IT WAS a nice day, even if the wind was a little on the chilly side. I was getting spoiled living in the South. Coming from northern Illinois, I was used to temperatures that would make these feel almost tropical. So why was I shivering now? Maybe it was being in a skirt—something I never did back in Joliet. Or maybe it was in anticipation of whatever the righteous Reverend Thorne intended to lay on us in private.
Whatever it was, I decided to keep it locked inside. Ethan didn’t need that kind of additional pressure. He had enough of that as it was. Besides, right now he seemed almost relaxed, watching Benny chase the chickens around the yard. Sometimes they even chased him. It was hilarious. Benny barked, and the hens squawked. Even Sarah managed to laugh, although she still seemed a little tense.
By accord, we’d all walked away from the house while we drank our beers. I’m not sure if that was prompted by respect for their father, or the desire not to be overheard. Assuming anyone was within earshot and wanting to listen.
“So, how long are you guys going to stay?” Sarah said at last, looking back and forth between us. “I know you can’t stay forever, with your job and all. Mom’s doing a lot better, and it wasn’t nearly as serious as we thought it was.”
“Thank God for that,” Ethan said fervently. He stepped closer to me and slid his arm about me. Maybe he’d noticed my shiver after all. “We haven’t talked about it. Probably not long, though. What about you? You heading back to Atlanta soon?”
Sarah didn’t answer right away. She seemed to be studying the ground with great intensity, as if she expected to find the answer written there. Finally she said in a low voice, “I think we’re gonna stick around awhile. Me and Alex. Hang out with Mercy and Hannah.”
Uh-oh, that didn’t sound good. Not what she said, more the way she said it. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out there was something going on here, something that was probably tied in to her less than stellar mood.
“What about your job at the museum?” Ethan asked.
“I’m taking a leave for right now.” She tilted her head back and drained the can in her hand.
“What about Scott?” Ethan continued. I let him do the questioning, but he was asking the same things that were going through my brain.
“Scott who?” she asked flippantly.
I glanced at Ethan, to watch his reaction to those words. He seemed as baffled as me. His eyes were fixed on Sarah, and she was staring back at him. For a jealous moment, I wondered if they had some mental telepathy thing going on that I wasn’t privy to.
Then Sarah took a deep breath and said, “We’re breaking up.”
“Breaking up?” Ethan repeated. “You mean… like divorcing? Or what?”
“I guess divorce, yes,” she said. “Look, it’s a long stupid story. One I’d rather not get into here and now. I haven’t said anything to Mom and Dad, and I’d rather you didn’t either, if you don’t mind.”
“Of course not,” Ethan replied immediately, and I echoed his words. “What about Joey? You going to tell him? Or Heather?”
Sarah shrugged. “When I think they need to know, I guess.” Her bottom lip quivered, and I could see the dam was about to burst. I gave Ethan a little nudge, but I’m sure he didn’t need it. He quickly crossed the small distance between them and pulled his sister into his arms.
“I’m so sorry,” he kept saying as he patted her back. I watched her shoulders shake, though I couldn’t hear her response, muffled as it was against his chest.
Finally she straightened up, swiping at her cheeks and sniffling. “Everything’s going to be okay,” she said. I’m not sure if she was trying to convince us or herself more. “I promise I’ll tell you both later, okay?”
“Okay,” he agreed. I could hear the reluctance in his voice.
“Besides, you need to go see what Dad wants, and I need to put Alex down for a nap. While you do that, I’ll see what Mom wants me to heat up for lunch, and make sure she doesn’t try to do it herself. The church ladies left a lot of stuff in the fridge. They won’t be starving to death anytime soon.” She laughed, but it sounded a little hollow. But at least she was making an effort.
From the front of the house, we heard a car door slam.
“Sounds like Joey’s back,” Sarah said. “Here, give me those.” She gathered up our empty cans. “I’ll get rid of the evidence. I’m not in the mood for one of his evils-of-liquor speeches.” She rolled her eyes.
“Your father didn’t lecture, why would he?” I asked curiously.
“Because he thinks he’s super preacher or something,” Sarah replied, which produced a chuckle from Ethan. “I think he’s waiting for Dad to die so he can inherit his church.”
“I didn’t know it worked like that,” I said.
“It doesn’t,” Ethan interjected. “Wishful thinking on his part. Plus he hates what he does.”
“Selling insurance?”
“Yeah, but he chose it,” Sarah said.
“I think Heather chose it,” Ethan said. “A wedding gift from Daddy. It’s complicated,” he added, for my benefit.
Was there anything about this family that wasn’t?
There seemed to be nothing else to say, so we parted ways, at least for the moment. Sarah took the evidence of our drinking to the recycling bin while Ethan and I went inside to face the music. When I was a kid, I was sometimes called in to the principal’s office to receive a “good talking to.” This reminded me of one of those times. I cradled Benny in my arms. I had a feeling he’d worn himself out chasing the chickens and was probably going to sleep.
As we headed down the hall to the study, I heard Mrs. Thorne’s voice call out. “Ethan? Is that you?”
“Coming, Mom,” he answered, and we diverted our steps into the living room. “Is something wrong?”
“No, honey, not at all,” she assured him. “I was just wondering if you’d mind getting my glasses for me? I think I left them on my bedside table.”
I could see the relief on Ethan’s face. “Sure,” he said. “Be right down.” He squeezed my hand, then headed toward the stairs. I heard him pound up the steps. His mother laughed.
“I was always telling him to slow down when he was a kid, but he didn’t listen then either.” She turned to me, and her expression grew more serious. “Vinnie, you don’t have to worry about anything. I see you together, and I know he loves you so much… and you love him just as much. That’s all that matters, that’s the only thing.”
“I do love him,” I said softly, fighting the sudden lump in my throat. “You’ve raised a remarkable man.”
Pride in Ethan was evident in her smile. “Your mother raised one too.”
I almost lost it then, but I managed to control my breathing and fight back the tears that threatened, at the same time trying not to squeeze Benny too tightly. When she beckoned to me, I didn’t hesitate to move closer. She kissed my cheek tenderly, then patted the other one, gazing into my eyes before she pulled me into a quick hug. She held me there for a moment before releasing me as Ethan walked back into the room.
“Here you go, Mom,” he said, her glasses in his hand. He looked back and forth between us, probably wondering what he’d interrupted.
“Thank you, honey,” she said. “If you have time, I’d like to see you after you talk to your father.”
“We have time,” he assured her, and I nodded my agreement. It wasn’t until we were headed to the reverend’s study that Maureen’s words totally hit my brain. Did she just call me a man? Hope and dismay warred in my heart at the idea. Did she know the truth, and did she understand about us? But I dismissed the notion just as quickly. No, that couldn’t be. I must have heard her wrong.
Ethan knocked on the door, his father called out to come in, and we entered.
Reverend Thorne sat behind a good-sized desk at the far end of the room. It was a very masculine piece of furniture, very commanding. The desk was a warm wood color, maybe walnut, and the bookcases against either wall were the same rich shade. The carpet was a deep green, and the walls were an off-white. A few landscapes were hung about the room, as well as a family portrait, obviously taken some time ago, maybe when Ethan was about twelve or thirteen. I glanced at some of the spines on the bookcase as we walked farther into the room. Mostly religious texts whose names were unfamiliar to me.
He rose as we entered, waving us to chairs on the opposite side of his desk. “Have a seat,” he encouraged us. Benny had indeed fallen asleep, so I let him slumber on my lap. Ethan waited until I was seated and pulled his chair next to mine, protectively.
The minister regained his own seat. “It means a lot to both your mother and me that you came down,” he began. “I know how busy you two must be.” He glanced between us.
“Of course we came,” Ethan said. “Nothing is more important than Mom’s health.”
“Of course, of course. You’ve certainly contributed to her recovery by being here.”
“We’re all here,” Ethan pointed out. “Me and Vinnie. And Sarah. And Joey.”
Reverend Thorne nodded. “I’m very blessed, aren’t I, in my children?” If he noticed the sleeping dog on my lap, he chose not to comment.
“As I said, having you here has been very beneficial to your mother. And being able to meet your lovely partner at last… to know that you’re happy together, and will undoubtedly be making the ultimate commitment… that is very gratifying to both of us.”
Did he just say he thought we were getting married? What had that idea come from? Surely neither one of us had ever said such a thing. Hell, we’d never even discussed that between us, which is where any such commitment should begin, not with Ethan’s father.
I started to tell him so in no uncertain terms, but he’d already forged ahead with whatever he wanted to say, and the moment was lost.
“Ethan, do you remember what we discussed when you graduated from college? Before you entered your training for your present job?”
I was sitting so close to Ethan, I could easily feel him stiffen. And not in a good way.
“If you’re talking about the FBI—” he began cautiously.
“I am,” his father said.
“Then yes, I remember. You said you knew someone who could get me a job with the FBI, and I thanked you and told you I’d already been accepted into the program.”
The Reverend Thorne nodded at Ethan’s words. “Yes, that’s it exactly. Well, I’ll cut to the chase. Your mother has been so happy to have you back… both of you. To meet Vinnie and everything… I reached out to my friend at the FBI once more, and he told me that there is a place for you… for both of you… in the Atlanta office. I’m sure Vinnie won’t want to keep working once you’re married, but that’s up to you. The important thing is you’ll be closer to your family.”
He seemed so sure of himself, so positive that Ethan would fall in with all his plans and schemes and do just as he was more or less ordering him to do. I was speechless on more than one count. Leave our jobs? Join the FBI? Move to Atlanta, closer to Ethan’s family?
That idea was wrong on so many levels, I didn’t know where to begin. I think Ethan was just as stunned as I was. Neither one of us said a word. Maybe that was a mistake. Maybe he assumed our tacit compliance with his orders.
Ethan spoke first. “Father….” He looked at me, and I felt his helplessness, his inability to disappoint his father. I had to step in here, I just had to.
“That is tremendously tempting,” I said smoothly, although I was still seething at the idea that I’d rather not work because he thought I was a woman, and what did that say for his opinion of the fairer sex? “We should really discuss this between us. Can we get back to you?” I tried to keep my voice upbeat and feminine when what I really wanted to do was yell “What the hell, dude?”
He rose and nodded at us in a gracious manner. “Of course, of course. Tomorrow is enough time.” Something in his eyes, something almost hard and calculating, told me if we didn’t agree to what he wanted, there’d be hell to pay.
What were we going to do?
Ethan gripped my hand tightly as we exited his father’s study. I had a bad feeling if I didn’t hold on to him, he might just fall. We closed the door behind us and stood in the hallway, looking at each other. Benny had chosen that moment to awaken, demanding to be let down. I placed the yawning pup on the floor at our feet.
“Vinnie, we can’t do that, we can’t,” Ethan said, a panic-stricken look in his eyes.
“Shh, shh.” I tried to calm him. “Let’s not worry about that now. It’ll be all right. We’ll figure it out, we will.” I wrapped my arms around him, and we held on to each other while I gently rubbed his back. I listened to his breathing even out before I dared draw back and look into his eyes for confirmation that he wasn’t about to lose it.
“Your mother wants to see us, remember?” I prodded his memory. “Want to do that?”
Ethan nodded. “Yeah, let’s. Just don’t say anything about… I don’t want her to worry about anything right now. If she thinks… if my father told her, we would….” He sighed deeply. “God, what a mess.”
“We won’t say anything,” I assured him, “and we’ll sort everything out when we go back to the motel. How does that sound?” I gazed worriedly into his eyes, as I gently stroked his cheek.
“That sounds like a plan,” he said at last. I slid my arm around his waist, and we walked together into the living room, Benny at our heels.
Ethan’s mother was dozing in her chair, a paperback book in her lap. We froze in the middle of the room, and I wondered if we should just back out and let her sleep, but she opened her eyes before we could put any such plan into effect.
“I’m sorry, Mom, we didn’t know you were sleeping,” Ethan apologized. “Do you want to go up to your room and lie down? You’d be more comfortable.”
“No, I was just closing my eyes.” She smiled at us warmly. “How did everything go with your father?”
Ethan’s grip on my arm tightened, but his voice never faltered. “Just fine,” he said. “He just wanted us to think about something, and we told him we would. So, never mind that, how are you doing?”
“I’m just perfect, now that you’re here.” I felt Ethan flinch at her words, and it wasn’t hard to guess just what he was thinking. This was rapidly turning into an impossible situation, one with no easy way out.
His mother sat up straighter in her chair and readjusted the quilt that still lay across her lap. “Please, have a seat. I was hoping to get a chance to talk to you two. I was a little out of it at the hospital, I’m afraid.” She laughed lightly.
“You were fine,” Ethan said. “We’d love to sit with you. Can I get you anything first?” Ethan was slightly flustered, and it showed. His mother gave him a sharp look but didn’t comment.
“Not a thing,” she said, “other than the pleasure of your company for a few minutes.”
We took seats together on the sofa closest to her chair. I remembered to sit with my legs held together in a ladylike fashion, even if it felt distinctly unnatural, and more than a little uncomfortable. Ethan held my hand, resting both our hands on top of my skirted leg. Benny jumped up beside us, and took up the rest of the space in my lap.
“Tell me about Roanoke,” Maureen said. “What’s it like there? You’re not still living in a motel, are you?”
“No, we’re living in a house now,” Ethan said. “Our boss moved us out of Richmond, and the company had this house that wasn’t being used, and he asked would we like to live there.”
“It’s a very nice house,” I added to flesh out Ethan’s bare-bones comments. “It has a fenced-in yard that’s perfect for Benny, and a kitchen that’s nicer than the one in the apartment in Richmond. And it came with furniture. It was pretty much ready to move into. And Roanoke is a pretty place. There’s even a dog park for Benny.”
“That sounds nice. Do you do a lot of cooking, Vinnie?”
“Not a whole lot, I’m not that good at it. Ethan’s a great cook, though.”
“You’re too modest. You make some great dishes,” Ethan protested.
His mother smiled at us. “Ethan and Sarah started cooking when they were little. They both loved to hang around the kitchen and watch me make dinner, so I started showing them how to do things. Joey never was very interested in cooking, I’m afraid.”
“Joey’s only interested in Joey,” Sarah commented as she walked into the room, pushing back stray strands of blonde hair. Her face was a little flushed.
“Isn’t Joey here? I thought I heard his car,” Maureen said. Until that moment, I’d forgotten we’d heard it too, but we hadn’t seen any sign of him.
“He’s here,” Sarah replied. “Last seen, he was outside, fighting with Heather about something or other. At least they’re being quiet about it.”
“Then how can you tell they’re fighting?” I couldn’t resist asking.
“I can just tell.” Sarah shrugged. “Oh, by the way, lunch will be ready in a few minutes.”
I wasn’t sure I felt like eating.
“Thank you for taking care of that,” Maureen said.
“No problem, Mom. There’s lots of food in the fridge and freezer. You’re not likely to starve to death anytime soon.”
“Would you mind telling your father that lunch will be soon? That way he won’t get started on anything too involved. He’s still in his study, isn’t he?”
“He’s still there,” Ethan confirmed.
“Sure. I’ll tell him.” Sarah hurried out of the room, and I could hear her knock on the closed study door.
“Ethan…. Vinnie….”
We turned out attention back to Ethan’s mother.
“Listen to me, please. There’s something I’ve wanted to say ever since you first came to the hospital. Please, don’t ever doubt yourselves, not for one minute. Don’t let anybody make you feel you’re any less than who you are.”
I stared at her in shock. Was she saying what I thought she was saying?
“Mom, I’m not sure what you mean,” Ethan began.
“Ethan, I just want you to know I understand, and I love you both. I wouldn’t change either one of you for the world. Don’t try to change for me.”
“Mom….” Ethan rose to his feet, releasing my hand. I could hear the agitation in his voice. “There’s something I’ve wanted to tell you for a long time, but I was—”
Whatever he was about to say, his words were cut off when a door slammed and an angry figure stormed into the room. Joseph Junior. What the hell was his problem?
“You son of a bitch,” he spat at his brother. “How dare you?” The next thing I knew, he was taking a swing at Ethan.