Stillwater Rising

by Steena Holmes

  “Was there something you wanted to talk to me about?” Robert sighed. “Otherwise, I should get back to work.”

  “No, nothing else to talk about of course.” Sarcasm dripped from her voice, but she doubted he heard it. “I’m on my way to meet Charlotte for coffee, but that UCN reporter distracted me and I ended up next door. Sorry for bothering you.” She turned to leave and then stopped. “Will you be home for dinner tonight, or should I leave you a plate in the microwave again?”

  “What did Samantha want?” There was an edge to Rob’s voice she’d grown accustomed to whenever he mentioned the reporter. From the very beginning the two of them hadn’t seen eye to eye, for obvious reasons.

  “She wanted to know how I felt about sending Charity back to school.”

  “What did you tell her?”

  “The truth.” Jenn turned to face him.

  “What did you say?” Robert straightened, and instantly she caught how his whole demeanor changed. Gone was the man at war with his wife and exhausted because there was no end in sight, and instead here stood the Robert Crowne everyone knew, the man in charge.

  “That I think the school should close.”

  “Please tell me that was off the record.” Rob rubbed the back of his neck and groaned.

  “Probably not.” Jenn shrugged. “It seems I’m not the only one that feels that way either.” The school shouldn’t have opened today. There were other things they could have done, ways to help the children grieve and move on, rather than forcing them to relive their nightmares up close.

  “Jenn, you can’t go off spouting things like that. Not without talking to me first.” His shoulders bunched beneath his shirt. “If that makes it to the news, once word gets out that you want teachers to lose their jobs . . .”

  She shook her head. “No, that’s not what I said.”

  “But that’s how it will sound. Think about it, Jenn. For heaven’s sake, think with your head before you speak from your heart. Please.”

  She wanted to argue with him, to demand he stop telling her what to do, but it was pointless. He wouldn’t listen.

  “Where are you going?” she asked instead.

  “To see if I can clean up this mess before it’s too late,” Robert called over his shoulder.

  Brenda, the receptionist, looked up as he stormed out the door and looked to Jenn, who’d stepped out into the main office, for answers. Except she had none.

  What had just happened? How were they so off the mark as a couple? At one point in their lives, they’d been in sync with almost everything. They once had the same goals, the same ideals, the same vision.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHARLOTTE

  Charlotte marched into Gina’s, her favorite coffee shop in Stillwater Bay, needing a large mug of the strongest brew Gina had. The last hour at the school . . . she was just glad it was over.

  After coaxing Molly out of the closet, Jordan had walked her into the gymnasium where her teacher waited for her, then took the stage, where he spent some time talking with the students about coming back to their school and not allowing the evil that had happened to win.

  Charlotte had stood there, along with a group of parents who refused to leave, and was proud of her husband. He didn’t talk down to the students but rather spoke on their level, something they’d both agreed was the smartest move he could make today. There was no hiding from what had happened; they could face it and move forward.

  There had been some low murmurs behind her back as Jordan spoke, and when she’d turned to face those who’d been speaking, she’d been greeted with frosty glares. She’d glared back.

  Maybe having the students return to their school for half a day before summer vacation started hadn’t been the smartest decision on her part. But she’d honestly believed it had been the right one.

  She still did and she wasn’t about to apologize for it. She’d learned a long time ago being the mayor of a small town meant sometimes friendships would get tested, but she’d accepted that part of the job.

  Despite some of the parents’ objections, the children had banded together, comforting one another and holding hands or arms tight, and she’d known then that there was a future for them, as a school, as a town, as a small community.

  “Charlie, I didn’t expect to see you in until later.” Gina, the owner, came to the door and gave her a hug.

  Charlotte forced a smile on her face. “I got away earlier than I expected.” She glanced around the room and noticed Jenn waiting for her. “She’s here already, that’s great.”

  “She’s been here a few minutes, and I just put on a fresh pot of the new bold brew that arrived.” Gina smiled. “I also left some extra goodies on the table with Jenn. You both look like you could use a treat today.”

  It was hard to miss the frown on Jenn’s face as she approached the table.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  Jenn shook her head but bit her lip before she raised her coffee mug and took a drink.

  Charlotte let it slide as she sat down and reached for a shortbread cookie. “Have you been waiting long?”

  “Not really. This is only my second cup.” Her attempt at a smile was weak. “And my third cookie. I had to sweet-talk Gina into bringing more.”

  Silence settled over them while Charlotte ate her cookie and waited for her coffee. She looked around the empty room and sighed. Normally this place was busy, all the tables would be full and you’d have to raise your voice just to be heard. Out of the eight tables, only two were full, including her own.

  “It’s quiet in here,” she said.

  “Too quiet. Gina said it’s been like this for a while now. I think people have just gotten used to the reporters taking over and they’ve stayed away, not wanting to be interviewed over and over again.” Jenn frowned as she stared down at her cup.

  Charlotte twisted in her seat and glanced out the window. “But they’re almost gone. Samantha is the only one left, right?”

  “I don’t think it matters.” Jenn shrugged.

  “Here you go, sugar.” Gina set the coffee cup down and then refilled Jenn’s.

  “Are you ready for our summer families to arrive?” Charlotte asked Gina.

  A smile settled over the woman’s face. “I can’t wait. I’m ready for the hustle and bustle to begin. I have some summer students that need the hours too. It’s the summer season that helps us out through the winter ones.”

  Charlotte studied Jenn once Gina left. “What happened after you left the school? You seem . . .”

  “I ran into Samantha.”

  “So?” She liked the woman. Yes, she could come across as abrasive and nosy, but compared to the other reporters that had come, she was the kindest.

  “Rob had to do some damage control afterward.” She grimaced.

  Charlotte didn’t like the sound of that. She knew the mood Jenn had been in after she dropped off Charity and could only imagine what she’d said to the reporter.

  “I thought Samantha agreed to back off after the funerals?” At least, that was the agreement she and Robert had been able to make with the reporter. They’d agreed to some exclusive interviews if Samantha would give the families of Stillwater a break. They needed time to heal, but that wasn’t possible when every time they stepped out their front door, a reporter was there asking them questions.

  Jenn shrugged. “I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

  “What did you say?” She reached across and placed her fingers on the top of Jenn’s hand. Jenn withdrew and leaned back in her chair.

  “She asked how I felt about the kids going back to school.” Jenn’s voice petered off, and she wouldn’t look Charlotte in the eye.

  Charlotte rubbed at the back of her neck. Great.

  “Let me guess, you told her you didn’t agree with my decision.” She real
ly didn’t expect to be told anything else. If there was one thing about their friendship, it was that it was based on honesty and trust. Jenn wouldn’t shy away from expressing how she felt, but she wouldn’t backstab Charlotte either.

  “I told her the school should be closed,” Jenn whispered.

  Charlotte sat back in shock. “You said what?”

  Jenn’s eyes closed and her shoulders slumped for a moment before she took in a deep breath, straightened her back, and opened her eyes.

  “I said that the school should be closed. Forever.” Strength gripped Jenn’s voice, and Charlotte was confused by the sudden change.

  “Close the school? And what would happen to the two hundred students who attend there? Where are they supposed to go?”

  Jenn shrugged.

  “No, I’m serious, Jenn. You were one of the parents who fought to keep the school open in the first place a few years ago. You said the bus drive was too long for the younger ones. That’s the only reason why we still have a public school—because of parents like you.”

  “It was. But things are different now.” Jenn wouldn’t look at her, and she knew that was a bad sign.

  “If we close the school, you do realize what would happen, right? Most of those families with small children would move, and what about the teachers and support staff? What are they supposed to do for work? Because you know they won’t find positions in the other schools . . . there’s no funding for that. So all those people would be out of jobs . . . or have to move to find a job. Really, Jenn? Is that what you want?”

  Did her friend not realize the damage that would occur if the school closed? Did she not realize the fractures that would occur throughout the town at the mere suggestion?

  “It’s not a matter of what I want anymore. It’s a matter of what’s best for our children. Something you obviously don’t care about.”

  That hurt. “You don’t mean that.”

  “Why wouldn’t I?” A hint of anger laced Jenn’s words. Charlotte caught the way her fingers tightened around her coffee mug. “How could you possibly think it was okay to send my child back into the place where her brother died? They’re only children. They need to be protected, and today, it had nothing to do with protecting our children and all about your image as the mayor.”

  Charlotte recoiled as if she’d been struck. “That’s not true,” she whispered.

  “Really? You’re so concerned about this town moving forward that you’ve forgotten we all need time to grieve. We can’t heal until that happens.”

  “But we have grieved.” The moment Charlotte said it, she wished she could take those words back.

  “How about I pretend I didn’t hear that.”

  Charlotte winced. “I’m sorry. I should never have said that, I—”

  “Have a different focus than the rest of us. I get that. But just because you don’t have to deal with an empty bedroom where your child should be sleeping at night, doesn’t negate what everyone else is going through.”

  “You’re right. I’m sorry.” Charlotte nodded. She couldn’t pretend to understand what Jenn and other families were going through.

  “I’m sorry for what I said, by the way.” Jenn toyed with her coffee mug.

  “When?”

  “To Samantha. It was out of line, even if it was the truth. Robert realized that before I did.” Jenn’s gaze had turned inward, and she could only imagine the conversation that had occurred between the two.

  Sitting on the council, Robert understood how important it was to show that their small town was strong, that it would recover from what had happened. In the past weeks, Robert had sat in her office and they’d discussed various strategies, rearranged the calendar for the summer season, and created a plan to appear united and whole to outsiders.

  Robert was a rock of strength, and sometimes Charlotte forgot that he was also one of the families who had lost a child.

  But it only took one look at Jenn to remind her. She knew her friend tried to stand strong next to Robert and hide her grief, but Charlotte could see the pain in her eyes and the wobble of her smile.

  “It’s okay,” Charlotte said. “You can’t always appear to be unshakeable. Samantha just played on your weakness. She knew today would be hard for many families. I just hope she doesn’t attack anyone else.” She’d talk to Robert later this afternoon to see how he’d handled it.

  “How was it at the school?”

  Charlotte took a sip of her coffee. “It was hard. A lot of parents stayed close, which is completely understandable.” She closed her eyes, remembering Molly. “And some of the kids had a hard time. But Charity . . .” She smiled as she remembered how Charity and her friend Mandy had stepped up to help the younger kids. “Charity was amazing today. You would have been proud of her. We paired up the older grades with the younger ones throughout the activities, but Charity was all over the place. She brought smiles to a lot of faces this morning.”

  Jenn nodded. “I think that’s why she wanted to go.”

  Charlotte leaned forward. “Maybe this is her way of learning to heal.”

  Jenn’s head shook. “Maybe. I wish she didn’t have to, though. She’s not the same girl, and I don’t think she ever will be. That innocence children have, she lost hers and there’s nothing I can do to help bring it back.” Her lips tightened and when she looked at Charlotte, anger and hatred were etched on her face. “She faced a monster, and something inside of her changed forever.”

  Monster. There was something in Jenn’s voice as she said that word that bothered Charlotte. It was one thing for the media and the world to call Gabriel Berry a monster, but another for those in Stillwater to label him the same. Yes, what he did was horrible, but he was one of their own, a child they all knew.

  “I don’t think . . .” Charlotte’s voice trailed off as she caught the way Jenn’s face froze.

  Charlotte turned in her seat and couldn’t stop the smile that spread. She pushed her chair from the table and opened her arms for a hug she couldn’t wait to get.

  “I didn’t know you girls were in here today.” Lacie Helman’s eyes twinkled as she walked into Charlotte’s open arms and hugged her back.

  “I was going to pop by later today,” Charlotte whispered in her ear. Lacie was her rock.

  “Can I join you?” Lacie asked. Charlotte grabbed a chair from the unoccupied table beside them and pulled it close. This was perfect. She had an idea she’d wanted to talk to both of them about.

  “How are you doing, honey?” Lacie asked, her focus turned toward Jenn.

  “Why does everyone keep asking me that?” Jenn’s lips pursed.

  “I’m sorry . . . did I hit on a nerve?” Lacie glanced over at Charlotte. “Did I say something I shouldn’t have?”

  Charlotte shook her head.

  “I’m fine. I’m the same today as I was the last time you asked. I’m okay. I’m not falling apart; I’m not a piece of glass that will break if you say the wrong words.” Jenn leaned back in her chair, a determined look on her face. “I’m fine. You, of all people, should understand that.”

  Lacie’s brow rose.

  “And, if I need a counseling session, I’ll be sure to call your husband,” Jenn muttered. “Better yet, I would attend those group sessions he has going on.”

  Charlotte and Lacie blinked in surprise.

  “He’s the last person you would want to talk to right now, Jenn. Trust me on that.” Her gaze clouded over before they were interrupted by Gina with a pot of coffee. Without asking, she filled up Lacie’s cup, then dropped off a handful of creamers into the middle of the table. She laid her free hand on Lacie’s shoulder and squeezed.

  “Good to see you,” she said.

  Lacie glanced up and attempted to smile. Charlotte was perplexed at the sudden change.

  “Come see me afterward, okay?” Gi
na said softly, to which Lacie nodded.

  “Are you okay?” Charlotte placed a bit of emphasis on the word you. She was starting to feel a little bit worried. Out of anyone, Lacie was the last person she would have thought to be anything but okay.

  Lacie Helman was a pastor’s wife. Actually, she was the pastor’s wife in Stillwater Bay. Lacie was the type of woman who placed everyone’s needs above her own and was more than happy to do so.

  Lacie was also a mother who had lost her child during the Stillwater school shooting.

  “I’m”—she glanced over at Jenn and gave a soft smile—“fine.” She took a sip of her coffee. “Scott and I had a bit of a . . . disagreement . . . and I just needed to get out for a bit.”

  “Where’s Liam?” Jenn asked.

  Lacie and Scott had three children. Liam was their youngest, seven years old with Down syndrome.

  “Scott took him out fishing.” She shrugged. “That boy is fascinated with fishing rods and worms lately. I found him trying to sneak some into bed with him last night.”

  Charlotte tried not to laugh. She loved Liam. His heart was so pure and full of joy.

  “I didn’t see Kylie this morning.”

  Lacie’s chin rose a notch. “You wouldn’t have. She stayed home.”

  Charlotte caught the subtle way Jenn leaned forward at this statement.

  “Was that her choice?” She couldn’t imagine it being Lacie’s decision. Lacie had been one of the people Charlotte had consulted with before she made the decision to open the school today. Lacie had been supportive.

  “It was . . . a mutual choice. I don’t think Kylie realized how much the idea of going to school today stressed her. What about Charity?” She turned to Jenn. “Did she go?”

  Jenn nodded. “She insisted. Even snuck out of the house when I told her I wouldn’t drive her.”

  “You caught her?”

  “About halfway across the bridge before the island. Said she wanted to be a victor and not the victim.”