This child needs guidance, and while I know Jeff isn’t going to provide any, he may be able to give me a more accurate picture of what’s going on with Megan and her grades. At least fill in the holes that Steve is avoiding and doesn’t understand. I find Jeff’s phone number on an old list on the side of the refrigerator. Jeff is getting a visit from me, whether he likes it or not.
CHAPTER THIRTY NINE
“Noreen was crazy, and then I ended up with an even bigger crazy woman.” Jeff puts up his hands in defense. “Don’t get me wrong. I loved them both, but I sure know how to pick ‘em.”
He licks the barbecue sauce off his fingers as he attempts to inhale the entire rack of ribs in one bite. I called last night to see if he was available today, and he was excited to use this meeting as an excuse to avoid dinner at home.
“It’s like refereeing a boxing match, a food fight and a crying competition. And that’s just me and Crystal.” He cracks himself up, smacking his leg onto his pants. He notices the barbecue sauce stain on his jeans, and swears.
“I’m sure it isn’t easy raising three little boys. I don’t have any kids, but I would like to do what I can to help Megan.” I sip my iced tea and roll the straw between my fingers. Somehow alcohol didn’t feel right for this meeting, although Jeff is on his second beer.
“You seem like a good person, Rebecca. And a smart cookie,” He pretends to shoot a gun at me, as if that reinforces his confidence in my intelligence. “If you think Megan is college bound, I believe you.”
He finally reaches for his napkin and wipes his face, getting most of the sticky, brown sauce out of his mustache. “But I have to tell ya. I am not happy about all the stuff Noreen lifted off me in the divorce. Namely my car. I don’t really care about those stupid fancy dishes. Crystal can’t cook a lick, and Noreen only knew how to dial for takeout. But my car is a gem, and I know it’s worth a lot of money.”
“I agree, Jeff. No one even drives it.”
He shakes his head in disgust, and throws his napkin over the rib carcass, pronouncing the meal deceased. “Listen, here’s what I will agree to. You work with Megan to get her grades up, and you can sell the car and use the money for college.”
I smile and squash the urge to explain that he no longer owns the car, and Steve doesn’t need his permission, even if I don’t agree that his loss was fair. “That’s so generous of you, Jeff. Megan will surely appreciate it.” I pop a French fry in my mouth. They’re already cold since I’ve been so focused on Jeff’s spellbinding conversation.
He rubs his stomach and reaches for his beer. “Hey, I’m not a bad guy. I did a bad thing leaving Noreen for Crystal, but I’m human, ya know?”
I nod my head and purse my lips. He doesn’t notice my suppressed amusement at his speeches.
He continues, “I hated Noreen for a long time, but I understand her grief. I did right by Megan, but Noreen didn’t care. She was just out for vengeance.” He rubs his eyes. “When she died, it still broke my heart, and even though I felt bad about letting Megan move in with me, and not trying harder to help with her relationship with her mother, I was glad that Megan was with me when Noreen got hit by that car.”
“Do you miss her?”
“Me? Nah. She drove me nuts, and honestly I think she drove Steve nuts, too. She had some good points. Damn good housekeeper, she had loads of energy. Good artist. She was a good mother, even though she butted heads with Megan. But no, I don’t miss her. I doubt Steve does either, at this point, but I think he feels guilty. You know, for being the one who didn’t die.”
I fiddle with my straw some more, and glance at the waitress. She comes over and refills my iced tea, buying me a moment to either change the subject or delve deeper.
“You got something else to say, don’t you?” He peers at me and I cave in to his prompting.
“Do you think Steve and Noreen were happy?”
“The house is still full of her stuff, right?”
“Yeah.”
“That doesn’t mean anything. I think they were like any other couple. They had problems, but happiness, too. You shouldn’t be analyzing this so much. Megan is doing great as far as her mom is concerned. Maybe she can be a help. And you understand, I didn’t want her to move back to Steve’s. She was ready to go back. Our house really is a zoo. This way she can come home and visit, and not get in Crystal’s way. Really, Megan was helpful with the babies, but Crystal is too sleep deprived and dense to see it. I’m just a guy trying to keep his head above water, and was handed three babies and a neurotic woman.”
I smile in sympathy, as I stifle my urge to tell him he made this zoo and he’s the zookeeper, whether or not he likes it.
Jeff surprises me by picking up the tab. “Hey, thanks for being there for my little girl. I know you just met her, but I hope you’ll finally be the female role model she needs. Between Noreen and Crystal, she’s had a rough time. And then of course there’s her grandmother.”
“Noreen’s mother? I met her. She came to the house.”
His eyes widen. “Oh my God, she’s still up Steve’s ass? Now there is a grade A, bona fide, card carrying lunatic. Did she get you with all that Catholic crap? You know all those sons barely talk to her. I think a couple of them visit once in a while, but for the most part they stay clear of crazy mom.” I nod my head, finally bonding in pain with Jeff. “I understand that she was devastated when she lost her only girl, but holy shit.”
I explain that she came over to bring us Noreen’s fortieth birthday celebration materials and he started laughing.
“I’m sorry, I know it’s not funny, but maybe if you could find the humor in the insanity you wouldn’t get so upset. And you know, poor Steve can’t help it.”
Poor Steve does seem to go along with it. At least he has in the past. Apparently there are pictures from Noreen’s birthday last year, as well as her death anniversary. I found them on our shared network (never a good idea), so he even bothered to load them to his computer. If I tell Jeff this tidbit of information, he will remove Megan, determining that Steve is as crazy as Crystal and Kathleen combined.
We part with a handshake and a promise from me to talk to Steve about selling the car, and his word that he will make sure Megan visits regularly, especially to bond with her little brothers as they grow.
Driving home, I take deep breaths and review Jeff’s words. Is Steve just humoring Kathleen, and now that I’m in the picture it’s become stressful? Is it really a big deal if he doesn’t actually buy into it? Even if that’s the case, I can’t help but feel that Steve is spineless. And why is he so concerned about everyone’s feelings but mine?
I punch in the front door code and expect to be greeted by the fur babies, at least, but no one comes running. Everyone should be home. Steve’s car is here, and Megan said she would be home tonight.
I walk down the hall and see that Megan’s door is open. “Hey, there. I just had a nice dinner with your father and…I thought you were allergic to cats?” Megan is sitting on the floor with Blue and Jewel laying on her, getting free massages.
Megan grimaces and at least has the decency to look a little guilty. “Yeah, well…I used to be, but I was really just fucking with you guys. I did want to move in here, but I wasn’t sure how I felt about another mom-like person in my life, so I told Steve I was allergic.”
My traitor cats purr and roll on the floor in pleasure. At least Elsa comes over to say hello and receive her attention.
“I’m sorry I did that, but I wouldn’t have if I had known you were cool, and you actually cook real food.”
I put my hands on my hips, and then join her on the floor. “I forgive you. I’m sure I would have done the same thing if I were you.”
She looks down and even guiltier. “Um, also…that dragonfly necklace wasn’t my mom’s. I was just fucking with you then, too.”
Elsa suddenly jumps up and runs to the other side of the house. Even though dogs hear things that are miles away, I am always a
larmed when she frantically barks. What if we ignored a genuine threat?
I decide to follow Elsa and ignore Megan’s confession. Thank God I haven’t confronted Steve about the necklace, but it seemed perfectly plausible since he was trying to give me lots of “gifts” from Noreen’s jewelry box.
I follow Elsa down the hall to the front door. I look out the side windows and don’t see anyone. “What, Elsa? Nobody’s here.”
She stops for a moment, and I hear Steve on the phone in his study. The door is closed, but his voice is booming.
“Yep, that’s my plan. She—”
Elsa’s barking starts up again and I miss what “she” will do. Is he talking about me? I try to calm Elsa by petting her, but she is still pacing and warning me of danger in the language of her people. I don’t want to yell at her because it won’t work anyway, and I want to hear the rest of Steve’s conversation.
Hovering by the door, I hear, “…at the party. I’m all set.” He pauses while I assume the other person is speaking. Elsa has quieted down, and I peer over my shoulder to make sure Megan doesn’t catch me listening at Steve’s door. I should apply for an FBI position. Or wait, it’s the CIA that spies, I think.
Elsa has grabbed her ball and brought it back to me. I throw it into the kitchen so she stays away long enough for me to hear the rest of this conversation. It’s Steve’s turn to speak again. “I’d like to think she would be happy about it.”
My heart flutters, and my stomach tightens. He doesn’t even know about the party. Kathleen was trying to plan a birthday celebration for Noreen. No, that’s ridiculous. I must have misheard. Oh my God, their anniversary is this month, too. At least she didn’t also die this month. Twinges of remorse accompany that thought, but I can’t think of what else he could possibly mean. Who is “she” if not Noreen, and what should she be happy about, if not her loved ones honoring her?
CHAPTER FORTY
Steve does know about the party. It wasn’t a surprise to discover how he found out. Eve. I really need to find her a man. Maybe if she were getting some action she would stay out of our business. It’s bad enough that he knows, but it gets better. She mentioned it because she thought we should invite Kathleen, and then conveniently remembered that it was a surprise party. She apparently felt terrible that Kathleen was absent from the art exhibit and heard that she had a “run-in” with me. I could say filthy curse words, but that won’t salvage my party. Or my sanity. Or possibly my relationship.
I took the day off today to finish getting ready for the party tomorrow, and I was looking forward to watching a nice violent program with Steve last night before bed (we need to catch up on Vikings), and a rare Friday off. Megan and I are also planning on seeing a movie when she wakes from her mid-day teenager slumber.
Steve emerged from his office shortly after that phone call last night, and found me in the kitchen, emptying the dishwasher and making a racket.
He asked me if anything was wrong and I said no, not a thing. I let him hug me and mess up my hair, mainly because I needed to lower my blood pressure. He led me to the family room and I told him I would be happy to watch his favorite show before bed.
Before clicking the remote, he asked me how it went with Jeff. So as not to live my entire life shrouded in a cloak of lies and deception, I had previously told him and Megan that I was meeting with Jeff.
I didn’t tell him I found Megan’s notebooks, or any concrete evidence of her intelligence and skills, but I did say that I thought we should talk about her plans beyond high school. Steve gushed about how wonderful I am and how happy he is that I’ve taken an interest in Megan. I’m sure anything that draws my interest away from our real problems is a welcome diversion for him.
I summarized our conversation, leaving out Jeff’s opinions about Noreen. Steve agreed that the car should be sold for Megan’s college fund and we would work on that soon. I thought we were done talking, and even I was anxious to see what Ragnar and his cronies were up to in their next episode of carnage and conquest.
Steve put down the remote and broke the news that he found out about his surprise party, and how it happened. My head almost blew off my shoulders, but I told him it was okay, and we’ll still have a good time. Bashing Eve does me no good, and if she invited Kathleen, there’s not much I can do about that, either.
However, as I began to put things together, I felt as sick as I do if I peek between my fingers during a Vikings battle scene. If they have cooked up a plan to hijack this party…no, that’s preposterous. Steve knows I would be gone if he did that. I couldn’t bear that kind of public insult and humiliation on a night I planned for his fiftieth birthday.
I do sympathize with everyone’s loss, but I have to draw a line in the crazy sand. Even Noreen is probably looking down and shaking her head at the ineptitude of her mourners. No, life needs to be about the living. With that thought, I squeezed Steve’s hand and asked him to start the program. At least I wasn’t in danger of having my head chopped off, like the poor bastards on this show. However, I could use that fortune teller guy, the one with no eyes, to let me know if I’m going to feel like rolling some heads on Saturday night.
Now it’s Friday and I am attempting to finish party preparations while concealing my anger. At least until Megan surfaces, I don’t have to be very successful. The animals don’t notice if I’m pissed off as long as they get treats.
Megan wakes up, and I make pancakes while we decide on an afternoon movie. Everything is in place for the party tomorrow, and Violet has the details under control on her end. We settle on a chick flick and head out.
The movie we want to see is only playing at the theater closer to my condo. I don’t know why Steve wants to live on this side of town, there’s nothing here. But Jeff lives here, too, and it made it easier to see Megan. Plus with Steve’s hesitancy to change anything, actually selling the house must seem monumental.
We enjoy a fun, romantic escape where no one dies, and everyone gets their happily ever after. So in other words, two hours of bullshit. I can’t say that, though, because I don’t want to crush Megan’s spirit. She’s too young to know middle-aged romantic bitterness. I am aware it appears that we’re mother and daughter, and I calculate that I was twenty-nine when she was born. If I remember correctly that was the summer of the young surfer and my first foray into cougarhood.
I sigh and suggest ice cream, before heading back home. I don’t have to twist Megan’s arm, and shortly we are licking our cones at Bruster’s and recounting our favorite parts of the movie.
“That part was dumb. Nobody is that clumsy on a date.” Megan laughs and peels back the paper around her sugar cone.
“Oh, you’d be surprised. You haven’t met my friend, Claire.” I search my memory for a Claire story that would be appropriate to share with a teenager when I spot him. Doesn’t he have anything to do? He’s walking over here. Son of a bitch!
“Hello, Rebecca. It’s so good to see you. This must be Megan.”
I want scratch his eyes out, but instead turn to Megan and say, “This is Luke. Remember Steve and I were talking about how he’s renting out my condo until I can sell it.”
Luke takes Megan’s free hand and says, “So nice to meet you, Megan. Your every bit as pretty as your mother.” What the fuck is he talking about? He has never seen a picture of Noreen. What an asshole, trying to charm a young…
“Rebecca, you left those papers at the condo the other day. You never signed them. You left them by the pool, and I put them on the kitchen table, in case you want to stop by and I’m not there.”
If looks could kill, he would have an ice pick through his perfectly sculpted chest, right in the heart region.
“You went to the pool?” Megan’s eyes widen and she looks back and forth between me and Luke for confirmation. “I thought you said you didn’t have time for that.”
I see what’s he’s doing. Placing me at the scene, but not in a blatantly incriminating way. If I was in the pool, I pr
obably wasn’t in his bedroom. I don’t think he would stoop low enough to tell a kid what happened the other day, but I wouldn’t put it past him. He is acting like a spoiled child, but he’s backed me into a corner.
“I was in the neighborhood and Luke asked me to come by to sign some papers. For the neighborhood association. Because of the rental.” I wish I could enroll in lying school. Although some of that is true. “So I stopped by and sat by the pool, because of course I didn’t have my swimsuit with me.” I glare at Luke and my eyes challenge him to contradict me.
“Yes, I did laps while Rebecca updated me on all the good things going on at home.” He smiles at Megan. I am almost sure he has her fooled, but kids are savvy.
“Why don’t you scan those papers and e-mail them to me, Luke. I’ll take care of it later.”
“Good idea.” He innocently snaps his fingers as if that had never occurred to him. “This lady is always thinking, Megan. Well, I will leave you meninas to your ice cream.” He winks and saunters off. Dickhead.
I follow him with my eyes until he’s out of sight, and look back at Megan. She gets up to throw her napkin in the trash and sits back down, crossing her hands on the table. “So, would you mind telling me what that was all about?”
“What do you mean?”
“Seriously? You may not want to hear it, but I know sexual innuendo when I see it. That guy is like sex on a stick.”
Shit. I guess her love of Disney movies and puppy videos hasn’t prevented her acquisition of more mature knowledge. I want to ask her just how much she knows about sexual innuendo, but I’m the one in the hot seat right now. Mental note to ask about birth control when this blows over. If it blows over.
“Well, Luke and I dated, but it was a long time ago. And yes, of course he’s very good looking, but that doesn’t mean anything. He’s a big flirt and used to getting a lot of attention. Do you want anything else before we head home?”
Afraid of Her Shadow Page 33
