13

 

The next day, Maxi followed up on her promise to Lily and went out to Logan House to see Dora Lee Cooper. She rang the bell and waited on the doorstep, half-hoping no one would answer. What did you say to an abused woman anyway?

“Who’s there?” The hesitant female voice seemed to echo out of the brickwork.

Maxi noticed the intercom and pressed the button to answer. “It’s Maxi North. A friend of Lily and Nick. I’m here to see Dora Lee.”

She sensed the hesitation on the other side of the massive wooden door, but a few seconds later, it opened a crack. A dark-skinned woman with multiple cuts and bruises on her face peered out.

“Hello.” Maxi smiled, trying to appear trustworthy. The woman seemed to make a decision and opened the door wider.

“Come in. I’ll get Dora Lee.” The timid woman stared at the floor while she closed and locked the door. Then she hurried up the main staircase.

Annoyance flared in Maxi’s chest at whomever or whatever had robbed this woman of her self-confidence.

While she waited, Maxi wandered into the tasteful living room, admiring it anew. Painted in a soothing shade of sage green, the room exuded a relaxed, homey atmosphere, somewhat reminiscent of her favorite room in the farmhouse. Comfy sofas faced the brick fireplace. One corner of the room hosted a television and a play area for young children. Maxi picked up a discarded stuffed lamb and placed it in the toy bin.

Her mind turned to the disconcerting events of the previous day, the fight with Jason and the meeting with the insurance agent. Maxi had been so incensed by Jason’s abnormal behavior she’d barely been able to concentrate on what the adjuster said. The insurance settlement would take some time to come through, pending a decision on what caused the fire. An unspoken implication remained that if the verdict was arson and if they did not find the culprit, there would be no settlement. Maxi couldn’t think about that yet. For the time being, the repairs to the barn would have to wait, unless she could come up with the money some other way.

Her anger and frustration turned back to Jason. What was the matter with him anyway? The miracle they’d shared helping deliver Lily’s baby was cause for celebration, not for acting like an ill-tempered adolescent.

Men. She would never understand them.

“Sorry about the wait. Robbie didn’t want to close his eyes today.”

Maxi turned to see a tall, blonde woman standing in the entrance to the living room. Her untidy hair had escaped its pins and hair ties. Large wet patches stained her baggy, blue T-shirt, presumably from a struggle with her son. Her worn out appearance tugged at Maxi’s instinct to fix people.

She smiled. “You must be Dora Lee. I’m Maxi North.”

The girl came forward to shake Maxi’s hand. “Nice to meet you. Lily’s told me a lot about you.”

“Nothing bad I hope.” Maxi hoped a joke would put her at ease.

“Only glowing reports about what a brilliant hair stylist you are.”

Maxi motioned to the sofa, and they both moved to sit down. “Lily said you were interested in becoming a stylist yourself.”

Dora Lee pushed some stray wisps of hair off her tired face. “I’ve got to find some way to make a living for me and my boy. Other than waitressing, I have no experience.” She paused as if gauging how much to say. “I got pregnant in my senior year of high school. I did manage to finish the year, but once I had Robbie, it was next to impossible to find work and pay for a babysitter. So I moved in with Dennis, Robbie’s father.” Her face hardened. “But we can’t stay there anymore. And I need to find a way to support myself.”

Though Maxi could see no evidence of Dora Lee’s mistreatment, she recognized the pain in the girl’s eyes. Not all wounds were physical. “Hair stylists don’t get paid a whole lot, especially in the beginning. You have to really love it to keep it up.”

Dora Lee smiled, transforming her face into something very attractive. “I do love it. When I was little, it’s all I ever wanted to do.”

Maxi pursed her lips, taking in the girl’s bone structure and the length of her hair, which would fall well past her shoulder when free of impediments. A win-win idea crept into the creative side of Maxi’s brain. She could help Dora Lee, and, in the process, get some more material for her portfolio. “Tell you what. I’ll give you a few tips, if you’ll let me use you for a project I’m working on.”

The girl looked skeptical. “What type of project?”

“I’m putting together a portfolio of interesting hair styles for my job in New York. Would you consider being one of my models?”

Dora Lee frowned. “I don’t think I’m model material.”

“Leave that part up to me. How’s tomorrow? I’ll bring everything we need.”

Dora Lee shrugged. “OK, I guess.”

“Don’t worry. It’ll be fun, and if you don’t like how the pictures turn out, I won’t use them.”

Maxi had no doubt the results would be fantastic, and for the first time in weeks, she looked forward to the next day.

 

****

 

Exhaustion crept through every one of Jason’s muscles—his body’s silent rebellion after working all day at Nick’s, then pulling a five-hour volunteer stint at the fire hall. He shifted into park and slammed out the door and onto his driveway. Maxi’s car was nowhere in sight. He blew out a sigh. Maybe he could escape to the basement and sleep for the next forty-eight hours straight.

The look on his mother’s face when he entered the kitchen sent that idea up in smoke. She sat at the table, tears staining her cheeks, with Bernice holding her hand.

Tension tightened his stomach muscles. “What’s wrong?”

“I’ll let you two talk.” Bernice squeezed Ma’s hand and then wheeled her chair out of the kitchen, throwing a sympathetic glance at Jason on her way by.

Ma swiped at some strands of hair on her forehead. Real fear gripped him. Was his mother sick?

“Sit down, son. I have some news you’re not going to like.”

Slowly Jason lowered himself into the chair across from his mother. Every drop of moisture vanished from his mouth, making speech impossible.

Please, God, don’t take her from me. She’s all I’ve got.

“I had a visitor today.” Ma’s eyes swam with pain. For the first time he could remember, she looked much older than her age. Taking a deep breath, she continued, “Your father’s back in town.”

Jason jerked upright on the chair. In all the years he’d been gone, Clint Hanley had never once tried to contact them. The hatred and bitterness Jason had worked so hard to overcome rose to the surface in a steaming mass of anger. He clenched his fists on top of the table. “What does he want?”

She pulled a tissue from her pocket and wiped her nose. “He wants to see you.”

Jason stood up so fast the chair crashed over. “Now, after twenty years with no word, he suddenly wants to talk? Sorry, not interested.”

He stalked into the living room and began to pace like a man trapped in a burning building. His mother followed and stood in the doorway.

“I told him you wouldn’t want anything to do with him. But he insists he’s not leaving until he talks to you.”

“Then he’ll be waiting a very long time.” Jason fought to contain the fury that threatened to explode within him. He wanted to put his fist through the wall, smash all the glass figurines off the mantel. Anything to ease the awful pressure in his chest.

“There’s something else you need to hear. Please sit down a minute.”

The despair on his mother’s face broke through the haze of Jason’s anger. He was so busy focusing on his own issues, he’d forgotten how hard this must be for her—seeing her former husband again after so long. For her sake, he stifled his rage and sat beside her on the couch.

She took one of his hands in hers. “I…I’m not proud of what I’m about to tell you.” She hesitated, eyes downcast. “The truth is your father did try to contact you over the years.” She took a deep breath. “I wouldn’t let him see you.”

Jason’s mouth fell open as he struggled to make sense of her words.

“At one point, Clint even wanted to come back. You were about five by then. We’d adjusted to life on our own, and I couldn’t bring myself to trust him again, so…I refused.”

Knots formed in his stomach, twisting his insides like his mother’s mangled tissue. His father had wanted them after all. Had wanted to come back, but his mother had turned him away. To be fair, he tried to see things from her perspective. “Can’t say I blame you for not taking him back. But why wouldn’t you at least give him visitation rights?”

He watched the struggle play over her tired face. Finally she looked down at their clasped hands. “I guess it was spite, pure and simple. He left us, and I wanted to punish him. Show him he couldn’t just waltz back in like nothing had happened. I wanted to hurt him as bad as he’d hurt me.” A lone tear trickled down her cheek. “Trouble is, I didn’t think about what it would do to you.”

Jason clenched his jaw, grinding his teeth together so hard he thought they might crack. His mother had denied him a relationship with his father. How different would his life have been if Clint had been part of it?

“Because of my selfish decision, you may never find true peace or happiness. Can you ever forgive me?” She was sobbing now. This woman who had given him everything yet denied him his father. His heart wrenched as he put his arm around her shaking shoulders. He would not let her feel guilty for his dysfunctional attitude.

“Of course I forgive you. You did what you thought was best at the time. Who’s to say you weren’t right?”

Ma sniffled and wiped her nose with the tissue she held in a death grip. “So you don’t hate me?”

His kissed her cheek. “How could I hate you? You gave up your life for me.” He thought of his father and a nerve jumped in his jaw. “No, the only person I hate is Clint.”

“You won’t even consider talking to him? For your own peace of mind?”

“No.” Jason could not suspend his deeply ingrained resentment. If Clint had really wanted them back, he could’ve tried again. He wouldn’t have given up so easily. “And I don’t want him coming around here upsetting you. We’ve made it fine without him all these years. We don’t need him now.”

Jason sat with his arm around his mother for several more minutes, making a silent vow to protect her from any more pain Clint Hanley could dish out. As far as Jason was concerned, the door to the past would remain firmly closed.