A Weekend Getaway

by Karen Lenfestey

  He helped her walk to the loveseat. “Your boss is an ass.”

  She forced herself to take air in and out of her lungs. Somehow doing the right thing for her personal life meant screwing up her career. “I just can’t leave yet.”

  He sat beside her and stroked her hair. “I understand.” He waited until she calmed down. “Are you all right?”

  A nod. “I mean, Hannah is my child. My only child. This could be the last time I ever see her. I want to soak up every minute with her that I can.”

  He pulled back and looked at her. “I’m glad you’re staying.”

  They both smiled. For a moment, she sensed his lips might be moving closer to hers. She held her breath and waited.

  But no, she’d misinterpreted things. Once again, she’d allowed her mind to build a relationship with him that didn’t exist. Had he really even kissed the top of her head last night or had she imagined that, too?

  He stood and started pacing. “Let’s make a plan.”

  “My suggestion is we call and apologize profusely.”

  “You know me. I don’t say sorry unless I mean it.”

  “Listen to me, Connie was right. We’ve been meddling and deceitful. She has every right to ban us from Hannah’s life.”

  “No! I can’t let that happen.”

  “Then it’s time to grovel.”

  He picked up the phone and dialed. “Connie, it’s Parker. I hate the way we left things last night. Could Beth and I come over and talk?” His brow crinkled. He didn’t look as if he were getting what he wanted. He raked his hand through his mussed up hair.

  Beth grabbed the phone from him. “Mrs. Taylor? It’s Beth. What Parker and I want to say is that we’re sorry. We were one-hundred percent wrong and we beg for your forgiveness.”

  Connie paused.

  Beth charged forward. “I know it might be easier if we took some time apart to process everything that’s happened, but the truth is we don’t have that luxury. Parker and I live hundreds of miles away. He might be able to provide some guidance for what Hannah is going through.”

  A measured breath came over the line. “That’s true.”

  Together they scheduled another meeting. Beth and Parker arrived at the Taylors’ place soon after breakfast. Hannah opened the door in a purple robe and scowled at Beth. Dark circles cradled her tired eyes. “What are you doing here?”

  Dressed in jeans and a polo shirt, Connie came up behind Hannah and clasped her shoulders. “Please come in.” They both stepped back and allowed Parker and Beth to enter.

  The four of them took seats in the living room as they had the day before. Parker leaned forward, his elbows resting on each knee. “I’d like to join Beth in apologizing for creating any havoc in your lives. Thank you again, Connie, for letting us into your home.” He faced Hannah. “I know you received some upsetting news yesterday. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you myself. Now that you’ve had time to think, is there anything you want to ask me?”

  Hannah crossed her legs. “I looked it up on-line. It sounds like a pretty sucky way to go.”

  He nodded. “It is.”

  “And you have it?”

  “Looks that way.” He remained forward, as if his body language could offer her comfort. “If you did your research, then you realize there’s a blood test that can reveal if you have it or not.”

  Hannah grimaced as she fiddled with her robe’s sash. “I think I want to know.”

  Her mother, who looked just as pained, rubbed her palm across Hannah’s back. “Are you sure? If there’s no cure, then what’s the use?”

  Hannah stared at the floor, avoiding eye contact with everyone. “It’s my life and I want to know. The Children’s Medical Center of Dallas does testing. I want to call tomorrow and schedule an appointment.”

  Beth fidgeted in the ensuing silence. Picking at her cuticles, she cleared her throat. “I’ve had a change in plans and it turns out I can stick around a while longer. I could go with you for the test.” She shifted in her seat. “In fact, how’s the job market in Dallas?” Maybe she could move there.

  Hannah’s head jerked up. “Job market?”

  “I’ll be searching for a new employer.” She had nothing to go back to now. Perhaps this was serendipitous. Now she could spend more time getting to know her daughter. They could go for more hikes in the park, talk about boys and go on college visits together.

  “I just remembered,” Hannah said. “There’s something I want to show you in my room.”

  Beth liked the sound of that. “Is it some more of your artwork? You are so talented. I bet Parker would like to see it, too.” She glanced at him and he nodded, a grim look on his face.

  “No.” Hannah stood. “It’s what I want to wear to the Christmas dance. Mom says it’s not appropriate.” She made air quotes around the last two words.

  At that, Beth rose and followed the teenager down the hall filled with family photos. She paused briefly to look at each one, watching her baby grow up before her eyes. From a roly-poly infant, to a beaming toddler, to a freckle-faced child to a svelte, almost-grown woman. Pain bore a hole inside her chest.

  She noticed Hannah waiting for her in the doorway at the end of the hall, so Beth tore herself away from the gallery. The chemical odor of chlorine emanated from the bathroom where a one-piece swimsuit hung over the shower curtain rod.

  Once Beth entered the lavender bedroom, Hannah closed the door behind them. Sunlight streamed through the window’s lace curtains onto pictures of wildflowers and butterflies taped on the walls. On the bedspread rested a Bratz doll with big, almond-shaped eyes, too-long hair and a heart-shaped guitar. A memento from a childhood long gone.

  Hannah put her hand on her hip. “Look, I don’t want to be rude, but I need some time to be with my mom. I’m glad you came all this way, but I wasn’t planning on learning that I’m going to die a hideous death.”

  Beth stepped forward as if to offer some comfort, but Hannah jerked back. Trying to hide the agonizing stab of that flinch, Beth stuffed her hands in her jeans pockets. “I understand. What can I do to help?”

  “Leave.” Hannah nearly spit out the word. “Like I said, this is a lot to take in. I’m freaking out. It makes sense for Parker to stay because the doctor might want to talk to him or take a blood sample or something. And my mom will be there. All I’m saying is that exam room is going to be plenty crowded. It was nice to meet you, but. . . .”

  “It’s time for me to go.” Beth forced her head to nod. She’d mentioned moving here way too soon. “Got it. Of course. I didn’t mean to overstay my welcome.” She turned toward the door, anxious to exit. Her fingernails dug into her palm. Keep it together!

  Back in the living room, she said quick good-byes and stepped outside. It took all of her willpower to dam up her tears.

  A few minutes later, Connie joined her on the porch. “What did Hannah say?”

  “Just that she already has a mom. Which I know. She has a terrific mother. You.”

  Kindness washed Connie’s face. “Thank you.”

  “No. Thank you. I couldn’t have picked a more loving, compassionate, devoted woman to raise my baby. It was selfish of me to come here. I wanted her to like me so badly.”

  Connie laced her fingers together. “She does like you.”

  Beth shook her head, staring at the ground. A tear landed at her feet. She couldn’t fight them off any longer. “I don’t want to interfere in your lives any more.”

  Connie took a deep breath. “You’re a part of her. You always will be.” She reached toward her necklace and unhinged the heart-shaped locket. Inside was a tiny picture.

  Beth leaned forward to see who it was. An eighteen-year-old Beth, holding a newborn, stared back at her. Her hand flew to her chest. “Oh my gosh. I don’t even remember you taking that.” She’d been drained from the labor and the anxiety about whether adoption was the right choice. Only later did she regret that she didn’t have any photos. But Connie had been wise eno
ugh to take one.

  “I promised you that I’d be open with Hannah about you and I have been. Every year on Mother’s Day we say a prayer for you. But right now, we’re worried about this disease she might have. Maybe another time. . . .”

  Wiping her tears, Beth nodded. “I’ll wait to hear from you.”

  “I’d appreciate that.” She closed the locket and took a cleansing breath. A moment later, she turned and went back into the house.

  Beth used her cell phone to request a cab. She needed to go back to the hotel and get her luggage, then hustle to the airport. Her short legs paced back and forth in front of the adobe house while she waited.

  The front door squeaked open and then slammed. She looked up to see her daughter still wrapped in a purple robe. How was it that her baby stood taller than she did?

  Hannah twirled the end of her long hair. “My mom said I should come say a proper good-bye.”

  They spoke only in short, staccato-like bursts. “Well.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Gotta go.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Call. If you want.”

  Beth yearned to reach out to her. Finally, with nothing left to lose, she pushed the words out of her mouth. “Do you mind. . .” Her palms moistened. “Can I hug you?”

  The teenaged girl stared at her with those familiar brown eyes. Her hands pushed into her robe’s pockets. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other as she considered the request. Her gaze fell to her own bare feet. “I guess.”

  Beth encircled her daughter’s lean frame with her arms. The girl remained limp like a rag doll. The experience was not warm and fuzzy as Beth had hoped. Like this whole trip, the anticipation outshone the experience.

  But then, it felt as if her daughter’s spirit came to life. Hannah pressed her hands against Beth’s back and returned the embrace.

  Joy fluttered in Beth’s heart. Yes! This was the best moment of her life. She squeezed her child with all her love. Closing her eyes, she tried to imprint this experience forever into her brain—just as she had the memory of Hannah’s newborn face.

  When Beth finally released Hannah, tears twinkled in the adolescent’s eyes. Her damp eyelashes stuck together as she blinked.

  Beth felt her own floodgates swelling again. “Please stay in touch. If you ever need anything, anything at all. . . .”

  “I know.” Hannah wiped away the tear as if embarrassed by her emotions.

  Like mother, like daughter.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  As the sun set, Beth drove on auto-pilot to the Victorian house. She’d lost her job, her daughter wasn’t interested in knowing her, and even though she and Drew had split up, this place remained the closest thing to a home that she had. At age thirty-four, she’d made a mess of her life. Single, unemployed, and unloved. No wonder her dad disapproved of her.

  For a while, she’d entertained the wild fantasy that she and Parker would end up together. But he remained in Dallas, bonding with Hannah, and he’d given her nothing more than a wave good-bye when she’d left for the airport.

  When she pulled up to the light blue-shingled house, she admired the white trim that hung like lace along the roofline. She’d helped Drew choose the color scheme after she’d researched traditional Victorian exteriors on-line. Once she’d selected the paint, she’d helped apply it. By the end of the week, Drew’s poor face and arms flamed with sunburn. Redheads had even fairer skin than blondes, apparently. And painting a two-story house was a long, long process. A labor of love that started off with excitement and ended with exhaustion. Kind of like their relationship.

  Knowing she was seeing it for the last time, she took the structure in. A bay window jutted into the wrap-around porch on the left and a tower soared above it on the right. After a deep breath, she decided to cross the threshold. She grabbed the empty boxes from the backseat that she’d picked up from a nearby liquor store. Balancing three, she teetered to the front door. She almost used her key to enter, but decided to knock first. No answer. Drew must’ve been working late. A sigh of relief whooshed out of her.

  As soon as she opened the door, she half-expected Emma to run up to her and give her a hug. Silly, she knew. Instead, the parrot squawked from the kitchen, “Let me out. Let me out.”

  Inhaling the house’s familiar musty smell, she grimaced. “Not now, Captain Kirk.”

  “Screw you. Screw you.”

  She chuckled to herself. “Missed you, too.” She carried the boxes up the stairs, left them just inside the bedroom door and went back for more.

  After she packed up her stuff here, she’d have to drive to Healthy Habits Vitamins to clear out her desk. Maybe that could wait until tomorrow. But everyone would be watching. Tonight made more sense. And yet, she couldn’t handle it.

  Overwhelmed, she sat down on the rug between her dresser and the bed. The plaster medallion encircling the ceiling light drew her attention. It wasn’t nearly as elaborate as the flourished wreath design in the dining room, but she still appreciated it. The house needed work, but it had good bones.

  She studied the concentric circles for a long time. Until she heard Drew enter the house and the parrot began chattering. She got on her knees, opened her bottom dresser drawer and started pulling out clothes frantically.

  Drew’s footsteps creaked on the wooden staircase like in a horror movie. Get out! But it was too late. He opened the bedroom door.

  She didn’t speak.

  He crossed his arms and stood in the door frame. “Hi.”

  The end of their romance strangled her. She stared at her piles of clothes. “I can come back later if you want.”

  “I just wish you would’ve told me.”

  She swallowed and considered her words. “It was the biggest mistake of my life. I didn’t like to think about it—let alone talk about it.”

  Silence filled the air. He shuffled his feet. “I missed you.”

  She stopped breathing. She hadn’t expected this.

  He took a step closer. “How was your trip?”

  She thought about Hannah telling her that her mom would be with her at the doctor’s, so she didn’t need Beth. Beth meant nothing to her only child. There were no words available to describe her disappointment. A tear trickled down her cheek. Before she could stop it, a waterfall of emotion spilled out of her.

  He moved closer, knelt and wrapped his arms around her.

  Her muscles ached, craving comfort. She cried on Drew’s shoulder as he patted her back. He hadn’t seen her cry many times. That was something prissy girls did—not Beth. Beth was tough. Beth did not ask for much. That was what she brought to the relationship. She’d watch Star Trek and help renovate this house and take care of Emma. Love me and I’ll make your life easier.

  Her breath heaved in and out. She sobbed until she had it out of her system. Until her senses returned to her, reminding her that Drew was no longer her soft place to land. Time to pull herself together. Wiping her tears with her fingers, she drew back.

  He reached for her hand. “Let’s start over. I think we can make this work if we both try.”

  She studied his green eyes surrounded by red lashes. Maybe if he was open to change and she no longer had this secret, they’d grow closer. “You’re willing to do some things differently?”

  He nodded. “Anything you want.”

  That sounded promising. Taking those words, “anything you want,” she packaged them up and saved them for later. She wasn’t exactly in the mood to hammer out their differences right now. “How’s Emma?”

  “She’s good.” His jaw flexed and he looked as if he wanted to say something more.

  “Is she back with Missy?” Kind of a dumb question since she obviously wasn’t here.

  “Let’s not talk about it now. Let’s talk about us.” He caressed her cheek and leaned in for a tender kiss.

  # # #

  The next morning, Beth remained in bed when Drew kissed her good-bye and left for work. Sleeping
in for the first time in forever, she wasn’t anxious to face her former employer.

  Luke’s words echoed in her head. “I’m tired of covering for you.” “Unless you’re in the hospital, I don’t care.” “You’re fired.” Healthy Habits had been her first real job straight out of college. Now she needed to update her résumé. God, she hated job interviews. Who would be her references? Certainly not Luke.

  Pressure closed in around her head. She rolled from her left side to the right. Her fist punched the pillow. Sleep no longer shielded her from the realities of the day. Perhaps a cup of coffee would perk her up. She climbed down the wooden staircase and heard Dora the Explorer’s enthusiastic voice coming from the television. Drew’s parrot repeated, “Swiper, no swiping. Swiper, no swiping.”

  The corners of her mouth turned up. Softly padding into the front parlor, she found Emma eating a fun-sized candy bar while entranced by the TV. Her trick-or-treat plastic pumpkin sat next to her on the floor, providing a dwindling supply of goodies.

  “Hey, Emma. You know you can’t eat chocolate for breakfast.”

  For a moment, the toddler remained glued to the glowing light box, but then she turned around. “Aunt Beth!” She sprang to her feet and ran to give her a hug.

  Beth closed her eyes and savored the moment. “What would you like for breakfast? I’ll make anything you want.”

  “Candy!”

  Beth shook her head, noticing melted chocolate smeared on the little girl’s pink p.j.’s. “No, something healthy. Scrambled eggs or oatmeal or pancakes.”

  “Chocolate chip pancakes!”

  “Oh, all right.” She ruffled Emma’s blonde tresses. Squeezing the little girl into another tight hug, she inhaled the lingering scent of her strawberry shampoo. “I’m so glad to see you.”

  “You were gone a long time.”

  Five days didn’t usually seem that long to Beth, but in this case, she had to agree. Her world had been completely turned upside down. Although she regretted Hannah’s cool send-off, at least she’d met her daughter. They’d shared one embrace, which would probably have to last Beth a lifetime. At least she knew Hannah was truly safe and sound. Up until this point anyway. She hated to think about what the Huntington’s DNA test would show. Hopefully Hannah or Parker would keep her updated.