скачать книгу бесплатно
The phone rang and Maryellen grabbed it, eager for any distraction.
“Hello,” she said, hoping her voice disguised the self-pity she’d fallen into.
“It’s Ellen Bowman. Is everything all right?”
Her mother-in-law’s sympathy nearly overwhelmed her, bringing her close to tears. Maryellen felt dreadful, about as low as she’d been in her entire life, other than during her brief first marriage. “I’m okay,” she managed to tell her.
“And Jon?” Ellen asked hesitantly.
“He’s…” Maryellen was willing to stretch the truth about her own state of mind and health, but she couldn’t lie about her husband’s. “Not well, Ellen. He’s not doing well at all.”
Her mother-in-law grew quiet. “Joseph and I thought that might be the case. I know Jon’s angry. He’s made it abundantly clear that he doesn’t want anything to do with either of us. His attitude’s killing his father. But I know you’ve tried to talk to him, and we both appreciate your efforts more than we can say.”
Maryellen had paid a high price for interfering between Jon and his parents and she dared not do it again. She and Jon had actually separated for a time, just before the miscarriage, because of her attempts to effect a reconciliation. Afterward, they’d sidestepped the whole issue. But earlier in the month, soon after she’d begun her regimen of bed rest, Jon had conceded that they didn’t have any choice other than to ask his family for help.
Yet he hadn’t made the phone call, hadn’t contacted them in any way, at least not that Maryellen knew about. Instead, they struggled from day to day until she feared their lives were about to implode. Neither Jon nor Maryellen could continue living with this constant, unrelenting stress.
“Jon was going to phone you,” Maryellen said. “He told me.”
“He was?” Hope elevated Ellen’s voice.
“He hasn’t, because, well, because he’s afraid, I think, and proud. Too proud.”
Ellen laughed softly. “He’s like his father in that regard.”
Maryellen smiled and tried to relax. This nervous tension was bad for the baby, bad for her, bad all around. At her last appointment, Dr. DeGroot had emphasized the importance of staying calm. When he’d said she should try to keep her life stress-free, she’d nearly laughed out loud.
“Joseph and I ordered the Cedar Cove Chronicle mailed to us here in Oregon,” Ellen said, “and we read about the fire at The Lighthouse. We know Jon went back to work there.”
“Yes, it’s terrible news.” Without his job as chef, Jon was left with only his photography earnings to support the family. His work was displayed in a Seattle gallery and sold well, but the money he made wasn’t nearly enough to cover their living expenses, particularly now that Maryellen no longer had medical insurance.
“Jon’s not working anywhere else, then?”
“His photographs are selling nicely,” Maryellen felt obliged to tell her. “He’s so talented.” It was through his art that Maryellen had first come to know Jon Bowman. He’d brought his photographs for display at the Harbor Street Gallery, where she was employed as manager. They were among the most popular in the gallery.
Unlike some of the other artists, Jon preferred to keep a low profile. It wasn’t until after Katie was born that she’d learned this man she loved had spent time in prison. In order to save their younger son, his parents had lied and Jon had been sentenced for a crime he’d never committed.
“Joseph and I want to help,” Ellen insisted. “What can we do?”
“I’m not sure…” She didn’t feel comfortable stating the obvious—that she needed someone here, in the house, looking after Katie, preparing meals, cleaning.
“There’s something wrong,” Ellen said sharply. “What is it?”
“I’m—I’m having problems with the pregnancy,” she admitted. “I’m on complete bed rest.” The baby gave her a hard kick as if to remind her.
“What about Katie? You can’t possibly be taking care of her if you’re confined to bed.”
“I’m not. I can’t. She’s with her father,” Maryellen said. Jon was doing his best to sell his work and take care of their child, run the household, and everything else.
“But how can he do that?” Ellen asked, clearly concerned.
“He can’t.” Maryellen was unwilling to explain further.
“We’re coming,” Ellen announced. “You both need us.”
Maryellen sighed, feeling a surge of relief and simultaneous anxiety about Jon’s reaction. “I can’t ask you to do that.”
“You didn’t,” Ellen said. “Our son will just have to swallow his silly pride. His family’s at stake here. As far as I’m concerned, this is God’s way of bringing us all back together. Jon can’t very well ignore us now. He’s our son, and Katie and this new baby are our grandchildren.” Ellen sounded like a force to be reckoned with.
“Let me talk to him first,” Maryellen urged.
“You do that if you want, but it doesn’t make the least bit of difference what he says. Joseph and I are coming to Cedar Cove, and that’s that. Leave everything to me, Maryellen,” she insisted in a determined voice. “I’ll be in touch.”
They ended the conversation and afterward Maryellen did feel better. She didn’t know what she’d say to Jon. Maybe she wouldn’t broach the subject, after all. Maybe she would leave everything to Ellen and Joseph. She was so weary of fighting him on this. He’d relented once and agreed to ask his family for help and then done nothing. She couldn’t face that battle again.
Just as she was beginning to think it was time for Jon and Katie to return home, she heard a car pull into the yard. Trying to look rested and relaxed, she attempted a smile, waiting for her husband and daughter to walk into the house.
Instead the doorbell rang.
Visitors? In the middle of the day?
Before Maryellen could move, the door opened and Rachel Pendergast and Teri Miller entered, letting in warm spring air and sunshine and laughter. They worked at Get Nailed, the salon where Maryellen had her hair and nails done. Or used to…
“Rachel? Teri?” Maryellen couldn’t have been more surprised—and delighted. “What are you doing here?”
“We are on a mission of mercy,” Rachel declared. She set a white take-out bag on the coffee table in front of Maryellen, then reached for her hand. Shaking her head, Rachel gave a disparaging sigh. “Just look at those nails,” she muttered.
“And I was thinking you could do with a haircut,” Teri said cheerfully. “And since we were coming, we decided to bring lunch for all of us.”
Maryellen felt like laughing and crying at the same time. “How did you know I’ve been longing for some TLC?” she whispered, endeavoring not to weep.
“A little birdie told us,” Rachel said, grinning. She walked into the kitchen and collected three plates.
“This place is beautiful,” Teri said. Hands on her ample hips, she glanced around. “Rachel said Jon did most of the work himself. Mighty talented husband you’ve got there, my friend.”
Maryellen had to agree. She liked both women immensely; Rachel had done her nails for years, while Teri had only recently started cutting Maryellen’s hair. Teri had a flair for the outrageous and was genuinely entertaining. More than that, she was a kind-hearted and compassionate person—as her visit today proved.
Over the years, Maryellen had gotten to know them both pretty well, and at one time had tried to set Teri up with Jon. Now she was astonished that she’d ever thought of such a thing. Teri and Jon were completely unsuited, but Maryellen hadn’t even considered that. She’d been fighting her own attraction to him and had managed to convince herself that if he turned his attention elsewhere, he’d forget about her and vice versa. However, Jon was interested only in her.
“We brought you teriyaki chicken with rice and veggies,” Rachel said as she pulled containers from the white sack.
Maryellen’s appetite had been almost nonexistent for weeks. Jon had to coax her to eat at every meal. But all at once she was ravenous.
“That sounds fabulous.”
“Good.” Rachel handed her a filled plate and a pair of chopsticks.
Maryellen sat cross-legged on the sofa while her two friends arranged ottomans on the other side of the coffee table. The three of them dug into their lunch as Teri explained that it was from a new take-out place on the outskirts of Cedar Cove. They all proclaimed the food to be delicious and worth getting again. Teri had been considerate enough to leave a menu with Maryellen. “For when you guys just want to order in.”
“I think I should cut your hair short,” Teri said next. “Really short. You’ve got better things to do than fuss with your hair.”
Maryellen smiled. It was all she could do to get it combed every day. “Jon won’t like that.”
“Hey, he isn’t the one who has to wash it and brush it,” Teri said. “He’ll get used to it.”
Maryellen could imagine how he’d react. The last time she’d had more than a trim was soon after Katie’s birth. Until then, Maryellen had worn her dark hair long and straight, reaching the middle of her back, much as it did now. Jon had never actually said he didn’t like her new style, but she could sense that he’d been disappointed. He often told her how much he loved her long, glossy hair, how beautiful he found it.
“Okay, what do you mean by short?” Maryellen asked.
Teri’s dark eyes twinkled. “Wait and see.”
“I hope you realize I can’t afford this,” she felt obliged to remind her friends.
“That’s not your concern,” Rachel was quick to tell her. “It’s all been taken care of.”
“And,” Teri added, “included in the fee was a more-than-generous tip.”
“Who did this?” Maryellen asked, although she could guess.
“Your fairy godfather,” Rachel told her. “That’s all I’m going to say.”
“Cliff.” Just as Maryellen had thought. Her new stepfather, Cliff Harding, had arranged this.
“Like I said,” Rachel scolded, drawing two fingers across her mouth, “my lips are zipped.”
The next two hours were such a pleasure. Teri washed her hair in the sink, and while she cut, dried and styled it, Rachel worked on her nails. God bless Cliff for this—and so much else. Ever since her mother and Cliff had met, she’d been impressed by what a loving, thoughtful man he was.
“Tell me the latest gossip,” Maryellen said as the two women continued their beauty treatment.
“Well,” Teri said, sighing deeply, “the biggest news is that Nate Olsen’s back in town.”
Nate was the young warrant officer Rachel had been seeing. Her friend had an ambiguous relationship with a widower named Bruce Peyton, which had gone on for three—or was it four?—years. Then this navy man had entered her life. Maryellen wondered which one Rachel would eventually choose.
“Would you stop!” Rachel cried. “Nate and I are dating casually, that’s all.”
Maryellen doubted the “casual” part but didn’t comment.
“What about Bruce?” she asked, knowing how close Rachel was to Bruce’s daughter, Jolene.
“We’re just friends.” She brushed off the questions, sounding a bit impatient, but Maryellen suspected Rachel’s feelings for Bruce went deeper than she realized.
“You know what I don’t understand?” Teri said, expertly wielding her scissors. “Rachel has two men on the line and I haven’t hooked a single one.”
“You should’ve put in your bid at the bachelor auction,” Rachel teased, referring to the charity event at which she’d “bought” Nate.
“Those men were far too expensive for my pocketbook,” Teri muttered, still clipping. Long pieces of hair fell to the floor.
She bent to gather up Maryellen’s hair. “Want to donate this to make a wig for a cancer patient?” she asked.
“Sure!” Maryellen felt good about giving to someone in need—especially since she’d received so much herself. “That’s a wonderful idea.”
A few minutes later, Teri switched on the television to check the weekend weather. “Hey,” she said, stepping back from the screen as the local news broadcast concluded. “There’s a big chess championship coming to Seattle.”
“Do you like chess?” Maryellen asked.
Teri shrugged. “I don’t know much about it. It’s a lot like checkers, isn’t it?”
Rachel and Maryellen exchanged looks.
“Well, not really,” Rachel answered. “It’s a little more complicated.”
Soon after the two women finished, packed up their supplies and left, Jon and Katie got home. He seemed exhausted and Katie did, too. When Jon saw Maryellen, he did a double take.
“Do you like it?” she asked tentatively, putting her hand to her head. Then she went on to explain how this change in her appearance had come about—mentioning her satisfaction at donating her hair for a cancer wig.
Jon nodded. “That’s great,” he said. “And I love your new look. I’ve always liked your hair long but this is…nice. Nice,” he repeated. “It suits you and I can see that it’s much more practical.”
Maryellen was pleased at his response, which seemed exactly right to her. Katie crawled into her lap then and laid her head against Maryellen’s shoulder. Within minutes, the little girl was fast asleep. Maryellen settled Katie on the sofa beside her.
She didn’t ask Jon how his day had gone. His weary expression told her everything she needed to know. He’d spent the day doing errands—getting groceries, film, visiting the library.
“Sit with me awhile,” she urged, sitting upright.
“I’ve got stuff I have to do.”
She patted the empty space next to her. “Jon,” she whispered. “Please.”
He hesitated, and she knew he felt torn between the need to work while Katie napped and his desire to be with his wife. Her smile must have won him over because he sank down at her side and slipped one arm around her shoulders.
“I love you so much,” she said.
Jon kissed her forehead. “I love you, too.”
“In a few months, this will all be over.”
“It feels like it’s gone on forever,” he murmured.
“Getting through these last few weeks of the pregnancy…That’ll be the most difficult. Things will get worse before they get better.”
He released a deep, pent-up sigh. “We’ll be fine.”
“I think so, too.” She turned her head in order to meet his gaze. “Your stepmother phoned this afternoon,” she said, not bothering with a preamble.
Jon stiffened but said nothing. Then he asked. “Did she call or did you?”
“She phoned,” Maryellen assured him, refusing to take offense at the question. “They read about the fire at The Lighthouse because they get the Chronicle. She called to see if everything was all right with us.”
He didn’t respond for a long moment. “So they know I’m not working?” he finally asked. “At a job, I mean?”
