Through the Storm (Bellingwood Book 8)

by Diane Greenwood Muir

  After they finished cooking and packing the French toast, Polly sent Jessie to take a shower. Henry had slipped out the front door, not bothering to say goodbye. Polly cleaned the kitchen, poured another cup of coffee and sat down at the dining room table. She put her hand on Obiwan's head when he nudged her leg.

  "I know. It's a weird house we live in. Where did all of these strange people come from?"

  She listened as Jessie made her way back across the living room to her bedroom. Polly took her coffee into the living room and dropped onto the sofa, pulling her legs up underneath her. The dog climbed up and lay down beside her, his head as close to her lap as he could get it. Polly rubbed his ears.

  After what seemed like an eternity, Jessie re-emerged, dressed in baggy sweats, and a t-shirt underneath a long sleeve, sloppy sweater.

  "If you want coffee, help yourself," Polly said, nodding back to the kitchen.

  "No, I'm fine."

  "Are you ready to talk about this week?"

  "I want to tell you."

  Polly waited while the girl got comfortable in a chair across from her. "Just start whenever you're ready."

  "I feel like I've really got a messy life. Everything is falling apart."

  "Chaos can do that to a person."

  "Can I ask you a question?"

  "Sure, go ahead."

  "Are you going to make me go over to Oelwein by myself next week?"

  Polly had completely forgotten about that. "Wow, that's not where I thought we were going with this right now."

  "I know, but I just want to know how badly I screwed this up."

  "Jessie, if you want me there, of course I'll go with you."

  "Okay, I just wanted to check. Now do you want me to tell you what happened?"

  "Of course. Tell me whatever you want me to know."

  Jessie pulled the sleeves of her sweater up to reveal red welts on her arms.

  "What is that?" Polly asked.

  "Cigarette burns."

  "I'm sorry, what? Where did those come from?"

  "Okay, so we left Sunday night and met up with the rest of the band in Minneapolis. Troy told me to bring my car because they had to return the rental. He said there was good money in it for me, that I could be like a roadie. All I had to do was drive. I didn't have to haul equipment, just drive. They had a pickup for the gear, but only two people could ride in that and the other three had to ride with me."

  "A lot of money. Got it," Polly said.

  "I know, I should have talked to you. But it was really last minute and he told me we were in a hurry."

  "Go ahead."

  "We met up with the others in Minneapolis and they had a couple of gigs planned and then we went to South Dakota. There was a gig on Wednesday night. I had to do all the driving. They smoked weed and got high all the time I was driving."

  "But they paid for hotels and gas and food, right?" Polly asked.

  "Well, yeah. Kinda. The first two shows in Minneapolis didn't pay much and they were going to get paid this weekend for the stuff in South Dakota. I was going to get money then."

  "Got it."

  "Well, I pissed him off when we got to South Dakota. I knew I was running out of money for gas and the only thing we ate was crap from gas stations and fast food places. I wanted to eat somewhere decent. And then things got weird. The drummer said he should be able to sleep with me. I was the only girl there. And then they all started coming on to me. I didn't know what was going to happen. If Austin hadn't been there, it could have been bad. That's when Troy got pissed. I was driving and all of a sudden he was yelling at me and he jammed his cigarette into my arm and told me that I was just a stupid little girl and if the guys wanted to sleep with me, it was my job."

  Polly stayed quiet and kept her eyes on Jessie while the girl told her story. She wasn't going to reveal her inner fury. If she ever got her hands on that boy he would be ... well ... not dead, but definitely in great amounts of pain.

  "Austin told him to shut up and Troy threw a full bottle of coke at him, nearly knocking him out. I pulled over, I was shaking so hard I couldn't drive. Troy told me to get out, that he would drive, but I didn't trust him. He'd been drinking and smoking and tons of other stuff. And I was worried that he'd drive off without me, so I kept the keys. He started yelling that it was his band and that I was his whore and whatever he said was what was going to happen. Then he lit up another cigarette and jammed it into my arm again and told me that I'd better learn my place if I was going to travel with them."

  "I'm sorry," Polly said. "Go on."

  "That was Thursday. They played that night and I thought about leaving, but I didn't know how mad you'd be at me and I was scared to come back here. I could have gone home, but how would I ever tell my mom that I screwed up a second time."

  "You should have called."

  "Well, yeah. Except that when we got to Minneapolis, Troy started going through my purse and he thought he was being funny and threw the whole thing except my wallet out the window while I was in the middle of morning rush hour traffic. I didn't have a phone."

  "So what made you decide to leave?"

  "Austin saved me. He took me to his room Thursday night and locked the door. He didn't try anything, but all night long Troy and the others kept knocking and calling and bugging us, trying to get in. Troy thought it would be lots of fun to have some big party with me and some other girls they picked up. Finally everybody fell asleep and Austin told me to leave. He only had a little money and he gave it to me for gas. He told me to just get out and come back here. It would be better to face you than to put up with anymore crap from Troy."

  "He was right."

  "So are you going to kick me out because I screwed this all up?"

  "Jessie, I'm not going to kick you out. I'm sorry that this happened again to you. Can I tell you that you make really poor choices with men?"

  "I know. What am I doing wrong?"

  "I don't know. Have you been talking to the therapist about this stuff?"

  "I suppose," Jessie shrugged. "Yeah. A little."

  "Well, I think you need to talk about it a little more. Now, let me look at that arm. Did you do anything to clean it up or put anything on it?"

  "I washed it when I was in the bathroom."

  "Does it hurt?"

  "Like a son of a bitch," the girl said. "I'm so sorry. Every conversation this week was bad words. I forgot."

  "Again, no worries. We're all alone. Come into my bathroom. I have some aloe vera in there. You need to put it on a lot and then you're going to want to keep that skin soft while it heals. There are going to be scars, but maybe we can reduce them some."

  "I'm sorry I let you down, Polly. You've been so nice to me."

  "Sweetie, the only person you really let down was yourself. You have got to start believing that you're worth more than these jerks you keep hooking up with. You're sweet, kind, good with kids, and other than making bad decisions about men, you're very bright. You don't need to do this."

  Jessie let Polly clean her arm and then relaxed as the aloe vera gel hit the burns. "Thank you."

  "Take this to your room and use it whenever you need to. Did you sleep much in your car?"

  "I suppose."

  "Can you sleep in your bed here?"

  "Yes, but can I watch TV for a while with the animals?"

  "Henry is going to be gone all day. Andrew and I are planning to pick Rebecca up and go to Boone. You'll have the house to yourself. Eat whatever you like, sleep when you want, watch television. Maybe you could take Obiwan outside later on."

  "I can do that."

  "Everything can be fixed later. You're here. You're safe. We'll deal with your phone on Monday."

  "I'll get another job as fast as I can."

  Polly put her arm around Jessie's shoulders and nearly wept when the girl slumped against her, holding on. She drew her in for a full hug. "You know," Polly said into Jessie's ear, "the person who talked to me about giving someone lots o
f chances was Henry's mom. Why don't we go see her on Monday."

  "Really?"

  "Really."

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  "Exhaustion makes sense for me," Joss said, "Those babies have decided that they're going to double team me. Sleep and I no longer have a relationship, but what's up with the rest of you?"

  The girls were all back at Pizzazz since it was Sunday evening.

  Sal took a drink of her iced tea. "I'm not so much exhausted as I am dreading the trip back to Boston this week."

  "Why are you going back?" Sylvie asked.

  "My father is having knee surgery and Mom insists that I be there, just in case he dies. I wouldn't want to miss out on that, would I?"

  "I think that's sweet. You love your dad," Polly said.

  "Of course I love him, but Mom is turning this into a huge production. She's hired an entire staff of nurses and physical therapists to be on hand the moment he comes out of surgery. The poor man can't just suffer through this alone. No, he has to have an immense audience of highly paid professionals watching his every movement. I swear, one of them is only there to wipe his ass when he goes to the bathroom."

  Sylvie smiled. "Has he ever been sick before?"

  "No. Not ever."

  "Then she's in a panic. She's never known him to be weak and probably can't bear the thought of losing him."

  "It's knee surgery, for heaven's sake. The man is as healthy as a horse. He'll be fine."

  "Wouldn't you feel horrible if ..." Sylvie stopped. "I'll shut up."

  "Yes, I would feel horrible, but why in the world is she turning this into such a big deal? I'd get it if it was something incapacitating or long-term, but this is going to make him feel better. The woman is insane. She always has been and I promise you, from here on out, it is only going to get worse. I don't know why it couldn't be her going through this. Dad would just manage through it and do whatever she needed."

  Polly patted Sal's arm. "But you get to come back to Iowa when it's all over, don't you?"

  "Oh hell, I'd better. You can't believe what she has planned for me. While Dad is recuperating in the hospital, I have to host a tea with her friends. Mom won't be able to make it, because, you know, she'll be sitting at his bedside every moment of the day. So, all of these little old ladies with sticks up their behinds are going to come to her home and expect me to be gracious."

  "You've been well trained. I know that for a fact," Polly said. "You'll be charming and wonderful and they won't even miss her."

  "I should make you come with me. You're the one they all like. That sweet little Iowa girl who has such terrific manners. Who would have expected such a thing?"

  Joss chuckled. "You're kidding, right?"

  "No," Polly said. "She's not kidding. She invited me to tea and it seems that I was the sweetest thing they'd ever met. They all wanted me to meet their sons and grandsons. Blech. That's one part of society I never aspired to."

  "So, to wrap up. I'm not tired yet. But I'm dreading this next week," Sal said. "Your turn, Sylvie."

  "I want to sleep in my own bed."

  "You aren't back there yet?" Sal asked.

  "No. Eliseo insists that we stay at his place until we know what Anthony is doing in town. But at this point, I don't even know if he is in town. I haven't seen him all week. I keep waiting for him to show up at the kitchen. I'm terrified there is going to be some big confrontation, but so far, nothing."

  "How are things with Jason?" Joss asked quietly. "That can't have been easy this week."

  "Did you tell them?" Sylvie asked Polly, who shook her head no. "The school is going to keep an eye on the boys who set him up. They went at him all day long, talking trash about me and Eliseo. He finally snapped. I've talked to him this week about blowing it off and not letting them get to him. But honestly, I don't know if I'd have the patience to put up with that."

  "Can't he tell someone while it's going on?" Sal asked.

  "That boy never wants to be known as a snitch," Polly said. "It would just kill him."

  "No," Sylvie said. "He needs to learn how to deal with this and he needs to learn that violence is an unacceptable way to deal with anything."

  "He's getting big," Joss said. "Working with those horses has done wonders for his muscles."

  "He looks so much like his dad. I'm just glad he smiles every once in a while. When he does the whole sullen teenager thing, I want to slap it right off his face."

  "So much for non-violence," Sal said, laughing.

  "I know! I think he'll do better now that he's found out what a bad thing this was," Polly said. "He wants so badly to be a good kid. It's going to take a while, but he'll figure out a better class of friends and it will get easier."

  "Nate was bullied when he was in high school. He was smart and a little overweight and he hated sports," Joss said. "His Mom didn't help. She made him dress in stupid little dress pants and sweater vests when he was young, so that didn't help his cred. By the time he was in high school, it was really tough. That's why he started working on cars. He could escape down to the industrial arts wing and hide. The teacher figured it out pretty fast and spent a lot of time with him. It was the only thing that saved him."

  "If they had horses down there, Jason would be fine," Sylvie said.

  Polly smiled. "At least he has them when he comes home."

  "What about you?" Sal said. "I haven't spent any time with you this week."

  "Oh, things are fine. I bought a new truck. Henry's taking me down to Boone tomorrow. I'll sign papers and then bring Dad's truck back to Sycamore House. I'm not sure what I'll do with it, but I can't bear the thought of trading it in and having some stranger drive it."

  "You get awfully attached to weird things, Polly Giller," Sal said. She looked around the table. "This girl still has the silk corsage from our freshman winter ball."

  "It brings back memories. You shut up," Polly protested.

  "So you're just parking it ... where?" Sylvie asked.

  "I don't know. Maybe down by the barn. Eliseo needs a truck every once in a while to haul things, so rather than borrowing mine, he can just use Dad's whenever he needs it."

  "So rather than buy a car or a van or even an SUV, you bought another truck?" Sal pressed forward, taunting her friend.

  "Yes, I bought a truck."

  "You've really gotten into this whole Iowa farm girl thing, haven't you?"

  "The back has doors and room for three people. That means I can strap all of the kids in and everyone can quit worrying. Now leave me alone. I love my truck."

  Joss shook her head. "I don't see you driving around in a little sedan. A truck fits you."

  "Exactly," Polly said. "And now that Nate and Henry have given it their final approval, I can be done with this process."

  "How's Sarah Heater? Did you set anything up with Evelyn?" Sylvie asked.

  "Yeah. She went down to meet Sarah yesterday. It's going to work out just fine. She was quite ... ummm ... organized about the whole thing."

  Sylvie chuckled. "She is that, but she's really sweet. Sarah will be in good hands once she comes home. When is that supposed to happen?"

  "Sometime this week. We don't know exactly when, yet."

  "How's Rebecca handling all of this?" Joss asked. "She's such a sweet little girl. This has to be really hard on her."

  "It is. But Jessie came back yesterday and having that commotion settle down in Rebecca's life was a good thing."

  "Where did she go?" Sal's voice was flat, her eyes narrowed. "She really gets herself in trouble, doesn't she?"

  "Yes she does. But we're going to be nice about this. That poor girl hasn't had all of the benefits we had growing up. She's got a lot to learn about life yet ..." Polly's mouth dropped open as she quit talking. Then she said, "Ummm, Sylvie?"

  "What?" Sylvie turned around to see what Polly was looking at. Then she turned back to the table and said, "Shit. Not here."

  Sal raised her eyebrows at Sylvie's curse word. "Well
, well, our Sylvie has a potty mouth."

  "That's her ex-husband, Anthony," Polly whispered.

  "Oh."

  "Sylvie Donovan, there you are! I have looked all over for you and I can't believe I find you here, of all places. I thought you were a certified chef now. Why are you slumming it in a joint like this?" Anthony's loud voice carried across the room and he loomed over the tables as he made his way back to where Sylvie was seated.

  She seemed to shrink as he approached. He snagged an empty chair as he passed a table and planted it beside Sylvie, straddling it as he lowered his frame.

  "How you been, little woman? I haven't seen you in years. Life's been good to you and look at all of these pretty young ladies you're hanging out with. You never had time for friends when I was around. I was too much man for you, wasn't I?"

  Polly gulped. He was everything that Sylvie had been scared of and more.

  A waitress approached, "Can I get you something to drink, sir?"

  "Whatever you have on tap and keep 'em coming." He took out his wallet, drew out a pile of twenty dollar bills and slammed them on the table. "It's all on me tonight. I have great news."

  "What's your news, Anthony?" Sylvie finally spoke.

  "I got a job. That's where I've been this week. I had an interview and found a place to live. I'm back in Iowa, baby. Now I can spend time with the boys and make sure that you've been doing right by my kids."

  "In Iowa?" she squeaked. "Where?"

  "I'm driving for a company up in Fort Dodge. I'll be on the road a lot of the time, but when I'm home, I'm going to want to be spending time with those boys of mine."

  "Are you going to introduce us, Sylvie?" Sal asked. "No? Well, I'll take care of that. Hi, I'm Sal Kahane. You are?"

  "You didn't tell them about me?" he demanded.

  "I'm Joss Mikkels."

  Since Anthony had dropped down between her and Sylvie, he reached a large paw out to take her hand. "You're a pretty little thing. You married?"

  "Yes, with twins," she said.

  "Lucky man." He looked at Polly, "You must be the school marm, fixing up that old building and making it all fancy. I've been hearing about you and how you stick your nose into everybody's business. After I saw you last week, I did some asking. Seems not everyone thinks you're as popular as you think you are."