by Brenda Novak
Kyle sorted through some mail he found on his desk. “Which makes it even luckier that you can be civil to each other.”
“True.” She motioned at the bracelet she’d made him. “You don’t have to wear that every day. I won’t be offended if you don’t.”
“I wear it because I like it. Jake does the same. The orders you’re getting should tell you they’re in high demand.”
They seemed to be gaining popularity. She had no idea how long that might be the case, but she planned to make the most of it while she could. “You haven’t changed your mind about going to Jake’s game tomorrow, have you?” she asked.
“’Fraid not. I have that work commitment. Why? You need a ride?”
“I was hoping to catch one if I could. But...don’t worry about it. I’ll figure out something else.”
“You don’t want to go with Riley?”
She cleared her throat. “It’s not that I don’t want to. I just...I haven’t heard from him, and I don’t have an easy way to contact him.”
That wasn’t really the problem. It was a handy excuse, though, which was why she was so startled when he took out his phone, pressed a button and handed it to her. “Now you do.”
Oh, jeez... She almost handed it back. But Riley answered immediately.
“What’s up?”
Her mouth went so dry it was difficult to speak. “It’s...Phoenix.”
There was a slight pause, then he said, “How are you?”
“Good. You?”
“Fine.”
She turned away from Kyle so he wouldn’t see the anxiety on her face. “I was wondering if...if maybe I could still catch a ride to Jacob’s game tomorrow.”
“Of course.”
“Thanks. What time are you planning to leave? Would you like me to meet you somewhere in town to make it easier?”
“No. I can pick you up at your place. I’ll be there at three.”
“I’ll be ready.”
“You’re calling from Kyle’s phone.”
She glanced over her shoulder at his friend. “Yeah, I’m at his place right now.”
“I’m not going to let it bother me,” he said.
“What?” she asked, surprised and a little unclear about that statement.
“Never mind. I’ll see you tomorrow,” he replied, and was gone.
“Problem solved?” Kyle asked as she returned his phone.
That problem, maybe. But the way she’d melted inside at the sound of Riley’s voice once again pointed out that she was fighting something much bigger than how to get around without a car. Maybe it made her the stupidest or craziest woman in the world, but she just couldn’t get over him. That was all there was to it.
17
Buddy was sitting at the kitchen table, wearing a cast on his right hand, when Riley arrived. From what Riley had heard around town, he claimed it wasn’t from their fight, but it had to be. Riley remembered dodging a blow that landed on the cinder-block wall behind him. Judging by the sound Buddy had made, and the way the blood had drained from his face, that was when he’d broken it. He just didn’t want everyone to know he’d gotten the worst of their little skirmish. It worked against his tough-guy image that a smaller and far less experienced fighter had walked away without serious injury.
But that broken hand was probably the reason Riley hadn’t gotten hurt. Buddy had hardly been able to swing at him afterward.
“Thanks for coming, Riley.” Corinne’s expression was cooler than he’d ever seen, and the set of her mouth told him she was as angry with him as Buddy was. She was just trying to put a civil veneer on it.
“No problem.” He handed her the wine he’d brought. “I’m sorry that...that everyone’s having such a difficult time.”
“Hi, honey.” His mother was there, sitting on the sofa with his father, who also said hello. Helen scooted over to the middle, and patted the spot next to her. “Come sit with us.”
Corinne’s husband was quite a bit older than she was, but they seemed to have a happy marriage. Although he wasn’t the father of her children—her first marriage had ended in divorce a couple of decades ago—he was supportive of the entire family. Like Riley’s own father, he didn’t talk much. He was quiet, even-keeled. Riley had always liked B.J. far more than the emotional Corinne.
Riley hoped he’d still like him after tonight.
“Can I get you a drink?” Lori’s older sister and her sister’s husband were there, too, along with their three children, who were in middle school. Riley didn’t appreciate that there were young people involved in this. As far as he was concerned, this was an adult matter. Phoenix didn’t need the next generation bullying her, too. But the Mansfields thought they were about to discuss a public menace, so they had a completely different take on Phoenix.
“Nothing for me,” Riley said. “But thanks.”
Corinne perched on the edge of her husband’s recliner, and B.J. used the remote to turn off the TV. The sudden silence felt deafening, with so much tension in the air.
“I’m sorry you felt you had to get physical with Buddy at the coffee shop,” she said. “Would you like to tell us what made you hit him?”
Riley reminded himself that these were good people, not only his mother’s friends but fellow citizens he’d long associated with and admired. They wouldn’t be acting so unreasonably if they didn’t feel they had sufficient cause, if they weren’t still grappling with losing a member of their family to what they perceived as another person’s willful act. Riley had had a front row seat to their pain and loss, and he’d always felt terrible for them. But getting to know Phoenix again had shown him that the situation wasn’t as clear-cut as they thought.
“Buddy must’ve provoked him.” His mother inserted that protective tidbit before he could respond.
Riley had been here for five minutes, and it was already mother defending son against mother defending son. He didn’t want to be the one to drive a wedge between them, but...someone had to stand up for Phoenix. “He was pushing around a woman. Not only that, he caused her to drop the only possession she owned of any value.”
“It wasn’t just a woman, it was my sister’s killer,” Buddy said. “So don’t expect us to feel sorry for her. And I was just trying to talk to her. What happened to the laptop wasn’t my fault.”
Immediately outraged by this lie, Riley was about to respond when Corinne raised a hand, suggesting he let her talk first. “Buddy shouldn’t have followed her into the bathroom,” she said. “We’ll give you that. But you know what he’s been through. You know what Phoenix has done to our family. You can’t understand how his pain and anger might momentarily overcome his good sense? You couldn’t let other people—people who aren’t so closely connected to our family—handle the situation?”
“I could if anyone else was willing to step up,” Riley responded. “But I haven’t found a single person, besides maybe her mother and a couple of friends of mine, who’s on her side. And Lizzie isn’t the strongest of defenders. I’m sorry it has to be me, but I won’t allow Buddy or anyone else to torment Phoenix. It won’t bring Lori back. And Phoenix has served seventeen years of her life for that incident. She claims she’s innocent. What if she’s telling the truth?”
“Surely you’re not serious!” Corinne said.
He didn’t want to argue. There was no way to get anywhere with that, no way to establish, without doubt, what had happened. “Even if she was guilty, that’s beside the point. Two wrongs don’t make a right. I don’t mean to sound callous but what Buddy’s been doing to Phoenix is illegal. First of all, Jake was in that car. But even if he hadn’t been, you can’t run someone off the road, and you can’t physically threaten someone—no matter who they are.”
Buddy bolted to his feet. “I would never seriously hurt her. She’s the one who jumped into that ditch when I was driving the Excursion. When she looked back and saw me, she...freaked out.”
“Because you were acting like you were going to
cause an accident! And don’t tell me otherwise. Like I said, my son was there. He told me what happened.”
“I was just messing around!” Buddy’s grimace, as well as his voice, implied that Riley was overreacting. “And the laptop—she dropped that herself. I didn’t touch it.”
“You knocked it out of her hands, and it was all she had to be able to run her business.”
“Business?” he echoed. “Like she’s got anything going on!”
Riley guessed she’d soon be making more than Buddy, but he bit his tongue.
“Anyway, who gives a shit about her stupid computer or her business!” he shouted. “She’s a murderer. Why are we suddenly so concerned with what she does or doesn’t have?”
Riley’s jaw was clenched so hard he had a difficult time speaking. “You’d better leave her alone—and my son, too. Or we’re going to continue to have problems.”
“Buddy would never hurt Jacob!” Corinne exclaimed as if she was offended by the mere suggestion.
“He almost did.” This came from Riley’s father. Riley was surprised when he spoke up but probably shouldn’t have been. His parents were as protective of Jacob as he was.
Buddy rolled his eyes. “That’s bullshit.”
“What’s your stake in this, Riley?” Allison, Buddy’s sister, piped up. “Why are you taking it on yourself to protect her? She let you down, as much as anyone, when she killed Lori and saddled you with a child to raise alone. I’ll bet anything she got pregnant on purpose, to trap you.”
“That isn’t true!” he said.
“How do you know?” she asked.
“Because I was there, too, remember? She wasn’t the one trying to get in my pants. She was a virgin before I came along.”
That set them back—and probably embarrassed his mother. She covered her face and shook her head but the truth was the truth. It was time to show everyone the other side, the things Phoenix did that made her seem perfectly normal and not a young woman unhinged by jealousy.
“You give her too much credit,” Corinne snapped.
“And you don’t give her enough,” Riley retorted. “She was barely eighteen years old, pregnant and recently dumped by her baby’s father. Most girls wouldn’t be completely rational in that situation. She was frightened, panicked, hurt. But that doesn’t make her guilty of anything. So, as tragic as Lori’s death was, I say we live and let live rather than risk tormenting an innocent person, especially someone who’s been through so much.”
“You don’t believe the testimony you heard in court?” Allison’s husband, Jon, asked. “You think it was someone else’s car that ran Lori down?”
“No, but someone else was in the vehicle with her,” he replied. “That creates room for doubt.”
“That person was Penny Sawyer, and she’s confirmed that Phoenix drove into Lori,” Jon said.
“Penny could’ve yanked the wheel herself,” Riley pointed out.
“She had no reason to, so it’s unlikely that she did.”
Riley scooted forward. “It’s still a possibility we have to consider. You don’t know Phoenix.”
“How come you’re suddenly so sure of her character?” Allison demanded. “She’s been gone for seventeen years!”
His mother placed a hand on his back. “Riley, you’ve always had a soft heart. I’m afraid your empathy is getting the better of you.”
“It’s not that. The girl I dated in high school—and the woman I’m dealing with now—would never harm anyone.” He focused on one face and then the next. “Look, you guys have a great family. I happen to have a great family, too. We’re the lucky ones. Phoenix has never had much of anything. We’re all aware of what Lizzie’s like. And that Phoenix’s father has never been part of her life. That her brothers took off as soon as they were old enough to get by on their own. Whatever her sins are, she’s been deprived of enough. Why can’t we move on? We don’t have any other choice, anyway—not really. The state has done all it’s going to do to punish Phoenix. We need to let that be enough.”
“Easy for you to say,” Corinne muttered.
“She’s not welcome in Whiskey Creek,” Buddy insisted. “Why should I have to run into my sister’s killer wherever I go?”
“Because the law gives you no choice,” Riley said. “If it helps, Phoenix told me she would go elsewhere if she could. But she can’t talk her mother into leaving. Lizzie’s phobias prevent her from being able to walk out of that filthy trailer. That’s how hostile the world feels to her. She’s too big to fit in a car, anyway.”
“And whose fault is that?” Buddy yelled.
Riley wanted to punch him again. Corinne must’ve accurately read that desire because she got up.
“Buddy, take it easy. As unfair as it seems for Phoenix to be walking around as free as a bird when Lori will never see another sunrise, Riley’s right about our legal limitations.” She looked at Riley. “But what I want to know is this. Why didn’t you come out as an advocate for Phoenix before now?”
“You mean when I was eighteen and being told by everyone that she wasn’t worthy to be my girlfriend? That she was a terrible person—a murderer? I was pretty freaked out by Lori’s death, not to mention the fact that I was going to be a father to a child whose mother was the one person in town everyone hated.”
“But now you’re convinced she’s a good person?” Allison asked. “What changed?”
“I regret that I never stood up for her before. Maybe I could’ve stopped an innocent person from going to prison if I’d been older, stronger, more determined and less trusting of everyone else’s opinion.”
Allison’s upper lip curled. “Oh, my God! You’re going too far. You act like you’re in love with her again.”
His mother gasped. “No, he doesn’t! He’s absolutely not!”
But Riley couldn’t deny it. He hoped that wasn’t the case, yet he knew he felt something, and it was stronger than it should be.
“That’s my business. Either way, I want to make it perfectly clear that I won’t allow Phoenix to be bullied or tormented any longer.” He turned to his mother. “Mom, I’m sorry this didn’t work out the way you wanted,” he said, and strode out before they could even sit down to dinner.
* * *
The next afternoon, Phoenix came out of her trailer before he could park and go to the door. Obviously, she’d been watching for him. He was grateful she was ready, since he didn’t want to be late for the game. They had a forty-minute drive. But he had bigger concerns. He kept thinking about the argument he’d gotten into at the Mansfields’ and worrying that her troubles weren’t over.
Then there was the sight of her in those cutoffs he and Kyle had bought... That was going to make it harder to remember his determination to be her friend and only her friend.
“Why’d you have to turn out to be so damn pretty?” he muttered. For a second, he feared her beauty was blinding him. That maybe the Mansfields and his parents were right.
But he rejected that thought almost immediately. It wasn’t her looks that attracted him. Not entirely. He’d dated a number of pretty women over the years. What Phoenix had was grace, and that was far more enduring and difficult to find, especially since she maintained that grace in the ugliest of circumstances.
As he leaned over to open the door for her, she gave him a tentative smile.
“Thank you.” After she climbed in, she put a sack between them. “I appreciate you coming all the way out here to pick me up.”
Her sweetness was so refreshing. He tried to forget what had been said at the Mansfields’. He didn’t want to let that continue to ruin his day, not when just being around her made him feel good. “Not a problem. Jake’s really excited for you to see him play.”
“I can’t wait.”
Riley indicated the sack. “What’s this? Dinner?”
“Those are homemade cookies for the team,” she said proudly. “Now that I have a bit of money, chocolate chips don’t seem to cost their weight in g
old anymore. So...I thought I’d try my hand at baking.”
He found it endearing that she was so pleased to offer Jake this simple gift. She took nothing for granted, not even chocolate chips. She was so different from what the Mansfields believed... “You’ve taken up baking?”
“I’ve made the attempt. I hope they turned out okay. I mean...they aren’t the best. I would’ve started over, but I didn’t have time.”
She seemed genuinely worried. “You don’t think they taste good?” he asked.
“Maybe they do,” she said with a laugh. “I couldn’t make up my mind.”
“You can’t go wrong with that much butter and sugar. I’m sure the boys will love them.”
She took the container out of the sack. “Would you like to try one?”
He could tell as soon as he did that they were almost burned. But that wasn’t the worst of it. She’d used too much baking soda or salt. If she hadn’t been sitting there, he would’ve spit out the bite he’d just taken.
“What do you think?” she asked, eyes wide.
He managed to choke it down. “They’re...delicious.”
“Really? Because I don’t want Jake to be embarrassed if they’re not.”
He was also nervous about how the boys might react—but not so much for Jacob’s sake. Although he didn’t want his son to be embarrassed any more than she did, he knew she’d be the one to feel wounded if they complained, refused to eat them, threw them at one another or started teasing Jake.
“There’s no danger of that.” He manufactured enough conviction to be credible, but turned into Just Like Mom’s as soon as they reached town.
“Why are you stopping?” she asked when he parked.
He chose a spot where she wouldn’t be able to see the entrance to the restaurant. “I have to use the restroom.”
“Why didn’t you say so? You could’ve gone at the trailer.”
“Just sit tight. I’ll be right back.” He hurried inside and bought two dozen chocolate chip cookies, which he hid in the bushes. Then he went back in and ordered a coffee, as though he’d just decided to get one, and returned to the truck.
