“You keep feeding yourself those lines, Lucy,” Cherie said heading off to the lanes herself.
Chase walked by me to grab his ball from the return. “Lots of whispering back here near the nachos.”
“Nachos have that effect on women, didn’t you know?”
“Good to know. “ He gave me that winning smile. “This is fun, right? I think the kids are enjoying themselves. Even Katie has stopped trying to use her super powers to set me on fire.”
I had to chuckle. He was right. Katie’s glare had been almost flammable when we’d headed out, but she’d softened as the evening wore on. “She has reason not to trust men.”
“I get it. I’m not taking it personally. I’m just really glad she seems to be relaxing. I wouldn’t want to be the reason she had a bad night. And she looks overdue for a good one.”
“Thanks,” I said, shoving him.
“You’re welcome. Is that shove like the girl equivalent of me pulling your pigtails?”
“Maybe.”
“You’re up, Lucy,” Aaron called out from the scoring table.
Chase wasn’t much better at mini-golf until he’d had some serious coaching from Oliver, and then he miraculously seemed to improve a lot. That was very sweet to watch and the girls were right it did make me like him a lot.
“You like Chase, don’t you?” Katie said around the twelfth hole as Chase and Oliver were attempting to get their golf balls past the blades of a turning windmill.
“We’re friends, so of course I like him.”
“I think you like him as more than friends, Aunt Lucy.”
“We’re just hanging out.”
“You had a date tonight and we ruined it. It feels like we ruin everything.” She said her voice painful in its sadness, his sweet face downcast.
I knew that feeling. I’d felt like that my entire teen years.
“It looks like everyone is having a wonderful time. No one ruined anything.” I slung my arm around her. “Now come on. Let’s go show these boys how to play golf.”
She offered me a thin smile. Still, she warmed up, and when we played the second round—girls versus boys—we did indeed beat them.
“There are more of you!” Oliver pouted.
“Don’t worry, Olly. The winners buy the ice-cream,” I said.
The kids led the way to the ice-cream stand while Chase and I followed enough steps behind them.
“This was really fun, Lucy. Unlike any evening I’ve ever spent.”
“I can’t believe you’ve never bowled before.”
“Yeah well, my dad was more country club than bowling alley. So it didn’t happen.”
“My dad used to take us to do all sorts of cool things,” I said, wistfully. “He loved the drive-in, going bowling, taking us to paddle boats and carnivals. Well, I guess that last one is a no-brainer, but before he ran off, he was a lot of fun.”
“He never came back? That seems weird.”
“I know.” I never understood that part. And now, as an adult, it made even less sense.
“Did you ever look for him?”
I shook my head. As a kid, I’d always hoped he’d come back but then he never did. As an adult, I figured he’d known where I was all along; he’d had his chance. It wasn’t that I wasn’t curious. “Nope. Some dragons are best left sleeping.”
“You do have quite the dragon obsession, Princess. Now come on, I’m ready for ice-cream.”
***
On Sunday night, Minnie’s phone was still off. While I had managed to turn the weekend into one big sleepover, I wasn’t sure I could sustain it all week with my hours and the kid’s schedules.
Not to mention, the kids weren’t stupid; they’d notice if they’re mother went MIA.
I headed downstairs to call Cherie so the kids wouldn’t overhear.
“What should I do?” I paced the kitchen while we spoke. “Do I take them home and we all move in there ’til she shows up, or do I go get their stuff and have the sleepover continue?”
“Tough call. Did you call the authorities?”
“I’m not calling Child Protective Services.” I could never do that
“I meant the cops, about Minnie. You don’t know where she is. It’s not like her to leave the kids, Lucy. I know she’s been flaky lately, but she loves those kids. You might want to do a missing person’s report.”
“Do you really think something has happened to her?” I couldn’t even let my mind go there.
“Do you really think running off with that loser is going to end in something good?”
She had a point. This was bad. “Crap.”
“I’d get their school clothes and some extra bedding or whatever they need and keep them at your place. It’s only been the weekend. She needs to come back for work, right?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s decided then, so reassess it tomorrow then. Day-by-day.”
“Yeah great, except day-by-day isn’t exactly great for the kids.”
“I know, but right now that’s the best solution I can offer. And think about calling the police about Minnie.”
So I piled the kids into my car and headed back to their house as the sun set behind the city.
“When is Mom coming back?” Oliver’s voiced called from the back-seat.
“A day or two,” I said, deliberately vague to give my sister time to come to her senses—if she wasn’t in a ditch somewhere.
Shit. I should call the cops.
“She hasn’t even called us,” sniffed Ollie.
“I know, honey, but she will soon.”
What else could I say? I remembered people lying to me like this as a kid. Dad will come back, Dad will call or Mom will be home by dark. I hated myself for repeating the same lies and I hated my sister for putting me in the position to have to do so.
While the kids loaded their bags with enough for a few days, I did a quick check of my sister’s room. Her closet looked conspicuously empty for someone going away for a weekend. My heart sank. Minnie wasn’t going to be back tomorrow.
I stopped at the grocery store on the way home for cereal and other supplies. I couldn’t really feed the kids pies for days on end, not that they would complain, but I was the responsible one.
A few hours later, they were tucked in beds around the room as they had been since Friday, and I went out to sit on the stairs to call Chase.
“Hey,” he said.
I could picture him sitting up in his office, watching the boats bobbing in the semi-darkness of the harbor. His hair would be tousled and his feet up on the desk.
“Hi there.”
“Still no sister?”
“Not even a phone call.”
“That sucks.”
“Big time. Especially for the kids.” I let out a sigh.
“I don’t think the timing is all that great for you with the reunion only a matter of days away.”
“I’m thinking we might need to cancel that trip unless I hear from Minnie in the next day or so.”
“I’m sure she’ll call, or we can work something out.”
We. It was sweet that he said we, but the truth was, it was just me. Me alone with my sister’s kids and a boatload of problems to solve. “I don’t know….”
“What about your mom? Wouldn’t she like to see the kids?”
I hadn’t thought of that, mainly because, while my mom did love the kids, it’d had to be from a distance. Her behavior had made her less than welcome at my sister’s home, and her lack of help since Joe’s death had compounded it. Rationally, she didn’t have anything to give—emotionally or financially, but that didn’t mean that we didn’t want it.
“She’s not, um, available.” So few words, so much meaning.
Luckily, Chase got it. “Well, even if your sister comes back, they could still come with us.”
“You want to drive up there with three kids?” It didn’t sound like a good idea even to me and I was their aunt.
“I want to
do whatever is necessary to ensure you have a great weekend, Lucy.”
I could think of a few things, but none of them were appropriate with three kids in a car.
“Thanks Chase. I’ll see what happens tomorrow.”
Chapter 11
By Tuesday, it was clear my sister was AWOL.
I bit the bullet before school and had a talk with the kids. I felt sick. I knew what it felt like to be them, and no amount of reassurance would help.
“So kids, it seems like your mom is going to be away a little longer…” My voice trailed away. I was such a coward.
“How long?” Katie asked, her chin jutting out in defiance.
I recognized it for the act that it was. Poor kid was terrified.
“Well I’m not exactly sure right now. What I do know is that you can stay with me, or we could all go back and stay at your house if you prefer.” Three sets of eyes were on me and no one was speaking. “You can decide that later. And then, this weekend, I’m going up to visit Grandma because I have a school reunion and I thought you guys might like to come with me on a road trip.”
“Is it just us?”
“Chase is coming too. He was always coming.”
“I like him.” Oliver interrupted the spooning of cereal into his mouth to share his opinion.
“He’s a good friend. The point is, we’ll be staying at Grandma’s which would be fun. I know you guys haven’t been up there in ages.”
“What if we don’t want to go?” Katie asked.
“Well, sweetie, the thing is, I’m going, and while your mom is gone, I’m kind of the best option you have, so we all have to go to Grandma’s. But you can talk to each other and decide if you want to stay here or your place this week.”
“It’ll be weird being home without Mom.” Oliver threw his spoon into his now empty cereal bowl.
“Yeah, but we’ll have our own stuff and rooms and things,” Sophie said.
“I’m going downstairs again while you eat your cereal and decide. You need to leave for school in half an hour, so let me know on your way out.” Thanks goodness they could walk to school from the pie factory just as they had walked to visit me after school many times before.
I stood to go and Katie called my name. “Thanks for taking care of us.”
“Sweetie, it is never a problem. I love you guys.”
I walked down the stairs to the kitchen, my heart breaking with every step.
Chase was back doing more research that day, so I was used to having him around now, he was in early today and sat there waiting for me. When Piper went out to make some deliveries, we were alone for the first time since last Friday.
“So how are we feeling about the reunion, Lucy?” he asked. “Still want to go?”
“Here’s a positive with everything else going on, I’ve hardly even had time to think about it. I would normally be a puddle of sweat and anxiety by now.”
“You do paint a pretty picture.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean literally, obviously. Maybe that’s why I’m renting a date for the event.”
“I don’t think that’s it. It seems like you’ve been too busy to date.”
“I certainly have been this week. I’m sorry about that.” I shrugged then took another tray of pies from the oven. The smell of apple and pastry wafting from the oven was delicious.
“No wonder you girls have such great arm muscles. Isn’t that heavy?”
“Hot and heavy,” I said, winking. “We’re used to it. When I started, we weren’t as busy so the hours weren’t too long. Plus, Piper only had two trucks then, although we used to drive them a couple of nights a week as well. Anyway, I used to be bone-tired at the end of the day. I guess I’ve adjusted.”
“You’re a tough cookie, Lucy.”
I didn’t feel tough. “You do what you have to do. This isn’t how I pictured my life when I was at college, but it has been worth all the hard work because it’s paying off now.”
“I agree. Nobody deserves success more than you and Piper. You both are where you are because of hard work and determination. That’s something to be proud of.”
“Yeah, well, that’s great and everything, but all this hard work and self-sacrifice still leave me without a dress to wear to the reunion.”
“Can you go shopping this afternoon?”
“Kids.”
“I could look after the kids.”
“Katie will have a seizure if I leave them with you. She’s trying to keep it together, but that would be her tipping point.”
“Hmm.” He scratched the back of his neck. “I could get you a dress.”
“Uh huh.”
“No, really. I can shop. I shop for my mother a lot. I have good taste.”
Was the man mad? “No. First of all, just… well... no, and second, I’m not your mother and…third, well… it’s too weird.”
“Lots of men shop for the women they love.” He said as if this was a normal conversation.
“There are so many things wrong with that sentence; I don’t even know where to start.”
“I have an idea. Why don’t you try trusting someone? Let me give it a shot. If I screw it up we’ll stop at a mall on the way to New Hampshire. And if I don’t—which I won’t by the way—I’ll have saved you some time.”
“Trusting people has usually been a freaking disaster for me.”
“Well, I’m not just anyone. I’m different.”
“You certainly are.” No man had ever been as nice to me as Chase, and certainly none had ever bought me an item of clothing. Jacob had given me his Letterman jacket back in the day, but that was different. “I don’t know, Chase. It seems like too much.”
“It’s not. You want to wow them, right? I have the time to find something that you don’t.”
“How come you don’t have a proper girlfriend? One who would appreciate all this and reward you appropriately.”
“You can reward me if you like, you know.” He inched closer so that he was standing in front of me, and all that separated us was common sense.
“Well, I do look dead sexy in this outfit.”
“You could always take it off...”
I shoved him away, even though I wanted to pull him in and kiss him. “That’s not happening even if you do find a dress that makes me like the belle of the ball.”
“Bummer.” He was smiling. “Oh well. I’d better go shopping then. Favorite color?”
Pink but I didn’t want to go to the dress in a fluffy meringue of a dress so I lied and said red.
“Okay, red it is. You did look hot in that red sweater the first night I saw you.”
“You remember that, huh?”
“Some things will be forever etched into my memory, Lucy.”
***
On Wednesday, Piper and I had an important conference call with the head office of the franchise company. We were both nervous and excited.
Sophie said she wasn’t feeling well that morning, but I needed to get through the day, and so I’d dosed her with some over-the-counter medications and sent her off to school.
We were halfway through the conference call with their branding and marketing manager, Luke, when the call came in from the school that I needed to collect my niece. It went straight to the answering machine, so Piper and I both heard it. Then they tried my cell. I had to take the call, but I couldn’t leave the meeting. Crap. I seriously didn’t know what to do.
My phone rang again.
“You do realize I can hear that phone, right? “ Luke said. “And I heard that message. You need to go Lucy.”
“But—”
“It’s fine. I’m sure Piper and I can handle this. Family comes first.”
“Okay. Well, I look forward to meeting you when you come to town.”
“Likewise.”
I raced out the door and headed to the school, calling them along the way. Being a single parent was hard.
Three hours later, I couldn’t imagine poor Sophie could
be sick again. I left her sleeping and went down to check in with Piper.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I didn’t want to bail.”
“Don’t be silly. Is she feeling any better?”
“All barfed out.” “That’s good. Poor kid.” “Lucy, I know you’ve been thrown in the deep end here and I don’t want to sound mean, but I’m not sure how you’re going to manage the transition to the new role and all that entails, including quite a bit of travel, having those three kids in your care. At the very least, you’ll need a bigger place to live and some support.”
She was right. She’d offered the apartment for me to get myself sorted out. Not for four people. I felt so embarrassed I hadn’t even asked if that was okay with her.
“I’m sorry; I wasn’t meaning to take advantage...”
“No, no that’s not what I’m saying.” She took my hands in hers so we were face-to-face. “What I’m saying is, you need to make a plan beyond this week because Minnie might not come back. My mother left and never looked back; your father did, too. You might be facing the very real possibility of having those kids indefinitely, and unfortunately for you, the timing sucks work-wise.”
She was right. I slumped into a chair. Suddenly, I was more exhausted and overwhelmed than I could ever remember being. Piper came around and knelt in front of me taking my hands in hers.
“I didn’t mean to freak you out, honey. I’m so sorry.”
“No, you’re right. I need to think about all of this. I guess I’ve been hoping Minnie will wake up and come home, but I can’t assume she will.” I sighed.
“You don’t need to decide anything now, or even next week, Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything…You probably do need to think about it for the future. Hey, I have my own baggage, maybe I’m neurotic. She’s probably off having a wild break with her new boyfriend and she’ll be back in a couple of days.”
And at that moment, Oliver and Katie came bounding through the door. Piper was right. I’d done exactly two hours of work. I’d brought a sick kid to a workspace where you couldn’t have germs and I’d looked unprofessional in front of Luke from the franchise company, oh yeah and it was only three in the afternoon. The day wasn’t even over yet.
Any Way You Dream It Page 9