by Mayne, Debby
"I wonder if I should try to sell or rent it furnished."
"If not, what will you do with all this stuff?"
Mama shook her head. "I don't know. I highly doubt Goodwill will want any of it." She pointed to Sunny's old bedroom that was at the opposite end of the house from her own. "Why don't you go see if there's anything you want? I kept a few of the things you had in the closet, just in case. I'll go look for some boxes over by the dumpster while you do that."
"Okay."
A few minutes later, Mama returned with an armload of boxes that had been broken down. She opened a cabinet filled with odds and ends and pulled out a roll of packing tape. "As soon as we get these packed, one of us can go get some more boxes."
"I'll do it."
They started packing the kitchen first. "Ouch!" Mama rubbed her chest.
Sunny turned around and faced Mama. "What happened?"
"I jammed the corner of the box into my chest when I reached up for another stack of dishes."
"Be careful, Mama. I don't want you gettin' hurt."
They continued packing the kitchen and then worked their way toward the small living room. Sunny enjoyed the chatter. She had never seen Mama this carefree before.
Before they went to bed, they counted the boxes, and there were only a dozen—mostly memorabilia that Mama wanted to keep. Sunny didn't need anything she'd left behind, so they took that as well as most of Mama's other belongings to the closest thrift store.
*
Dante couldn't shake his thoughts about what his brother had done to him, so as soon as he finished working, he went to Anthony's office and knocked on the closed door. The light was on, so he was pretty sure he was still in there.
"Come on in."
Dante turned the knob and pushed open the door. Anthony glanced up, smiling, but the smile quickly faded when he looked at Dante.
"Whoa, what's the matter with you?"
"I can't believe what you said to Sunny. A ladies' man? Really?"
"What are you talking about, Dante?" Anthony stood up and put his hands on his hips.
"You told Sunny I was a ladies' man."
"Yes, because it's true." Anthony looked confused. "What's the problem with that?"
"I'm a changed man."
Anthony laughed. "Okay, so you're a changed man now. But that doesn't change the past." He rubbed the back of his neck, and then his eyebrows shot up. "You're upset because you think Sunny isn't interested in being with a ladies' man?"
"That's right."
"I don't think that bothers most women. In fact, I think they like the chase."
"Not Sunny."
"Sit down, bro. Sounds like you need to vent."
Dante needed to do more than vent, but he sat, folded his arms, and crossed his legs. "This whole thing is so frustrating. Just when I think I might have made some headway, she freezes and pushes me away."
"You're still in love with her, aren't you?"
"Absolutely. You don't ask a woman to marry you and get over her rejection like it was nothing."
"You're still holding onto that?" Anthony's surprised expression deepened. "She's obviously not into you. Let it go, bro."
"I think she is into me."
"Then what's the problem? You've always had a way with the ladies. Charm her socks off like you used to with anyone you set your sights on."
Annoyance flooded Dante, but he took a couple of deep breaths to keep from letting his brother have it. He always knew that Anthony had always gotten what he wanted. He was all about business, and his family came in second. His wife accepted it because Anthony's success allowed her to do the things she wanted to do, but deep down, Dante knew they weren't really happy. And he also knew that the only thing that could bring them true joy and contentment was committing their hearts to the Lord. They occasionally went to church, but not regularly. Anthony actually admitted that they did it to be seen more than anything else.
"Since you're clearly not talking, I should get back to work." Anthony turned to his computer monitor, dismissing Dante.
"Wait a minute," Dante said. "Before you do that, I have a question for you."
Anthony looked back at Dante. "Shoot."
"When was the last time you read your Bible?"
"What kind of question is that?" Anthony let out a nervous laugh. "Are you serious?"
Dante held his brother's gaze. "I'm very serious. Do you ever read your Bible?"
"Who does that?" Anthony shook his head. "That's what the pastor or priest does. It's his job to tell us what's in there."
Dante stood up and leaned over Anthony's desk. "No, it's really not his job. You have a family, bro, and it's your job to make sure they get the spiritual teaching they need."
"Are you preaching at me?" Anthony gave Dante a disdainful look. "I was afraid that might happen now that you're hanging out with all those churchy people. I'm not sure I like what they're doing to you."
As anger rose in Dante's chest, he fought hard not to lash out. He and Anthony had had more than their share of disagreements in the past, and this was a doozy. But this wasn't one he needed allow to escalate. What he needed to do now was be an example and show Christ-like behavior.
"Anthony, you know I love you."
Dante could tell Anthony was uncomfortable by the way he squirmed and glanced around. "Yeah, yeah, blah-blah-blah."
"No, seriously, family is very important to me, and I know you have my best interest at heart. I've started going to a church that is very real, with people who care about each other in a way I've never seen in a church before."
Anthony leaned forward. "Do you really believe those people care about you?" He lifted an eyebrow, showing his skepticism. "Or do they act like it because they want something from you? I mean, think about it. You're a successful businessman, and I'd hate to see them take you to the cleaners."
Dante shook his head. "I've been around long enough to know when people are after my money. No, these people are real. They love the Lord enough to commit their lives to Him."
"I've committed my life to the bottom line, and so far, it's working for me," Anthony reminded him.
"Is it really? Are you truly happy?"
Anthony nodded. "As happy as anyone I know."
"When was the last time you and Christina spent quality time with each other?"
"I got you on this one, bro. She and I got all decked out and went to a charity fundraiser last night." He blew on his fingertips and rubbed them against his sleeve. "We even won one of the baskets in the silent auction."
Dante swallowed hard. He didn't want to insult his brother, but what Anthony had described wasn't exactly the kind of quality time he meant. "Sounds like fun. Maybe next time the two of you can just go somewhere for coffee and just talk."
"Sounds boring to me," Anthony said. "Plus I don't think Christina will go for it. She's not much of a talker."
"Have you asked her?"
Anthony gave him a curious look, shook his head again, and turned away from Dante with a snicker. Dante took that as his cue to leave.
When he got back to his office, he stood at the door and thought about what his brother had said to Sunny. Now he needed to do some damage control … or at least try to.
Chapter 21
Sunny and Mama were about an hour out of Charleston, on their way to New York, when Mama's phone rang. "Can you see who that is?" Mama asked. "If it's Riley, tell him I'll call him back in a little while. Just don't tell him we're coming back early. I want to surprise him."
"It's Riley," Sunny said as she pressed the TALK button. She told him what Mama had said.
"Tell her I'll keep my phone on." His voice was loud enough that Mama could hear him.
She smiled and sighed. "He's such a sweet man. I never dreamed I'd meet someone like him all the way up in New York City. He makes me feel all swirly inside." She let out a giggle and then caught herself.
Sunny had seen Mama with all kinds of men. When she was a little g
irl, Mama didn't date. But as soon as Sunny was old enough to stay by herself, Mama started going out. Most of the men were nice, but this was the first time Sunny had seen Mama act like an infatuated schoolgirl.
Before they had a chance to say anything else, Sunny's phone rang. "Looks like we're a popular pair." She glanced at the phone and saw Dante's name. "I'll call him back later."
"Answer it now." Mama pointed to the phone. "It might be important."
Sunny started to argue but decided against it. She clicked TALK on the fourth ring. "What's up?"
"How is South Carolina?" Dante asked. "Are you getting everything done?"
"Yes."
"Did she find someone to rent her house?"
She glanced over at Mama who nodded, indicating that she could hear both sides of the conversation. "Even better than that. When she told the park manager that she was thinking about selling or renting the place, the manager offered to buy it for her son."
"Great news! I'm sure that's a relief."
"It is."
Silence fell between them. Sunny wanted to end the call, but since Dante was the one who made the call, she thought he might have something else—something more important to say.
"How's the diner? Is everything okay?"
Dante laughed. "I'm sure I'm not doing as well as you, but so far, there haven't been any disasters. No doubt Estelle will be happy to have you back, though." He paused again, but before Sunny had a chance to say anything, he spoke. "I just had a talk with Anthony, and he said something that I need to clear up with you."
"Hold on a sec." Sunny put her phone on mute and turned to Mama. "When are we stopping?"
Mama glanced at the dashboard. "Soon. We have to get gas."
Sunny took her phone off of mute. "Can I call you back in a little while?"
"Sure." His voice had a tone of disappointment. "I'll keep my phone on vibrate."
"I promise I won't call during the lunch rush."
As soon as she hung up, Mama started talking about how much fun it was going to be to surprise their guys. "Riley likes to catch me off guard, so I can't wait to turn the tables and see his reaction when I walk in a day early."
Sunny listened to Mama go on and on about some of the things they had planned for their days off. "You probably won't have many days off in the beginning," Sunny reminded her. "Opening a restaurant is a lot of work."
"Oh, I know it, sweetie. By the way, did I tell you that Dante wants me to help him interview for cooks and servers?" She sighed. "I've never been someone's boss before. It'll be so different."
"I can't believe you've never been promoted," Sunny said. "You've worked your tail off and done everything you were supposed to do."
Mama frowned and shook her head. "I've been offered promotions, but I didn't take them."
"But why?"
"It wouldn't have been right. After all, being in charge of other employees is such a huge responsibility. I didn't want to take that kind of time and energy away from my precious little girl."
"You did it for me?" Sunny felt tears stinging the backs of her eyes.
"I did, and if I had it all to over again, I would." The finality of Mama's words let Sunny know that she believed in what she did.
"That was really sweet." Sunny looked out the side window before turning back to face Mama. "I'm not sure I would have been able to do that if the roles had been reversed."
"You would have done exactly what I did. Having a child is the most wonderful blessing in the world."
"But it must have been hard, being the only parent around."
Oh, it was hard … much more than you can ever know, unless you've gone through it. But I'm glad about everything I did, and I have absolutely no regrets." Mama cast a quick glance at Sunny. "And look how wonderful you turned out. I'll take some of the credit for that."
"You get all the credit." Sunny thought about her daddy and wondered if she should bring him up. After he left, she knew Mama's heart was broken. "I don't understand why Daddy hardly ever came around."
"If your daddy had any idea what he left behind, I'm sure everything would have been different."
Now that Mama mentioned him, she decided it was okay to ask some questions. "What happened?"
"I don't want to badmouth your daddy."
"What does it matter? He rarely came around when I was little, and I haven't even seen him in several years."
"Do you really want to know?" Mama's tone grew heavy. "It's not good."
Sunny thought about it and nodded. "I'd like to know."
"Okay, you asked for it." Mama swallowed hard before continuing. "Remember that summer when I told you he had to go on a long trip, but he'd be back before school started?"
Sunny nodded. "Only he wasn't back until much later."
"He got himself into some trouble with the law. He and some of his friends from the road construction crew decided they wanted to make some money on the side. One of the men's girlfriends had started a meth lab, and apparently she made a boatload of money."
Sunny's heart lurched. "Don't tell me Daddy got involved in a meth lab."
"He did. What was so odd about that was he and I never did drugs … at least not before that. And I still haven't, so when I got the call from the police station, I went into the biggest state of shock you can imagine."
Sunny reflected back to that time and tried to remember Mama's mood. But for the life of her, she couldn't remember anything but the talk they'd had about when he'd return.
"How long was he in jail?"
"He was only supposed to be there for a couple of months because it was his first offense. But he did some bad things while he was in jail. He was in for another year. When I went to visit, I gave him an ultimatum. He told he he'd met plenty of other women who appreciated him, and he didn't appreciate my nagging. I told him I'd never let up as long as he was on the wrong side of the law." Mama paused to clear her throat. "That's when he said he didn't plan to ever come back to me."
Sunny had no idea. She reached out and placed her hand on Mama's arm. "I am so sorry you had to go through that."
"But I had you." Mama forced a smile as a tear trickled down her cheek. "You were the light of my life, and you kept me going during the darkest of times. Your daddy's the one who missed out on the most beautiful creation God ever made."
Sunny settled back in her seat and tried to remember more of that time. "I saw him less than a year later."
"No, sweetie, it was more than a year later. I told him you didn't know about his stay in prison, so he came over and pretended everything was just fine. You were such a little worry wart, and I didn't want to upset you."
So Mama had taken all the worry upon herself and kept everything light and cheerful for Sunny. "I don't know how you did it."
"One of the things I insisted on in the divorce agreement was that he visit you on a regular basis. He did for a while, but eventually, he got in trouble again."
Sunny blinked as something dawned on her. "He's in jail now, isn't he?"
Mama slowly nodded. "Yes, and this time he'll be there for a very long time. He got right back into the drug scene, and he got busted selling to a child. I went to prison to give him an earful about how awful he'd turned out."
Sunny could only imagine what that conversation had been like. "What did you say?"
"I reminded him that he had a daughter older than the person he sold the drugs to and that he'd become a sorry excuse of a father." Mama pursed her lips. "I think I've already told you too much."
"No, if there's more, I want to hear it."
As Mama explained how her daddy had broken down and cried during Mama's lecture, she didn't feel an ounce of sympathy for him. "It was almost as though he'd lost his soul."
"And all this time, I've been thinking about looking for him."
"He's not hard to find," Mama said. "If you want to talk to him, I can help you."
"I have another question. When we first started going to church, i
t was just you and me. But I do remember Daddy going with us a couple of times."
"That's because I insisted on it when he visited." Mama cleared her throat. "And I'm still praying for him."
"Do you still love him?"
"No, not in the way a wife loves a husband. I pity him, and I want the best for him, but it's hard to love someone who has chosen something so terrible over a life with his family."
"I understand." Now Sunny had even more to think about before allowing herself to get into any kind of relationship. She cared about Dante, and she couldn't imagine him ever resorting to anything nearly as bad as what her daddy did. But this only proved that people changed—and not always for the better.
"You do realize that not all men are like your daddy, right?"
Sunny nodded. "Of course."
"Or Chase." Mama glanced at Sunny and turned back to face the road. "Dante really cares for you."
Sunny decided to open up to Mama and let her know more of her feelings. "I like him too, but it's hard when I know he's a ladies' man."
"That doesn't mean a thing. Maybe he just wanted to play the field until the right woman came along."
"Maybe." Sunny shrugged. "There's also the fact that he didn't let me know who he was for so long. That's as bad as straight-up lying as far as I'm concerned."
"Well, there is that, but it's something I think the two of you can talk through. In fact, I thought you had worked that out. He made a mistake, but I bet he never expected to fall for you when he decided to hide his identity." Mama darted a quick glance in her direction. "Don't let fear keep you from living life to the fullest. You'll have so many regrets, and I don't want that for you."
"I'm not—"
"Yes, you are. You're afraid of getting hurt, and that's understandable. You've been hurt in the past. So have I, so I understand what you're going through. And I've acted … or not acted out of fear too, which only kept me numb for the longest time. That's not a good way to live."
Sunny didn't realize Mama had dealt with some of the same issues. "I'll have to think about that."
