September Canvas

by Gun Brooke

  Gloria’s jaw had slacked, but now she slammed her mouth shut.

  Deanna had listened to Faythe’s fiery speech with a sinking heart, knowing she had to stop her before she made Gloria cause irreparable damage.

  “Faythe,” Deanna said, her voice husky and barely audible.

  “Faythe, it’s not necessary. Gloria and I…understand each other.”

  “Deanna?” Faythe frowned. “She’s hurt you for years by spreading these damn lies. You can’t let that—”

  “Faythe. Please.” Deanna wondered if she could stop this new woman standing in front of her. This was the professional Faythe intertwined with the loyal, caring Faythe. “I’ve got this. I really do.”

  “I’m glad you’re not going to allow this woman to meddle.” Gloria spoke in a low snarl. “She may be from the big city, but that doesn’t mean anything in this town. You know what you did to Savannah was wrong. I see the way this big-city woman looks at you. It’s wrong. Morally wrong, and wrong in the eyes of God—”

  “Enough.” Gloria’s self-righteousness made Deanna’s blood boil.

  No way would she stand idly by while Savannah’s mother poured her poison over Faythe. Deanna stepped closer, towering over the other woman, and for the first time, Deanna raised her voice at Gloria.

  “You’ve made my life a living hell for the last two years, but I’ll be damned if you’re going to insult Faythe under my roof, just because she cares enough to defend me. And don’t you dare drag religion into this. You started attending church when your husband ran for office, but you don’t do that as much anymore, do you? You’re nothing but a hypocrite,” Deanna thundered.

  “Think of what you’re saying. Pick your words very carefully, Deanna,” Gloria hissed, sounding not half as triumphant as she did only moments earlier.

  “You’re fond of making threats,” Faythe said. “And you’re holding some sort of Damocles sword above Deanna’s head.” She leaned her hip against the dresser inside the door, folding her arms over her chest.

  “The only real power you possess these days is your position on several private school boards.” Faythe blinked. “Oh.” Gloria went off on another tirade, but Deanna could only stare at Faythe and watch her connect the dots. “Faythe.”

  “Tell me, Gloria,” Faythe said, pale now. “How do you sleep at night?”

  “Don’t.” Deanna pleaded now. No matter how they cornered Gloria, no matter how wrong Gloria’s actions were, all that mattered at the end of the day was Miranda’s well-being. “Don’t, Faythe. I can’t risk it.”

  “I don’t understand. She’s blackmailing you into compliance and silence.” Faythe was clearly still trying to wrap her brain around everything.

  “It doesn’t matter.” Deanna raised her voice when Faythe didn’t understand. “Don’t you see? It doesn’t matter. I don’t matter.” She gestured emphatically, then sagged against the wall. “Miranda’s innocent, and she’s the only one who does.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Faythe wanted to reach across the table and shake some sense into Deanna. After they got rid of Gloria Mueller or, rather, watched her run between the maples to her car and drive off in a cloud of fallen leaves, Faythe suggested they keep their date and go to the coffeehouse as intended. Deanna hadn’t said a word on the road into Grantville and only uttered a few while ordering her coffee and turkey sandwich. Faythe tried several light topics, but now frustration was making her angry, despite her best intentions to remain calm and understanding.

  “Come on,” Faythe said, and sighed impatiently. “Are you so mad at me that you can’t even think of any insults?” Deanna looked up from her coffee mug in apparent confusion.

  “What? No. No, no, I’m not mad. Not at you, at least.”

  “Then talk to me.” Faythe scooted closer, leaning her elbows on the table. “Please, don’t shut me out. Even yelling at me beats the silent treatment.”

  “I’m sorry.” Deanna looked stricken. Had she gone so deep into her old habit of internalizing that she hadn’t noticed how she simply switched off? “Guess I’m not very good company.”

  “That’s not it. Not at all.” Faythe took Deanna’s hand and squeezed it gently. “I’m not talking about being entertained. I want to help you, be part of the solution to this mess. Gloria will cause even more trouble from now on unless we do something while she’s trying to regroup.” Faythe had managed to rattle Savannah’s mother and now was the perfect time to act.

  Deanna winced, but didn’t pull her hand free. “Why can’t you understand that I can’t risk Miranda’s well-being?” Emanating pain and bewilderment, Deanna looked so vulnerable that Faythe wanted to wrap her arms around her and never let go.

  “In your life, Miranda is the only constant, and she comes first. That’s great and how it’s supposed to be. Irene Costa was clear that you’re the main reason Miranda’s doing so well. But do you really think that Miranda will benefit from having an increasingly stressed-out, blackmailed sister who is filled with anxiety and constantly looking over her shoulder? That’s bound to come back to bite you. And her.”

  “I can’t see any way out of it that doesn’t risk everything we’ve accomplished.” Torment gave Deanna’s voice a strangled, husky tone.

  “Miranda takes two steps forward and one step back at the best of times. More often than not, she takes two forward and three back.”

  “I know. And what exactly is Gloria Mueller threatening if you don’t comply?”

  “Not here.” Deanna looked around the room. Faythe couldn’t see anyone paying them any special interest, but nodded.

  “Okay. Let’s go over to the park. It’s a gorgeous day and we can take more coffee.”

  “All right.” Deanna looked ready to bolt to avoid the conversation, but followed Faythe as she ordered two more cups of latte to go.

  The day was cool, and their breath created small misty clouds as they warmed their hands around the paper cups. “How about there?” Faythe pointed at a park bench by an ancient-looking oak tree. “That’s out of earshot.”

  “Why not? Not many people around.”

  Faythe sat down on the bench and patted the spot next to her.

  Deanna hesitated only briefly, but her body language showed how uncomfortable she was. She looks afraid. Faythe wanted to convey her encouragement and support, but a public display right now would be the last thing Deanna wanted. “Okay, tell me what Gloria Mueller’s up to.”

  “When Savannah told us her mother had read her diary and knew the truth about what she’d done, or, rather, what I hadn’t done, I realized that Gloria knew she and her family would lose face. That all makes sense now. I never could figure out why she was so vindictive, when all her friends and allies were on her side anyway.” Deanna pulled her left leg up and hugged it against her.

  “You can’t underestimate her influence. She’s on several school boards in this town—the public one, as well as private schools. Gloria can be persuasive and charm the pants off anyone when she wants to. That’s why she’s such a successful fund-raiser, among other things.

  When she told me she’d make sure I never set foot in Miranda’s school again, I believed her. She was going to pull all the strings she needed to make that happen, if I didn’t willingly leave my position at Grantville High. I wanted to fight, Faythe,” Deanna said throatily, the coffee mug shaking in her hands. “I wanted to take that damn school and its board to court and make them try to prove their allegations, but I couldn’t. If they had cut me off from Miranda, she’d lose so much of what she’s learned.”

  “Your mother—”

  “Is not my strongest supporter, as you could tell at the outing? She thinks I hate her, and I know she’s disappointed in me.” Faythe wasn’t ready to believe what Deanna said, but said, “Go on.”

  “When I tried to bluff Gloria, saying that I’d talk to my parents, she showed just how far she would go to keep her position in this damn town.” Deanna drew a deep, trembling breath. �
�She told me she’d talk to Miranda directly and tell her I’d never visit her again because I was tired of her. That from now on, I had new friends and she wasn’t good enough, especially since her stepsisters were normal and more fun to be with. Well, you get the picture.”

  “Damn her to hell.” Faythe could hardly believe her ears and suspected she was as pale as Deanna was. “She’d take her own petty vengeance out on your autistic, defenseless sister for something her own daughter did?”

  “Yup.” Deanna exhaled audibly. “I can’t risk her doing anything to Miranda. I just can’t.”

  “There must be a way around this. You can’t let her hold this over your head until Miranda graduates. That’s several years from now!” Faythe was furious, angrier than she’d been in a long time. “We have to do something.”

  “There’s no we in this mess,” Deanna said sadly. “There’s only me and what I need to do to keep Miranda from paying the price for something she knows nothing about. It doesn’t matter that it’s unfair. Miranda can’t get caught in the crossfire. It would take only Gloria minutes to destroy what it’s taken years to build.”

  “Oh, we won’t risk anything.” Faythe’s mind raced with different approaches to their problem. “We have to figure out a way to get Miranda out of her way and make Gloria harmless in the process.”

  “I’ve tried to think of something, but haven’t come up with anything that will work. Maybe I’m blind because I’ve lived with this for so long, but it seems undoable.”

  “Sweetie.” Faythe took Deanna’s hand. “It’s not undoable. Not when we pool our resources. I know what we need to do first.”

  “What?” Deanna held on tight to Faythe’s hand, which she took as a sign of trust. Hopefully Deanna knew she wasn’t alone in this anymore.

  “We need to talk to your mother and tell her everything.”

  “No, I—”

  “Stop, listen to me.” Faythe shook her head at Deanna’s gut reaction. “This is a matter of emergency damage control. You need to bury any hatchets when it comes to your family. You want to put Miranda first, right? Well, your family needs to do so too, if it’s going to happen.”

  Deanna stared at her with eyes so icy blue, Faythe began to think she’d refuse. Eventually, Deanna’s expression mellowed. “For Miranda,” she said quietly.

  “And for you.” Faythe squeezed Deanna’s hand. “You matter just as much as your sister, you know. You deserve to be free from this.”

  “Thank you.” Sipping her coffee, Deanna didn’t take her eyes off Faythe, who wondered what Deanna was thinking. The pensive expression on her face was undecipherable.

  “Okay, time to go back to the house and brainstorm,” Faythe said, “and start making phone calls.”

  “God.” Deanna freed her hand and tugged at Faythe’s low ponytail. “I wonder if Gloria could ever guess what she’s in for.”

  * * *

  “Mrs. Bodell? Angela? This is Faythe Hamilton. We met at your daughter Miranda’s school. Both Miranda and Deanna are okay, but we have a bit of a situation here and we need your help. To be blunt, both your daughters need you badly.”

  Faythe started the ball rolling after she spent several hours taking notes and double-checking facts over the Internet. Deanna knew a lot about focusing, about getting into the zone so far that she didn’t notice if she was hungry or thirsty, and admired Faythe both as she did her research and talked to Angela.

  “So you were driving this way tomorrow anyway? Perfect. Have you ever been to Deanna’s cabin? No?” After providing clear directions she said, “Hers is the eighth house on your left and mine is the ninth. That’s where we’ll be.”

  Nervous, Deanna closed her eyes. She had come out to her mother when she was twenty-two, and her mother handled it well. Angela was always supportive and caring, always putting her girls first. Did her mother realize she was sleeping with Faythe? Angela probably would have difficulty imagining the wholesome TV personality Faythe Hamilton, beautiful and feminine, as a lesbian attracted to her daughter.

  As open-minded as her mother used to be, she was also a woman of her generation who would have stereotypical ideas of what a lesbian looked and acted like.

  “Good. Good. Excellent.” Faythe beamed and made a thumbs-up toward Deanna. “Around noon will be perfect. I can’t say how much this means to Deanna and Miranda. And to me, since I care deeply about De—about both of them.” Faythe colored faintly and cleared her throat.

  “I know you’ve been out of touch with Deanna for a long time, but, trust me, that’s at an end.” She was quiet for a moment while Angela talked. “Yes. I definitely think you should bring Percy. This is a family matter, and if the girls didn’t have school, they should be here too, in my opinion. Yes. All right. See you tomorrow.” Faythe disconnected her cell phone and took a deep breath. “Whew. That wasn’t as hard as I thought it’d be.”

  “How did she sound?” Deanna felt a bit silly that she hadn’t made the call, but to do so, after all these years, even if they’d met only recently at the outing, seemed impossible.

  “Surprised at first, probably because it was me calling, and then decisive and excited. Confused, since I didn’t give any details, naturally.” Faith pushed her hair out of her face. “She said she loves her daughters and she’ll give you whatever you need.”

  “Wow.” Deanna clasped her fingers and tugged at them. “That’s generous. I thought she’d say no.”

  “That’s your insecurity talking, which is understandable, but Angela’s not like that madwoman Gloria. Of course your mother loves you and Miranda, and tomorrow should prove that once and for all.”

  “I hope so. I’m probably just as much to blame for our estrangement. I could have been more approachable. For Miranda’s sake.”

  “For your sake too. And for your Mom’s.” Faythe disentangled Deanna’s fingers with gentle hands. She raised one hand to her lips and kissed Deanna’s fingertips, one after another. Deanna shivered at the soft caress and could feel the caress of Faythe’s tongue against them.

  She moaned quietly as she cupped the back of Faythe’s neck with her free hand.

  “I want this to end. I do. I want to be whole again. I want my life back. Not necessarily that job, but I don’t want to be shackled by false rumors, by being emotionally blackmailed—”

  “And you won’t,” Faythe said hotly. She placed Deanna’s hand against her chin and only then did Deanna realize Faythe was crying.

  Her cheek was damp and new tears were forming in the corners of her eyes. “You won’t have to put up with any of that anymore. I won’t allow it. I’ve seen what it does to you, and I can’t watch it go on any longer. I just can’t. You mean too much to me.” Faythe’s expression altered from anguish to wide-eyed realization. “You mean the world to me,” she whispered.

  Deanna trembled and wrapped her arms tight around Faythe.

  “What?”

  “You.” Faythe spoke into Deanna’s shoulder. “Heaven help me, I tried to tell you I’m not good at any of this. I mean relationship stuff.”

  “I know you did. You were wrong, you know.”

  “That’s just it. I don’t know.” Faythe rubbed her cheek against Deanna. “All I know is that I care more about what happens to you than what happens to me.”

  “And for the first time since this nightmare began, I feel that enough is enough.” Deanna tipped Faythe’s head back. She kissed her damp cheeks gently and then her soft, parted lips. “Because of you.”

  “These feelings are completely new to me.” Faythe looked like she was ready to bolt, but her body pressed impossibly closer. “You know that, right?”

  “They’re just as new to me, Faythe.” Deanna couldn’t get enough of Faythe’s nearness. “I’m in uncharted waters.”

  “Scared?”

  “Yes. Mostly about losing you.” Deanna held her breath. What if Faythe didn’t understand just how hard it was for Deanna to be open and honest about how she felt? Especially since
she constantly expected Faythe to withdraw and remind her about her attitude toward steady relationships.

  “Oh, sweet Jesus, baby.” The words left Faythe’s lips in a gush. “I don’t want to lose you either. Ever.”

  She tugged Deanna even closer, pressing her lips against hers. Deanna returned the kiss hungrily. She had no idea what tomorrow might bring. They might crash and burn, making a bad situation even worse, but right now she was where she belonged. Faythe’s hot tongue explored her mouth, and Deanna sensed a new, more intense feeling behind their caresses.

  “I want you. I want you so badly, darling,” Deanna said against Faythe’s lips.

  “Yes. Oh, yes.” Faythe’s hands pushed Deanna’s shirt up, spreading greedy fingers over her stomach. “Any way you want, for as long as you want.”

  Deanna knew Faythe wasn’t talking about a life perspective, but her foolish heart still jumped in her chest. “Bed, then?” Deanna walked toward their bedroom, stopping intermittently to kiss Faythe again.

  Perhaps, if the deities granted her more time, Deanna would be able to convince Faythe that she was capable of forever.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Pammie nearly fell over the threshold when Faythe opened the door. “Hi, there. You okay? We got here as soon as Nana found someone to cover for her at the animal shelter.”

  “For goodness’ sake, breathe, kiddo.” Faythe shook her head at the battle-ready Pammie and pulled both girls in for a group hug. “So good to see you. You look great.” It was true. Pammie was vibrating with life as always, but she also was positively glowing for another reason, Faythe suspected. Savannah was less exuberant, but her pallor from last time was now a healthy glow, and she had a small smile on her lips that didn’t look like it would go away anytime soon.