*Canada Day came and went. Hadley put Madison in her stroller and went to the riverside to watch the fireworks. Madison had been determined to stay up for the spectacle but the three-year-old didn’t quite manage it. The next week went by slowly for Hadley and when she got home from work and picking up Madison on Friday, a letter from a laboratory in Vancouver was waiting in her mailbox.
Her mouth went dry as she turned it over and over, daring herself to open it.
“Momma I have to find some aphids for my ladybugs!” Madison entered the room toting her terrarium. “I think they’re hungry.”
Hadley tucked the letter into the back pocket of her jeans. “Okay. Let’s eat our dinner first then we’ll go out and I’ll do some weeding while you look for aphids.”
Once they were in the front yard Hadley asked, “So how do we find aphids?”
“Mrs. G says I’m supposed to look under leaves and along the stems. She says to pick plants that aren’t doing so well.”
“Hm.” Hadley surveyed the yard. “Some of the leaves on those hydrangeas look funny.” They were turning yellow, and the edges were curling. “Maybe you should check there.”
“Okay!” Madison carefully placed the terrarium in the shade, then skipped to the hydrangea plants.
Weeding fork in hand, Hadley crouched on the ground next to her daughter. There were so many weeds she hardly knew where to start. She needed to get out here more often or she’d soon lose the few flowers she had. She started pulling the plants she was certain were weeds. Some came out easily, others required some coaxing with the fork.
All the while she was working the presence of the letter in her pocket weighed heavily on her mind. She wished she could tear it into pieces without reading it. Luke was a dud as a father, but at least he hadn’t been married with another family. Why did Jesse have to be so damn honorable?
“Finding any aphids?” she asked her daughter.
“I think so…”
Hadley heard a door opening across the street. When she turned to look, Bobbie was crossing the street to join them.
“What a nice evening to be out in the garden.”
“I hope I’m doing more good than harm.” Still on her knees in the dirt, Hadley pointed to the dandelions and other unknown random plants that she’d tossed on the sidewalk. “Are those all weeds?”
“They are.” She smiled encouragingly.
“And I’m hunting for aphids,” Madison said, anxious to claim Bobbie’s attention.
“I thought that was what you were doing,” Bobbie said. “So I brought you this magnifying lens. It’s made with a special glass that bends light so that objects look bigger than they really are. Let me show you how it works.”
She took the lid off the terrarium and placed the magnifying lens overtop one of the bugs.
“Wow! It looks so big!”
“Right? And so will the aphids, when you find them.”
“Are these aphids?” Madison showed her the underside of one of the hydrangea leaves.
Bobbie handed her the magnifying glass. “You look and tell me what you think.”
Her face set seriously, Madison held the glass a scant inch above the bugs. Then she gasped. “They are aphids Mrs. G!”
“Good work. Why don’t you add them to your terrarium? Your ladybugs are going to have a tasty dinner.”
Hadley pulled out one last weed, then stood slowly, ready for the sharp pain in her core, the pain that seemed to grow worse with each passing week. But this time she was spared. Relieved, she brushed some bits of dirt from her legs. “Would anyone like some—”
She was about to offer a drink of lemonade when she noticed her cousin Jeff walking along the sidewalk with a quietly sobbing Amber. He was carrying her bike and there were patches of blood on one of Amber’s knees.
“Oh dear,” Bobbie said. “What happened?”
“Just a small fall,” Jeff said, looking annoyed.
“D-daddy took the training wheels off my bike. Then he let go before I was ready!” Amber was both distraught and affronted.
Jeff sighed. “Tristan could ride on his own by this age.”
“I bet Amber will learn soon too,” Hadley said.
“Yes,” Bobbie agreed. “Meanwhile we should see to that knee. Shall I run home for my first aid kit?”
“Thanks,” Jeff said. “Carly took Tristan to his soccer game and I’m not sure where she keeps our Band-Aids.”
“I’ve got some handy,” Hadley said. “But first we need to wash that knee. Why don’t you come inside for a minute Amber?”
“I’ll stay out here with Madison,” Bobbie offered. “And help her feed the ladybugs.”
Hadley nodded her thanks. She could see bits of gravel and dirt embedded in Amber’s scrapes. Cleaning the wound was going to hurt and Jeff didn’t seem like he would be much help. Though he followed them into the house he hung back when they entered the bathroom. Hadley pulled her first aid kit from the cabinet.
“Would you like to pick your Band-Aid?” she asked Amber. She had quite a large selection thanks to Madison.
“This one please.” Amber pointed to the Winnie-the-Pooh patterns.
She’d stopped crying, but Hadley was afraid the respite wouldn’t last long. She removed the little girl’s sandals, then asked her to stand in the bathtub. “I’m going to use our shower nozzle to clean your knees. Do you see those bits of dirt and pebbles?”
Amber bent for a closer look. “Uh huh.”
“They could have germs on them and if we don’t wash them off your skin could get infected. And that would hurt even more. So, we have to wash them off. Do you understand?”
Amber shook her head yes. “But it’s going to hurt if you wash it.”
“Yes, it will. For a while. But then I’ll put on some nice cream and a Band-Aid, and it will feel a lot better. Okay?”
Bravely Amber bit her trembling bottom lip and nodded. “Okay.”
Hadley adjusted the water to room temperature, then put an arm around Amber’s waist. “Hang on to me honey. When it stings, you can cry, or you can squeeze my arm if it helps.”
Jeff was still hanging back in the hall, silently watching.
Knowing it was better to be fast and thorough, than to prolong the agony, Hadley directed the spray to Amber’s knee. She felt the little girl tense, heard her gasp, but she didn’t cry. Once the wound was flushed, she pressed a clean cloth to it, then applied the ointment, a patch of gauze, and several bandages.
“All done. You were very brave, Amber.”
“Can I show Madison?” Now that the ordeal was over, she seemed quite proud of her injury.
“Sure.” Hadley smiled wryly at Jeff as his daughter scooted past him.
“You handled that like a pro,” he said.
“I’ve had practice.” She tossed the cloth into the hamper then washed her own hands. “We were just about to have some lemonade. Would you and Amber like some?”
“Thanks.” He followed her to the kitchen where he perched on a stool and watched as she pulled out a tray and some plastic glasses. She was grabbing the pitcher of lemonade from the fridge when he asked her a question.
“By the way…have you had a chance to look for that emerald ring?”
She steadied her grip on the pitcher. Closed the fridge slowly and deliberately. “I…yes. I’ve looked. But it wasn’t anywhere in the house.” Technically this was true, she told herself as she focused on pouring out the lemonade.
“Are you sure?
“Yes.” Thank God she’d asked Bobbie to keep the ring for her for a while.
“Because I’d be happy to help you look. Carly too. She’s very good at finding things.”
Did he realize how intrusive that sounded? “The ring isn’t lost,” Hadley said firmly. “It isn’t here. Would you open the front door for me?”
She picked up the tray of drinks and carried it to the small table on the porch. Again Jeff hung back as she handed out the glasses, refusing when she offered him one. Bobbie drank hers quickly, then said goodbye and headed home. Hadley guessed her neighbor had sensed the tension between her and Jeff. Perhaps she had even guessed it was about the ring.
“Want to see my ladybugs?” Madison asked Amber. “You can use my new magnifying lens.”
“Yes!” Amber set down her drink and then checked in with her dad. “Can I?”
Hadley expected Jeff to tell his daughter they had to leave. But he nodded. As the little girls huddled over the terrarium, Jeff crossed his arms over his chest, his expression brooding.
“I can’t think what could have happened to that ring. Is there someone else your mother might have given it to?”
“Maybe it was accidentally included when Bobbie boxed her clothing for charity. It could have been in a pocket or something.”
Jeff looked appalled. “That ring is worth ten thousand dollars. It’s not the sort of thing you keep in a pocket.”
So much for his pretense of wanting the ring for its sentimental value.
“Maybe your mom had a special hiding place,” he suggested. “I’ve heard of old people stashing their valuables in the freezer. Or a box of tea. Strange places that people wouldn’t think to look.”
“Mom was only fifty-seven when she died. She wasn’t old. And if she hid it somewhere, it sure wasn’t in the freezer or her tea canister. Bobbie had both the kitchen and the bathroom completely cleaned out after Mom’s funeral. But hey. If it makes you feel better, you and Carly go ahead and conduct your own search of the house.”
The last part was spoken with sarcasm but to her surprise Jeff brightened.
“Really?” He pulled out his phone. “Carly should be back from the soccer game in thirty minutes or so. Can we come over then?”
“Whatever.” The violation of her space would be worth it to get him off her case. And while it might be wrong of her to let them go through the charade of searching for something she knew wasn’t there, his unvarnished greed made her dishonesty feel justified.
*
Jeff and Carly spent more than an hour searching through Hadley’s house. They’d left their kids at home with the nanny. Hadley, who’d just finished giving her daughter a bath and dressing her in jammies, told her daughter the adults were playing a game, having a treasure hunt, so of course Madison wanted to “play” too.
“You search your bedroom first, okay?” Hadley went to see what the Bombinis were up to. Jeff was going through the kitchen drawers while Carly, presumably with some sense of decorum, had designated herself to search the master bedroom. Hadley slept there now, but she still thought of it as her mother’s room.
“That dresser was empty when I moved in,” she told Carly as the other woman pulled open the top drawer. “You won’t find the ring there.”
Carly gave her a tight smile. “You don’t mind if I look, though? A small thing like a ring is easy to overlook.”
Hadley shrugged. Carly would be sifting the flour next. Checking for loose floorboards. Deciding it was better for her mental state not to watch, Hadley told Madison that the treasure was ice cream bars, and they were going to eat them in the family room while they watched a movie. Since ice cream was a rare treat and it was already past Madison’s bedtime, her daughter was thrilled.
They settled on the couch with their ice cream bars and Paw Patrol and Hadley tried to block the sound of cupboards and doors being opened and closed. By the time the movie ended, Madison had fallen asleep, and Carly and Jeff were still at it.
Hadley carried her daughter to bed, trying to ignore the pain in her lower abdomen. “Sleep well my little one.” She tucked her in and kissed her soft cheek and thought how complicated her life had become since this very little person had been born. And also, how wonderful and meaningful.
She went to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of red wine. All rules were off now, perhaps for good. Jeff was emptying cereal from the box into a bowl and back again. She poured a little extra wine into her glass and refrained from making any comment. “I’ll be on the front porch if you need me.”
Jeff grunted.
The atmosphere outside was much more pleasant. The night air was warm and fragrant and all she could hear against the backdrop of chirping cicadas was the occasional barking dog. Hadley sipped the wine and only then, as she began to relax, did she realize how incredibly tense she had been.
Five, or maybe ten, minutes later, the Bombinis finally conceded defeat.
“You were right,” Carly said. “The ring isn’t in your house.”
Hadley refrained from saying she’d told them so. “I’m sorry you’re disappointed. Maybe we can look some more on Sunday. It’s my turn to host dinner, right?”
Jeff and Carly exchanged looks. Again, it was Carly who spoke. “I’m afraid we can’t make it this week. Jeff’s parents are visiting in the area. We’re going to join them at their hotel for dinner on Sunday.”
Hadley paused, waiting for one of them to expand on this, to suggest that maybe she and Madison could join them. After all, they were family, too, right?
Right?
Only maybe they weren’t. Maybe all she and Madison had ever been were possible links to the missing emerald ring.
“How long are Uncle Tony and Aunt Celia going to be in the area? I’d love to see them. They’ve never even met Madison.”
“I’m sure they’d love to see you, as well.” Jeff’s voice was stiff. “If they can find the time. I think I told you they just bought some property near the ski hill and they’re supervising the construction of a chalet. You can imagine what that’s like. They have to make decisions about everything from light fixtures to flooring. But if there’s any extra time, I’m sure they’ll be in touch.”
Hadley fought back the urge to toss her wine in his face. “Right. Well. Have a good weekend then.”
Jeff looped his arm around his wife’s back. “Thanks. You too.”
They stood there as a solid unit. Polite, but cool. And Hadley knew all her efforts had been for nothing. There would be no more Sunday dinners. She and Madison would never be included as part of the extended family. The Bombinis looked after their own. And she and her mother and her daughter had never been part of the pack.
After they left, Hadley finished her wine. A little liquid courage before she faced the results of the paternity test. She pulled the envelope from her back pocket. Hesitated. Then tore it open.
And there were the results in black and white. No ambiguity there. Carefully she folded the paper and slid it back into the envelope.
Now what?
Slowly she stood, anticipating the pain before it came, then gasping when it was more than expected.
“Hadley.”
She glanced across the street and noticed a dark shadow moving on Bobbie’s front porch. She hadn’t realized anyone was sitting out there. The dark figure left the porch and began moving toward her. In the glow from the streetlight Hadley could see it was Bobbie again, crossing the road and running up her walkway.
“What’s wrong?”
Hadley, arms tight around her middle, wanted to say nothing. Instead, words she had never intended to utter came gushing out. “It’s a tumor. I’ve got ovarian cancer.”