“My name’s Rhys Baldwin. Judge Rhys Baldwin.”
“What do you want?” she asked again.
The waitress came over with a coffee pot in her hand. She didn’t say anything, but indicated that he might want a cup of coffee. He agreed and she poured. “Want anything else,” was her first sentence.”
“What’s the special of the day?”
“Meatloaf?” Her voice was a little bored.
“Would you recommend it?”
Her mouth turned down and the shake of her head was almost imperceptible.
“What would you recommend?”
“The turkey is passable.”
“All right,” Rhys said. “Bring us the turkey, baked potato and broccoli. We’ll order dessert later.”
The woman left.
“Is that all right with you?”
One shoulder went up and down nonchalantly. “It’s a free meal. I’ll eat it, but I’m not paying for it. In any way.” Her large expressive eyes pierced him.
“I’m glad to hear that. And I’m not here with any designs on you.”
“Then why are you buying me dinner?”
“Because I know your mother.”
She jerked back. Her eyes darted to the front of the diner as if she expected Lisa to be standing there.
“She’s not with me,” he assured her. “In fact, she doesn’t know I’m here or that I know where you are.”
“I’m not going back there. And even if you are a judge, you can’t make me. I haven’t done anything wrong.”
“Nothing legally wrong. Morally might be another discussion, but I’m not here to try and make you go home. I want you to want to go home.”
“Why should I listen to you? You know nothing about my life back there.”
“I know what it’s doing to the woman you left behind you.”
“Well she deserves it,” Julianna sneered.
“You don’t mean that.”
She didn’t say anything. Her eyes were black, like daggers as they stared at him.
“Staring at me like that won’t change my mind. I’ve seen many girls like you from my bench. I can tell when they’re all talk. You’re hurting and I can see it. I understand a lot more than you could possibly understand and I have two daughters of my own.”
Rhys was only half right when he said she was hurting, but his gut told him that her words weren’t the whole truth either.
“Why don’t you tell me about your life at home?”
“I don’t have to tell you anything.”
“That’s true, but I am paying for your dinner and I have the feeling you don’t eat much.” He looked at her, saw how thin she was. The photo he’d seen of her showed a healthier young girl. Her features were gaunt and her eyes had dark circles under them. “So the least you can do is tell me a little of why you left home.”
She didn’t say anything for a long time. Rhys began to think she wasn’t going to talk to him. The waitress arrived with their food and she dug into the open-faced turkey sandwich as if she hadn’t eaten in a week. Rhys felt a pang of sorrow for her. After refilling their coffee cups, the waitress receded back into the woodwork and Julianna spoke.
“She didn’t like me.”
“Who didn’t like you?”
“My mom. She didn’t want me to do anything. She had a rule for everything. I always had to tell her where I was, who I was with, where I was going. She never approved of any of my friends. I felt like a specimen under a microscope.”
“Did she say she didn’t like all of your friends?”
“Well,” she hesitated. “She liked a couple of them, but she hated my boyfriends. I didn’t have to hear her say it. I knew she didn’t like them.”
“How do you feel about that now? Do you think she was trying to protect you from making some kind of mistake?”
Rhys could see by the emotions that played across her tired looking features, that she hadn’t expected that question.
“Do you mean Brittany?”
“Brittany?”
“My baby. Doesn’t she still have Brittany?” Her voice was near panic.
“She calls her Jade.”
Again Rhys watched her reaction. She was relieved. “Jade is Brittany’s middle name.”
“Brittany is fine. She’s a happy child and a joy to your mother.” He paused a moment. “You miss her, don’t you?”
Julianna nodded. Rhys could see her swallow hard and not from the food.
“Why don’t you go to see her?”
“I told you, they don’t want me,” she snapped. “Neither one of them,” she muttered, but Rhys heard her.
Rhys hadn’t eaten any of his food. He took a bite of the turkey and it proved very good.
“Do you mean your father and your mother or your sisters?”
“My sisters are okay.”
“So it’s your parents.” He seemed to need to help her along. Rhys understood that he was a stranger to her and that she was only tolerating his presence so she could eat a decent meal. When the waitress returned, asking if they needed anything more, Rhys ordered her a glass of milk and a glass of orange juice.
“Have you contacted your father?” he continued with his questions.
“Not in years.”
“Did you try to call him after you left home?”
“Yeah,” she said defiantly. “And he was to busy. He didn’t need or want me around. So I got nobody. Understand.”
“How do you know?” he asked.
“I know.”
“How? Did your mom ask you to leave?” Rhys slipped easily into his old cross-examining role. He hadn’t been a trial lawyer in years, but he still knew the technique. Unconsciously, he’d stepped into the setup and deliver mode. He could ask her several leading questions and then deliver the logical conclusion that she couldn’t deny.
“She didn’t have to ask me. We fought all the time. I couldn’t stand it anymore. All the rules. It was her way or no way. So I left.”
“How do you like it?”
“How do I like what?”
“Your choice? How do you like living here and working at the Wal-Mart?”
“You know where I work?”
“You were easy to find.” He didn’t go into details, but he had access to a large network of people whose job it was to find people. “So how do you like this life?” Rhys glanced around the diner.
She again hunched a single shoulder. “It’s fine.” The venom in her voice was lethal.
“Really? You prefer this to Woodbine Heights, the clean sheets and spotless bathrooms to the addresses where you used to live?”
“I prefer this to having to constantly do whatever she says.”
Rhys pushed his plate away. He’d eaten the turkey and potato, but left the overcooked broccoli on the plate.
“Let’s cut all the lies and tell the truth,” Rhys said. His voice was low and calm.
“I’m not lying.”
“I’ll tell you a truth. I’m having trouble with my own daughters. Not only them, but my sons too. They’ve judged your mother unfairly, without even meeting her. They’ve decided that she and I shouldn’t be friends.”
“What do you mean by friends?”
“I’m in love with her.”
The young woman’s mouth dropped open. “Is she...”
He nodded. “We’ve both got family issues to resolve. So if you want to finish your meal and walk away, I won’t be able to stop you, but I’m hoping that you have more strength of character than that.”
The mask she was hiding behind slipped a little. Rhys saw a hunger in her eyes for people she knew deep down loved her.
“How is she?” Julianna asked. “She was in the store a few weeks ago. I hid in the stock room. She looked happy. She was with her friend Susan.”
“She’s afraid someone will come to her and tell her something had happened to you. I went by her house late one night and she nearly fainted at the door. She thought it was a policema
n.”
“I never thought of that. I thought she’d be glad to have me gone. I wasn’t a very good kid.”
“How do you feel now? Do you want to go home?”
“How can I? I said some awful things to her. I did some things that are unforgivable.”
“Nothing is unforgivable.”
Tears gathered in her eyes. Rhys watched her fight them. She swallowed hard and averted her face, using her napkin to wipe away the drop of water that spilled free.
“Maybe in your world.”
“Do you want to make things right. I don’t blame you, Julianna. As a judge, I know there is always a little blame on both sides. But you have the chance to change things. Your mom can’t do it.”
“How could I possibly go home? She’ll hate me for what I’ve done.”
“If she hated you, she wouldn’t be so concerned about you.” He waited for her to take in what he’d said. He didn’t want to force her to make a decision she’d run away from at the first opportunity. “You have to want to go home. You have to want to work with your mother, to compromise on what her rules are and what you think you’re entitled to. You’re both adults now.”
“Do you think she knows that?”
“I think she does. I think she knows that your last few years have changed you. I think both of you have a different understanding of love. Am I wrong?”
She shook her head and dropped her gaze to the empty plate and coffee cup. Miraculously the waitress arrived and filled it.
“Dessert?” the waitress asked, holding her pad open and ready.
Rhys looked at Julianna. “How about a slice of chocolate cake?”
“I’d like it in a carryout container,” Julianna said.
Rhys felt his stomach drop. He wanted to convince her to go home tonight, but wasn’t sure that would happen now. If she didn’t eat the cake at the diner, she was saving it for later, for a point when she would be hungry and needed something to eat.
“Will you give going back some thought?” he asked.
Again she waited so long to speak he didn’t think she was going to answer.
“I’m scared,” she finally said, her voice a low wail. “Suppose she really doesn’t want me back.”
“Julianna.” He reached for her hand and squeezed it. “I haven’t known your mother as long as you have, but I know she loves you and I know she wants you safe and happy. If you can do that away from home, she’d be fine with your decision. But living in squalor and not knowing where your next meal will come from isn’t a safe and happy life.”
He waited a moment, hoping, praying she’d agree.
“How do I know I can trust you?”
The crack, Rhys recognized that she was considering his proposal. “I’m not your father, Julianna. I won’t abandon you. If you don’t make it at home, I’ll help you find someplace that you can work and live and be safe.”
Tears spilled down her face. “I want to go home,” she cried. “I’m so tired and sleepy and I hate my life. I want to see my baby.”
Rhys wanted to take her right then and there, but knew it could be a mistake. She was emotional. When the emotion wore off she could run again. Rhys decided to give her time to consider his offer. He drew a card from his pocket and pushed it toward her.
“Think about it. Give yourself some time to calm down and think rationally about what you want. If you still want to go home, here’s my phone number. You can reach me any time.”
She took the card and looked at it. “My mother?”
“I won’t say anything to her. You have my word.”
“What are your daughter’s names,” she asked.
Rhys didn’t expect the question. “Kathryn and Rita. Rita is about your age.”
“I hope you will understand their point of view and that you remain a family.”
The wisdom of her words was far beyond her years. “We’re working on it.”
Sliding out of the booth, he took the check and left money for a tip. “Do you need anything?” he asked, not wanting to destroy the hope he felt their conversation had achieved.
She shook her head.
“Call me, if you want to go home. I’m come and get you anytime.”
She nodded.
The waitress passed him with the container of chocolate cake for Julianna. He stopped and paid the check. With one look back, he saw the beautiful young woman, so like her mother, staring in thought out into the night.
Rhys could only hope she would call soon.
***
Big flakes of snow settled on the windowsill. Lisa had a fire going in the family room. Cinnamon rolls cooked in the oven, giving the house a warm, homey feel. The twins would be home soon for the Thanksgiving holiday. Lisa’s new business was doing well. Better than she thought it would. She’d accepted several new commissions and a call had come from one of the large pharmaceutical search firm. She’d gone on several interviews and three of them appealed to her. All of them were local to Chicago, so she wouldn’t have to move. Not that she would consider it now. And she was scheduled for three interviews right after Thanksgiving. While she liked the freedom of working from home, she needed the security of a steady income and the assurance that she could provide for her family.
Going back to the cinnamon rolls, Lisa put the interviews out of her mind. With the weather being what it was outside, and the rolls permeating the air with their mouth-watering scent, Lisa should have been fine. But, she couldn’t get into the mood of the day. She felt aimless, walking from room to room and beginning things to help take up the time, only to drop them moments later. Nothing satisfied her.
She missed Rhys. He’d become routine in her life. She loved having dinner with him, the two of them cooing over Jade, and just talking to him. He was interested in her, in her business and how her day went. And his love making made her feel like a teenager again, when everything was new and exciting. She wanted that excitement.
But his family was an obstacle. Lisa knew all to well the need for family. She checked on the cinnamon rolls. They were rising and browning nicely. The hot blast from the oven and the sugary smell made her stomach growl. Julianna loved these rolls. The twins were more prone to sticky buns. Drew wanted hers crowded with nuts and Darnell scooped all the nuts aside and ate them separately.
Lisa sat down hard on one of the stools in front of the counter. She missed Rhys terribly. She knew her decision to discontinue seeing him was the right one, but that didn’t make her heart understand. She was thankful for Jade as a distraction. Lifting the paper into her arms, she held her tight and watched the snow falling outside.
Snow, wind, rain, heat, they always made Lisa think of Julianna and her safety. Where was she sleeping? Was she on the street? Lisa didn’t want to think about it. She got up and took Jade to her office. Lisa could work on the proposal for a dress shop in a nearby town. The owner wanted more people to come to the local boutique instead of heading for the shopping mall.
The doorbell rang on her way. It was Susan.
“Homemade cinnamon buns,” she said the moment Lisa closed the door. Susan was white with snow everywhere. She’d walked from her house to Lisa’s “I knew you’d be making something delicious.”
Health food went out the window at the first snow. Susan needed comfort food and Lisa pulled the pan out of the oven as Susan took Jade from her.
“You’ve got to teach me how to make these.”
“Susan, I’ve given you the recipe several times.”
“I know, but mine never taste like yours.”
Susan took one, hot and piping as soon as Lisa lathered it with icing. Lisa sat a cup of coffee in front of her and the two settled in, knowing they would have to spend extra time exercising the pounds off after they finished the pan.
“What’s happening?” Susan asked, sipping the coffee.
“I got a few more commissions,” she said.
“I mean with Rhys.”
Lisa knew that, but was disinclined t
o broach the subject herself.
“There is no Rhys. He and I are no longer an item.” She used Grace’s word for them and tried to make her voice sound unconcerned.
“Are you sure you two can work something out. You seemed so happy together.”
“It’s not us, Susan. I’ve explained this before. Rhys has a family as do I and the blending will not work.”
“You don’t know if you don’t try.”
“Susan, I did try and it was a disaster from the start. The dinner with his daughters was horrible. I learned what they really think of me, so why go on? I don’t want to break up his family and I have my own problems to deal with.”
“I just know you were happy and I want that for you.”
“Thank you,” Lisa said. Tears gathered in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She’d been so reluctant to get involved with Rhys and she’d been right, but it was too late to think about that at this point. “There are some things that are meant to be and some that aren’t. Rhys and I met on two different planets. We aren’t meant to be.”
Before Susan could reply the phone rang. Lisa answered it and heard Rhys’s voice. A fissure of emotion ripped through her so hard it was physical. She crashed down on the bar stool.
“Rhys, this is a surprise.”
Lisa saw Susan’s ears perk up. She stared at her friend.
“What?”
“Thanksgiving? No, no I don’t have any plans.”
Susan was nodding her. “Say yes,” she mouthed silently.
“My daughters will be home and–” she stopped. “What?” She listened as Rhys invited her and her entire family to share Thanksgiving with his family. “Rhys, I thought we had an understanding. We tried this once. It didn’t--” he stopped her again.
“Give it a chance,” Susan whispered. “Say yes.”
Lisa wanted to say yes. The thought of seeing him again weakened her resolve. He was waiting for her answer. The silence on the phone was audible.
“You deserve happiness, despite his family,” Susan said as if she were Lisa’s conscience.
“Rhys,” she began, intent on refusing. Susan’s quietly chanted that she should go. “I’ll try it again,” she said.
Susan collapsed in joy.
Holding Up the World Page 15
