“But it’s dangerous! What about mosquitos and malaria and alligators and snakes?” He made a face.
She shook her head, angered by his lack of knowledge. “The Amazon is a wonderful place! Sure, there are dangers, but not any more than, say, riding a bike to school here. All kinds of things could happen. The Amazon is no different. Tons of children have great lives there. I would never let anything happen to EmJay. Never. She’d have constant supervision, an education, friends. We even have a doctor in the camp where I’m working.” She stopped, feeling flushed with her ire. So much for trying to keep him on her side. She took a deep, calming breath. “Besides, it’s not like I’ll be there forever. When I’m finished with my next job, I might go somewhere else. Maybe Europe.”
Tyler looked around, apparently losing interest in the discussion. “Do you have anything to drink? I mean, besides the wine you offered me before. I don’t drink alcohol.”
“There’s soda in the fridge.” She was lucky the owners had bought a new refrigerator for their new house, leaving their ancient one for her use.
While Tyler helped himself, she set out a plate of chocolate chip cookies the neighbor had brought last night with the casserole. When he sat down opposite her again, a can of orange soda in one hand and a cookie in the other, his question surprised her. “Do you believe in God?”
She shook her head. “I did once. But I don’t think so now.”
“Well, we—Mitch and I and my family, that is—believe in God. We believe that He is the literal Father of our spirits.”
Cory listened with amused interest as he explained the characteristics and purpose of the Mormon God. Then he talked about Jesus Christ and His role in the great “Plan of Happiness.” It was much like the doctrine Cory had learned growing up but more personal, more loving. Cory began to feel almost sorry that she couldn’t believe in such Beings. Then Tyler told her about the Book of Mormon. “You don’t have to accept my word for it,” he said. “You can know for yourself that it’s true.”
“Do you always do this?” Cory asked. “I mean, preach to people you meet? If you do, I bet you don’t get many repeat dates.”
Tyler grinned the smile that so reminded her of Mitch. “The girls I date already know this stuff. But I served a mission awhile back and talking to you . . . well, it’s kind of like being on my mission again. I guess I sort of fell back into the habit.” The glint in his eyes told her that maybe it hadn’t been so accidental.
“So you’re telling me what Mormons believe.”
He nodded. “Is that okay?”
Cory looked down at the baby in her arms. “I do want to know what my sister believed. Is there more?”
“Yeah. A lot more. But you should probably read a little bit in a book before we go on. I’ve got one in my truck. It’s my personal copy, but I’ll lend it to you until I get you another one.”
“I can buy it.” Cory didn’t want to feel obligated to anyone.
“Don’t worry about it. They’re cheap.”
She walked him to the front door and sat down on her porch with the still-sleeping EmJay to wait while he retrieved a book with a worn, brown leather cover. “Why have you crossed out so many paragraphs?” she asked, placing the book on her knees and scanning through the text.
He laughed. “Not crossed out. Highlighted. Those are my favorite verses.”
“You have a lot of favorite verses.”
“Every time I read it, I find more verses I like. Things that apply at that time in my life.”
Cory eyed the small print doubtfully. “You’ve read it more than once?”
“Yeah. Or at least the part that’s the actual Book of Mormon. There are two other books there as well—the Pearl of Great Price and the Doctrine and Covenants. Anyway, each time I finish the Book of Mormon, I write down the date in the back.”
Cory flipped to the back and saw that he had seven entries in a three-year span. She shook her head. How weird that a young man had wasted so much time rereading a simple book. Her father had been like that with the Bible.
“When should I come back?” Tyler asked.
She shrugged, not excited at the prospect but knowing that her commitment to EmJay meant she had to hear it all. She owed that much to AshDee and EmJay. Not that listening would make the slightest difference in how she felt. Of course, the most important reason for her to hear Tyler out was so that if Mitch didn’t agree to give up custody, the way would be paved for her to join their church. It would be a last resort but one she wouldn’t hesitate to use if it became necessary.
“I guess you could come tomorrow,” she said. “How long does it take?”
“About an hour each time, give or take. Depending on how many questions you have. Do you mind if I bring some friends?”
Ah, he needs reinforcements, she thought. “Sure, why not?” She’d grown up hearing about the scriptures and the will of God and was confident she could hold her own. Except if the infuriating Mitch were present. She didn’t want that, not until she was sure which of her plans she would have to follow—charming Mitch or pretending conversion. More than likely she’d need a combination of the two. “But don’t tell Mitch, okay?” she said to Tyler. “He and I have enough to work out as it is. This has nothing to do with him.”
“Fine.” Tyler glanced at the baby on her lap. “Look who’s awake.”
She looked down to see EmJay staring up at her. “Momma,” she said in a soft, sleepy voice.
Cory hugged her. “No, darling. I’m your mommy’s sister, but I’m here for you.” I want to be your momma, she added silently. But that was too personal to say in front of Tyler.
“Poor little girl. I’d better get her back. It’s been an hour. Mitch might worry.”
EmJay was struggling now to get down, so Cory let her, though the child didn’t seem in a hurry to leave. She was too busy checking out the porch stair railing.
“Come on, Emily Jane. Let’s go back to Mitch.”
The child looked up and grinned. “Much?”
“Yeah, Mitch.”
EmJay grabbed Tyler’s outstretched finger and began her descent on the cement stairs. Cory wanted to cry out that she hadn’t spent enough time with her. Strange how strongly this little girl had entered her heart. At the bottom of the stairs, she let go of Tyler’s finger, turned around, and waved good-bye to Cory. Cory waved back. Then EmJay grabbed Tyler’s finger again.
Cory watched until they reached Mitch’s house and disappeared inside. She didn’t know she was crying until a tear splashed from her chin onto her hands that tightly gripped Tyler’s leather book.
Chapter Thirteen
Cory awoke early Wednesday morning, feeling as though she hadn’t slept in a week. Not only did she miss the buzzing and cries of the insects and animals in the rain forest, she’d been disturbed by strange dreams that now eluded her grasp. She stretched in the twin bed the owners of the house had kindly lent her. The quilt they’d also left was on the floor in a heap, since she’d been hot during the night.
Utah’s heat was nothing like the Amazon’s, but the lack of moisture in the air made her skin and hair feel dry. At this rate, she’d have to buy special lotions to keep her skin from shriveling and her hair from frizzing.
Light filtered through the curtained window, making the room cheery despite its relative emptiness. She forced herself to her feet and opened the window, enjoying the cool breeze from outside. The morning sky was cloudy, but she suspected the clouds would burn off before afternoon.
Dragging herself across the carpet, her foot hit the edge of the book Tyler had given her. That’s probably why I had such a lousy night, she told herself. She’d read for some time in bed and the last thing she remembered was a war where the soldiers all strangely looked like Mitch. Or was that from her dream?
In the kitchen, Cory started to make herself a cup of coffee before she realized that she’d forgotten to buy any. She wondered how the Mormons woke up in the mornings. AshDee had been
a big coffee drinker before her baptism, and getting her out of bed in her teenage years had been a challenge. Cory wished she could ask how she’d felt about giving up the coffee.
Grief hit her then, completely and totally, taking her by such surprise that she sank down onto the patterned ceramic tile, holding her gut and trying not to scream aloud. AshDee! Why? Why did you leave me? Oh, AshDee!
Refusing to cry, Cory wrapped her arms around herself and gritted her teeth. She tried thinking about EmJay or even Mitch, but the emotions in her heart only intensified. AshDee, I need you! The oak cupboards and empty white walls seemed to press down on her until she felt she would smother.
Dear God in Heaven, she prayed—not because she believed, she told herself, but because the words from her childhood might bring comfort.
At that moment, her eyes spotted a discoloration on the wall where a picture had once hung. Focusing on this, she forced herself to breathe through the ever-increasing flow of grief. That spot saved her. She stared at it until the emotions receded, like the tide on a gritty shore.
At last she could stand. Forgetting her growling stomach, she stumbled to the shower to wash off the sheen of sweat clinging to her brow. She emerged feeling better but not ready for battle. Her plan had been to go to Mitch’s this morning and begin to work on him, kicking her charm into high gear. But it felt too soon after such an emotional start to her day. She didn’t want to show any weakness.
As she dressed in khaki shorts and a T-shirt, still debating what to do, her cell phone rang. She hurried to the kitchen where she had left her purse. “Hello?”
“Cory. It’s so good to hear your voice! I got your e-mail and called the first instant I could.”
“Evan.” She kept her voice purposely cold as anger simmered to the surface of her volatile emotions. “I wondered if I’d ever hear from you. What on earth were you trying to pull? I can’t believe you’d try to steal my job!”
“Whoa, calm down.”
“Calm? Why should I be calm? Evan, you tried submitting your pictures for the article—and you claimed some of my shots as your own. You’re lucky I don’t call the police and have you arrested.” This was good for her, this call. Already she felt more like battling Mitch.
“What are you talking about? I’m not sure where you got the information, but it’s all a mistake. That’s why I’m calling. Cory, sweetheart, I thought I was doing you a favor. I knew you weren’t quite finished, so I gave them extra photos to choose from. I had absolutely no intention of taking your place and certainly none of stealing your work. I knew your agent would be submitting your photographs.”
“Oh? Then why did you send some of mine?”
“Must have been included by accident. Honestly, Cory. I’d never do anything to hurt you.”
Cory wasn’t sure she believed him, though he sounded sincere. “You shouldn’t have done it,” she said, sitting down on one of her borrowed folding chairs. “At least until you heard from me or the magazine.”
“You didn’t leave me your contact information. I had to get your new cell number from your e-mail.”
She blinked in surprise, realizing he was right.
“I would have called sooner if I hadn’t been on a plane home,” he added. “Believe me, I was only trying to help. Yes, I’ll admit I was hoping the magazine would like my pictures, but that’s only so I’d get another spread with them. You’d have done the same.”
“No, I wouldn’t.” Yet as much as Cory hated to admit it, his explanation made sense. If her pictures had been lacking, his could have made the difference in whether or not the article was actually printed and if they would have a chance at doing future articles.
“Would so. Come on, admit it so we can make up. I’m dying to see you! The week you’ve been away seems like a month.”
Cory felt herself softening. “You’re in the States?” She brought a finger to her mouth and tore off a bit of nail.
“Of course I’m in the States. Without you there was nothing left for me in Brazil. Don’t worry, though, I packed your things and paid to store them—if you decide to go back.”
“I have to,” she said, letting a note of pride seep into her voice. “I’m doing the National Geographic spread.”
“Wonderful! Now we really have to celebrate. When can I see you?”
Cory shook her head, unsure that she even wanted him in her life at this point. Could she trust him? “I can’t leave here. There’s a problem with custody.”
“Where’s here? Texas?”
“No, Utah.”
“You’re in Utah? No way.”
“Yes. And they’re every bit as strange as you would expect.”
He laughed. “Oh, Cory, I’ve missed you.”
Though she wouldn’t admit it to Evan, she’d missed him, too. Being alone in Utah wasn’t exactly her idea of a fun time.
“Well, there’s nothing for it,” he continued. “I guess I’ll have to hotfoot it to Utah. I’ve been meaning to visit my cousin, anyway. I have an article to write, but I have a small window of time before I need to get working on it.”
“You’re coming here?” Cory felt a surge of excitement at the prospect.
“Yes. When I get there, I’ll take you jet skiing at a lake my cousin likes to go to. We’ll go Friday and make a day of it. It’ll be crowded because of the Fourth, but it’ll still be fun. Afterward, we’ll dump my cousin and go somewhere romantic. What do you say?”
“Sounds fun. Really fun.”
“So tell me what’s happening with your niece?”
Cory quickly outlined the problem and was rewarded with Evan’s sympathy. “I guess I’m in limbo for a while,” she concluded. “My plan is to prove to this guy that she needs me more than she needs him.”
“You think that’s going to work?” Evan sounded doubtful.
“Well, he’s a man, isn’t he? Tell me, wouldn’t it cramp your style suddenly inheriting a child you’re not even related to? I can’t believe he’s in this for the long haul.” Even as she said it, Cory somehow felt she was betraying Mitch.
“I don’t know. I mean, if this is a religious deal for him, it might not be that easy for him to give her up.”
“She’s my niece,” Cory said stubbornly.
“I know. I’m sure you’ll get it all worked out. Meanwhile, I can see I’d better waste no time in making arrangements. You need a break big time.”
Cory found herself smiling. She was glad the picture mess had been a misunderstanding. Right now she could do with a little of Evan’s pampering. At least she wouldn’t be lonely.
“Where’re you staying?” he asked.
“In Sandy. I’m renting a small place.”
“Is there room for me?”
“Sorry. My agent will be here soon, and we’ll be up to our ears in work. You’d better find another place.” She wanted it clear from the beginning that they were not a couple. Not yet. She wasn’t going to rush their relationship. Besides, what would Mitch think? Now that she was trying to impress him, his opinion meant everything.
“I’ll stay at my cousin’s, then,” he said, obviously disappointed. “He’s in Orem. I think that’s farther south, if I remember my geography.”
“That reminds me. We should probably invite my agent to come with us to the lake.”
“Not a problem. My cousin owns several jet skis. An inflatable boat, too, I think.”
“Okay. Call me when you get in.”
“Will do. Bye, love.”
Cory hung up the phone, and once again her kitchen was plunged into silence. Not a comfortable silence, but one that was loud and lonely. With a sigh, she arose and sliced a piece of homemade bread from the loaf the Relief Society president had brought her yesterday evening. With the homemade raspberry jam that had come with the bread, the bread would make more than a halfway decent breakfast.
The doorbell rang as she was cleaning up. Cory smiled. Most likely it was another neighbor bringing her a food gift. So far s
he’d received two casseroles, the bread and jam, a mound of chocolate chip cookies, a pan of brownies, and a plate of snickerdoodles—most of which had come last night around dinnertime. She’d accepted the storm of food hesitantly, wondering all the while what they expected in return. So far no one had even invited her to church.
Most likely they were waiting until she was really in their debt, then slam! they’d ask her to pay tithing, or something, hoping she’d feel obligated. Whatever their plan was didn’t really matter. In fact, their kindness might actually help her later if she had to implement her backup plan of joining their church. After all, turnabout was fair play. If they planned to use her, she could use them.
A glance through the peephole showed a woman on her doorstep, her features greatly distorted by the thick glass. What would this one have to offer? No one could claim they made cookies at ten in the morning, could they?
She was startled to open the door and find Mitch’s oldest sister standing there, a little boy in her arms and a big diaper bag slung over her narrow shoulder. “Uh, hi,” Cory said, her eyes dropping to the two towheaded children at her side. Behind them on the sidewalk was a double jogging stroller.
“Hi. I’m Kerrianne Price, Mitch’s sister.” The woman gave her a tentative smile.
“Sure, I remember you,” Cory said. “I, uh, would you like to come in?” She was suddenly aware that her living room was empty. Clean but empty. She was tempted to keep Kerrianne out on the porch, but the angry-looking clouds gathering over the mountains signaled an impending morning shower.
“Okay. But could you get Emily Jane? She’s in the stroller.”
Cory paused only a second before rushing down the steps to get the baby. EmJay blinked sleepily as Cory went down on one knee, scraping her skin on the concrete walk. “Hi, darling. How are you?”
The little girl from the steps poked her porcelain-doll face into the stroller. “Hey, Emily Jane, you’re finally awake,” she said in a baby voice. “Guess what? We’re going to visit your aunt.”
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