A Life Less Ordinary (44 page)

Zeke
paused.  “What other reason could there be?”

TJ
took a breath, choked on it, and began to cough, a harsh, dry, wracking sound. 
He gratefully accepted Leah’s offer of water, and said, “To get her to accept
your apology.”

“I’m
not going to apologize!”

“Uh
– yeah.  Okay.”

“Do
you have any idea how many times I’ve already apologized to that woman?” Zeke
snapped.

“About
half a dozen,” Leah said brightly.

“
That all?” TJ asked.

“
Hey!”  Zeke protested,
then shook his head.  “It doesn’t matter – I’m not following her in order to
apologize.  I just don’t want anything to happen to the little idiot.”

Leah
and TJ exchanged glances and raised eyebrows over the speakerphone.

“I
think Manny’s pretty used to taking care of herself, Zeke,” Leah said, then
grinned as TJ rolled his eyes and shook his head.

“Oh,
God – if you can call what she does taking care of herself!”  Zeke paused. 
“Okay, okay – you’re right – there’s another reason why I’m following her.”

“I
knew it!” Leah crowed.

“I
don’t want to fly home on the same plane as Daisy and Rebecca, or have them
hunt me down if anything happens to Manny after we part company.”

“
I have
got
to
meet these women,” Leah said.  “They sound like my kind of people.”

“
Oh, God,” Zeke groaned,
“don’t go bonding with them!  You’re the reason I’m in this mess in the first
place!  Shit.  I’m sorry, Leah.  I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”

Leah
blinked.  “I think that’s the first time you apologized about something you
said without somebody pointing out you’d just said something that hurt
someone’s feelings.”

Zeke
frowned.  “I...think I got all that...but what’s your point?”

“Go. 
Follow Manny.  Call us for bail money when she has you arrested.  She’s
been...really good for you, you know.”

Zeke
hesitated, then said softly, “I know.”

~~~~~

Manny
stood with Rebecca and Daisy in the parking lot beside their rented car.

“Drive
carefully,” she told them, hugging each in turn, “and call as soon as you get
home.”

“We
will,” Daisy assured her.  “You drive carefully, too.  I’ll expect a call every
night.  Maybe every afternoon, too.  Possibly even every morning.”

Manny
laughed.  “Don’t worry, Daisy.  I’ll be fine.”

“I
know.  But call me anyway.”

“All
right.”  She turned to Rebecca, who seemed to be watching, with a slight smile,
something behind Manny.  Manny frowned and turned to look behind her.  She
didn’t see anything unusual and turned back to Rebecca, her frown deepening. 

“Are
you okay?” Manny asked.

Rebecca
blinked and refocused on her.  “I’m more than okay,” she said.  “Never mind,”
she added quickly and Manny closed her mouth with an audible snap.  “Come on,
Daisy.  We better get going.”

Daisy
hugged Manny tightly.  “We’ll talk later tonight, okay?”

“You
bet,” Manny said.

Manny
hugged Rebecca just as tightly, and Rebecca murmured into Manny’s ear, “You
should read the blogs, and then talk to Zeke.”

Manny
pulled away with a scowl.  “What for?”

Rebecca
grinned.  “Trust me,” she said, then hugged Manny again.

~~~~~

“What
was that all about?” Daisy demanded as they pulled out of the parking lot.

Rebecca
nodded towards a car, parked on a side street with Zeke behind the wheel.  “I
don’t think he’s going to let her go alone if he can help it.”

Daisy
snorted.  “More fodder for his blog?”

Rebecca
slid a glance at Daisy.  “I think you need to read his stuff, too,” she said,
and refused to say any more on the subject. 

* * * * *

It
was late by the time Rebecca got home, and the next morning was rushed as she
slept in and had to hurry Tris out the door to catch the school bus.  It wasn’t
until supper that night – their designated portion of the day to spend together
without any other distractions – that Rebecca had a chance to really sit down
and talk with her.

Tris
rather disconsolately picked at her food and asked without any real interest,
“So, Manny’s out of jail?”

Rebecca
nodded as she covertly watched her.  “Yeah.  A good story for the grand-nephews
and nieces someday.”

“Yeah?”
Tris said bitterly.  “Well, I had a long talk with Jakob and Janika while you
were gone.”

Rebecca
nodded carefully.  “Okay.  What about?”

Tris
slammed down her fork.  “You have to pay them to spend time with me!  If you
have to pay somebody, then pay a stranger, not people I thought were my
friends!” she yelled before she burst into tears and bolted from table.

~~~~~

Rebecca
lightly tapped on Tris’ door and was answered with a muffled and tearful, “Go
away!”

She
sighed and opened the door.

“No,
I don’t think so,” she said gently as she walked in. 

Tris
huddled on the bed in a ball, her back stubbornly turned to Rebecca.  Rebecca
sat down, but made no move to touch her granddaughter.

“We
need to talk,” Rebecca said firmly.

Tris
snorted.

Rebecca
said, “I’m not going to apologize for hiring Jakob and Janika to look after you
when I’m not around.  I hired them
because
they’re your friends.  In
fact, they volunteered; I made them take the money.”

Tris
hunched her shoulders a little higher.

“Tris,
they would have done it for nothing,” Rebecca continued, “but they were
sacrificing their own free time.  Besides, if you guys wanted to go to the
movies, or...or...or wherever it is kids go to have fun, then they needed money
to pay for that.”

She
paused.  “I’m sorry you feel your friendship is somehow...diminished because
they were paid.  It’s not, you know.  They’re still your friends.  They’ll
always be your friends.”  She paused again, frowning.  “I told you about all
this – that they would get paid for looking after you.  Did you forget?”

Tris
shrugged slightly.

“What
happened while I was gone?”

Tris
mumbled something.

Rebecca
frowned.  “Sorry?”

“He
won’t wait for me.”

Rebecca
leaned back, her eyes wide with surprise.  She hesitated, then, “I’m sorry,” she
said sadly.

“Why
won’t he wait?” Tris asked plaintively.

Rebecca
said, gently serious, “Because you’re only ten years old.”

“Almost
eleven!”

Rebecca
smiled a fleeting smile.  “Yes, almost eleven.  Tris – honey – you’re still a
child, and you have a lot of living to do before you’re ready for any boy. 
Don’t rush it.  It’ll happen – maybe it’ll be Jakob – maybe it won’t.  But you
don’t need to be in any hurry.”

Tris
rolled over and stared at Rebecca with a pout and tear-reddened eyes.  “It’s
never happened for Manny.  It’s never happened for you.  What if no boy ever
wants me, either?  I mean, no one wants me now, not you, not Jakob, not Gran
and Pappy, not even Mom and Dad.”

“Oh,
Tris,” Rebecca sighed sadly, “you’re far too young to be concerned about this
-”

Tris
abruptly sat up.  “I love him!  Why won’t he love me?”

“Because
you’re still just a child – but you won’t be one forever.  Your future is vast
and full of possibilities.  And someday, when you’re a little older, we’ll talk
about Manny and her choices, and we’ll talk about me and mine.  For now...”

“For
now?”

“For
now, you have enough to deal with – including your broken heart.  I can’t help
you with that, except to tell you...it will get better.  Really.  It will.”

Tris
stared at her hands, tightly clutching the blanket.  “I told him I loved him,”
she mumbled.

“And
I’ll bet he was flattered, right?”

Tris
shrugged.  “So he said...”

“Then
believe him,” Rebecca said simply.  “And you should be proud of yourself.  It
takes a lot of guts to tell somebody you love them.”

“Did
you ever love somebody?”

“Of
course,” Rebecca shrugged with a small smile.  “I love you.”

Tris
rolled her eyes.  “I meant a boy.”

Rebecca
laughed.  “Oh, yes.  A couple of them even.  And
those
are stories for
when you’re
much
older!”

She
awkwardly patted Tris’ leg.  “Now.  I can’t do anything about Jakob.  But I
can
do something about your parents.  And it’s past time I did.”

~~~~~

“Now
what?” Jackson asked, his voice warm and concerned on the other end of the
phone.

“Now
I need to put Tris first.  And...”

“And?”

“It’s
time to stop being understanding.  Jaime needs to come back to her daughter,
or...”

“
Or?”

“
Or she gives Tris to
me.  Legally, I mean.  Tris needs a home; she needs to feel secure.  Although
God knows I obviously screwed up one child; I’m not sure I should try again.”

There
was a long pause, then Jackson said, “You mean my kids too, don’t you?”

Rebecca’s
mouth opened and closed as she struggled to find something to say.

“I
was afraid of that,” Jackson said finally.  “Rebecca, you don’t have to do this
alone this time.  I want you to meet my kids and I want to meet Tris -”

“I
never
allow my lovers to meet my family,” Rebecca blurted.

“Why
not
?” he demanded harshly.

Rebecca
blinked in surprise.  It was, she thought, the first time Jackson had pushed
her; the first time he actually seemed...angry at her desire to keep him at
arms’ length from her family.

“Why
do you want me to meet your kids so badly?” she shot back.

“Because
they’re a part of my life.  They’re a part of me!”

“I’ve
never tried to interfere with that!”

“But
you’ve never wanted to be a part of it, either!  Why?”

“
Because kids shouldn’t
be hurt by their parents’ mistakes!” she snapped.

“
I’m a
mistake
?”
he demanded hoarsely.

Rebecca
sighed and wearily rubbed her forehead.  “No, I don’t think you’re a mistake,”
she said quietly.  “We’re having fun, Jackson.  I enjoy your company and I know
you enjoy mine.  But that’s
all
we’re doing – that’s all we can ever
do.  I don’t want your kids to get to know me and then...” she bit her lip,
then continued quickly, “and then, when we’re no longer dating, they’re left
wondering why I’m no longer coming around. And that’s assuming they even like
me in the first place!”  She vigorously shook her head.  “It’s better to keep
your sex life away from your kids.”

“I
told you I love you,” he said softly, and Rebecca imagined how his dark eyes
would be huge in his face, serious and sad.  “You’re more than just my sex
life.”

“It’s
not going to work, Jackson.  I can’t – I can’t risk hurting your kids or Tris. 
I’m sorry,” Rebecca whispered.

“Me
too,” Jackson managed, his voice thick with emotion as he ended the call. 

Rebecca
held the phone against her chest and struggled to hold back her tears.

* * * * *

Daisy
sighed as she disconnected from the call with Rebecca.  She was more sorry than
she could say that Rebecca had decided to end things with Jackson.  They’d
seemed to be truly happy, and Daisy thought Rebecca honestly loved him.  But
like many things in Rebecca’s life, she wasn’t about to listen to any advice
about that decision – not even from Daisy or Manny.

Daisy
shook her head and glanced at the clock.  She frowned when she saw lunch was
almost over and Max still hadn’t returned to the office.  He hadn’t been in all
day, in fact.  She mentally ran through everything he was supposed to be doing
the night before and that morning, and relaxed slightly when she realized there
was nothing on that list that should cause him to end up in the hospital or at
the police station.

Max
gave her a lot of freedom to manage her day, but she’d wanted to let him know
she’d be gone for most of the afternoon, first to meet with her lawyer and then
to meet with her bank manager.  She didn’t want to do either of those things
but she was discovering that dissolving a marriage was complicated, no matter
how simple the settlement or how amicably the people involved were behaving.

At
least the house was paid for, she thought thankfully as she sent Max an e-mail
explaining her absence, then stuck a post-it note to his computer screen for
good measure.