepped out into the warm afternoon sun, Allison shot her an all-knowing look
from the edge of the pool. Why did she even try to hide things from her sister? At least Danielle, who had finally arrived, seemed to be clueless to the situation.
She walked over to the pool and sat down on the edge by her sisters. Slipped her bare feet into the water, she smiled as the kids splashed and chased each other around the blue water.
“By the way, how is Mom?” She looked at Allison.
Allison sighed. “She’s feeling a little better today but it’s nothing to brag about.”
Danielle leaned over Allison and pointed at herself. “I’m making her quit smoking.”
“Good,” she said.
“Mom, look at me,” Elizabeth called from the deeper end of the pool. “I can flip!” Elizabeth climbed up the side of the pool, water dripped off her shiny swimsuit, and she plugged her nose. She mouthed the words one-two-three before flipping into the air, sending a splash of water everywhere.
She smiled. This was almost the perfect day. She couldn’t ask for a better life.
CHAPTER 22
Saturday night came and after a long day with the party guests, Chelsea wasn’t feeling good. The knock on the door brought her head up from the pillow to tell whoever it was to come on in. She watched as her daughter pushed open the door.
“Are you busy?” Elizabeth asked softly. She hung back by the door, looking a little shy.
“I’m never too busy for you,” Chelsea said, holding her hand out toward Elizabeth.
Elizabeth walked over and lay down on the bed. Her dark hair made a halo around her head. She was Chelsea’s angel already. Her freckled face turned in Chelsea’s direction. Then she noticed the tears sliding down Elizabeth’s cheeks.
“What’s wrong, honey?” she asked. She wiped the tears from Elizabeth’s cheeks.
“I’m just sad,” she said in a small voice. “I’m sorry to bother you when you aren’t feeling well.”
“Is it anything I can help you with?” She pulled Elizabeth into her arms and stroked her hair.
“I miss Muriel.”
“Your dad will let you call her whenever you want. Maybe after dinner?”
Elizabeth smiled. “Really? I can call her?”
“Of course.” She watched Elizabeth’s smile quickly fade. “I don’t think it’s the only thing bothering you.”
“I don’t want you to leave.”
“Oh, Elizabeth.” She hugged Elizabeth closer. “It was agreed between your dad and me that I’d help him find you then I would go home.”
“But I just found you, Mom.” She cried harder. “Can I at least see you?”
“I’ll talk to your dad about it. It’s up to him if I get visitations with you. No matter what, I’ll always be your mom and I’ll always love you. So let’s enjoy our time we have together.”
Elizabeth’s tears stopped. “You have to let me visit you.”
“Oh yeah?” The sad eyes staring up at Chelsea broke her heart. She stroked her hand down her daughter’s arm.
“Yup. I haven’t had a mom in a long time. And we have matching eyes.”
They giggled as they climbed off the bed.
“What would you like to do while I’m going to cook dinner?”
“Call Muriel now?” she asked, raising one of her brows.
“Sure can. Tell your dad first. I think he’s in his office.”
As they were walking down the stairs, Elizabeth said, “Thanks for the talk, Mom. I feel loads better.”
Once they reached the foot of the stairs, the ringing doorbell grabbed her attention. Elizabeth glanced up at her as if waiting for a cue to answer the door.
“I got it. Go make your call.”
She yanked the door open to find a sad looking Danielle standing by Paul and their children.
“What’s wrong?” asked Chelsea, eyeing her sister’s lack of fashionable clothes in exchange for sweats and a t-shirt. Something had to be wrong for Danielle to dress like that.
“Can we come in for a minute?” asked Paul.
Silent tears fell down Danielle’s cheeks. Chelsea motioned for them to sit down, but both Paul and Danielle declined her offer with
a shake of their heads.
“There’s a problem up at the new medical office. They need more help so we’re leaving early,” cried Danielle.
“When?” She looked from Paul to Danielle.
“Right now. This was our last stop.” Danielle wiped her tears. “Paul’s taking us up there and then finishing things up here.”
“You’re really leaving Wilson for good?” Chelsea grabbed her sister with a fear of losing her again. “You don’t look like you want to leave.”
By the looks of Danielle, with messy hair and puffy face, Chelsea didn’t even need an answer. “I want the job and the pay increase. It’s a dream job for me, Chelsea. I don’t want to leave you all, but I’ll see you again. It isn’t like you’re staying in Wilson anyway. You left and now it’s my turn.”
Paul stepped forward and gave her a hug. “Just in case you’re gone when I get back, it’s great seeing you again, Chelsea. You’ll have to visit us when we’re settled in our new house.” He kissed her on the forehead.
She turned toward Danielle, who hugged her tight. “Have a good trip,” she whispered. “I love you, sister.”
She stood on the porch as they all piled in the truck loaded down with their possessions. The red glow of the truck’s taillights let a swarm of sadness loose inside of her. She thought of Elizabeth then. Would this be what her little girl would be feeling when she drove her car out of the drive in a few short days? Would her daughter be standing in the same spot wishing for the power to make the car turn around, for her to return? Wishing to be able to do something to stop
her from leaving? She wiped at her tears as the truck left her sight. How would she be able to do this to her daughter?
* * * *
“Mom, Dad, what’s for dinner?” Elizabeth asked as she flopped in the chair.
“Cheeseburgers,” replied Jordan but didn’t reveal the burgers were actually veggie burgers with mayo and cheese added. They were also having fruit salad.
“When do I get to start school?” she asked with a mouth full of food.
“Let’s have some manners at the table, shall we?” Jordan dumped a spoon full of salad on his plate.
“Oh…yeah…sorry. Well.” Elizabeth gulped down her food. “When will I be able to start school?”
“I’ll enroll you as soon as we get the court papers finished,” answered Jordan.
“Do you need anything? I can take you shopping this weekend, if you do,” offered Chelsea.
“It’ll give us some extra time to spend together before I leave.”
Their daughter gave a shrug and turned toward her dinner. She felt Jordan’s hand on her leg under the table. He gave it a gentle squeeze so she tossed him a smile.
“You guys have good burgers here in Arizona,” Elizabeth said after she finished a big bite of her cheeseburger.
“We think so too,” replied Jordan with a lau
gh. He winked at her.
“I was thinking about lounging by the pool after dinner. Does anyone want to join me?” She drank some tea, hoping one of them would. She didn’t feel like being alone. Going back to her empty apartment in Oregon would be hard enough to adjust to. Being alone here wasn’t something she found entertaining.
“Maybe later. I want to unpack my things, if that’s okay,” said Elizabeth.
“Go ahead. You, Jordan?” Maybe they’d get some more intimate time. It had been fun with him in the pool, as long as nobody walked out on them.
Jordan shook his head and looked away. Something was going on with him. She didn’t want get into it with him in front of Elizabeth so she excused herself from the table, put everything away,
and went up to Jordan’s room.
She slipped out of the comfy jeans and t-shirt then into her bikini. She sure was going to miss this place. Being so close to her daughter all the time had turned out to be a wonderful thing. Not to mention Jordan. I can’t think about him. Not now, hopefully not ever or she wouldn’t be leaving. The thought of being out of his arms for any length of time was going to turn her into a crying mess. Better off just doing it. No thinking about it.
By the time she walked through the kitchen, both of them were gone. She wondered what they were doing and the idea of finding them crossed her mind. She wished they had wanted to go swimming with her. Were they trying to get used to her being gone? A little more time with them would have been wonderful. She looked toward the hall leading to Elizabeth’s room and took a step in that direction. Maybe she needed some help unpacking. But neither of them had invited her. Monday she was on her own, so she needed to get used to it.
She walked out onto the patio, letting the warmth from the bright sun soak into her as she put a towel down onto a lounge chair. Once in awhile, a soft breeze blew through with the scent from the magnolia trees tickling her senses. With her sunglasses slid into place, she leaned back.
She opened her book and let the doubts melt away from her body as she relaxed. The door opened behind her. She folded the page of her book and set it on the table next to her lounge chair, then looked up at Jordan.