“Do you think she’s my mother?”
Kelly was surprised at that question. Shouldn’t she be asking that question of Grant or even their aunt?
“Yes, Alison, I do think she is your mother. If you would meet her, I’m sure you’d agree with everyone else that you look just like her.”
“I don’t want to talk about her anymore.”
Kelly wasn’t too surprised by that statement. She thought that it gave her just the opening she needed to talk about Stan.
“Alison, I hope you don’t mind me talking about this, but I’m concerned about you. Today, when I said that I thought Stan liked you, you said you were afraid. What makes you afraid, Alison?”
This time, the silence went on so long that Kelly was certain that Alison had hung up on her.
“I don’t know you.”
“No Alison, we don’t know each other very well . . . . yet. But we can remedy that easily enough. I would like to spend some time with you so we can get to know each other.”
Kelly almost added that they were now step-sisters, but was afraid that would only anger Alison again.
When Alison didn’t reply, Kelly said, “Say, Alison, Grant and your Aunt Sybil are joining us at my grandparents’ home for dinner tomorrow afternoon. Why don’t you come along with them and then you and I can spend some time getting to know each other?”
Kelly was getting used to the long silences now and patiently waited Alison out.
“Okay.” There was a short pause. “Is Stan going to be there?”
Kelly was afraid to answer that question but took a shot at it anyway. “I don’t know for sure. But if you want him to be, I can certainly invite him.”
Kelly was thoroughly shocked when Alison said, “Okay.”
Another long silence then, “I’ve got to go now, goodbye.”
Well, was Alison going to go with Grant and their aunt or not? Also, did she want Stan to go too? Is that what the ‘okay’ meant?
She needed to call Grant.
Kelly was pleased to notice that Grant had her number programmed into his cell phone when he answered by saying, “Hi Kelly.”
“Grant, I so hope you don’t think I’m meddling in your family’s affairs.”
“Whoa, Kelly, what are you talking about?”
Then Kelly realized she hadn’t told him about the phone call from Alison yet.
“I’m sorry. Let me explain. I am concerned about Alison. She called me a few minutes ago.”
He chuckled, “So that’s why she called to see if I was home then didn’t want to talk to me.”
Kelly continued as if he hadn’t interrupted. “She seems like she’s trying hard not to like Stan and also trying hard not to accept Sarah as her mother. But, on the other hand, I think she really wants both.”
When Grant didn’t respond, she said, “I’m pretty sure she consented to go with you and your aunt to my grandparents’ home for dinner tomorrow afternoon.”
“That’s great! How did you manage that?”
“Well, I think Alison is reaching out to me, and I told her it would be a good opportunity for her and me to talk.”
“Thank you Kelly. You don’t’ know what it will mean to Aunt Sybil if Alison goes to meet Sarah.”
Kelly grinned into the phone. “Wait, there’s more.”
“Okay.”
“I think Alison also consented to have Stan come along. Could you call him and tell him he’s invited?”
“Wow! I don’t know how you did it, Kelly, but two miracles in one night, that’s just too much to comprehend.”
She laughed. “I don’t really think I did that much. I think Alison wanted both, but just couldn’t think of a way to back down on her earlier stand.”
“Well, however you did it, thank you, and I’m sure Sybil will thank you too.”
“You’re welcome, Grant. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
When Kelly disconnected the phone, she sat staring into the distance for a long time before she pulled herself to her feet and slowly walked with her crutches to her bedroom. Her mind was almost numb now. She had to get some sleep, and with a satisfied smile, she thought she would now be able to do just that.
Chapter Thirteen
Grant parked his pickup on the street in front of Sybil’s house the next afternoon. They usually took Sybil’s big Crown Vic whenever they went somewhere together, but Grant always drove, of course.
He was still wondering about his phone conversation with Kelly last night. What did all that mean? It had caused him to have two questions that were still going around in his head. Is Alison finally going to accept Sarah as her mother? Is Alison finally going to open herself up to a possible relationship with Stan?
He thought of another question then. Did Kelly actually arrange all this? He was beginning to see a side of her that he never imagined was there. She was turning out to be someone who couldn’t stand for anyone around her to be unhappy. Grant liked that. He liked it a lot. In fact, he liked Kelly a lot.
He had called Stan last night, after a lot of thought, and Stan had been excited to be included with them today. Go figure! Grant just hoped Alison was actually going. That could just be a major breakthrough.
Stan walked up as Grant was getting out of his truck. He couldn’t help but notice that Stan looked nervous. Nervous? Was this his calm, cool buddy here?
“Think she’ll show?”
Grant almost laughed at the tone of Stan’s voice. There was hope mixed with despair there.
Grant started to answer when they both turned to watch Alison’s car pull up behind Grant’s truck.
“Well, I think there’s your answer.” He grabbed Stan by the shoulder and said, “If I were you today, I’d only speak to her when spoken to. I want her to follow through with this whole thing, okay?”
Stan grinned at Alison as she got out of her car and began walking toward them. “Sure, Grant, I understand perfectly.”
Grant wasn’t so sure, but he could only hope.
Alison didn’t speak to either one of them, but continued walking up the sidewalk to the driveway and then turned toward Sybil’s car sitting in the open garage.
It was then that Grant caught on to what Alison was trying to do. But she didn’t count on Sybil outsmarting her though. Sybil was standing by the front passenger door. She quickly opened the door and slid in leaving Alison with a stormy look on her face as she yanked the back door open and leaped in.
Grant looked at Stan and grinned. “Good luck old buddy. You’re sure going to need it.”
All but one person was quiet on the ride to the Newcomb estate. Sybil, of course, kept up a steady commentary on how great it was to have her Sarah back in their lives again.
Grant sneaked several peeks in the mirror at the back seat. Both of them were staring straight ahead without moving or talking. He looked closer once and thought he saw a slight smirk on Stan’s face. Boy, there was sure to be some fireworks before this day was over.
When they arrived at the Newcomb estate, the garage type door was open and Leo stood in the opening motioning for Grant to drive through to the parking court beyond.
Grant didn’t see Kelly at first, but as soon as he parked the car, she was opening Alison’s door and helping her out of the car. He could only marvel as she led Alison into the house talking all the way.
Grant didn’t realize that he was staring until Stan’s voice came to him almost in his ear. “That’s some kind of special woman you’ve got there pal.” And he laughed.
Sybil placed her hand on Grant’s arm and started leading him toward the door. “She’s a real keeper all right, Grant. Make sure you treat her right, you hear?”
He started to argue with both of them but realized the futility of it when he saw the huge grins on their faces.
They followed Kelly and Alison through the door onto the patio and on into the house. Kelly’s grandparents and Sarah were all waiting for them in the family room where he and Kelly had o
nce met with Sarah.
Mr. Newcomb greeted them all, “Welcome to our home, and I hope you will be comfortable here. We don’t stand on too many formalities around here. Especially since we’re all family now. Please have a seat here and relax a bit before Maria calls us into the dining room.”
Mrs. Newcomb spoke next. “There are pitchers of iced tea and lemonade on the counter and sodas in the fridge next to them. There are also glasses of ice on the counter. Help yourselves.”
With that both of the elder Newcombs sat on a sofa in the sunken seating area. As expected, Sybil headed toward Sarah but Kelly, with Alison in tow, was already there. He couldn’t quite hear what was being said, but he was pretty sure that Kelly was introducing Alison to Sarah.
Grant looked at Stan who shrugged and they sat together on another sofa.
When Grant looked that way again, Kelly and Alison had disappeared and Sybil was dragging a shocked looking Sarah to another sofa where they sat and Sybil began talking excitedly.
He looked over at Mr. and Mrs. Newcomb and saw that they were both watching Sybil and Sarah with tentative smiles on their faces.
It was then that Kelly’s brother, Wayne, came in the door and leaned over to give his grandmother a hug and shake his grandfather’s hand. Then he turned toward Grant and Stan.
Grant stood and so did Stan. Grant spoke first, “It’s good to see you again Wayne. This is my partner and best friend, Stan Becker.”
The two shook hands and Grant and Stan sat back down. Wayne walked over to the fridge, pulled out a soda, opened it and took a drink before turning back to the rest. When he walked back into the seating area, he chose the sofa across from Sarah and Sybil.
Shortly after that, the housekeeper called them into the dining room.
* * *
Kelly had planned her little ambush of Alison to the smallest detail. She had asked Leo to open the garage door and get Grant to drive into the parking court. Then she made sure she was close by to grab Alison as soon as they parked.
She had planned to take Alison to Sarah, introduce them and then lead Alison away so they so they could talk privately.
So far, everything had worked according to plan. She and Alison were now in the front parlor far enough away from all the others so as to not be overheard.
Once they were settled on a sofa, Kelly turned to look at Alison and was suddenly worried about her. She was extremely pale and her eyes were staring blankly at the corner fireplace.
“Alison, are you all right?”
Alison slowly shook her head but continued silently staring. After another minute, she spoke, “It’s all just too much!”
Kelly was fairly certain she knew what Alison meant, but wanted to get her to talk. “What is Alison?”
Alison didn’t move anything but her mouth when she spoke again. Her eyes were still staring. “She . . . she must be my mother.”
Alison finally turned in Kelly’s direction, but Kelly was sure Alison wasn’t focusing on her yet. “It was like . . . like . . . looking into a mirror.” Then she burst into tears and Kelly wrapped her arms around Alison’s shoulders and let her cry.
When it looked as if she was about to stop crying, Kelly pulled several tissues and handed them to her.
Alison wiped her eyes, blew her nose and tossed the tissue into the waste basket close by. She looked back at Kelly and said, “You don’t waste any time do you?”
Kelly wasn’t sure what she meant therefore, remained silent, not knowing how to respond.
Alison smiled for the first time in Kelly’s presence. “I think you’ll be good for my brother. He needs someone as strong as he is, and I think you may be more than a match for him.”
Kelly wasn’t sure she was being complimented or attacked, so she waited for Alison to speak.
“I think I’m ready to rejoin the others now. I guess I’m over my shock.” She thought for a second. “What must she think of me the way I bailed out of there so fast?”
“Alison, look at me.” When she did, Kelly said, “Sarah is your mother.” When Alison started to say something, Kelly cut her off. “No, please let me finish. She is your mother and she always has been. But the problem is that she didn’t know it until recently. She doesn’t remember anything from before she had that accident twenty years ago. That means she doesn’t remember you even though she desperately wants to remember you and Grant both. You’re all just going to have make up for all the lost memories by making new memories . . . together.”
Kelly paused for breath and was pleased when Alison continued to wait for her to finish.
Kelly sighed and said, “Alison, Sarah doesn’t remember how to be a mother. She doesn’t remember what it was like to give birth to you, to hold you in her arms. It’s as if she missed doing all of that. She wants to hold you in her heart now. Won’t you let her?”
Alison slowly nodded her head then gave Kelly a tentative smile. “I can only try.”
Just then, they both noticed the rest of the group going into the dining room straight across the foyer from the parlor doorway.
Once inside the dining room, Kelly noticed that Grant had apparently saved a seat next to him on the end of one side of the long table. She almost didn’t sit there when she noticed that the only other empty chair was not only next to Stan, but between him and Wayne. She wasn’t sure she could trust her brother to not wipe out all that had just been accomplished with Alison.
Ultimately, she decided that since they would be directly across the table from her and Grant that it might be okay. But the main reason was that she didn’t want to disappoint Grant who was smiling at her as he held out the chair for her.
As Kelly settled into her chair, she heard a strange sound from across the table. She looked up in time to see Alison trying to sit in a chair that Wayne and Stan seemed to be struggling over.
Kelly caught her brother’s eye and gave him a stern look accompanied by a slight shake of her head. She was relieved when he let go of the chair and gave Kelly an innocent grin.
The meal began quietly as they all tasted the various appetizers, quesadillas, taco chips with various dips and salsas along with the posole.
While Kelly was sipping her soup, she kept her eyes on Alison and the two men on either side of her. She didn’t like the look that Wayne had in his eyes. She wished she could reach him under the table, but it was too wide.
Her suspicions were confirmed when Wayne began to openly flirt with Alison. Kelly looked helplessly to Grant who only shrugged his shoulders.
She looked back but at Stan this time. She was surprised to see a look of pure amusement on his face. But then she noticed why he was amused. Alison had turned her whole body in her chair so that her back was to a frustrated Wayne so that she was now facing Stan.
From that point on, Kelly’s meal was much more enjoyable and she was able to carry on a conversation with Grant since she hopefully no longer had to worry about the trio across the table. Alison, seemingly, had taken control of the situation and was conversing amicably with Stan and still ignoring Wayne.
Kelly thought that her brother deserved that. He had always been a flirt, and women usually warmed to him easily. She was enjoying the frustrated look on his face.
Kelly finally was able to look toward Sarah who was sitting on Grant’s other side with Sybil next to her. Sarah looked rather puzzled, but it appeared that Sybil was filling her in on the dynamics of what was happening between Alison and Stan. Sybil was beaming.
* * *
Grant was thoroughly enjoying himself. He had Kelly on his left and Sarah on his right. He was glad that Kelly’s grandfather, on her other side was busy talking to Wayne apparently so that he would leave Alison alone. In fact, Kelly pretty much gave Grant her undivided attention since she had hardly turned toward her grandfather to converse with him at all.
Grant did notice that she was, at least at first, paying a lot of attention to the trio across from her. He was also pleased when Alison turned toward
Stan and was actually talking to him. That was definitely progress. He also noticed that it caused Kelly to visibly relax.
“. . . my house.”
Grant only caught the last two words that his Aunt Sybil had said. He looked around to make sure it was indeed Sarah that she was talking to. He turned his head slightly so his right ear was toward them and leaned slightly toward Sarah in an attempt to hear better.
Sarah was talking now. “I don’t want to be a bother to you Sybil. I can always get a place of my own.”
That’s what he thought the conversation was all about, and it sent chills down Grant’s back. Could he say something? Should he say something? He’d better say something.
Before he could finish those thoughts, he felt Kelly’s hand cover his on the table and she squeezed it. That brought his attention back to her.
Kelly leaned toward Grant and whispered in his ear. “I think it would be marvelous for the two sisters to live together, for a while at least.”
Grant looked back toward his aunt and his mother. Sybil said, “Nonsense, Sarah, it would give us that much more time so we can try to catch up.” She grabbed both of Sarah’s hands in both of hers and said, “Twenty years is going to take a lot of catching up too.”
Sarah smiled shyly and said, “I do think that it would be wonderful to get to know you Sybil.”
Grant spoke up loud enough for both of them to hear him above the other conversations going on around the table. “Sybil, I think that until these murders are solved, that might not be a good idea.”
Sybil laughed and said, “Not to worry, Grant, dear, I’ve already thought of a solution to that little problem.”
“Little problem? Sybil, I don’t consider murder to be a little problem.”
“Shush, Grant, and let me finish.” She turned laughing eyes toward Sarah. “You’ll find, dear that you have to be rather firm with Grant from time to time.” Then she leaned forward to look at Kelly. “He tends to want to get his way a little too often.”
Lost Memories (Sycamore P.D. Series Book 1) Page 22
