“How is Shirley?” Olivia asked.
“According to Miranda, she’s in love,” he said despairingly. “And it isn’t with me.”
“Oh, Will, I’m so sorry.”
“There’s nothing to be sorry about. It’s my own fault. I introduced her to an artist friend of mine and then, next thing I know, the two of them are head over heels for each other, which Miranda was happy to share. A week ago they came to the gallery—and they thanked me,” he said sardonically. “Trust me, I can read the writing on the wall.” He stared down at his feet and shrugged again, trying to pretend it really didn’t matter.
Clearly this rejection had come as a shock to her brother. Women had always been interested in Will, and he’d been interested in them. It seemed that, in the past, Will could’ve had almost any woman he wanted. Grace was an exception, but that was a whole other story.
“The thing is,” her brother said. “I’m getting old.”
“Older, Will, not old.”
“Same difference.”
“Oh, come on. You’re as attractive as ever.”
He raised his eyebrows but didn’t respond.
Olivia was surprised by the fragility of her brother’s ego. She wanted to laugh off his concern, but she could see that he took this seriously. She supposed his inability to cope with rejection made sense, considering he’d received very little of it over the years.
“I’m afraid,” he said.
“Of what?”
He looked away. “Of growing old alone.”
She searched for the words to reassure him and would have spoken if not for the fact that their mother stepped out of the ladies’ room just then. Olivia knew immediately that Will was right; Charlotte was distressed about something.
“Mom,” Olivia said, meeting her halfway. She slipped an arm around her mother. “Come and sit with us.”
“You don’t mind, dear?”
“Of course not.” She steered Charlotte toward the table where Jack and her friends were waiting with their champagne flutes. Will followed two steps behind.
Charlotte sat next to Olivia and set her small handbag in her lap. Olivia noticed that her mother hadn’t brought her knitting, which was unusual. Charlotte never allowed a spare moment—even at a formal event like this—to pass without knitting.
Moving a little closer to her mother, Olivia asked, “Where’s Ben?”
Her mother stared at her blankly.
“Ben, Mom,” she repeated. “Where’s Ben?”
“He went to talk to David.”
This wasn’t welcome information. Anything to do with Ben’s son was generally bad news. “David’s in town?”
Charlotte worried her lip. “I wouldn’t know, dear. Ben took a phone call and then said he had to leave for a while. I completely forgot about Troy and Faith’s wedding. Thank goodness Will could bring me.”
Her mother was obviously distraught. “You know David’s living in Seattle now?”
Olivia nodded; Ben had mentioned it the day they’d come for lunch.
Charlotte lowered her head. “That’s not all.” She paused and exhaled slowly. “David was let go from his job. He’s unemployed.”
Olivia had already heard about that, too, and wondered why her mother was repeating it. She sounded as if it was news to her.
“He’s living with a woman and…oh, dear, Olivia, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Ben this upset. He thought David had lost the power to hurt him, but he was wrong. Ben can’t believe his son would stoop to letting a woman support him. It’s bad enough that David seems to enjoy terrorizing Mary Jo over that precious baby.”
Olivia reached for her mother’s hand. “Don’t worry, Mom,” she said in a soothing voice. “Ben knows how to deal with David.”
“What David needs is someone who’ll talk to him without taking any of his garbage,” Will interjected. “If he won’t listen to his father, maybe he’ll listen to me.”
“Will,” Olivia muttered, silencing her brother. He was only throwing gasoline on the fire.
“Like I said,” she told her mother again, “Ben knows how to handle his son.”
“Oh, Olivia, I do hope you’re right. I can’t tell you how worried I am.”
Will scowled, clearly angry at what this business with David was doing to their mother. Good thing David Rhodes wasn’t anywhere close to her brother, who had little tolerance for that kind of behavior. One look at him told her Will would love to straighten David out.
“Ben knew Faith and Troy’s wedding was this afternoon. We planned to attend together. I bought a new dress and Ben got a new tie and we’d been looking forward to it. He must have forgotten.”
“I’m sure that’s not the case, Mom,” Olivia murmured.
“It’s just that I’m afraid of what David might do. He doesn’t know that Ben’s found out where he’s living. If Ben shows up unexpectedly, everything might blow up in his face.”
“Who told Ben all this about David?” she asked, hoping to keep Charlotte from dwelling on the negative possibilities.
“I don’t know for sure. Somebody… And then a woman phoned the house early this afternoon and asked to speak to Mr. Rhodes. When he finished with the call, Ben didn’t tell me who she was or why she phoned. I have to assume this is another young lady David has hurt in one way or another. All Ben said after he hung up was what I told you.”
Charlotte paused and seemed to need a moment to collect her thoughts. “Ben was so upset. He said it was time he paid his son a visit.” She glanced up. “I’m so worried….”
“You don’t seriously think David would hurt his father, do you?” Olivia tried to hide her alarm but wasn’t sure she’d succeeded.
“With David, it’s hard to tell.” Her hands opened and closed the clasp of her purse.
Olivia placed an arm protectively around her mother’s shoulders.
Faith and Troy were walking toward the cake, and Olivia watched as Jack sat up and took notice. He’d finished a plateful of crab salad, broccoli quiche and smoked salmon canapés, but he was ready, as usual, to indulge his sweet tooth. She nudged him with her foot as a warning to behave. Honestly! Anyone would think Cliff and Jack hadn’t eaten in a week.
“Ben!” Charlotte cried out, raising her arm and giving an anxious wave.
Olivia looked toward the front of the restaurant and saw Ben Rhodes enter the dining area. Charlotte stood and hurried toward him. He smiled down at her and slid his arm about her waist. The two of them talked intensely before Olivia’s mother brought Ben back to the table.
Both Jack and Cliff stood to greet the other man. Will did, too, but his dour, thoughtful mood hadn’t improved.
Although Olivia sympathized with her brother’s disappointment, she felt a bit of rejection might be good for him. He did seem genuinely hurt that Shirley Bliss had fallen in love with someone else. But then, most people had learned by this age that life had its share of disappointments.
Ben leaned close to Charlotte, whispering a few words in her ear. Almost immediately, Charlotte relaxed.
Olivia didn’t want to seem too inquisitive, but she couldn’t help being curious. “Is everything all right, Ben?” she asked.
Ben’s hand rested on his wife’s back. “Never better,” he assured her, although his face was expressionless.
Olivia wondered what had taken place between David Rhodes and his father. Obviously Ben wasn’t about to divulge what had happened, nor was he willing to feed anyone’s speculation. But she guessed that whatever had been said would eventually come out.
An hour later it was time to go. Olivia had visited with various friends she hadn’t seen since she’d taken a leave of absence from court. As they filed out of the restaurant, Olivia felt that Faith and Troy’s wedding had been lovely in every way, exactly what she’d wanted for them. Earlier, she’d learned from Grace that they’d booked a honeymoon trip to Alaska. The couple planned to fly out the next morning.
As Jack escorted her to the
parking lot, Charlotte called out to them. Olivia walked back to meet her mother.
“Olivia, I can’t seem to find my knitting. You didn’t see it when I arrived, did you?”
“No, Mom, sorry. Are you sure you brought it?”
“Olivia, sweetheart, you know me well enough to realize I never go anywhere without my knitting.”
Yes, which was why Olivia had wondered about it. “Could it be in Will’s car?”
Charlotte smiled in relief. “Of course! How silly of me. That’s where it must be.” Will was ready to pull out of the parking lot when Ben stopped him.
Will lowered his window as the two men had a quick exchange. Will reached over to the passenger seat and handed Ben the quilted bag. Ben turned, holding it up so Charlotte would know he had her precious knitting.
“Oh, thank goodness,” Charlotte breathed.
“Everything’s going to be fine, Mom,” Olivia said more confidently than she felt. “I’m sure of it.”
Jack came up then, and the two of them saw Ben and her mother off. “Poor Mom,” she said to her husband.
“She was worried about Ben, that’s all,” Jack said. “We all get confused when we’re concerned about someone we love. And when you’re dealing with someone like David, someone who seems to have no conscience at all, everything’s that much harder.”
Olivia had to agree. In her opinion, David Rhodes had already done untold damage. She could only hope this was the end.
Thirty-Three
Rachel was convinced that telling Jolene about the baby this soon was a mistake. Bruce, however, disagreed. He seemed to think that the longer they could give his daughter to adjust to the news, the better it would be.
However, Rachel couldn’t see Jolene accepting this gracefully. Certainly not with joy or excitement.
Bruce decided the best way to make the announcement was to take his “girls” for a night out. He planned every detail, starting with reservations at D.D.’s on the Cove.
As Rachel dressed for dinner she felt sick, but her queasiness had nothing to do with the pregnancy. She’d managed to hide her morning sickness from her stepdaughter all these weeks and doubted Jolene even suspected she might be pregnant.
“Are you ready?” Bruce called from the living room.
“Give me a minute,” she called back. Then, sitting on the edge of the bed, Rachel closed her eyes and offered up a silent prayer that her stepdaughter would welcome her half brother or sister into their family. A cold sweat broke out across her forehead as apprehension settled over her.
“Hey, Rachel,” Bruce said, crashing into the bedroom. “What’s the holdup? If we don’t leave now, we won’t make our reservation.”
She gave him a weak smile. Bruce didn’t appear to notice her uneasiness as she reached for her purse.
Jolene was waiting in the living room and eyed Rachel curiously when she appeared. “You aren’t sick, are you?” The question wasn’t one of concern. She asked it as if she expected Rachel to do something to ruin this evening her father had planned for them.
“I’m fine,” she lied.
Bruce pulled the car out of the garage and Rachel got into the front seat beside her husband.
Jolene slammed the rear door as a reminder that until Bruce had married Rachel, she’d always sat in front. Bruce had yet to comment on the abuse his daughter gave the rear door. Rachel let it go. That door was the least of her problems.
Bruce located a convenient parking spot at D.D.’s and the three of them walked to the restaurant. Rachel saw that Jolene stayed close to Bruce’s side, preventing her from walking next to her husband. Bruce seemed unaware of the girl’s maneuvering and Rachel wasn’t about to get into a shoving match over whose right it was to be next to Bruce. She followed quietly a couple of steps behind, desperately hoping she’d make it through the evening.
The hostess seated them and Jolene instantly slid into the booth beside Bruce.
“The last time we were here we split a bowl of steamed clams,” Jolene told him. “Can we do that again?”
“Sure,” Bruce said, without looking up from his menu.
Jolene knew that Rachel disliked clams. She hated to be paranoid but her stepdaughter seemed to be going out of her way once again to prove that Rachel was an intruder on their happy family.
This was all the more reason, in Rachel’s view, to delay telling Jolene about the pregnancy. Unfortunately, Bruce didn’t agree. He also disagreed that counseling might help. Rachel had tentatively brought it up, but he insisted that they could work out their own problems—and that Jolene would refuse to go anyway.
Bruce and Jolene had steamed clams as an appetizer, while Rachel sipped herbal tea. She did her best not to watch for fear that looking at them eating clams would upset her stomach even more. Jolene made slurping sounds as she ate, suggesting that she was thoroughly enjoying herself.
“Let’s order dinner,” Bruce said as the waitress removed the bowl of clam shells. “Do you know what you want?” he asked Rachel.
“Can I have steak?” Jolene cut in, not allowing Rachel to respond.
Bruce smiled indulgently at his daughter. “You can order anything you like, sweetheart.” He looked at Rachel again.
“Dad, what are you going to eat?” Again, Jolene cut Rachel off before she had an opportunity to answer.
“I believe I’ll have a T-bone. This is a celebration, after all.” He smiled at Rachel, clearly pleased with himself.
He didn’t seem to share any of her concerns about Jolene’s reaction to their news. Rachel wondered how her husband could be this oblivious. After helping Jolene with her algebra, she thought her relationship with the girl had improved. That peace, however, was short-lived. Within a matter of days, everything returned to the way it was from the moment Rachel had married Jolene’s father.
Instead of the family friend Rachel had been, starting when Jolene was in first grade, she became an interloper, the woman who’d trespassed on the girl’s territory. It’d been just Jolene and her father for so long that no one, no matter how close, would fit into the family picture.
When the waitress came for their dinner order, Rachel was finally able to announce her choice. She asked for crab cakes with rice pilaf and a green salad. Both Bruce and Jolene chose the full steak dinner, complete with baked potato, soup and salad.
Bruce, at least, was in high spirits. Rachel tried to catch his mood; she ignored every slight Jolene threw at her, smiled sweetly and pretended it didn’t hurt that her own husband hadn’t noticed the way his daughter treated her.
To be fair, Rachel didn’t know if she was being over-sensitive, since the pregnancy had played havoc with her emotions. The best she could do was disregard the verbal jabs and refrain from countering even the nastiest ones.
Father and daughter spoke animatedly through dinner. Rachel swallowed a few bites and then asked for a take-out container. By contrast Bruce and Jolene both ate their entire meals.
“How about dessert?” Bruce said when the last of their dishes had been removed from the table.
Rachel placed her hand on her stomach. “I’m full. I couldn’t eat a single bite,” she protested.
“I could,” Jolene said eagerly. “What would you like, Dad?”
Bruce read over the dessert menu and then looked at his daughter. “I suppose you want the ice cream sundae with chocolate sauce.”
“Dad,” she moaned playfully. “That’s for kids.”
“You’re still a kid,” Bruce said.
“No, I’m not.” Jolene giggled.
The girl was happier than she’d been in all the months since Rachel had married Bruce. It was easy to see why. Jolene was in her element. She had her father’s full attention and she’d managed to shut Rachel out.
What Jolene didn’t know was that her father was about to deliver a devastating blow that would disrupt her entire world.
They each ordered a different dessert. Bruce got the apple tart warmed and with vanilla ice
cream and Jolene chose a slice of chocolate cake.
Bruce waited until their dessert was served, then stretched his hand across the table to reach for Rachel’s. His fingers curled around hers.
Jolene stared at Rachel and narrowed her eyes menacingly.
“I mentioned that tonight’s a celebration,” Bruce began, turning to his daughter.
Jolene slowly nodded.
“Do you know what we’re celebrating?” he asked.
For a moment, Jolene looked confused. “I passed my algebra test and advanced to intermediate in swimming, remember?”
“I do,” Bruce commented.
Jolene had been forced to take the swimming test three times before advancing. In addition, she’d gotten a B-on her algebra final. Both tests had been hard for her. Rachel was proud of Jolene, although the girl had scorned her praise.
“This isn’t about making it into the intermediate swimming class or doing well on your algebra final,” Rachel told her.
Jolene looked blankly at her father. “Then what are we celebrating?”
Bruce glanced at Rachel and offered her a soft, reassuring smile. “Rachel told me some exciting news recently.”
“Rachel did?” This was asked as if she had difficulty believing Rachel was capable of saying anything of interest.
“Jolene, tonight we’re celebrating the fact that you’re going to become a big sister.”
The girl looked from her father to Rachel, and then back at Bruce before the light dawned. She turned to face Rachel. “You’re having a baby?” The question was an accusation more than an inquiry.
Gazing down at the table, Rachel nodded and then, reminding herself that she had nothing to be ashamed of, boldly met Jolene’s eyes.
“Daddy?” The girl turned to her father. Her face crumpled as if she was begging him to tell her it wasn’t true.
“Didn’t you hear me?” Bruce asked in the same animated way he’d announced her pregnancy. “We’re having a baby.”
“I heard,” Jolene muttered.
“Aren’t you happy?”
1022 Evergreen Place Page 28