Crashing Into Tess (16 page)

“Well, sister, you’ve been a major trooper, staying with
Mom and Dad all week,” Sam said Friday afternoon when
Tess picked her up at Penn station. She pitched her bags in
the back of their father’s Volvo wagon, and took the pale
leather passenger seat next to Tess. “Thankfully my crunch
project is over. My family medical leave was approved for
the next two weeks. I’m glad I can be around while Dad
adjusts back to his normal life, and give you a break.”

“The docs are really pleased with Dad’s progress, but
he won’t be cleared to drive for awhile, and he’ll need to
get to rehab, Sam, every day, after his release on Monday.
One of us needs to be here. Mom won’t be able to handle it
on her own.”

“I can cover, Tess. Mom and I will manage, and Dad
will be on his feet soon enough. I’m just a train ride away if
the office needs me. You should probably get back, right?
Have you heard from Jake?’

“Not since Sunday night. Flowers arrived Tuesday. I
left a message to thank him, and he hasn’t called back. I
really miss him, Sammi.”

“Flowers are nice.”
“They are, but it’s hard to know what they mean. He
hasn’t tried to stay in touch, so flowers feel like a funeral
arrangement,” Tess sighed. “We never really worked things
out after the insurance thing. Anyway, tomorrow Mom
wants to get a jump on our annual coat shopping. Dad has
rehab in the morning, so I guess we’ll visit him after we
find coats. You’ll be on your own with Mom and Dad on
Sunday, though. I’m invited to Courtney Morris-Blaise’s
baby shower.”
“Wow, Courtney Morris is having a baby? Isn’t her
husband good friends with Archie what’s-his-name, from
Dad’s firm?”
“You mean Archibald Lawson, Starchy Archie? We
were both in their wedding.”
“You think you’ll see him?”
“I won’t have a choice. Mom will finagle it, somehow.”
“Good golly, Tess, she’s relentless. I’m glad she hasn’t
tried to find dates for me.”
“You didn’t move seven states away, Sam. New York is
just a train ride; she knows her grandchildren will be close.
Your turn is coming, I’m sure.”
“Oh, that’s consolation. Maybe I should meet this
Archie,” Sam grinned playfully. “I could try to take some
of the starch out of him.”
“He’s a nice enough guy. You can sure try,” Tess
smiled.
“How are Dad’s spirits?”
“He’s holding up okay, its Mom I’m worried about.
She’s taking this hard.”
“Dad is everything to her, you know? This is a taste of
what it would be like if something really happened,” Sam
said.
“Something did happen, Sam.”
After a stop at the hospital for a quick visit with their
dad, Noelle drove them down to Grandma Angliotti’s for
dinner. Tess and Sam exchanged knowing glances when she
suggested they meet Archie and a new junior partner from
her firm, Mardon, for drinks later that night. “This is the
time of your lives, girls, no need to hang around the house
with me. I’ll manage. I have Mardon’s number for you,
Sam.”
Saturday morning, in the coat section of Lord & Taylor,
Sam and her mother were immersed in the size eight row,
fascinated by the collar detail on a camel coat. Tess glanced
at her watch. “I’m going to hit the ladies room, Mom,” she
called. Her mom nodded absently, so Tess snuck away,
dialing Alice.
“Hi, Tess, I just got to the clinic. It’s the usual dull roar
around here. The only thing new is more snow. How’s your
dad?”
“Holding his own, thanks. The doctors are pleased with
his rehab stats, so that’s progress.”
Just hearing her voice
makes me homesick for Green Junction.
“Have you heard from Jake?”
“Not since Sunday. I thought things might thaw a bit
between us, but apparently not.”
“Oh, nuts. He’s probably busy with Cassie, and wants
to give you some space while your dad’s unwell. Are you
having a little bit of fun, anyway, seeing friends or
anything?” Alice asked hopefully.
“I have a baby shower tomorrow, and then a date with
Starchy Archie,” she said, not even trying to sound
enthused.
“Hey, keep your options open,” Alice said.
“I guess. My sister is here now, helping out. My mom is
driving me crazy with this shopping. It’s her stress release.
I so wish you and I were the same size, I’d have a slew of
new things for you.”
“Oh, me too!”
“I’ll check back, Al, but let me know if you hear
anything, okay?” It was hard to say good bye, she felt
disconnected from her new life, in limbo.
But with this offer
from New Bolton, I’m not even sure what my real life is,
anymore
“I sure will. Take it easy, okay Tess?” She could hear
the concern in Alice’s voice.
Returning to the fitting room, she dutifully tried on the
coats her mother had selected, doing her best to play along
with this ritual. Looking at herself in a double breasted
navy wool coat almost identical to the red one she’d gotten
three years before, she made a face in the triple mirror.
“What’s the matter, honey?” her mom asked, smoothing
her hair.
“I love that we always do this, Mom, but, honestly, I
can’t help thinking that what I really need is a puffy, fulllength down coat, something to walk the dog in on a chilly
night, or keep in my truck to warm up after a farm call.”
Her mom swallowed hard, clearly dismayed that
another vestige of the life she’d envisioned for Tess was
being renegotiated. “Oh, dear, has it come to all that?”
“Green Junction isn’t a fashionable town, Mom, and
I’m sensitive about looking like a fussy easterner as it is.
Let’s pick out a really great coat for Sam, something very
New York,” she suggested, putting an arm around her
mother’s shoulder. “Then I’ll treat you both to lunch.”
“Lunch on coat day is my treat, Contessa,” her mother
said tightly. The she sighed. Resignedly, Noelle conceded,
“I suppose we can stop at Patagonia on our way to the
hospital.”
Tess gave Noelle a hug.
This is huge, coming from
Mom.
*****

Sunday night, Buster snored gently on the floor as Tess
watched the digital clock on her nightstand roll over.
10:28
PM in Philadelphia, 8:30 Colorado time. It’s been a full
week since Jake called.

Staring up at the lace canopy over her bed, she was
restless, unable to stop thinking of her afternoon at
Courtney’s baby shower. All of her friends were married
now, with homes of their own.
Real houses, beautifully
furnished. They’re becoming mothers, and I’m still
scamming deals in thrift shops.

At the party, the girlfriends she’d had her whole life had
been kind, and funny, teasing her about her status as a
‘ramblin’ cowgirl’, but deep down, Tess felt like an
outsider. When Courtney discussed plans for her nursery,
the other girls chimed in, and suddenly, it seemed like they
were speaking in foreign tongues.
I don’t know a binky from
a boppie from a Bjorn. Bjorn what? It’s a whole other
world!

Feeling upset, she trailed her hand off the bed, stroking
Buster’s back, willing herself to sleep. Summoning her
courage, she tried Jake’s cell. When she was put into
voicemail, she hung up, feeling humiliated.
Is he avoiding
my calls?
The thought was chilling. Tess was angry, but
worried, too.
Texting Alice would be pathetic. She promised
to call if there was news. In the meantime, difficult as it is, I
have to accept that not hearing from Jake is his choice.

Now, lying in bed, she felt a pang of longing, jealousy,
even, at how established and adult her girlfriends’ lives
were.
I’ve seriously never given a thought to being
married. Not really. When Olivia McGreer spoke to me
about Jake, it just seemed so far fetched. All those
weddings just seemed like fun parties while I was in vet
school. But even Alice has Lotts.

Archie had shown up near the end of the shower with
Courtney’s husband Tom. Tess had been relieved to see his
placid, familiar face, as an escape, if nothing else. They
agreed to grab a quick drink at a nearby pub, but once
there, they’d fallen into comfortable conversation.

Archie was intelligent, with a dry sense of humor, and
after the tumult and confusion of the past few weeks, his
mildness and careful tact had been reassuring. They talked
about her father’s health, and her work in Green Junction.

He’d ordered them a second round, and asked her to
choose appetizers, and their friendly conversation had
continued to flow. When she confessed how out of place
she’d felt at the baby shower, he’d listened understandingly,
nodding with solicitude.
It had been reassuring to spend
time with him.

For the first time, she felt like a practice on the Main
Line and a life with someone like Archie had some appeal.
Surrounded by natural beauty, Green Junction had small
town charm and friendly, down to earth people. But if she
stayed to take over Doc’s practice, she could wind up alone
in the middle of nowhere, full of heartache.
Archie isn’t
Jake, but things might never work out with Jake.
The life
that had been so easy to fall into in Green Junction
suddenly felt very, very elusive.

Dr. Sanders has all but offered me a permanent,
salaried teaching post at a top veterinary facility. The life
my parents want for me seems boring because it’s sane, and
predictable. It doesn’t involve crazy long hours in the cold,
hiking across snowy pastures to tend to sick calves. I love
that now, but will it feel like fun forever?

Her flight back was on Tuesday.
What will Green
Junction be like, without Jake and Cassie? I’m not even
sure I want to know.

Richard was discharged on Monday morning. He was
in good spirits, but his pallor and unsteadiness was
concerning. When he spent the entire first day resting in his
recliner with Buster at his feet, she wondered if her father
would ever be restored to the vigorous person she’d known
before the heart attack.

On Tuesday morning, Tess hugged her parents goodbye, and Sam drove her to the airport. “Last night was my
first and last date with Hard-on Mardon,” Sam giggled. “If
Mom thought it would keep us around, I bet she’d have
Dad stage another heart attack. She could try to hand select
our husbands like she does our winter coats. I can’t imagine
why the promise of Starchie Archie wasn’t enough to tempt
you to join us last night, Tess.”

“Archie’s actually kind of sweet, Sam. And it’s funny to
joke now that the worst has passed, but Dad might have
another heart attack. Or something just as bad.” Tess said
soberly, unnerved by her return to Green Junction.

“Oh, posh. Mom won’t let that happen. Didn’t you see
all the muesli in the cupboard? She’s going to march him to
every test right on schedule, wait and see. They’ll both be
around for a long time.”

“I’m glad you’re feeling so optimistic.”
“Why so glum, chum?” Sam asked, nudging her.
“I keep thinking about the job at New Bolton. I might

“I do, but honestly, I would love large animal work
anywhere. Maybe staying in Green Junction would just set
me up for heartbreak and disappointment. Maybe Mom’s
right, maybe I should be more focused on building a career.
Everything seems a lot different since Dad’s heart attack.”

“Wow, an awful lot seems to depend on Jake. I thought
you guys were talking again?”
“I haven’t heard from him for over a week now, Sam.
I’ve left two messages, and he hasn’t returned my calls. It’s
unsettling. I don’t even know how my dog is.”
“Wait till you get back there, Tessie, don’t jump to
conclusions. It’s been crazy the past few weeks. Maybe
Jake didn’t want to crowd you, or feel like he was pushing
his way in, while Dad was sick. You know how guys can
be.”
“Maybe,” Tess answered. “But maybe too much about
being happy in Green Junction depends on Jake. This thing
with Dad scared me, Sam. Since the baby shower, I’ve been
thinking a lot about the future. Suddenly, it feels like I want
to be settled. I want a family of my own.”
“I know what you mean. I’m twenty-eight, but there are
no prospects on the horizon, and the clock is ticking.”
“Well, don’t tell Mom, unless you want her to start
lining up dates for you.”
“Yeah, after Hard-on Mardon, if I can’t find someone
on my own, she sure can’t help,” Sam giggled.
At the airport, Sam helped get her bags checked and
gave Tess a big hug. “You can fly home for Thanksgiving,
you know. We can’t get enough of you here. No matter
what, your biggest fan base will always be on the East
Coast,” Sam said.
Tess nodded, trying to keep the mournful out of her
voice. “Good luck with Mom and Dad this week, Sam.”
After buying a novel and two magazines for the flight,
she ordered a grande cappuccino, adding a giant chocolatechip cookie and an apple.
I do novels, caffeine and
chocolate the way my mother shops for cashmere.
Desperate times call for desperate measures.
Once in Denver, she made her way to the baggage
carousel. With her mother’s shopping habits, she had
checked two additional bags. She wasn’t quite sure how
she’d manage to get her carry-on, a giant duffle, and a new
rollie out to the blue Subaru, but Alice was waiting, her
flashers on, at the curb outside baggage claim, and jumped
from the driver’s seat, engulfing Tess in a big hug.
Grabbing Tess’s roll-behind suitcase, she flashed her peppy
smile and asked “New coat?”
“I was so relieved when my mother agreed to take me
to Patagonia, I let her choose the color.”
“That indigo is gorgeous with your eyes.”
“Thanks. She thought so, too. I wanted something light
colored, to be visible walking the dog at night, but this
won’t show as much dirt.”
“Does your mom know what a practical,
accommodating daughter she raised?” Alice asked
cheerfully, helping her lift the bags into the car.
“My practical side isn’t the one she most appreciates,”
Tess answered. “And I’m quite sure she doesn’t consider
me accommodating. Strong willed, inconsiderate and
unrelenting have all been discussed.”
“You have a lot of your mom in you, that’s all. Ye gads,
what do you have in these bags?” Alice piped, a curious
look in her sparkly green eyes.
“Don’t ask. But Grandma Angliotti sent along a tin of
her hazelnut biscotti for the office, and I got a cashmere
twin set for you. I hope it’s your color.”
“Oh, so do I.” Alice slammed the hatchback, Tess
climbed in the passenger seat, and they headed for Green
Junction.