He had helped Mandy paint, and his inexpert wielding of the brushes and rollers hadn’t seemed to bother her at all. He’d loved the color, so warm and brilliant, and the eye-popping shade of the orange trim had made them both laugh.
A thought surfaced through his bout of reminiscence and a shiver ran up his spine. He rubbed his hands over his face as if to wake himself up. That’s why he’d always liked the smell of fresh paint. It brought back happy memories of Mandy, but he’d buried them for so many years because the bad memories of the last few years of her life were so overwhelming.
Nate could remember Mandy talking about what he realized now were ecological and global economic issues. He’d only been eight years old and hadn’t understood her arguments or the reason she was so different. He walked to the closet and opened the door. Pink and purple stripes had been her choice in her younger years, but by the summer before her senior year, she had made the big change. As a little boy, he hadn’t known what caused it, but now he thought he did—she had been determined to be involved in the world, so different from their secretive father and withdrawn mother.
The sound of footsteps in the hallway pulled him around.
“Lisa?” he called out. “Did you forget...”
“It’s not Lisa. It’s me.” Gemma appeared in the doorway and greeted him with a tentative smile. She was dressed in shorts and a peach-colored top—a glow of color in this gloomy house. Like Mandy’s room.
“I came over to tell you how Yvette is doing. The front door was open so I came on in.”
He shrugged. “You could have called. Cell-phone service seems to be working today.”
“I didn’t think of it since it rarely does.” She strolled into the room, glanced at the walls and smiled.
“I’m changing my service provider. People need to reach me.” He paused. “Did you get your car fixed?”
“Yes.” She smiled. “Four new tires and a new spare.”
“That ought to keep you on the road for a couple of years.”
Gemma nodded then turned slowly and took a careful look at the empty space.
“This was your sister’s, wasn’t it?” She turned to him with eyes full of sympathy.
“Yes. I was making sure everything was out.”
Gemma walked to the window and looked at the yard. “East-facing window. When the sun rose, it must have made this room seem as if it was on fire.” She smiled at him over her shoulder.
“It did.”
“Sad to think that someone who created this room, was so vibrant herself, is gone.”
“Yes.” The sorrow in her voice echoed what he’d been feeling all day.
Seeing Gemma here somehow made his memories of Mandy even sharper, though the two of them had looked nothing alike. It took him a moment to put a name to the quality they shared. They were vibrant, he thought. He didn’t think he’d ever used that word before, but it perfectly described this room, the way his sister had burst out of her family-imposed cocoon and blossomed in her last year at home. Mandy had cultivated that liveliness. Gemma had been born with it. Having her here made him yearn for what he’d missed with Mandy and what he couldn’t have now.
He wasn’t willing to drag anyone else into his little pity party, so he gestured toward the open door. “Shall we go?”
“Oh, of course.”
He shut the door carefully, closing in the only bit of warmth this house had ever known, then followed her down the hallway and the stairs. At the bottom, she turned to him and said, “About Yvette. She’s much better.” Gemma told him everything that had happened and gave a rundown of the woman’s vital signs along with the results of her blood tests.
Nate nodded as she talked. This was easier, he thought. Easier to slip into his professional persona and leave his homegrown ghosts behind for a minute.
When Gemma was finished, he said, “I looked up Dr. Brewer’s pregnancy diet. It’s more than lots of eggs. Do you think she’ll follow it? Yvette said she’s vegan.”
“I explained pretty carefully what the consequences of toxemia are. It scared her.”
“Last night should have scared her.”
“Believe me, it did. I think she’ll follow the Brewer diet. She’s also going to take some classes I’m offering.”
Nate raised an eyebrow. “Does Cole know?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Expect trouble from him.”
“After the last time I saw him, I will, and you should, too.”
“I will.”
Silence stretched between them. With her flaming hair, colorful shirt and neon toenails, she would be the center of attention in any room. And she was exactly where he wanted his attention to be. It wasn’t only her clothing or her hair, but she glowed with life. He’d seen it at the Mustang and at the party. People were attracted to her, drawn by her humor and compassion, the way she put other people ahead of herself—as evidenced by the crazy dance she’d done with Bunky. It was part of her personality that came out as genuine warmth toward others—and as her need to rescue them. Him.
Gemma gave him a polite smile and reached for the doorknob. “I’d better go. The Sunshine Birthing Center opens in a couple of days and there’s still lots to do.”
“Sunshine...” Nate said the name hesitantly as the questions that had been bothering him came up yet again.
“What about it?”
“Not it. Her. The first time you came over here with Lisa you said Mandy had visited your mother out at your place.”
“That’s right. Many times. I was only eight but I remember that my mom and dad showed her our garden and taught her about plants. She and my mom baked bread. My mom is famous for her bread. Why?”
“I didn’t know about it, that’s all. I didn’t know what she was doing.” Except that she was hanging out at the “den of hippie craziness” as his mother had termed it.
Gemma frowned as if she was trying to twist her thoughts with his. “You were also eight years old. Did you pay a lot of attention to what your big sister was doing?”
He took a minute to answer. He had talked more about Mandy in the past ten minutes than he had since she died. He felt as if he was forcing open a rusted door.
“We were...close.” To Mandy, Nate had never been the pesky little brother. She took him everywhere she could in town, which made him wonder why she’d left him behind when she’d gone to the Whitmires’. Nate shoved his hands into his back pockets and looked down, studying the marble floor. “And then suddenly, she was gone from home more than she was here.”
“She must have found something that appealed to her. She and my mom weren’t that different in age. Mom had me when she was only nineteen, and, well—my mom was fun. She still is.”
“I guess that was the attraction for Mandy.”
“And she didn’t tell you she and my parents had become friends? Why does that matter?”
“Something changed her. She had a different focus. One that created conflict between her and my parents. I didn’t know before what caused it, but now I do.”
Her eyes widened and she clapped a hand to her chest. “And you hold my parents responsible? Don’t you think that’s kind of a stretch? Mandy must have been pretty smart. Wasn’t she valedictorian of her class?”
Nate watched defensive anger flare in her eyes and shook his head. “I don’t know. It was a long time ago, but—”
“It still haunts you,” Gemma stated.
“It’s...being in this house.” Stepping forward, he held the door for her and when she walked out, he followed her, then closed and locked it.
Gemma stopped to look back at the entryway, and the room beyond. “I don’t think it’s this house, Nate. It’s only a building, after all. Maybe you shouldn’t even come here.” She put her hands on her hips, the
stance of an annoyed woman. “This can’t be healthy. Wouldn’t it be better to stop digging up the past? The best thing you could do is move into the future. Make new friends.” She gestured to encompass the property. “Leave this behind.”
“That’s my plan.”
“But you don’t have to do it alone. There are people who could help you. I could—”
“No.” He shook his head. “No.”
Gemma’s expression changed from anger to hurt. Her lips trembled when she said, “All right, then.”
With a wave of her hand, she hurried down the sidewalk and climbed into her Land Rover.
Nate watched her drive away as regret kicked at him. He’d been wrong to take his frustration out on Gemma. No matter what his own problems were, the two of them had to live and work in this town. They were in the same profession, so he needed to come to terms with what was going on in his own head. He had too many questions about his family, his past, his sister and her death. Issues he’d successfully buried for years had been resurrected the minute he’d returned to Reston because they were the kinds of things that never stayed dead.
“Like zombies,” he muttered, an ironic twist to his lips.
He took another look at the house then headed to his car with firm steps. Gemma was right about one thing. He needed to leave this place behind, but he didn’t need...emotional help to do it. Only physical labor.
He would pay Lisa to hire workers to clean and paint this place. It was time to let it go. All the memories he had of this house were bad ones, so what did it matter if people came in and fixed it up? He had a medical practice to establish and a hospital to reopen. Who knew? Maybe having a crowd inside might exorcise some of the ghosts.
* * *
GEMMA DROVE AWAY with tears stinging her eyes. She didn’t understand what was going on in Nate’s mind and she wondered if he even knew. What she had said wasn’t strictly true, anyway. A house was more than a building. That’s why she’d moved back into the cabin where she’d grown up. She wanted to bask in the happy memories and create new ones for herself. It was obvious that Nate didn’t have those kinds of recollections.
But how could he blame her parents, especially her mother, for the way his sister had changed? Did he think they weren’t good enough to have associated with Mandy? How could he think that? His father had been a thief, for goodness’ sake. And why did it matter now?
Gemma was confused, upset and unable to find a way through the tangle of emotions. She needed to get to the Sunshine Center, but that could wait awhile. Right now, there was only one thing to do. Turning her car around, she headed straight for Lisa’s office.
Twenty minutes later, she was sitting on the love seat in the Reston Realty office, a glass of sweet tea in her hand and a plate of cookies on her lap. Lisa’s receptionist, Sandy Borden, made the best sugar cookies anywhere, and always kept some in the office for clients or their children.
Sighing, Gemma took a bite and savored the buttery sweetness. “This is just what I needed. They could only be more perfect if they were dipped in chocolate.”
“Wait until Christmas,” Lisa answered, looking up from her computer screen. “I didn’t know there were so many ways to decorate sugar cookies. What’s this all about, anyway? I haven’t seen you eat this much sugar since...well, I never have.”
“Dr. Nathan Smith.”
“What a coincidence. I’m filling out the forms to list his house for sale. What happened?” Lisa saved her work, closed her laptop and came over to the love seat. She chose a cookie from Gemma’s plate and sat down beside her.
Gemma described her encounter with Nate.
“I get that he doesn’t respect midwifery, but I have no idea why. And I don’t understand where all the rest of this is coming from, like the questions about how well my parents knew his sister. Why does that matter now and...why do I care?” She took another bite of cookie.
“Because, one way or another, you have to work with him.”
“I’ve worked with objectionable people before. Remember Dr. Gilbert Grab-hands?”
Lisa snickered. “The fastest booty pincher in the West. Whatever happened to him?”
“A group of nurses threatened a lawsuit and he retired in a hurry.”
“But is Nate really objectionable or are you ultrasensitive because of the Cole Incident?”
“I don’t know. Maybe.” Gemma sipped her tea and thought about it. Cole Burleigh was a bully, always had been, which was another reason she was concerned about Yvette. His parents had held him back, starting him in kindergarten a year late so he would be bigger, more developed by the time he reached high school and would be able to play varsity football. Many parents in football-crazy towns did that. But Cole wasn’t the star player they had envisioned. He’d been injured in practice, had broken a leg that healed but was always vulnerable to new trauma since he was still growing. In spite of his dad’s most intimidating efforts, no doctor would release him so he could play again. The Burleighs knew that without high school experience on the field, he would never make a college or professional team. They looked for someone to blame but couldn’t find anyone, or anything, except circumstances. Bigger than everyone else in his grade, and now bitter, he’d used his size and strength to intimidate his classmates—at least the ones who were smaller than him.
And one day, in the fall of their senior year, he’d set his sights on Gemma. Cole must have been watching her for weeks, looking to see where she went, what she did and where he could get her alone...
* * *
GEMMA ROLLED THE truck to a stop beside the pavilion’s overflowing trash cans. She grimaced at the mess. This was her least favorite chore, but since her dad let her use the truck for it, she didn’t mind. Her driving skills were improving. She had just parked without the bunny hop that often accompanied her stops.
Since this was the last stop on her route around the small lake, she jumped out, grabbed gloves and trash bags, and began picking up the scattered refuse. When the bins were empty, she scanned the area, even walking down the boat ramp a ways to pick up some smashed paper cups.
With her head down, she walked back to the top of the ramp, searching for pieces of plastic, which were always a challenge to keep out of the water and away from the fish. Satisfied that she had everything, she headed for the truck, tossed the last bag into the back and reached for the door handle.
“Hey, Bijou.”
Cole Burleigh’s voice rocked her to a stop as her eyes widened in surprise. He ambled down the pavilion steps toward her. She realized he must have been hiding behind one of the big pillars that held up the roof.
“Cole, you scared me to death. What are you doing here?”
He grinned his cocky, I-always-get-what-I-want grin. “I came to see you.”
Her nose wrinkled as she frowned at him. “Why? You see me every day at school.”
“Maybe I want to see you in private.”
The way he tilted his head and lifted his eyebrows made her step back several feet and regard him warily. “Why would you want to see me in private?”
He held out his beefy hands, palms up, as if he was presenting her with a gift, then he jerked his chin at her in a come-hither manner he must have been practicing before a mirror. “You’re gonna be my new girlfriend.”
Dumbfounded, she stared at him. “What?”
“Bijou, you’re gonna be my new girlfriend. I’ve decided you’re the one.”
He took another step toward her and she took another step back. Cole frowned as if he hadn’t anticipated that reaction.
“Cole, I’m not interested in having you, or anyone, for a boyfriend.”
His lips curled. “That’s a lie. I’ve seen you looking at me in Mrs. Arnstein’s class.”
“She makes you sit right in front of her so she can kee
p an eye on you. Of course I have to look at you. Everyone does. And you always sit turned halfway around in your chair to make sure everyone does.”
That stopped him for a moment as he assessed her reaction. “Come on, Bijou. You know you want me.”
“No, Cole. I don’t.”
Her emphasis on the last word had his fury springing to life. His brows drew together and his mouth twisted. He lifted his hands again, but this time, they were extended as if he was going to grab her and shake her. His voice was a growl as he said, “Nobody says that to me, Bijou.”
She jumped backward but came up against the truck bumper, which threw her off balance. At the same time, Cole made a grab for her but missed as she slid sideways and cringed away from him.
From nowhere, another figure flew at them, forcing himself between Gemma and Cole.
“Leave her alone, Cole!” Nate Smith threw up his hands as Cole swung a fist at both of them. Nate—smaller, lighter and quicker than Cole—grabbed Gemma’s arm and jerked her away, at the same time putting up his forearm to protect her.
Cole, already off balance, spun around from the force of his intended blow. His big feet tangled and he stumbled toward the edge of the boat ramp, where it was slick with moss. He tried to regain his balance, but his forward momentum carried him to the bottom, arms pinwheeling, shoes skidding until he splashed into the water, facedown.
Gemma and Nate gave startled laughs. Cole didn’t stay down for long, but came up soaking wet and shaking his head like a bull.
That made them laugh even harder until he turned with murderous rage in his eyes and started toward them.
“Nate,” Gemma yelled. “Get in the truck.”
She ran toward the driver’s side and got in while Nathan jumped in beside her.
With shaking hands, she started the engine and got them going, remembering to ease off the clutch smoothly as she switched gears and stepped on the gas. The tires fought for purchase and loose gravel shot out from beneath them. When she heard an angry roar, she realized the flying pebbles had hit Cole, but she didn’t stop. Within seconds, they were away from the pavilion area and on the lane leading to the Whitmires’ house.
At Odds with the Midwife Page 9