by Darcie Chan
The Promise of Home is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
2015 Ballantine Books eBook Edition
Copyright © 2015 by Darcie Chan
Reading group guide copyright © 2015 by Penguin Random House LLC
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Ballantine Books, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.
BALLANTINE and the HOUSE colophon are registered trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC.
RANDOM HOUSE READER’S CIRCLE & Design is a registered trademark of Penguin Random House LLC.
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA
Chan, Darcie.
The promise of home : a Mill River novel / Darcie Chan.
pages ; cm.
ISBN 978-0-345-53824-6
eBook ISBN 978-0-345-54157-4
1. Interpersonal relations—Fiction. 2. City and town life—Vermont—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3603.H35558P76 2015
813'.6—dc23
2015022668
eBook ISBN 9780345541574
Cover design: Marietta Anastassatos
Cover illustration: Richard Tuschman, including images © Alex Kotlov/iStockphoto (landscape), © Horst Gerlach/iStockphoto (branches), © Betty Copeland/Dreamstime (mansion), © Monkeybusinessimages/Dreamstime (couple)
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Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Epilogue
Dedication
Acknowledgments
By Darcie Chan
About the Author
Reading Group Guide
Courage is a kind of salvation.
—PLATO
Prologue
January 2, 2013
With a last wave at the window where she stood looking down at him, Nick was gone.
In the terminal at Southern Vermont Regional Airport, Karen Cooper wrapped her arms around her son, Benjamin, and pressed her cheek against his head. She squinted through bloodshot eyes as her husband ducked into the turboprop for his flight to Boston. There, he would leave the small plane and board a transatlantic jet that would take him to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris and then on to Riyadh. The Middle East again—the land of 120-degree temperatures, sandstorms, danger, and uncertainty. The place Nick had already spent so many years, wishing every minute that he could be home with her and Ben. The place he hated to be almost as much as she hated his being there.
Almost.
For nearly a decade, Nick had served in the Air Force, stationed on the other side of the world most of that time. She’d held down the fort at the bases where they’d been stationed, caring for Ben, their only child, and working part-time as a teacher’s assistant. While Nick was deployed, most of their interactions had been measured in minutes chatting on the phone and later, on Skype or Facebook. There were a few precious weeks between deployments and during the holidays when he had been able to come home for a visit.
The rest of the time, she had lived with constant worry. There were the darker feelings, too, which she struggled to keep from pulling her under while her husband was away.
Finally, a little over two years ago, Nick left the military. They moved from Lackland in San Antonio to the little town of Mill River, in southern Vermont, where she had grown up. An aircraft systems engineer, Nick found a job at GE Aviation in Rutland. She was hired at the elementary school, and Ben adjusted beautifully to the move. They’d finally purchased a home of their own. After years of rentals and military housing, living in their own cute three-bedroom Cape Cod and knowing they wouldn’t have to pack up and move for another deployment had felt like a dream.
She should have realized that, like all dreams, it wouldn’t last long.
Nick was among the first to be laid off when the economy sputtered. The newest employees had the least seniority. Her salary alone wasn’t enough to cover the bills, and their savings were significantly depleted after making the down payment on the house. But Nick had promised her that they would return to her native Vermont after his military career was over. They had scrimped and saved for years to qualify for a mortgage. And now they were settled in their new house.They were thrilled by how Ben was thriving in his new school. Finally, they were living in the cozy, loving community she considered her one true home. They were not about to surrender their dream without a fight.
“I could easily do maintenance, but none of the airlines are hiring. There’s always contracting work, though,” Nick had said as they sat at the kitchen table late one night. His voice had been quiet, hesitant, as if he hated to even bring up the possibility.
“You would have to go back.”
“Yes. For a while. But the money would be great, a lot better than a military salary. Do you think you could make it through one more stretch apart? It might not be for long. The economy’s finally on the way up. In six months or a year, I might get reinstated at GE.”
Six months or a year.
Karen felt as if they were moving backward. She squeezed Nick’s hand as she let his words sink in. It was all she could do to hold it together. But Nick’s brown eyes were fixed on her as he waited for her reply.
“I thought we were past being apart for months at a time.”
“I know, so did I. But short of moving again, I don’t know what other options we have. Besides, this is your home. Our home. I don’t want us to lose it or have to leave Mill River any more than you do.”
Karen felt the darkness—which was how she thought of the clinical depression that had plagued her for years—trying to force its way through her defenses. She had been stable for quite a while, thanks to a new antidepressant and careful monitoring by her doctor. Still, Nick’s long absences didn’t help her condition, and she knew what she would be risking by going along with his proposal. She knew, too, that by asking her next question she would be giving in, and she waited a few moments to compose herself. Finally, she whispered, “Where would you go?”
“Nowhere near any hostilities. Not Iraq or Afghanistan, although we’re about pulled out of them completely. Maybe the UAE or Qatar. Somewhere stable, with a U.S. presence and more tolerant locals.”
“You make it sound like it’s already a done deal.”
“I’ve made some calls,” Nick admitted. “Just to see if it was even a possibility. And it definitely is. Lots of guys I’ve worked with are already well established with the big contractors. I just need to give them the go-ahead, and they’ll hook me up.”
> “What happens if nothing’s changed with the economy by the time your contract’s up?”
“We just have to have faith that it will be okay.”
“I can’t stand the thought of us living apart again. And Ben…it’s meant so much to him to have you home.”
She looked into Nick’s eyes and saw inevitability. Her pain was reflected there, too, interspersed with his own hurt and disappointment. But in his gaze, Karen also recognized her husband’s incredible fortitude. His strength and resolve were two of the things she loved most about him.
“I know. But we’ve all done it before. Can’t we make it another year, honey? Can you stay strong for me one more time? I don’t know what else I can do, and at least I’d be earning enough to give us a savings cushion. I can keep an eye out for openings while I’m gone. I may be able to line up something for after the contract is up, and if not, we’d have a little time to decide what we should do.”
She squeezed Nick’s hand in silent acquiescence. He reached over and cupped her face, wiping one of his big thumbs gently beneath her eye. “One more year. But this will be our last separation,” he said. “You have my word. After this, whatever happens, we stay together.”
The ground crew detached the portable rolling stairway from the turboprop as the aircraft door swung closed. Karen pulled Ben closer as the plane began to back away from the terminal. She didn’t want her son to see her cry, but when she tried unsuccessfully to stifle a sob, he turned around. There was no avoiding it.
“It’ll be okay, Mom,” he said, stepping back into her arms. “He’ll get to visit in the summer, and before you know it, it’ll be Christmas and he’ll be back for good. Maybe I’ll even be taller than you by then.”
“At the rate you’re growing, I wouldn’t be surprised,” she said with her cheek pressed against Ben’s temple. “I wouldn’t be surprised at all.”
Once the small jet had taxied out to the runway where Karen and Ben could no longer see it, they walked back through the terminal and out to the parking lot. They didn’t speak much on the short drive home, which was just as well, because Karen was lost in her thoughts.
She worried that their time together as a family in Mill River might make this separation harder for her son. At last Ben had experienced what it was like to have Nick home at the end of each day, like most other fathers. For once, he’d had both parents attending his basketball games and other school events. Ben and Nick had begun to spend more time alone together on the weekends, doing “guy things” in which she had no interest. At least they’d had a little time together, and Nick had been there to see Ben transform from a little kid to an almost-teenager.
Still, it made her heart ache, how her son seemed to accept Nick going away again so easily. She told herself it was because Ben was a little older now and more emotionally mature. It was easier than admitting that, for her son, having his father live half a world away was simply the norm.
Karen exited the highway. With snow-covered rooftops and strings of holiday lights still illuminating the streets, the little town of Mill River rose up in the distance. She took a deep breath, slowing the car to turn into her driveway before they entered the quaint business district along Main Street. Here she had friends, a job, and their own lovely little home. For so many years, she had longed to bring her family back to the place where she’d had such a happy childhood. Closing her eyes and picturing her husband and son together in Mill River almost gave her a sense of peace. Besides, it would be better this time. She was better, and she could survive in this place.
“Well, Mom,” Ben said as he turned to her, “I guess it’s just you and me again.”
“Yeah,” Karen replied with a forced smile. She felt the dark wisps of emotion teasing, seeking a handhold on her soul, and she shuddered. “But only for one more year. We can make it for one more year.”
She silently repeated the reassurance she had just offered her son. I can make it one more year.
For her family’s sake, she would try. She had no other choice.
Chapter 1
On a bright Saturday in October, Claudia Simon looked eagerly out the passenger window of a pickup truck driven by her fiancé, Kyle Hansen. Kyle’s daughter, Rowen, was in the backseat, and they were headed up the long, curved driveway to the McAllister mansion, the huge home plated in white marble that overlooked the town of Mill River, Vermont. The trees alongside the driveway were in peak autumn color, and the leaves floating down as they passed carpeted the pavement in a brilliant mosaic of red, orange, and gold.
“It’s so beautiful,” Claudia said. “It seems almost magical, like the colors are just dripping everywhere.”
“Yep,” Kyle said. “Definitely one of the best things about living in Vermont.”
Rowen leaned forward between the two front seats and grinned. “Imagine how it’ll be in the winter, when it’s time for the wedding! I’ll bet there will be lots of snow! And maybe ice will get stuck on all these trees, like crystal.”
“That would be gorgeous,” Claudia said. She glanced down at her left hand, where the diamond in her engagement ring gleamed in the late-afternoon sunshine.
“And romantic,” Rowen said. “Especially with all the Christmas decorations.”
“I’ve always wanted a holiday wedding,” Claudia said. She looked across at Kyle and smiled. “And this place is so close to the church, and so amazing, at least on the outside. It could be the perfect place for the reception.”
“It’s nice on the inside, too,” Kyle said, “but we’ll have to see what Ruth’s plans are. It may not even be ready by December.”
Kyle pulled up to the large paved area in back of the marble house. Ruth Fitzgerald’s Buick sedan was already there, parked next to an older Subaru Impreza. As he cut the engine, the back door opened. Ruth appeared and waved them inside.
“Hi there,” she said. “I’ve been waiting for you. Would you believe the kitchen is almost finished? Come in and take a look!”
Rowen skipped ahead, darting past Ruth into the house. Claudia smiled at Ruth and took Kyle’s hand as they walked toward the door.
The back door of the house opened into a small mudroom. From there, Ruth led them into a wide, sunny kitchen. Claudia smelled paint and wood and window cleaner. In fact, a bottle of Windex and several rags rested on the counter. She and Kyle were silent for a moment as they looked around the room.
Directly in front of them, a professional stainless steel range gleamed. It was nestled between dark cherry cabinets that ran the length of the wall and continued around the kitchen. Other new appliances interrupted the cherry—a commercial refrigerator and freezer, two dishwashers, and a small wine storage unit. The tile backsplash behind the range complemented the rich pattern of the floor tiles. Veins of brown and gold in the new quartz countertops sparkled in the sunlight streaming through the window.
“Oh, Ruth, it’s beautiful,” Claudia breathed.
“It is,” Ruth agreed. “It’s almost too pretty to cook in. Emily DiSanti’s managing the renovation. She’s done a wonderful job so far.”
As if on cue, a striking woman with red hair entered the kitchen. She held a plastic shopping bag. “Ruth, I’ve got the hardware for the cabinets, and I— Oh, hey, guys.”
“You all know each other, don’t you?” Ruth asked.
“Sure, of course,” Emily said.
“It’s nice to see you again,” Claudia added.
“I don’t know if you’ve heard, but Kyle and Claudia are getting married,” Ruth said. The smiling, grandmotherly lady seemed to puff up with scarcely contained happiness. Claudia couldn’t help but smile along with her.
“Yes, I heard,” Emily said. “You know how fast news travels in Mill River. But congratulations! You must be so excited.”
“I’m going to be the flower girl,” Rowen chimed in, hugging Claudia around the waist.
“And you will be perfect, my dear,” Ruth told her. “Emily, I’m glad you’re here. Kyle and
Claudia are planning a holiday wedding, and they were wondering whether the bed-and-breakfast will be open by then.”
“We were hoping our immediate families and maybe the wedding party could stay here,” Kyle said. “Since we’ll be married at St. John’s, it would be so convenient.”
“I told them that the center hall would be a lovely place for a reception, too,” Ruth said as she looked over Emily’s shoulder toward the rest of the house. “But I said we’d have to ask you about it.”
Emily set her bag on the floor and took a deep breath. “Well, if everything goes according to plan, we’ll probably be finished in time. We’ve already taken care of most of the big things that needed to be done—the electricity upgrade, the new boiler for the radiators, the replacement windows. The drywall crew should be done replacing walls this week, too.”
“Why did you need to replace walls?” Claudia asked.
“Mainly because lots of them were plaster and cracking beyond repair. Painted drywall is much easier to maintain. Plus, since it’s an older property, covering plaster walls and replacing windows takes care of lead paint hazards.”
“And my lovely new kitchen is done,” Ruth added with a gleeful look around the room.
“Yes. The owner’s suite is coming along nicely, too. Other than that and a few plumbing upgrades, there will be only cosmetic work to do.”
“How many rooms will you have?” Claudia asked.
“Bedrooms, you mean?” Ruth asked. “Six, not including the owner’s suite. And each one has its own bathroom.”
“That’s exactly how many we’ll need,” Claudia said as she looked up at Kyle. “Two for your parents and brother, two for my family, and one apiece for the other groomsmen and bridesmaids.”
