“Can he do that?”
“Only if the mediator says it’s okay. I already put in my two cents about it. I think he’s doing this on purpose because he knows you’re not going to be home. And he mentioned something about you hitting a woman in front of your office on Friday.”
“How the hell does he know about that?”
“So it’s true?” Jackie’s voice got quiet. “Terry, did you get into a fist fight?”
“It wasn’t exactly a fist fight. I mean, I fought back, but only because she jumped me when I walked outside. She slugged me a couple of times, and my business neighbor called 9-1-1—I ended up with a mild concussion and a sprained wrist from when I hit her. It was all recorded on CCTV.”
“There’s a police report, right?”
“Yes. We think it’s a woman named Angel Harrison, but the video isn’t clear enough and they haven’t found her to talk to her.”
“Seriously?” Jackie asked. “I know her.”
“Yeah, so does half of Whitehorse.”
Jackie didn’t speak, and Terry heard her typing on a computer. “Okay. I’ll get the report. We’ll prove him wrong on that one, too. It might be what prompted him to ask for this to be moved up. Might also be enough for the mediator to consider doing it, too.”
“Asshole,” Terry muttered. “I’ll be back in time for it, no matter when it gets scheduled for. Even if it means I cut my trip up here short.” She cussed under her breath. “Before I forget, Felicia told me something the other day that’s got me concerned. A kid at school used the ‘r’ word toward her. I didn’t think she knew what it meant, but apparently she does.”
“That’s awful.”
“That’s not the worst part. She told me she knows the word is really bad because she heard Gramps yelling it a few times and she knew he was referring to her.”
“Do you think she can remember when or where he said it? Or anything about the context?”
“No. She told me he said it when he was angry. He was probably yelling at his wife, who always takes the brunt of his abuse.”
“Abuse? Is William abusing her?”
“Not physically—at least not that I know of. And before you ask, Felicia has never come home with bruises or anything. The only time I’ve known him to be physical was just after Ann and I got married. He grabbed her upper arms and literally shook her. We didn’t see or hear from him for a year after that.”
“This is stuff you should have told me a long time ago, Terry. We can use it for sure.”
“I don’t want to make him out to be some kind of monster. Especially if there’s a chance Felicia might hear what gets said. If she’s in there—I can’t have her seeing my hatred for him.”
“She won’t. I’m not going to allow her to be present. They can do a video interview if the mediator thinks it’s necessary. But I want as much detail as you can give me about his use of the ‘r’ word. Did you file a police report about him grabbing your arm when he came to your office?”
“I did. I also have the one from the assault, so I’ll fax them both to you. I got so busy with this trip I completely forgot about them.”
“Don’t worry about it. Get them to me as soon as you can,” Jackie said. “I’ll call or text you when I know the mediation date. Be ready to get your butt back here. Okay?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Terry hung up and wanted to slam her fist into something. So typical of William to pull a stunt like this.
The taxi arrived at the hotel, and Terry paid him and got out. A few minutes later, she was in her room and stretched out across the bed. She had an hour before she needed to meet with Warrick at the Dresden offices. She sent off a quick text to her mom to let her know she was there, safe, and had called Jackie.
Then she left a message for Frank to let him know she’d arrived and would be at the meeting.
Her mom replied to her text, and Terry gave her a quick call.
“Hey, Mom. Let me talk to Felicia?”
“Sure.” Shirley called for Felicia and within seconds she was on the phone.
“Hi, Mom,” she said, sounding much happier than she had when Terry left. Then again, it was an in-service day for the teachers, so she didn’t have to go to school. Terry would have felt the same at her age. “We got to see a pink limousine on the way home!”
“That’s cool. Was the driver wearing pink, too?”
“Nope. Black.”
“Luckily, black matches everything. Listen, I need to talk to you for a minute, so don’t hang up.” She paused to make sure Felicia was still there. She heard her breathing and continued. “Remember when you told me you heard Gramps yelling that bad word?”
“Yep.”
“Do you remember when that happened? Or why he was yelling it?”
“It was my birthday when Grams took me to his house. Granny D made me a cake with Dora on it. Gramps wasn’t happy I was there and said I had to go home. Granny D wouldn’t let him send me home. But he said I was retarded, and he didn’t want me in his house. I don’t know what retarded means, but it’s a really bad word.”
“How do you know it’s bad?”
“The way he said it. All angry and stuff. Granny D said I could stay, and that was that. I still don’t know what retard means, but Bryce knows it’s bad. He had to tell me he was sorry for using it.”
Terry hesitated. She should have been more specific with Felicia when she explained it before. Now Felicia would probably keep coming back to it if she didn’t. “It means slow to progress or to hold something back. Some people will use it to describe you because you’re different from them, and they don’t understand different. But that word has no power over you, sweetheart. It never will.”
“I am slow. But I do my best and I get good grades. Can I stay in school? Bryce said they were going to make me leave because I’m a retard.”
Damn the little bastard, Terry thought. Less than a week after using that horrible word, the little shit was at it again. What the hell did he have against Felicia? Or was it the prejudice of his father he was echoing?
“You’re not going anywhere. That’s your school from now on. Even after we get our own house, you’ll still go to school there. Bryce doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”
“He got suspended because he used the bad word,” Felicia said.
“I know. And I hope he never uses words like that one again. You make sure to tell me if he does. And I don’t want you saying it either. We’ll just call it the ‘r’ word from now on. Okay?”
“Yep. I’m gonna go play now.”
Shirley came on the phone, and after a few minutes, Terry hung up, feeling very proud of her kid. So much had happened to her, and she handled it better than her mother.
Who now realized if she didn’t don a business suit, trot down to the lobby, and catch a cab, she’d be late for her first meeting.
****
Sara stared at her cell phone. A bit past ten at night, she was lying in bed thinking about Terry. Vivid memories of the nights they would lie awake and talk on the phone flooded her brain, and she longed to repeat them. Better still, she’d love to have the woman in bed with her. Right now. She’d contemplated making the call for the better part of half an hour.
She slid her finger across the screen and pulled up Terry’s number. Again. Why did she hesitate? They were friends, right? It wouldn’t be weird to call her at night to chat before they went to sleep. Would it?
Her finger hovered over the Call button. Before she could press it, a call came in. She answered it without looking at the caller ID. “Hello?”
“Did I wake you?” Terry asked.
“No. Weirdly, I was lying here trying to decide whether or not I should call you.”
“Great minds. Why were you trying to decide? Should I maybe hang up?”
“No, please don’t,” Sara said. “I wasn’t sure if you’d be awake. I know you’re up there for work, and I didn’t wan
t to bother you.”
“You never bother me. I could use a friendly voice.”
“Things go badly up there?”
“The guys here are great. Frank gave them a ringing endorsement about me, and they’re already treating me like one of them.” Terry hesitated. “No, it’s to do with home. William wants to move our mediation hearing to Wednesday, and I’m not supposed to return until Wednesday morning. He found out I was up here, and we know he’s doing it on purpose. Plus, there was an issue at Felicia’s school. This boy she likes apparently got mad when she kissed him. She decided to do it again, and he shoved her away and called her the ‘r’ word.”
“The ‘r’ word?” Sara asked. She felt a bit dense not knowing what Terry meant.
“Retard.”
Sara gasped. “What? That’s awful.”
“More awful because it came from a boy her age. He’s eight. How does a kid that young learn a word like that?”
“From his parents, no doubt. What did the school do?”
“Suspended him for three days, but I’m not sure his parents treated it like punishment. At least not his father. They were in the office with me, talking to the principal, and his dad used some not-so-nice language regarding my kid. I wanted to punch his face in.”
“Is Felicia okay?”
“She is, but I had to tell her what the word meant. After I explained it, she said, ‘Well, I am slow.’ Like that made it okay somehow. I’m not sure she understands the harshness of it, and for now, that’s probably a good thing.”
“Is he in her class?”
“He is, and he’s harassing her. She told me today he said she has to leave school and go somewhere else.”
“What?”
“I’m sure he got that from his father, who thinks she needs a special school.”
“And you still managed to keep from punching him? I’m proud of you. I’m not sure I would have.”
Terry laughed softly. “I’d pay to see that, but it’s okay. I’m going to call them tomorrow. The assistant principal’s been helping me with it, and she’s set up a phone conference at noon. I guess that’s when Mr. Preston has time.”
“I’m sure you’ll give them something to consider, but do you think you can get Felicia moved out of his class?”
“I could, but I’m not sure that’s the answer. He might see it as a win, you know? Like she got moved, and he’s getting away with it. His kid might do it again to another kid he doesn’t like.”
“I get your point. Are you sure Felicia doesn’t really understand what’s going on? From what you’ve said, she sounds really smart.”
“She is, and I’m not a hundred percent sure. She knows it’s a bad word because she heard her grandfather using it. He was talking about her, though not to her at the time. He doesn’t know how good her hearing is.”
“What a bastard. Can you use that against him?”
“I can even if I hate doing it.”
“Terry, he’s playing dirty, and he clearly doesn’t care about Felicia the way a grandparent should. That ought to be brought up to the mediator. Might be enough to make her see he’s not good enough to take custody of Felicia. How did you put it? It wouldn’t be in her best interest?”
“That’s what my lawyer said. You two talking to each other?”
Sara laughed. “I don’t know her name, so probably not.”
“Jackie Smith.”
“Oh! I know Jackie.”
“Of course you do.”
“Hey now, I don’t know everyone.”
“So you say.” Terry was clearly teasing her, and Sara loved it. It warmed her heart.
“You can blame Liv. She set me up with Jackie years ago. We went out a couple of times, but there wasn’t anything there. She’s good people, though. Does a lot of work with the community and some of it pro bono. I’d be very surprised if she loses your case.”
“Good to know. On both counts.”
A blush crept up Sara’s neck to her cheeks. Was Terry flirting? “Did you tell her what Felicia said about William?”
“I did. She might have Felicia do a video statement. She’s not going to allow her in the mediation, thank God. I don’t want her to ever know this is happening. She loves her grandparents, and I’d like to keep it that way.”
“You really are a great mom. I mean, William is trying to tear your family apart, and you’re worried Felicia won’t love him anymore. That’s—that’s just amazing.”
“It’s something I promised Ann.” Terry grew quiet for a moment. “At her funeral, when I was alone with her, I promised her I’d always keep her parents in Felicia’s life. Especially her mom. I can’t go back on that.”
“No, of course not.” Sara thought she heard a tiny sob, and her grip on her cell phone increased. “Hey, I wish I could hug you right now.”
“That’d be nice. I need one.”
“I can guarantee you’ll have one soon as you get back. But, and listen very carefully, if you need me I’ll be on the next flight to Yellowknife. I mean it.”
Terry didn’t speak, and now Sara was sure she was crying. “I—I wasn’t… Sara. I can’t expect those things from you. Not after what I did.”
“What you did is in the past. And it was a kneejerk reaction to something that scared the shit out of you. If it helps any, let me say you’re forgiven. We’re moving past it. Okay?”
“I don’t deserve your friendship. I’m afraid I’ll mess it up again.”
“You won’t.” Sara sat up, as if doing so would put more emotion into her words. “You have my friendship, and that’s that. I’m not going anywhere, unless you need me on a plane. I’m serious. If you say yes right now, I’ll book it and be there in the morning.”
She heard Terry’s uneven breathing, sniffles, then Terry blew her nose. Sara was ready to switch to the Internet and make the flight arrangements right now. Terry needed her, and that was all that mattered.
“It’s okay. I’ll be okay. Sometimes it gets so overwhelming I don’t know what to do first. I’ve got a job that needs my attention, but Felicia needs me more, and I have to keep William from taking her away. When I did a video chat with Felicia tonight, she looked sad. Mom was there to give her a goodnight hug, but it’s not the same, you know?”
“I can’t imagine what you’re going through, but I can tell how hard it is for you. But you’re a damn strong woman. You’ll be fine. I’m sure of it.”
“This is why I called you. I needed to hear someone tell me that. Mom says it a lot, but she’s my mom. I think she has to.” Terry made a self-deprecating laugh. “Most of the time, I feel good—I know I can do what needs to be done. I guess it all sort of crashed in on me today.”
Sara stared at the Internet icon, wavering over booking the flight. She could skip a day or two of work or work remotely. She was confident Greg would be okay with it.
“Sara? You there?”
Always. Forever. “I am.”
“Tell me what you’re thinking.”
“That I should fly out first thing in the morning and be at your hotel room for breakfast.”
“You’d have to be here around five. I’m meeting the guys at Dresden around six for a site inspection, after which we go to the main office to review my findings from the summer samples I took.”
“I would be there right now if I could. I want to hold you, Terry. I want you to know you’ve got someone to lean on.”
“I already do, or we wouldn’t still be on the phone.”
“True enough.” Sara settled back in bed and pulled the duvet up to her chin. “Are you sure you’re going to be okay?”
“As long as I have you, yes.”
“Then you’ll be fine. Call me tomorrow night before you go to sleep.”
There was no hesitation this time. “I will.”
Chapter Thirteen
“How many names do I have to cut from the list?” Liv asked again. She’d
already removed ten people, but she wanted to be sure.
“Small wedding, dear. Small. As in less than fifty people.” Grace poked her head around the bathroom door. “You’ve heard of small, right? The community center isn’t going to hold more than sixty. Genta told us that three times.”
“I know, I know.” Liv stared at the list. Down to ninety. How the hell could she strike another forty people from the most important day of her life? Instead of cutting names, she needed to add at least two more. Terry and Bren. She liked Bren well enough, but she intended to make sure Terry and Sara were a couple by the time the wedding happened.
Grace came out of the bathroom, fresh from her shower, and settled behind her on the bed. Her long, damp hair fell over Liv’s shoulder as she peered at the notebook in Liv’s hands. “Ninety-two. You added two names. You really don’t understand how subtraction works, do you?”
Liv kissed Grace on the cheek. “No. I always sucked at math.”
“Liar. It’s your strongest subject. Okay, I know you want all your employees to be invited, but can we knock most of them off the list? That would get us closer to the number we need.”
“I don’t know who I would do that to. I’ve been around most of those guys for years. I don’t want any hurt feelings.”
“Hmm.” Grace slipped her arms around Liv’s waist.
“You think we could get the community center for two days?”
“I’m sure we can even though it’s next month.” Grace kissed Liv’s bare shoulder. “I’m sorry I’m making this difficult.”
“You’re not being difficult, I am.” Liv put the notebook away and resettled in order to fully embrace her fiancée. “Besides, I know you’re not keen on big crowds, especially when you don’t know most of the people in them.”
“And I’m assuming everyone we invite will show up, which almost never happens.”
“It probably will. They’ll love an excuse for a good party.”
“Especially if someone else is paying the tab?”
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