His Unexpected Family (7 page)

Whether she suspected he was spending his afternoons in a boxing ring, he never did know. He hadn’t wanted her to know, and she hadn’t pressed him after that.

Greg’s phone rang and he looked down at it, preparing to screen the call. But when he saw that it was Emily, he picked it up.

“Hi,” he said.

“Hi, Greg. How are you doing?”

“All right. How about you?” He could hear the terseness in his own voice. It wasn’t intended, but he had a lot on his mind.

“I was hoping to talk to you about something....” She seemed to ignore or forgive his tone and pressed on.

“What’s up?”

“I left Cora with my parents while I went out for a little while and, well...” She paused. “...something strange happened.”

“With your parents?”

“Steve and his wife came to my parents’ house while I was gone. I don’t know how they knew Cora was there, but they found out somehow and—”

“What happened?”

“I don’t know how to explain it.” Emily sighed into the phone. “Sara didn’t want to give Cora back to me. She kept saying that Cora needed to know her.”

Greg opened his glove box and pulled out a form. This was definitely going to need to go on file as an incident. He jotted down the details as she gave them to him, telling the story of the strange meeting.

“What time was this?” he asked.

“Just now. Fifteen minutes ago.”

He looked at his watch. It was almost two in the afternoon, so he made a note.

“Do I need to worry about this?” Emily asked. “I need to know honestly.”

“I don’t know.” He sighed. “It was definitely strange behavior, and it would seem that your cousin’s wife is getting a little unstrung over all of this.”

“In her defense, she isn’t normally like this.”

“Well, stressful situations bring on uncharacteristic behavior.” He filled in the last of the form and made a mental note to have it filed once he got back to the office. “I’ve got an incident report here that I just filled out. I’ll need you to come by and sign it. It’s the first step. If anything else happens, we’ll have a trail to prove harassment if we need to.”

“I don’t want to sue my cousins.” There was a tiredness in her voice as she said the words, and he could understand where she was coming from, but she hadn’t seen all the things he’d seen, either.

“They’re already suing you, remember?” He paused, waiting for a response, but when he didn’t get one he added, “Do you want to come by and sign it?”

“I could come now.”

“I’m not at the office, actually. I’m—” He stopped. This was personal. Did he really want to share this? The old cop self-reliance welled up inside of him.

“Oh, it’s okay.” Her voice was soft. “I’ll come by when you’re in the office.”

Greg closed his eyes and pressed his lips together. Letting out a long breath, he opened his eyes again. “Emily?”

“Yes?”

“Do you feel like doing me a favor?”

“Sure. What do you need?”

* * *

When Emily drove into the Shady Pines parking lot, Greg got out of his car and waited for her to park in the space next to him.

He heard the creak of the emergency brake as she parked, and as she hopped out of the truck he was struck by how fresh she looked. Her cheeks were flushed, and her dark hair was swept back in a ponytail. She wore a mauve linen blouse that covered her modestly, showing only the barest hint of her collarbone.

“I didn’t realize your mom was here, Greg,” she said as she pulled open the backseat door and leaned in to pull out little Cora. He caught his eyes moving over the soft swell of her hips, and he pulled them back. Now was not the time to ogle.

“She’s been here for a couple of years now, but it’s been getting worse.” He shook the form in his hand. “I should get you to take a look at this report and sign it, if you could.”

“Oh, of course.” She emerged with Cora and handed him the car-seat handle in exchange for the form and pen. Pursing her lips, she scanned it, then signed the bottom. “That looks about right.”

“You’ll want to give your lawyer a copy of that.”

“Really?” She looked up uncertainly. “Wouldn’t that make things a bit ugly?”

“He doesn’t have to use it, but forewarned is forearmed.”

She nodded. “I see your point.” Taking her copy of the form, she tucked it in her purse. “So tell me about your mom.”

“Her first name is Laura, and I don’t know what time we’ll catch her in. She’s been going back farther and farther in time. The last time I was here, she thought I was a little boy still...or at least she thought she had a little boy, and I was just some threatening man as far as she was concerned.” He gave her a wan smile, and they ambled slowly toward the main doors.

“Oh, Greg.” Emily looked up at him sympathetically. “That has to hurt.”

“She was gorgeous, my mom. I mean, really stunning. I’ll have to show you a picture one of these days. So when she was young, she used to be pretty standoffish with other men. I can’t get anywhere close to her.”

Emily nodded. “What do you want me to do?”

“Just...” He paused and shrugged. “Talk to her? I don’t know. She’ll trust you.”

“How do you know?”

“I just do.” So much had changed with his mother since her diagnosis of Alzheimer’s, but some things hadn’t—like her impeccable judgment of character.

“Okay,” she said.

When they came to the main doors, Fran looked up from the nurse’s station and waved them through with a broad smile. She shot Greg one look of unabashed curiosity, but he flatly ignored it.

The inside of the nursing home was dim compared to the bright summer sunlight outside, and it took a few moments for his eyes to adjust. As they reached his mother’s room, Emily looked up at him questioningly.

“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” Greg asked.

“I was about to ask you the same thing.” She chuckled softly. “I’m fine, Greg.”

“No pressure.”

“I know. I want to help, if I can.”

Tapping on the door, Emily eased it open a little.

“Come in,” a wavery voice called.

As they stepped inside, Greg could see his mother sitting in her little chair by the window, her Bible open in her lap.

“Oh, hello,” his mother said uncertainly. “Can I help you?”

“Hi, I’m Emily.” She stopped in the doorway. It was a respectful gesture, and Greg was grateful for it.

“Hello. Are you from the neighborhood?”

“Yes,” Emily said. “I just thought I’d stop in and say hi.”

“Come on in and have some tea,” his mother said, giving her a smile. “Forgive me for not standing, but once I get down, in my condition it’s hard to get back up again.”

“Oh, don’t worry,” Emily said, stepping inside. “I’m Emily.”

“I’m Laura. Why am I here? I don’t remember why I’m here. Is this a hospital?”

“Sort of...” Emily glanced up at Greg.

“Because of the baby?” her mother asked. “I’m due in October.” She gave a shy smile.

Greg felt a surge of sadness. She was farther back in time now, back to her pregnancy.

“I just thought I’d stop in and say hi.” Emily gave a small shrug. “Congratulations. You must be so excited about the baby.”

“I am.” His mother blushed and looked away. “Tony will be back soon, I’m sure.”

“This is Greg,” Emily said, then stopped, sensing a mistake. It didn’t seem to faze his mother, though. The old woman rubbed a hand over her stomach.

“It’s overwhelming, isn’t it? I’m going to be someone’s mother.”

Emily nodded. “I still can’t get over that.” She laughed softly. “This must be your first?”

His mother nodded tiredly, a smile on her lips. “Our very first. I’m positive it’s a boy.”

Greg couldn’t help but grin, and he attempted to hide it behind his hand. In her mind, she was pregnant with him.

“Do you know what you’ll name him?”

Greg’s gaze flickered toward Emily’s face, but she didn’t look in his direction at all. Her entire attention was focused on his mother.

“I like Ernest.” His mother smiled. “That’s my father’s name. But my husband wants to name him Gregory.” Her eyes moved over to Greg, and she frowned slightly.

“I like them both,” Emily said quietly. “I guess you’ll know when you see him.”

His mother’s eyes flickered toward him again, and her frown deepened. He tensed. Was it coming—the confusion, the anger?

“Your husband looks a lot like my husband,” his mother said, looking at Greg more closely. “Isn’t that strange....”

“Do I?”

“Well.” She batted her hand, letting it fall back onto her stomach. “They say there are only so many faces in the world, and we have to share them around.”

Greg nodded, relaxing. She said the same thing to him every time he visited. It was almost comforting. Cora squirmed in the car seat, and his mother looked down at her.

“She’s adorable,” his mother said. “What’s her name?”

“Cora.”

“That’s pretty. I really like it.”

The women were getting along splendidly, and Greg couldn’t help but smile watching them chat. The fear and shouting that normally surrounded his visits didn’t seem to be coming, but he wasn’t sure if it was safe to feel relieved yet. It was all talk about babies, but he could see his mother relaxing and looking happy. So this was what she’d been like when she’d been a young woman. Couple that sweet personality with her looks, and he could see why his father had asked her to marry him after two weeks. She was a catch.

“It’s very nice of you to come visiting with your wife,” his mother said, turning toward him. “And you two have such a beautiful baby.”

“Thank you.” Greg grinned, glancing at Emily. A small blush had risen in her cheeks, and he thought it suited her.

“What do you do?” she asked politely.

Before thinking better of it, he said, “I’m a cop.”

“So is Tony.” A rare smile broke over her lined face. “Imagine that. Well, this has turned out very well. Emily and I will have someone who understands while we worry about our husbands.”

“I think we’ll be good friends.” Emily reached across and took his mother’s wrinkled hand. “Maybe I could come by again, and we’ll visit.”

“I’d like that.” She smiled back. “I wonder when Tony will be here. If you see him, Greg, please tell him his wife is asking about him.”

His mother smiled wistfully, and for the first time Greg froze, watching that expression on her aged features. It had been a long time since he’d seen his mother smile like that—a good twenty-five years. She had her husband back.

“You and Tony seem really happy,” Greg said.

“Madly in love,” she replied, a twinkle in her eye. “It was nice to meet you both. I’ll let Tony know you stopped by. Emily and Greg, right?”

Emily nodded and stood up. As she rose, his mother pushed herself from her chair.

“It was wonderful to meet you,” Emily said, and she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his mother, giving her a gentle squeeze. His mother looked surprised at first, then she smiled and squeezed Emily back.

Tears misted Greg’s eyes, and he turned away to hide it. By the time he looked up, Emily was ready to go.

“Come on by, Emily, anytime at all,” his mother called. “Goodbye, Greg.”

As they stepped outside the room, Greg felt a surge of relief. He’d been waiting for everything to fall apart on them, for his mother’s confusion to come back, for her fear to turn into anger. Her voice would rise in pitch, and she’d point a finger at him, shaking in fury. “Get out! Get out!” It hadn’t happened, not this visit, and he was grateful. Emily looked up at him, her eyebrows raised. “Was I okay?”

“You were great.” He heard the catch in his voice, and he cleared his throat. When he looked back into his mother’s room, he saw her resettled in her chair with the Bible back on her lap. She’d always been a woman of faith, and even when her mind was confused, he was glad she had that comfort.

“Are you okay?” Emily asked quietly.

“I’m great, too.” He smiled. “You hugged her.”

“Of course.”

“She hasn’t let me hug her in over a year.”

Emily’s face suddenly fell, and she shook her head. “Really? Oh, wow. I had no idea. I’m sorry if I...” She didn’t seem to know how to finish the sentence.

“No, don’t apologize.” They walked back down the hall. He resisted the urge to look back again toward her room. “If it can’t be me, I’m glad someone is hugging her. She needs hugs.”

Risking a look down at Emily as they reached the outside door, he saw tears in her eyes, and then they broke out into the summer sunlight. He took a deep breath of fresh air.

“Thanks,” he said, clearing his throat again. “I appreciate this.”

“What are friends for?” She put her cool fingers on his arm. Her hand felt comforting there—more than comforting, if he had to be brutally honest. She sparked something inside of him that made him want to pull her closer, run his fingers through her dark, glossy waves...

He pulled his eyes away from the pinkness of her lips, just parted. She didn’t seem to notice. Instead she said, her voice low and quiet, “And for the record? Your mom raised a very sweet son.”

Greg felt a smile come to his lips. “Want a coffee?”

“I’d love one.”

* * *

Cafe au Lait was one of the last local coffee shops left in Haggerston, hunched on the corner of Main Street and Fourth Avenue, across the street from the library. Emily sat in front of an iced cappuccino while Greg sipped a regular coffee, black.

“How long has your mom been sick?” Emily asked.

“For a few years. It started with her forgetting special dates, like her grandchildren’s birthdays, that sort of thing. Then when people reminded her, she’d claim she hadn’t forgotten at all. There were a lot of hurt feelings. Especially since my sister lives out in Cincinnati, so figuring it out long-distance wasn’t easy.”

“I could see that.”

“I realized something was wrong when she called me to take her grocery shopping, and when I arrived, she’d completely forgotten. I mean, completely. She demanded to know why everyone was trying to make her feel bad all the time. I got her a doctor’s appointment for the next week.” Greg tapped two sugar packets against his palm, then tore them open. “A couple of years ago, she had to come to this nursing home. We couldn’t take care of her anymore. Not safely.”