Tangle of Strings

by Ashley Farley

  “Did you see Cooper today?” Faith asked, failing her attempt at nonchalance.

  “We talked for a minute in the hallway.”

  “I assume his parents told him about the baby. What did he have to say?”

  “The same as everyone else. He’ll support me whatever I decide. Unlike you, he isn’t trying to tell me how I should decide.”

  Faith’s head shot up at the anger in Annie’s voice. “I think you’ve misinterpreted my position on the issue. I’m not trying to force you into anything. I’m merely trying to steer you away from having an abortion. If you choose to go full term with the pregnancy, you’ll have months to decide what to do about the baby.”

  Annie lacked the energy to argue with Faith. She stared out over the water, watching the fishing boats returning from a day on the ocean.

  “Mike and I have talked a lot about your situation over the past few days,” Faith said. “And we agree on all counts. If you keep the baby, we will support you in every way. If you and Cooper decide to get married, you are welcome to live here, although I’m sure Jackie will insist you move into her guest cottage. If you decide to have the baby alone, we will help you raise it. And, if you decide to give the baby up for adoption, we’d be honored if you’d consider us as potential candidates to be his or her parents.”

  Anger pulsed through Annie’s body causing her head to throb. “I know you’re trying to help, but what you just said is crazy.”

  “The idea of us adopting the baby might sound unconventional to you, but—”

  “Unconventional?” Annie scoffed. “It’s a clusterfuck in the making. What happens if I deliver the baby and decide to keep it?”

  Faith lifted her hand off the arm of the chair. “Like I said, we’ll help you raise it.”

  “Okay, so what happens if I take a job and move with the baby to California? How will you feel then?”

  “I’ll miss you like crazy, of course. But I never dreamed you’d make Prospect your home. We’re your family, Annie. I’m counting on you to come back and visit for the holidays and summer vacation.”

  “You say that now, but you’ll feel differently when it happens.” The kinds of strings she was talking about scared the hell out of Annie. She already owed Faith and Mike so much for taking her in and becoming her legal guardians. If they helped her raise the baby, even for a few years, she’d feel too indebted to them to ever leave.

  Faith’s head fell back against the rocker. “We have plenty of time to sort through all the details.”

  Annie jerked her hand away. “I don’t know what to think about any of it anymore. I’m so confused with everyone telling me what to do.” She stood abruptly, the pain from her broken ribs radiating through her body. “I can’t talk about this anymore right now.” She stood up and left Faith sitting on the porch alone.

  TWENTY

  Heidi

  Heidi signed her name to the handwritten note, stuffed it in an envelope, and tucked it beneath the ribbon on the brightly wrapped package. She slipped the package in her briefcase satchel and left her apartment to meet Sam.

  She and Sam had spoken on the phone several times during the past few days. Much to Heidi’s surprise and excitement, Sam conveyed genuine interest in investing in her catering business/gourmet market. In fact, she’d offered an amount that had enabled Heidi to get preapproval from the bank. They were to meet Ken Cook at the warehouse in fifteen minutes for a final walk-through–Sam’s first, Heidi’s third. If Sam approved of the space and they could agree on some guidelines from which they would operate the business, Heidi hoped to make an offer on the warehouse that afternoon.

  Sam was carrying on an animated conversation with Ken in front of the warehouse when she arrived promptly at one o’clock. Heidi slammed the heavy door of her Mustang shut and joined them on the sidewalk. “I see the two of you have already met.” She kissed the air beside Sam’s cheek and shook Ken’s hand.

  “We’ve just discovered we have mutual friends who live in Prospect,” Sam explained. “The Goodman family. Judith Goodman is one of my mother’s closest friends. I went to high school with her oldest son, Robert, and Ken went to college with her daughter, Angie.”

  Heidi smiled. “It’s a small world.” She gestured at the warehouse’s massive front door. “Shall we go inside and take a look around?”

  Ken unlocked the door and moved aside so they could enter.

  Sam’s face lit up as she took in the room. “It reminds me of Sweeney’s, only much warmer with the brick walls and oak floors. You could install your coolers over here.” She clomped across the room in her cowboy boots. “And set up a table for wine and cheese tastings over here. You could fill the center of the room with fixtures in various sizes–some old and some new—to display your nonperishable food products and fun knickknacks for entertainment. You even have enough room to put in a butcher’s counter if you want. Once you get a feel for the neighborhood, you’ll have a better understanding of your customers’ needs.”

  Ken stepped forward. “No doubt about it. The space is adaptable for many different purposes. In fact, in the interest of full disclosure, I’m expecting a contract any minute from a young couple who want to open a burger shack.”

  “Of course you are,” Sam said. “You’re a realtor. You’re required by the code of ethics of your profession to say that every time you show a property regardless of whether it’s true.”

  Sam was teasing, but Heidi saw nothing funny about it. “I’m investing my life savings here, Ken. I will not make an offer until I’m confident this is the right move for me.”

  “Understood.” He headed for the door. “I need to make a phone call. I’ll be in my car if you have any questions.”

  “You were a little hard on him, don’t you think?” Sam asked with a chuckle once the door swung shut behind Ken.

  “Not at all. He needed to be put in his place. He must think I’m stupid, trying to pressure me into making an offer like that.” Heidi hooked her arm through Sam’s. “Come on. Let me show you the kitchen.”

  Sam circled the entire area, checking out the appliances and the storage closet. “I think it’s perfect, Heidi. I can’t imagine you’ll find a better-suited place.”

  “I agree.” Heidi glanced at her watch. “I don’t know about you, but I’m starving. There’s a wonderful cafe at the other end of the block. What say we grab some lunch while we work out the few remaining details?”

  Over steaming bowls of New England clam chowder, Heidi and Sam discussed the ins and outs of their partnership. They agreed that, for now, Heidi would bear the brunt of the responsibilities, reaching out to Sam when she needed advice. In the future, when and if Annie and Jamie went to work for them, they might consider combining forces.

  “Have you given any thought to who you might hire?” Sam asked. “You’re gonna need a couple of trusted employees to help manage the business.”

  Heidi nodded. “I’m thinking of hiring one of my servers to run the kitchen. Lizbeth is graduating from the College of Charleston in May and looking for a full-time job. She’s originally from Charleston. Her family lives on the Battery. I’m hoping her connections bring in more catering business. And I have faith in her. She gets the job done, regardless of what the job is.”

  “She sounds a lot like Annie.”

  A curious expression crossed Heidi’s face. “Now that you mention it, Lizbeth does kinda remind me of Annie.” She set her spoon down on her plate. “Speaking of Annie.” She removed the package from her satchel on the bench beside her. “Would you mind giving this to her? I would take it to her myself, but I’m trying to respect her wishes by giving her the space she asked for.”

  Sam took the package. “I’d be happy to.” Furrowing her brow, she fingered the pink ribbon on the package. “It’s not my place to tell you this. But if I don’t tell you, no one else will.”

  Heidi’s body grew rigid. “Tell me what? Is something wrong?”

  “I’m afraid so. Annie
is pregnant. Cooper is the father, of course.”

  “Pregnant?” Heidi mouthed the word, but no sound escaped from her lips.

  Sam pushed the package aside. “About six weeks along, apparently.”

  Heidi brought her hand to her mouth. “Oh, my poor baby. I know how she feels.”

  “Do you, Heidi? Because I remember being pregnant and unmarried like it happened yesterday. The fear and uncertainty about the future. The feeling of being utterly alone in the world. Did you ever consider having an abortion? I know that’s a personal question. And I understand if you don’t want to answer it.”

  Heidi’s cheeks burned. “I’ve never told anyone this. And it’s a relief to get it off my chest. I would’ve had an abortion in a second if I’d had the money. How screwed up is that? We couldn’t afford an abortion so we got married instead.”

  “Surely someone would’ve have loaned you the money.”

  Heidi looked away. “I’m sure we could’ve come up with the money. But deep down, I really wanted to keep the baby. I was terrified I’d be a horrible mother. Turns out I was right. Annie is a beautiful person. But not because of anything I did.”

  “Annie is more like you than you realize.”

  “That’s a nice thing for you to say, even if it isn’t true. The reality is I let all three of us down. Annie. Allen. Me.”

  “There are no instructions for all the challenges that life presents, Heidi. We do the best we can with what we’re given.” Sam slurped up several spoonfuls of soup and wiped her mouth. “I’ll give Allen credit for raising Annie on his own. I know firsthand how difficult it is for a mother to raise her son alone. But for a father to raise his daughter in the conditions they lived in is almost unimaginable.”

  Heidi nibbled on a flatbread cracker, not trusting herself to speak. “Does Annie want to have an abortion?”

  “She mentioned it on Sunday when she broke the news to Faith and me. But I haven’t spoken to her since. I texted her a couple of times, but she hasn’t responded. I imagine she’s getting hit from all sides.”

  Heidi pushed her soup bowl away. “Where is Cooper in all this?”

  “Honestly, I don’t know. I haven’t heard anything specifically. But one thing I do know, my nephew is a good kid and he genuinely cares about Annie.”

  “And Jackie? How is she taking the news?”

  “Not well, as you can imagine. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen my sister so furious.” Sam spooned the last of the soup out of her bowl. “And I’m sure we haven’t seen the last of it. But Jackie loves Annie. She’ll eventually calm down.”

  “I certainly hope so for the kids’ sake.” Heidi had worked with the oldest Sweeney sister many times, not only on planning Sam’s wedding reception but in arranging events for Jackie’s other clients as well. She knew Jackie to be tough but fair. “Annie is lucky to be surrounded by so many people who care about her.”

  “That’s the good news and the bad news,” Sam said. “So many people who care about her trying to tell her what to do.”

  TWENTY-ONE

  Faith

  Faith was slipping her coat on, preparing to leave the market on Friday around two o’clock to pick Bitsy up from school, when the back door flung open and Jackie stormed in. “Get Sam. We need to talk.” Faith was fairly certain her older sister had never stepped foot in Sweeney’s kitchen before, but she marched straight for the business office as though she worked there every day.

  Faith stuck her head in the showroom. “Mama,” she called. “I need to borrow Sam for a minute. Can you hold down the fort?”

  Sam looked up from the slab of tuna she was slicing. “Is something wrong?”

  “Jackie’s here. She wants to talk to us.”

  Lovie nudged Sam out of the way. “You go on. I’ll finish here.”

  Sam handed her the knife. “Thanks, Mom. Call me if you get swamped.”

  Faith heard the gratitude in her sister’s voice. They understood how lucky they were that Lovie didn’t meddle in their business unless asked.

  “Brace yourself,” Sam said to Faith in a loud whisper as they entered the office. “This is liable to get ugly.”

  Jackie’s presence sucked all the air out of the tiny office. Sam took a seat behind the desk and Faith opposite her, but Jackie chose to stand.

  Towering over them, she said, “Just so you know, I canceled three meetings with potential clients this afternoon. I can’t sleep. I can’t eat. I’m popping Xanax like breath mints.”

  “Since when is your anxiety disorder our problem?” Sam asked, leaning back in her chair and propping her boot-clad feet on the desk.

  “I don’t have an anxiety disorder, thank you very much. I have a prescription for Xanax for emergency use only. And if there was ever an emergency, this is it. We need to resolve this predicament with Annie now, so we can all move on with our lives.”

  Faith clenched her jaw. “We’re talking about a baby here. Not a budget crisis.”

  Jackie glared at Faith. “I don’t need to be reminded of what’s at stake. We need to sit down as a family and come up with a solution that works for everyone. But before we do that, I want to make certain the three of us are united.” She tapped a red-lacquered fingernail on the desk. “Marriage is off the table. I will not let my son ruin his life because of a stolen moment of passion on New Year’s Eve. I don’t normally approve of abortion, but in this case I believe it’s the best option for everyone involved.”

  Faith shot up out of her chair. “In other words, you’re a hypocrite,” she said, particles of spit flying toward her sister. “You’re against abortion until it suits your needs.”

  Sam remained seated. “Shh! Keep your voices down. This is a place of business.”

  Faith lowered her voice to a near whisper. “I’m against abortion in every circumstance, especially this one. I’m not saying that marriage is the right solution either. Adoption makes the most sense.”

  Jackie pressed her lips into a thin line. “And let me guess. You and Mike are volunteering to be the adoptive parents.”

  Faith brought her body up to its full height. “It’s an option. Mike and I can provide the child a loving home.”

  “That’s valiant of you. Have you considered all the issues that could arise in the future from such an arrangement? Not just for Annie and Cooper but for the child. When it comes time, how will you explain to the child that his biological parents are really his cousin and his sister?”

  Faith dropped her eyes. “I never said it would be easy.”

  “Y’all are wasting your time arguing about this,” Sam said, her palms pressed against the edge of the desk. “We have to respect Annie’s wishes. It’s her body.”

  “But she’s only sixteen years old,” Faith argued. “She needs guidance.”

  “Of course she needs guidance,” Sam agreed. “But she’s the most intuitive sixteen-year-old I’ve ever met. I have the utmost faith in any decision she thinks is best.”

  “Don’t forget about Cooper. He’s entitled to a say. No one is going to force my son into marriage.” Jackie banged her fist on the desk, causing the cup of ink pens, the computer keyboard, and the stack of plastic invoice trays to vibrate an inch to the left.

  Sam rolled her eyes. “Chill out, Jackie. What makes you so sure they are even considering marriage?”

  “Because Cooper mentioned it to me last night when I spoke to him on the phone. I specifically told him not to talk to Annie without an adult present. But he went against my wishes. And he offered to marry her. He is under the impression that she’s considering it. I’m here to tell you that’s not going to happen.”

  “They could make it work,” Sam said. “We would have to help them, of course. But they love each other and—”

  “Love each other?!” Jackie’s meticulously plucked eyebrows met her hairline. “If they love each other so much, why did they break up?”

  Sam waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. “They’re just having a lover’s
quarrel. I’m not sure what the breakup is about, but it’s only a matter of time before they get back together.”

  Jackie shook her head, her dark hair skimming her shoulders. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, Samantha. Cooper broke up with Annie because he’s getting ready to go off to college and he doesn’t want to be tied down to a girlfriend back home. If he feels that way about Annie, who is the love of his life according to you, how’s he going to feel about a baby?”

  “Annie told me about her conversation with Cooper,” Faith said. “She did not mention a marriage proposal. I really don’t think marriage is on her mind.”

  The three sisters began talking at once, their voices escalating in an effort to be heard. When the cacophony reached a near deafening level, Sam clapped her hands loudly. “Quiet!” The room grew silent in an instant. “We are not going to settle anything by arguing. If we cast our votes right now, you are for adoption”—she looked first at Faith and then at Jackie—“and you are for abortion.” She aimed her thumb at her chest. “And I vote for Annie keeping the baby. Whether Cooper chooses to be involved or not is up to him. Although I know your son well enough to know he will do the right thing.” Sam rose up out of her chair. “The bottom line is, we are not helping that poor girl any by shoving our opinions down her throat. We need to listen to what Annie and Cooper have to say and help them make a decision based on their feelings, not ours.”

  “Fine. Let’s just get this thing over with.” Jackie swung the door open. “We’ll meet at my house tomorrow at three.” She exited the office and stomped out the back door without so much as a glance in their direction.

  TWENTY-TWO

  Eli

  Eli’s men had the farmhouse surrounded and were awaiting the signal from him before entering. The Bell brothers’ Dodge sat in the circular driveway in front of the wide screened porch, giving the appearance that Willie and Tyrone were home alone, despite the dozen or so cars parked haphazardly in the field behind the house.