by Alice Walsh
“It’s not only Jade that Ms. Roberts is concerned about,” Lauren said. “She’s worried about her granddaughter.” She looked pointedly at Frances. “She thinks Jade may have left Cara with someone.”
Frances tightened her lips. “From what I hear, Jade didn’t deserve to have a baby.” She sounded disgusted.
Lauren stared at her, waiting for an explanation.
Frances threw her cigarette butt in the dumpster. Without another word, she walked away.
Chapter 24
“Momma, there’s Ethan from my school.” Bailey waved at a boy across the restaurant who was sitting with his parents. “Can I go see him?”
“Not now,” Lauren said. “Stay with me until we’re seated.” It was quarter to six by the clock above the cash register. Daniel had said he’d meet them around six. Usually they had to wait at least ten minutes for a table. This evening, however, there were only a few people ahead of them.
Ma Taters was a family-style restaurant, best known for its seasoned potato skins. Lauren usually took Bailey there a couple of times a month. It had a good kids’ menu, and Bailey loved Bully the mechanical bull. For a loonie, kids could ride Bully for a full five minutes.
“Just the two of you?” the waiter asked.
“A friend will be joining us shortly,” Lauren said.
“Would you like a table or a booth?”
“I’d prefer a booth. By the window if there’s one available.”
“Follow me.” The waiter was leading them to a booth when Bailey let out a squeal. “Patrick’s here!” Before Lauren could stop her, she scampered across the restaurant to a table in the corner.
“Bailey, come back here,” Lauren called, going after her. She stopped suddenly, gaping in surprise when she saw Patrick Shaw sitting at a table with Annabelle Chandler. On the table were platters of seafood and an opened bottle of wine. Patrick, dressed in a tan jacket and dress pants, looked more self-assured than he had at the police station.
“Hey there, Bailey,” he called.
“I’m sorry,” Lauren said, reaching for her daughter’s hand.
“No problem,” Patrick said, good-naturedly.
Annabelle smiled. “Nice to see you, Lauren. You look good.”
Never as good as you, Annabelle, Lauren thought. Although the restaurant had a relaxed atmosphere and most patrons dressed casually, Annabelle wore a fancy dress. As usual, her lipstick and eyeliner were meticulous. “Good to see you too,” Lauren said.
After a few moments of polite chatter, Lauren said, “I’ll let you two finish your meal in peace.” Holding Bailey’s hand, she led her to their booth. By this time, a server had arrived at their table with a paper placemat that looked like a page ripped from a large colouring book. He handed it to Bailey along with a small package of crayons.
“Know what I like best about this restaurant?” Bailey asked.
Lauren smiled. “The nuggets?”
“Nope. I like the crayons.”
While Bailey coloured a picture of Cinderella, Lauren glanced nervously out the window. Would Daniel demand his rights as a father? Would he demand weekends or holidays with his daughter? He was hardly in a position to do so, she argued with herself.
From where she sat Lauren had an unobstructed view of Patrick and Annabelle’s table. She watched as Patrick poured wine into Annabelle’s glass. When had the two become friends? Lauren wondered. When she’d seen them sitting together at Ariel’s memorial service, she’d assumed it was because of the seating shortage. Now, it seemed more likely that they had arrived together. What could they possibly have in common? Annabelle was nearly old enough to be Patrick’s mother. Was she a relative? No, Lauren told herself. She recalled Patrick’s mother telling her how difficult it was not having family in the area. Not even a cousin, she had complained.
A couple of minutes past six, Lauren saw Daniel pass by the window. He was wearing a blue shirt under a brown wool sweater and blue jeans. “Daniel’s here,” she told Bailey.
“Is he your boyfriend, Momma?”
Lauren laughed. “No, Daniel’s a friend.”
After a brief exchange with the waiter, Daniel headed toward their table. “Hi, Lauren,” he said as he approached. “Good to see you again.” He squatted down next to the booth where Bailey was sitting. “And you must be Bailey.”
“Yup.” Bailey giggled.
Smiling, Daniel continued, “Is it okay if I sit next to you?”
Nodding, Bailey shifted to make room.
“Well,” Daniel said. “It’s not often I get to dine with two beautiful women. You look lovely, both of you.” He turned to Bailey, taking in her pinafore dress. Lauren had brushed her red curls into pigtails. “Is that a new dress?”
“Momma buyed it at Hansel and Gretel’s.”
At that moment, the server came by with three large menus. “I’ll have the usual,” Lauren said without opening hers.
“What’s the usual?” Daniel asked.
The server smiled at Lauren. “Breaded pork chops, a salad, and potato skins. Right?”
Lauren nodded. “Good memory, Kevin.”
“That sounds good,” Daniel said. “Make that two breaded pork chops.”
Kevin turned to Bailey. “And will you be having your usual nuggets and fries, missy?”
Bailey nodded. “And a chocolate sundae with a cherry on top.”
Lauren saw Daniel nod and smile.
After the server left, Bailey picked up a crayon and began working on her placemat.
“That’s really great colouring,” Daniel said, watching her.
“I draw really good pictures too,” Bailey said.
Daniel patted her arm. “I’m sure you do.”
Bailey smiled. “Do you want to come to Arts and Crafts Day at my school?”
“Arts and Crafts Day?” Daniel turned to Lauren.
“Bailey’s school has an open house where they display the children’s arts and crafts,” Lauren explained. “The next one is Tuesday afternoon.” Turning to Bailey she said, “Daniel will be gone by then, darling. He’s going to Nova Scotia.”
“That was my original plan,” Daniel said, “but this sounds pretty important. Why don’t I change my flight and stick around for a couple more days. How does that sound?”
“You’re staying here…in Paddy’s Arm,” Lauren said, incredulous.
“You like it here?” Bailey asked without looking up from her colouring.
Daniel nodded. “I’ve met some really great people.”
“Who?” Bailey asked.
“Well, there’s your mom. And there’s that lovely lady Mae, who works at the Bay Wop Inn where I’m staying.”
“That’s Dylan’s nan,” Bailey said.
“And of course, there’s you,” Daniel said, smiling at Bailey. “I would love to come to Arts and Crafts Day at your school. Thank you for inviting me.”
Bailey grinned. “They have cookies and squares and Kool-Aid.”
“Well, I hope they have cherry Kool-Aid,” Daniel said. “That’s my favourite.”
“My favourite is grape,” Bailey said.
While they waited for their orders, Daniel peppered Bailey with questions. Did she like school? Did she have any pets? What games did she like? What were her favourite books? What were her favourite TV programs? As he listened, Daniel nodded and smiled, amused by her answers.
During the meal, Lauren kept sneaking glances at Annabelle and Patrick. After a while she saw Annabelle get up from the table. She kissed Patrick’s cheek and then went to pay the tab. Patrick remained seated even after she left the restaurant.
The server came with their food, and for the next few minutes they busied themselves with applying ketchup, buttering rolls, and tucking in napkins.
“Do you have any little girls or boys?” Bailey asked Daniel aft
er a while.
Daniel shot Lauren a startled look. “No, I…have no little girls or boys.”
After they finished dessert, Daniel and Lauren ordered coffee. Bailey had finished colouring her placemat and was starting to get antsy. Lauren was thinking of some way to engage her when Patrick appeared at their table. With him was the kid from Bailey’s school. “Sorry to disturb you,” Patrick said. “I was wondering if Bailey wanted to go on Bully with Ethan.” He pulled a fistful of change from his pocket. “I have all those loonies I want to get rid of.” He smiled at Lauren. “I also have a lot of time to kill until my friend gets here.”
Bailey’s eyes lit up. “Can I, Momma?”
Lauren nodded. “That’s very kind of you, Patrick. Thanks for the offer.” Turning to Daniel, she said, “This is Patrick Shaw, Bailey’s favourite teacher. Patrick, this is my friend Daniel Kerry.”
Bailey was practically skipping as she walked away. Without Bailey to distract them, Lauren suddenly felt uneasy with Daniel. Sipping her coffee, she tried to make small talk. “Patrick is great with the little ones,” she said, gesturing toward the bull. Ethan and Bailey were on Bully’s back, squealing with delight.
Daniel nodded. “He seems like a nice guy.” He peered at Lauren. “Thank you for having dinner with me,” he said. “I hope you’ll let me be part of Bailey’s life.”
Lauren sighed. “How do I explain to Bailey that you’re her father? How do I explain why you haven’t been in her life all these years?”
“The reason I haven’t been in her life before now is because you didn’t tell me about her.” Daniel covered Lauren’s hand with his. “We’ll work it out. You’ll see.”
“Are you going to tell your superiors about Bailey? What will your bishop say?”
“He won’t be pleased,” Daniel admitted. “But God knows I’m not the first priest this has happened to. It’s more common than you think.” He rubbed his chin with his thumb. “That’s the least of my concerns right now. Bailey is my daughter, Lauren. I want to be in her life.”
Chapter 25
Lauren arrived at the open house much later than she’d planned. Bailey was excited that Daniel would be attending. He had been to visit at the house twice since their dinner at Ma Taters. No sooner had she opened the door than Bailey came running. “Momma!” she called. When Lauren dropped her off at school that morning, her face was scrubbed, her hair combed neatly into pigtails. Because it was a special occasion, Lauren let her wear her good outfit with the white frilly blouse. Now, Bailey’s hair was flying in all directions. There was a rim of chocolate around her lips. She had spilled purple Kool-Aid down the front of her blouse. “Look what Daniel buyed me,” she said, proudly showing off a new doll.
“I hope you don’t mind,” Daniel said, coming to stand beside her. He had a camera slung over his shoulder. “I picked it up at that store you mentioned.”
“Don’t you have enough dolls?” Lauren asked, stooping to kiss her daughter.
“She can bend her arms and legs.” Bailey twisted the doll’s legs backward to demonstrate.
Lauren looked around the room, at the walls plastered with children’s drawings, finger paintings, collages, and other artwork. A couple of small tables held projects made from pottery, playdough, and papier mâché. “Come see my pictures, Momma,” Bailey said, tugging at Lauren’s sleeve. She led her mother to the back of the room.
“Wow!” Lauren exclaimed, taking in Bailey’s drawings and finger paintings.
“That’s Regis.” Bailey pointed to one of the drawings.
“Awesome!” Lauren couldn’t help smiling at the image. Bailey had painted the dog purple. Its head was twice the size of its body. The only resemblance to an animal was its four stick legs.
“I think Regis will like it.” Bailey ran to a nearby table and picked up a small clay bowl with an imprint of her hand at the bottom. “I made this for you, Momma.”
“Well, thank you, Bailey. It’s wonderful.”
“I think we have an artist on our hands,” Daniel said, proudly.
Although Lauren smiled, she was a little uneasy with Daniel’s choice of words: we, our. At that moment, a teacher appeared with a platter of egg sandwiches. Daniel and Bailey each took two and settled down at a small table to eat.
“Aren’t you going to have some?” Daniel asked Lauren. “Or are you afraid of ruining your supper?”
Supper. Lauren shook her head.”I forgot to take the bean casserole from the freezer this morning.” Unless she ordered out, there’d be no dinner.
“Can I buy you and Bailey dinner?” Daniel asked. “Mae told me there’s a great deli in town that delivers.”
Lauren hesitated. Did she want Daniel coming to the house again?
“Mae says the lasagna’s really good.”
“Really, Daniel, you don’t have to go to any trouble.”
“No trouble,” he assured her.
“Well. Thank you. Bailey and I love lasagna.”
“I’ll show you the pictures I took of Bailey’s artwork.”
Lauren smiled. “I’d forgotten what a great photographer you are.” She was about to sit down at the table when she noticed a familiar-looking woman across the room. It was Gina, she realized. She was with Riley, Andrew’s son. Lauren watched as Riley proudly showed his aunt a ceramic figure he had created. “Excuse me,” she told Daniel, “I’ll be right back.”
Gina smiled as Lauren approached her. “That’s Bailey’s mom,” Riley told her.
“That looks interesting,” Lauren said, studying the ceramic figurine. Whereas most of the kids’ creations were unidentifiable blobs, Riley had actually added details such as hair, eyes, nose, mouth, and even eyebrows.
“It’s Daddy,” he said. “And see this here.” He pointed to the figure’s head, which had a hole as round as a pencil. “That’s where a bullet went through his head.”
Lauren involuntary took a step back. Before she could form a response, Riley put down the figurine and ran across the room. “Mommy,” he called. Lauren looked to see his mother, Sylvia, standing by the door. Riley threw his arms around her legs.
“Oh, my,” Lauren said, turning to Gina. “I wasn’t expecting that.”
Gina looked like she was going to cry. “We tried to protect him,” she said. “He learned the details of his father’s shooting from a neighbour’s kid.” She shook her head. “It’s been very hard on him. Sylvia says he’s been having nightmares.”
“Poor kid. I can only imagine how difficult it must be,” Lauren said. “Is there anything new with his father?”
“I was going to call you tonight,” Gina said. “Andrew’s been taken out of the induced coma. He opened his eyes yesterday for the first time. He hasn’t spoken yet, but the doctors say he’s conscious of what’s going on around him.” She picked up some of Riley’s artwork from the table. “It’s too early to tell if there’s any brain damage, so he’s not out of the woods yet, but the prognosis looks good.”
“Well, that’s good news. You must be relieved.”
“My God, I’ve never felt so scared in my life.” Gina swiped at her eyes.
“Well it sounds like the worst is over,” Lauren said. She looked across the room to where Daniel and Bailey were seated. They had finished their food and were waiting for her. “I have to go,” she said, casting Gina a sympathetic smile. “Keep in touch, and let me know if there are any changes.”
“I will do that,” Gina promised. “Thank you for your concern.”
—
While Lauren tore lettuce and cut up vegetables for a salad, she stole glances at Bailey and Daniel; they were sitting at the dining room table, which was littered with Barbie dolls and accessories. “We need to get our dolls dressed,” Bailey said.
“Right,” Daniel said, reaching for a pair of pink shoes.
Those two have sure bo
nded, Lauren thought, not exactly thrilled by the revelation.
“Would you like a glass of wine?” Lauren asked.
Bailey giggled. “I’ll have a glass of wine.”
“I’ll have wine with dinner,” Daniel said. “The deli said delivery would take about forty minutes.”
Bailey handed Daniel a Barbie. “My dolls like pretty dresses.”
“They’re lucky to have such a fine wardrobe.” Daniel picked up a frilly dress and pulled it over a Barbie’s naked body. “This one has pretty red hair like yours.”
“Her name’s Kerry.”
“Kerry?”
Bailey nodded. “Like me. I’m Bailey Kerry LaVallee. And this one,” she said, holding up another doll, “is Ariel. Like my friend.” Her voice grew sad. “Ariel went to heaven. Now God won’t let her come back home.” She made a face. “The meanie.”
Daniel raised an eyebrow.
Lauren shook her head, realizing she had not done a very good job explaining Ariel’s death to Bailey. She grated cheese and added it to the salad. “You need to clear the table for supper,” she said.
During dinner, Daniel included Bailey in the conversation as much as he did Lauren. He told funny stories that made them laugh. The lasagna was delicious and even Bailey—picky eater that she was—cleaned her plate.
It was nearly six-thirty by the time Lauren got around to serving dessert—canned pineapples with whipped cream.
Bailey turned to Daniel. “You want to come for supper again tomorrow?” She picked up half a pineapple ring with her fingers and stuffed it into her mouth.
Daniel handed her a napkin. “I’m going home tomorrow,” he said. “But if it’s okay with Mom, I’ll take you to McDonald’s for breakfast. Would you like that?”
Bailey, her mouth full, nodded enthusiastically.
After Bailey had left the table, Lauren pushed back her chair. “I’ll make us some coffee.”
After a few minutes, she poured a cup for Daniel and one for herself. No sooner had she sat at the table than Bailey came rushing into the dining room. “Momma,” she shouted, “you’re on the TV. Come see.”
