“What was I supposed to say? Mom told me to hush and stay out of it. Besides, it didn’t look like she was denying one word of it. It kind of got me to thinking about the night of Dad’s seventy-fifth birthday party. You remember when we were all standing around in the kitchen and Payton was telling us about Susan cheating on her husband? Mom was the only one defending her and trying to protect her privacy. She kept talking about how we shouldn’t judge Susan, and nobody is perfect, and so on, and so forth.”
“Oh yeah, that was the night Mom slipped and admitted that she knew the guilt associated with stepping outside of a marriage. I was always curious to know more of the details, but never wanted to push it. You know Mom came up during a time where it was taboo to talk about such things,” Abby said.
“Exactly. Haven’t you ever wondered more about that situation? Nobody questioned her any further, but it has always lingered in the back of my mind.” Rebecca kept tapping her fingers on her napkin.
“Nor should we question her. What business is it of ours?” I demanded.
“I don’t agree. We’re all grown women and can handle whatever it is. We let it go back then, but I’m not letting it go this time. I think we should all look into it. Who wants to be a part of a family with a bunch of secrets? No ma’am! For all you know, this secret could impact us in some way.”
“That’s ludicrous. Don’t you think it would’ve impacted us by now? I think you’re barking up the wrong tree,” I said.
“Payton, I tried my best to console Mom and to ask her about it as gently as I knew how, but all she did was brush me off. Heck, for all we know there could be a love child out there somewhere. We could have another sibling. Besides, Jolene made it my business the moment she blurted out everything in front of me. Especially the part about the neighbor across the street.”
“What’s the neighbor have to do with anything? A better question might be what does any of this have to do with you?” I slammed my glass down on the table and accidentally splashed wine everywhere.
Abby looked at me with widened eyes. Rebecca lowered her voice and leaned closer in.
“We are family and we all have a right to know. If Mom and Jolene want to flaunt family secrets in front of me, then to heck with it. I’m a lawyer, I can easily find out on my own. How quickly you forget that I own Uncle Samuel’s property in Savannah, now. That makes things even easier.”
“AND?” Abby questioned sternly.
“And? What do you mean and? Ethan and I fly up a few times a year to check on the property and the renters. You can’t blindly trust property management companies these days. That neighbor they’re referring to, is my neighbor, now. He’s been living in the same house for over thirty years. His name is Jonathan Murphy. His house sits on a few acres so they can’t be talking about anyone else but him. And, get this… When I bought Uncle Samuel’s fixer upper last year, I met him. He helped to look after the place when it was vacant. He called himself a friend of Uncle Samuel’s.”
“Hooray, for you. So, you happen to know the guy.” I leaned back and folded my arms in disgust.
“Payton. I don’t think I like your attitude. I’m not the one who’s hiding skeletons in the closet,” Rebecca said.
“Unbelievable. You realize you’re talking about our mother here, right? Don’t you think she should be the one to decide how much you know and when you know it?”
“I’m with Payton on this one. You’re out of line, Rebecca. You have no business meddling around behind Mom’s back and you know it.” Abby rolled her eyes.
“You two can gang up on me all you want to. I’m used to it by now. You won’t hurt my feelings,” she said.
“It’s not your feelings I’m worried about. It’s Mom’s. Think about it. How would you feel if your child went behind your back and dug up your past?” I tried to help her see things differently, but Rebecca was as stubborn as they come. At times, she was so easy to love. Other times, I wondered if we were born from the same woman.
“Payton, this wouldn’t happen to me and you know it. I’m an open book. Ask me anything you want to know and I’ll tell it, including what Ethan and I did behind closed doors last night.”
If I were the physical type, I would’ve reached across the table and snatched her up by her blouse. In my imagination, a few slaps could easily put the whole thing to rest.
“Abby, maybe you can talk some sense into her. I’m at a loss for words.”
Abby let out a deep sigh.
“So much for a relaxing dinner. I would’ve been better off eating mac and cheese with the kids. Look, Rebecca, you want to know, I get it. I’m curious myself, but not to the extent that I would sabotage Mom over it.” Abby tried to reason with her.
“Sabotage? Who said anything about sabotage? I just plan to do a little investigating, that’s all. Mom doesn’t have to know. She can tell us at some point or not. That’s up to her. As a matter of fact, you two don’t even have to know. Whether it be a steamy love affair or a long-lost love child involved, I’ll just keep it to myself.”
I made one last ditch effort to talk her out of it.
“Rebecca, I have to say… I don’t know what’s gotten into you. I thought you’d become a changed woman after having John William, but maybe I was wrong. For the love of all things good, I’m begging you to please stay out of this. Mom is looking forward to everyone gathering at her house for Christmas in just a few short weeks. The last thing she needs is someone like you ruining everything. Cousin Jolene is already doing a fine job of that all by herself. I’m asking you as kindly as I know how to drop it.”
“I said I would leave you out of it, Payton. You won’t be the wiser.”
The server apologized for taking so long and brought us a few appetizers on the house along with the menus. I didn’t have much of an appetite anymore. I found myself staring at the words on the menu, clueless as to what I was reading. My sisters placed their orders first.
“Ma’am, can I interest you in our special for the evening?”
“I’m sorry, what was the special again?”
“The salt-crusted tilapia with lemongrass. You can get it with a side order of…”
“No, thank you. I’m not big on tilapia. If I could just have a steak, well done, with mashed potatoes and green beans that would be fine.”
“Alright, one well done steak coming right up. And ladies, I have your orders. I’ll be back in a jiffy.”
I pushed my appetizer to the side and tried to address Rebecca again. I knew I wasn’t wrong about the situation. But Abby jumped in before I could say anything.
“We’re not asking you to leave us out of it, Rebecca. We’re asking you to leave it alone. I’m also asking both of you to kindly change the subject. I didn’t get all dolled up to come out here and have a terrible time. Ya’ll know I don’t get out much, so I really wish you would just quit already. Agreed?”
Nobody said a word at first. I didn’t trust Rebecca as far as I could see her on this matter. But Abby was right. There was no sense in harping on it for the rest of the night. We vocalized our feelings about it. Anything she did going forward was on her.
I buckled myself in and hit the auto-dialer to call Abby on the car ride home. “Dialing Abby,” the automated voice announced. I could barely make it out of the parking lot without satisfying my urge to vent.
“Hello?” she answered.
“Has Rebecca lost her mind?”
“I don’t know, Payton. I’d like to think she means well. Even if she is going about it the wrong way. The poor girl has the horns that grow out of her head on occasion and they make her act a little crazy.”
I never heard Abby refer to Rebecca in that way, but she certainly had her number. Out of the three of us she was definitely the more feisty one. But never once did I think she’d take all that energy and turn it against her own mother.
“Payton, if you want to know the truth, I think this whole thing will die down if we leave it alone. Rebecca can
be hot tempered and stubborn, but I don’t think she’ll bother with it.”
“I don’t know, Abby.”
“Seriously. It was only because we were asking her not to poke around in Mom’s business that she was being so fiery about it. I promise if we would’ve acted nonchalant like we didn’t care, she would’ve lost interest,” Abby said.
“That’s so stupid. We shouldn’t have to play mind games with a thirty-six-year-old to get her to behave.”
“We shouldn’t but it is what it is. Besides, aren’t you just a little curious yourself? I’m not saying Rebecca is going about this the right way, but don’t you want to know?”
“Abby, it’s crossed my mind, but I’m at peace with not knowing. The way I look at it is if dad was forgiving and let it go, then why can’t we? We need to come together as a family now more than ever. Not the opposite.”
“True.”
“Listen, for now let’s just put all of this out of our minds and focus on happier things. Tonight, I want you to go home and spend time with your sweet husband and daughter. This weekend, we’ll all drive out to the farm and help Mom pick the most gorgeous tree she’s ever had. It will be wonderful. What do you say?” Abby tried to help me look at the bright side.
“Alright, I guess you’re right. Christmas has always been my favorite time of the year. Say hello to Wyatt and the kids for me.”
“I will. Goodnight, Payton.”
“Goodnight.”
I entered our bedroom door and stepped on a trail of red rose petals. I couldn’t imagine what the occasion was. But, I guess with only six months of marriage under our belt, we didn’t really need a special occasion. The trail led to the master bath. It was just like Cole to do something sweet and romantic. However, I still considered Emmie’s whereabouts before going any further. I turned around to find Cole standing right behind me.
“Cole Miller! You scared the daylights out of me.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to. I just wanted to catch your reaction to the surprise. Before you ask about Emmie, I gave her permission to have a sleepover at her friend Madison’s house tonight.”
“On a school night?”
“Tomorrow is Friday, plus the girls promised to be super responsible and do their homework first. Besides, it’s almost time for Christmas break. With all the excitement in the air, I thought it would be nice to let her do something spontaneous.”
“But what about her…”
“Relax. Take a deep breath. Everything’s covered, I promise. I figured after a night out you’d enjoy coming home to a hot bubbly bath.”
How could I resist those cute dimples? Cole had a way of convincing me to do just about anything when he smiled at me.
“Look at you. Your shoulders are tense and you look stressed, Payton. You always work hard to meet our needs, but somebody has to take care of you. Now, I want you to go in there and enjoy the relaxing bath I prepared for you. And, I won’t take no for an answer.”
“Taking a hot bubble bath does sound rather enticing. There’s only one thing I’m curious to know.”
He softly kissed my neck.
“What?”
“Do you plan to join me? I mean, since you went to all the trouble of creating a romantic evening, don’t you think it would be more fitting for two?”
Cole chuckled.
“I had every intention of making this evening all about you. Of course, if you’re extending an invitation, I won’t say no to my beautiful wife.”
Maybe it was silly, but I still felt butterflies every time Cole flirted with me. I finally put to rest everything that irritated me about this evening and focused on spending a little quality time with my husband.
Abby
Every year it was a tradition to pack everyone in the Suburban and drive sixty miles to the countryside in search for the perfect tree. As a young girl, I recalled having the task of searching for two trees. One to stand tall at the entrance of the inn, and the second tree about six feet tall, to rest perfectly by the fireplace at the cottage. The inn was no longer a part of our lives, but my sisters and I thought it might be fun to keep up with the tradition for Mom and Dad.
We turned down the long gravel driveway leading up to the farm. The aroma of pine and spruce filled the air. I could barely put the truck in park before the kids were unbuckling their seat belts.
“Alright, Aiden and Maggie, I don’t have a problem with you looking around but make sure you stick together.”
“Okay.”
The kids ran off, leaving myself, Mom, Payton, and Rebecca to stretch and get our bearings.
“Mom, what did you have in mind for this year? Do you think you might want another pine, or a spruce, or…” Payton started strolling beside Mom toward the trees.
“Oh, I don’t know. The tree has to speak to me. There has to be a connection. I’ll know it when I see it,” she said.
“Interesting. I usually go with one that’s well rounded and doesn’t look like it’s dying. But, hey, I guess we all have our thing,” Rebecca said as she trailed behind to check her cell phone.
“Rebecca, it wouldn’t hurt to unplug for a little while and be in the moment,” I said.
“I am in the moment, Abby. I just needed to make sure I completed the online check in for our flight tomorrow afternoon.”
“Tomorrow afternoon? Where are you going just two weeks before Christmas?”
“Ethan and I are taking a quick trip to Savannah. We originally planned to go check on things after the new year, but it turns out the trip had to be moved up.”
“Why, what’s the urgency?”
“Well, for one, our renters took off and left the place vacant. This doesn’t surprise me because they were getting way behind in their rent. But we received a phone call from the management company because several things were missing from the house.”
“What could possibly be missing besides their belongings?”
“The appliances, a couple of chandeliers, you know… the typical stuff that normally gets left behind when you move out of a house.”
“No way! I’m sorry. Where did you find these people?” We paused behind Mom and Payton as they were observing the first tree.
“Through the management company. Perhaps it wasn’t the best move in hindsight. But, it’s too late now. We’re just going to fly up and meet the contractors and then we’ll go from there.”
“Man, you guys just completed the renovations not too long ago. Sorry to hear that.”
“Sorry to hear what?” Payton asked.
“Just a little trouble with our first round of renters. We’re going to fly to Savannah and get things straightened out tomorrow. It’s no big deal.” Rebecca brushed it off and started looking at the trees with Mom.
Payton and I looked at each other.
“Good morning, ladies. Can I help you?” A tall man with the build of a lumberjack greeted us over by the pines.
“Perfect timing. My name is Helen Matthews. How are you?”
“I’m doing pretty well, ma’am. My name is Dave Carrolton of Carrolton Farms. How can I help you today?”
Mom’s face lit up like it was Christmas morning. I think coming out here definitely brought back fond memories for her just as much as it did for the rest of us.
“In all the years we’ve been coming here, I don’t think I’ve ever met you, Mr. Carrolton. What a treat. I can’t wait to tell my husband.”
“Please, call me Dave. The pleasure is all mine. We have a lot of staff members who help out at the farm. But, it’s always a pleasure when I have a chance to meet our customers first hand.”
While they were talking, I overheard Payton asking Rebecca more questions.
“So, did you reconsider what we talked about the other day?” Payton placed her hands in her front pockets and had a confident stance as she waited for Rebecca to respond.
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about. What exactly do you want me to reconsider?” Rebecca responded
in a sarcastic tone.
“Really?”
“Yes, really. There’s nothing for me to reconsider.”
“Oh, so does that mean you’re going to drop the whole thing?”
“I didn’t say that either. I’m just not discussing it with you anymore. You weren’t exactly supportive, so I figured the best thing to do was not talk about it at all.”
“Girls, come over here. Look at this one. I think I found the tree.” Mom waved us down, but I was reluctant to leave Payton and Rebecca. They sounded like they were just moments away from needing a referee.
“Hey, I thought we all agreed to leave it alone for now. We’re here for Mom, remember? Put on a cheerful smile and get yourselves over there and help her with the tree,” I said in an assertive tone.
Payton walked off, but Rebecca lingered and rolled her eyes. I took this as my cue to go looking for the kids.
“Maggie… Aiden… where are you?”
“Right here, Momma.” They dodged from in between the trees.
“We saw the most gigantic tree ever. It was almost as tall as our house,” Aiden said with all the enthusiasm a six-year-old could muster up.
“Wow, that’s pretty big. You’ll have to show it to me. I think Gram found a tree that she likes, too.”
“Actually, I found two trees. It’s down to the Leyland Cypress or the Southern Red Cedar. I love both of them and can’t seem to decide.”
“I vote for the Leyland. It’s nice and full,” Payton said as she inspected the back of the tree.
“Clearly you overlooked the Southern Red Cedar. The quality is ten times better and I’ll bet it will last longer,” Rebecca said with opposition.
“You two are no help. How about we ask the grandkids what they think. Maggie… Aiden… Gram needs help choosing a tree. Would you go with the one Aunt Payton is standing next to? Or would you choose the one next to Aunt Rebecca?”
“I like the one next to Aunt Payton.” Maggie ran over and stood next to Payton.
“Yeah, me, too,” Aiden agreed.
Christmas At Pelican Beach (Pelican Beach Book 4) Page 2