“I saw Joshua Emerson today.”
“That’s why you look so radiant.”
“I think he cares about me, Ma.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised. You’re a real catch.”
“Oh, Ma.”
“Joshua Emerson is a nice boy. So sad…about his brothers. Both killed in that terrible war. How does his poor mother cope?”
“Hush, Ma. Please don’t think of such horrible things. You need to rest. We’ll talk some more later, okay?”
Louise Williams closed her eyes, her tea untouched. “Bless you, Ellie. You’re a good girl.”
11
Eden
SHE ALMOST didn’t answer the phone when it rang. It couldn’t be Cade, since he’d just left, and calls at this time of day were usually tele-marketers. She was glad she answered.
“It’s Justin.”
“Oh, hi!”
“You sound strange.”
“Yeah, I have a cold.” The phone was in the kitchen and the cord was long enough that she could sit at the table.
“Too bad. I was going to suggest that maybe I come over, ya know, when your mom and kid are in bed. Continue our conversation from before.”
Eden’s heart jumped. She was glad for the sickness excuse now. The last thing she needed was for Justin and Cade to have a run in. And she didn’t want to tell Justin that was there; he might get the wrong idea.
“We can continue it now,” she said, “over the phone.”
“Sure thing. So, besides the head cold, what’s new?”
Everything was new in her life and none of it was glamourous. She deflected. “Not much. What about you?”
“I just got a contract to work out east for a while. I’d really like to see you before I go.”
“I’d like that, too.”
“Are you free Friday night?”
She wasn’t free any night. She wondered if Marti would mind coming over to watch her mom and Sophie. “I have to get a sitter, but I should be able to get away.”
“That sounds great. Did I mention how glad I am that we met up again?”
She smiled at the flirtatious tone of his voice. “You may have mentioned it.”
“Well, in case it slipped your mind, I’m really glad we met up.”
“It hadn’t slipped my mind. Not for a second. And I’m glad, too.”
They talked about random things while Eden made herself a hot lemon drink to nurse her cold. It amazed her at how much they found to talk about: movies, music, world events. She was surprised at how quickly the time went by. Her mother had followed her into the kitchen and had spent most of the time stroking the cats. Eden was grateful for a break in her antics so she could enjoy a real adult conversation.
She reluctantly hung up when it was time to eat supper. The whole time she prepared dinner and then afterward, while helping Eleanor into bed, her mind stayed on Justin: his voice, his laugh, the intelligent conversation they’d exchanged and how she’d felt smart just being able to keep up.
It wasn’t until it’d been dark for a while that she started to get worried. Sophie’s bedtime came and went and Eden got antsy. Why did Cade have to be so irresponsible? Why couldn’t he just bring Sophie home at the time they agreed? For all she knew they’d gotten into some terrible car accident on the highway. Her mind quickly went to the worst place.
Finally, after an hour of stewing and pacing, she heard the truck engine pull into the drive, and Cade’s headlights flashed through the window.
Eden met them at the door. “It’s about time!” she hissed. “You said you’d be home by bedtime.”
“It’s bedtime now.”
“It’s almost nine o’clock. You know Sophie’s bedtime is eight.”
“Oh. I guess I forgot. It’s been such a long time since I put her to bed.”
“You didn’t care to put her to bed when you had the chance.” They continued the argument in whisper format, working together to remove Sophie’s clothes and dress her into her pyjamas.
“What do you mean? I put her to bed.”
“When? Do you forget all those nights out with Doug and Gerry?”
“I only went out with them because you never wanted to do anything.”
“Well, I’m sorry if hunting and fishing don’t appeal to me.”
Cade and Eden each kissed Sophie goodnight. Cade closed the door and followed Eden down the stairs. “Nothing appealed to you. I would’ve done other things, but you weren’t interested in my company.”
“You can stop whispering now.” Eden plopped herself in her fat corner chair, arms folded in front of her chest. She watched as Cade paced around the living room. He stopped in front of the fireplace.
“I’m surprised this picture is still here,” he said, referring to their wedding photo.
“Mom doesn’t like change.”
Cade swung around, his eyes like narrow blades pinning Eden to her seat. He had this intense look that made Eden feel like he was scanning her soul. That was one of the qualities that first drew her to him. Now she resented it.
“Sophie says you have a boyfriend.”
“She told you that?” Sophie was surprisingly astute for a four-year-old.
“Is it true?”
“Maybe.”
“Man, you sure don’t waste any time, do you?” His jaw tightened. “Are you sleeping with him?”
Eden gasped. “That is none of your business!”
“Well, you wanted to accomplish more with your life, Eden. I didn’t know adultery was on your list of things to do!”
The house rattled when he slammed the door. Eden felt rattled herself.
12
Eleanor
JOSHUA wanted to give Ellie Williams something to let her know he felt she was special. He decided on a bouquet of wild flowers. She blushed terribly when he’d handed them to her and whispered “thank you” before hiding her red face in the blossoms. He had stuffed his hands in his pockets, awkwardly lumbering along next to the delicate girl at his side.
Under normal circumstances, with ordinary people, like his sister Lillian, or the boys at school, Joshua Emerson always had something quick and humorous, even intelligent, to say. But this was no ordinary person. This was Ellie Williams, his dream girl. She could tie his tongue and stomach in knots. She could make him lose all concentration and trip over his own feet. She could be out on this fine day with any boy she chose, yet, she was out with him, a tall, thin, gangly guy with little to offer but his charm.
So, charming he would be.
“You sure do look pretty today, Ellie.”
“Naw. You’re just saying that.”
“Nope. I really and truly mean it. You don’t know me that well yet, but when you do, you’ll find out that I don’t say things I don’t mean.”
“Oh, well, thank you.”
“That’s a really pretty dress. Blue looks real nice on you. Brings out your eyes.”
“Joshua Emerson! You can stop that now. You’re making me blush again!”
“Good! ‘Cause you look mighty nice with rosy cheeks.”
Ellie laughed, and punched him playfully in the arm. It was nice to have someone pay attention to her, to say nice things about her, though, she admitted to herself, Ma did. Ma said nice things about her, to her all the time. But not from Pa. Never from Pa. It was really nice coming from Josh.
He had approached her in the hallway, so cute the way he’d stumbled over his words, wondering if she would like to go for a walk with him after school. Before she knew what she was doing, she had said yes, but first she had to attend to her ma. She had promised to meet him at the end of her drive at three-thirty.
“I just love spring,” she said, stooping down to add wild daisies to her bouquet. “The dead come alive again. It gives me hope, somehow.”
Josh considered with a gentle expression. “Do you mean for your ma?”
“Yes that, and…other things.”
“Like?”
“Ah, I
don’t know,” Ellie said, waving a hand like it didn’t matter. She didn’t want to bore this cute boy with her silly dreams.
“Come on, you can tell me.”
“Well, first of all, like you said, I want my ma to be well again. And I hope I can leave home…, leave my pa…. Is that awful of me, Josh? To say something like that?”
“Of course not. It’s normal for young people to want to go off on their own, live life for themselves.”
Joshua looked at her like he had missed her meaning. “But that’s not what you’re talking about, is it?”
“Not really. For me, I’ve been the lady of the house my whole life, taking care of Ma, taking care of Pa. Maybe I’m being selfish, but I would like to do something just for me one day.”
“I don’t think you’re selfish. Not at all. In fact you are the most selfless person I know.”
Ellie felt her face flush under his praise. She deflected by asking, “How’s your sister doing?”
“Lillian? She’s fine. A real whipper-snapper. Now there’s one who thinks she’s got the world by the tail, that one does.”
“She’s got a head on her shoulders.”
“That she does. Always gets what she wants, that’s for sure. Guess that goes with being the youngest child. Ma and Pa dote on her, but she works hard, too, I have to admit.”
“How are your ma and pa, you know, after the war and all? Or is that insensitive of me to ask?”
“You can ask me anything,” he said quietly. “Pa misses the extra hands, that’s a given, but I know something died in him when his two oldest sons failed to come home. Ma fell apart in the beginning, but when she decided to set herself to living again, she did it with a gusto. She worked herself silly, ‘til we had the cleanest house this side of the Rockies. You know, I think she worked herself to exhaustion so she would fall asleep at night. Now she lives to clean, and bake and all that kind of stuff.”
He sighed. “Lillian and I got the better of it. Too much, maybe.” He added slowly, “I think she loves us too much.”
“What about you, Josh? You must miss your brothers.”
“Sure I do. You know, I never really got to know George all that well, with him being almost ten years my senior. But Joseph I knew. I miss him.”
They continued walking in a comfortable silence which was broken after a while to discuss school matters until Ellie remembered the time, and begged to rush away home.
“I’ll walk with you,” Josh insisted. Ellie agreed, and although her pa had never said anything against her seeing boys, she said her goodbyes to young Joshua Emerson at the gate, away from prying eyes.
13
Eden
THE FIRST date was scheduled for eight o’clock. Eden was over the worst of her cold, and believed there was a good chance she would be sneeze free. Marti had agreed to watch her mom and Sophie although she didn’t seem too thrilled that Eden had started dating Justin Kipper.
Eden slipped into a little summer dress, a bit too light for the weather, with a small sweater over top. She wrestled with her makeup, praying for one of those miracle makeovers you see in the magazines to suddenly happen to her face. The doorbell rang at ten to eight. She ran down the steps to greet Marti at the door.
“Thanks for coming, Marti. I really, really appreciate it.”
“Sure. I get tired of being alone in my apartment.”
“They’re both in bed, so hopefully that’s where they’ll stay.”
“I’m sure they won’t be any trouble. It’s a nice break coming here. When is Justin picking you up?”
“I’m meeting him at the Keg.” Five days and a hefty bill later Eden’s car was, thankfully, running again.
She slipped into her sandals and checked her image in the oval mirror by the door. Not bad. The short skirt worked to her advantage. Eden always thought her legs were her best feature. “I won’t be late, Marti. Please, make yourself at home.”
His grey Honda was parked in the lot. Eden’s heart was aflutter. It’d been so long since she’d been on a date. She reapplied her lipstick, tossed her curls, and tucked her hair behind her ears. She locked up her car and sauntered casually toward the door.
The lights were dim with the cozy glow of candlelight, and the chatter of diners blended with loud country music. She spotted Justin’s blond head across the room. Dressed in a pale cotton shirt and khaki corduroy pants, he looked simply gorgeous to Eden.
Justin spotted her, too. “Eden, wow! You knock me out!”
“Thanks.” She slipped into the chair beside him. “Have you been waiting long?”
“My lifetime.” He brushed his fingers over hers. “I ordered wine. I hope you like red.”
“Love it.” Not exactly true. White was her preference, but when there was a handsome man involved, who cared?
Cade had never wined and dined her like this. Once they moved up north together, Eden thought, it was business as usual. They both worked full-time until Sophie came, and then Eden cut back to part-time. They shared the domestic duties, and besides the times they made love, they weren’t much more than roommates. Eden chastised herself; it wasn’t fair to compare Cade to Justin. Anyway, she didn’t even want to be thinking about Cade .
“Smoke?” Justin offered, holding an open pack out to her.
“Yes, please.” Eden waited as Justin offered his lighter, and she breathed in deeply. Relax, she told herself. “How are things at the market?” she asked.
“I’ve been set free. Dad’s finally back on his feet.”
She tapped ash into the ashtray.“So now you can concentrate on photography?”
“Yeah. Maybe I can show you some of my work later on.”
“I’d like that. You mentioned on the phone that you got an assignment out east?”
“Yeah, but…” He squeezed her hand. “I’ll be gone for two weeks.”
“Two weeks?” Eden tried to hide her dismay. They were barely starting their romance and he was leaving for half a month?
“I know. It’s a long time.” He feigned a pout. “And bad timing.”
She fought to keep her composure. “No, kidding.”
He ran a finger along her jaw, and she quivered at his touch. “Maybe sometime you can come with me.”
Eden nodded agreeably, but was shocked by this sudden intimate invitation. All the while she wondered how she would manage to escape the burden of her mother, as well as find someone she trusted to care for Sophie. She waited for Justin to include Sophie in the invitation, but they were interrupted by the waiter.
After listening to the obligatory rundown of the night’s specials, Eden ordered a medium rare sirloin with a fully loaded baked potato. Justin ordered seafood.
“I hope they hurry,” he said. “I’m starved.”
“Me too.” In all her rushing around to care for Eleanor and Sophie, Eden had forgotten to eat all day. She let out a heavy breath and enjoyed the effect the wine was having on her.
“How about a toast?” Justin said, lifting his glass. “To an exciting new future?”
Eden smiled raising her glass and clinked it together with Justin’s. “Cheers.”
With his arm raised, Eden caught sight of a long scar on the inside of Justin’s forearm. “What happened there?”
Justin emptied his glass and refilled it. “Got into a scrap with my ol’man.”
“Your dad did that?”
“Yeah. He’s a maniac.”
Eden leaned back in her chair, stunned. Though she’d never connected with her own father, and they often disagreed with the choices she made in her life, she never once saw him lift his hand in anger. Not toward her or her mother.
She knew that Justin’s dad was older than her mother, yet in surprisingly supple health, still running the store. Old Mr. Kipper had been married twice; the first wife had died in childbirth. Everyone who’d lived in the neighbourhood for as long as she had, knew the story. There was a dozen or more kids all together. Justin was the youngest of the seco
nd batch.
Suddenly Eden felt tired and washed out.
“Hard day?” Justin asked.
“Oh, about the usual,” she said. Justin didn’t prompt her for more information.
“I didn’t really want to help out my old man at the store, you know,” he said as he leaned over until his shoulder touched hers, “but now I’m glad I did.”
“I have to admit,” Eden said, enjoying the closeness. “It was a bit of a shock, when I saw you there. I mean, you really look good.”
“Looks can be deceiving.”
She steadied her gaze on him, daring to be the vixen. “The eyes don’t lie.”
He draped an arm around the back of her chair, leaning in until their noses were almost touching. She found his nearness intoxicating. It’d been so long since she’d been stirred romantically.
Justin’s voice came out in a hush. “Can I kiss you?”
She nodded feebly. Her breath hitched when his lips met hers. They were soft and silky, but different. She hadn’t kissed another man since high school, before she’d started dating Cade, and her lips weren’t sure what to do. Cade’s lips were full where Justin’s were thinner. She’d grown accustomed to the bristle of shadow brushing against her skin with Cade. Justin’s beard made his face softer.
The waiter approached their table, and Justin pulled back with a sly satisfied look on his face. Eden felt stunned. Though she had left Cade, she hadn’t cheated. Not until that moment. It left a pit in her stomach she couldn’t explain. Justin was a good kisser, but somehow she’d failed to enjoy it.
“Steak for the lady, and the seafood special for the gentleman. Can I get you anything else?”
“Another bottle of wine,” Justin said.
They attacked their meals with a flourish, and when the initial hunger was satisfied, they settled into a slower pattern of eating and talking.
“So how is it with your mom?” Justin asked. “Any improvements?”
East of the Sun: a 20th century inspirational romance. Page 5