Meredith’s image swam through his brain, and he knew he’d be doing his own version of step-toeing to fix the damage he’d done, but with God’s help, he could do it. Would do it.
He shut down the computer and went to bed, his heart a mix of heavy and light, half wishing the night would hurry so he could fix the things he’d messed up, and half hoping it would take its time. Facing Meredith after his little tirade tonight? Not exactly an easy task. But…
God, I know I’m a jerk. I get that. But I want to be better. Do better. And I don’t know what I was thinking all these years, not letting my girls be, well…girls. I don’t know how good You are at all this girl stuff, but I need Your help. With that, and everything. Help me to relax. Bless my mom and help her to heal. Bless my girls and help them to forgive their old man for being such a stick in the mud. And while You’re at it, don’t let Meredith hate me. Please.
He felt better, and that was kind of strange, because he rarely felt good when he finally dropped into bed at night, and today of all days he should be hating himself.
But he didn’t, and that felt nice. Real nice.
Chapter Fourteen
Meredith hit the ground running early on Saturday and didn’t pause for breath. By the time Heather closed down shop at 3:00 p.m., they were tired, yet totally psyched by how many appointments they’d booked into the spa the past twenty-four hours.
Heather had put a large sign on the entrance door of the salon and one on the street side, informing people of their merger.
So far, so good. And that delighted them both.
“On Monday I’m going to approach the local papers about advertising and see if we can spawn a human-interest story about opening a new business.” Meredith swept the bulk of her last trim into a dustpan, then pulled out the vacuum.
“Awesome.” Heather started another load of towels in the washing machine. As it filled, she grabbed a duster. “You going to the spa now? Ready for another face-off with Cam?”
Anger and regret fought for space in Meredith’s chest. “No. Mom is doing baskets for the Salvation Army Easter drive and I’m going to help her with them. Wanna come?”
“I’d love it.” Heather nodded toward the Easter basket full of sweets she’d kept out for customers. “And we can add that right in because I don’t want it sitting around here. I’ve taken off three pounds just by avoiding too much sugar and dancing with you.”
“That rocks.”
Heather’s smile said she agreed. “If I can keep doing this, in eight more weeks it will be fifteen pounds. I could actually fit into my clothes again.”
“And we’ll do a little shopping,” Meredith promised. “Budget-friendly, of course.”
“Only way I roll around here.” Heather laughed. She gathered up the morning paper and handed it to Meredith. “Can you put out the recycling bin while I start the dishwasher?”
“Of course.” Meredith grabbed a sack of soda cans and water bottles. “Back in a minute.” She stowed the cans in the deposit return bin, the bottles in the recycling tote, then glanced at the “Political Points of Interest” column bite on the upper left edge of the daily paper before dropping it.
Bellwater Declares Gubernatorial Run in FL.
Meredith’s heart sank beyond toe level as realization struck.
Chas’s wife was running for governor. That meant the incumbent would do anything to hold his seat. And “anything” meant having people dig into Sylvia Bellwater’s life, delving for information to make her or her family look bad. Politics could be an ugly business behind a suit-and-tie facade. And Meredith wanted nothing to do with it, but she knew…
The gig was up because nothing escaped today’s political scrutiny.
* * *
“So, girls.” Cam set down the Saturday morning paper with more rustle than needed, drawing the girls’ attention.
Sophie lifted calm eyes to his, a forced calm. Was her resignation due to circumstances beyond her control? If so, she’d inherited that quality from him. Time for a little more spontaneity, then.
Past time, actually.
Rachel struggled into her sneakers and he mentally added a new pair to the day’s shopping list. “Are we going to Meredith’s?” she asked, lips pursed, looking down, the tight shoes giving her a hard time.
He stood up, rinsed his cereal bowl and grabbed his jacket. Yesterday’s cold front wasn’t in any big hurry to leave, but at least the rain had tapered off. “Shopping first.”
“We need groceries.” Sophie acknowledged the common sense of that as she brought her bowl over. “Fridge is empty.”
“I know.” Cam headed to the door. “We’ll get food after we shop for dresses.”
“Dresses?” Sophie paused in the middle of sliding her jacket on, then turned.
“Daddy? Really?” Rachel raced across the tiles, one shoe still untied, and he caught her in his arms, reality gut-punching him. They were growing up so fast. Seven and nine. Was he too late? Had he dug in his heels too long, too deep?
“Oh, Daddy, I love you!” Rachel’s grip around his neck felt good. So good. And he realized that his entrenchment had kept some of this affection at bay, just like it had with his mother. Feeling the warmth of Rachel’s hug and kiss, he knelt on one knee and pulled Sophie into the embrace.
“Group hug.”
They bundled like that for long seconds, entwined, him and his girls, his precious gifts from God. A tiny mew from the door broke them apart.
“Sally.”
“Dad, look! It’s Sally the kitten!”
The tiny calico had found her way to the back door, looking for love and affection and a nip of food, most likely. Cam filled a bowl with water while Sophie scooped cat food. The little kitten shivered on the porch, the cold, dank air unrelenting.
“She’s cold, Daddy.”
He couldn’t deny it.
“And hungry,” added Rachel. “Look at her eat. I wonder where she got off to?”
Sophie shook her head. “Doesn’t matter. What matters is that she found her way home.”
Out of the mouths of babes. Cam slung an arm around each girl, went back inside and made a warm nest of old towels in a corner of the downstairs bathroom. “Bring her in here.”
“Really?”
“For real?” Rachel echoed.
He nodded. “We’ll get some litter at the store, but for now we’ll just tuck her in here with her food and water.”
“She might make a mess, Dad.” Sophie raised quiet eyes to his. “She’s just a baby.”
“Then we’ll clean it up. Doesn’t take cats long to figure out a litter box, and once she does, we can let her run around the house.”
“An inside cat? Just like the Grishams?”
He was a meathead, plain and simple. “Yes. It’s good to have a cat around. Keeps the mice away. And with Dora in the barn we should be all set.”
“All set!” Rachel beamed at him in total agreement.
Sophie slipped her hand into his. “Thank you.”
He squeezed her fingers and wondered how he could make up for the time he’d lost, then remembered the Serenity Prayer on the plaque in his bedroom. The plaque was a favorite from his childhood.
Right now he understood why the timeless words meant so much. He’d change what he could and be smart enough to know his limitations. That alone was a huge step forward. “Clock’s ticking. Let’s go.”
They rushed ahead of him, dove into their seats and were buckled before he settled behind the wheel. No squabbling, no whining, no bickering. He sent a little prayer skyward that the stores would still have pretty dresses available at affordable prices. He’d phone Grandma Mary’s and have them pack an assortment of treats for tomorrow. That way he could run in, pay the tab and pick up the bag without the gi
rls seeing the contents. And if he grabbed some of those marshmallow chick things and a sack of jelly beans at the market? Perfect.
He grinned, shoved the car into Drive and aimed for town, feeling less encumbered than he had in a long, long time.
* * *
“Dana Brennan, you brought helpers I see.” The Salvation Army volunteer coordinator swung the door wide to accommodate them. “And look at those baskets! So nice, Dana. Thank you.”
Dana waved off the thanks as she set her baskets on the row of tables. “Glad to help. There are twenty more to bring in.”
“Do tell!” The older woman followed them to the car. When she spotted the back of the SUV, she put her hands to her heart. “This is plenty for all the families on my list, Dana. I thought we’d be short a few for a couple of reasons, but you’ve gone and fixed the problem without even knowing there was one.”
Meredith’s mother hedged. “I might have had a heads-up that one of your volunteers had a rough week.”
“And it hasn’t gotten better.”
Dana frowned. “I’m sorry to hear that, but we were happy to help out. That way she can concentrate on her health.”
The coordinator laid a hand on Dana’s shoulder. “You are a gracious soul.”
Dana shrugged that off in typical Dana style. “No big deal. And the girls and I had fun. So, girls, let’s move these inside so they can get them distributed tonight, and then I say we head over to the Beef Haus for some food. My treat.”
“I’m in.” Heather grabbed two wrapped baskets of treats and headed back toward the door.
“Me, too.” Meredith lifted her baskets, then turned back. “What about Rory? She’s done with the dance clinic in ten minutes.”
“We’ll pick her up.”
They carted the two dozen baskets into the holding room, wished the volunteers a happy Easter, piled back into the car and turned left toward the dance studio. Halfway there, Meredith probed. “So. You did extra baskets because?”
“One of the people who’d signed up ran into some problems this week. I figured her Easter baskets might not be a big priority.”
“But if they promised—”
“Sometimes life makes you forget a promise or two.”
“I expect it’s Mrs. Calhoun we’re talking about, right?” Heather directed a questioning gaze toward Dana.
Dana looked like she didn’t want to go there, but Meredith twisted in her seat. “Cam’s mother?”
Heather nodded. “Alma Burlingame said she was pleased when Evelyn volunteered to donate a couple of baskets because she hadn’t done any community involvement work in years.”
Meredith had assumed that Evelyn was as hands-on as she used to be after their face-off at the egg hunt the week before. Obviously not.
“But when she got diagnosed with cancer earlier this week, it shook her,” Heather added.
“Cancer scares people.” Dana made the turn into the Donahue School of Dance stone lot and put the car into park. “But I don’t feel right talking about things she might have wanted private.”
“You’re right.” Heather made a face at herself. “I shouldn’t have said anything, because Alma wasn’t supposed to say anything.”
“And yet she did.” Dana met Heather’s gaze in the mirror. “And while I love our town, that’s been an ongoing problem for our family. For yours. For most, I expect.”
“I’ll nix the info wagon in the new spa,” Heather promised. “We don’t want clients into everyone’s business. Was that a big problem in Maryland, Mere?”
She turned toward Meredith, but Meredith was still trying to digest that Evelyn Calhoun had cancer. No wonder Cam had been distraught. Anxious. Over the edge.
Acting like a jerk was still unacceptable, but at least now she got it. She couldn’t imagine how she’d feel if Dana got sick like that. “What?”
“I was wondering if gossip was a big problem at the spa in Maryland? Or was it too big for that to be an issue?”
“Gossip is problematic everywhere.” Meredith met their gazes, and went on, “And truth is, some of it was about me. If you guys have time, I’d like to tell you about it later. After we drop Rory off at home.”
“Of course.” Heather reached forward and pressed her cheek against Meredith’s. “I love it when you admit to something less than perfection. It makes my day.”
Meredith knew she was kidding and loved her for it.
Her mother laid a soft, cool hand atop hers. “I’ve been waiting.”
Calmly and quietly, Dana had been doing just that. Meredith met her gaze of loving acceptance. “I know.”
Rory hustled out the door, a jacket flung over her head. She grinned when she spotted the warm car and looked even happier at the promise of food.
Despite the lack of a father, and her mother’s thin income, the girl was a sweetheart. Heather had worked to raise a wonderful kid on her own, and Meredith knew that was no simple task.
But Heather had done it, and Meredith had to make sure she wasn’t about to jerk the rug out from beneath her friend’s feet. She’d explain her past and let Heather decide if moving forward with the spa was in her best interests. She couldn’t risk her friend’s reputation and livelihood. But more than ever, Meredith hoped and prayed she’d stay because working together strengthened both of them. She only hoped Heather saw it the same way.
* * *
Meredith’s phone buzzed as they dropped Rory off an hour later. She pulled it out, saw Cam’s number, weighed her choices, then answered, knowing her mother and Heather would hear. “Hey. What’s up?”
He didn’t bother with a preamble. “I owe you an apology.”
Darn straight. She hauled in a breath. “No time like the present.”
“In person.”
Um, no. “No can do. I’m with Mom and Heather right now and we just finished up the Salvation Army project.”
“No!”
No? She paused, taken aback, then approached the exclamation with caution. “Um, yes. We really did.”
“No, that’s not what I mean,” he went on, his words backpedaling, his tone urgent. “I was supposed to help my mother get stuff for two baskets to donate. How did I forget that?”
The same way his mother had, Meredith figured. Something about the big C put people off their game. “No problem. Mom got enough to cover yours.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Nope.” She weighed the wisdom of what to say, and added, “She heard about your mother’s illness and thought a little extra help was in order. In this one instance, gossip worked for good. And Mom’s a wonder.”
“Like her daughter,” Cam agreed. “So, listen, about that apology.”
“Unnecessary. Chalk it up to a bad day and move on. And I want you to know I’m sorry about your mother’s diagnosis. It’s a scary thing to go through and a tough battle to fight.”
Several seconds passed before his sigh. “You’re trying to brush me off because I was a jerk. I get it. But I can make this right, Mere.”
He couldn’t, because her house of cards was about to fall at her feet, the very thing that pushed her from town years ago. Would she have the courage to stay? Could she? Better yet, should she?
Her mother parked the car in the drive and opened the door. Meredith used the background noise as an excuse to break the call. “Cam, we’re home and I’ve got some stuff to do with Mom and Heather. Have a nice Easter with the girls.”
She didn’t wait for him to answer back, didn’t hold her breath hoping he’d insist on seeing her, didn’t pray he’d make amends and lead her to the happily ever after she wished was in her future. Because leading him on would only make things worse when he found out what she’d done. And Sylvia’s run for office said that would likely be soon.
S
he disconnected the call, followed her mother and Heather into the house, sank into the overstuffed plaid sofa, tucked her feet up under her and said, “I had an affair with a senator’s husband.”
Chapter Fifteen
Heather’s eyes went wide.
Dana’s didn’t. She sat next to Meredith and took her hand. “Did you know he was married?”
“No.” Meredith thinned her lips and shook her head. “But that doesn’t excuse it, Mom. He had a key to my apartment and a standing invitation. Bad is bad in this case.”
“Explain.” Heather hunched forward. “You had a relationship with this guy, but he was married. He duped you?”
“Yes.” She saw their looks of indignation and swept them a “get real” look. “So, yes, he lied and used a false name, but I was the one who made it okay to have a long-term intimate relationship with a man I wasn’t married to. I thought I was so cool, so now. Until it all came crashing down eighteen months ago.”
“So you’ve been out of this relationship a long time.” Dana squeezed her hand. Her face showed concern, not condemnation, even though she had to be horribly disappointed in Meredith’s behavior. Behavior that reflected her cheating father’s prototype. “Why did you wait to come back? To leave?”
Ah. The timeline. Meredith raised her shoulders and pinched her lips together. “A little lesson in blackmail.”
“You blackmailed someone?” Her mother’s carefully sculpted brows arched higher. “You didn’t really. Did you?”
“No, of course not.” Meredith tugged a throw pillow against her chest and scowled. “Someone blackmailed me. But since I wasn’t exactly an innocent victim, there wasn’t much I could do.”
“I’m lost.”
“Me, too,” Heather admitted. She scootched across the rug until they formed a nice, tight circle. Three women, chatting it up. Working it out. “Explain. And start at the beginning, please. I was never good at Venn diagram stuff. Give it to me nice and slow, piece by piece.”
A Family to Cherish Page 16