Mia’s mouth hung open, and Liz almost flinched as she caught sight of the stud in her tongue. “What? No freaking way! That’s crap!”
“Yo.” Matthew put a hand on Mia’s arm and studied her with a stern expression. “That’s enough.”
Mia curled her lips and spat a word Liz would have been grounded for using at that age. Matthew shook his head, took a step back, and tipped his head toward the door. “Go wait in the car.”
“I’m thirsty. I want a soda. Can I have some money?” Mia twisted the stud in her nose and actually smiled.
“Car. Now.”
Mia stormed out of the gallery, and the bell on the front door jangled violently. They both jumped.
“Bet you’re real happy you took this job, huh?” He tried out a grin that didn’t go far, and Liz suddenly wanted to hug him. She shook off that flagrant thought and put some space between them, retreating to tidy papers and cards on the counter.
“You’d better go. I wouldn’t trust her to wait for you. She’s probably halfway through town by now.”
He rolled his eyes but looked out the window all the same. “Nah. She’s in the car.”
Liz looked toward the vehicle and saw Mia sitting in it. “So she is.”
“She blows hot air most of the time. She listens. Eventually.”
It was more than that. Liz had already gauged the extent of Matthew’s love for his niece. Now she was beginning to suspect the unruly girl might have more feelings for her uncle than she cared to admit.
“Here it is.” He pulled out a sheet of paper from the beat-up brown satchel he carried over his shoulder and handed it to her. “Lease. I didn’t forget. You can start moving in whenever you’re ready.”
Liz met his eyes and hesitated. He smiled, a real smile this time, warm and sincere, but shadowed in sorrow. She felt sorry for him. Matthew Stone was a man in turmoil, yet he seemed kind and clearly wanted to do right by his niece. She wondered why Mia was with him, where her father was, why she didn’t know her grandparents. Not that it mattered. She wasn’t about to get involved.
But if she lived next door . . .
Alarm pealed through her, sending all sorts of second thoughts her way. She had a million reasons why she should tell him she’d changed her mind. Mia, for one. She wasn’t at all sure she had the stamina to deal with a messed-up kid like that. And what if she wasn’t ready to be on her own again? What if leaving Wyldewood and the safety net being with family provided turned out to be a catastrophic mistake?
Matthew rubbed his jaw, clearly unnerved by her silence. “You having second thoughts?”
“No.” Liz sighed and scanned the lease. Standard stuff. A flash of the small living room with ocean views, sun streaming through clean windows, produced a smile, and she looked up to find him watching her.
His forehead furrowed, shadows moving through his eyes. He raised a dark brow in question, and for a brief moment she considered backing out. Her instincts weren’t always good when it came to men, but somehow she felt she could trust this one. Past experience told her not to be so stupid. Trusting men was what got her into trouble. No. She’d have to keep things cordial but businesslike. No feeling sorry for the man. Or his niece. She had enough to worry about anyway. But if she signed the papers she held, finding a new place to live would be off the list.
“No second thoughts,” she said firmly, and her heart jumped a little when he smiled in relief.
seven
Matt drove aimlessly while Mia sat in sullen silence. Music blared from her earbuds, and he tried not to worry about her going prematurely deaf. She refused to look at him, staring out the salt-splattered window of the Jeep, slapping out a beat on her knees.
He’d been trying to find the right words since he’d talked to Pat on the way to pick her up from the gallery. The anger on his niece’s face made his heart hurt. He wanted to see her smile again, hear her laugh. When she was little, he could make her laugh at anything. While his buddies were out partying, Matt preferred to stay home and babysit. Once he graduated high school, he officially moved into the O’Donohues’ basement apartment where Rachel and Mia were living. He helped out as much as he could between his classes at the community college. Rachel was already on the downward spiral again.
By the time Joe Giovanni entered their lives, Matt’s love for his niece was fierce, and he fought hard to convince his sister she was making a huge mistake. The man creeped him out big time. Matt knew Giovanni was bad news, but he couldn’t prove it. His gut told him his family would be in trouble if Rachel didn’t heed his warning. But like always, Rachel only thought about herself, and she married the guy without telling any of them.
The day they left Boston for Arizona, Mia watching him from the back window of the beat up, dirt-splattered truck, tears rolling down her face, Matt’s heart was shredded. He’d tried to keep in touch as much as he could, tried to visit, but getting across the country wasn’t easy or cheap, and eventually the visits grew few and far between. And then around Thanksgiving last year Rachel showed up on his doorstep without warning, Mia in tow. The happy little girl he remembered had grown into a surly, angry teenager, with a story behind those flashing eyes he wasn’t sure he wanted to know.
Matt slowed and turned down Broad, found a parking spot near The Juice Bar and pulled into it.
Mia turned his way with a sour look. “What are we doing?”
“Getting ice cream.” He took the keys from the ignition and opened his door.
“What about dinner?”
“You got a problem with ice cream for dinner now? Didn’t used to.” He grinned as memory flashed.
“I made you dinner, Uncle Matty!” Mia, five years old, rushed him the moment he walked through the door of the small two-bedroom apartment the three of them had recently moved into. He’d been teaching for a year. Rachel was working too, trying to stay sober.
Matt swept Mia up and planted a kiss on her nose.
“You made me dinner? Well, aren’t you just the best little girl in the world.” He breathed in her wide smile and felt the day’s stress slip away. A kid in his art class had committed suicide last night. The other kids were devastated, naturally, and the staff had spent most of the day dealing with crying girls and angry young men. “What’re we having?”
Mia giggled and pressed her nose to his. “Guess.”
“Hmm. Steak and mashed potatoes?”
“Nope!”
“Green eggs and ham?”
“Nope!” She giggled and wriggled in his arms. Matt hugged her tight and shrugged.
“I give up. Tell me.”
“Ice cream!
“Ice cream for dinner?” He tried to look as shocked as possible, and she laughed in delight.
“Isn’t that the best idea ever?”
“It certainly is.” He kissed her forehead and set her down. “Best ever.”
Matt shook off the memory and tried to smile like he meant it, but it was a weak effort. “You coming?”
“Seriously?” Mia’s dark eyebrows shot skyward. He wondered whether she had the same memories. Whether she remembered much about the years they’d spent together. He’d been her world then, she his. And all he wanted to do right now was turn back the clock.
“Let’s go.” Matt waited while she got out, locked the Jeep, and jogged toward the shop, Mia clomping along behind muttering something about him being the weirdest guy on the planet.
Ice cream in hand, they walked down South Beach Street and headed toward Children’s Beach. He made short work of his butter pecan waffle cone, but Mia was still working on her banana split.
“Now you want to walk on the beach?” She cut her eyes and shoveled a spoonful of whipped cream into her mouth. “It’s too cold.”
“It’s fine.” He pulled on the thick Red Sox sweatshirt he’d brought with him and nodded her way. “You warm enough?” She’d put on a denim jacket when they left the Jeep.
“Whatever.” She kicked at a small rock and twi
rled her spoon. “Gonna be dark soon. I’ll just wait here.”
“Won’t be dark for a half hour. C’mon. I want to talk to you.” Matt headed down the stairs, exhaled, and summoned courage. This was a conversation he didn’t want to have. For so many reasons. And she probably felt the same. In fact, he wouldn’t be surprised to look back and find her still standing on the steps. But he heard her behind him a moment later, huffing and sighing like walking along a beach eating ice cream on a school night was possibly the worst punishment in the world.
After a few more minutes, Matt stopped walking, found an old overturned log, and sat down. He dangled his hands over his knees, watched the boats bobbing as the sun dipped low, and searched the sky to spot the first stars. Normally he’d have his camera, but this wasn’t the time to take pictures. “Sit, Mia. It’s sand. It won’t kill you. There’s room here if you want.”
She gave a painful sigh and lowered herself onto the log. “I know what you’re going to say. I already heard, from Uncle Pat.”
Matt nodded slow, a lump forming in his throat. “I know. I’m sorry about that. He couldn’t reach me and thought he was doing me a favor by telling you. But I wish he hadn’t.”
“I would have found out eventually.” Head low, she picked up handfuls of sand and let it trail through her fingers. He studied the pink streaks in her hair, still tempted to ask her what that was about, but when he’d first seen them this morning, he’d promised himself not to make a scene. Pink streaks weren’t the worst she could do. It was hardly the hill to die on.
Matt placed a hand on her shoulder and let out a breath. “I didn’t mean I’d have kept it from you. I meant I wanted to be the one to tell you.”
She shrugged off his hand. “Well, you weren’t.”
Guilt hit hard but he ignored it. No point dwelling on things he couldn’t fix. “He probably told you that your mom will be staying in Boston. She’ll go to a halfway house at first, make sure she’s still getting treatment and counseling.” Matt blinked and waited until he felt he could control the tremor in his tone. “I’ve arranged for you to call her tomorrow afternoon. And we can figure out when to go over to visit.”
“I don’t want to talk to her.” Mia shifted and turned her head away. Her shoulders shook a little, and he knew she was fighting tears. “And I don’t want to visit.”
He’d expected as much. “Mia, I know you’re angry. But you’ve only seen her twice since we moved here. I know—”
“You don’t know!” Mia glared at him, fury ripping across her face. “You don’t know anything! You don’t know what it was like for me, having to leave and go live with him. You don’t know about the things he did . . . you don’t know how he treated my mom and me, and you don’t know how glad I was when we moved back to Boston last year.” She gulped a sob and shook her head.
He waited, letting her continue.
“She promised she was gonna get clean, and she was really trying! And then she ruined it all! She had a good job, and she screwed it up, and now I have to live here on this stupid island, go to a stupid dinky school where I have no friends and everyone looks at me funny because I have a mom in jail! You have no idea how that feels, Uncle Matt, so don’t even pretend you do!” Mia pushed to her feet and stormed off down the beach.
“Great.” Matt raised shaking hands and pulled fingers through his hair.
The things he did . . .
Mia’s voice echoed on the wind.
Matt exhaled and allowed reality to sink in. He couldn’t stomach contemplating the abuse Mia had suffered at the hands of her stepfather. When they’d first come back, he’d had suspicions, but Rachel would clam up when he pressed. This was the first time Mia had brought it up, and he knew he couldn’t force more from her tonight.
The wind picked up strength as the sky faded into dusky gray. They’d have to head back soon. And he hadn’t even broached the subject of his parents’ impending arrival.
“Mia.” He got closer and she turned and walked the other way. Matt’s long legs had no trouble catching her. “Mia, wait.” He put a hand around her wrist and pulled her to a stop.
“What?” She shook her head. “What do you want from me? Am I supposed to be happy about her getting out? Supposed to say I can’t wait to see her? Pretend everything’s fine when it’s not, like you do?”
Ouch. She did have a knack for shooting straight from the hip.
Matt let her go. “Okay, Mia. Tell me what you want. If you don’t want to be here, do you want to move back to Boston?”
She huffed and blessed him with an eye-roll. “Where would I live? With her?”
Good point, kid. Now they were getting somewhere. “I guess if you’re not living with me, that would be an option eventually.”
“Well, that would be freaking awesome. I don’t get why we had to leave Boston. We could have done fine.”
“You know why we left. I thought coming here would be good for you. For both of us. But if you really hate it that much, we can talk about a new plan.”
She shook her head in stony silence.
“What? You want to stay here then?” Matt rubbed the back of his neck, wishing there were a magic pill for patience.
“I’d rather stay here than live with my mom.”
Matt sighed at the sad truth. “I hope you won’t always feel that way, Mia. I hope your mom stays clean this time. And I hope that one day you have a chance at a real relationship. Look . . .” He took a breath and scratched his jaw. “I know I’m not the easiest guy in the world to live with, but I want to do right by you. I don’t want to make things harder on you.”
“I know.” Tears shimmered in her eyes. “I just miss my friends.”
“Your drug-using, shoplifting, loser friends?” The words were out before he could rethink them. He shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans and bit his lip.
“They were still my friends.”
There was no sense in arguing “Okay. Anyway. Maybe you can just think about it. About visiting her. We could go over in a couple weeks, see how she’s doing.”
“I just told you—”
Matt inhaled and nodded. “The thing is, your mom wants to see you. She’s asked if we would visit once she gets out and settled.” He had to be honest. “And I think she is hoping you might want to move back, eventually, to live with her. Thoughts?”
The word she answered him with was not what he wanted to hear. Her language was another issued he’d have to deal with. Just not tonight. “Are you deaf? How many times do I have to say I don’t want to? Tell her no.” Mia drew a circle in the sand with the top of her boot. “I mean, you’re not exactly a rave, ya know, but at least you’re around most the time. At least you care about me. Even though it’s super annoying.”
Matt tried not to grin. “Well, you have your finer moments too, kid.” He watched the circular motion of her boot. “I don’t want to tell her you don’t want to see her, Mia. Will you think about it? I’ll go with you. We wouldn’t have to stay long.”
“Why does she even care?” She finally met his eyes, and he saw the truth in them. And he hated that she felt that way toward Rachel, but right now he couldn’t blame her.
“You’re going to have to forgive her sometime.”
“Whatever. Are we done?”
“Sure. I guess we’re done.”
Oh, and by the way, your grandparents are coming to visit.
Mia started walking back down the beach before he could get the words out. He let her get ahead of him and took the time to gather his thoughts. Tried not to call himself the coward he was. But maybe it’d be better to tell her about his parents’ visit tomorrow. She’d had enough for one night.
They both had.
eight
Thursday rolled in with wind and rain. The storm bolstered Matt’s hope for ferry cancelations. Despite his wishful thinking, the weather service said by morning it would be all over, with a pleasant forecast for the weekend. His parents would arrive tomorrow
, and there wasn’t a thing he could do about it.
Mia had to be told.
“Hey.” He wandered into the living room after supper and sank into a leather recliner, swiveled to face her and nodded toward the television. “Mia, shut that off a minute. I need to tell you something.”
She gave a what now expression, but he caught the fear in her eyes. “Is it about my mom again?”
“No. Not about your mom.” He wondered when she’d stop walking through life waiting for the other shoe to drop. But for now, there wasn’t much he could do to fix that.
“Then what?” Huddled under an old afghan, she twirled a strand of shocking pink hair around her finger and studied him through bleary eyes. She still hadn’t slept a full night since being in his care. “You already grounded me, made me work for the old lady and the snooty b—”
“Mia.” Matt held up a hand, closed his eyes a moment, then shot her a tired smile. “Not tonight, please.”
She sighed, crossed her arms, and shut her mouth. Matt drummed his fingers on the arms of the chair and nodded. “Thank you. Okay, first off, Miss Carlisle took the coach house. She’s moving in on the weekend.”
“Fandangtastic.” Her sarcasm swept around the room. Matt shook his head at her surly expression. What would it take to make her smile again?
“Ya know, this might come as a shock, Mia, but I’m not here to please you. Money’s a little tight. I need to rent the place out, and the lady needs a place to live. And you need someone close by when I have to work nights.”
“What?” Mia shot up. “No freaking way is she gonna come in here and tell me what to do!”
“No. She’s not.” Matt sat forward, ignoring his throbbing temples. “But I am telling you what to do. Like it or not, kid, I’m the one in charge around here. And I think it’s worked out okay so far, but you gotta stop pushing me. I’m not out to get you. But I’m not putting up with your crap, and I don’t expect Miss Carlisle to either. Got that?”
“Whatever.” Mia punched a pillow, sniffed, and swiped a hand across her eyes. He never knew for sure when he was being played. And that annoyed the heck out of him.
As the Light Fades (ARC) Page 8
