Kellie caught up with her. “You don’t have to do this. You don’t owe her anything, neither of us do.”
“I owe it to myself to know the truth and to be able to close doors so I can open new ones.”
“Okay, but can you close the doors a bit more slowly? Your legs are longer than mine and I don’t feel like a morning run in this humidity. My hair’s already frizzing. I don’t want to work up a sweat.”
Alex slowed her pace. “I’m sorry. I’m feeling anxious and I doubt all that caffeine helped.”
Ten minutes later, they stood in front of the house on Dauphin Street. The building looked so much bigger than it had the previous afternoon, looming over her like a monster that might swallow her whole. Alex drew in a shuddering breath and let it out. “Here we go.” She stepped up to the door and rang the buzzer.
The inner door opened and a petite woman with spiked auburn hair streaked with gray pushed open the wrought iron storm door. She stared at Alex, then looked to Kellie.
Alex felt lightheaded and braced a hand on the doorframe. “Starlet.” She couldn’t say the word—Mom.
Starlet’s mouth quivered and she worked her lips together before stepping aside. “Please, come in.” She wore yoga pants, a faded t-shirt, and had a knit shawl draped across bony shoulders. Her face had a gray pallor that too much makeup didn’t quite disguise. She didn’t look well.
The entry was narrow and put the three women in close proximity. Alex caught herself hugging the wall to avoid contact with her mother. Starlet slipped past them and led the way. “Come into the parlor.”
“Said the spider to the fly,” Kellie whispered in Alex’s ear.
Like a frightened five-year-old, Alex reached back and took hold of Kellie’s hand for moral support. The hall opened on the left into a brightly lit sitting room filled with worn, but clean furnishings—a settee, two matching chairs, dark cherry tables, and ornate lamps with yellowed shades. Effort had been made to give the room an appearance of elegance, but had fallen short.
Starlet motioned to the settee and Alex sat, tugging Kellie down beside her. Starlet sat in one of the facing chairs. “Thank you both for coming.”
“Where’s Lex?” Alex asked.
“He thought it best to give us some time. He’ll be along with lunch shortly. He’s still getting used to the idea of having a daughter.” Starlet wound her fingers together in her lap, shifting her gaze from Alex’s face to Kellie’s. “Oh, my, you look so much like your grandmother with that blond hair. You had the most beautiful mass of blond curls when you were a baby.”
Kellie didn’t respond, but lifted a hand to tuck a stand of hair behind her ear.
Sitting up straighter, Alex faced her mother. “Why did you send Lex to find me?”
“I didn’t send him. When he found out about you, he was determined to see you. And with my condition, well, he thought it best that I see you, too. Both of you.”
“Exactly what is your condition?” Alex could not keep the edge out of her voice.
“I have breast cancer and it’s spread. I had surgery twice, but….” She bit her lip—a habit Alex recognized in herself. “Who knows, though, right? They come up with something new each day.” Starlet tried to force a smile, but it failed halfway across her face. She lifted her fingers and pressed them to the corner of her mouth. “I had a mild stroke after the last surgery. Left this side a little numb.”
When silence lingered between them, Kellie leaned forward. “Why did you leave us?”
Starlet let out a gasp and quickly recovered. “I believed I was doing the right thing. Look at the two of you, how well you turned out. I did it for you.”
A red haze settled over Alex’s view. Anger raged to the surface. “You did it for us? You honestly believe that, don’t you?”
Starlet’s eyes widened. “Well, yes. I was in no position to care for the two of you, give you what you needed. I didn’t have a job, a place for us to live. Money.”
“Did it ever occur to you that what two little girls needed was a mother?” Alex’s voice rose until it echoed.
Starlet sat back. “Of course it occurred to me. But I knew I couldn’t be the kind of mother you needed. I left you with your grandfather for your own sakes.” She shifted her gaze from Alex to Kellie.
Kellie pressed her lips together and sat back. After a pause, she said, “Well, that answers my question.”
Alex swallowed hard. “I have one more question. Why now? I don’t want to hear about your condition. If you haven’t cared about us all this time, why now?”
“Because I could be dying and I want to make things right with my girls.” Starlet pulled a shawl closer over her flat chest, her eyes glistening. “I understand Miss Whiting looked out for you, as well, made sure you’d have what you needed. Amy was always such a generous lady.” The last words sounded as if she spat them out like bad fish.
Alex threw her hands up. “And there it is—the real reason you’ve summoned us—me—to come here.”
The front door opened and Lex came in, smiling. He lifted two brown paper sacks and said, “I’ll have lunch ready in a few minutes. Are you ladies getting reacquainted?”
Alex scowled. “Oh, yes. I think we’re about caught up.” She stood. “I’ll pass on lunch. I seem to have lost my appetite.”
Lex set the bags on a credenza and crossed to stand behind Starlet’s chair, his hands on her shoulders. “I know it must be rough after all this time, but surely you’ll give your mother a chance to explain.”
“No explanation necessary. I think I understand everything perfectly.” She rounded the settee and whirled to face Starlet and Lex. “Grandad and Uncle Jack—you remember Jack, your brother, who you’ve yet to ask about—raised us well. They tried to be both mother and father to us and a day never passed that I didn’t know I was loved by them. As for you….” Her stare fixed on Starlet. “I feel nothing, not any more. I won’t be your cash cow. If you want money, do what you always did and find yourself a man willing to make a trade.” Her gaze shifted to Lex. “I gather you don’t have a fortune. Pity. The two of you deserve each other.”
“Now wait a minute.” Lex started toward her, but Starlet grabbed his arm, holding him back.
“You’ll turn your back on your own mother when she’s dying?” Starlet asked.
Alex locked eyes with her. “You died to me a long time ago. I came here to satisfy my curiosity, and I have.” She turned and nudged Kellie. “Let’s go.”
“Wait! Please.” Starlet stood on unsteady legs. “I haven’t lied to you about the cancer. And, well, times have been hard. I lost a lot when Katrina hit and I’m about to lose this place. I’ll be homeless.”
As hard as that was to consider, Alex steeled herself. “So you dug up Lex here and laid the news on him that he had a daughter, then sent him to find me. Now you want me to bail you out?” Alex shook her head. “I’m sorry.”
*
At the corner, Alex stopped and pulled Kellie into a hug. “I’m so sorry, Kel.”
Kellie held tightly to her. “It’s okay. She’s right, you know. She did the best thing for us. Can you imagine if we’d grown up with her as a parent?”
“Good point.” Alex sighed. “I wanted to believe this was about more than money. I’m sorry I dragged you into this.”
“We’re sisters. You didn’t drag me anywhere. I came willingly.” She paused. “Do you really think she’s dying? She doesn’t look that great, but hard livin’ll do that to a person, too.”
“I don’t know.” She squeezed Kellie’s hand. “Let’s go home. Okay?”
“Okay.” Kellie stopped. “This isn’t the vacation you promised me, is it? Because if it is, you suck at vacation planning.”
Alex smiled. “It’s definitely not a vacation. We’re going somewhere special, just the two of us. As soon as I can line up coverage at the shelter.”
Kellie started walking again. “Which means it won’t likely happen in this lifetime.”
Kellie drove for ten miles before either of them spoke. “Are you okay?” she asked.
“Yes. You?”
“I’m okay. Do you believe that Lex is your biological father?”
Alex sighed. “I don’t know what to believe. What difference does it make? It’s clear the only reason she reached out to me was because she’d somehow heard about the money Amy left to me.”
“Yeah, how do you think she found out?”
“The way everyone in Cade’s Point finds out. Gossip. Someone has clearly stayed in touch with Starlet. Which really creeps me out to think she’s been kept informed all these years about our every move.”
“Who do you think it could be?”
Alex shrugged. “I don’t know. Probably some old school friend. Maybe Uncle Jack will know.”
Kellie gasped. “You don’t think it’s Uncle Jack, do you?”
“Of course not.” But the seed of doubt took quick root and Alex wondered if her uncle had had contact with his sister over the years.
When Kellie stopped for a bathroom break, Alex got out of the car and stretched. She checked her cell phone—no messages. She sent a text to Evan to let him know she was returning early and to ask how he was managing with Walter. Taking a turn at driving, Alex kept glancing down at her charging phone for a response, but none came.
“Are you expecting a call?” Kellie asked.
“No.”
“Then stop looking at your phone and watch the road. Please,” she added.
They reached Cade’s Point a little past eight that evening. The stop for dinner had been pointless since neither of them ate much, but agreed they needed to get out of the car for a while.
Uncle Jack nodded as they entered the grill. “You two are back early.”
“Long story,” Alex said as she rounded the bar and poured two glasses of wine, handing one to Kellie.
“Want to tell me about it?” His eyes narrowed with concern.
“Not tonight. Okay? We saw Starlet and Lex and found out why she wanted to see us now.”
“You,” Kellie corrected. “She wanted to see you. I was just along for the ride.” Kellie picked up the bottle and refilled her glass.
Alex glanced at Uncle Jack. “It didn’t go well. Everything okay here?”
He nodded. “Nothing exciting happening. As usual.” His eyes shifted from Alex to Kellie who downed the second glass of wine.
“We’ve both had a long day. I’ll tell you about it tomorrow. Right now, I just want to go home. Ready, Kel?”
“As I’ll ever be.” Kellie kissed her uncle’s cheek. “See you tomorrow.”
He put an arm across her shoulders and hugged her. “Goodnight, sweetheart.” He turned to Alex and hugged her. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. Now I can close that door for good.” She paused. “Uncle Jack, have you talked to Starlet at all these past years?”
“Only once, that was about ten years ago. She called and wanted…well, she called for a favor. Haven’t heard from her since. Why?”
“Someone’s been talkin’ to her. She knew all about the money I inherited from Amy. You know who might’ve stayed in touch with her?”
He grimaced. “Darlene Folsom, no doubt. Those two were thick as thieves in high school. Darlene went away. I heard she divorced and moved back this way about two years ago. She always was a busy body. Came in here one day asking about Starlet. I told her I didn’t know where she was and if I heard she was askin’ either of you girls about Star, she’d have me to deal with. Guess she took me seriously. She hasn’t been back. Last I heard, she was working at one of the casinos and moved up that way. Probably looking for a big winner to latch onto.”
“She and Starlet must have been cut from the same cloth.” Alex yawned. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Are you gonna be okay?” Kellie asked when Alex got into the car.
“I’ll be fine. Right now I need to soak in a bubble bath and get a good night’s sleep. How about you?”
“My life is no better or worse for having seen Starlet today. Think about it. Before Lex Stanford showed up, you and I had our daily lives, our work, our friends, each other and Uncle Jack. Tomorrow you and I will get up and we’ll still have those things. Maybe you held onto some memory of Starlet from childhood and that made you long for something, but I didn’t have that. I only remembered her because of old photos we’d occasionally dig up.”
“You’re right. I need to stop letting Starlet or my memories of her take up space in my head and in my life. As I said earlier, I can close that door forever.”
Kellie eased the car to the curb in front of Alex’s house. “Maybe now you can focus on your future and find the right man. You’ve gone out with Dr. Dennis a few times, haven’t you?”
“He’s not the right man. I mean, he’s nice enough. I like him, but….”
“But he doesn’t rev your engine?”
Alex laughed. “That’s one way to put it.”
“Then don’t waste your time. You’re not getting any younger, you know.”
“Gee, thanks. Is this your way of making me feel better?”
Kellie practically bounced on the seat. “I have a great idea. I’ll set up a double date for you.”
“Oh, no. Don’t go there. I’ll get my own date.”
“Yeah, you’re doin’ such a bang-up job so far in that department. Trust me. It’s only one date. If you don’t like the guy, you don’t have to see him again. And you’ll be with me and Rob.”
Alex opened the car door. “Pop the trunk so I can get my bag. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
Kellie released the trunk and got out of the car. “Think about what I said. You’re ready to move forward. It’s no time to drag your feet.”
“Right now my feet and other parts of my anatomy are draggin’ all on their own.” Alex lifted her bag out of the trunk and set it down. “Kel, are we going to regret this? Starlet did look bad.”
“I won’t. I don’t know about you. You’re used to rescuing strays in distress. Ask yourself this question. Do you think Starlet, even being sick, would have contacted you if you hadn’t come into money?”
“Good question.” She embraced her sister. “Thank you for going with me. I’ll think about what you said.”
Her two cats, Miss Sippi and General Lee, wound themselves around her ankles as she entered the house. “Okay, you two. I know Grace fed you earlier, so don’t give me that forlorn look.” She extricated her feet from the purring felines and headed to the bathroom.
She turned on the water in the tub and poured in a capful of lavender liquid. By the time she’d stripped off her clothes, lavender-scented steam filled the room. She eased into the hot bath and exhaled slowly. Her muscles tensed and then relaxed as she slid low into the water, her head resting on a rolled towel. The cats lingered by the open door, watching her soak. She closed her eyes and sank lower into the soothing bath, blocking the events of the day in New Orleans from her mind. Instead, a handsome face materialized for her. Straight nose, brown eyes flecked with gold, a broad smile that caused her to smile back. Evan. Her eyes flew open and she sat up, blinking.
After twenty minutes, she stood and wrapped in a soft bath sheet. Rather than preparing her for sleep, the bath had the opposite effect. She found herself wide awake. It was only nine-thirty on Saturday night.
Dressed in a pair of comfortable jeans and a t-shirt bearing the silhouettes of a cat and dog and reading Rescue Me, Alex paced through the kitchen and into her living room. The cats followed until they tired of her parade route and settled on the sofa. She stepped out onto her small porch and breathed in the sweet night air. She still hadn’t gotten a text back from Evan. Perhaps things weren’t going well with Walter and he didn’t know how to tell her. She could always drive over t
here and make sure they were—er—that Walter was okay.
She grabbed her purse and keys. “Okay, you two. Behave yourselves until I get back.”
The cats blinked at her and curled back into their positions at each end of the sofa.
Alex drove past the shelter and Evan’s restaurant first. All was quiet, the restaurant dark. Good, that meant he must be at home.
Chapter Sixteen
Lights cast a warm glow through the windows of Primrose and Alex was reminded of her times there with Amy. She parked next to Evan’s SUV and another car. She hesitated, wondering if he had a guest, but then strode up to the front door to ring the bell. Inside Walter whined and pawed at the door.
“Walter, sit,” Evan commanded. “No, not up. I said sit. Back up. Stop!”
Alex grinned. It was apparent who was in control. And it wasn’t Evan. The door swung open and Alex let her grin broaden into a smile. “Hi.”
“Hi. Uh…was I expecting you?” he asked hesitantly. “I’m sorry I didn’t have a chance to respond to your text.”
“No, I thought….” Now she felt stupid for showing up at his door. “I came home early and thought I’d check in on Walter, see how things are going.”
“Ah, well, you probably heard how things are going.” Evan stepped back and opened the door.
Walter pushed past him and stood, pressing both front paws onto Alex’s shoulders and licking her face. She laughed. “Okay, okay. I’m happy to see you, too. That’s enough. Down.”
The dog dropped his front paws and sat.
“Impressive. Would you like to come in?” Evan asked.
“I should go. I didn’t think about the time.”
“You’re here now, come on in. I just poured a glass of wine. Care to join me?”
“Okay, if you’re sure I’m not intruding.” There didn’t appear to be anyone else there. “I saw the other car in the drive.”
He waved a dismissive hand. “It’s nothing.”
She stopped in the entry and glanced around. The house looked warm and inviting, much the way it had when Amy lived there. Memories of coming here to see Amy flooded her and a lump rose in her throat.
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