Hope nodded then looked down. A lump was growing in her throat.
“Is something wrong?” His voice was so full of compassion that she actually was afraid she really might cry.
“It’s just that—” She took a sip of water. “Well, I suppose I still blame myself.”
“For your mother’s death?”
“Well, yes.”
“I know she was planning on climbing Middle Sister that day, but surely that doesn’t make you think that—”
“There’s more to the story.” Hope took another gulp of water.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“I’ve never told anyone the whole story.”
“You can trust me, Hope.”
She looked into his eyes and wondered. “Client confidentiality?” she asked. He nodded. “Okay, I’m going to say this quickly—because I don’t want to cry. Mom had asked me to go with her that weekend. She wanted the two of us to climb North Sister together. She had it all planned out and was excited about it. And I told her I didn’t want to. Drew had invited me to a barn dance, and I turned Mom down to go to that stupid dance. So, she changed her plans and was supposed to be meeting her friends up there to climb Middle Sister instead.”
“Oh, so you think if you’d gone with her, she might not have been in a wreck.”
“Seems that way to me.”
“But it’s not as if you told your mother to go climb Middle Sister.”
“No…but she did it because I turned her down.”
“That’s a heavy load to carry, Hope.”
She nodded.
“And, really, you’re an intelligent woman; you must know that your mother was an adult and able to make her own choices.”
“My head knows that, but sometimes my heart feels differently.” Just then, she heard the phone ringing in the house. “Maybe that’s about Monroe.” She grabbed Andy out of her lap and began to dash toward the house. “Maybe he’s okay!”
It did turn out to be Faye, but Monroe was still missing. Not only that but Faye sounded on the edge of hysteria because she had called Jeff and he was furious at her. Hope tried to calm Faye down, but it seemed useless.
“Look,” she told her finally. “I’m going to go up to Three Creeks tonight. And I’ll look for him, okay? I’ll bet that’s where he went.”
“But why?” Faye demanded. “Why would he go up there? He doesn’t even know anyone and—”
“You don’t know if he knows anyone or not. I just have a hunch that he could be up there. I’ll call you if I find anything out, okay?”
“Okay.”
Hope hung up the phone and turned to Lewis, who was putting their dinner party things away. “North Sister is erupting.”
He shook his head as he set the dishes in the sink. “Are you really going to drive up to Three Creeks?”
She nodded. “I am.”
“Then let me go with you. Better yet, let me drive. At least I have four-wheel drive and a rig that can go off road.”
“Do you have a flashlight in—”
“Flashlight, blanket, first-aid kit, flares.” He held up his hands. “What can I say? I’m still sort of a nerd.”
She patted his cheek. “Nerds come in handy sometimes.” Then, grabbing her cell phone and another blanket, just in case, she followed him out to his SUV. “I really appreciate this, Lewis. I know Faye will, too…especially if we find Monroe.”
“I’ve heard it can get a little rough up there,” he warned her. “The sheriffs have been cracking down on kids, but that probably just drives them deeper into the forest.”
“Did you ever camp up there in high school?” she asked as he headed up Three Creeks Road.
He laughed. “Are you kidding? Remember me? I was the nerd.”
“I only went up there one time. Drew thought it would be fun. Turned out he was wrong.”
“You know that’s the second time you mentioned Drew tonight, and I have to admit that I’d totally forgotten that you two used to date in high school. Being that I was such a nerd and all, I was sort of on the outside of things. But it does strike me as a bit odd that your younger sister married your high school boyfriend.”
Hope forced what she hoped was a lighthearted laugh.
“I’m glad you can laugh now, but I imagine it was a little sticky back then.”
“It wasn’t much fun at the time, but now I’m perfectly fine with it. In fact, it actually feels like I dodged a bullet. I mean Drew’s a nice guy, but I’m pretty sure I would’ve outgrown him eventually. It’s just that it was an awkward setup…back then.”
“And it’s better now?”
She sighed. “Not really.”
“I assume that’s one of the reasons you stayed away from Sisters so long. The town I mean.”
“Yes…Sisters and sisters.” She shook her head. “You talk about feeling like an outsider during high school. The truth is after Cherry married Drew, I felt like an outsider in my own family…and in my own town. And since I’m confessing things here, I feel like an outsider at Nona’s house, too. It’s not easy living next to them.” She was about to mention how it was also awkward seeing Cherry and Lewis together, too, but now he was turning off onto a narrow dirt road, which probably led to a “camping” area. And she was feeling more than a little nervous—and she was extremely thankful that she hadn’t come up here alone after all. Whether or not Lewis was actually having an affair with Cherry, which boggled her mind more than ever tonight, she was grateful to have him with her now.
Chapter Fourteen
Hope wrapped the polar fleece blanket around her shoulders like a cape as she and Lewis walked toward what sounded like a pretty loud party. She could smell smoke from the campfire, and she hoped there wasn’t anything more serious than drinking going on here. She’d heard stories about outlaws manufacturing methamphetamines in the National Forest before. And she knew that people like that could be very unfriendly, not to mention unreasonable.
“Hey,” Lewis called out in a congenial voice. They were just outside of the firelight, and Hope could see a mix of tents and things and people mingling around. “Mind if we join you?”
“Who are you?” called out a big guy who was standing next to the fire.
“Just friends,” Hope called back as she stepped into the firelight so they could see her. “Friends who haven’t met yet.”
“Come on in,” he called to her.
“Thanks.” She stepped closer to the fire now, looking around to see if she could spot Monroe. “It’s getting cold.”
“And we’re looking for a friend,” Lewis explained. “He’s new in town, and we thought maybe he came up here.”
“What’s his name?” a girl with stringy blond hair asked.
“Monroe,” Hope said.
“Hey, Monroe,” called out the big guy. “Where you at, buddy?”
Hope felt her spirits soaring. “Is he here?”
“Unless there’s more than one new Monroe in town.”
“Hey, Monroe,” the girl called. “Your friends are here!”
Just then a shadowy form emerged from a tent. The way he rubbed his eyes looked like he’d been asleep. “Hey, Monroe, old buddy,” Hope said as she went over and threw her arms around her scruffy-looking nephew. “It’s been a long time. I heard you were camping up here, and I thought I’d come and hang with you.”
“Lucky dog,” the guy by the fire said. “I’d offer you guys some beer, but you have to chip into the pot first.”
“Here you go,” Lewis told him as he handed the guy a bill.
“What are you—”
“What’s up?” Hope interrupted him. “You taking off like that and not even inviting me to come, too?”
“Aunt—”
“That’s right, Monroe, your aunt is freaking right now. I told her we’d come out and find you. I’d stick around and have a beer, but maybe we should just head back, ya think?”
He shrugged with a confused expression. �
��Okay.”
“We’ll take a rain check on that beer,” Lewis told the big guy. “You guys have fun and be safe, okay?”
“Okay, dude. Thanks for the donation.”
“I think those were grown-ups,” the stringy-haired girl said as Lewis and Hope escorted Monroe back toward the dirt path.
“Yeah, whatever. That guy gave us twenty bucks.”
“Cool.”
“Oh, Monroe.” Hope squeezed him in tight a shoulder hug as they followed the beam from Lewis’s flashlight. “I’m so glad you’re okay. Do you know how worried your mom is right now?”
“She deserves to be worried.”
“And she called your dad, and he’s all worried, too. Plus he’s mad at her.”
“Good.”
“I know you’re unhappy, Monroe. But running away won’t help.”
“It will if it makes Mom listen to me. She’s being so freaking selfish about this whole thing. It’s like she’s the only one who matters. It makes me sick.”
“I know it’s hard.” Hope sighed. “And if it’s any encouragement, I’m on your side.”
He turned and looked at her. “You are?”
“Absolutely. I’ve told Faye several times that I think she’s making a mistake.”
“Really?”
“You can ask her if you want.”
“Thanks, Aunt Hope.”
They made it back to Lewis’s SUV then he drove them toward town in silence. It was so quiet in the backseat, Hope wondered if Monroe had fallen asleep.
“So where to now?” Lewis asked when they saw the lights in town. “To where Faye is staying—or to your place?”
“Aunt Hope’s place,” Monroe commanded from the backseat.
“That okay?” Lewis asked her.
“It’s fine with me.” Of course, even as she said this, she wasn’t sure it was so smart. And she knew she had to let Faye know that Monroe was safe. Still, if it helped to keep him with her for one night, who could complain?
“Thanks for your help,” Hope told Lewis as she and Monroe got out.
“No problem.” He gave her what seemed a genuine smile. “I really feel like I’m part of this family. I don’t mind helping.”
She just nodded. “I guess this family needs a lot of help.”
“Good night.”
She told him good night then led Monroe into the house. “Wow, Monroe, you look like you’ve been rolling in the dirt. How about you take a shower before you hit the hay?”
He sleepily agreed, and she told him to toss his dirty clothes into the hallway and she’d put them in the washer before going to bed. Then, when he was safely in the shower with the water running, Hope called Faye and told her that Monroe was safe and with her.
“Why didn’t you bring him here?” Faye demanded.
“Because he wanted to come here. He’s in the shower. He’s exhausted. Let him get a good—”
“What if he runs away again?”
“He won’t run away, Faye.”
“How do you know that?”
Hope chuckled. “Because his clothes are all in the washing machine, sopping wet. I won’t put them in the dryer until morning. Okay?”
“Well…I don’t like that you’re taking over my affairs…but okay.” Then she hung up.
Hope just shook her head. So that was the thanks she got for driving up to Three Creeks in the middle of the night to search and find Faye’s long-lost son—a big sisterly scolding. And to think Hope and Lewis had actually been having—what was it exactly? Well, at the very least, it had been a very interesting time. Hope was too tired to think about it as she got ready for bed. But once she was in bed, she wondered…what exactly was Lewis Garson up to anyway? A family friend? A romantic interest? Her baby sister’s lover? What? Fortunately, she was too sleepy to obsess over it much.
Hope had just put Monroe’s clothes into the dryer when she heard vehicles pulling up. She looked out to see the turquoise pickup as well as a white van.
“Morning, honey,” Brian called cheerfully into the house. “Coffee on?”
“Oh, Brian.” She slapped her forehead. “I’m so sorry.” Then she gave him the details of how she’d gone up to Three Creeks late last night looking for her MIA teenage nephew. “I totally forgot about coffee.”
“Wow, that was brave going up to Three Creeks. I hear it gets wild up there.”
“It was a little scary.” She hadn’t mentioned that Lewis had gone with her. “Anyway, it was so late that I didn’t make it to the store.”
He waved his hand. “That’s okay. Another time. Besides, we’re going to start tearing up your kitchen this morning anyway.” He nodded to several guys who were climbing out of the van. “The crew’s all here—and we’re ready to rock and roll.”
“Should I leave?”
“Depends on how you like noise.”
She shrugged. “I’ll try to stay out of the way until Monroe wakes up.”
Brian laughed. “I’m guessing he’ll be waking up with the first sound of the sledgehammer hitting. Hope he doesn’t have a hangover.”
“Do you want me to finish emptying the kitchen cabinets?” she asked.
“Unless you want the contents being smashed to bits.”
So she grabbed another box, and instead of sorting and sifting like she’d been doing, she simply stacked things into the box. Avery could help her figure it out later. She had barely finished when the crew came in and started to tear into the cabinets. “I can’t watch,” she told Brian as she backed away.
She went to her room and tried not to feel too terrible at the thought of Nona’s old wooden cabinets being destroyed. She wished she’d thought to ask about saving them. Perhaps they could be recycled. But with each crash, smash, and boom, she knew it was too late. She also knew that Monroe was probably thinking that the house was falling down. She tapped on his door and then called in to inform him of the situation. “And your clothes should be dry in about half an hour,” she said as she closed the door.
“Aunt Hope?” called Avery through the din of noise. “Where are you?”
“Back here,” Hope called. “Welcome to the disaster zone.”
“They’re tearing up Nona’s kitchen,” Avery told her with wide eyes.
“It’s to put in new cabinets.”
“I thought you were keeping the old ones.”
Hope sighed. “Brian talked me out of it.”
“Oh…” Avery looked as disappointed as Hope was feeling.
“Anyway, Monroe is here and—”
“Monroe is here?” Avery’s eyes lit up. “He’s okay?”
“Yes.” She nodded to the spare room. “He spent the night.”
“I’m so glad. I was really praying for him.”
Hope smiled. “Seems that God was listening.”
“I better go tell Mom. She’s pretty worried.”
“Didn’t Faye call her already?”
“No. Mom still thinks Monroe’s missing.”
“Then, definitely, you should go and tell her. And I’ll take Monroe to breakfast. And when I get back, maybe you and I should just head for Bend. I doubt we’ll be able to get much done around here today anyway.”
“All right!”
Hope checked her watch. “Around eleven then?”
“Cool. Do you think it would be okay to invite Lucy?”
“It’s okay with me.”
“Way cool!”
“See ya in a couple hours then.”
Hope wasn’t sure how much these demo guys planned to do, but to be safe, she removed her personal items from the bathroom, too. Then, hearing the dryer buzzer, she retrieved Monroe’s clothes, tossed them in on his bed, and told him to get dressed. “I’m taking us to breakfast as soon as you’re ready.”
“Good,” he called back. “I’m starving!”
Before long, they were sitting in front of their stacks of pancakes, scrambled eggs, and sausage and bacon. Monroe was shoveling it in like he hadn’t ea
ten in days. Maybe he hadn’t.
“I do understand why you want to go back and live with your dad,” Hope was telling him. “All I was saying is that I know your mom needs you, too.”
“My mom needs a shrink.” He took a bite of bacon then talked as he chewed. “Seriously, the woman is neurotic.”
“She’s hurting, Monroe. And it probably is making her a little crazy.”
“I know.” He nodded with a serious expression. “I’m aware of what my dad did to her. And I agree it stinks. But she needs to get over it. I mean she’s not the only one who got hurt in this train wreck. But if I can forgive Dad, why can’t she? I mean they don’t have to stay married. I get that. But if she’s going to be flipping crazy all the time, I refuse to live with her.”
“What do you mean by crazy?” Hope leaned forward.
“Like I said, she’s neurotic. She obsesses over everything. And she sits around doing nothing all day long like she’s in a stupor. Even Jody is getting fed up with her.”
“Maybe you’re right, Monroe.”
“Huh?” He looked up from the bite of eggs he was about to eat.
“Maybe she does need to see a professional—a shrink or a counselor or someone who can help her to sort this all out.”
“Ya think?”
Hope couldn’t tell if he was sarcastic or relieved. Maybe both. “I think you probably know your mom almost better than anyone, Monroe, and if you think she’s handing this badly, you’re probably right.”
He sat a little straighter.
“And I’m trying to understand how she feels. She and your dad had been married a long time, and I remember how in love they were…back in the beginning. I can’t even imagine how hurt she must be. That’s probably the worst kind of rejection a person can experience. It’s heartbreaking.”
“She seems more angry than heartbroken.”
“A lot of people hide their pain with anger, Monroe. I’m sure you’ve seen that before.”
He nodded as he forked into a pancake. “Maybe so. I might even do it sometimes, too. Kind of a smokescreen, I guess.”
“Easier than talking about how you really feel. I think that’s what your mom is doing.”
“But if she went to a shrink, she could talk about it.”
“You’re right.” Hope picked up her coffee mug.
Love Finds You in Sisters, Oregon Page 13
