Home with My Sisters

by Mary Carter

  His dad sighed. “I know,” he said. “We were waiting until after the holidays to tell you. Does Brittany know?”

  “Yes,” Josh said.

  “I’m sorry, buddy. I’m sorry you found out like this.”

  “How could you let Mom date another man?”

  “You’re talking about Charlie?” his dad asked.

  Why did his dad sound so stupid? Was he drunk too? “Who else? Is she dating more than one other man?”

  “No,” his father said. “Charlie is the only one your mother is dating.”

  “Dad! Don’t you care? You don’t even sound like you care.”

  “I do care. But it’s complicated.”

  “It’s not complicated,” Josh said. “It’s simple. You have to do something. You have to fix it.”

  “You’re missing key elements of the situation,” his dad said. He still sounded so freaking calm.

  Josh couldn’t understand why he was so calm. Maybe his dad was taking Xanax too. Maybe they were the Xanax family. Josh was keyed up enough for all of them. “What key elements?”

  “This is not a conversation we’re going to have over the phone. Tell your mother to call me.”

  His dad sounded mad now. But he sounded mad that they knew, not that his mom was dating another man. “Are you dating someone else too?”

  “No,” his dad said. “I’m not.”

  “Dad. You have to come get me.”

  “You’ll be home soon.”

  “I won’t stay here. I won’t.”

  “I thought it was a ski lodge with a skating rink.”

  “I don’t care. All they do is fight. I want to come home.”

  “Just do your best to enjoy it.”

  “You’re coming here for Christmas, right?”

  “That wasn’t the plan.”

  “I won’t stay unless you say you’re coming. I won’t celebrate Christmas.”

  “What will you do?”

  “I’ll hitchhike back to California.”

  “That’s not funny.”

  “I’m not joking.”

  “I’m going to call your mother.”

  “Why don’t you call Charlie instead? I have his phone number.”

  “What are you doing with Charlie’s phone number?”

  “I snuck it off Mom’s phone.”

  “Why are you behaving like this?”

  “You don’t want the number?”

  “Josh. Sit tight. I’m going to work this out with your mom.”

  “You mean you’re going to kick Charlie’s ass?”

  “Don’t go anywhere. I’ll talk to you soon.” His dad clicked off. Josh couldn’t believe how that just went down. His dad really didn’t care. He didn’t even ask for the phone number. Josh stared at the number. He’d wait and see what his dad said when he called him back. He’d wait. But if his dad didn’t come around, then Josh was going to have to take care of this. He would call Charlie. He would tell Charlie to stay away from his mother. And he’d hitchhike back to California.

  He shouldn’t have called Austin. Now Austin thought he wanted to kill himself and he was hanging around all the time. Maybe if he tried it would finally wake people up. All they did was argue. He hated it. Forget taking just one Xanax. You could probably kill yourself if you took enough of them. That’s what he’d do. He’d take the rest of the bottle and float in the hot tub until he was gone.

  Josh felt a nudge on his thigh. He turned around. Mr. Jingles was behind him, looking up at him, his big mouth open in a smile.

  “Hey,” Josh said. Mr. Jingles whined and then licked Josh’s hand. Josh patted his big head. Mr. Jingles nuzzled up to him. “You want to go play in the woods?” Josh began to run, and Mr. Jingles followed. Josh would think about killing himself later. And maybe he wouldn’t even do it. But he’d definitely start sneaking some of his mom’s pills just to have some on hand. Just in case.

  * * *

  Brittany thought Granny was funny. Maybe she wasn’t all sweet and cuddly, but neither was Carla. She’d rather have grannies with personality. But she got the feeling that this one really didn’t know how to make a pie. And her hands shook every time she picked up a knife. So Brittany started to do all the cutting. Her mom never let her use sharp knives like this. But she was doing a good job, slicing the apples. She thought pumpkin pie or cherry pie was better for Christmas, but her granny had all these apples lying around and Harrison said he knew how to make the best apple pie. From the smells coming out of the oven, he was not lying.

  Outside, Josh was sneaking around the barn. He was up to something. Brittany knew it had something to do with their mom. Brittany didn’t want to believe her mom was seeing another man. She didn’t even want to think about it. She was glad Josh was planning on doing something. She wondered what it was. She wondered if it was too late. Brittany was standing by the window looking outside when Granny came up to her.

  “Did your mother ever tell you about your grandfather?” her granny asked.

  “Who?”

  “Thomas. Your mother’s father. Did she ever tell you about him?”

  Brittany shrugged. She didn’t like the tone of Granny’s voice. Like she was already mad. “I know he really liked Christmas,” Brittany said.

  “That he did,” Yvette said.

  “I love Christmas. Don’t you?”

  “I love that you love Christmas,” her granny said.

  “I want to get everyone a present for Christmas,” Brittany said. “But I can’t get to town by myself.”

  “We should draw names,” Granny said.

  “Draw names?”

  “You’d go broke buying a present for everyone. We could put everyone’s name in a hat and whoever you pick—that’s who you buy a present for.”

  “Oh,” Brittany said. She didn’t like that idea at all. Of course she had to get a present for Mom, and Dad, and Josh. But she also wanted to get a present for Aunt Hope and Aunt Joy, and Granny. Maybe even Roger. A new cap for Roger. And Mr. Jingles. She was definitely going to get him a present. And Austin. And Harrison. Her grandmother’s idea was never going to work. “I don’t mind buying lots of presents,” Brittany said. “I’ve been saving my allowance.”

  “That’s very nice of you.”

  “Is there a Ninety-Nine Cent store in town?”

  “No.”

  “I could make presents.”

  “We’re making a pie right now.” The tune of “Jingle Bells” rang out.

  “That’s for me!” Brittany reached for her phone on the counter. She saw Carla’s face light up her screen. “It’s my other granny.”

  “Don’t answer it,” Yvette said. But it was too late, Brittany had already accepted the call and said hello.

  * * *

  Hope replayed her date with Austin over and over in her head. Was this really happening or was it a dream? She was bursting to tell someone, but Faith had her own complex problems when it came to love, Joy was too preoccupied with herself, the kids were too young, and she didn’t feel a close enough bond with Yvette to confide in her. Although the moment she came back into the house, Yvette gave her a look that fully conveyed she knew of the budding romance.

  The scent of sweetly baking apple pie filled the air.

  “You missed dinner,” Brittany said. She and Yvette were seated at the kitchen island playing Scrabble. Joy and Harrison were curled up on the couch watching television. They were there so often Hope was starting to imagine them as an actual part of the furniture, like decorative throw pillows.

  “Aunt Hope?” Brittany said.

  “Yes, darling?”

  “I’m going to make presents for everyone this year.”

  Hope went over and kissed Brittany on the top of her head. Her hair was so soft and this time smelled like peaches. She loved this girl to death. “That is so sweet of you. Homemade presents are the best.”

  “What do you want me to make you? A bookmark? Or a picture?”

  “Surprise m
e,” Hope said.

  “Where is Faith and Josh?”

  “Mom’s in her room,” Brittany said.

  “And Josh?”

  Yvette looked around, as if she’d never seen her living room before. “I thought he was here.”

  “Joy? Harrison?” Slowly, they turned their heads toward her. “Have either of you seen Josh?”

  “I think he’s out by the barn,” Harrison said.

  “This late? Again? In this weather?” Hope tried to relay a bit of scolding, but nobody took the bait.

  “Grandma Carla is coming for Christmas,” Brittany said. Hope’s head jerked toward Brittany. Her face was still, not a twitch of a smile on her face. Hope’s eyes flicked to Yvette, who locked on her.

  “We should really have a discussion,” Yvette said. “In fact, I need to discuss something with all three of you.”

  Hope had tried to call her mother back in the restaurant, but there had been no answer. Why on earth would she be coming here? Had something happened with her boyfriend? Did she get in trouble in Cuba? No. Josh said she didn’t go to Cuba. She must have gotten into trouble in Florida. Or was she racing out here to try to claim part of the inheritance?

  “It will have to wait,” Hope said. “We have to locate Josh.” She went to the bottom of the stairs and called out to her sister. Soon Faith appeared at the top of the stairs, face flushed.

  “What do you want?”

  “Is Josh in his room?”

  “I don’t think so. Why?”

  “Would you please check?” Faith stared at Hope for a minute, then nodded. A few seconds later she was back.

  “He’s not in his room,” Faith said. “What’s wrong?”

  “It appears he’s been outside for a while,” Hope said.

  “This late?” Faith said. “Why didn’t anyone tell me?”

  Why didn’t you notice? “No worries,” Hope said. “I’m going to go look for him. Thought you might want to join in.”

  “I’ll be two seconds.” Faith flew into her room and came back out dressed and ready to go.

  “When was the last time anyone saw him?” The panic in Faith’s voice was clear. She tripped down the steps.

  “Did he join you guys for dinner?” Hope went on one little date and everyone fell apart.

  “No, he was moping. He went outside. But that was hours ago.”

  “Joy. Harrison. Boots and coats.”

  “I think he’s with the dog,” Joy said. “That thing follows him everywhere.”

  “Mr. Jingles is his name,” Hope said. “And I’m relieved to hear that.”

  “Why?” Faith said. She was still in a near-panic.

  “Because Mr. Jingles has an excellent sense of direction, and at his size he would definitely protect Josh against the elements—or whatever.” Hope didn’t want to make it sound too dire. Should she call Austin? No, they’d just parted ways, he said he was looking forward to his chair and book. She loved that about him. There was no need to involve him. They would probably find Josh out by the barn. Or even in the cabin with Roger. She hoped so, because it was freezing out there. One could definitely get frostbite if one weren’t careful.

  CHAPTER 28

  They huddled together with flashlights and checked the barn first. Along the way they called out for Josh and Mr. Jingles. The barn door was closed tight and there were no lights from within.

  “He wouldn’t be hiding in a dark barn,” Faith said.

  “Let’s check Roger’s cabin,” Hope said. Where we found him and Mr. Jingles last time. They headed for the cabin with Faith in the lead even though she had never been to Roger’s cabin before. The moment the cabin became visible, they could see lights were on and smoke was coming out of the chimney.

  “Someone’s home,” Faith said, breaking into a jog. “Josh?”

  “Mr. Jingles?” Hope called out, just in case the dog was inside and could hear her. By the time Hope reached the cabin, Faith was already pounding on the door. The curtains were closed tight so it was impossible to see whether or not Josh was inside.

  “Roger?” Faith called. “Please open the door.”

  Hope, Joy, and Harrison stood in a line behind Faith. Brittany latched on to Hope’s hand. They shouldn’t have included her in the search, Hope knew that now. What if something had happened to Josh? Brittany shouldn’t be around to witness anything like that, not to mention it was freezing cold and pitch-black out here.

  “If he’s not here, we’re dropping you off at the house,” Hope said to Brittany.

  “I want to stay with you,” Brittany said. Just then the door opened. Roger stood in the doorway with Mr. Jingles at his side.

  “Mr. Jingles,” Brittany said. Roger patted Mr. Jingles on the head and smiled at Brittany.

  “Is Josh here?” Faith asked.

  “I’m fine,” Josh called from inside.

  “Oh, thank God,” Faith said. She looked at Roger. “We didn’t know where he was.”

  “He’s fine,” Roger said.

  “Josh, let’s go,” Faith said. “I’m sorry he bothered you.”

  “Mother!” Josh said. Roger still hadn’t opened the door more than a crack and Josh still hadn’t appeared.

  “He not bother me,” Roger said. The sentence seemed labored as if it had taken a lot out of Roger to formulate it. She wondered if he would benefit from speech therapy. She’d never seen him go into town for groceries or a pint at a local tavern, let alone doctors’ appointments. Had Yvette been enabling him all this time instead of really helping him?

  “Roger said I can stay here,” Josh said.

  “Get your coat and let’s go,” Faith said. “We’re all freezing out here.” Roger looked stricken, as if he knew the polite thing to do was to invite them all in, but Hope could see the terror in his eyes at the possibility. Even letting Josh and a dog into his cabin was probably a huge step for him.

  “We’re playing blackjack,” Josh said.

  Blackjack. Their father loved that game. “Our father played blackjack,” Hope said. “Did you used to play with him?” Roger shook his head no. Hope frowned. Any time she mentioned anything about her father Roger would shake his head no. Did he remember her father? Hate him? Did he blame him for the accident? Her father paid with his life, you would think Roger would have some forgiveness for that. Then again she didn’t know the struggles he had been through. She just wished he was more forthcoming about their father so she could delight in new stories about him, turn them into new memories.

  “You can come back another time,” Faith said.

  Josh finally appeared at the door. His hair was disheveled and he had dark circles under his eyes. Hope almost laughed. One evening in Roger’s company and Josh was turning into a little hermit himself. Then again, those bags under his eyes were proof that it was him Hope often heard sneaking around at night. He’d definitely not been sleeping. Should she mention it to Faith? You had to be careful what you said around Faith. Any whiff that you were suggesting a better way of parenting would be met with swift and severe punishment. Telling another parent how to raise their children was tantamount to swiping a picnic basket out of the paws of a grizzly bear.

  “I want to stay here instead,” Josh said. “Roger doesn’t mind. Do you mind, Roger?”

  Roger looked at Faith. Then at Hope. When his eyes connected with hers, she felt something. Something electric, and loving, and so, so familiar. Roger usually had sunglasses on. She was surprised that his eyes were blue. And not just any blue. They were her father’s eyes. Not only were they his eyes, but they were giving her a look only one other person had ever given her. Daddy. It was like she was looking into her father’s eyes. It couldn’t be, though. He couldn’t be. His name was Roger.

  Then why did he shake his head no every time she said something about her father?

  Why did Yvette treat him like a son?

  Why hadn’t they ever heard about Roger?

  Why did she have forty-two missed calls that even
ing from her mother? She seems freaked out by Roger. Hadn’t Josh said something like that? Of course they were in the accident together because they were the same man. He was her father. Their father. Roger wasn’t his name. This was Thomas Garland. He was her father. Their father. She gasped.

  “What?” Faith said, sounding annoyed. Roger disappeared from the doorway.

  “Good night,” Hope heard him say from within. Seconds later Josh’s coat was tossed his way. Hope would have asked about Mr. Jingles, but her entire body was nearly paralyzed. She didn’t even remember the walk back to the log house. As the others were in the mudroom tugging off boots and coats, Hope grabbed Faith’s hand and dragged her outside.

  “What are you doing?” Faith said.

  “It’s Dad,” Hope said. A huge lump formed in her throat and tears stung her eyes.

  “What about Dad?” Faith said.

  “Roger,” Hope said, her voice coming out husky, almost like his. “He’s our dad.”

  Faith started to open her mouth, then closed it. Her hand fluttered to her mouth. “No, I would have known. I knew him better.”

  “I was the one looking into his eyes. Blue. Just like Dad’s.”

  “Tons of people have blue eyes.”

  “Think about it. Why does Yvette act like she loves him better than us? Why is she so insistent he keeps living here? Why would some man we’d never even heard of have been in the car with Dad if he was coming to see us? Why has he suddenly come to life since we’ve been here? Why isn’t there a name on the tombstone? Why did he shake his head no every time I asked if he knew our father? And did you catch what he was playing with Josh?”

  “Blackjack,” Faith said.

  “And just now—the way he looked at me—I recognized him, Faith. It’s him. He’s our dad. I’m sure of it.”

  “I can’t believe this.”

  “Think about it, Faith. Just close your eyes and think about it.” To Hope’s surprise, Faith followed her instructions. Soon she gasped and her eyes flew open.

  “Do you think I’m right?” Hope heard the desperation in her own voice. She so wanted to be right.

  “I think you’re right,” Faith said. “Oh my God.”

  “I know, right?”

  “How could that woman lie to us?”