Mended Fences: Will love and kindness be able to mend the fences broken by intolerance? (Mended Hearts Book 2)

by Sarah Markel

  "Wow, Kelly Shane. I'm impressed. I don't think I have ever seen you get that angry with someone." Karen said once Steve had driven off. Fixing her mother with a solemn glare, Kelly replied "You haven't seen me since I left for college, mother. There are a lot of things about me that you don't know." Trying not to laugh, Alex patted Kelly on the knee and stood to go upstairs. "I'm going to go hurry the kids along." she said, taking her leave. When she reached Dej's room, Alex pulled the child with her into her brother's room. "Ok, you two Mom and I need your help." Nodding, the kids leaned in close. "That lady downstairs is Kelly's mom. She is not a very nice lady, and the only reason she is even here is because she thinks you two are Mom's kids. So for tonight, I need you two to play along and pretend that Kelly has been your mom all along. Can you guys do that for me?" Alex finished. Nodding, Dej left Zane's room and screamed at the top of her lungs "Mom! I need you!" Smiling and shaking her head Alex turned her attention to her son. "What do you say, bubba?" she asked. With a sly grin, the boy replied "What's in it for me?" Taking a moment to appreciate her son, Alex replied with an evil grin "I will leave a map to where I am going to bury you so that one day, someone will find you." She replied sweetly.

  While the children changed out of their school uniforms, Alex and Kelly took a few moments to do the same. Swapping her business slacks and button down top for a pair of jeans and a tee shirt, Alex kissed Kelly on the cheek and informed her "I'll meet you downstairs, Babe. I don't trust her to be alone down there." Agreeing, Kelly quickly shed her work clothes and changed into her own jeans and tee shirt. Joining Alex in the living room, Kelly took her seat on the couch and stared at her mother. After a few moments, Karen said "Why don't you tell me about your children, Kelly Shane? Why does the little girl look so much like her?" she added, nodding toward Alex. Smiling, Alex wagged her finger at the woman. "Be nice." she said simply. Rolling her eyes, the woman looked back at her daughter. Huffing out a breath, Kelly replied "First, stop calling me that. Second, it doesn't matter who they look like, mother, what matters is that this woman gave me two beautiful children." Taking Alex's hand, Kelly brought it to her lips and smiled at her. When Karen cleared her throat loudly, Kelly turned to face her. "You're right, Kelly. It doesn't matter who they look like. I apologize." the woman said.

  *****

  "Zane! Dej! Move it along!" Alex hollered up the stairs. The three women had been waiting for almost fifteen minutes for the kids to come back down, and Alex was getting irritated. "It's about time." she muttered as the two came stomping down the stairs. "Sheesh, what's so important?" Dej asked her as she walked around the couch to crawl up into Kelly's lap. Shaking her head, Alex took her seat and patted Kelly on the knee. Motioning to Zane to come to her, Kelly slid her arm around the boy's waist and pulled him down onto her lap next to his sister. "Zane, Dej, I would like you both to meet my mother. Mother, these are our children." Kelly introduced. Smiling like a fool, Karen quickly stood and spread her arms. "Hello, children, come give Nana Karen a hug!" the woman said in a voice that was a cross between excited and demonic. Raising his eyebrow, Zane looked to Alex for help. Nodding, the woman motioned for him to hug Karen. With a glare at his mother, the boy stood. "It's nice to meet you, madam. My name is Zane. Unfortunately I am not one to hug on the first date." he said with a straight face. Snorting, Kelly smacked him playfully. "Zane, be nice." she said with a laugh. Rolling his eyes, the boy stepped into Karen's arms and allowed her to hug him. When Alex noticed that Zane had begun to wince, she tapped Kelly's leg and stood. "Alright you've hugged him. Now let him go." She demanded. Confused, Karen let go of the boy and took a step back. Grabbing his chest, Zane bent down to catch his breath. With tears in his eyes, he politely excused himself and went back upstairs. Concerned, Karen asked the women "Is he alright? I didn't mean to hurt him. I'm so sorry, I was just so excited to meet him."

  While Kelly went up to check on the boy, Alex shook her head. "It's alright, Karen. You said in your letter that you heard about what Lilly did?" When the woman nodded, Alex asked "Did you hear any of the details about it?" Shaking her head, Karen explained "No. I just heard from Mr. Jones that Kelly's ex had tried to kill her." Setting Dej down, Alex motioned Karen into the kitchen. When the woman had taken a seat at the table, Alex asked her to wait there for a moment. While Alex ran upstairs to check on Zane and Kelly, Dej walked into the kitchen and placed her hands on her hips. Scanning the woman from top to bottom, the little girl introduced herself. "I'm Dej." she said, extending her hand. Shaking the child's hand gently, Karen asked if she could give her a hug. "As long as you don't squeeze me to death." the child replied. Chuckling, Karen opened her arms and hugged the little girl carefully. "How old are you, Dej?" she asked. "Eight." the child replied with a shrug as she climbed up into the chair across from Karen. Nodding, Karen smiled. "Well it's wonderful to meet you." she said as the little girl studied her intently. The two sat quietly at the table for several moments before the rest of the family joined them.

  When the others had taken their seats, Alex pulled one of the island stools over and sat down next to Kelly. Before anyone could say anything, Dej asked her mother, "Can I go upstairs? My clothes smell like her perfume and it's making me gag." Laughing out loud, Alex pointed to the staircase and excused the child. "Sorry about her. She's not one to mince words." Kelly said to her mother, once the group had stopped laughing. Waving away her daughter's apology, Karen said "Alright, Kelly Shane. Tell me what happened with this Lilly person. The whole story please." Taking Alex's hand, Kelly explained the events of the previous summer. When she had finished, Karen stood and went to her daughter, pulling her and Zane into a hug as she sobbed.

  *****

  A few hours later, Alex and Kelly lay in bed talking about the day. "Well, once you get past the homophobia, your mom seems relatively nice." Alex said, gently stroking Kelly's hip. Scoffing, Kelly replied "Don't fall for it honey. That woman wants something, I just don't know what it is." Frowning at the back of her fiancée's head, Alex asked "Why do you say that, babe?" Shaking her head, Kelly sighed "I don't know. Something just doesn’t seem right. I mean, she was so quick to do what we told her to do today. That's not like the mother I remember. When I was little, if my mother didn't want to do something, she didn't do it. She would have let you put her in jail instead of kowtowing to your ultimatum." Pressing a kiss lightly to the back of Kelly's neck, Alex pulled the woman closer. "Don't worry baby. If she does have an ulterior motive, we'll figure it out before anyone gets hurt." she said in an attempt to reassure the woman.

  CHAPTER 7

  As the rest of the week wore on, Alex and Kelly had spent their lunch hour each day with Karen. By Friday, Kelly had learned that her mother's second husband had died of a heart attack a few years prior, and left her mother a fantastic amount of money. She had also learned that while her father no longer spoke to her mother, he had asked her to give Kelly his phone number. When she asked her mother about her sister, Karen's eyes had darkened for the first time. "Kristen made some choices that landed her in federal prison." She replied, without offering any further information. When asked how long she would be in town, Karen had replied vaguely with "I don't know." On Friday, Karen handed Kelly a slip of paper before she took her seat at the table. “You’re father asked me to give you this if I happened to see you.” she said as she doctored her coffee. Looking at the phone number scrawled across the slip, Kelly couldn’t believe her eyes. Not wanting to make a scene in the restaurant, Kelly tucked the paper into her purse. After the women had finished their lunch, Alex and Kelly headed back to Serenity Home while Karen went back to her hotel.

  *****

  "Baby, just dial the phone and see what happens. He obviously wants to talk to you, or he wouldn't have asked your mom to give you his number." Alex assured later that evening. Since the kids were staying the night with Angie and Steve, Kelly had decided to call her father for the first time since she was 18. The problem was, now that she had the phone and the sl
ip of paper with his number on it in her hand, she wasn't sure she could do it. "What if he hangs up on me? It was hard enough when my daddy shut me out the first time, I don't know if I can deal with it again." She had said to Alex. Taking the woman into her arms, Alex kissed her softly. "Just make the call, Babe. You won't know what's going to happen unless you try." Looking hesitantly from Alex to the phone, Kelly took a deep breath and dialed the number. When a man's voice answered on the third ring, Kelly smiled. "Hi daddy. It's Kelly."

  "Kelly? Is that really you, sweetheart?" the man asked. Nodding, Kelly replied tearfully "Yes daddy, it's really me." Alex stood and smiled at the woman, heading out onto the back porch to give Kelly some privacy. "How are you, daddy? Mother told me about the divorce and that you two no longer speak." Kelly said. After a moment, her father replied. "No sweetheart. Karen and I don’t speak unless we have to. After the crap she pulled when you left for college, I couldn't stay with her. In fact, I've been trying to find you for the last ten years. I got close last year, but by the time I found your address, you had already moved." Wiping away her tears, Kelly asked the question that had been bothering her for nearly half her life. "Daddy, why are you ashamed of my being gay?" Wincing slightly at the shock in her father's voice, Kelly listened closely as the man explained. "Kelly Shane, is that what your mother told you? That I was ashamed of you?" After receiving confirmation, the man continued. "Kelly, I have never been ashamed of you. After your mother told me that you had come out, I was thrilled. I went to the door to tell you that just because your mother was upset didn't mean I was, but you had already driven away. I sent you letters every week trying to get ahold of you, but your mother always managed to get to them before the postman. After years of Karen doing everything she could to keep me from speaking to you, I finally had enough. I went down to the courthouse and filed for divorce. After the divorce was final, I did my best to track you down, but I never got to you in time. I even hired a private investigator to try and find you, but your mother kept getting in the way." When he heard Kelly's sobs, the man stopped and asked "Sweetheart, are you alright? Please don't cry, baby." When her father started to cry with her, Kelly's tears flowed harder. "Daddy, I'm so sorry. All these years, I assumed you felt the same way Mother did. Can you ever forgive me?" When her father explained that there was nothing to forgive, the pair said their goodbyes with the promise that her father would call her the next day. Hanging up the phone, Kelly went outside to find Alex.

  "So your dad doesn’t care that you're gay?" Alex asked, uncertain that she had understood correctly. With a wide smile, Kelly nodded. "That's right. It was all my mother's doing. She kept my dad from reaching out to me, even after they were divorced." Taking her fiancée into her arms, Alex smiled down at the woman. "I'm glad you got to talk to him, Baby." Returning the smile, Kelly leaned up on her toes and kissed Alex. "So did you two get to catch up then?" Alex asked. Shaking her head, Kelly replied "No, but we will. He's going to call me tomorrow. I can't wait to tell him about you and the kids." With a smile, Alex ran her hands down the woman's back to cup her ass. "I'm glad you're happy again, Baby. I hated seeing how much your mother's presence upset you." she whispered into Kelly's ear. Realizing that it had been over a week since they had been intimate, she pressed herself against Alex. "Don't be upset, Love. Just being around you makes me happy, in more ways than one." she said with a wink. Taking the hint, Alex smiled kissed her.

  *****

  The next morning, Alex woke to an empty bed. Getting up, she went in to shower and dress before looking for her missing fiancée. As she reached the bottom of the staircase, she heard Kelly saying goodbye to someone. Afraid the woman might think she was eavesdropping, Alex waited another moment before going into the kitchen. "Good morning baby." she said, wrapping her arms around Kelly's waist and nuzzling the back of her neck. Laying her head on the other woman's shoulder, Alex closed her eyes and asked "Was that your dad on the phone?" Nodding, Kelly replied "Yes ma'am. He didn't realize how big the time difference was and called at five." With a chuckle, Alex let go of the woman and asked how the call went. Taking a seat at the table, Kelly filled her in on the conversation.

  "Well, my dad was thrilled to hear that you and I are getting married, and he fully expects an invitation. It turns out, after the divorce he got remarried to a much younger woman and has a son and a daughter. I have a four year old brother named Kevin junior and a six year old sister named Kylie. Dad said that he hasn’t spoken to Kristen since my brother was born because she stole his checkbook and emptied his account. He's the one who turned her in and had her arrested. My mom, apparently was not overly appreciative of that." she added with a snort. "I asked him if he knew why mother was here, and he said he didn't but that we shouldn't believe for a second that she accepts us. He thinks she might be up to something." she finished, sipping her coffee. Taking in the information, Alex asked "Well, what do you want to do about her?" Setting down her coffee, Kelly took a moment before she answered. "I'm not sure yet. I think if we confront her, she will take off and we will never know what she's up to. On the other hand if we leave it go, we risk being taken advantage of. My mother is a sneaky bitch, Alex. If we aren't careful she could cause some serious problems for us."

  *****

  “Mrs. Padilla I assure you, the staff are not hiding messages in your Jell-O.” Kelly explained kindly to the elderly woman sitting in her exam room. The resident had been sent to her nearly an hour ago, after causing a disturbance in the cafeteria. “Those hoodlums are trying to get me to do horrible things.” The old woman insisted. After Kelly had promised, for the third time, that she would fix the problem, Mrs. Padilla finally agreed to finish her lunch in her room. Once she had sent the woman off with an RA, Kelly contacted the floor nurse and instructed her to double the woman’s antipsychotic medication. Heading into her office to write up a modified prescription and update the woman’s file, Kelly stopped at Jack’s desk. “Jack, could you please call in an order for me to The Gyro Hero? Before you do, check with Ms. Walker and see if she’s free for lunch.” Nodding while he scribbled down Kelly’s order, the man gave her a smile. Entering her office, she picked up the phone ringing on her desk.

  “Serenity Home, this is Dr. Taylor.” she said, cradling the receiver in the crook of her shoulder. “Good Afternoon Dr. Taylor, this is Marsha Jenkins with Jenkins Bridal Shop. I have you down as the next person on my waiting list, and I was wondering if you were still interested in a consultation.” said the voice on the other end. “Yes ma’am. I am definitely still interested.” Kelly replied excitedly. Jenkins Bridal Shop was the most exclusive bridal store in the city, and the waiting list for a consultation with the top wedding gown designer in the state was nearly six months long. “Well Dr. Taylor, I had a cancelation this afternoon and I was wondering if you had the time to meet.” the woman said. Nearly dropping the phone in excitement, Kelly agreed to meet with the woman in an hour. Rushing out the office, she quickly told Jack to cancel the lunch order and re-schedule her appointments for the day.

  “Alex, Marsha Jenkins just called and we have a meeting with her in an hour.” Kelly said as she stepped through Alex’s open door. Looking at her with a blank stare, Alex tried to pretend she didn't know who Marsha Jenkins was. Seeing the woman’s confusion, Kelly explained. “Don’t you remember me telling you I was on the waiting list for a bridal consultation?” When the information clicked, Alex smiled. “That’s great babe. I thought for sure it would be a much longer wait.” she said. “Can you come with me, honey?” Kelly asked when Alex made no move to get up. Hesitantly, Alex shook her head. “I’m sorry baby, I can’t today.” she replied, not wanting the woman to know that she didn’t really want to go. Looking crestfallen, Kelly nodded. “Oh, alright. I’m sorry, I guess I should have checked with you before agreeing. I just thought you would want to be part of it. I’ll call my mother and see if she wants to join me. I’ll see you at home.” she said, trying to hide the disappointment in her voice. Des
pite her promise to be more involved with the wedding plans, Alex had managed to get out of the meetings with the caterer, the jeweler, and the florist. Trying not to seem too upset, Kelly turned and walked out of the office.

  Dammit Alex! You need to get off your ass and help. You’re the one who asked her to marry you, and now you aren’t doing squat to help her make this wedding happen. Alex chastised herself when she couldn’t focus on her work. You hate seeing her upset, and you’re the one who put that look on her face! Running her hands through her hair with a sigh, Alex gathered her shoulder bag and left her office. “Tina, please clear my calendar for the day. I have an appointment that I can’t reschedule.” she said to her assistant as she left. Getting into her car, she programmed the address into her GPS and headed downtown. Helping Kelly make these decisions won’t kill you, so stop being such a dick about it! She told herself.

  *****

  “Alright Dr. Taylor, let’s get your measurements.” said the tall, attractive blonde woman. Following the woman’s instructions, Kelly did her best to hold still. “I’m sorry Mrs. Jenkins, I’m just nervous and excited.” she said apologetically. Waving the apology away, the woman chuckled. “Don’t fret, doll. I completely understand. Is this your first marriage?” With a smile, Kelly nodded as she held out her arms for the woman to measure her bust. “It’s my first, but my fiancée’s second.” she answered. With an approving smile, the woman took Kelly’s hands. “I promise you. Once the big day arrives, it won’t matter if it’s her second or seventeenth. All that will matter is seeing you walk toward her looking like a goddess.” she assured. Taking a deep breath, Kelly thanked the woman and took a seat next to her mother. Excusing herself to the dress rack, Mrs. Jenkins promised to return momentarily. “Why didn’t Alex come with you?” Karen asked. Shaking her head, Kelly replied “She’s busy, mother. She can’t just drop everything on the spur of the moment.” The two women sat in silence for several moments before Marsha Jenkins returned. “Okay, I have some blanks here for you to try on. These are just basic dresses that I use to get an idea of what style will suit your frame the best.” The woman explained, leading Kelly to a dressing room. Once she was all set up, Kelly tried on the first of the five blanks. Stripping down to her bra and panties, she slipped on the gown and exited the fitting room.