No Ordinary Summer

by Linda Barrett

  DANIEL HEARD Shelley gasp, but ignored her for the moment, while once again meeting the other man’s gaze head-on. He allowed a smile to cross his face. “It would be my pleasure.”

  “Oh, no, Dan. I couldn’t ask you to do that. I’ll get a sitter.”

  He didn’t press the point, seeing that Shelley was still unnerved by her ex’s suggestion. In truth, Daniel had no particular plans for the next weekend, so staying with the kids was no hardship. He could take them to Neptune’s Park and distract them while their mom was away.

  “The offer remains open,” he said to Shelley. “No problem.”

  “Thanks,” she said in a quiet voice. “I’ll let you know.” She stared at him for a minute before bustling with the meal again. He figured she was serving the most marinated steak in the country.

  It wasn’t the delayed meal, however, that made Daniel feel uneasy. Shelley didn’t look happy. And Daniel didn’t trust Carl. But there was nothing he could do about any of it. Not his business.

  But his heart was heavy. No question about that. And it was difficult remaining neutral while Carl Anderson successfully manipulated everyone in his orbit.

  Dan watched the politician chat up his former in-laws after bringing them full plates of food. He watched him embrace Emily and Josh freely—a good thing—but when he started calling Shelley “sweetheart,” Dan decided it was time to leave the party. Until he saw Shelley grimace and give her ex-husband a speaking look. Dan silently cheered, his heart much lighter. It seemed to him that Ellen Duffy’s hopes for a reunion were not a sure thing.

  LATE THE FOLLOWING Saturday afternoon, Shelley stood at the forward rail of the ferryboat heading into Boston. Her parents also chose to remain outside, sitting on a bench, and seemed to be enjoying the ride. None of them had ever been to Carl’s new condo, but she had directions to give the cabdriver when they arrived in the city.

  The half-hour ride over the water should have relaxed her, but she found herself gripping the rail until her knuckles turned white. She had to make a decision and make it soon.

  Although the children didn’t know what was really at stake, they’d sensed the excitement in their dad and became infected with it themselves. Normally, they’d complain about a new baby-sitter, but tonight they were more than willing to stay home with the teenager Shelley’d managed to find, a girl who lived only a block away. Actually, the mom seemed happier than the daughter about the girl’s chance to earn some money, and reassured Shelley that she would be on call that evening herself. So now Shelley and her parents were on their way to spend an evening with Carl. And the kids knew it.

  The boat docked; several cabs were lined up at the permanent taxi stand adjacent to the wharf.

  “Let’s go,” said Shelley to her parents. “He’s catering the food, so we won’t be disturbing a master chef at work if we show up a little early.” Of course, if they arrived early, they could also leave early. She indicated the bottle of Amaretto she’d brought as a gift. Carl’s favorite liqueur. “We can always start the evening with this.”

  “I’ll stick to beer. Thanks anyway,” said Philip Duffy wrinkling his sixty-four-year-old nose.

  Shelley laughed. “Josh looks just like you when he does that.”

  Her dad’s face flushed with pleasure. “He’s quite a boy, my grandson. All I want is for him to be happy.”

  “I know, I know,” said Shelley holding the taxi door open for her parents and then getting in herself. Josh was a terrific kid who wanted a dad full-time, and she was on the brink of a decision that would affect both her children for the rest of their lives.

  The taxi driver knew the city well, and in fifteen minutes, they were deposited in front of a newly converted building housing luxury condominiums.

  “No grass to mow here,” said Shelley in a quiet tone, thinking about the lovely yard she had at her home only a few miles away.

  “Carl has no time for that stuff now, Shel. Be reasonable.”

  “Are you sure you’re not Carl’s mother, Mom, instead of mine? I wasn’t criticizing. Just observing.”

  Ellen’s hug was reassuring. “Ah, Shelley. I just want the best for you. You can get used to living anywhere, as long as your family’s together.” Good old-fashioned values that Shelley believed in. But at what price?

  No point in replying to her mom. They all knew the key to changing the status quo was in her hands. And Shelley would turn that key only when and if she thought the time was right.

  Carl really seemed to want to make amends. True, he needed her badly, maybe so badly that his need would be a catalyst to change his behavior. People do make mistakes and then correct them. And he was the father of her children. She’d definitely bring an open mind to the evening.

  “Carl said a doorman would let us in,” said Ellen as they approached the entrance. “I don’t see him, and I think we’re a little early.”

  “Don’t need the doorman,” said Phil Duffy. “Someone’s coming out now.” He thanked the exiting residents and held the door for the two women. “Let’s go.”

  “Lucky us,” said Shelley, glancing around. “It’s Apartment 5-B. And now we can find it ourselves.”

  The swiftness of the elevator ride made Shelley laugh. “It’s fun, like the whip at the amusement park.” Still chuckling, she got her bearings and led her parents toward Carl’s apartment. The door opened as she approached.

  A familiar, tall, leggy blonde was profiled in the doorway. “’Bye, sweetie. See you later. Much later. I just love living in this building.” Her intimate chuckle left no doubt as to the purpose of the proposed rendezvous.

  Shelley stood in the hallway, frozen, as though watching a performance unfold on stage. Somewhere, in the back of her mind, any hope she had for rebuilding her marriage evaporated forever. Gone in an instant like a dream unremembered.

  The blonde turned, saw them. “Oh, my.” She shook her head and tsked. “Carl,” she called inside. “First aid is needed out here. And I don’t think I can help.” She walked passed Shelley, then paused. “It’s déjà vu, isn’t it? But if you can pretend I don’t exist, you can still have it all. That’s my best advice. And my best offer.”

  “Easy to be generous with advice,” replied Shelley to the woman she now realized was Carl’s longtime girlfriend, “when you know I won’t take it.” Carl’s associate shrugged and continued toward the elevator.

  Shelley looked at Carl, who stood on the threshold of the apartment. He started to speak, but Shelley put up her hand in a stop motion.

  “Don’t even try. But thanks for making my decision so easy. We won’t be staying for dinner after all.” She hefted the bottle of liqueur, tempted for a moment to chuck it at him, but turned to her parents instead. “We’ll raise a glass to new beginnings when we get home. Are you with me?”

  “Talk to her,” interrupted Carl, looking at the Duffys. “She’s kept my name. She’s still an Anderson. And, Shelley, you’re nuts if you think it’s over. Any shrink will tell you that two parents are better than one.”

  Shelley shrugged and did a half turn, heading toward the elevator, her mom and dad keeping pace on either side of her.

  Carl’s voice followed them. “Don’t be so high-and-mighty, Mrs. Shelley Anderson, who’s got a guy living right upstairs at the beach. Very convenient for shacking up. But not good for my children. And, trust me, it won’t look good in court.”

  AT FIRST, silence filled the taxi on the trip back to the pier. Shelley’s parents sat on either side of her, each holding one of her hands. Several moments passed.

  “I’m such an idiot….”

  “I’m so sorry, Shelley….”

  “He’s a jackass….”

  Shelley glanced first at her dad, then at her mom, then started to laugh. They both joined in, and for a moment, the car rang with good humor. But then Shelley found she couldn’t stop. Tears ran down her face as she shook her head from side to side.

  “I’m such an idiot,” she repeated. “Fooled
twice by the same guy. No judgment at all. About Carl or about any man. What in the world do I know about men? Carl was my first and only. And how am I going to teach Josh to be an honorable man? I’m thirty-four years old. You’d think I’d be wise by now.”

  “Shush, sweetheart, shush,” said her mom, patting her hand. “Everything will be all right.”

  Shelley laughed again. Her mom sounded like every other mother in every generation. The way Shelley sounded when comforting her own children.

  “Didn’t you say you were coaching Josh’s team?” asked her dad.

  “Yes.”

  “The children are eight years old, so you’ll teach them to play fair and that winning isn’t everything.”

  “Carl thinks it is.”

  “Then Josh and Em are lucky to have you.” Phil leaned over and placed a kiss on her cheek. “I’ll be at every weekend game—cheering my daughter!”

  Her parents’ change of heart about the revival of her marriage was a relief to Shelley. Seeing Carl in action had obviously shaken them up. They’d only wanted the best for their daughter, and fifteen years of mostly happy memories were hard to erase especially when their daughter’s future seemed so insecure.

  “We haven’t had dinner yet,” said her dad, “and we still have a baby-sitter. How about stopping off at the Lobster Pot when we get back to Pilgrim Cove?”

  “Why not?” said Shelley. Not that she was really hungry, but if a good meal in a friendly environment could restore her parents’ spirits a little, it was worth her time.

  And the stop had been worthwhile. Thea’s warm greeting put Shelley at ease as soon as she entered the restaurant. She consumed her entire dinner. Her folks did the same.

  “Look at that,” she said, pointing to their plates. “We must be feeling better.”

  “Are you sure you do?” asked Ellen.

  “Yes. Yes, I do,” Shelley replied. No question about that.

  After leaving the Lobster Pot, she drove directly home and pulled into the driveway behind Daniel’s vehicle. Which didn’t necessarily mean he was home. He liked to take long walks especially in the early morning and late evening.

  She automatically led her parents down the driveway and up the porch steps to the back door, the one that led directly to the kitchen, where so much of her daily life was focused. “I’ll take the sitter home, and if you like, we can have another cup of tea when I come back.”

  But when she walked inside, the kitchen was empty. No evidence of a teenage girl’s presence littered the table or chairs. The place was too clean, and Shelley didn’t like it.

  “I’ve got to check the kids.”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  SHELLEY MOVED swiftly toward the hallway, but came to an abrupt stop when Jessie appeared. The dog’s tail wagged hard enough to lead a marching band as she trotted directly to Shelley.

  “Jess? What’s going on?” Shelley leaned down and rubbed the dog’s neck, feeling her alarm lessen. If Jess was here, then Daniel had to be in the house, and that meant her children were safe.

  “I hope you believe in ‘All’s well that ends well,’” came a deep voice nearby.

  Shelley’s attention shifted from dog to man. Daniel leaned casually against the archway separating the kitchen from the hall. One shoulder was propped on the door frame, one foot crossed over the other, his arms folded in front of his chest. His hair was longer than when they’d first met, and a thick chestnut curl hung awry on his forehead.

  She wanted to touch him, to reach for that curl. But she couldn’t move, couldn’t think, especially when she saw the curiosity in his golden-brown eyes slowly change to warmth.

  “I guess you survived,” he said quietly. “Unscathed.” Then he smiled.

  She forgot about the kids and her parents. She simply stood and stared. The man looked good. Too good. And so different from Carl. Carl. A flash of pain pierced her stomach as she crashed back to reality.

  “What happened here?” she asked. “Did the sitter have to leave?”

  A thoughtful expression crossed his face. “Hmm…you might say that. I guess not every fourteen-year-old is committed to baby-sitting on a Saturday night. At least, not by herself.”

  “Oh, no,” said Shelley. “Did she invite a pack of friends?” Images of every teen party movie she’d ever seen or heard about kaleidoscoped in her mind. “How bad…?”

  He held up his hand. “Not to worry. It didn’t get that far. I sorted everything out.”

  “Thank you so much, Daniel. I really owe you for this.” Shelley heard her voice crack as the implications of the evening struck her.

  If Carl heard about this baby-sitting fiasco, he could use it against her. After the threats he’d made that evening, she’d expect no less. And after watching him achieve goals for over ten years, she wouldn’t underestimate his determination. He was a master at strategy when he wanted something.

  “Are the kids in bed?” she finally asked.

  “Sorry. Didn’t know where to put them with your folks staying here.” Daniel glanced at Phil and Ellen, who’d been quiet until then. “So we popped some corn, then hung together in the living room and watched a movie. Emily conked out in ten minutes. Josh took a little longer. Come on. You can tuck them in where they belong.”

  In fact, Daniel had done a pretty good job of tucking them in on the sofa with a couple of throw quilts. One sleepy, tousled child lay at each end of the couch, and Jessie, alert but seemingly content, stretched out on the floor in front of them.

  Shelley would have been just as content to remain standing there all night, absorbing the slice-of-life scene that could have been limned by Norman Rockwell. A Portrait of Home is what she’d call it.

  Her heart exploded with love. For her children’s sake, she’d fight an army if she had to. An army—or one Goliath. And yet she’d never considered herself a particularly brave person. Conscientious, yes. Capable, yes. But nonconfrontational, preferring to resolve the conflicts in her life amicably. Even through her divorce.

  But as she studied the two innocents who depended on her, adrenaline rushed through her body. Her spine straightened, her hands fisted at her sides and she knew her peacemaking days were over.

  “I can’t thank you enough,” she said to Dan, her voice thick over the lump in her throat. Her parents echoed their appreciation, then each one took a sleepy child to bed.

  “Forget about it,” he said, stepping closer to Shelley and lightly stroking her jaw with his knuckles. “What are friends for?”

  His touch distracted her; speech deserted her. She nodded, her eyes not leaving his face. He leaned in. Her heart fluttered in anticipation, but his lips barely brushed hers before he lifted his head again. “Good night.” He called for Jessie and was gone.

  She stared after him, feeling bereft. She’d wanted more.

  NOISY WITH EXCITEMENT, her children crowded around her in the kitchen the next morning. Children with hope in their eyes. They’d known she’d been with their dad the night before, and now they hoped for a miracle thanks to Carl’s broad hints to them before he’d left the previous Sunday.

  Shelley would be the one to take the hit again. She’d have to absorb their anger. Their pain. Their disappointment. She opened her arms and gathered them in.

  “Let’s go outside and let the morning sun warm us up.”

  She didn’t leave room for debate, just pulled the kitchen door open, and they trotted after her to a chaise longue at the front of the large porch. Shelley pulled a child down on either side of her, an arm encircling each one.

  “I love you guys so much,” she began, kissing them on the forehead. “And it’s because I love you so much that I have to tell you the truth—even though you won’t like it.” She took a breath, allowing a moment of silence so they could begin to absorb her message.

  “Didn’t you have a good time with Daddy?” asked Emily. “Is he coming to play with us again today? Josh said you were on a date.”

  “Be quiet, Emily
. You don’t understand anything.” Josh’s head snapped back as he looked at Shelley. His hazel eyes, at first shining with hope, had turned bright with anger, before finally becoming dull. Dull and resigned.

  “It didn’t work out, did it?” he asked. “And Daddy’s not coming back to live with us.” He waited a heartbeat. “Is he?” A tiny ember of hope still lit his voice.

  She doused it. “No, Josh. He’s not. But he’s welcome to visit, and you both will visit him just like always.”

  Tears flowed from her son’s eyes, but he pushed them away with his fists. “Then why—why did he say things would be different? He said…he promised!”

  Shelley’s breath stuck in her throat. Had Carl actually promised?

  “Oh, Joshie. I’m so sorry. We all know a promise is special. Sacred.” She hoisted Josh onto her lap facing her, one hand lightly resting on his soft cheek. “If he promised, your dad made a mistake. A big one. And I’m so sorry.”

  “But he shouldn’t of….” Fresh tears found new paths down his face, and Shelley allowed a moment to pass before trying to ease the pain further. “You know, everyone makes mistakes at some time or other.” Not for the sake of the father did she try to give an explanation, but for the sake of his son.

  “But he shouldn’t have lied! That’s not fair!”

  Her heart twisted with his pain while she hugged him. “He wanted to make you happy.”

  “But he didn’t. I’m not happy.”

  “I know, sweetheart. And you’re absolutely right. It isn’t fair. Either to you or to your sister. But you know what’s weird? Maybe Daddy’s not a happy guy today, either. Maybe now Daddy’s scared that you are going to be angry with him.” She waited for that idea to sink in while her own thoughts ran along a different channel.

  In reality, Carl was probably not thinking about the kids’ happiness at all. If Emily and Josh were on his mind, it was with the thought of custody. Carl would rationalize that the next best thing to presenting himself as an ideal family man was presenting himself as a responsible parent. A concerned parent.