“Go on ahead.”
Later that afternoon Johnny gestured with his free hand to Ellie to walk ahead of him. Greg Winters’s front walkway and porch were adorned with hay bales and pumpkins, all ready for fall.
Ellie smiled and brushed past him, her hands occupied with a white casserole dish. He wondered when she’d had time to bake considering how busy they had been cleaning up the shop.
Johnny stepped up next to Ellie on the small stoop. “Does your mother know about the incident at the gift shop?”
“Yes,” Ellie hissed abruptly as she glanced at the door. “I promised her I’d be careful. And just so you know, I am not convinced I’m going to close the shop.”
“Can we discuss it further?”
“Perhaps we can discuss ways to keep me safe while I’m working.”
“Good point.” Ellie was one stubborn woman. “Maybe I’ll win points with your mother for protecting you?” He couldn’t help but smile.
Ellie laughed; a genuine laugh that warmed his heart. “I fear she might have wished you had been shot.” She tipped her head and her hair fell in a mask, hiding her face, as if she couldn’t believe she had just said that. “I’m just kidding. She’s a good Christian woman.”
“Who happens to hold a grudge against me.”
Ellie laughed again, as if she didn’t truly know what her mother would do when it came down to getting him out of their lives. “All things considered, I can’t say I blame her.”
“Do you?”
“Do I...?” Ellie angled her head.
Johnny suspected she knew full well what he was talking about, but she was stalling. “Do you still blame me for ruining your brother’s life?”
Ellie glanced at the screen door. “You picked a fine time to bring this up.” She shook her head curtly, as if to dismiss his question, and leaned on the doorbell with her elbow. A soft chime sounded inside the house followed by running feet.
A little girl with long brown hair in two braids answered, smiling up at them. “Aunt Ellie.”
The little girl pushed open the door and Ellie shouldered it to keep it from closing. She kissed the crown of her niece’s head. Ellie gestured to Johnny with her chin. “Grace, this is my friend Mr. Rock.”
“Hello,” the little girl said, tipping her head to look up at him.
“Nice to meet you, Grace.”
“Is everyone in the backyard?” Ellie asked as she walked through the small family room littered with dolls toward a neat kitchen in the back of the house.
“Yes! We’re having a party!” Grace ran ahead and opened the sliding screen to the back porch. Ellie set the casserole dish on the stove and Johnny put the refreshments he had purchased on the counter.
Laughter floated in from outside. Johnny silently communicated a quick, “Here goes nothing,” before she stepped out onto the back patio.
He followed, not fully understanding why his nerves were wound tighter than when he’d squared off with a gun-toting criminal in a dark alley.
Apparently sensing his unease, Ellie tossed a smile at him. “They don’t bite.”
His eyes flared wide in feigned distress.
“Come on.”
About fifteen adults and a smattering of children were hanging out in the yard. Some were seated around tables, others were playing a game that involved slamming a Frisbee into a black barrel.
“Ah, you made it.” A pretty woman, a little older than Ellie, was the first to greet them. Holding a glass of lemonade in one hand, she hugged Ellie with the other and then turned to Johnny. “Hi. I’m Beth Winters, Greg’s wife.”
“Johnny Rock. I’m—”
Ellie jumped in before he could say anything. “A friend of mine.”
“Well, nice to meet you. Grab a drink and some refreshments. We’re very casual around here.” She smiled and lifted her glass. “We’re happy Ellie could bring a friend.” Beth smiled warmly at her sister-in-law.
Ellie blushed.
Apparently, Ellie didn’t bring male friends around. For some reason, the idea pleased him.
“We’re blessed to have perfect weather for one last outdoor party. So make yourself comfortable.” Beth’s eyes flared wide and she scooted off after a small boy wandering dangerously close to a bigger child determined to test the laws of physics on the swing.
The invisible but very real feeling of awkwardness pushed down on him. Half the people here—the half who didn’t know him—would assume he was Ellie’s boyfriend. The other half—the half that knew the truth—were shooting him die-man-die daggers with their eyes.
Speaking of which, Ellie’s mother called to her from her lawn chair under the shade of a wide umbrella. “I see you brought a date?” Her voice hitched up on the last word.
“Johnny was helping me clean up at the store,” he heard Ellie say as he stepped up beside her. “I thought it polite to invite him for dinner.”
Nancy Winters’s gaze swept over him, as if she couldn’t decide whether to keep up the fight or let it go. She ran her hand along the sun-faded faux wood on the arm of the outdoor chair. “Thank you for keeping my Ellie safe.” She shook her head. “Can’t believe the crazy goings-on in this world.”
Mrs. Winters pushed to a standing position and lurched forward, touching his arm when she lost her footing on an uneven paver. She lowered her voice. “I really do appreciate it, but please don’t cause any more trouble for our family.”
“No, ma’am.” Johnny shook his head for emphasis.
“Mom,” Greg said in a voice that seemed louder than necessary, “isn’t it great to see Johnny again?” The smile on Greg’s sun-tanned and freckled face seemed strained. “I think we can let bygones be bygones. Enjoy a nice meal together.” Johnny figured Greg’s cordial greeting was strictly for his mother’s benefit.
Nancy Winters lifted a shoulder then lowered herself into the chair again. Johnny lunged forward and steadied the arm, the old fold-up chair nearly collapsing with Mrs. Winters inside.
Next to him, Ellie laughed. “Careful, Mom.”
Her mother waved her hand in dismissal, but her cheeks flared red.
Maybe I’ve scored a few points for saving her from the embarrassing fate of ending up head over heels in the folded lawn chair.
Greg smiled at Johnny, a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “It’s been a long time.”
“Yes, it has.” The conversation seemed strained. “Nice home. Beautiful family. You’ve done well for yourself.”
“Thank you. It wasn’t without a few bumps along the way.” Had Johnny detected an accusation in Greg’s tone?
“I had a job to do.”
Greg smiled at an older woman who brushed past, then turned his attention back to Johnny. “I had thought we were friends back in high school. I was surprised how well you played us all.” His neutral affect was hard to read.
Johnny thought back to the days when Greg had met him in senior homeroom and invited him to the house for dinner. Johnny had never been around a normal house where everyone sat together for dinner. Sometimes he’d miss dinner altogether because his mother had spent her entire paycheck on drugs and cigarettes.
Johnny looked down and saw Ellie was staring up at him. He had obviously missed whatever she had been saying. “I’m sorry, what?”
“What would you like to drink?”
“I’m good for now.”
“I wanted to tell you,” Greg said, “Roger Petersen and his wife are coming over.”
Johnny ran a hand through his hair.
“Roger has turned his life around since getting out of prison. He doesn’t live far from here.”
Johnny already knew that. He had run checks on all the players from ten years ago.
“So be nice.” Greg smiled stiffly. “I didn’t know you were coming or I would have warned him.”
Johnny held his hand up. “I’ll play nice.” And maybe he could get a read on what these two men had been up to lately. It would crush Ellie if her brother was in any way involved. But it seemed unlikely Greg would put his sister in harm’s way.
As if on cue, Roger appeared in the doorway. He pushed open the screen and it hit the edge of the frame with a clack. A dark-haired woman in capris and a pink top came up behind him. “Don’t stop in the doorway, Roger.”
Roger glared at Johnny. If Johnny hadn’t been so focused, he might have missed the subtle quirk of a smile on Roger’s face.
What is that all about?
Roger strolled onto the patio and held out his hand. “Johnny Rock. Imagine you here.”
“Roger Petersen. In the flesh.” Johnny mimicked him, accepting his hand.
Greg stepped between the two men. “I imagine we can all be cordial.” He cast a warning toward Roger, then to Johnny.
Roger blinked slowly. “Of course.”
Roger’s wife came up behind him and rested her chin on her husband’s shoulder. Her perfectly straight teeth were visible through her parted lips, tilted into a beaming smile. “Hello.”
Roger stepped to the side and wrapped his arm around the slender woman’s waist. “This is my wife, Ginger.”
Ellie smiled her greeting and nodded in acknowledgment.
Roger squeezed his wife closer to him. “Ginger and I have been house shopping.” He lifted his chin and scanned the yard. “We have an appointment to see a house in this very neighborhood. Wouldn’t that be great if we became neighbors?”
“Fantastic.” Greg smiled but something cool settled in his eyes. “Excuse me for a minute. I have to do some hosting duties.”
“Glad things are going well,” Johnny said, studying Roger.
Roger smiled coyly. “I’ve had some tough breaks, but now I’ve got a good business. Ever been to the sub shop on Main Street?”
“Can’t say I have. I’ll have to stop by,” Johnny said.
“Do that.” The corners of Roger’s mouth tugged down as if he were giving something considerable thought. He reached for his wife’s hand. “It’s nice seeing you, Ellie. Johnny.” He nodded. “I think we’ll wander over and say hello to Mrs. Winters.”
Johnny stepped away from the crowd and whispered to Ellie, “Your brother and Roger hang out a lot?”
Ellie’s eyes grew worried. “Greg’s a very loyal person. They’ve been friends since kindergarten. What kind of person would he be if he turned his back on his friend in difficult times?”
Greg wandered over. “Everything okay?”
Ellie’s hand went to the hollow of her neck. “Johnny was asking about Roger.”
“What about him?” An edge of defensiveness crept into Greg’s voice.
“It’s okay,” Ellie said. “I was trying to explain to Johnny how you’ve forgiven Roger for getting you caught up in that mess.”
Greg slowly blinked. “It’s more than that.”
A look of confusion swept across Ellie’s face.
“We need to talk.” Greg glanced over at his wife pushing their daughter on the swing. “Out front.”
* * *
“All three of us?” Ellie asked, confusion crowding in on her.
A very somber Greg nodded. She rarely saw this side of her brother. He was always the clichéd calm, cool, collected.
The proverbial Golden Boy.
Ellie’s heart raced, just as it had when she’d seen her mother’s face after her father died. Ellie referred to those moments as defining. In one moment, life changed. How you handled it defined you.
“Are you going to get the hot dogs on the grill?” an alarmed Beth called out from the far corner of the yard where she seemed stuck supervising the kids climbing all over the wooden play set. The play set her brother had taken three solid weekends to build from a blueprint purchased online. He really was a good dad.
“Be right back, honey.” Greg plastered on a smile and waved. “I promise.”
Her brother led them around the side of the house and toward the minivan parked in the driveway, perhaps where he felt he was far enough from his guests. He leaned against the side of the maroon vehicle and studied his feet.
“What is it? Is everything okay?” Ellie’s nerve endings buzzed. Was someone sick? Had something happened?
Johnny momentarily placed his hand on Ellie’s arm.
Greg took a deep breath and released it. His eyes flicked up over Ellie’s head, undoubtedly to meet Johnny’s gaze.
The vulnerable look on her brother’s face was a strange juxtaposition to the sunny fall day and the yellow mums planted around the tree near the street. The perfect fall afternoon.
“I wasn’t as innocent as you think.” Greg spit out the words in a burst of confidence that belied his trembling hands.
Ellie’s stomach bottomed out. “What are you talking about?”
Greg closed his eyes for a long minute then opened them again. “I was guilty of dealing drugs in high school.”
Ellie gasped and leaned back, bumping into Johnny. Nausea clawed at her throat but spewing her guts on the driveway wasn’t high on her list right now. Johnny’s solid hands steadied her at the waist. She swallowed hard and focused all her energy on staying calm. As she had when she’d approached her boyfriend about the inappropriate photos on his cell phone.
“What?”
“I stupidly got involved with selling drugs.” His shoulders slouched. “The only reason I got off was because Dad and Mom got the best lawyer.”
The world seemed to close in around Ellie. The birds chirping got more distant. The blades of grass grew more defined. She blinked away her disorientation. She sensed, rather than heard, Johnny saying something to her. She couldn’t make out the words. She raised her hand, needing silence.
“Does Mom know?” Tiny stars danced in her eyes. She feared a migraine coming on. A niggle of doubt slithered into her brain. Their mother had been their brother’s staunchest supporter. She hadn’t been putting on an act, too. Had she?
No, no, no...
Her mother couldn’t have known.
Greg shook his head. “Dad never knew, either.”
Ellie pressed her hand to her heart. At least part of her world hadn’t tilted off its axis.
Greg shifted his feet. “I was so ashamed.” His voice grew very quiet. “Still am.”
“How could you have done that?” She hated the squeaky quality of her voice. “How?”
“Stupid, I guess.” She had never heard her brother sound so weak. So small. Poof! Gone was the image of her older brother, the one she had forever looked up to.
“Mom and Dad had given me every opportunity and I had let them down. I couldn’t face them if they had known I had done it. I was a coward.”
“Why?” A throbbing pounded behind her eyes. “Did Roger put you up to it?”
“I made my own bad decisions. It was so easy at first. Easy money, you know? Next thing I knew, the police were pounding on the door and I’m getting arrested.”
Ellie shoved a hand through her hair. “Why are you telling me now?”
“I’ve heard the news about the second drug overdose.”
Ellie’s mouth grew dry. “What does that have to do with what happened ten years ago?” Her eyes grew wide. “Oh, no, you’re not...” She struggled to fill her heavy lungs with air. The image of his wife Beth herding the children in the backyard flooded her mind. He’d destroy them. “No...”
“Oh, no, no. Absolutely not. I would never... I mean...” Greg stumbled over his words. “Not again.”
“Why are you speaking up now, Greg?” Johnny’s husky voice sounded close to her ear. And then Ellie remembered how she had constantly criticized Johnny for ruining her brother’s life. For ruining hers.
Greg had been the architect of his own downfall. He had been the one to cause his parents so much heartache.
Her brother clasped his hands together and closed his eyes briefly. “Beth and I know Kerry from the church. He was a real nice kid who obviously made a bad decision. We need these drugs off the street.” He lowered his voice. “Am I right in assuming you’re in town investigating?”
“Yes, do you have information?” Johnny glanced toward the yard. Was he also wondering about Roger?
No, Ellie thought. Roger’s married. He’s changed. Didn’t God say people could change? Her brother had changed too, right?
“I don’t.” Greg kicked the tire on the minivan. “I can’t believe I was so stupid and it pains me that kids are still killing themselves with this stuff.”
“Stuff you had willingly sold to kids.” Hurt lingered with the bile in her gut. Her brother had lied to everyone. Her dreams had been derailed, her parents’ retirement gone, all because of her boneheaded brother.
Horror widened Greg’s eyes. “I was young. Stupid. I would never do anything to jeopardize my family. I’m not that stupid kid anymore.”
“Like Johnny said, why tell us now? To ease your stupid conscience?” She spat the words out.
“If I’m being honest? Partially.” Greg crossed his arms and leaned back on the minivan. “I told you because I don’t want you to doubt Johnny. He’s great at what he does.” Her big brother’s eyes grew dark. Intense. “Trust him to find the bad guys.” He gave her the saddest smile that broke her heart. “He did catch the bad guys once.” Greg laughed; a thin sound.
Tingles bit at her fingertips.
Greg reached out and touched her arm. “Trust him to keep you safe. He’s a good guy.”
Ellie curled up her fist and had the most irrational urge to slug her brother in his arm because she couldn’t wrap her head around all her emotions. He had put all of them through so much pain. He’d cost his parents a ton in legal fees. He had cost her a college education.
And if you talked to the old men seated on the bench outside the hardware store, their arrest had cost the sleepy town of Williamstown their one chance of earning the state championship in baseball. But Ellie couldn’t care one bit about that.
“Beth knows.”
Ellie’s head shot up. “What?”
“Beth knows. I told her before we got married.”
Ellie shook her head, as if it would snap her thoughts into place. “Yet you never told your family.” She didn’t bother to frame it as a question.
Greg shook his head. His Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat. “I owe Johnny my life.”
Ellie froze in place and cut a sideways glance to Johnny, who stood expressionless, a muscle ticking in his jaw.
“If Johnny hadn’t had me arrested, my life would have continued down that dark path.” Greg shook his head, as if seeing an alternate future. He held out his hand to his well-tended house in the suburbs. “I owe all of this to you. Thank you.”
Johnny and Greg shook hands. “I was doing my job,” Johnny said. “I had considered you a friend. It tore me up when I realized you were involved with drugs.”
“At first I felt betrayed,” Greg said. “You were my friend, after all. I thought you were the biggest jerk. A liar. Then, once reality set in, I decided God must have had other plans for me.”
Ellie wanted to ask him yet again why he hadn’t confessed to his own family, but decided she had already asked twice and both times he’d told her he was ashamed. Only her brother knew his heart.
Well, her brother and God. He’d have to work on his relationship with God and his reasons for not revealing the truth to those he loved.
“Just do me a favor. Don’t tell Mom. I’ll tell her myself this week.”
“Let me know because I’m going to make myself scarce that day.” She laughed to release the tension and Greg pulled her into an embrace.
She opened her eyes and found Johnny watching her intently. The feeling unnerved her.