“I can’t believe you didn’t,” Jacey said. “I wouldn’t have blamed you.”
“And my personal favorite,” Georgia said, “‘Our children aren’t allowed to eat anything after they leave the table. I feed them three meals a day, no snacks. If they don’t like their food, they can go to bed hungry.’”
Georgia stopped and looked at Jacey, waiting for her response. She got one immediately.
Jacey grabbed her phone and dialed Sheriff Jefferson. When he answered, she said, “Sheriff, it’s Jacey Lang. What do I have to do to begin the adoption process?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
One week after her surgery, Ava Jennings was recovering well enough to go home. Colin had been staying at the house since the day after her surgery and was busy getting everything ready for her return. He and their maid, Evie, stocked the refrigerator with healthy foods, had gone to the farmer’s market for fruits and vegetables, and made sure her favorite flavored waters were in the house.
Evie had been with Colin’s family since he was a baby. In fact, Evie was just about the only person Colin had been afraid of when he was growing up. Something about the way she could look at him and say, “Boy!” still put the fear of God in him. She called him out whenever he needed it, and she’d do it in front of anybody. Colin respected her and loved her.
Evie brought Colin to the master bedroom to collect the things his mother would need downstairs. Ava said she wanted to be downstairs in the den while she recovered, not tucked away in her bedroom, so Evie was spitting out orders for things they would need to build her a “nest.”
“You don’t put no other slippers ’cept them beside that sofa,” Evie said. “She don’t like but that one pair.”
“How can she tell? They’re exactly the same,” Colin said as he sorted through the slippers. “Just different colors.”
“I think so too,” Evie confessed, laughing. “But these pink ones are her favorite, so take them. And take this bed jacket right here, and the afghan off the hope chest.”
Colin gathered everything she pointed toward.
“We need her hand lotion from the bathroom, her hairbrush, and her Bible from the bedside table,” Evie said.
Her Bible. She has probably spent hours and hours praying for me, Colin thought. “Is that it?” he asked.
“I’ll tell you when that’s it,” Evie said, surveying the room.
“You’re getting mighty bossy in your old age,” Colin said.
“Old age? I can still peel a peach tree limb and make you a believer.”
Colin laughed. “You probably could. And I could probably have you arrested for child abuse for making such threats at me.”
“You call the 911, little boy,” Evie said. “You gonna need them when I get through with you. If you ask me, you didn’t get near enough switchings when you were little.”
Colin smiled. “I have to agree with that assessment.”
“Now, get that hand mirror on the bathroom counter, and don’t come back telling me you can’t find it.”
Evie finally decided they had all they needed from upstairs, so they started down to the den. “Is there a wheelbarrow in the house?” Colin asked. “I think I need some help.”
“Hush, boy,” Evie said. “You all right. Now make it look nice downstairs. I got to go tend to the soup.”
Evie disappeared into the kitchen, and Colin began making his mother a “nest.”
Jasper had called earlier saying they would be home within the hour, and Colin was beyond ready for his mother to return. Having her back in the house would be an affirmation that maybe things were beginning to work out. There were so many things to talk about . . . things he should’ve been saying all along had his anger and pride not prevented them. Never again would he let that happen. Every time he thought about not being aware of his mother’s illness, he wanted to punch a hole in the wall.
While Ava was in surgery, Colin asked his father to explain just how sick his mother had been.
“There were days she couldn’t even make it up the stairs,” Jasper told him. “So we slept in the study.” He said that whenever Ava tried to walk down to the beach, she’d stop to rest at intervals and sometimes had to call him to come help her back. If only Colin had known . . . he would have been here with her. He would’ve picked her up and carried her to the shore of the Gulf. But he was busy being noble and self-righteous—running away from problems he should’ve faced. From now on, Ava Jennings would only need to pick up the phone if she needed him.
Colin wasn’t sure how to make a nest for his mother, but he gave it a shot. He pulled the heavy oak coffee table closer to the leather sofa and placed all her things from the bedroom within an easy grasp. He placed the remote controls for the air-conditioning, TV, and lights on the end table beside her. He ran upstairs and got more pillows in case she wanted to elevate her feet, then filled up a water carafe and put it next to the remotes.
He sat on the sofa to wait and took his phone out of his pocket for the tenth time today. He checked the ringer again. Maybe Jacey just hadn’t had time to answer. Or she was trying to decide what to say. Maybe she thought he was crazy. Who was he kidding? Maybe she just didn’t want to answer. He couldn’t blame her if she never wanted to talk to him again.
He needed the opinion of a male counterpart. He had already asked Julie what she thought about the text he sent Jacey, and she made her opinion perfectly clear. She called him an idiot and the most insensitive man she’d ever known. Surely Joshua would understand where he was coming from, so Colin dialed his friend and waited.
“How’s your mom, man?” Joshua said.
“On her way home,” Colin told him.
“That’s good news. I’ll come see her in the next few days.”
“She’d love to see you,” Colin said. “But first, let me get your take on something.”
“Go ahead,” Joshua said.
“Say I told a girl I was falling in love with her,” Colin said. “And then I sent a text message a couple of days later saying that maybe I should back off from the relationship because I needed some time to think.” Colin paused. “You still with me?”
“Still here,” Joshua said.
“Then say I left a voicemail a few days later, telling her that I love her and asking her to call me.”
“I’m assuming this is you sending a message to Jacey, the elusive love of your life?” Joshua asked.
“It is.”
“So you want me to tell you why she hasn’t called?”
“How did you know she hasn’t called?” Colin asked.
“If you were her, would you call you back?” Joshua asked.
Colin thought about it. “I was in a bad situation,” he said finally.
“And then you put her in one.”
“Thanks for nothing, man,” Colin said.
That wasn’t exactly what Colin wanted to hear, but he knew Joshua would tell him the truth. Julie hadn’t just been speaking from a female point of view. She was right. He was an insensitive idiot, and he had two votes to prove it. This was about to become an epidemic in his life. He had walked around for years thinking he had all the answers, only to find out in the last two days he didn’t even understand the questions.
Now . . . what could he do about Jacey? He would charge up to her front door on a fiery steed if he had to. Whatever it took to make her listen. He wasn’t going to lose her a second time.
Colin heard the front door open. “We’re home!” Jasper called.
When Colin got to the foyer, Ava was walking slowly with a pillow held tightly against her chest. “That pillow has become your security blanket,” Colin said, reaching gently for her elbow. Together, Colin and his father walked her toward the den.
“This pillow is my new best friend,” Ava said. “Don’t you dare let it get more than a foot away from me.”
“We’ve got you all set up in the den,” Colin told her. “Evie had me bring everything but the bed down from your
room. She’s in the kitchen making homemade chicken soup and fresh lemonade. And if I’m not mistaken, there’s a berry cobbler.”
“All of my favorites. Bless her sweet heart,” Ava said. “I wish I could say that sounds good, but nothing does.”
“Your appetite will come back,” Jasper told her. “The doctor said it’s normal not to want very much at first.”
Ava shuffled into the den and sat down slowly on the sofa. Jasper covered her legs with the afghan, and Colin adjusted the pillows behind her neck. Then they both stood beside the sofa and stared at her.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
Jasper and Colin looked at each other, then back at Ava.
“Go away,” she said. “Shoo! People have hovered over me for an entire week. Enough. Go.”
Jasper and Colin reluctantly walked toward the kitchen together.
When they got to the archway leading to the kitchen, Jasper turned back to her. “Do you need—”
“No, I do not need,” Ava interrupted. “Go away.”
“I put some magazines on the—”
“Thank you very much, son,” Ava said. “That was really sweet of you. Now go away and take your father with you.”
“It is good to see y’all, Mr. Jasper,” Evie said when they walked into the kitchen. “How’s our girl?”
“She is feeling pretty good and glad to be in her own house,” Jasper said.
Colin sat down at the marble island and grabbed an apple. “Mom can be very forceful when she wants to be,” he said. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen her like this.”
Jasper smiled and shook his head. “You don’t know the half of it,” he said. “Your mother once talked a police officer out of giving her a speeding ticket, and before he left, he apologized for stopping her in the first place.”
“My mother?” Colin asked. He couldn’t see the proper lady Ava Jennings shaming a cop into an apology.
“Yes, your mother,” Jasper said. “She is quite a woman.”
“Yes, she is,” Colin agreed.
“Evie, I don’t know if Ava is going to eat, but that soup smells delicious,” Jasper said. “How much longer?”
“You stop that, Mr. Jasper,” Evie said. “You stay outta this soup. I’m ’bout to go visit with Ms. Ava for a minute and then come back in here so she can get some rest. I counted every noodle in that pot, so you best stay away from it.”
Jasper laughed.
Colin was surprised at the sound of Jasper laughing. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d heard that sound. He looked at the crow’s feet around Jasper’s eyes. His father had weathered so many storms, fought battles Colin knew nothing about, carried scars deep within himself without asking for mercy or offering excuses. He was his own man: He couldn’t be bought and he couldn’t be broken. Colin felt a sense of pride creeping into the space where his anger had lived all those years. Maybe there was a chance they could salvage their relationship after all.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Exactly one week after visiting the boys at the park, Jacey was back in Shreveport. Project Triple Boy was about to become reality, and she needed to tell her parents all about it. Needless to say, they were quite surprised—but after the initial shock wore off, her dad was on board right away.
“We’ve been over and over it, and I am not questioning your judgment,” Chris Lang said. “I just want you to make sure, once and for all, this is absolutely what you want. It won’t be like a plant or a fish. These are children. You can’t forget to feed them or water them.”
Jacey laughed at her dad’s analogy. “I am sure it’s what I want, Daddy. You are going to love them. Both of you are.”
Though her father had been supportive, her mother, Lisa, was still trying to wrap her head around it.
“Of course we will love them,” Lisa said. “They are children. But, Jacey, sweetheart, this is a huge responsibility. You don’t know anything about raising children. Who’s going to help you with them? And three of them? You’ve always been responsible and trustworthy, but you’re so young. I just think you’ve bitten off more than you can chew.”
“They aren’t babies, Mama,” Jacey said. “I don’t need anyone to help me with them. It isn’t like I’ll have infant triplets and nighttime feedings and diapers to change. They are little people. I’m not even sure they will allow me to adopt them yet, but I have to try.”
“I am just so worried you will find it much more difficult than you expect,” Lisa said. “And you want to buy a house too? You aren’t married. You aren’t even in a relationship. Maybe you should wait until—”
“I can’t wait,” Jacey interrupted. “The boys certainly can’t wait, and I don’t need a man to help. I know I can raise these children and love them and provide for them. I am not trying to be disrespectful, but I didn’t come up here to ask for permission. I came to ask for your blessing, but I am doing this with or without it.”
Lisa sighed and pursed her lips.
Jacey almost laughed looking at her. When her mother’s lips pursed, everyone in the house knew she was irritated. Those lips had made Jacey and her brother turn around on a dime and spin out of a room.
But Jacey knew her mother was just afraid she was making a rash decision. Lisa was a worrier, and this past year had tested her limits. Lisa had stayed at the condo for two weeks after Jacey was discharged from the hospital and would’ve stayed longer if Jacey hadn’t finally made her leave. Jacey had found much comfort in her mother’s presence, but she needed to recover on her own. Georgia wouldn’t allow her to bathe in self-pity, whereas Lisa had almost encouraged it. It had caused a bit of tension between her mother and her best friend. In the end, Jacey knew she had to “suck it up,” as Georgia was so fond of saying. She sent Lisa back to Shreveport . . . and those lips had never been tighter than they were the day she left.
“Mama,” Jacey said, “I know you are worried that this is just some crazy idea. It isn’t like me to do something without thinking about it and planning it for a year. I’ve never done anything like this before. But I’ve changed since the accident, and I hope I’ve changed for the better. I don’t want to watch my life just pass me by anymore. I want to write about people who do worthwhile things, but I also want to do some of them myself. These boys . . . They are special. They are bright and friendly and hopeful, even though they haven’t had much to hope for. Their mother was the only stable thing in their lives, and now she’s been taken from them.” She took Lisa’s hands in hers and leaned closer to her. “I have a real chance to make a difference in their lives, and they will make a difference in mine. How can that be wrong?”
Lisa didn’t answer right away, but Jacey saw her face soften. “How can we help?”
Jacey jumped from the chair, ran around the table, and crushed her mother in a hug. “Thank you, Mama,” she said. “You are going to love your grandsons!”
Lisa looked at her husband. “Grandsons?” she asked. “Do you think anybody is running a special on Botox?”
Chris and Jacey laughed.
“You’re gonna be the hottest grandmaw on the block,” Chris said.
“Oh, I don’t think I’ll be ‘Grandmaw,’” Lisa said. “Maybe Nonnie, or Nanna, or Nonna, even. Let’s see. I have a book somewhere around here about what Southern children call their grandparents . . .” Her voice trailed off as she walked into the living room.
Chris looked at Jacey and smiled. “That didn’t take long,” he said.
“Do you think she’s really okay with this?” Jacey asked him.
“Honey, by this time tomorrow those boys will have new wardrobes and a swing set in our backyard, and everybody in this subdivision will know she’s going to be a grandmother.”
Jacey hugged her father. “Thank you, Daddy. For everything.”
Jacey and her parents spent the rest of the evening online looking for houses near Baton Rouge. She wanted to buy a place with a couple of acres of land, someplace where the boys would have
room to grow and play and call their own. Her parents offered to help with the financing, but Jacey turned them down. She had always been frugal, and sharing a place with Willow and Georgia had allowed her to save a lot of money. She wanted to do it on her own.
They came up with three properties for Jacey to look at when she got back to Baton Rouge. Two of them were okay, but the third one was absolutely perfect. The log house had four bedrooms and two baths on three acres of land just outside Baton Rouge in Prairieville. There was even a small barn and a garden out back. Jacey couldn’t wait to see it in person.
The next morning she left for Baton Rouge—leaving her proud father and teary-eyed mother behind.
“We are so proud of you,” her father said. “Those boys don’t know it, but they are the luckiest little fellas in the world.”
“Thank you, Daddy,” Jacey said.
“I’ve decided on Nonna,” Lisa said, dabbing her eyes. “It sounds elegant.”
Jacey laughed and hugged her mother. “Of course it does.”
The four-hour drive from Shreveport to Baton Rouge left her plenty of time to think. She had so much to do. She had spoken with the Realtor in the morning and was able to coax her into showing Jacey the log house late in the evening. She didn’t even want to look at the other two. She hoped the house was what it appeared to be online. It was within her budget, convenient to the city, yet private. It was close to some good schools and a nice park. She really wanted this house.
Tomorrow she would have to go back to Biloxi to attend her first class to become certified to adopt. These classes were over the course of a few weeks, and she could easily make the two-hour trip to Biloxi to attend. She called Penny after she got her class schedule and arranged park dates with the boys for those days. Penny, while not exactly thrilled, finally agreed. “It might be nice to get them out from under my feet for a while,” was the actual phrase she used. Her tone infuriated Jacey. She couldn’t believe she would have to wait at least six months before she could take the boys away from this woman. There was no telling how much damage that woman could do to them in six months. She didn’t think they were being physically abused, but emotional abuse was just as bad. Especially since they had gone through so much already.
The Sweet Smell of Magnolias and Memories Page 18
