“I’m not worried about getting credit,” Holly said. “I just want Fiona to be happy. That’s the important part. I hate seeing her like this. I told her if she needs any help to just say so.”
“She probably doesn’t realize it,” Linc explained. “I did some reading myself, and I was surprised at the stories some of the women shared. I couldn’t believe how many times family members would tell these women they’d gone crazy. Can you imagine?
“One woman was suffering from postpartum depression, and her husband actually had the nerve to tell her she was crazy simply because she was having mood swings. In my mind, that man should have recognized something was wrong and tried to help her. Instead, he became a part of the problem.”
“Really?” Holly asked, horrified. “I hope she got the help she needed.”
Linc nodded. “She did, but it wasn’t until after she was hospitalized. A doctor realized what was going on and told her what she needed to hear, that she wasn’t crazy. She just needed the right kind of support to deal with her postpartum depression.”
“I just can’t believe it was her husband who said that,” Holly said shaking her head.
“I know,” Linc said. “Sometimes I’m ashamed of my gender. Men can be so cruel and thoughtless. Not all of us, mind you. But some of us seem to walk around as if we need to be treated like kings and yet don’t treat the women in our lives like queens.”
“Did she stay with that guy?” Holly asked. “I can’t imagine you could ever look at your spouse the same way after something like that.”
“The story didn’t say,” Linc responded. “But I hope that somewhere down the line he either apologized sincerely for his behavior or she left him. I’m not saying divorce is always the answer, but sometimes it takes a while before you really get to see someone’s true colors. Like that lady probably did.”
As they continued to walk in silence, Holly thought about what Linc had just said. How many women out there suffered from postpartum depression and were all alone because of unsupportive spouses, family members, and friends?
Being made to feel as if there was something much worse at play, and it seemed that it often involved seeing those you love turn on you. It made Holly’s heart hurt for all those women. Especially when all they needed was to be heard and told that it would pass. They just needed to be given a safe space to let it all out.
“Do you want to go buy some fireworks when we get back to the house?” Linc asked. “I’ve got a decent amount set aside for us to spend on them. Brigid said she’d be happy with whatever we picked out.” He looked expectantly at Holly who was still deep in thought.
“Sure,” she said pulling herself back to the present. “We probably should before all the good ones are gone.”
“That’s what I was thinking,” Linc nodded. “At the very least we should see what they have. After all, it’s the Fourth of July! Time to celebrate!”
“Speaking of celebrating,” Holly began. “You know my birthday’s coming up. I was wondering if we’re going to have a bigger party where I can invite my friends or if we’re going to do something smaller that’s just family. I’m fine either way, I just wanted to…”
Linc’s phone began to ring, cutting her off. “Oh, hold on a second,” he said. “This is a client.”
Holly nodded and waited patiently as Linc answered the phone and began talking business with whoever was on the other end. At first Holly was calm about it, but as the walk continued, Linc continued to talk on the phone. It wasn’t until they’d rounded the two blocks they usually walked with the dogs and had been approaching the house, that he finally ended the call.
“There we go,” he said. “Sorry about that. He was a little confused. Now what were we talking about?”
By then, Holly was feeling heartsick. She was starting to feel pushed aside and didn’t want to have to repeat herself.
“Don’t worry about it,” she said shaking her head. They started up the driveway, and all she wanted to do was go to her room and shut the door.
“Hey, aren’t we going to go look at fireworks?” he reminded her.
“I don’t really feel the greatest right now,” she said. “I think I need to just lie down. You can go on without me if you want.”
“No, it’s okay,” he said sounding disappointed. If he thought he was disappointed, try having everyone forget your sixteenth birthday. “We can go some other time.”
Holly gave him a curt nod before unhooking Lucky’s leash once they were in the house. She didn’t say anything as she headed for her room and quietly shut the door behind her. She was starting to get tired of being ignored. It seemed anything else she brought up was listened to, but if she mentioned her birthday it was pushed to the side.
Well then, fine. She’d remember that. Maybe it was going to end up being up to her to make sure she got a birthday party. But then again, if you had to do it for yourself, it probably wasn’t going to be as much fun.
Sighing, she sat down at her desk and began surfing the internet. She started out doing a little bit of online shopping, not really buying anything but enjoying the process anyway. After she grew bored with that, she considered calling Wade, but then she remembered he was working. Leaning back in her computer chair, she kicked her feet up on the desk. Maybe if she played a couple of computer games or something, it would distract her from it all. But in the end, she simply stared up at the ceiling.
She was hurting and a distraction wasn’t going to cut it this time. Instead, she closed her eyes and began to imagine that things were going a completely different way. One where everyone remembered it was her sixteenth birthday and they planned a huge party for her.
And wouldn’t it be something if they bought her a car for her present? It didn’t need to be anything fancy. Just something with all its parts and that was running. As long as it would get her from point A to point B, that’s all she cared about. What she really wanted was something older and smaller. Maybe an old VW Beetle or something like that.
That’s when she decided to make a vision board. People did them all the time, so why couldn’t she? Instead of cutting pictures out of magazines, she’d make a wallpaper for her desktop computer using images from online. The first thing she did was find a photo of an older model Volkswagen Beetle and put it in the middle, nice and big.
CHAPTER 8
Mason Weide knew how hard his mother worked. Not only was she a nurse by day, but she waitressed in a nearby town in the evenings. It was only the two of them living in the modest little house they rented that wasn’t too far from the trailer park, but it was the best she could do.
Just the fact that they had somewhere decent to live was enough for Mason. He wasn’t particular, by any means, but he also didn’t want to have to live in their van, either.
“Mason, I have a couple of things I need for you to do, if you would?” his mother, Kim, asked. She’d just come from her room where she’d changed from her nursing uniform into the waitress one. As she brushed her hair, she sat down in her chair so that she could put on her shoes.
“Sure thing, Mom. What do you need me to do?” he asked as he flipped his blonde hair from his eyes.
She picked up an envelope from the small end table beside her. “I need you to drop the utility payment in the after-hours box. They close early today, but if they don’t get the payment tonight, they’ll shut the electricity off in the morning,” she explained.
“Is that it?” he asked.
“No, there’s something else,” she said as she struggled to remember what it was. “Just give me a minute. I’ll remember in a second.” After she put her other shoe on, she stood up and headed for the kitchen. Once she saw the trash bag full of clothes, she remembered what it was.
“Oh, now I remember. I need these clothes taken to Missy over at the church. It’s stuff to be donated. She tends to help those people that are less fortunate. She said to just come in the back door. She has a room back there where she stores the d
onated stuff.”
She grabbed a glass of ice water while she was in the kitchen. “And I don’t know what you can eat. I know there’s nothing left, and I’m sorry about that. But the electric bill was higher than I was expecting,” she began to explain.
“It’s okay, Mom. Don’t worry about it,” Mason said as he shook his head. Not that he wasn’t hungry, but he wasn’t about to let her know that.
“I’ll see if I can bring something home from work. That way you can at least have something to eat tomorrow. That’s better than nothing, right?”
“I can go to a friend’s house or something,” he said, even though he knew he wouldn’t. There was no way he’d go to a friend’s house and let them know he didn’t have anything to eat at home. He’d rather starve.
“I still have to come up with something to make for Jason when he comes over Friday night. I tried to get out of it, but he said we’re always having dinner at his house, and he’d like to come here. He said he felt like he was being a jerk with us always coming to him.”
She sighed. “How could I tell him that there was nothing for me to cook for him?” she asked. Mason could see tears threatening to fall from his mother's eyes. He may have been thirteen, and not that into public displays of affection with his mom, but they weren’t in public right now. He went over to her, pulled her into his arms, and gave her a big hug.
“It’s okay, Mom. Maybe I can find a yard to mow or some other little odd job. Then we can afford to get some food. I’ll come up with something. Just try to relax,” he reassured her.
“And I’m hopefully going to make plenty in tips tonight to help with that. But I still have to get gas in the van and pay the insurance. What is it you always say?” she asked, brightening.
“You have to believe it can happen before it will,” he said smiling. He’d been reading books about the power of positive thinking and sharing what he’d learned with his mother. Apparently it was rubbing off.
“Right. I’m going to try to envision a fist full of tips tonight. Don’t wait up. If I can pull an extra shift, I will.” She gave Mason a pat on the back and then rubbed it. “But like I said, get that payment in for me please. It’s important.”
“Have I ever let you down, Mom?” he asked pointedly.
She smiled. “No, you haven’t.”
“Good, now you go to work and don’t worry about any of it. I’ll make sure it’s all taken care of. You just focus on work and imagine a day when you don’t have to work two jobs. Okay? Remember, you have to feel it!”
“Thank you, Mason. You’re the best,” she said as she gave him a kiss on the cheek. “See you tomorrow. I love you.”
“Love you too,” he said as she stepped out the front door. He waited until he heard her pull away before going to pick up the payment envelope. “I better get this taken care of first,” he said to himself. Tucking it in his pocket, he walked over to the bag of clothes she’d left. Lifting it and testing its weight, he realized it wasn’t too terribly heavy.
“Piece of cake,” he said as he tossed it over his shoulder. He planned to swing by the utility office first. It was only a few blocks away and then he could go by the church to drop off the clothes.
He understood his mother’s desire to help others, since she believed it would bring help back to them. But at the same time, he wondered if they shouldn’t be trying to sell the clothes instead. It’d be that much more money in their own pocket. Yet Missy would be looking for them, so he decided to push his thought aside and do as he was asked. Things did have a way of eventually working out.
He kept himself occupied as he walked by humming some of his favorite songs. In no time he was slipping the payment envelope into the box and on his way to the church. Walking kept his mind off of other things, like how hungry he was. Maybe he would stop by a friend’s house on the way home. His friend’s mom was forever trying to feed Mason. Maybe he could at least get an apple or something from there. Then he’d have something better to do than sit at home in an empty house by himself all evening.
In a few minutes he was at the church, and he walked around it to find the back door. The bag felt much heavier than it had when he’d initially picked it up, so he was going to be grateful to drop it off.
As he pulled open the back door, he half expected there would be someone hanging around to show him where to go. Instead, the place was empty. He decided to just start looking around for the room his mother had told him about. After all, it shouldn’t be too terribly hard to find a room with a bunch of donated stuff in it.
He opened one door that seemed to be a storage closet. There were cleaning supplies, a vacuum, and a mop bucket in there. Definitely not what he was looking for. Next, he pushed open a door and found a large room with shelves filled with food. All different kinds of dry packaged foods, cans, and produce. There were even a couple of refrigerators in the back corner.
His mouth instantly began to water when he saw a bag of oranges on the bottom of one of the shelves. He longed to peel one open and breathe in the fresh citrus smell. Shaking his head to clear the thought from his brain, he backed out of the room and shut the door. Just as the latch clicked shut, he heard a nearby door open.
“Oh, Mason, it’s you. You surprised me,” Missy said as her hand flew to her chest.
“Sorry,” Mason said bashfully. “I didn’t mean to. My mom told me to bring these clothes.”
“Yes, of course,” Missy said as she recovered. “You can just drop them off in here. I really appreciate your bringing them. You’d be surprised how many people need help.”
Mason wanted to tell her that they could use some help themselves, but he knew that would embarrass his mother. She worked hard because his grandmother had instilled it in her that one didn’t take assistance. Mason had tried to convince her that it would only be temporary, and it was exactly for situations like these, but she wouldn’t listen. He had a feeling it was a pride thing.
“I bet,” he said. “Not a whole lot of high paying jobs in these parts.”
“No, there aren’t,” Missy sighed. “That’s why Jordan and I do whatever we can to help those who need it. But none of it would be possible without people like you and your mom. Thank you.”
“It’s nothing,” he said. His mind was still distracted by all the food he’d seen in the other room. He was so very hungry. “Say, if you know anyone who needs their yard mowed or has an odd job to be done, can you let me know? I’m trying to earn a little money.”
“Sure thing, Mason,” she said happily. “I love to hear that sort of thing. He’s not here right now, but Jordan may end up needing some help on a project he’s got planned. I’ll tell him to let you know when he gets started.”
“Thanks,” Mason said. “Well, I better get going.” He didn’t want his stomach to start growling in front of her and embarrass him. Not that Missy would be the kind of person to tease him about it. But still, he didn’t want her to know that they’d been going hungry.
“Okay, have a good evening,” Missy said as she watched him go.
Mason had to get out of there. He needed to find something to eat before he went crazy. Being that close to so much food was making him feel terribly frustrated. He quickly put one foot in front of the other in hopes of getting as much distance between himself and the church as possible.
As he walked as fast as he possibly could, he began mentally singing his favorite songs with the hope that it would distract him. He wasn’t about to dwell on that food. It wouldn’t do him any good anyway.
CHAPTER 9
“Thank you for coming with me,” Brigid said as they approached Fiona’s front door. “I know this may be difficult, but you know how Fiona is.”
“I do,” Holly nodded. “She’s much more receptive when she hears something from more than one person. But beyond that, I’m worried about her.”
“Me too,” admitted Brigid. “After we talked about it, I paid much more attention the next time I spoke on the phone
with her. She’s definitely off. I want her to know that we’re here for her. No matter what.”
Brigid lifted her hand and knocked on the door.
“Come in,” they heard Fiona call out. They looked at each other, neither having to say what they were both thinking. It wasn’t like Fiona not to get up and answer the door. Even if she did know who was coming ahead of time.
Brigid pushed the door open and Holly followed her in. “Hey, Fiona,” they both said, almost in unison.
“I’m so glad you guys came to visit,” she said softly. Little Aiden was cradled in her arms, sleeping soundly. “I was getting bored. Brandon’s at work, and there’s only so much television a girl can watch,” she sighed.
“I hear you there,” Brigid chuckled. “How’s Aiden doing?”
“He’s definitely sleeping better than he was,” Fiona said as she looked down at him. “I’m glad too. It should make work a bit easier to deal with today.” She paused and then looked up at Holly. “Wait, do I open today or do you?” she asked.
“You do, but I can if you want me to,” Holly said gently.
“No, no. It’s fine,” Fiona said shaking her head. “I can manage. What are you girls up to today?”
“Well, we wanted to come talk to you,” Brigid said. “How are you feeling?”
Fiona seemed almost shocked for a second before she blinked. “I’m fine. Why?”
“No, but really,” Brigid pressed. “Don’t give me the same old song and dance you give everyone else. We’re family. Lay it on me. How are things really going?”
For a moment, Holly thought Fiona might continue to insist she was fine. She certainly looked as though she would. But her eyes seemed to search her sister’s face before her shoulders fell. “I’m exhausted,” she finally said.
Holly Lewis Mystery series Box Set Page 30
