I cringed as a tiny nibble of guilt worked its way into my conscience. Damn her fake tears. But I wouldn’t let her manipulate me. I did nothing wrong and I was tired of her treating me this way. “That’s a load of crap and you know it.” Her eyes bugged out of her head and I had to suppress a laugh as I went on with what I should have told her a long time ago. “Look around Mom,” I gestured with my hand to the space around us. “None of your friends are here. You don’t have to put on a show. It’s just you and me and we both know that as soon as you inherited Grandma’s money after she died, I was a burden, an obstacle, in the way of your social life. You never wanted me around and there is no point in pretending.” I was shaking with anger now, but I had done the impossible—my mother was speechless. The silence in the room was thick with animosity as we stared each other down. I could hear a gull outside let out a shriek and the sound of the waves swaying against the beach, but nothing else.
Nate cleared his throat and both of us spun around to face him, unaware that we had an audience. My mother flushed with embarrassment and my heart warmed by the look of pride on his face. He was standing in the bedroom doorway, dressed casually in navy blue pajama pants and a gray t-shirt. His pale blond hair was sticking up slightly at the back of his head, evidence of both our afternoon encounter and our nap afterward. “Maybe there is a compromise,” he offered softly.
When I only raised a brow at him, he joined me on the sofa, taking my hand in his. His presence gave me the support I needed. “We could throw a reception for all of our family members and a few friends.” This was the man I loved. He was calm and considerate and extremely kind. He loved all of his own extended family and really was the glue that held them together. It was a shock when I first found out that he was a werewolf. I had driven to the main house to get answers and witnessed their true family dynamic. They looked to him for advice and as the real head of the family; he gave it with love and compassion. It was the oddest sight I had ever seen, grown men answering to someone who appeared to be eighteen. I found out later that he was just a tad bit older than that.
Now he was trying to do the same for my family. I was so touched that he would try, even though it was a lost cause.
My mother lifted her chin haughtily. “Will I get to make the arrangements?”
Nate opened his mouth to speak, but I cut him off. “NO!” My mother’s eyes narrowed in my direction once again. “Why do you think we eloped in the first place?”
She gaped at me innocently. “I couldn’t even begin to understand you, Megan.”
“You were driving me nuts! If it wasn’t for the constant phone calls, it was how you were trying to one-up all of your friends. It wasn’t about me. You were making MY WEDDING about you.” Again my voice was rising and my heart was beating faster with rage. Nate squeezed my hand and leaned over to softly kiss my temple. His gesture calmed me a little. I gritted my teeth, trying to keep my voice civil. “I told you when we first got engaged that I wanted to keep everything small. But when you handed me the guest list and the cost, I couldn’t do it anymore. The wedding was no longer mine—it was yours.”
Her gray-blue eyes softened and she even had the decency to look embarrassed. “What if I do it the way you had originally wanted this time? We can have it at the house, so I can’t get carried away with the guest list. I’ll even have Mona help me; she can rein me in.” My mother glanced at me sheepishly, her eyes pleading. This was a side of my mother I hadn’t seen since my grandmother died, she was vulnerable. For the first time in my life I held the cards.
Nate lifted my hand that he still held, up to his lips and softly kissed it. “That sounds lovely, do you think?” His eyes implored mine, telling me to give a little.
I sighed, feeling deflated and outnumbered. “Fine, but at the first sign that it’s getting out of control I’ll cancel the whole thing.”
My mother beamed at me, her eyes sparkling with happiness. She reached over and touched my face with her hand, the first time she had made contact with me in some time. “You will love it, I promise.”
Instead of waiting for either of us to respond, she jumped up. “I’d better go. I have so much to do. How does two weeks sound?” she asked us. When we nodded, she grinned. “Perfect. I’ll call you with details in a few days.” At the door, she turned around, her face clouded with remorse. “And Megan, you were right. I had made it about me. I’m sorry. This time will be different, I promise.” With that, she spun on her heel and slipped out the door.
I hated the twinge in my heart her words had caused. I had always wanted to hear some kind tenderness from my mother and now I wondered if it was real. This was my mother; I couldn’t get my hopes up.
Nate and I could only stare at the empty space that she had previously occupied as we listened to her car start up and drive away. Suddenly, I was in his arms and he was squeezing me. I inhaled his scent, letting the smell soothe me. “I’m so proud of you,” he whispered.
I knew what he meant, but I was still in shock. I had never told my parents how I really felt, not like that. Instead of her having a major meltdown like I had always expected, she smiled and apologized.
I was literally speechless.
Chapter Three
The Call
A few days later, everything was back to normal. All of our family and friends had accepted the fact that we had eloped. We were now looking forward to the tasteful and elegant reception my mother and Mona were planning. Surprisingly she was following my wishes and had only called me when necessary. Mona had told me that she was truly trying to make me happy. When Mona found out what I had said to my mother, she let me know that she was proud of me and that I should have done it a long time ago. If I had known that my mother would have shown even a tiny bit of remorse, I would have.
“Megan, I’m leaving. I’ll see you tonight.” Nate’s voice called to me from the front door as he left for work. I was just adding the finishing touches to my makeup as I got ready for my day at the shelter. I was getting a tour of the new wing. It wasn’t ready yet, mainly just the frame was up, but Julia and I were anxious to see it.
“Okay, I love you!” I yelled back, although I wasn’t sure why, considering we were both werewolves and could hear very well. I heard the front door slam shut and his car start up and drive away as I shoved my makeup back into the bag.
When I was ready, dressed in a pencil skirt and silk blouse, I grabbed my purse off of the bed and my keys fell out dropping onto the rug. The clinking of the metal was muffled against the plush carpet.
When I bent to pick them up, I noticed a thin notebook stuffed under the mattress on Nate’s side of the bed. With just a tiny twinge of guilt, I yanked it out. The cover was dark blue with no writing on it. As I turned to the first page, I wasn’t exactly surprised with what I found. Three pages were filled with the name Isaiah King, but all the addresses were different. The memory of finding the name in the pocket of his jeans just after Charlotte was killed flashed in my mind. Nate had explained that he thought she was reaching for the paper and not a gun as Joe had assumed. He was just trying to protect us by killing her, but later regretted his actions when no gun was found in her pocket.
Nate also believed that the name was for him, because right before she was killed, she had admitted that she regretted making him a werewolf. Not that we believed her, she would have said anything to save herself. I knew Nate was curious about it, but I didn’t know he was looking for him. I stuffed the book back where I found it with a mental note to ask him about it tonight. Right now, I needed to go.
“You’re late,” Julia muttered from her desk, her hair was up in a bun, as it always was. She was wearing a violet blouse. The color highlighted her smooth peaches-and-cream skin tone. Her eyes stayed glued to the grocery list in front of her as I rushed through the door at the shelter. She was my partner in running Riley House ever since Nate went back to working for his family business at Riley Department Stores. I didn’t know what I wanted to do
with my life and opted not to go to college and waste money until I could decide what to take. So when Nate left the shelter, it was a perfect fit. I loved the shelter. It had filled something missing in my life that I had never experienced before, helping others was my calling.
I plopped the file that I had been working on last night onto the wooden surface in front of her and stuck my tongue out.
“Are those the ideas for Fun Day?” she asked, finally glancing up at me, her brown eyes lighting up with her question.
“Yes.” I shoved the strap of my bag up on my shoulder.
Fun Day was an idea I had when I returned from Vegas. The families had gone through so much before they arrived at Riley House that I thought they needed a day to forget all the hardships that had occurred. Life for most of these people was not an easy one. Even when they moved into the shelter there were chores to be done, jobs to be found and a constant string of sessions to better their lives. Except on Fun Day: they’d be free of all that, with nothing to do but enjoy. We were looking for extra volunteers to work on that day because the residents wouldn’t be. Last night I had stayed up late coming up with a theme, activities for the kids and events for the adults. It was a surprise, so far only Julia and Lilly knew about it.
Julia dropped the notebook she was writing in and flipped open the file, skimming through my ideas. She grinned and looked up at me. “This is great.”
I beamed at her, loving her praise. I enjoyed my work and I appreciated her comments. “Thanks. Is Evie working tonight?” Evie was hired after my last absence. Julia needed help and I didn’t blame her for hiring someone to fill in when I disappeared. And since I had become a werewolf, I knew it would probably happen again. Drama seemed to follow me ever since I met Nate. Not that I regretted my life with him, it just made my former, boring life interesting.
“Yes, she’ll be here until midnight.”
I nodded and started toward the stairs heading to my office. “I’ll be right back and then we can go check out the new wing.”
She turned her attention back to the list in front of her, absently twirling a stray strand of honey brown hair that had fallen out of her bun. “Sounds good, I’ll let Lilly know she’s in charge for a while.”
In my office I tossed my bag on the small couch and sat down at my chair, the wheels squeaked as I pushed forward. I wanted to check my messages before I headed downstairs. There was one from Anna, asking if we had any rooms available, she had a good candidate for us. She was our contact for Social Services and helped us find our residents. I dreaded returning that call, because no, there were no rooms. The new wing was nowhere near ready and the only resident that was even close to moving out was Mrs. Cloin and her sixteen year old son. The job we helped her find was going well, but she couldn’t move into her apartment for a month.
There were also a few calls from the contractor, telling me that there was a hold up with the plumbing and they wouldn’t be in today. I was hoping Adrian would be able to do the renovations, but since he wasn’t back yet we couldn’t wait. The last call was from Adrian himself, asking me to call him back. He said he had tried my cell but it was off. Damn. I was sorry I missed him. I dug through my bag and pulled out my phone and sure enough the battery was dead. As I was plugging it into its charger, Julia yelled from the bottom of the stairs for me to hurry up; she was expecting a delivery soon and she couldn’t take long.
I rushed out of the room thinking I’d make my calls when I got back.
We had to go out the front entrance of the shelter to get into the addition. We were waiting to create the entrance through the house until most of the work was done. We couldn’t have one of the children wandering into a construction zone. As we stepped into the wooden framed building, Mark, our head contractor, met us. “Hello ladies. Are you ready for your tour?”
We nodded our assent, suddenly feeling speechless as we looked around. The scent of wood and sawdust permeated the room. The structure was entirely framed and sheeted with plywood. The rooms had also been framed; all that was missing were the walls and trim.
“As you can see we’re almost ready for the sheetrock. We’re just waiting on the plumber and electrician.” He glanced at me. “Did you get my message?” When I nodded, he added, “They will be here tomorrow.”
“Wow, it’s really coming along,” Julia commented as we strolled through the addition, our heeled shoes thumped against the plywood flooring, the sound bounced off the walls of the structure in a deep echo.
“So,” Mark began, pointing at the studded frames. “As you asked for, there are four suites down here, with a common area in the center; and the same goes for upstairs. But, unlike in the main house we put in small washrooms in each suite.”
“Oh, the residents will love that.” Julia grinned, clearly impressed with the work around us.
“It looks great Mark, can we see upstairs as well?” I asked, heading for what looked like a set of stairs. There were no walls framing it, just the bare planked steps.
He nodded and headed in that direction. “Of course, but it looks basically the same. When the sheetrock and trim is up and we start adding fixtures and artwork that’s when it will really come together.” His face lit up as he spoke, I could tell he really enjoyed his work.
I emerged into the second floor, thankful to be on solid ground. With nothing to hold onto as we ascended the stairs, my fear of heights had threatened to come out to play. But the fear vanished, as I glanced around, picturing what Mark described. Walls, trim, fixtures and a few pieces of art hanging on the wall in the hallway. I couldn’t help the giddy excitement that bubbled up inside me. This had been a dream of mine for months, since I started here at Riley House and it was finally coming true. A huge grin spread across my face and as I turned to look at Julia, her face held the same expression.
“This is going to help eight more families.” Her voice was thick with emotion and before I knew it I was in her arms breathing in her floral scent. “You made this happen. You should be proud of yourself,” she whispered in my ear.
I pulled out of her grasp and smiled, a lone tear fell down my cheek. “I am.”
She was referring to my quest to add more rooms. Since I had taken over for Nate at helping to run the charity I had the job of turning people away. Good families that were in desperate need of help and we couldn’t be that for them because of our limited space. I had been haunting the city officials, bugging them to let us add on, but they kept spewing crap about needing a certain amount of space between each property line. It was hopeless—until the house next door went up for sale. I wanted to buy it with my inheritance money my grandmother had left me. But both Julia and Nate refused to let me. They didn’t want me to use my personal finances in the shelter. But, since when did I ever listen to anyone? I called the executor of my grandma’s will and he made the arrangements. A few weeks later, the house was mine. A month after that we broke ground for the addition.
“It looks great Mark, thanks for the tour,” I said to the tall man who was wearing a stained white t-shirt and frayed jeans. His dark, thick hair was graying at the edges and a few wrinkles lined his forehead. A tool belt hung at his waist and I was afraid if he turned around I’d see more than I wanted.
“No problem. Anytime.” He added a wink as he walked us to the exit.
We waved good-bye and headed back to the main building. Julia’s delivery was just pulling up alongside the road and I slipped inside while she met the deliveryman.
I decided to stop by and see my friend Lilly who had begun to work here almost as much as I did. We didn’t usually pay the volunteers, but since she had kind of taken over for me, training the volunteers and overseeing their work, she was now on the payroll. With the addition and adding more residents I had more responsibility in the office.
As I entered the kitchen, Lilly was yelling obscenities I didn’t even realize she knew. “Whoa! What’s wrong, Lil?”
She was leaning on the stove, slapping it wit
h the palm of her hand, with a loud smack. When she heard my voice she spun around to face me. Her short blond hair was messy and her face was flushed. “The damn stove is broke and we have to serve lunch in an hour.”
I looked around to see Ellen, Mary and Bill chopping vegetables and chicken. Since I also spotted large pots and containers of broth on the large prep counter, I guessed that they were making homemade soup.
I couldn’t stop the chuckle that slipped out of my mouth. “Well, I’m no expert, but I’m pretty sure, that hitting it is not going to help.”
Lilly scowled at me, but on her feminine features and tiny frame the look wasn’t as threatening as she might hope. “No, but it sure as hell helps me.” Her eyes widened in frustration. “What are we going to do? We have the soups almost prepared and that’s what’s on the menu for lunch.” The cranky attitude was so unlike her, she must have been frustrated. When Lauren first invited me to hang out with her and her friends, Lilly was the first of the other two to welcome me. Her bright smile and friendly attitude helped soothe the nerves that had built. I had just turned away from my old friends after they started a fire and allowed me to take the blame. When Lauren invited me over for a sleepover, I jumped at the chance.
Taking a deep breath, I considered our options to fix this predicament. Since Julia always kept the kitchen stocked, we should be able to come up with a backup meal. “Just make sandwiches for now and I’ll go upstairs and find a stove that can be delivered by dinner tonight.”
Lilly’s face relaxed. “What do we do with all of this?” She gestured to the food they were preparing.
“You can finish putting it together and then just cook it for dinner when the stove gets here.”
Riley's Redemption (A Moon's Glow Novel) Page 3
