“It’s going to be beautiful for the next couple of days, and it’s the first weekend of August, and I’m sure even after ten years away, you can remember what that means for Snowflake Village.”
Josie grimaced. “Hordes. Multitudes. Throngs.”
“Exactly.” Mom laughed quietly, then drew in a catchy little breath. “And your father’s not going to be there to watch over his little kingdom. So I was wondering…” She fiddled with her napkin. “I know I mentioned this on the phone, but I’m not sure what you think. Is there any chance you could help out? Maybe just for the weekend?”
Josie swallowed hard. No. “I wasn’t sure you were serious about that.”
“I know. It’s been a long time.” Mom crumpled her napkin, then smoothed it back out. “But Jos, I know how you feel about the hospital. I’m shocked you even got inside the doors today.”
“Me, too.” Josie’s voice was way smaller and more pathetic than she was comfortable with.
“So I can’t expect you to sit there in that hideous waiting room, waiting for those random five-minute slots where we can go sit with him.”
Ethan’s voice crept into Josie’s head. “Isn’t that what we’re supposed to do? I mean, what if something … happens?”
“He’s stable. I don’t think there’s any reason to think he’s going to get worse.” Mom blew out a careful breath. “It’s just a matter of when he’s going to get better. And he’s going to do that whether you’re in the waiting room or not.”
She paused, looking steadily at Josie, her eyes as clear as Josie’d ever seen them. “You’d only be ten minutes from the hospital if I called. You know if he had a choice, he’d love to see you at the park, not sitting at Mercy, wishing you were anywhere else. Plus, he’d absolutely flip out if he thought we’d left Snowflake Village understaffed on one of the busiest weekends of the summer, right?” She tried to smile, but it didn’t quite work.
“But—”
“I know. Ethan.”
Josie nodded. Just the sound of his name did strange things to her innards. “Yeah. Ethan.”
“It’s been ten years, honey.” Mom’s voice was soft, and what was with the endearment? Was she trying to put Josie off-kilter?
Bingo. It was working.
Mom reached her hand toward Josie’s, like she was going to touch it, but she pulled back before their fingers met. “That’s an awful long time. He’s a different man now. He is a man now.”
Oh God. Josie knew he was a man now. An hour ago she’d seen that with her own eyes, and since then, she hadn’t been able to get his face out of her head.
Or the rest of him.
Mom stopped fiddling with her napkin and looked squarely at Josie. “I know it’s not my place to have any expectations at all, and I don’t. I really don’t. I just got to thinking as I sat there this afternoon, that maybe, just maybe for the weekend, you could spend a little time at the park. So you don’t have to sit at the hospital.”
After a few moments of awkward silence, Mom pushed back her chair and gathered their plates. “Well, I think I’m going to head back to Mercy. You’re welcome to come if you’d like to, but if you just want to take some time and catch your breath, you should do that. Come whenever. Or—don’t. You choose, of course.”
She stood awkwardly, like she had something else she wanted to say, but then she turned away, sliding the plates neatly into the dishwasher. “I just put fresh towels on your bed, and everything else is pretty much where it’s always been … but let me know if you can’t find something.”
“Okay … thanks.” Josie felt completely unbalanced as she sat at the kitchen table, unsure of what to say or do in her own childhood home with her own mother.
Mom closed the dishwasher and leaned against the shelf, staring out the window. “I’m glad you’re here, honey.” She took a deep breath, twisting her ring around her finger, then looked directly at Josie. “I’m hoping you’ll find it’s a much different place than you left.”
* * *
Five minutes later, as Mom backed out of the driveway and onto the street, Josie still sat at the table. Who was this calm, measured woman who’d made her a sandwich like she’d been doing it all her life? Who was this nonconfrontational, clear-eyed person whose house—and clothes, and hair—were tidy?
Josie got up from the table and pulled open the drawer that held the trash and recycling bins. She held her breath as she looked into the back bin, but all it held were three Diet Pepsi cans.
Hating herself for doing so, she opened the door into the garage and peered into the huge plastic garbage can that had sat on the landing for thirty-plus years. The cap was on, a clear plastic bag neatly tied to its edges, and when she opened it, all she saw were more Diet Pepsi cans.
She put the cap back on slowly, looking around the garage. No beer cans, no twelve-packs under the stairs, no extra fridge in the corner. She stepped quietly back into the kitchen and closed the door softly, like Mom was listening from the other room.
Old habits.
As she turned off the light and returned to the kitchen, Josie hated the glimmer of hope that brightened her chest for a moment. She’d been here before. She’d hoped before. The bottles had disappeared before. The purple circles under Mom’s eyes had disappeared before. The redness in her cheeks had paled before.
But it had always come back.
All of it had always come back.
* * *
“Morning, Ethan!” Molly’s voice startled Ethan as she came through his office door Saturday morning. She stopped short at Andy’s desk and glanced down at the empty chair. “How is he?”
“No word this morning yet, but it’s still early.”
“You doing okay here by yourself?”
“So far, but I swear that pile of stuff on his desk is growing when I’m not looking. You’re not looking for a third job, are you?”
Molly sat in the side chair at Ethan’s desk, crossing her legs and retrieving a file folder from her enormous purple bag. “Let’s not think like that yet. It’s Andy. Santa, for God’s sake. He’ll be fine. He’ll definitely be fine.”
“Of course he will. I just meant for the weekend.” Ethan pushed back from his desk. “So give me some good news. What’s the morning report from Avery’s House?” He sipped his coffee, but grimaced when he realized it’d gone cool already. “It’s going to be blazing the next couple of days. Did the AC get fixed?”
“All fixed. No roasted patients on the menu this weekend.”
“Guests.”
Molly tipped her head in acknowledgment. “Guests. Sorry.” She looked down at her folder. “Okay, let’s see. Tabitha and James checked out yesterday afternoon. Many tears, many hugs, much drama. They really didn’t want to go.”
“As it should be.” Ethan felt a small smile creep up his cheeks. When he’d created Avery’s House as a free getaway for chronically ill kids, his first goal had been that once they arrived, they’d never want to leave. “How was their mom?”
“As good as a mom can be when one twin’s headed for another round of chemo and the other’s headed for kindergarten, I guess.” Molly’s face pulled into a frown, then she blew out a breath and shook her head. “But Tabby’s doing well. She really is. Hopefully she’ll be done after this round.”
She tapped her finger down her list. “Emmy is checking in today. Just finished her chemo, so the docs in Boston gave her the go-ahead to leave town and have some fun for a couple of weeks. Of course this is the only place she wanted to come.”
“Again, as it should be.” Ethan smiled a real smile this time. “What’s this? Her fourth time here?” Although he wasn’t supposed to have favorites, he had to admit that Emmy held a special place in his heart. At eight years old, her bright blue eyes and sweet smile felled him every time she stayed in Echo Lake.
His smile faltered as he realized Josie was the only person in the world who’d truly ever understand why.
“Oh, and that reporter from
the Globe called again. They’re doing a feature on unique pediatric care settings. She wants to come up and interview you.”
“I don’t have time for interviews right now, Mols. Can’t you handle her?”
“Nope. She only wants to talk to you.” Molly raised her eyebrows. “Exposure is money, Ethan. The Globe’s got serious reach and cred. That’s a lot of potential donors you could be reaching.”
“I know. I know. You’re right.”
“Ooh! Can you say that again—but wait till I press record.” Molly dug in her bag and came out with her phone, pointing it playfully at Ethan.
“I’ll talk to the reporter. Just not this week. Let’s see how things go with Andy.”
Molly dropped her phone back in her bag and closed the manila folder on her lap. “Heard from Josie yet?”
Ethan swallowed hard. “Ye-es. I have.”
Molly slid the folder into her bag, her eyes going wide. “Have you actually seen her?”
“She stopped by last night.”
“Oh. Wow. Here?”
Ethan nodded. “Here.”
“How … was it?”
“Strange. Very strange.”
“How’d she look?” Molly squinted her eyes and pulled down her cheeks. “Myopic? Droopy? Has she aged terribly?”
“Sorry. None of the above. She just looked like Josie. Just all grown up.”
Right.
Molly paused to study his face. “Huh. Well, does all-grown-up Josie plan to come back here today?”
“No.” Ethan cleared his throat as he shifted some papers on his desk. “No, she won’t be back. It was just a courtesy visit. Diana sent her over.”
“I can’t even imagine.” Molly studied his face. “You okay?”
“Yeah. Fine. Good.” He tried to summon up his best fake smile, but this was Molly. She saw through him in a second.
“Be careful.” She put up her index finger. “Do not be stupid.”
“I have no intention of being stupid. And thank you for your support.”
“Shut up, Ethan. You know how this could go.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Do I?”
Molly tipped her head back on the chair, sighing. “Yes, you do. Princess Josie waltzes in here after fleeing in the dead of night ten years ago, and you’re a man, and she’s a woman, and way back when, you were in love. Bam.”
“Bam?” He couldn’t help but chuckle. “That’s it?”
She shook her head as she stood up. “Just be careful, okay? Puh-leeze tell me you’ll be careful.”
“Yes, Mom. I’ll be careful.”
Ethan bit the inside of his cheek to try to stop from picturing Josie as she’d been yesterday, all flushed and uncomfortable and so damn gorgeous. Yeah, he hated what she’d done ten years ago. And yeah, he hated what he’d become after she’d left.
But damn, he’d never quite gotten around to being able to hate her.
Molly’s voice broke into his thoughts. “I wonder if she’ll come around to see me while she’s here? Y’know, to mend fences and all that.”
“I imagine she has a little more on her mind than mending fences with any of us, Mols.” He shook his head. “But maybe she’ll pop into Bellinis for a burger before she takes off again. You never know.”
Molly laughed, low and brittle. “I’m pretty sure that’s the last place she’ll choose to hang out while she’s here. Well, next to Avery’s House, that is.”
She looked at him, unblinking. “I mean, that is going to be one hell of a surprise, don’t you think?”
Chapter 6
An hour later, Ethan looked at the check he’d just written, then shook his head and put it through the shredder. Since Molly’d left, he’d had the attention span of a gnat. That was the second check he’d screwed up in the span of as many minutes. A year ago he’d finally gotten Andy to agree to an electronic payroll system, but the boss still insisted on handwritten checks for the older employees. Said it made them feel like they were working for a real person, not a corporation.
Molly’s parting jab about Avery’s House had him all off-kilter, and he hated that he’d let her get to him. But she was right. Josie was here in town, and it was only a matter of time before she either saw the house herself … or someone told her about it.
He wished he’d had time to prepare for this—wished he had a clue how to tell her about Avery’s House. He’d dreaded it for years—had been sure she’d be furious or hurt or both—but until now, time and circumstances had been on his side.
But now? Both time and circumstances threatened to conspire against him, and he needed a plan. He needed to tell her about the house before somebody else did.
His phone chimed with an incoming text from Molly.
Don’t forget about Santa!!!
He sighed as he glanced at the closet door where Andy hung his Santa suit. Shit.
When Andy got back, he’d be grateful to Ethan for keeping the office running, but if he found out Santa had been hanging on his door rather than roaming the park, Ethan would never hear the end of it.
What’s a Christmas park without a Santa? he’d bellow. Especially on a Saturday?
Ethan got up slowly and pulled the suit from the hanger, frowning. It was one thing to pick up the extra payroll and employee scheduling. It was quite another to don a Santa suit and head out into the park with a basket of candy canes and a big, happy ho-ho voice—especially when the last thing he was feeling right now was happy.
He held the suit up to his chest and shook his head as he looked down. He had six inches and twenty pounds on Andy, who ran five miles a day and hadn’t let a carb pass through his lips in years. The Santa pants would be halfway up his shins.
He looked out the window toward the igloo entrance, which was spilling a steady stream of people and strollers into the courtyard. It was nine o’clock and already seventy-five degrees, forecast to be ninety by noon. If he was going to put a damn Santa suit on, he’d better do it now before it got so hot he’d have a heat stroke inside the costume. Maybe the boots would cover up the fact that the legs were almost a foot too short.
His desk phone rang, saving him for another couple of seconds. But when he answered, the voice sent familiar chills up his spine.
“Ethan, it’s Diana.”
He sat down gingerly. The last call from Josie’s mom had brought him both the sobering news that Andy was ill and the accompanying announcement that Josie might be coming home. “Morning, Diana.” His voice was careful. “How’s Andy?”
“Stable, which is an improvement, so that’s something. They’re moving him out of ICU this morning.”
“Well, that’s definitely good news. Is there anything I can do? Do you need anything?”
“It’s so good of you to offer, thank you. I think I’m all set right now. Better now that Josie’s here.”
Ethan swallowed hard. “Of course. It was … nice of her to stop by the park last night.”
“Did she? That’s great! I had no idea she’d already been there.” Diana paused, apparently gathering her thoughts. “So listen, Ethan. I know you probably think you can run the entire park on your own, and maybe you can. Goodness knows I have no idea what goes on in that office, which is how Andy and I have engineered it so we don’t kill each other.”
She took an audible breath. “I’ve asked her to see if she can help you out—just for the weekend. Just, you know, to keep busy and maybe feel needed. If you could find it in yourself to try to make her feel welcome, I’d be so grateful.”
Ethan sent his fingers through his hair, probably making it stand on end. He was supposed to make her feel welcome?
He gritted his teeth, then tried to loosen them before he answered. Diana didn’t need him to remind her that her own daughter had been AWOL for the past ten years, and that everything about this situation was completely awkward.
“She’s headed over there now, actually.”
“She is?” Ah hell. Again.
Apparently
his little Go away speech last night had fallen on deaf ears. He clunked all four legs of his chair back to the floor as he scanned the courtyard outside the window. He blew out a quick, frustrated breath. No way were he and Josie going to hole up in this office and work together all weekend. No frigging way.
But what other option did he have? He might be the CFO of Snowflake Village, but Andy was decidedly still in charge. If the poor man was in a hospital bed, then his wife was the de facto CEO, not Ethan. And if his wife wanted her own daughter to work at the park for the weekend, then there was diddly-squat Ethan could do about it.
He tried to level his voice. “All right, Diana. I’ll give it my best shot.”
“That might sound more reassuring if I hadn’t known you for fifteen years, young man.”
He laughed bitterly. “Concerned that my best shot still might involve me throwing her in the lake if I get a chance?”
“Or onto the roller coaster, yes.” He could hear Diana smiling now. “Just find her something to do to keep her busy. We both know she can’t do waiting-room duty without losing her mind. If she can be at the park, she can at least feel useful, and I can get to her if I need to.” She paused. “Do you think that could work?”
“Honestly?” No way in hell.
He heard shuffling in the background, like she was gathering together papers. “I’m on my way to the hospital. She should be there in a few minutes.” She paused again. “Just do your best, Ethan. Maybe you could help her realize that home isn’t all bad … at least not anymore.”
“But no pressure?” He grimaced, craning his neck to look out the window again toward the entrance. What in the world was he going to be able to find Josie to do here?
As Diana hung up, his eyes caught on the Santa suit he’d been trying to figure out how to struggle into before the phone rang.
Then he almost hated himself for the smile he felt creeping up the edges of his mouth.
* * *
Josie took a deep breath as she eyed Elf Central from the courtyard on Saturday morning. How could she be so hot already at nine o’clock in the morning? She imagined the employees going through the Horribly Hot, Humid Day lists in the snack shacks and Care Cottage as she watched three teens in red polos wheeling ice bags down the pathways. They’d be trekking those bags all over the park today in a vain attempt to keep the Slush-Bombs pouring fast enough.
Forever This Time Page 4
