by Myra Johnson
Then, just like how you remember a dream, my brain started working backward. The ugly scene between Larry and Micah. Renata’s attempts to placate her jealous husband.
Her jealous husband. Up to now, my mind had conveniently blocked out the part where Renata had inserted herself between me and Micah. The part where she’d fawned over him like a long-lost lover.
Lover?
My stomach twisted.
“Where is he?” I tossed the covers aside. “I have to see him. I have to see Micah.” I swung my legs off Grandpa’s side of the bed and tried to stand.
Sandy grabbed my shoulder. “Julie, don’t. You need to stay right where you are.”
“Don’t tell me what I can or can’t do. I need to talk to Micah.” Before I could stagger around the end of the bed, a swirling cloud of dizziness sidelined me. Grandpa caught me moments before I hit the floor. With Sandy’s help, he manhandled me back into bed, but not before I put up a good fight.
“That’s quite enough, young lady.” He shook a gnarly finger under my nose. “I’m still your grandpa till the Good Lord relieves me of the job, and you will stay in this hospital until the doc gives you a clean bill of health.”
“And I’m his backup,” Sandy said with a glare. “Julie Stiles, you are not going anywhere tonight.”
Out of breath and only then realizing my entire backside had been exposed to the world thanks to my skimpy hospital gown, I cowered beneath the blankets. I’d have to concede temporary defeat at the hands of my self-appointed jailers, since obviously Marshall Dillon and Miss Kitty were not about to let me out of their sight.
~~~
“Good morning, sunshine! How are we feeling this bright, sunny day?”
I swam upward through vague but troubling dreams as the cheery alto voice invaded my brain. When I opened my eyes, a buxom nurse in green scrubs stood over me. She balanced a tray with one hand while punching buttons on my bed control with the other. “Let’s get you ready for some breakfast, young lady.”
I groaned feeble protests as the top half of the bed sat me upright. Grandpa, still camped out in the chair by the window, yawned and stretched. Sandy emerged from the bathroom, hairbrush in hand. Her face looked freshly scrubbed.
“Now you eat up,” the woman ordered with a grin. “Get some meat on those skinny ol’ bones.” She plopped the tray on my bed table, whisked off the plate covers, and sashayed out the door.
The combined smells of coffee, oatmeal, and toast conspired to nauseate me. I pushed the table away and tried to get up.
Once again, my keepers restrained me. “Eat something, Julie,” Sandy insisted. “You need your strength.” She spread some strawberry jam across a slice of whole-wheat toast and handed it to me.
Yes, I would definitely need my strength for what lay ahead. Eventually I’d have to face both Renata and Micah, and I had no idea what I’d say to either of them.
Grandpa and Sandy took turns going to the cafeteria for their own breakfast while I nibbled at mine. I tried to convince them they could trust me alone for that long, but neither of them was buying it. Around eight, a nurse came with a wheelchair and said we were going down for “another” MRI. Interesting that I couldn’t remember having the first one.
“Soon as your doctor gets the results,” she said, “he’ll probably let you go home.” In the meantime, she gave me permission to shower and dress.
When I saw myself in the bathroom mirror, I nearly gagged. My hair was one giant mass of tangles, and whoever cleaned me up yesterday had left Yvette’s model-perfect makeup job in streaks.
Sandy knocked on the bathroom door while I was drying off. “Thought you might want some clean clothes.” She passed some things to me in a plastic grocery sack. “I helped your grandpa pick out some stuff for you before we came over yesterday.”
I recognized the faded bell-bottom hip-huggers and embroidered dashiki tunic I’d been admiring in Dovie and Royce Buckles’ Glad Rags booth. Fresh undies, too. By the time I’d dressed, raked through my snarls, and brushed my teeth, I felt almost human.
And more normal than I had since driving out of the La Quinta parking lot ten days ago.
“Now that’s the Julie I know and love,” Sandy said when I came out of the bathroom. She wrapped me in a hug.
“Yes indeedy.” Grandpa shuffled over. “How’s my girl?”
I planted a kiss on his lined cheek. “A little worse for wear, but I’m alive and kicking. Thanks for bringing—”
The door whooshed open, and Renata swept into the room. “Julie, dear, so sorry I didn’t come by last night, but I had a million things to attend to. After the party, the caterers left things in an absolute mess. And I had so many calls to make—ruffled feathers to smooth, apologies for that unfortunate little interruption—”
“Interruption?” My brain was about to strip a gear. “Renata, do you realize I nearly drowned?”
“Now, now, don’t exaggerate. Just a little accident, that’s all.” She eyed me up and down. “Oh, dear, that outfit is absolutely prehistoric! Well, not to worry. I’ll wait while you change.” Turning toward the bathroom, she deposited a small suitcase on the tile floor and hung a black garment bag on a hook opposite the sink.
Sandy’s face reddened. I was afraid she’d say something I’d regret, so I beat her to the punch. “It was thoughtful of you to bring me something, Renata, but these are the clothes I’m comfortable in.”
She looked hurt, but only for a moment. “Very well, then, as soon as the doctor signs your release papers, I’ll take you home.”
I wasn’t quick enough to stop Grandpa from belting out his retort. He stood toe-to-toe with Renata, chin jutting. “Now see here, Miz Channing, you got no right to be making decisions for my gran—for Julie Pearl. She’s a grown woman, and she can make up her own mind.”
Renata edged back. “Yes, of course, but—”
Grandpa’s finger waggled under her nose. “Haven’t you caused enough trouble for my Julie Pearl? Whether she’s your blood sister or not, it’s her choice what she does about it. And I don’t take too kindly to you running roughshod over her, taking charge of her life like she’s still a toddler who don’t know her own mind.”
My heart swelled to be defended so gallantly. I hated to interrupt Grandpa, but I had to.
Laying a tender hand on his shoulder, I whispered close to his ear, “It’s okay, I can take it from here.”
He gulped and ran a hand across his face before stepping aside.
“Renata,” I said, leading her by the elbow toward the door, “Grandpa is only trying to look out for my best interests.”
“Well, naturally, poor man.” She cast him a sympathetic frown. “I understand it’s enormously difficult for him to accept you’re not his granddaughter and to realize your life is going in a completely new direction.”
“No, Renata, that isn’t the way it’s going to be.” We stood in the corridor now, and I pulled the door closed behind us. “I don’t care if you showed me a thousand DNA tests confirming I’m Jenny Pearl, that man in there will always be my grandpa. He raised me, gave up everything for me. He’s the only parent I’ve ever known, and I love him with all my heart.”
In the ensuing silence, I watched a series of confused emotions play across Renata’s face, and before my eyes she seemed to shrink by a foot. I knew then that she didn’t understand— would never understand the bond between me and Grandpa, the unconditional love that’s possible only in the purest and best kinds of families.
The kind of love that’s thicker than blood.
CHAPTER 28
It was nearly eleven before a baby-faced intern pronounced me fit to be released. Grandpa bustled about, helping Sandy pack up what few things I’d arrived with—my pool-soaked undergarments and the Oscar de la Renta, now stained and torn beyond repair. In the meantime, I fetched the garment bag and tote Renata had brought. Couldn’t simply leave those things behind. Peeking into the tote, I was glad to see she’d brought my pu
rse—except I sure was sorry she’d overlooked my Snow White watch.
As I set the suitcase and garment bag on a chair by the door, I turned to see Grandpa slouching in front of the window, hands stuffed into his pockets, staring into space. His forlorn look brought an ache to my chest. Even though I’d sent Renata on her way and told her I’d be in touch later, he must have assumed I’d be returning to the Channing house.
I pulled Sandy aside. “Could you give me a few minutes alone with my grandpa?”
“Sure thing.” She tossed me one of those smiles you only get from your very best friend who knows all your secrets. “I drove myself, so I’ll head on home, maybe check on Micah. Knowing him, he’s probably at the La Quinta working like a madman.”
I firmly believed she was right. “Let me know how he’s doing?”
“You betcha. In the meantime”—she grabbed me by the nape of the neck and touched her forehead to mine—“don’t do anything dumb, okay?”
Rolling my eyes, I gave her my promise.
“Come sit down, Grandpa,” I said as the door closed behind Sandy. I led him to the chair by the window and then sat on the bed across from him.
He pulled off his bifocals and rubbed his eyes. “Now don’t you be fussin’ over me, Julie Pearl. I’ll be fine, now that I know you’re okay. Soon as you’re on your way to the—” He swallowed hard. “Soon as you check out, I’ll head on back to Caddo Pines. I can still get there in time to open the Swap & Shop by noon, and—”
“And I’ll be there to help you.” I reached for his hand. “I’m going home with you, Grandpa.”
I’m not sure exactly when I made that decision, but I knew it was the right one. I might be a Pearl by birth, but unlike Renata, I never signed up to be a Channing. Her high-society ways would always be an awkward fit for this small-town girl, and I was one reluctant Cinderella who’d grown tired of tiptoeing around in those woefully uncomfortable glass slippers.
Besides, I’d about given up on things ever working out between me and Prince Charming.
“Now, Julie Pearl,” Grandpa said, his brow furrowed, “you still got things to straighten out with . . . with your sister, don’t you? I mean, I don’t want you troubling over how I’m getting on with you being gone and all.”
“You’re not listening, Grandpa.” I knelt beside his chair. “You and the Swap & Shop—that’s where my home is. Where my heart is.” My arms crept around his warm, wrinkled neck, and I snuggled against his unshaven cheek. “I wish with all my being I’d never heard of Pearls Along the Lake or Renata Pearl Channing or—” It hurt someplace deep inside me to say the words. “Or even Micah Hobart.”
Grandpa took me by the shoulders and pushed me to arm’s length. “Now you listen here, young lady. Much as I’ve wished the exact same thing, I been praying hard about it, and I got the strongest feeling deep in my soul that the Lord has a higher purpose for what’s happened here. It ain’t my place, or yours, to go forcing our own wills on the situation.”
My jaw muscles clenched. This was so not what I wanted to hear just now. Seeing Grandpa when I awoke last night had made me realize how badly I wanted to go home to the flea market. And it wasn’t just Grandpa I missed. I missed Katy Harcourt’s brazen laughter. Maddie Barton smelling like Coty perfume and garage-sale castoffs. LeRoy Tuttle and his flirtatious wink. Lanky ol’ Lester Carlson delivering our mail and the Caddo Pines Recorder.
Not to mention how badly I missed the feel of warm fur beneath my fingers, the smell of doggy breath and fish treats, the click of toenails across a hardwood floor.
Yes, that had to be it. Renata’s appearance in my life was supposed to be a wakeup call, a reminder that precious things are too easily lost if you don’t hang on tight. “I’ve been praying about it, too, Grandpa, and I think I understand now.”
“That’s good, Julie Pearl.” Grandpa stood and pulled me to my feet. “So now we both got to trust the Lord to work all this out. You get on over to the phone and call Miz Channing. Tell her you’re ready for her to pick you up and—”
“I told you, I’m not going back there.”
“Don’t argue with your grandpa, Julie Pearl.” He kept right on nudging me closer to the nightstand where the beige telephone sat, and I kept right on digging in my heels.
Then the confounded thing rang and about planted me on the ceiling. Out of sheer habit, and before I could second-guess who might be calling, I whirled around and grabbed up the receiver. “Hello?”
“Julie? It’s Renata.” Her singsong tone carried the merest hint of uncertainty. “I’m downstairs in the lobby whenever you’re ready.”
I stared at my bare toes sticking out at the ends of the Dr. Scholl’s sandals Grandpa had brought. He was right about one thing—now that this can of spaghetti had been opened, I needed to ride the horse all the way to the finish line. Or something like that.
Looking slant-eyed at Grandpa, I had a flash of inspiration. “Hey, Renata,” I said, hooking a thumb in my jeans pocket and cocking my hip, “I’ve got a proposition for you.”
~~~
“Aw, Julie Pearl, what have you gone and done?” Grandpa had to shout over the wind whipping through the open windows of the rattling old Econoline van.
I laughed out loud as we chugged along Interstate 30 toward the cutoff to Caddo Pines. “I think it’s a perfect idea, Grandpa. Come on, admit it, you’ll enjoy this as much as I will.”
“Enjoy ain’t exactly the word I’d use,” he muttered, then shook his fist at an eighteen-wheeler roaring by us in the left lane. I surmised the GigantaMart logo on the side only added fuel to the fire in Grandpa’s belly.
I reclined the creaky passenger seat a little farther. “Anyway, I’ll believe it when I see it. How much you want to bet she’s already chickened out? Two dollars and a bottle of root beer says Renata Channing doesn’t have the gumption to spend two hours—let alone two weeks—living and working with us at the Swap & Shop.”
Which was exactly what I’d proposed to her. The rationale being, of course, that I’d just spent a week and a half with her in Ritzville, so it was only fair for her, as the devoted sister she claimed to be, to experience life on my terms. She’d hemmed and hawed for a good ten minutes—or at least it seemed that long—while I did some serious arm-twisting. Grandpa, hearing only my side of the conversation, could only stare at me in horror.
When she finally realized I wasn’t kidding, Renata gave in. “All right, all right. Give me time to take care of a few arrangements and pack a suitcase. I’ll be there later this afternoon.”
“Oh, and one more thing, Renata. Why don’t you drive over in my VW? We don’t have covered parking at the Swap & Shop, and I sure would hate for anything to happen to that fancy Mercedes of yours.”
Although her Mercedes sure had a lot smoother ride than this old van. Shifting against the sticky vinyl seat, I gathered my windblown hair and tucked it down the back of my shirt to keep it from getting more tangled than it already was.
Grandpa angled me another of his disbelieving stares. “I hope you know what you’re getting into, young lady. The woman’s liable to be more work than she’s worth, you know. Bet she’s never lifted a broom and dustpan in her life.”
I had to remind him what Micah had told me, that Renata used to sweep, mop, and a whole lot more at Pearls Along the Lake. Had to be like riding a bike . . . didn’t it?
Ten miles outside Caddo Pines, Grandpa’s cell phone rang. Since he was driving, he passed it to me. It was Sandy. “I was right,” she said when I answered. “Micah’s slaving away on paperwork. I just left the La Quinta.”
Casting Grandpa a sidelong glance, I shifted closer to the passenger door and lowered my voice. “Did you tell him what happened after y’all left the party?”
“Yeah, but I broke it to him real gently. He looked like he hadn’t slept all night.”
“What did he say?”
She didn’t answer right away. Finally she murmured, “Nothing. He just waved me o
ut the door and told me to leave him alone.”
My head had started throbbing again. I squeezed my eyes shut, but all I could see was Renata falling into Micah’s arms yesterday. Why hadn’t I picked up right away on her feelings for him—or his for her, considering their history? Why couldn’t I accept that in Micah’s mind I’d always and ever be “Rennie’s baby sister,” the kid they’d nearly drowned?
It was too much for my tired brain to ponder. We were rumbling along the back highway now, winding through small towns and pine forests. In less than fifteen minutes we’d be in Caddo Pines.
I could hardly wait.
~~~
“Sneezy! Brynna!” I knelt by the kitchen table as my two favorite animals in the universe about bowled me over with their furry welcome. Purring like a motorboat, Sneezy rubbed against my thighs first one way and then the other, while Brynna lavished wet doggy kisses on my face. I wove my fingers through her soft, curly coat and sniffed back tears.
“Those two are mighty glad you’re back,” Grandpa said, his voice trembling.
“And I’m mighty glad to be here.” Clambering to my feet, I kicked off my Dr. Scholl’s and padded barefoot into the living room, where the puppies whimpered in their basket. I picked up each one in turn, snuggling it against my cheek. “Oh, Grandpa, they’ve grown so much.”
A big ol’ boa constrictor tightened itself around my heart. It wouldn’t be long until the puppies grew big enough to go to new homes. Good thing I came back when I did, because no way these pups were going anywhere without my express approval.
Grandpa shuffled to the kitchen. “Best get some lunch, Julie Pearl. We open in twenty minutes.”
By five after twelve, I was counting money into the cash drawer while Grandpa finished shaking out the welcome mat outside the front door. All my dear friends—Katy Harcourt, Maddie Barton, Hazel Diffenbacher, and so many others—had stopped by to greet me as they arrived to open their booths. I’m sure they’d all heard from Grandpa about why I’d been away, but nobody said a word, just treated me as if I’d been off on vacation or something.
