by Barbara Gee
“I’ll talk to JP and let you know,” I promised.
“And listen, Myla, if Haley has a cell phone and gives Adalyn the number, you can pass it on to me and I can take a look at who she’s been talking to and where she’s been. It wouldn’t be admissible in court, but it can give us an idea of what she might be up to.”
Hmm, that was worth some thought. Ava might not look like your typical computer geek, but she was an extremely skilled hacker. Thankfully she used her “powers” for good, working with a team who contracted primarily with the U.S. Department of Defense helping to keep our country safe.
Hacking into Haley’s phone would be child’s play for her, but I hoped things wouldn’t get to that point.
“I’ll talk to JP about it,” I replied, “but I doubt he’ll want to go that far unless Haley is completely ruthless.”
“Just know you have options,” Ava said. “I’ll talk to you later. Oh, and Jude and I are going to be passing through Garnett tomorrow morning on a quick trip to pick up a piece of equipment I need, so if you want us to go by Adalyn’s to grab anything for Lily, just let me know.”
“I’ll do that. Thanks for everything, Ava. We’ll talk soon.”
I thought some more about her offer to monitor Haley’s phone as Lily and I finished the hearts and stuck them to the paper chain. Would Haley force us to take such drastic measures on Lily’s behalf? I really wished Adalyn would call JP so we knew where things stood.
When the heart project was complete, Lily announced, “Daddy’s gonna love it.”
“Yes, he is. We’ll hang it up for him this evening.”
“Whatcha wanna do now?” she asked.
“Well, I was wondering if you’d want to go to my mommy and daddy’s house. I told them you’re visiting me today and they’d really like to meet you.”
“You have a mommy and daddy?”
“I sure do. Like your daddy has, remember? We’re going to Grandpa and Grandma Keller’s for supper tonight.”
“Where I got my blue horsie?”
“Yes.”
“What’s your mommy’s name?”
“Tammy. And my dad is David.”
“Why do they wanna see me?”
“Because I told them how great you are,” I said, giving her a tickle.
She squealed and ducked out of reach. “I wanna see ’em.”
“Okay then, let’s go!”
I gave my mom a quick call to let her know we were coming, and soon after that we had our coats on and I was buckling Lily into her car seat. Mom wanted us to stay for lunch, and since JP was working in town, I sent him a text saying he was welcome to join us there if he could get away. I checked for a response when we got to the house, smiling when I saw he’d accepted the invitation.
I got Lily out of her seat and closed the car door. “Okay, Lily-girl. Let’s go meet my mom and dad.”
“This is their house?”
“It sure is. My mom is going to make lunch for us, and your daddy is going to come too. Then he’ll go back to work for a while, and we’ll go back to my house.”
“Okay! Is your dad in there too?”
“Yes. I’ll show you.”
***
Unsurprisingly, my parents fell under Lily’s spell immediately. Within the hour, Dad was planning the dollhouse he was going to build for her, and Mom asked me what colors of fabric she should get to make a quilt for her bed.
I could tell JP was a little nervous when he got there, no doubt wondering what Mom and Dad thought of him suddenly having a daughter, but when he saw how much they were doting on her, he relaxed and enjoyed my mom’s spaghetti and meatballs. As did Lily.
I walked him out to his truck afterward, sliding my arms around his waist when he turned to me before opening the door.
“I’m glad you could come,” I told him.
He smiled and ran his hands up and down my upper arms. “Me too. Thanks for the invite. They seem to like Lily.”
“How could they not like her? She’s part of you, for one thing, plus she’s amazing.”
“I don’t think you know how much it means to me, though,” he said quietly. “For everyone to be so accepting of the situation—it’s more than I have a right to expect considering how she came to be.”
“That’s over and done with.” I rose up on my toes and pulled his head down so I could kiss him. “I’ll see you this evening. Lily’s excited about going back to see the lady who gave her the stuffed horse.”
“That’s cool. I’ll pick you guys up after work and we can go straight to Mom and Dad’s.”
“You can pick Lily up, but I’ll follow in my own car so you don’t have to drive me back to Hidden Creek afterwards. Lily doesn’t need to be in the car an extra hour just for that.”
“Oh. Yeah.” He smiled sheepishly. “I should have thought of that.”
“You would have, I just thought of it quicker.” I grinned. “Probably because I drove with her yesterday.”
He chuckled. “Okay then, I’ll pick her up soon after five and let you drive in blessed silence.”
“We’ll be ready. And be sure to call me if you hear from Adalyn.”
“I will. Bye.” One more quick kiss and he got in his truck and left.
I watched him all the way out the drive, not even caring that I looked totally lovesick. Back inside, I talked with Dad while Mom took Lily to her sewing room and let her watch while she made a round, Lily-sized pillow from some pink velvety fabric she had on hand. She even appliquéd a fancy white “L” on one side.
Lily was ecstatic about her pillow and reluctant to leave when the time came. I finally talked her into it by saying she could use the pillow for her nap and she could also take it to Grandma and Grandpa Keller’s that evening.
Mom and Dad hugged her good-bye and told her to come again soon.
“I will come again,” she said, clutching her pillow to her chest. “Right, My-My?”
“You betcha.” I gave my own hugs. “See you guys soon.”
***
It took a while for Lily to settle down for her nap in another unfamiliar bed, but the new pink pillow was a big help and she finally went to sleep. Half an hour later JP called to tell me he’d talked to Adalyn.
Unfortunately, things were not going well. Haley had shown up at six last evening, and Adalyn had tried to reason with her for two hours before exhaustion had forced her to bed. She’d told Haley she could stay the night and she did, only to get up and continue the argument this morning.
Adalyn was feeling extremely weak, shaky, and nauseous, but that hadn’t deterred Haley. She was determined to get the will changed. She’d even claimed she was now ready to be a mother and would make sure Lily had a wonderful life. When that didn’t work, she’d demanded that the estate at least be split in half, which would leave JP plenty for Lily’s care and education and would also fulfill Adalyn’s “maternal obligation” to Haley.
Adalyn had refused to give in, and Haley had resorted to screams and threats. She’d finally left with a promise to make both Adalyn’s and JP’s lives miserable, saying she was going to fight for custody of Lily and she had no doubt she’d be able to convince any judge that Lily should be with her biological mother.
We’d expected as much, but it was still depressing.
JP was subdued during dinner and I was sure his parents picked up on it. Thankfully Lily kept us entertained during the meal, chattering on about what she’d done the last couple of days. Afterward I took her to the living room to play so JP could update Camilla and Hank on the Haley situation. They must have been encouraging, because after that JP seemed to perk up a bit.
When Camilla asked Lily if she’d like to come back to her house tomorrow, the little girl excitedly said yes. I could tell JP was relieved and I was equally so. He didn’t need an anxious, insecure Lily to worry about on top of everything else.
At eight o’clock JP informed his little girl that it was time to leave. Since she was getting ti
red and knew she would be coming back tomorrow, she didn’t protest much.
The pink pillow, which had been close by all evening, was clutched tight to her chest as JP buckled her into her car seat.
“Tell your mom thanks for that pillow,” he said as we walked around his truck to get to my car. “Lily seems to be doing fine, but being here without Adalyn has got to be a little disconcerting. The pillow and horse are giving her something to hold on to. Like a security blanket.”
“I think you’re right.” I hugged his arm as we walked. “You doing okay?”
“Mmm hmm. Just dreading everything, you know?”
We stopped, facing each other. “You’ve got a lot of support. Don’t forget that.”
He put his hands on my shoulders, his thumbs finding the hollows of my collar bone. “And I’ve got a lot to be thankful for. I can’t lose sight of that, either.”
I smiled. “Better get your girl home. She’ll probably fall asleep on the drive.”
“Yeah, probably.” He sighed and slid his hands down my back, tugging me closer to him. “I love Lily a whole lot….but cutting my time short with you? Not so much.”
I wasn’t thrilled about it either, but I was holding out hope it would get easier once he had Lily all the time and we could establish a routine.
I reached up and gave him a quick kiss. “We’ll figure it out. Drive safe and text me when you’re home.”
“I will. Night.”
We went our separate ways, and within minutes I was missing him.
***
The next morning I got up early enough to put in some time on my elliptical before I had to get ready for work. When my phone rang with Ava’s ring tone I stepped off the machine and answered.
“Hey girl,” I said cheerfully. “Are you guys on the road already?”
“Myla!”
I frowned and looked down at my phone to make sure it was indeed Ava, because the loud whisper hadn’t sounded like her.
“Ava?” I asked warily.
“Myla! We’re at the Starbucks in Garnett and Haley’s here!”
She was still whispering, making it hard to hear. “Did you say Haley’s at Starbucks? What’s she doing? Wait, how do you know what she looks like?”
“I didn’t, but Jude’s with me and he spotted her.”
“Did she see him?”
“No, I told him to go sit at a table around the corner where she can’t see him. She’s sitting by the window with a real shady-looking guy. I’d like to get close enough to listen, but I’m afraid she’ll think it’s weird if I just randomly switch tables.”
“Oh, wow.” I plopped down on a chair, disappointed at the news. I’d been hoping against hope that Haley had left town in spite of her threats. “So, are they just talking? Does she look upset?”
“Actually they both look like they could use a hit,” Ava replied, “but I wouldn’t say she looks upset, just intense. Man, I wish I could hear them. I have so many cool microphones at home that would do the trick. I’m going to have to start carrying one with me.”
I couldn’t help but smile at her nerdiness. “Can you get a picture of them? Maybe JP will know who the guy is.”
“Now that I can do. Give me a couple minutes and I’ll send a few.”
“Okay. Don’t get yourself in trouble.”
“I won’t. I’m just going to hang out here a little longer and see what they do.”
“Thanks, Ava. Let me know if anything interesting happens.”
I hung up and jumped into the shower while I waited for the pictures. The man Haley was with was probably someone she’d known before she left town. Maybe even an old school friend—one of the group Adalyn didn’t approve of. It was possible they were having a simple, innocent reunion, but then again, this was Haley. Nothing seemed very simple or innocent where she was concerned.
The photos were waiting after I got dried off. I went through them quickly, not surprised to find Ava had done a stellar job. There were profile shots, full-on front shots, and shots that included both of them together. I had no idea how Ava had pulled it off—she probably had a pen with a camera in it and had walked past them clicking off photos as fast as the gadget could take them.
I studied the man carefully. He was wearing a worn ball cap pulled low, with long, greasy, dark blond hair hanging out the bottom. In the first few shots all I could see was the bottom half of his face, but then there were a couple where he had his head raised enough to see his eyes beneath the brim of the hat. They were small, light-colored, and closely spaced. His nose looked crooked, like it had been broken more than once, and his lips were droopy. He had a scraggly beard that I suspected covered a soft jawline. He wasn’t exactly ugly, but he looked unwashed and mean. Kind of Haley’s type, if I was honest.
I sent JP a text and asked him to call me when he got a chance. I didn’t want him to worry so I told him there was no rush. Even so, he called me within minutes.
“Hey, Myla, what’s up?”
I hastily told him about Ava’s surveillance of Haley and that I was going to be sending him some photos to see if he knew the guy she was with.
“Oh man, who knows what she’s up to,” he said, sounding frustrated.
“It could be nothing. Maybe she’s just having breakfast with an old friend.”
“We can only hope.”
“I’ll send the pictures as soon as we hang up, and I’ll see you this evening.”
“Sounds good. Have a good day, babe. Love you.”
I smiled, wishing I could hear that in person. “Love you too.”
***
Ava sent a few more texts while I was driving to school, which I read once I was safely parked in the lot. She said Haley and the guy had started arguing, but they’d kept their voices down and she still couldn’t hear what they were saying. Eventually Haley had stormed off, but the guy was right behind her and they’d ended up driving off together.
In spite of Ava’s best efforts, we’d learned only that Haley was still in Garnett, and she had at least one acquaintance there. One whom neither JP nor Jude recognized.
Oh well. We just had to keep taking things as they came. In the meantime, I had a fourth-grade class to teach.
***
As it turned out, I didn’t get to see JP at all that day. First, he sent me a text mid-afternoon telling me he’d taken off work early so his mom’s first day of babysitting wouldn’t be too long and demanding. Then an hour later he sent another message saying he’d take care of getting dinner and I should join them at his place—which was fine and dandy with me. But then on my way out of school he called and said that Adalyn had called to let him know she was feeling pretty good, and she and her friend Louise would love to meet him and Lily somewhere halfway between Mountain View and Garnett and have dinner with them. Adalyn wasn’t strong enough to take Lily home yet, but she missed her terribly and wanted to see her at least for a little while.
It was a request he couldn’t exactly refuse. He offered to wait for me so I could go along, but I told him to go ahead and leave so the evening wouldn’t get too late for Lily.
Although I was happy to know Adalyn was feeling better and I fully supported JP going to meet her, it did make for a lonely evening. I picked up a pizza and watched a movie, missing JP the whole time.
By ten o’clock I was ready to call it a night. I went upstairs and got ready for bed, but before I crawled in I got down on my knees once again and spent some extra time in prayer. I needed it, because the evening spent alone had been enlightening. It had made me realize that sharing JP might be harder than I thought, and if I wasn’t careful, I could let bitterness take hold. Which would lead to nothing good.
I prayed for patience, understanding, and selflessness. And I thanked God for the privilege of loving, and being loved by, JP Keller.
Chapter 30
I
don’t even know how to describe the next week. There were high points and low points, but mostly low points, tha
nks to Haley Knight and her continued interference.
We didn’t know where she was staying, but she showed up at Adalyn’s at some point every day. She was still angry and doing lots of yelling, but according to Adalyn, she was also showing classic signs of opiate withdrawal. And Adalyn would know—she’d seen it before.
Which could only mean one thing. Haley was going to carry out her threat to get sober and challenge JP’s custody of Lily. The lure of the money, even with most of it tied up in a trust fund for Lily, was just too much to resist.
JP was making a huge effort to be there for me, Lily, and Adalyn. Especially Lily, who was still at his house and feeling a little homesick. I loved JP for the superhuman effort he was making—I loved him so much it hurt.
And he was hurting too. He knew he was being stretched thin and was well aware that I was the one who most often had to settle for the dregs of his time. I told him over and over that I understood. His daughter’s world was being turned upside down and she needed her daddy to convince her everything was going to be okay. Similarly, Adalyn’s health seemed to be failing by the day—probably due in large part to the stress placed on her by Haley. As a result, Adalyn was beginning to depend more and more on JP for support and advice, and her phone calls were becoming more frequent, often three or four per day.
I needed him too. I always would. But not like they did right now, so I called on the patience and selflessness God was supplying me with and assured JP I could handle the way things were. Because I knew they’d get better—and frankly, a little bit of him was way better than none at all.
I had to remind myself of that on Friday evening. JP was going to take Lily to Garnett in the morning to spend two days with Adalyn, and rather than relying on Louise to be there, he’d decided he should stay, in case Haley showed up and insisted on seeing Lily.
He wanted me to come along, but Saturday was Aunt Donna’s eighty-fifth birthday, and my mom had spent a month planning a huge birthday party. I was her right-hand gal, scheduled to spend the day in the kitchen, and I couldn’t leave her hanging.