Jacob was busy with the celebration, especially the dedication of the memorial plaque for David Harwood, and he didn’t contact Aimee for several days leading up to the celebration. She was relieved, for now that Jacob’s heritage was no longer a secret. She was convinced that he loved her, but worried about Samantha. Would he want to marry her in light of Samantha’s coolness? Except for asking Jacob to the birthday dinner—and Aimee suspected that Erica had twisted her arm to get that to happen—Samantha never mentioned Jacob to her. Aimee agonized over what answer she could give if Jacob asked her to marry him.
Jennifer’s injuries were serious enough that she had to be homeschooled, but by the end of June, she was released by her doctor. Driving her mother’s car, she came to see Samantha. Aimee hardly knew her when she walked in the door.
Jennifer anticipated Aimee’s surprise, and being Jennifer, she didn’t hesitate to comment on it. She spread her arms wide and pirouetted for Aimee and Samantha. Her hair was cut in a light brown, short bob. She had on one set of earrings only, a pair of navy blue capris and a white knit blouse.
“Whoo-hoo! The new me!” Mimicking her father, she said, “‘As long as you live under my roof, young lady, you’re going to dress like any other red-blooded American girl rather than some monster from outer space.’”
Aimee couldn’t hold back her laughter.
“I don’t believe this!” Samantha said.
“Which means my Gothic look is gone. No black clothing, no chains and only one pair of earrings.” With lifted eyebrows, she said, her eyes twinkling, “In fact, my father made me take a solemn oath to never again wear a black garment in his presence. And that includes not wearing black to his funeral.”
Samantha was laughing so hard, she held her sides.
“Okay, enough!” she cried.
Jennifer joined Aimee and Samantha in laughing. “Oh, well, I kinda like the simple style. I was trying to make a statement with my Gothic appearance. And my mom has had her share of criticism for not watching me more closely. She’s determined to do what Dad says. I’ll walk the straight and narrow through the rest of high school. If I don’t, Dad will make me attend college in Richmond where he can keep his eye on me. I want to go to Harvard.”
“How you’d get here, Jen?”
“I’ve got Mother’s car, but only to drive over here.”
“Are you going to the celebration tomorrow?” Samantha asked.
“Oh, but yes! Dad is going to make a speech,” Jennifer said, rolling her eyes. “Our whole family will be there.”
“I wish we could sit together,” Samantha said with a disappointed look.
“Dad has some reserved seats with a bunch of big shots. But if I can, I’ll sneak away and sit with you.”
While Jennifer and Samantha were hanging out in her room, the phone rang.
“Aimee, this is Allie Slater. I think the festivities will be too much for me tomorrow, but Chloe wants to go. Would it be too much trouble for you to stop by and pick her up?”
“Not at all. We’ll plan to get there in time for the picnic at noon and stay through the two-hour program that ends at four.”
When she hung up, Aimee realized that she was maturing as much as she hoped Samantha was. A few weeks ago, she would probably have asked Samantha if it was all right to take Chloe. It was no wonder that Samantha had thought she called all the shots in the house. Aimee had allowed her to think so.
In a half hour, Samantha and Jennifer came upstairs. “I’ve got to leave,” Jennifer said. “Still on probation, you know. Dad’s really surprised me. He’s laid down ultimatums before but he always forgot them after a day or two. He won’t back down this time. Don’t tell anyone, but I’m finding the more structured life kinda cool.”
“Who called, Mom?”
“Mrs. Slater. She wants us to stop by and take Chloe to the celebration tomorrow.”
Samantha flashed a quick look toward Jennifer. “I’ve been hanging out with Chloe a little.”
“Yeah, Madison told me. Madison says she’s all right.”
“Kinda shy, but she’s a cool kid,” Samantha said. “You’ll like her.”
“Bound to,” Jennifer agreed. Again, imitating her father’s deep voice, she said, “‘It’s time you made more friends. If you broaden your vision, you’ll find out that a lot of the students at that school are worth knowing, instead of just a handful.’”
Aimee grinned as she called goodbye to Jennifer as Samantha walked out to the car with her. Mr. Nibert might have forced his daughter into a more disciplined life, but he certainly hadn’t broken her spirit.
When Samantha came back in, Aimee said, “It’s good to have Jennifer back again.”
“It’s awesome. All of us have grown up a little, though. Maybe the car wreck wasn’t so bad, after all.”
“Thanks for being nice to Chloe.”
“She’s all right, but I still like Madison and Jen best.”
“That’s understandable. I didn’t expect you to take Chloe as your best friend. I just don’t want you to mistreat her. She needs help, and helping her has been good for me.”
“I’ve never mistreated her,” Samantha protested.
Knowing that a few months ago her daughter would have resented Chloe, Aimee said, “No, you haven’t, and I appreciate that. I know you never wanted me to work with the Sibling organization. I can’t understand why exactly. I’ve never neglected you.”
Aimee didn’t look at Samantha, but she heard her scuffing her shoes on the tiled floor. “I guess I was afraid. It’s not so much that I don’t want you to help Chloe, but poor kids scare me. I’m afraid I might end up like them sometime. If anything happens to you, I wouldn’t have anyone to take care of me. It’s not easy being the child of a single mother and no father.”
“Samantha, you should have told me sooner,” Aimee said, shocked and almost in tears. “It’s not likely that anything is going to happen to me, and if it did, Dad and Mom would have welcomed you to their home in a heartbeat. And Grandmother Blake would have been there for you. You would have been well taken care of.”
“But still no dad,” Samantha whispered.
Aimee’s heart thudded. “But I’ve always thought you wouldn’t want me to get married again. That’s one reason I haven’t dated before. Wouldn’t you resent a stepfather?”
“Depends on who it is, I guess. Some guys aren’t so bad.”
“It might have been better if we’d had this talk years ago,” Aimee said with a sigh. But she knew she wouldn’t have wanted anyone for a husband except Jacob. Maybe Samantha was hinting that her relationship with him wasn’t so bad. But since she couldn’t yet promise Samantha any future with Jacob, she ignored the insinuation in Samantha’s comment.
Although Jacob had once looked forward to the bicentennial celebration, all he wanted now was to get it over with and know that Megan Russell had left town. When she had called again last night, he’d finally agreed to meet her in Pioneer Park as soon as the dedication ceremony was over.
When he reached the courthouse square, Jacob made his way to the platform. He saw Aimee and the girls and waved to them. Shortly after the festivities opened with the singing of the national anthem and a speech by the mayor, Jacob took his seat among the planning committee members and others who would participate in the program.
Jacob found it difficult to focus on the various presentations. His thoughts kept drifting to his upcoming meeting with Megan. He wished now that he’d told Aimee about her call, or that he had refused to see Megan. Time seemed to crawl until he finally stood and walked to the podium.
A hint of expectancy settled over the audience and Jacob lost some of his stage fright. “At this time,” he said, “I’ll ask Andrea Horton, wife of David, and their two children to come forward and unveil the plaque, which will be subsequently placed on the Wall of Honor in the office of the local board of education.”
A well-dressed, somber-eyed woman, seated on the front row, stood and motioned for her children to precede her to the platform. Although the Harwoods had lived in Benton for years, he didn’t remember seeing Mrs. Harwood before. Jacob had heard that she was somewhat reclusive, a sharp contrast to her husband who was always in the public eye.
The two children appeared to be in their teens. The daughter bore a remarkable resemblance to the photograph of Dr. Harwood, which had been placed under a glass shield in the center of the plaque.
Smiling with an effort, Jacob presented his speech, ending with, “It’s my pleasure, on behalf of the city of Benton, to honor David Harwood today as an educational and civic leader of this city for many years. His death left a void in the leadership of our city. However, our city is proud of his legacy.”
Jacob handed Mrs. Harwood a remote that would pull the curtain from the front of the plaque. The curtain rolled back to reveal the bronze memorial, and he read the inscription on the plaque.
When he finished, Jacob handed Mrs. Harwood the microphone. She hesitated briefly before she took it, and seemingly speaking with an effort, she said, “My children and I are thankful for the honor you have paid David today. He was very fond of the people of Benton.”
Jacob shook hands with her and her children and walked with them off the platform. As Jacob’s eyes followed her and the children to their seats, he was stunned to see Megan Russell sitting directly behind the Harwood family.
Although he hadn’t seen her for almost twenty years, he knew it was Megan. He turned away, hoping he had shown no sign of recognition.
Two hours later Jacob reluctantly drove into Pioneer Park where he’d arranged to meet Megan. He felt that he was being disloyal to Aimee to come here at all and certainly without telling her that Megan had returned.
A red SUV was parked near the fountain, and when he pulled into the parking lot, Megan stepped out of it. The years had not been kind to her. She was overweight, and the heavy makeup she wore did little to conceal the lines around her eyes and forehead—wrinkles too deeply etched for someone her age. Her expression was tight with strain, and Jacob wondered if she was also uneasy about their meeting.
Looking around the park, she asked, “Can we go someplace and have dinner? This is pretty public.”
Jacob shook his head. Uncompromisingly, he said, “Not as public as a restaurant, and I don’t want to be seen with you. I’ve worked hard to rebuild my reputation in Benton, and I probably shouldn’t have met you at all. But I’ve never completely let go of the past, and I don’t think I ever will without learning why you ruined my reputation without a word to set the record straight.”
“You’ve never married?” Megan said, and her eyes searched his face, as if she was trying to read his thoughts.
“Not yet,” he answered shortly.
“Does that mean that you’re planning to be married?”
“We didn’t come here to discuss my marital plans,” Jacob said coldly. “What do you have to tell me?”
For a long moment Megan looked at him, and Jacob grew uncomfortable under her gaze, before she said, “If it will make you feel any better, I’ve always felt mean that I let people think you were the father of my daughter.”
“So the baby was a girl?” he asked. “Where is she, by the way? How has her life been?”
“She’s with my parents this weekend. They’ve been very supportive. Karen and I live with them. I couldn’t have made it on my own.”
Apparently the father of the child had given no support to Megan and the little girl. Jacob looked at his watch. “I can’t stay long,” he reminded her.
She took a colored photo from her pocket. “This is my daughter. David Harwood was the father of my child.”
Jacob was speechless in his surprise, but he didn’t doubt her word. The girl looked just like Harwood. Bile rose in his throat, when he thought of the town’s efforts to honor a man who had not only fathered a child out of wedlock, but also let another man be blamed for what he had done.
He didn’t doubt that Megan was telling the truth, and suddenly incidents in the past surged forward in his mind—things that made more sense to him now. Why Megan had suddenly taken an interest in after-school activities. Why she seemed happy one day but stressed out and bitter the next.
“Can’t you understand now why I couldn’t tell?” Megan asked in a pleading voice. “Think of all the things he’s accomplished in this town. None of that would have happened if people had known. He was already married when he came to Benton, but we fell in love. His wife was pregnant, and when I got pregnant, too, I tried to seduce you so you’d think it was your child. I loved David too much to ruin his life.”
“But you didn’t care if you ruined mine,” Jacob said bitterly.
Much of the despair that Jacob had experienced years ago resurfaced. The humiliation, the degradation, the sense of rejection he’d known then rushed back as if he was eighteen again. He felt unclean even to be in Megan’s presence, and he wished he had never heard this sordid revelation.
He turned his back on his high-school girlfriend, walked to his car, settled wearily into the seat and drove away. He felt emotionally and physically ill. For years he had condemned himself for not marrying Megan and giving the child a name. Now to realize that she had attempted to seduce him because she needed a scapegoat to protect David Harwood opened the old wounds Jacob thought he’d put behind him.
He had only driven for a few yards when he stopped and backed his car to where Megan stood. He got out of the car and took her hand.
“I shouldn’t have been so harsh with you, Megan. I know now what it’s like to really love someone. I’d go to any length to protect her, so I understand why you tried to use me. Perhaps I should have done more to help you, but I was young, too, and terribly hurt.” He squeezed her hand and released it. “I forgive you, Megan, as I pray God will forgive me for my harsh thoughts about you.”
He got into the car, took one last look at her tear-streaked face and headed toward Benton.