Chapter Eighteen

Tea lights lit up the branches of the large maple in her father’s yard, and a score of pickups and SUVs crowded the front yard. Dale pulled the truck into a space next to the porch. She turned and handed the keys to Thomas. Thomas pocketed them. “Doesn’t mean you can get shit-faced, Mom.”

Seth guffawed as he opened the back door. “Good one.” Noah and Mai followed Seth as they exited the truck.

Dale pushed open her door. “Language. And that was not my plan.” Dale turned a steely gaze on Seth. “Goes for you too. I don’t want to have to pour you into the truck. And you know the family rule about drinking and getting sick.”

“You bring it up, you clean it up,” the boys chorused as one.

Mai stepped around the truck and held her hand out to help Dale down from the truck. “You have them well trained.”

Dale took Mai’s hand and stepped down to the ground. She slammed her door shut. “I do.” She took Mai’s arm, curling her fingers around the firm curve of her bicep.

The baby-blue linen shirt and navy-blue suit jacket she wore with fitted trousers had Dale wanting nothing more than to sneak off to a quiet corner to slip her hands under the coat and feel the strong graceful curves of Mai’s back. Her wrap fluttered as a gust of wind rattled the stubs of corn stalks left in the field surrounding her father’s home. They followed the sounds of the crowd to the rear of the house. An arch wrapped in silk ivy with faux red roses was set up between aisles of white chairs. Dale’s father clapped Mai on the back and Dale held tight when Mai flinched.

“I knew it.” His beard was plaited into one long braid with a purple ribbon twisted in it. Eyes twinkling, he released Mai and waved his hand toward the right side of the two groups of chairs. “Sit on the bride’s side. Unless it looks like Jeff’s side is empty then slide over to balance it out.”

“Sure, Dad.” She led Mai away from her father. “See? That went well.”

Mai grimaced. “Your dad was worse than Noah about us getting together.” Her brows drew down. “Did you tell your sister you were bringing me?”

“No. But I had marked plus one on my invitation.”

Mai pursed her lips. “I’m Sidney’s replacement.”

Dale lifted her chin. “Nope. Don’t do that. You are my date. And Sidney was a stupid mistake. We were over a year ago. I had planned to invite Mrs. Rice.”

“Speaking of mistakes.” Mai frowned.

Sidney sauntered through the crowd of wedding guests toward them.

Mai leaned close to Dale. “Why is she here?”

Dale shifted and turned her back on the approaching Sidney. “She’s Jeff’s cousin.” She squeezed Mai’s hand. “I have to go find my sister. I forgot my clutch in the car and my sister’s present is in it. Will you find Thomas and get it for me?”

“Sure.”

Dale leaned in and brushed a kiss over Mai’s lips.

“I won’t be long.” Mai walked in the direction Thomas had gone.

Dale stepped up onto the porch.

“Nice to see you, Dale.”

Sidney’s oily tone made Dale clench her jaw and she rounded on her. “I don’t want to talk to you.”

“Got some information for you.” She looked over her shoulder and lifted her chin toward Mai. “I only have your best interest at heart.”

Dale raised an eyebrow. “I doubt that but if I means you will leave me in peace, spill.”

“She’s been arrested. Spent time in jail. For embezzlement.”

“Get away from me. Now. Don’t speak to me again. And if you spread that lie to anyone here you will be the sorriest woman on this earth.” Dale took a step toward Sidney. “I’ll report you for abusing your position.”

Sidney’s sick smile spread across her face. “It’s not abusing my position to check on people who refuse to cooperate.”

“You are no longer with the sheriff’s department. Get away from me.”

“Dale?” Mai stopped two feet behind Sidney. She held up Dale’s clutch. “Got it.” She shifted her gaze between Dale and Sidney. “Everything all right?”

Sidney spun on her heel and took a quick step toward Mai. “You tell me. Anything you want to tell Dale about your time in Corona?” She planted her hands on her hips.

“What?” Mai raised an eyebrow. “What the hell are you talking about?”

Sidney lifted her chin. “Corona, 2007 ring a bell?”

Mai glared at Sidney. “Yeah, I was there for a bit.” She stepped around Sidney and passed the handbag to Dale. “You okay?”

Dale looked to Mai’s face. “It’s not true, is it?”

“Is what true? Yes. I was there. Something wrong with that?”

Sidney rested her hands on her hips. “I’ve got my eyes on you. You might fool Dale, but I know trouble when I see it.” She turned on her heel and walked away.

Dale pursed her lips.

Mai frowned at Dale. “What did she tell you?”

“That you had spent time in prison in Corona. For embezzlement. Is it true?”

Mai’s eyes shuttered. “And you believe her?”

“She has access to records.” Dale hung her head. “It wouldn’t matter.”

Mai backed away from Dale and held up both hands. She opened her mouth as if to speak and then she closed it and jammed her hands into her pants pockets and turned away from Dale.

Dale studied the angry set of her shoulders, unable to parse apart her behavior. She hurried through the screen door and walked to the bedroom she had shared with her sister growing up. Her sister was sitting on one of the twin beds with her face pale and her hands were knotted together in her lap.

“You okay?” Dale sat next to her sister. “Having second thoughts?”

“No. Nerves.”

Dale unzipped her purse and pulled out a box covered in worn blue velvet. “Open it.”

Ida opened the box with trembling fingers.

A delicate blue enamel forget-me-not on a gold chain lay on the white tissue paper.

“Oh, Dale. This was Mom’s.” Tears filled her sister’s eyes.

“It was. Dad gave it to me when I married Bill.” She lifted the necklace. “Turn around and let me put it on you.”

Ida twisted away from her and Dale fastened the necklace in place. She turned back to Dale. “Thank you.” She hugged her close.

Dale patted her back. “Damn it. I wasn’t going to cry until later.”

Ida sat back and snagged a tissue off the nightstand. She dabbed at her eyes. “You okay? I know you don’t like Jeff.”

Dale rubbed her sister’s arm. “It doesn’t matter what I think. You love him?”

“I do. And he’s a good guy, Dale. He had a bad start, that’s all.” She looked Dale in the eye. “Did you bring the mysterious Mai? Is it serious with you too?”

“I did.” Dale pressed her lips together. “And I don’t know.”

Her sister frowned. “I know that look. What’s up?”

“Sidney said something, and I asked Mai about it. And she didn’t deny it. Got angry and walked away.”

“Why would Sidney lie?”

“Because she’s still upset that I broke up with her? Or maybe she is telling the truth, and Mai is lying.”

“Sis, you have to take care of you. And Mai should confirm or deny whatever Sidney said.”

Dale hugged herself. “I think she was hurt I asked at all, that I even considered Sidney was telling the truth.”

“You care about her. A lot. So, ask again. Let her cool off. Would it make a difference in how you feel about her?”

Dale pursed her lips. “Does Jeff having had a rough start make you feel different about him?”

“Nope.” Ida picked up Dale’s hand. “And if you love her you need to ask again. And make her believe it wouldn’t matter.”

“Are you ready?” Eli poked his head into the room.

“As I’m going to be.” Ida stood up and Dale rose with her.

Her father led them out of the house. The chairs were filled now, and Dale searched the crowd for Mai. She sat at the end of the second row next to Noah. Thomas and Seth sat next to him. A program lay on an empty seat next to Seth. Mai’s back was straight, her head high as she perched on the edge of the chair.

The three seats between them seemed like miles as Dale took the seat next to Seth. Jeff and his best man, resplendent in their well-groomed beards and tweed vests, stood to the left of the minster. The wedding march played, and everyone rose to watch Ida proceed down the aisle.

Sidney’s smug expression when Dale approached the empty seat next to Seth told her everything she needed to know about Sidney’s intentions. Even if it were true, was it something Dale needed to know? Mai had been honest with her, never given Dale a reason to think she was hiding something. And had done so many little things over the last five months to make Dale’s life easier. Dale touched her lips remembering Mai’s kisses and words as they prepared for the wedding. How she had looked at Dale, her eyes full of mischief and promise.

Dale glanced toward Mai and caught her gaze. Mai’s face was stone, her eyes dark, and Dale’s chest tightened. Gone. She’s gone from me. Why did I even talk to Sidney? A tug on her hand jerked her out of her thoughts.

The music had stopped and everyone else had taken their seats. Dale smoothed the back of her skirt and sat down next to Seth. The ceremony was swift, and Dale missed all of it, her thoughts tangling back on themselves as she scrambled to find the right words to ask Mai to forgive her for believing Sidney’s lies.

*

After the wedding, guests helped clear the chairs and Dale’s sons pieced together the portable dance floor while the DJ set up his system. As the wedding reception kicked off, the guests helped themselves to various box wines and coolers full of beer and soft drinks.

Mai stood off to the side. The fear and mistrust in Dale’s eyes had gutted her. It’s never going to be okay. I was never going to have what I want. A family. A successful small business. A woman by her side who wanted the same. Nothing radical. And yet it seemed to always be beyond her grasp.

Why? Why is the quintessential house with a white picket fence for everyone but me? She had imagined the scenario with Dale, more times than she cared to think about. And now, because Sidney had fabricated some stupid story, and because Dale was willing to believe her bitter ex-girlfriend rather than trust Mai, she was alone. Again.

Mai tracked Sidney’s movements and her stomach roiled as she thought of her game to win Dale back. Disgusted with herself and tired of her pity party, she shoved off from the tree and walked to the closest beer cooler. She lifted the lid and poked among the bottles, looking for a dark brew to match her mood. She found a bottle of stout and dug in her pocket for her multitool and used it to pry off the lid.

The sounds of Tim McGraw’s Set This Circus Down blasted from the DJ’s speakers and Mai turned toward the dance floor. Ida and Jeff slow-danced around the floor. Dale stood off to the side taking video with her phone.

A flurry of movement and the sharp sound of a grunt made her search for the source. Behind her, Noah was locked in a scuffle with Ethan. He sagged in Ethan’s arms, his head lolling on his shoulders. Taller and heavier, Ethan forced Noah up against the large oak in the front yard and punched him in the stomach.

Mai dropped her beer and ran toward them. “Hey, asshole! Leave him alone!”

Ethan threw a look over his shoulder as he cocked his fist.

Noah took advantage of the distraction and kneed him in the groin. Ethan grunted and bent at the waist. “Fucking cock-sucker. I’ll kill you. Both of you.”

Mai shoved him out of the way to check on Noah. His face was wet with blood. Ethan caught her in the jaw with a sucker punch and she stumbled back. She touched trembling fingers to her split lip. They came away wet with blood. She spit to clear her mouth and shook her head to fight the pain.

Noah had wrapped his arms around Ethan and taken the fight to the ground. Mai fought waves of nausea and staggered to where they were fighting. Ethan was on top of Noah, using his thighs to pin Noah’s arms to his side. A steady stream of vile hate-filled threats poured from Ethan’s mouth as he pummeled Noah’s face.

Rage, white-hot and searing, filled Mai. She kicked Ethan in the face. The blow dislodged him. He screamed, fell to his side, and covered his face with his hands. Blood flowed between his fingers. Mai followed him, stepping over Noah, and kicked him in the stomach. He screamed again and curled into a tight ball, his hands clutching his belly. Seeing her opening, Mai raised her foot to stomp his head. A strong arm banded around her waist and hauled her back. She struggled against the iron grip around her waist. “Let me go. Get off me.”

“No, Mai. No. It’s enough. It’s over.” Dale’s voice broke through her anger.

“Noah. He was hurting Noah,” Mai panted. Seth and Thomas picked Noah up off the ground and held him up between them. Chip stood next to them, his face pale. The sounds of a siren in the distance grew closer.

Ethan rolled around on the ground moaning and clutching his stomach. Ida and Jeff and other guests had gathered. “Fucking queers. All of you.”

Eli stepped through the crowd. “That’s enough.” His normally gentle voice was steel. “One more word out of you, Ethan, and there won’t be enough for the cops to arrest.” He hefted a wooden axe handle across his chest and tapped his palm with it. “Be glad Mai got to you first, instead of me.”

With a gentle touch, Dale turned Mai’s face to hers. She peered into her eyes. “I’m taking you both to the hospital.”

Ethan rose to his knees, swayed once, and then collapsed to his side again. Flashing red lights lit the yard and the siren cut off. The crowd parted as the county sheriff walked up to them.

Sidney pushed through the crowd. “I saw it all, Ben.” Her face was flushed and her eyes gleamed and she pointed at Mai and Noah. “Those two jumped Ethan.”

“You’re a liar.” Seth’s voice boomed out.

“He’s a fag. Everyone knows.” Ethan perked up, seizing on Sidney’s words. “They did. Fucking queer tried to grab my junk and when I hit him”—he gestured to Mai—“she hit me from behind.”

“Liar. You punched me from behind.” Noah spoke between cut and bleeding lips. The skin around his right eye was dark-red and swollen.

Chip moved and stood between Noah and Ethan. “He wouldn’t touch you if you were the last man on earth, pinche pendejo.” He clenched both fists. Thomas rested his hand on Chip’s shoulder and drew him back.

The sheriff looked between Ethan and Noah, and then cast his gaze to Mai. “How do you figure in all this? I know these two.” He pointed at Ethan. “That one especially.”

Dale walked forward and took Mai’s arm. “She’s my partner, and she was saving Noah from Ethan’s beating.” She held up her phone and clicked the play button. A wobbly video of the bride and groom’s first dance began.

Dale zoomed in on the area past the dance floor. Mai’s stomach lurched as she watched the part of the fight she had missed. Ethan had stepped out of the shadows and rabbit punched Noah in the back of his head as he had watched Ida and Bill’s first dance. Mai shivered and her gut churned, bile rising in her throat. A fraction of an inch lower and Noah could have been killed.

She fought her nausea and continued to watch as Noah feebly lifted his hands to block Ethan’s next punch. Staggered by Ethan’s surprise attack, Noah never even had chance to throw a punch as Ethan used his face as a punching bag.

Noah’s head lolled in the video and his hands hung at his side as Ethan forced him against the tree. The video cut off at the point of Mai’s intervention. “I’ll swear a statement. And you can have this video.” Dale cut her eyes at Sidney. “And unlike some people, I haven’t been drinking.”

The sheriff scratched his chin and stared at Sidney. “Ain’t you the one they fired for sleeping on the job?”

Sidney flushed and took a step back.

The sheriff gestured to Ethan. “I’ll take him in my car. He’s been in the back before. Y’all meet me at the ER and I’ll get your statements.” He lifted his chin at Noah. “You’re gonna need some stitches.”

Noah grimaced. “Yeah.” He turned to Ida. “Sorry your wedding got ruined.”

Ida hugged him gently. “You have nothing to apologize for.” She glared at Ethan. “If I ever see you again, you better hope you see me first.” She spit on the ground next to him.

The sheriff hauled Ethan up off the ground, spun him around, and locked handcuffs over his wrists. He loaded him into the back of the squad car and drove away.

Bile rose in Mai’s throat and she swayed. “I need some water.”

Dale looped her arm around her waist. “Lean on me. Seth, bring Noah. Thomas, pick up a couple of water bottles and some ice packs for the ride.”

Seth picked Noah up and carried him. Noah protested feebly for a moment before he relaxed and let his brother carry him to the truck.

“Thank you.” Dale hugged Mai to her and pressed a gentle kiss to her temple. “Thank you.” The hitch in her voice was the only indicator of how close she was to breaking down.

“I did what anyone would do.” Mai touched her swollen lips and the lump on her jaw. “That asshole really hit me.”

Dale opened the passenger door for Mai. “No. You did what most people are afraid to do. You put yourself at risk to stop Ethan.” Dale’s eyes glittered in the pale glow of the truck overhead light. “I owe you an apology.”

Mai gazed into Dale’s eyes. “It’s fine.”

“No. It’s not. I let Sidney manipulate me. I don’t care about your past.”

“It’s not true by the way. I’ve never even had a speeding ticket. It was an outright lie.”

Dale snorted. “I figured that out the moment I saw her gleeful look when you didn’t save me a seat.”

Mai shrugged. “I didn’t think you wanted to sit with me anyway.”

Thomas arrived with the water bottles and two bags of ice. He passed the water to Dale and handed Mai a plastic bag filled with ice. Seth and Thomas settled Noah into the back seat and handed him the other bag of ice. “Grandpa’s gonna bring us in his car.” They shut the door, and Dale started the engine.

Mai settled into the seat and placed the ice pack against her jaw. “Noah, don’t go to sleep. He hit you pretty hard. You keep talking to us.”

“So I don’t wake up dead?” Noah reached his hand forward. “Can I have some water?”

Mai opened the water bottle and passed it back to Noah. “Yes. You could have a head injury so keep talking.”

“You know it’s true, Mom, right?” Noah’s voice cracked. “I’m queer. Sorry you found out like this.”

Dale peered into the rearview mirror to see Noah’s face. “You didn’t do anything wrong, Noah. I figured you’d tell me when you were ready.”

“Ethan’s a fucking asshole.”

“Language. And you’re right.”

Noah lay back on the seat. “Mom, I might be sick.”

“Under your seat, Mai, is a bag. Pass it to Noah.”

Mai handed Noah the bag. His hand trembled when he took it. She shifted her gaze to Dale’s profile. “Why was Ethan there anyway?”

Dale blew out a breath. “He was part of the catering crew. I didn’t even know he was there, until I saw you all fighting.”

“He threatened to kill Noah.” Mai blew out a breath. “To kill both of us.”

Dale glanced at her. “I heard. So did Ida, and the others.”

“Would they swear to it?”

“Like in court?” Noah shifted on the seat and pulled the blanket up higher. “I hope the fucker goes to jail for good this time.”

“Yeah. Like in court. This was an assault. And in some places, it would be pursued as a hate crime.”

“Language. And I hope the little fucker can’t weasel out of it this time. We’re in Knox County. That should help.” Dale sped up as they made the turn on to the two-lane blacktop road leading to town. “My sister would swear a statement. I think Jeff would. My dad for sure. I’ll check with everyone else to see if anyone has more video.”

Adrenaline drained from Mai, replaced by fear. Fear for Noah. Fear for herself, and fear Dale would change her mind about them.

“You okay?” Dale’s palm on her knee was warm.

“Yeah. Thinking.”

“About?”

Mai rested her hand on top of Dale’s. “Us. The future.” She picked up Dale’s hand and kissed the back of her knuckles.

“All right!” Noah’s soft cheer from the back seat made Mai laugh and Dale snort.