by Jill Sanders
She glanced over as Rowan set down the last of her bags. She’d been thankful that she hadn’t unpacked anything at her mother’s place yet.
She knew by morning she’d feel even guiltier for leaving her mother. But right now, seeing her son settle down in the king-sized bed, alive and healthy except for a few scars and a new cast, she decided not to think about it until tomorrow.
“Let me know if you need anything else,” Rowan said from the doorway. “Remember”—he nodded to Connor— “if you need anything, I’m right across the street.”
“He’s on speed dial.” Crystal showed her the digital screen on the phone by the bed. “Just pick it up and hit the number one.”
Rowan shook his head and handed her a card. “Or, in case you want to join this century, here’s my cell number. Feel free to program it in your cell phone.” Crystal elbowed him slightly as she smiled up at him.
She smiled and tucked his card into her back pocket. “Thanks, I’m sure we’ll be fine.”
“Make sure to keep an eye on him.” Rowan walked over and sat next to Connor. “Is it okay if I check that bump on your head one last time, CJ?”
Connor glanced towards her and she nodded with a reassuring smile. Then he turned back to Rowan and nodded.
“It doesn’t hurt now. The magic grilled cheese fixed me.” He smiled over at Crystal.
Crystal had fed him a line about how adding a dab of spices healed everything from headaches to bellyaches. Her son had swallowed the fib easily.
She stood there as Rowan ran his fingers over her son’s head gently.
“Looks like the bump has already gone down by half.” He smiled at Connor then turned to her. “I bet he’d like a nice bath and then…” He leaned closer to Connor. “I know for a fact that my aunt has some chocolate cookies she made fresh this morning.”
Crystal chuckled and nodded when her son’s eyes turned to the woman. “I’ll bring some up. There are small plastic bags under the bathroom sink you can put over that cast if he wants to take a bath.”
“Thank you.” Kayla felt her chest heave. She didn’t understand what she’d done to deserve such kindness.
Rowan disappeared as she looked down at her son.
Crystal turned to leave but stopped short of shutting the door. “Kayla, it fills my heart to know that you’re back in town. I saw… felt that someone was coming and that life would be mixed up for a while, but then everything would settle into place.” She smiled. “I think, no, I know that this is where you and Connor need to be.” She smiled. “Happy accidents like this happen all the time.”
Kayla’s throat closed and she couldn’t explain the wave of shivers that raced down her spine.
“Now I’ve gone and scared you.” Crystal shook her head but kept her smile light. “Don’t mind me, I’m harmless.” She chuckled, then stopped as she moved to shut the door. “Remind me some time to read your cards. I’ll explain later.”
Crystal shut the bedroom door. Kayla knew that Crystal was not only into star charts and palm readings but also into Tarot cards.
She’d gone her entire life not believing in any of that nonsense, but she trusted and liked Crystal enough not to challenge the woman’s beliefs. The free-spirited hippy that Crystal was was still a million times better than the depressed, self-destructive hoarder that her own mother had become. Scooping her son up, she carried him into the bathroom.
Stopping just inside the door, she let out a low whistle.
“Nice digs.”
There was a massive claw-foot tub that sat just below wide windows with an arch above them. Light drapes hung over the windows, showing heavy wood blinds below for privacy. At the end of the tub, a small TV hung in the corner so that the bather could lay back and watch the set. There was a long wall of off-white cabinets with two sinks in marble countertops and a massive mirror hanging over them. The light fixtures were classic, almost antique, and there was even a small chandelier hanging over the tub.
On the other wall stood a massive stone shower, which could have easily fit almost a dozen naked bodies. There wasn’t a door or shower curtain, just a long hallway and a small stoop you had to step into to keep the running water in the shower section. There were built-in stone shelves, and Kayla smiled when she noticed all the bright bottles of soaps. Here, she had always liked Crystal’s taste.
She’d missed the scented soaps and shampoos the woman sold in her store, Serenity’s Attic.
Setting Connor down on the stone countertop, she reached over and started drawing his bath.
“Mommy, where is this place?” he asked, rubbing his chubby hand over his eyes.
“I told you, baby, we’re staying with Miss Crystal, Dr. Rowan’s aunt for a few days.”
“Why? How come not Mema’s?” She moved over to her son and started removing his soiled clothes.
“Mema has some things to work out before we go back,” she said as she worked. “I need to help her get things cleaned up.”
Her son’s bottom lip jutted out. “Why? How come?”
She didn’t have the heart to lie to her son. She knelt down until she could look into his brown eyes. “Honey, it’s not safe there.”
“Because of the doggie?”
“Yes, and because of the other animals she has there.” Not to mention the filth and clutter. She held that thought in.
“When can we go back?” he asked as she wrapped a small trash bag around his cast.
“I don’t know, baby. But until then, we’re going to stay here. Is that okay?” she asked him as she sat him down in the water.
He nodded as she reached for a cream-colored washcloth and started to rub the lavender soap over his body, trying to remove some of the dried bloodstains from his arm and hands. His eyelids grew heavy, and she knew he’d be fast asleep within a few minutes of placing him in the massive bed.
When she was satisfied that he was clean, his hair washed and rinsed, she wrapped him in a thick cream towel and laid him on the bed.
“Mama?” he said with his eyes closed.
“Yes, sweetie.”
He opened his eyes and looked at her. “It wasn’t Mema’s fault that the doggie bit me.”
“I know, sweetie.”
“She was crying.” He snuggled into the towel as she pulled his pj’s from the overnight bag.
“She was scared.” She sat next to him and pulled on his Batman pj’s.
“I wasn’t scared,” he said, looking down at his chest. “Because I’m Batman,” he said in a deeper voice. She smiled. “Besides, I got a new cast and switches.” He held up his other hand.
“Stitches,” she corrected.
“Switches,” he tried to say again. She smiled and nodded. “Doctor Rowan said… he calls me CJ.” Her son interrupted his own thought with a smile. “He says that some scars are cool.”
“I suppose some are.” She tucked her son’s feet under the soft comforter.
“I sleep in here?” He sat up slightly and looked to the other room.
“For tonight.” She smiled. “Will you be okay while I go in there and take a shower?”
He squashed up his mouth and glanced over at the flat screen television.
“Do you think Miss Crystal has cartoons?”
She chuckled and leaned over to take the remote. It took a few minutes to find the right channel, but when SpongeBob came on, he leaned back into the bed, and she lost all of his attention.
She walked into the bathroom and tossed her soiled clothes, along with Connor’s, into the laundry basket and stepped into the massive shower.
She was too tired as she stood under the hot spray to scrub her own body clean. Instead, she dumped a handful of lavender-scented shampoo on her head and let the bubbles wash away all her aches and worries.
The cuts on her hands stung as the soap washed over them. She glanced down and sighed when she noticed how swollen her hand was. One look at her fingers and she knew she’d have to rebandage them before crawling into be
d.
They had spent less than six hours at her mother’s house and had walked away broken and scarred. What did that tell her about her decision to return home? Was it a sign?
She let the hot water hit her shoulders and she relaxed. The possibilities of how the day could have ended flooded her mind. Her shoulders slumped as she leaned her head against the cool stone wall.
She hadn’t realized she was crying until her legs gave way, forcing her to sit on the stone seat as the water rained down, washing away all her tears and only part of her fears.
That next morning, Rowan opened the front door of his aunt’s house without knocking. Since he knew the massive door was never locked, he nudged it open all the way so he could get the box in it without dumping out its contents.
“What is all that?” his aunt asked as she came down the stairs. She was dressed in one of her yoga outfits with her long hair tied in a knot at the top of her head, and he knew she was probably heading down for one of the classes she taught.
“Stuff.” He smiled up at her.
“I can see that.” She stopped at the foot of the stairs. “Why are you bringing it over here?”
“It’s for Connor.” He glanced down at the box, full of footballs, baseballs, soccer balls, and all the other sports items he’d found in the attic last night. His mother had probably placed them up there shortly after he’d left for college.
“Why would a three-year-old need any of this?” She picked up his old baseball glove with two fingers, then shook her head and set it back down.
He smiled and held in a chuckle. “He’s a boy, he’s going to love all this stuff.” He set the box down, then glanced up the stairs. “Are they up yet?”
Crystal glanced up the stairs as well. “I heard someone moving around. I was about to make some breakfast before my morning class.” She took his shoulders. “And you are just in time to help.” She nudged him towards the kitchen.
For the next forty minutes, he helped his aunt pull together some cinnamon oat banana pancakes along with scrambled eggs, freshly chopped fruit with walnuts, and yogurt.
Crystal always had fresh fruit and juices, not to mention herbs and vegetables. His aunt was more of a health nut than anyone else in town. Hell, even he didn’t eat like he knew he should, being a doctor and all.
“Something smells good,” Kayla said from the doorway. “Good morning.” His aunt turned with a big smile and caught Connor as he jumped into her waiting arms.
“How’s the big guy today?” she asked Connor as she walked over to the table, ignoring everyone else in the room as the pair chatted amongst themselves.
“How are you doing this morning?” Rowan asked Kayla as he set the bowl of scrambled eggs on the table.
“Much better,” she said, but he could see the dark circles under her eyes and knew that she hadn’t gotten enough sleep.
“Well, my aunt’s banana pancakes are the stuff of legends.” He held out a chair for her to take. When she sat, he leaned closer to her. “Along with my scrambled eggs.”
“This is a lot of food,” she said, glancing at the table.
“Serenity and Ben are going to join us—” Crystal stopped when they heard a faint, “Hello,” from the front of the house. “Just in time.” Crystal set Connor in the seat next to her own and rushed over to hug her daughter and son-in-law. “How’s Aurora today?” Crystal leaned down and whispered to Sarah’s belly.
“Aurora?” Kayla asked, glancing in his direction.
“Sarah and Ben don’t want to know the sex of the baby, but Crystal is sure that it’s a girl and has already picked out a name.”
Sarah chuckled. “I told you, I’m pretty sure it’s a boy.”
Crystal shook her head. “In two months, eleven days, six hours, and…”—she squinted at the clock— “thirteen minutes, we’ll find out.”
Ben laughed as he helped Sarah sit down. “If that’s the case, you’ll win the jackpot. I have my own guess and time slot.” He sat down.
“Where is the chart?” Rowan asked. “I want to change my calculation.”
“That’s cheating,” Sarah said, scooping some eggs onto her plate. “One guess is all you get.”
Rowan glanced at Kayla. “If I spot the twenty-buck buy-in and pick the date and time, care to split the winnings with me?” he asked her.
“Depends,” Kayla said between adding food to Connor’s plate. “What’s the pot worth?”
He smiled. “Last count, almost a thousand.”
She coughed a little and he watched her eyes go huge. “A thousand dollars?”
He nodded. “Twenty-dollar max buy-in. One time spot per person.” Rowan handed her the bowl of eggs and waited until she was done putting some on both her and Connor’s plates before taking a scoop for himself.
“Sounds like a plan,” Kayla added with a smile. “When is the baby due?”
Sarah and Ben both said the due date together. Ben reached over and took his wife’s hand as they smiled at one another.
“The first baby is usually late,” Crystal added. “But Serenity was almost a full month early, and I’m sure Aurora is going to follow in her mother’s footsteps. Besides, my grandchild is going to be a Virgo, which means… She’ll be early.” She nodded as if the conversation was over.
He finished his breakfast then leaned down and checked the bump on Connor’s head and smiled when he saw it was gone.
Glancing down at his watch, he saw he had appointments scheduled soon and made his excuses after dropping his dirty dishes into the sink.
He drove the three blocks to his building and sat outside as his new Jag purred. Looking at everything he had, he wondered how he’d gotten so lucky.
Several years ago, he’d been stuck working ten-hour shifts, living in a small apartment he couldn’t afford, and driving a beat-up truck. Now, he had everything he’d ever wanted: his own practice, a house, and one of the nicest cars he could dream of owning. Well, everything except someone to share it with.
His happy smile fell away slightly as he got out of his car.
When he entered the waiting room, he groaned inwardly when he spotted Earl, his face red and puffy.
“Come on back.” He sighed and helped the older man to his feet. “Third time’s a charm.”
Chapter 4
Kayla helped clear the morning dishes after Rowan left for work, then cleaned Connor up from his messy breakfast.
Sarah and Ben said their goodbyes and Crystal headed towards the door as well.
“I have a morning class,” Crystal said as she pulled a long sweater over her bare shoulders. “You’re free to join us if you want.”
Kayla shook her head. “I need to go talk to my mother.” She dreaded what she knew would be a very difficult conversation.
“I should be back in an hour, if you want to wait. I can watch Connor for you.”
Kayla instantly thought of declining, but then thought about dragging Connor with her to her mother’s place and nodded.
“The library is that door.” Crystal nodded to a doorway. “Grab a book, sit back, and relax until I get back.” She smiled. “You look like you could use a break. There are some coloring books and crayons in there as well.”
“Thank you.”
Crystal just shook her head. “No need to thank me.” She waved. “See you in an hour.”
Kayla carried Connor into the living area and turned on morning cartoons. The kid was instantly entertained. She sat there for less than ten minutes before his head dipped and he fell asleep. The long drive and all the excitement from yesterday were still wearing him out.
Eager to explore more of the house while he was asleep, she tiptoed out of the room. After opening the first door, the feeling of penetrating someone else’s privacy disappeared.
Crystal’s idea of a small library was shocking. The two-story room was every book lover’s dream: dark wood, high windows, chandeliers, soft sofas and reading chairs, not to mention the two-story walls covered with
bookshelves full of books of all sizes and shapes.
It wasn’t until she was fully in the room that she noticed that the doorway through which she’d just entered was itself behind a hidden bookshelf. One could simply close the door and forget about the world outside.
Leaving the panel open so she could listen for Connor, she browsed through the titles of books. There were a lot of law and medical books, none of which sounded interesting.
It took her almost five minutes to find the fiction, which had been placed at the top of the room. She had to climb a small wood spiral staircase, making sure to duck her head as she went. The entire top floor had a narrow walkway so the top bookshelves were accessible.
Here, every shelf was filled with fiction, from classics to more recent titles. The classics were worn as if they’d been read a million times. The new titles were all hardback books, making Kayla’s hands itch to touch each one.
She pulled a new thriller she’d been wanting to read from the shelf and carried it down to the soft sofa below, making sure to check on Connor before she sat down to lose herself in the pages.
Just then, her cell phone rang and her brother’s name popped up on the screen. She groaned but answered with a happy hello.
“What’s this about you staying at Holley Hall?” JT replied.
She leaned back and rubbed her forehead as she started to relay the goings on of the past twenty-four hours.
By the time she heard the front door open again, she’d explained everything to her brother.
JT had assured her that he’d be at the house when she arrived to talk to her mother. She blocked what she knew would be a messy situation from her mind and had raced through three chapters of the story.
She slapped the book shut quickly as if she’d been caught glancing at porn. She jolted from the sofa and walked into the living room just as Crystal finished hanging up her sweater.
“Whew.” She smiled and turned towards her. “I swear, I feel even more energetic after a class than before.” She rolled her shoulders as she glanced her up and down. “You look more relaxed.” Then her eyes narrowed on the book and her smile grew. “You’ll love that one.” She pointed to the book and walked past her into the living room.
