Kenny squatted in front of Jeremiah. “You okay?”
Jeremiah nodded. “Mama’s going to be mad at me, isn’t she?”
“No way,” Kenny said. “She can’t wait to see her big man.”
“You can tell her how brave you were,” Cam said.
“Yeah!”
As they walked away, Cam looked down. Several sets of dog prints were visible in the dirt. She imagined wild or abandoned dogs forming a pack to survive the harsh environment. They had the right idea.
They climbed into the truck with Jeremiah between Cam and Kenny. They sat, unmoving, staring straight ahead for several moments. Cam plotted how to not fall apart when she saw Macy. For beginners, she wouldn’t look her in the eyes for more than a second at a time.
Cam looked at Kenny and wondered what he was thinking. Kenny had so much riding on Macy, on how well she’d held up through the ordeal. Kenny was gripping and releasing the steering wheel. Cam didn’t know what else to say, so she joked, “Can you find your way out?”
Kenny smiled, and Cam could feel some of the tension lifting. Then Kenny covered Jeremiah’s eyes with one hand and made an obscene gesture at Cam with the other.
Kenny started driving, and Cam glanced back over the mine. On the far, pine-studded ridge, she saw two dogs. As she watched them get farther and farther away, Cam thought about another dog, almost left on the side of Highway 278. She knew the scenario with the old man and the yellow dog could have played out differently. From then on, Cam promised herself, she wouldn’t ever let anything around her get that close to destruction again.
On the ride out of the mine property, Cam checked the cell phone for a signal several times. She didn’t get one until they’d turned from one paved road onto another. She dialed Macy’s number.
“Hello,” the deep voice said.
“Is Macy there?”
“Who’s this?”
“It’s Cam. Kenny and me found Jeremiah. He’s okay.” Cam had never heard such a heart-wrenching sob in her life.
Kenny held out his hand. Cam didn’t argue. She handed Kenny the phone.
“At the hospital?” Kenny asked. “She had some spotting,” he said, glancing at Cam. Kenny listened for a few moments and hung up.
“What else?” Cam asked.
“Russ said to go to Macy’s. We’ll talk to the police there and get cleaned up so we can go to the hospital.”
†
Kenny’s statement to the police only took a few minutes. He told the detective how he and Gary had fought, and Gary had fallen into a chalk pond. He told him where they could find him. And Timmy Jones.
After quick showers and a change of clothes, they were ready to head out.
Kenny grew eerily quiet. He seemed on automatic pilot until they got to the hospital and he saw Dori. She was smiling.
When Kenny and Dori melted into one another, holding on tight, Cam felt a tug in her chest. She hadn’t realized how much she’d grown to like this guy who’d picked on her all those months.
Jack swooped down, grabbed Jeremiah, and held him tight to his chest. Then he took his son in to see Macy. After a few minutes, Jack came out and pointed at Cam. When Jack motioned to Macy’s door and said, “Go on in,” Cam’s chest threatened to burst with pride.
Cam stuck her hands in her pockets, and something pricked her right thumb. She remembered the shark’s tooth. She fingered it. Yeah, landscapes do change. She slowed her breathing and went in.
Macy had Jeremiah on the bed with her, holding him. Keep it together, Cam chanted in her head. Keep it together.
And she did, for about five seconds.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Happy Tears
The air at the shop tasted like gritty-sweet maple dust. Kenny took deep breaths and got ready to get to work. He wasn’t gonna stop until he was finished with both cradles.
When Kenny was leaving the mine with Cam and Jeremiah, it flashed through his head that the second cradle wasn’t finished. He asked himself, what if he’d jinxed his babies by not getting the furniture done? What if they’d go away half-made because he’d only half done their cradles?
Then at the hospital, when the doctor said the babies seemed fine, Kenny promised himself that he’d finish the second cradle as soon as he could. He wouldn’t rush it, because it still had to be perfect, but he wouldn’t slack off on it anymore either.
Kenny sanded the glue at the seam between two pieces of maple. The back-and-forth motion calmed him, until a thought inserted itself into the rhythm of his work. Had he wanted Gary to fall? And if he did, why?
Thinking back on it, he grew angry. What made that bastard think he had the right to get into it with Kenny about whether or not he deserved kids? Kenny knew he owed Russ and Eileen a lot; he didn’t need Gary telling him how far in debt he was. He didn’t need to be reminded that if it didn’t work this time, they couldn’t afford to try again.
Kenny pried the lid off the can of stain with a screwdriver. He dipped the brush in and smoothed Autumn Maple onto the wood. His gaze went to the purple bruising around the knuckles of his right hand. When his fist slid off Gary and hit the ground, Jack had popped into his mind. For just a second, Kenny thought about how slugging Jack that day at Uncle Russ’s had felt so good. But that feeling didn’t last, didn’t change the fact that when they were growing up, Jack was always better than him. Jack always outdid Kenny at everything, from football to making babies.
Did comparing Gary to Jack make Kenny want to kill Gary? It scared him to think that he could hate anyone that much. But did he? Maybe he didn’t hate Jack so much after all. He was glad that Jack was finally stepping up, was gonna be a better father to Jeremiah. Kenny wasn’t stupid; he knew that was best for the kid.
Maybe he was being too hard on himself. It was probably plain and simple fear for Jeremiah that made him act like he did with Gary. He couldn’t blame himself for that. Even the cops said so.
Kenny decided none of it mattered. What was done was done. His family was the only important thing. Dori was relaxing some finally, and Macy and the babies were doing real good. Kenny wasn’t going to worry anymore, because he knew Macy would stay on bed rest like the doctor said.
Cam was going to stay at Macy’s to help her with Jeremiah. Kenny laughed out loud when he thought about catching Cam reading a book one day before Jeremiah went missing—What to Expect When You’re Expecting. Kenny still found himself thinking of Cam as one of the guys, so it seemed dorky to him that she was reading that book. But then Kenny thought about seeing Cam at the mine—dirty and bleeding and wrapped in duct tape, of all things. He guessed he should cut her some slack.
Before Kenny knew it, he was done staining the new cradle. He ran his hand along the invisible seam of maple on the first one. Once the second one dried, they’d both be finished. They were perfect, down to the last wood screw. Now maybe his babies would be perfect, down to the last fingernail.
†
The green hospital phone nestled against Macy’s leg. She’d left it there after hanging up with Sharon.
Macy hadn’t heard from her mother all day and didn’t really expect to. She would come around, or she wouldn’t. Macy would be okay either way. At least the woman had shown a hint of compassion while Jeremiah was missing.
J-man was leaning against Macy as he read out loud from a picture book about trains.
A nurse came in and asked him, “Would you like to go out into the hallway and wait with your big sister?”
“Big sister?” Macy asked.
J-man leaned closer and whispered, “I told them Cam was my sister. Is that okay?”
Macy chuckled. “Yes, baby, that’s okay.”
“They know you aren’t Cam’s mama. And I told them that even though you’re my mama, you aren’t pregnant with my brother and sister, but with my cousins.”
Macy laughed.
The nurse kept a polite smile on her face as she waited for J-man to go.
Jeremiah gl
anced at the nurse and lowered his voice even further. “I don’t think they understand.”
“Do you understand?” Macy asked him.
“Yes.”
Her little man was so smart. “That’s all that matters.”
“Why you crying, Mama?”
She hadn’t realized she was. “Because I’m happy.”
“Happy tears!” Then he ran off to go hang out with Cam.
The nurse checked Macy’s temperature and blood pressure. “Would you like me to move this?” She gestured toward the phone.
Macy hesitated and then handed it to her. “Thanks.”
“Any spotting?” The nurse reached for the thin blanket.
Macy tucked it around her belly. “I just checked. No spotting.” She had checked. Many times.
“Okay. Call if you need anything.” And she was gone.
The door had barely shut behind the nurse when Macy heard the tapping. “Dori,” she called, and Dori tiptoed in.
“Hey, how you feeling?”
“Much better.” Macy patted the bed next to her, and Dori sat. She took Dori’s hand in hers. “It’s been scary, huh?”
“Yeah,” Dori admitted.
“Well, it’s all fine now.”
“I know.” Dori traced a vein on the back of Macy’s hand with her finger.
There was a shadow of mascara under Dori’s eyes. She hadn’t bothered putting on new makeup. It made her look sweet but weary.
“You look tired,” Macy said.
“Yeah. We all are. Cam’s taking Jeremiah home. Jack’s meeting them there to take Jeremiah for the night.”
“Good.” Macy had to let J-man out of her sight again sooner or later. She was just thankful that the staff had let him stay in her room the night before.
Macy scooted over to give Dori more room. Dori kicked off her shoes, pulled her legs up onto the bed, and leaned back against the pillow. Macy found Dori’s warmth comforting.
“Where’s Kenny?” Macy asked.
“He’s at the shop, finishing up the babies’ furniture.”
Macy stared up at the ceiling for several moments before speaking. “When we were fighting in high school, I knew that couldn’t be the end of us. I knew we’d be important to one another again.”
“I seriously doubted that.” Dori paused. “Sorry.”
“You don’t doubt me now, and that’s all that matters.”
The force of Dori’s sob startled Macy. As she shifted to look at Dori, Dori buried her face in her hands. “What?” Macy whispered.
“I’m sorry.”
Macy tried to comfort her. “Hey, we were just kids.”
“I’m sorry for not having faith in you yesterday.” Her sobs shook the bed.
“Yesterday?”
“You were talking like Jeremiah was… I just knew you’d lost it, like you thought you were pregnant with him again.”
The image of Jeremiah, Mason, and Mya swimming in liquid hematite returned. How much did I actually say out loud?
Dori’s sobs grew louder. “I thought that if something happened to Jeremiah, you wouldn’t be able to give me my babies.”
“Oh God.” What did I put her through? “I was just trying to keep J-man safe. I didn’t mean to scare you.” She sat up. “Please look at me.”
Dori faced her. Inches from one another, they stayed very still for several moments. It surprised them both when Macy didn’t look away but held Dori’s gaze. “I just wanted to make it right.”
“Make what right? You and me? Jeremiah?”
“All of it.” She didn’t know how else to say it. She didn’t know how to tell Dori that for once she was trying to find answers in the strength and love inside of her. “Dori, I would never hurt you like that.”
“My head and heart knew that all along, it was just this thing in my gut.” Dori pressed her fist against her stomach and looked away. She grabbed a tissue from the bedside table and ran it across her face, leaving smudges of tears and mascara. “Sorry. I should have had more faith in you.”
“I should have earned your faith.”
“You have.”
“Maybe now.” Macy smiled. “Lie here with me?”
Dori snuggled up behind Macy, and Macy took Dori’s hand and pressed it against her belly. She could feel the heat of Dori’s tears on her back.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Nesting
“So, you’re all packed?” Sharon called over from her front porch.
“Yep.” Cam threw her duffle bag onto the bench seat of her truck. It was the same duffle she’d come to Georgia with, but it wasn’t all she had anymore.
Sharon shielded her eyes as her gaze swept across Michael’s yard. “I guess with you leaving, the weeds will be right back.”
Fighting her nerves, Cam walked over to Sharon. “Maybe not. They might be under control for a while.”
“Well, you’ve done a great job over there.”
“It was the least I could do,” Cam said. “I’m still shocked Michael let me stay after all that happened.”
“Michael is a good man.” Sharon smiled. “Will you come in for a few minutes?”
“Yes, of course.” Cam was stunned by the invitation she’d waited so long for, but she followed Sharon inside.
“You’re moving in with Macy.”
A blush swept across Cam’s cheeks.
“She told me you were moving in to help out with Jeremiah in the evenings.”
“Yep, that’s the plan,” Cam said.
It occurred to her then that Sharon seemed a little uncomfortable. It was nice to have her be the uneasy one for once, but she decided to just put it out there. “I used to have a bit of a crush on Macy, but we’re just friends.”
“I know.”
“Now I care for her in a way that means a lot more to me than just thinking she’s pretty and sweet.”
Sharon nodded. “Good.”
Cam wasn’t sure why, but she couldn’t seem to stop blabbing once she’d started. “This probably sounds cheesy, but her and Jeremiah feel like family.”
“I know that’s important to you.”
She did? Cam couldn’t help wondering if Sharon and Macy had talked about her. Well, of course they had. Cam knew the universe didn’t revolve around her, but she also knew that Macy had been her cheering section when it came to Sharon.
“What about Jack?” Sharon asked. “Has he said anything about you moving in with Macy?”
“Jack actually likes the idea.” It appeared Jack wasn’t at all threatened by her.
Sharon traced the pattern of jagged yellow lines on the rug with her toe. “Jess would like the grown-up you.”
Cam smiled. Why not? She was even beginning to like the grown-up her.
“I’ve got a few things I’d like to give you,” Sharon said.
Cam’s heart skipped a beat.
“It’s taken me a long time, but I’ve finally started going through Jess’s stuff.” She took a deep breath. “I’ve set aside some pictures and some other things I thought you might like to have.”
Cam nodded and stared at the blue and yellow of the rug Aunt Jess must have walked across a million times. Sharon led Cam toward the bedroom and took a deep breath before opening the door.
The queen-sized bed was neatly made, the foot of it covered in perfect piles of clothing. There were stacks of T-shirts, pants, polo shirts.
“I can fit in most of her shirts. Her pants are too long for me, though.” She placed her hand lightly on the stack of Levi’s and Dockers. “These might fit Dori.”
“Maybe.”
“Or is that too weird?” Sharon massaged her temples.
“For you or for her?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know how to do this.”
Cam wasn’t sure if Sharon was referring solely to the clothes or to the bigger picture. She scanned the bedroom and tried to take in the general energy of the room without seeing anything too intimate. She looked at the dresser and im
mediately recognized a photo of her and Jess at the Inner Harbor in Baltimore. Cam had a smaller, worn copy of the same picture.
Sharon held up a large, white T-shirt from St. Augustine. “Jess loved this city. She loved the beach, the history, the food.” She laughed. “According to Jess, any city could be rated by its food.”
Cam stared at the screen-printed collage of the beach.
“They only had this in large, but she had to have one. I’m not even sure if she ever wore it. You should take it. It’ll be big on you, but still…”
She held out the shirt, and Cam took the heavy cotton in her hands. She let it rest on her palms, feeling the softness, and tried to imagine Aunt Jess standing in that very room. Then she blurted out, “Where is she?”
“Part of her is in the mountains. Up by Helen, Georgia.”
“And the rest of her?”
“I’m waiting a little longer, then I’m going to take her to St. Augustine. I’m just not ready yet.”
Cam glanced around the room.
“In the drawer.” Sharon answered her unasked question. “She’s in the drawer.”
Cam thought she might be sick, so she took several steps toward where she thought the bathroom was, just in case.
“No, don’t go in there.” The look on Sharon’s face suggested she was as surprised by the force of her voice as Cam was.
Cam placed her hand over her mouth to convey the urgency.
“Please use the other one.”
Cam ran to the bathroom near the spare room where Jeremiah had played Cam’s first day in Augusta. She splashed water on her face and leaned against the counter. That day seemed so long ago. Finding out about Aunt Jess dying had torn something loose inside her, something that had just started to heal.
The biggest step toward that mending had happened at the kaolin mine. Cam was sure that Aunt Jess had been there, holding on to Jeremiah with her. Standing in her house, touching her things, she was still sure of it.
When Cam went back to the bedroom, Sharon was standing in the doorway of the master bath. Her fingers dug into the wood of the doorjamb. Tendons along the backs of her hands strained as her body shook.
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