She nodded slowly. “Yeah, that’s actually what I’m saying in the next verse.
“If I loved them once,
I love them still
Even if they’re gone
“To their graves—I’m stuck there. Need something to rhyme with still.”
“On the hill,” J.P. suggested. “Maybe not the strongest choice, but...”
“To their graves on the hill. I like it. Next I’ve got—
“I love my Dooley and our Holly, Bandit, Smoky.
I love Trooper and Logan and Plum.
I also love the horses.
And the animals all love me back—they’re not dumb!”
J.P. laughed.
“I have another stanza,” she said.
“They and the animals in my future
All of them bring me pleasure.
They’ve changed my life and will change it more,
Each one of them a treasure.”
She gave a shrug. “Well, pleasure and treasure is a little obvious. I might change them later.”
“Don’t think you need to, but I’m no expert on songwriting. I’m impressed with what you’ve done,” he said, and he wasn’t just being polite. “Any ideas about the kind of music?”
“Something kind of lively. Maybe like that one by Shania Twain, ‘Man! I Feel Like a Woman!’ or ‘9 to 5’ by Dolly. But The GateCrasher guys will have some input.”
He smiled at her. “Thanks for letting me join in. I’m looking forward to the concert.”
She smiled back. “I am, too.” Then she watched the landscape for a while, the Rockies in the distance, the forests with their different shades of green, the pastureland interspersed throughout.
“Those mountains are so...majestic.”
“Material for another song?”
“Why not? I could use the word rock!”
“Speaking of songs,” she said a moment later, “could we listen to the radio for a while?” When he said yes, she flipped it on and found a country station.
* * *
ACCORDING TO A road sign, they were approaching the outskirts of Elm Ridge. Carly felt satisfied with her songwriting progress and had enjoyed the drive. Of her “three dads” she knew J.P. McCall the least, but now that had begun to change.
They parked in the front lot of a building that looked to her rather like a condo. An older one, anyway. J.P. got out first and had Trooper stand quietly while he put on the dog’s harness. They could hear dogs barking excitedly not far away and Trooper went on alert, whimpering a little.
“Calm,” J.P. told him—calmly, of course—and the dog settled down.
The three of them walked past a yard enclosed by chain-link fencing, and they watched several women throwing tennis balls for the dogs to catch and bring back. Carly said this must be playtime. He agreed, describing it as a break—forgive the word, he said with a grin—for all concerned.
He led her to a guard stand, identified himself and her; next they were ushered inside, where they went through the process again. This time, a correctional supervisor named Margaret Colton greeted them in a friendly fashion and brought them over to meet Jennifer, who was in a lounge with two other women, all casually dressed, and the dogs they were currently working with.
J.P. shook Jennifer’s hand and introduced Carly. Trooper wagged his tail at the standard poodle mix and the Australian shepherd, who responded in the same way. Jennifer introduced Laura and Mary, plus the dogs, Rooney and Bruce.
Then, J.P. freed Trooper from his leash, and tail thumping even harder, he darted over to Jennifer, reaching her in seconds, resting his head on her knee. She slid her arms around him, hugging him, murmuring the same endearments Carly always did. “Oh, my handsome boy! How are you? Jen’s missed you.” She glanced up at J.P. “He’s doing okay?”
“As you can see. And so am I—thanks to him. And, by extension, you.”
She turned to Carly. “He’s retired, you know. Trooper, I mean,” she said with a giggle.
“I do know. But in some ways he’s still on the job.”
“Sure is,” J.P. agreed. “It’s just that now he has the time and leisure to make friends.”
“And he’s got lots,” Carly put in.
Jennifer nodded. “I’ll bet he does.” Her colleagues smiled and nodded, too.
“Would you mind talking to Carly about the kind of work you do?”
“We’d be happy to!”
Thrilled, Carly took the opportunity to ask questions and wrote the answers in her songwriting notebook. Answers that had to do with the various kinds of training. One point the women made repeatedly—and it reminded her so much of the comments Cord made about working with horses—had to do with the love and connection between trainer and dog.
Jennifer told them, with neither pride nor embarrassment, that she was getting out soon and hoped to pursue a career in the “dog world.”
Carly and J.P. thanked her and the other women, who all hugged Trooper, and wished them the best. They strolled back to the car after the exit procedures.
“I’m so glad we did that!” Carly said eagerly. “Thank you, thank you!”
“Now, what about lunch? There’s a nice place with a patio not far from here and we can bring Trooper. Sound all right?”
“Oh, yes.”
The restaurant, called La Fiesta, was attractive and no doubt got plenty of business from friends and relatives of women in the prison.
They chose a table with a giant umbrella that provided some necessary shade. Trooper and J.P. were obviously known there and the dog was immediately served a bowlful of water. Carly studied the mostly Tex-Mex menu. They chose that day’s special, enchiladas with a bean, cheese and vegetable sauce, plus chicken tacos.
Once they’d finished their meal, Carly decided it was time. Without prelude she told J.P. the whole story—which she was quite used to telling now.
He didn’t interrupt or ask any questions, merely said he was prepared to undergo a DNA test and would be overjoyed if he was her dad.
And he told her he was grateful to her for returning Reba to him.
On the way home he dropped her off at Meg’s, prepared to wait in the car, but Carly invited him inside, saying, “We should probably leave Trooper here, okay?”
“Sure. We’ll give him a rest from socializing.”
As she knocked on the door, then let them in, Carly told him Meg had recently come home from chemo and always felt weak for a few days.
Meg was in her living room, a somewhat emaciated older woman resting on a lounger. Carly bent to hug her and introduced J.P. as a “family friend.” That was true enough. He sat with Meg as Carly did her cat duties—after she’d had him meet Plum and Logan, whose names he recognized from her song.
“Carly’s wonderful, isn’t she?” Meg said, her voice frail. “We haven’t known each other long, but she’s so good to me and my sweet cats. She’s like another daughter.”
J.P. nodded. “She loves you, too. It’s easy to tell.”
They spoke about a range of things, from the town’s history to their personal histories. He told her about Trooper and how he’d taken Carly to visit the women’s prison where the dog had been trained. Meg loved that story. She told him about her husband, dead six years but still so missed. “You don’t get over that kind of loss. Carly and I talk about it quite a lot.”
“I know Carly understands.”
“We understand each other,” Meg said.
Their conversation was interrupted twice. First by Carly offering to make them coffee or tea. Both declined. And then by a playful cat racing around, showing off a toy mouse. “Good work, Logan,” J.P. praised him, to Meg’s evident delight.
By the time he and Carly left, J.P. was prouder of her than ever, proud of her generosity, her empathy. She hugged Meg goo
dbye. Then Meg held out her arms and J.P. hugged her, too.
* * *
SATURDAY AFTERNOON, CORD and Shallie arrived home and parted with a final kiss at the foot of her stairs.
Cord went to his own room and discovered he had a message. From Eddie. Fortunately, he reached him immediately—and Eddie got right to the point. “I have Julie’s contact info. I’m emailing it. And she would like to hear from you. She’s also open to meeting halfway. Maybe Seattle.”
“Great!” And he decided that it was. All of it. He’d begun to hope for this very thing. Probably more because of Shallie’s influence than anything else. In spite of his previous feelings, his indifference, he was ready to meet Julie, even excited about it. And he had a sister! Never mind that she was about the same age as his maybe-daughter...
And, in addition to everything else, there was Shallie’s connection with Seattle.
“Any news on Christine Fletcher or whoever she is now?” he asked.
“Nope. But we’re not giving up.”
“I’ll let Shallie know, and please keep us informed.”
“You bet.”
He waited in the kitchen until she came down again and told her what he’d learned. He was glad to see her composure about the Fletcher situation—and pleased that she responded so positively to the road trip. “We can stay at my place! And you can meet Emma,” she said. They agreed to invite Carly. And just after they discussed this, Carly and J.P. were at the door. She told them with great enthusiasm about where they’d been, adding that they’d also had “the talk,” their own version of the Big Meet.
Cord described the trip they were planning and asked if she’d like to join them.
“Yes! I’ve never been to Seattle. And I’d love to meet your... Julie.” She frowned. “I’ll have to check with Meg and see if she’s going to need cat care.”
“If she does, I’m sure Tina will help. Or maybe Lindsey, since she drives and has access to a car?”
“Besides,” Cord pointed out. “I still have to call Julie to make arrangements and set up a time.”
“If necessary,” J.P. said, “I could drop in on Meg. I’m sure I can deal with the cats—how hard could that be?”
“Well...” Carly seemed to be deliberating on his potential cat-handling skills. “I know she’d love to see you again...”
“Give me a call if she needs me.”
J.P. left then, after congratulating Cord on reconnecting with his mother. That evening, holding his breath, Cord called the number Eddie had given him. A woman answered on the first ring. “Julie?”
“Cord? Oh, my God! Oh, my God, it’s you.”
“Sure is.”
“You have no idea how much I’ve wanted this, how long I’ve wanted it. I’ve felt a lot of guilt over what I did—and what I didn’t do—all those years ago. But... I never felt I had the right to contact you.” More than once, he could hear her gulping down sobs.
He acknowledged privately that he wouldn’t have been emotionally prepared for this before, and barely was, even now. “Well, we’re finally in touch.” Kind of a lame remark, but it was the only thing he could manage for a minute or two. He’d never dared to imagine this... He was talking to his mother!
Feeling oddly shy, he asked, “Would you be interested in having me visit?”
“Of course! I’d like nothing better. And I’d love for you to meet my husband, Chris Daniels, who’s a lieutenant at Everett Naval Base, and our daughter, Kathleen.”
“I’d like that, too. And would it be okay with you if I brought the woman I’m...seeing? Her name’s Shallie. As well as a young friend of ours?”
“Totally okay!”
“And are you okay to meet in Seattle? That way, we can do a road trip...make it a bit of a vacation, as well.”
“Totally okay with that, too.”
Then they considered times, choosing the third week in August. She said Chris could take a few days off. Perfect timing, Cord thought. Karen and Joey, his current clients, would have left by then. And school wouldn’t start for another couple of weeks.
Cord and Julie promised to keep in touch, to call each other every couple of days.
When the call ended, Cord felt staggered, as though he was living in an alternate reality. His mind kept repeating the same thoughts over and over. I’m going to see my mother. And meet my sister.
Half an hour later, he, Shallie and Carly were sitting at the kitchen table with laptops and several road maps, courtesy of Shallie. “How traditional,” Carly scoffed at the maps—but that didn’t stop her from taking a surreptitious glance now and then.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
THE TRIP WOULD be Wednesday to Sunday, August 14th to 18th—two days’ travel and three in Seattle.
They left at six and stopped in Missoula for breakfast with Mary Jean, Len and Holly. Then the Lewises took them to see one of the town’s most famous attractions, A Carousel for Missoula, with its hand-painted ponies. “How could we not go there?” Carly proclaimed.
She posted on her YouTube channel, with a video of the merry-go-round, referring to the trip as “an out-of-state visit with one of my potential dads.” She was no longer trying to make money from the site, as she’d informed Shallie and Cord; for now, she just wanted to keep in touch with her fans.
She was, as she repeatedly told them, stunned by the magnificence of the Rockies.
Meanwhile, she’d received a text from Lindsey, who’d visited Meg’s place to change the litter, feed and play with the cats. Meg was currently out of town undergoing tests, as Carly knew. But the surprising thing Lindsey revealed about this visit was... Guess who showed up? Eric! With his uncle Eli—in uniform. They found out about this from you guys. Anyway, Eric was decent to me, very polite and kept his distance, and was really good with Logan and Plum.
Carly was surprised but not really shocked to learn this.
They reached the outskirts of Seattle at eight thirty that evening, and Shallie took over the driving. Her 1920s apartment building was in the Waterfront neighborhood, Carly remembered from their night of making travel plans.
Tired though she was, Carly stared intently out the window. Between the still-bright sky and the streetlights, which had already come on, it was well lit outside. What a beautiful city!
Shallie said she’d called her friend Emma, who lived in the same building, to tell her when they expected to arrive. She’d explained earlier that she hadn’t given up or leased her apartment yet. Carly had noticed the...inquiring? troubled? look Cord sent Shallie’s way when she said that. Carly didn’t consider herself the most observant person on the planet but could hardly miss the fact that he had serious hopes of a permanent relationship with Shallie. She hoped Shallie would make up her mind—fast!—get rid of her life in Seattle and move in with Cord.
Carly was charmed by the low-rise, not the kind of building she was familiar with, and loved the idea that people had lived here for generations. Through the Roaring Twenties, the Depression, the Second World War and on. Shallie parked in the nearby lot, texted Emma and, carrying their bags, they walked to the front entrance.
Emma was waiting at the door, a tall, very pretty woman with shoulder-length blond hair and a vivacious manner. Shallie made introductions, then Emma hugged each of them in turn. She suggested Carly stay at her place—she had a sofa that converted to a bed—which appealed to Carly and no doubt to Shallie and Cord. It was something of a relief, if Carly was honest about it; she wanted them to have their privacy.
“Let’s get ourselves organized,” Shallie said. “And then we’ll plan something for dinner.”
* * *
FOR DINNER THAT NIGHT, the four of them decided on takeout from a seafood restaurant Emma recommended; she said she had plenty of wine, beer and soft drinks.
The meal was as good as promised, in Cord’s opinion. The shrimp appet
izers, salmon main course with a vegetable stir-fry—it was all delicious.
In a very short time, he’d come to like Emma Grant, to feel a connection with her due to their shared interests and, even more, her closeness with Shallie. He noticed Shallie’s approving smile as he and Emma spoke, and that only added to the sense of rightness he felt about this new friendship. He could very much see Emma as part of his life, his personal community, in the coming years.
“Dessert, anyone?” Carly asked. “We have brownies and ice cream. Don’t they go together perfectly?”
Go together perfectly. A good summary of how he felt...
* * *
THE NEXT MORNING, Shallie made coffee, grateful that Emma had supplied her kitchen with the basics, and plenty of them.
She brought Cord his coffee in bed. Stretching, he said, “This is true luxury. Only one thing missing.” He sent her a meaningful glance.
“We were both too tired last night.” Too tired for more than a few kisses. Too tired to do more than lie asleep in each other’s arms. “Tonight for sure.”
“I’ll hold you to that. And just plain hold you.” He took a sip. “I can hardly remember what crappy coffee tastes like anymore.”
“I was never an expert on it.” She paused, looking around the bedroom. “I wish the dogs were here.”
“Me, too, but I can do without them bugging me for this and that.”
“You like it!”
He shrugged, then outlined their day. “So the plan is that we’re seeing Julie and family tomorrow, and today we’re going to visit Emma’s stable, right?”
“Right. We’ll take it easy this morning, do some sightseeing and go to Emma’s after lunch.”
And that was how their leisurely morning went. Shallie acted as tour guide, choosing the sites she thought Carly in particular would enjoy. They started with a Seattle underground tour, which Shallie had always found fascinating, then they had to visit Pike Place Market. And that was followed by a trip up the Space Needle, where they had lunch while gazing out at the city. “We’re seeing Seattle from top to bottom,” Cord joked. “Or rather, from bottom to top.”
Country Strong--A Novel Page 24
