Through the Storm (Bellingwood Book 8)

by Diane Greenwood Muir

  "That's up to you. Andrew and I didn't tell her anything, but if she hears it from someone other than you, it will probably be bad. She loves you, Jessie. Be honest with her. She needs to know that you're human and that you're honest. That's something we all need from you."

  "What about everyone else. Can I still help Sylvie and Eliseo?"

  "Of course. Nothing changes there, Jessie. You screwed up and I hope you learned something from it. You can't blame anyone else, no matter what they did or didn't do. It's all on you. This is your life and your responsibility. You either deal with it or you don't. If you choose not to and make it everyone else's problem, then you're going to have a tough time out there and I won't be able to help you."

  "Are you really kicking Troy and Austin out on Monday?"

  "Jeff is talking to them right now."

  "I didn't mean for them to get in trouble."

  "They have to own their mistakes. You are still under twenty-one and I could have them arrested for supplying you with any of this. He tried to get Andrew to serve him. That was foolish. Those are their mistakes to deal with. You have to deal with your own choices."

  Jessie had pulled her legs up to her chest and was trying to huddle in on herself. Polly realized the poor girl was probably as cold as she was. "Go on in your room and pull on sweats and a sweatshirt. You're going to clean the bathrooms up here before you go down to help Sylvie with the reception."

  Polly stood up and waited for Jessie to crawl out of the chair. "Tomorrow will be another day. I won't forget any of this, but as time passes, I will start trusting you again. Don't screw it up. You've got a big future in front of you and every choice you make impacts which doors open and which close for you."

  Jessie had pulled her shirt sleeves around her hands, but reached out tentatively to hug Polly. "I'm really sorry. Thanks for not kicking me out and for talking to me like an adult. You aren't like my mom. I'm sorry for saying that, too. I'll look for another job on Monday and I promise to do better."

  Polly watched the girl go into her room and then went into her own, pulling out her phone. She shut the door and sat down on her bed to call Henry. He might as well know what to expect when he got home. He didn't need another surprise today.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Venting with her friends would definitely take some of the pressure off. Sunday evenings had become a tradition. The first few weeks after the babies arrived, things had been haphazard, but now that Sal lived in Bellingwood and Jessie was in place to care for the twins, a regular table at Pizzazz had become theirs. In just a few weeks, every waitress in the place knew their standard orders and Polly had taken to calling when they weren't going to show up.

  She was ready for an evening with the girls. Henry was going back to the garage to spend the evening with Nate. They'd already started tracking down parts for the two Woodies and were clearing space to bring them in.

  He'd been quite a bit more upset about the drinking and marijuana episode than Polly expected. When she called him yesterday, he hadn't said much, but by the time he got home, he was pretty worked up. She was glad Jessie had to work the wedding reception because he really was ready to kick her out.

  The thing that had infuriated him the most was the complete disrespect the girl had for Polly after all she'd done. Polly didn't see it that way. Jessie had screwed up. It wasn't about Polly, it wasn't intentional. It was just poor decision making. Every young person made those awful decisions. Sometimes they needed a safe place to screw up so they could figure out a different paradigm without the world collapsing around them. She didn't want to remind Henry that he'd made his own mistakes while he was in college and his parents might have been angry, but they didn't kick him out.

  Jessie was already out on her own and she hadn't even turned twenty-one yet. Her parents wouldn't provide a safe landing for her if things fell apart. Polly wasn't about to take away the little bit of safety she had left.

  They'd driven over to Ogden for dinner and after some onion rings and a beer, he'd come around, though things had been strained around the house today. He didn't say anything to Jessie and wasn't his normal, easy-going self. He usually got up and made breakfast on Sunday mornings while Polly joined Eliseo, Jason and Rachel for their regular trail-ride. When she left this morning, he told her he was going over to the shop and talk his mom into feeding him.

  The rest of the afternoon was quiet. Henry spent time in his office and Jessie hid in her room. By four o'clock, Polly was wound tighter than a ten dollar watch. She wanted to go out that evening with her girlfriends, but didn't want to leave the two of them alone in the house, so she decided to step in and make a scene.

  It took her a few moments of thinking to decide how to do it, but she ended up sitting in the doorway between the living room and her old apartment, wailing loudly. Obiwan was the first to try to help. He crawled up on her lap and licked her face, trying to stop the noise. Within moments, though, both Jessie and Henry were standing over her. Henry was bemused, Jessie confused - exactly where Polly wanted them.

  She pushed the dog off her lap, stood up and pointed at the dining room table and said, "Both of you. Sit. We're hashing this out now. I can't take the uncomfortable silence any longer."

  Surprisingly, they obeyed with no protest. Polly took a container of brownies and a carton of milk out of the fridge, then grabbed three glasses, placed everything on the table, and sat down. Without a word, she poured the milk and passed around the glasses, then popped the top off the container of brownies.

  "Eat. I don't care whether or not you want a brownie. Everyone has to eat one. Now."

  Jessie gave a timid chuckle and reached for a brownie at the same time Henry put his hand out to take one. They smiled at each other and looked at Polly.

  "Nope. No talking until you've finished your brownie. Eat it." She took one out and took a bite, looking back and forth at the two of them. "I'm waiting," she said.

  Henry grinned across the table at their young housemate and jammed the whole brownie into his mouth. Jessie followed suit.

  While they were trying to swallow the yummy goodness, Polly took another dainty bite of hers, then said, "That's fine. But since I'm not finished with mine yet, you must each take another. You might want to go more slowly this time."

  Henry scowled at her.

  "My meeting. My rules," she said and pushed the brownies in front of him.

  Once he finished swallowing, he opened his mouth to say something, but Polly put her hand up.

  "Nope. Not yet. Eat your brownie."

  He huffed and took another brownie, then nibbled at one corner of it.

  "Drink your milk, too. I don't want either of you to mess up the chocolate to milk ratio."

  The mood in the room had considerably lightened when brownies were eaten and milk glasses were empty.

  "Now," Polly said. "Does anyone have any messy stuff they feel the need to toss out on the table?"

  Henry shook his head.

  Polly turned to Jessie. "Do you have anything you need to say?"

  "I'm sorry, Henry. I screwed up bad and it won't happen again. I appreciate everything you and Polly have done for me and I didn't act that way yesterday. Will you forgive me?"

  Henry reached under the table and squeezed Polly's knee. "Absolutely. It isn't easy trying to get your life together. You're safe here."

  "Thanks." Jessie rolled her eyes. "It looks like I have some free time until I get another job. Is there anything I can help you with?"

  Henry sat back, stretching his legs out under the table. "You know what? I think there is. Mom says that she's worried about heading south this year because there's been so much office work and no one else has learned how to do it. What would you think about working at the shop and learning what she does?"

  Polly just shook her head and laughed. "You're pathetic," she said to him.

  "What?"

  "Nothing, but I love you."

  "Well, that conversation just happened thi
s morning."

  "I know. Jessie, what do you think?"

  "I'd love it! Your mom is awesome."

  "We'll pay you a dollar more than you were making at the convenience store. How many hours were you working?"

  "About twenty-four or twenty-five. If I wasn't living here, I couldn't do it."

  "We'll guarantee twenty-five hours a week. Mom works more than that and I think she'd like to get back to being retired. Once you learn the ropes, you'll slowly move to full time work and she'll be your backup. Does that sound fair?"

  Jessie jumped up, ran around the table and hugged his shoulders, then jumped back. "I won't do that ever again. I promise. But thank you." She headed for the living room. "What time do you want me there tomorrow and what should I wear?"

  "It's construction. Wear jeans. But you're working with a bunch of guys and we're pigs, so be modest, okay? Be there by nine. You can have an hour for lunch and be out by three."

  She tore out of the room and pretty soon, her bedroom door opened and closed.

  "Well, aren't you just the tyrant," Polly said.

  "Shut up. It's a good idea. Mom was complaining this morning that we were so busy she didn't have time for any of her friends. She really doesn't want to do that job, but she knows it better than anyone else."

  "So you're going to train our juvenile delinquent to work for you and ask her to hang out with your parents."

  He grinned, "They raised me. A little Marie Sturtz influence couldn't hurt and besides, at least I know where she is during the day. How much trouble can she get into at the shop?"

  "Well, I love you. You're a pretty amazing man."

  "Whatever. You think you're pretty cute with this whole brownie episode, don't you."

  "It worked."

  "Where in the world did you come up with it?"

  Polly shrugged. "I don't know. It just came to me as it played out. I decided that food generally makes people feel better and if I could get you two facing each other without thinking about how mad you were, life would work itself out."

  "You just wanted us to play nice so you could go out with your friends tonight."

  "Did it work?"

  He leaned over and she met him for a kiss. "Of course it did. I'll take Jessie with me over to the Mikkels's house and you go have pizza with the girls."

  ~~~

  Polly walked uptown. It was another beautiful evening and people were driving around, chatting with each other after pulling into parking spots along the strip and others were out walking their dogs. This was home now. She couldn't imagine ever living somewhere else. How had she ever gotten along in the city?

  The front door of Pizzazz opened and she smiled at people who were leaving. The smell of pizza greeted her like a long lost friend. The hard wood floor creaked as she made her way back to their normal table. Polly was the first to arrive, so she positioned herself to watch the door. Before she'd settled in a chair, a glass of iced tea was in front of her and plates were on the table.

  "Hi Bri," she said. "You know it's a little embarrassing that you're always ready for me."

  The girl laughed. "It would be even more embarrassing if you decided to change your order."

  "No worries. I plan to be boring for a long time."

  Bri walked away and came back with a diet cola, then waited as Joss found her seat.

  "You're barely in the door and she's ready for you," Polly said as Bri set the drink down in front of Joss. She looked up. "You might as well bring the other two. They'll be here any minute."

  The girl smiled and came back with two more drinks and two baskets of cheese bread. "I've already turned the pizza order in. I'll bring it out when it's ready."

  "Thanks."

  Polly turned to Joss. "Do you remember that show 'Cheers'?"

  "Yeah. Why?"

  "I always thought I wanted a neighborhood bar. A place where I could go and everyone would know me."

  "That's what we have here, isn't it."

  "Yeah. I like it. This is our table. She knows our orders. People say hello."

  "What's up, sassy girls?" Sal asked, sitting down beside Joss.

  "We're just talking about how we like being here every week."

  Sylvie slid into the last seat, her face white.

  "What's wrong?" Sal asked.

  "I can't stay."

  "Why not? What happened? Are the boys okay? Did something happen with Jason?"

  "No, he's fine. They're both fine. For now." She took a drink from the glass in front of her, then beckoned Bri over. "I need a beer. Whatever you have on tap."

  Bri nodded and scurried away.

  "You're scaring me," Polly said. "What's going on?"

  Sylvie took another sip of her soft drink and breathed deeply. "You won't believe who is in town. I can't believe he's here."

  "Who?"

  Bri put a chilled glass of beer in front of Sylvie and the woman took a long drink. "I have to take a breath and quit being so dramatic about this. But I just saw him outside. I don't think he came in. I don't know if he saw me."

  "Who?" Joss pressed.

  "My ex. Anthony Donovan is in town. Why in the hell is he here? He doesn't have any family in Bellingwood."

  "Except for the boys," Sal said quietly, reaching out to put her hand on Sylvie's arm.

  "That's what I'm afraid of. What does he want with us?"

  "Maybe it's nothing like that," Polly tried to sound reassuring. "Maybe he's just on a run through the area and stopped in to see what Bellingwood was like after all these years."

  "Yeah. Right." Sylvie drained the glass and caught Bri's eye, then pointed at it.

  "Whoa. Slow down, girl," Polly said.

  "Not happening."

  "Are you planning to stay and eat some pizza?"

  "Yeah. I was being overdramatic. That one helped. The next one will help even more. I'll calm down and then I'll figure out what I'm going to do."

  Sal sat straight up. "What you're going to do? You're going to let your friends deal with him. You don't have to face that jackass. He lost all rights of seeing your pretty self years ago. We'll take him out."

  "He's two hundred fifty pounds of mean muscle."

  "Okay, then," Sal slumped back into the chair. "I'll let the Sheriff take him out. He has guns."

  Sylvie chuckled. "I love you. Thanks. I don't feel quite as sick to my stomach as I did when I walked in here tonight."

  Bri slid the pizza onto the table and turned around, taking a second glass of beer from another waitress and replacing the glass in front of Sylvie. "Anything else, ladies?"

  "I'm going to want one more of these when this one is gone and then I'll be done," Sylvie said. "Thanks."

  "Got it."

  "I'm so glad I can walk home. I can drink until I'm stupid if I need to." Sylvie drank from the second glass while Polly served pizza around the table.

  "Are you sure it was him?" Joss asked.

  Sylvie shuddered. "I'd know that face anywhere. It still haunts my nightmares." She took a bite of pizza, then dropped it back onto the plate in front of her and pushed it away. "I'm sorry. My stomach is still too upset to eat pizza."

  Sal reached over and rubbed Sylvie's back. "I'm so sorry. Tell us how we can help." With her other hand, she pushed the basket of cheese bread in front of the woman.

  "I don't know. I wish I knew why he was here. What does he want?" Sylvie took a bite out of a slice of cheese bread, then another. "I can't let him hurt my boys. I won't let him hurt me."

  She started to breathe heavily, panic filling her eyes. "I can't do this. I can't go through this again. Why in the hell is he here?"

  Joss reached across and started rubbing her back as well. Sylvie gulped down a bite of bread and dropped her head into her hands on the table. Her shoulders shook and soon quiet sobbing began.

  "Honey, do you want some help tonight? You can stay with me," Polly said. "I have that middle bedroom and the boys can sleep on my couches."

  "I'm so scare
d," came a pitiful sound from the table. "I haven't been this scared in years. I don't want Jason and Andrew to see me like this. I thought I was strong enough to handle anything."

  Both Sal and Joss had tears in their eyes.

  "He terrorized you," Sal said. "I'm so sorry."

  "Sometimes the nightmares are so bad that I don't think I'll live through them." Sylvie brought her head up. "If it weren't for my boys, I don't think I'd still be alive. What am I going to do?"

  "I'm going to say a couple of things and you can tell me yes or no," Polly said. "I know that this goes against everything you are, but you shouldn't have to deal with this alone."

  "I can't believe how helpless I feel," Sylvie said. "I hate what he's done to me."

  "Let me call Aaron and tell him that your ex is in town and then let me call Eliseo. Jason can spend more time with him this week and you and Andrew can come to Sycamore House. Be honest with your boys and tell them what's going on. I've spent the last two years stressing how important it is that we rely on friends when bad things happen."

  Sylvie nodded. "And I've appreciated that. But I don't want to involve everyone in my mess. I don't even know for sure that he is here for us."

  "What if he is and you wait too long to ask for help?" Sal said.

  "How about I call Aaron first, just to alert him. He's the one who dealt with Anthony the last time, right?"

  Sylvie nodded again. "Okay. He's a friend. Call him. He gets this more than anyone else."

  Polly took out her phone and dialed Aaron's number.

  "Oh good heavens, Polly Sturtz, please tell me you are safe somewhere and not calling me with another body."

  "No, not this time. It's something different."

  His voice changed immediately. "What's up?"

  "Sylvie just saw her ex. We're all here at Pizzazz. He's in town."

  "Damn it." Aaron breathed in and out twice and said, "Does she need me to come up? Lydia and I can be there in just a few minutes."

  Polly pulled the phone away from her cheek and said, "Sylvie, would you like Aaron and Lydia to come up here?"

  "No, that's fine. It's enough that he knows."

  "Did you hear that, Aaron?"