“I hope you never kill yourself because I would miss you. Wendy, I will drive you to school on Monday and talk to the principal and if this doesn’t get better I’ll pull you out of there.”
“There isn’t another school.”
“I’ll teach you here, at home, if I have to. Okay?”
She nodded but she was still crying. “Do I have to come up for supper?”
“No. I’ll bring down some sandwiches later.”
“And some biscuits.”
“Yes, unless Gavin has eaten them all already.”
“Do you love him?”
“Why do you ask that, honey?”
“The kids at school say Gavin is whore lover and they say really bad things about you.”
Lillian took a deep breath. “We’ll get that sorted out too, I promise.”
Saturday morning Lillian logged on to her school account. She wasn’t expecting any updates but there were her final grades. “I passed,” she whispered. “I actually passed. I have a diploma.”
Out of curiosity she searched for administrative assistant jobs and started reading the listings that came up. She was actually qualified for a few. She heard Gavin in the hallway and shut the computer off.
I have a job that I like. And I doubt there are administrative assistant jobs here in Wheaton, not one I’d actually be hired for anyways.
Monday morning Lillian bundled up and drove Wendy to school as promised. They waited through the national anthem and morning announcements and finally Mr. Seymore called them into his office.
“Good morning Mrs. Jones,” he said.
“It’s Ms. Jones,” Lillian corrected.
Mr. Seymour ‘hmphed’. “Ms. Jones, how can I help you this morning?”
“Were you aware of the bullying my daughter has been subjected to recently?”
“No, I was not aware. Have you spoken to her teachers about this?”
“No. I didn’t realize I had to. And Wendy was telling me some of the things that have been said. If the teachers haven’t stopped it yet I don’t think they will.”
“They may not be aware of it either, Ms. Jones. But since you are here why don’t you tell me what you believe to be going on.”
Lillian repeated what Wendy had told her but Mr. Seymour didn’t react at all.
“Is that all?” he said, sounding bored.
“All? Someone told my daughter to kill herself. That’s pretty severe. And she says they’re saying inappropriate things about me and my employer as well.”
“Your employer or your lover?”
“Excuse me? How dare you ask such a thing?”
“Ms. Jones, this is a Christian town and we have strong Christian values here. Yet you come here, an unmarried woman, you bring your fatherless child with you, and take up residence with an unmarried man, and now you are upset that your immoral behaviour has brought suffering upon your child.”
“What?”
“And if the rumours about you and Mr. Asher are true then you are living in sin.”
“You’re a principal, not a preacher. I didn’t come here for a religious lecture; I came here to make sure this school was a safe place for my daughter to learn.”
“I don’t believe the students are hurting your daughter in any way.”
“Then I don’t believe she will be returning here. We’re going on an early Christmas vacation. She won’t be back until the New Year.”
Holding back tears Lillian took Wendy’s hand and fled.
Gavin was still out doing chores when they returned. Lillian went straight to the computer and searched administrative assistant jobs again. One that had caught her eye over the weekend was still there.
Urgent: Administrative assistant required for small graphic design firm. Must have accounting skills. Must be able to being immediately. Reply to this ad by phone please.
She picked up the phone and dialed.
Twenty minutes later she was banging on Wendy’s door. “We’re going to the city for the afternoon,” she said. “Come on.”
She left a note on the table and a roast in the slow cooker and they were gone again before Gavin was finished with the chores.
“Why are we going to the city?” Wendy asked.
“I have a job interview,” Lillian said. “You’re not going back to that school. If I can get this job then we can move back to the city and you can go to school in the city and maybe things will be easier on you.”
“But you like working for Gavin.”
“Yes, I do. But you come first and you are not going back to that school.”
“How did Christmas shopping go?” Gavin said as Lillian and Wendy came in the side door that evening.
“Good, we just needed a break. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Not at all.” He wanted to kiss her but he wasn’t sure if she’d told Wendy about them sleeping together and he really wanted Wendy to keep liking him.
“Wendy’s going to stay home for a few days,” she said. “We’re going to do a big cook out.”
“What’s the occasion?”
“If we get snowed in this winter we’ll have some easy meals in the freezer and we won’t have to worry too much if I miss a shopping trip. And Wendy and I need a day together.”
“Sounds fun. Did you eat? There’s some roast left.”
“I’ll make hot sandwiches tomorrow. We need to get these presents wrapped.”
Gavin nodded and watched them disappear down the stairs.
Gavin came inside Thursday afternoon to find the house strangely quiet. Of course the car was missing so he assumed Lillian and Wendy had run into town to do some shopping. They’d spend two days cooking up a storm and making his house smell delicious. It smelled good now and he found chili in the slow cooker. Beside the slow cooker was a note.
Gavin, I’m sorry but Wendy and I had to leave. I finished my administrative assistant’s diploma and I got a job in the city. Wendy will be starting school there after the holidays. You’ve got enough food in the freezer, all labelled with cooking directions, to hold you over until you find someone to replace me.
I’m sorry, I should have given you notice but I had to go.
The car is in town. I drove there and met the moving company. I’m sure one of the men can help you get it back to the ranch. Thank-you for everything.
Lillian
He dropped the note and ran downstairs. Her bedroom was spotless, the bed neatly made, and there was no sign she’d ever been there. No sign except a parcel wrapped in silver paper sitting on the bed with his name on the tag.
He set it in the office and ignored it.
He didn’t hear from her, not a phone call, not an e-mail, not even a text message. He’d tried calling her cellphone but it rang in the office and he found it with Wendy’s on his desk. Soon it was Christmas Eve. He had a small tree in the living room and had set his presents under it. On Christmas Day his parents came over and they exchanged gifts but three remained under the tree.
Later that night when he was alone again he opened the silver box. Inside was a pocket watch, plain and smooth, and when he opened it he found an inscription.
To Gavin, with love, Lillian.
He put it back in the box and took down the tree. The last two gifts, a halter with Wendy’s name on the side and a snowflake of diamonds on a silver chain, he hid under the bed, intent on forgetting about them. He almost put the pocket watch with them but at the last moment he took it out of the box, set it to the right time, wound it, and set it beside his alarm clock.
He fell asleep staring at it and wondering where Lillian was now.
Chapter 10
Lillian practically crawled out of the bathroom. Wendy was sitting at the kitchen table with a plate of toast and a math workbook. She looked up at her mom and frowned. “Maybe you should call in sick tomorrow,” she said. “You’ve been sick for days now.”
“It’ll be fine. If I don’t feel better by bedtime I’ll call in sick, I promise. How
’s your homework going?”
“The math is easy and I finished the book we’re reading in class already.”
Lillian studied her daughter carefully. She had the same evasive eyes and the same downcast voice Lillian had seen in the days before they had left the ranch a little more than a month before. “Is everything all right?”
“I know we have to live here so you can bus to work but I miss living at the old apartment and I miss my old school.”
“Aren’t you making friends?”
Wendy shrugged.
“Are kids picking on you?”
Another shrug.
“We left Wheaton to get away from this. Why didn’t you tell me right away?”
“This was a good apartment, and you liked the new job, and I didn’t want to spoil things for you.”
“Spoil things for me? Wendy, you’re the most important thing in my life!”
“More important than Gavin?”
They had both avoided talking about the ranch and about Gavin since they had left. Now Lillian looked away until she could bury her loneliness and pain. She forced a smile as she turned around again. “Yes, Wendy, you’re even more important than Gavin.”
“Do you miss him?”
“Yes.”
“I do too. And I miss the horses.”
They sat in mournful silence together until Lillian’s stomach did a back flip and a front roll at the same time and she bolted to the bathroom again.
Lillian was making baked breaded chicken, from scratch, when Wendy emerged from her bedroom. “That smells really good. Why are you making my favourite supper?”
“Because we haven’t had it in a while.”
Wendy just nodded and pulled up a chair at the table.
“So, I wanted to talk to you about something important.”
“I thought so.”
Lillian slid the tray in the oven, set the timer, and joined her daughter at the table. “I was going to wait until after I fed you the chicken but it looks like I’m busted, aren’t I?”
“A little busted, yeah. What’s going on?”
“I didn’t just run out for milk this afternoon.”
“Did you buy me a present?”
“No, but depending on your reaction it might be a present after all.”
“Okay, what’s going on, Mom?”
“Wendy, I didn’t mean for this to happen, but it did. And I want you to remember that I love you with all my heart, I always will.”
“Did you get fired?”
“No. But there’s a reason I’ve been sick.”
“Are you dying?”
“No!”
“Then what is it?”
“Wendy, I’m pregnant.” Lillian was expecting stunned silence at best and a full blown screaming fit at worst so when Wendy squealed and leapt out of her chair so she could race around the table and hug her Lillian was startled.
“You’re really pregnant! Mom’s that’s awesome!”
“You’re sure you’re okay with this?”
“Gavin has to be the dad, right? You haven’t dated since we moved.”
Lillian was so stunned that all she could say was, “Yes, he’s the father. How long have you known?”
She shrugged. “A while. So you’re going to tell him, right?”
Lillian didn’t answer right away. “I hadn’t thought about it yet. I only just found out an hour ago.”
“You don’t want to tell him?”
“I don’t know. I’ll think about it, all right? And I was trying to keep that a secret from you.”
“I know, that’s why I didn’t say anything, but I heard you come down in the mornings a few times and sort of guessed.”
“Why did I bother lying to you?”
Wendy shrugged.
Gavin was staring at a stack of bills and his accounting program without seeing any of it. He was more than a week behind on the books and at least two weeks behind on his sleep. The whole town was talking about his affair and how she had left him high and dry and he didn’t care one bit, he had never cared about what they thought of him.
Did they chase her away? Is it their fault she left? Will she come back? Will she call? Where is she? Why doesn’t she call? Did she really love me?
The phone rang and he jumped. He got it on the second ring and said, “Hello!”
It might not be her, calm down.
“Hello Gavin, it’s Lillian.”
His heart was hammering. “Lillian. I … How have you been?”
“Good. How about you?”
“Good. How is the new job?”
“It’s good. How’s the ranch.”
“It’s good.”
“Uh … look, I’m sorry for calling so late.”
“No!” he said quickly. “It’s okay. I was still up working on the paperwork. What did you need?”
There was a pause and then Lillian said, “I was wondering if you wanted to come over to the new apartment and have dinner with us one day this week.”
“Of course. Is there anything I can bring?”
“No, that’s okay, you don’t need to bring anything. I’m free all week so …”
“I can come tomorrow if that’s okay with you.”
“That would be fine.”
“Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
He hung up the phone and smiled.
Her name was on one of the buzzer tags in the foyer so he pressed it and waited. “Hello?” said a familiar voice.
“Hi Wendy, it’s Gavin.”
“Are you here?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, I’ll buzz you in. Turn left when you get off the elevator.”
Her directions weren’t necessary since she was waiting in the Hallway for him.
“Hey!” she called, waving. “Over here!”
He smiled and waved back. “How have you been kiddo?”
“All right I guess. How are the horses? Do they miss me?”
“Of course they do. If your mom says it’s okay you could come down one weekend to go riding.”
“That would be awesome.” The elevator binged open. “Oh, there’s Mrs. Jameson.”
“Oh, is she coming for dinner too?”
“No, I’m going over to her place for the evening.”
“Oh, okay. I’ll see you later.”
He watched her run off down the hall, waved to Mrs. Jameson, and then took a deep breath. He stepped into the apartment and was met with delicious smells.
“Hello!” he called and his heart almost stopped when Lillian stepped out of the kitchen. She was glowing.
“You made it. I was hoping you wouldn’t get lost.”
“Here, I brought you a little something as a belated house warming present.” He held out the bag.
“Oh, you didn’t need to do that.” She wiped her hands on her apron and took the bag. Inside was a bottle of wine. Her smile faltered for a split second. “Thank-you. Why don’t I get you a glass?”
“All right. This is a nice building.”
“Yes, and in a much better part of town than before.”
“So the job is paying well?”
“Well enough. Sit down and get comfortable. Supper should be done in just a minute; I just wanted to let the sauce thicken up a little.”
“I didn’t realize it would be just you and me,” he said. He let his gaze sweep over the apartment. It was a mix-match of second hand furniture with that coffee table standing proudly in the middle of the living room. There were no photos on the walls, no knick-knacks, no house plants, nothing to really make the barely furnished apartment look like a real home.
She came back with a single glass of wine and he frowned. I’m sure she’s had wine before. And we’ve sat on the deck with our beers before. Maybe she just kept her glass in the kitchen for now.
“I wanted a chance to talk, without having to dance around certain subjects for Wendy’s sake.”
“Does she know?”
“Oh, she kn
ows,” She said, her voice dry. “She didn’t freak out, either.”
He relaxed a little. “Good, because I never wanted to hurt her. Or you.”
She opened her mouth to say something but the kitchen timer started beeping. She disappeared for a moment and came back with a casserole dish almost overflowing with potatoes, chicken, bacon, carrots, and a creamy sauce.
“Wow.”
“I hope it tastes as good as it smells,” she said. “Let’s eat.”
“Lillian, I want to have a nice evening with you, but I have to know. Did I do something to hurt you or scare you away?”
She shook her head. “It was the school,” she said. “Wendy was being bullied so badly. She’s the only one with a single mom, and everyone in town suspected we were having an affair, and when I went to speak with the school the principal turned out to be a, sexist, conservative … gentleman who had the nerve to imply I was a whore. I had just finished my diploma and then I saw this job and I thought, ‘I have to get Wendy out of here, I have to get her back to the city where she won’t get hurt’. So we left.”
“Lillian …”
She held up her hand. “I’m sorry about how we left; I didn’t want to hurt you. I wasn’t sleeping with you just because you were there, or because you were rich, I really did care about you. But my daughter had to come first.”
“I understand.” He heaved a sigh. “Wow. You don’t know how relieved I am that it wasn’t something I did.”
She stared at him for a moment and then started laughing. He chuckled too and took a sip of his wine. “Oh, it’s been a week full of surprises,” she said.
“I know Wendy has to come first …”
“The thing is I’m going to have to learn to compromise.”
“I can’t ask you to do that.”
“You’re not asking me to, but Wendy’s going to be a big sister and I can’t play favourites.”
His heart sank. “Congratulations.” That’s why she’s not drinking the wine. She’s pregnant. She sure didn’t wait long after she left.
“I could say the same to you.”
He stared at her. “You can’t be serious.”
She nodded, smiling shyly.
“You’re pregnant. And I’m the father?”
Nanny for the Rancher Page 10