In a Moon Smile (50 page)

“Hey,” Dalton’s voice was behind her.

“Yes?” she held her breath, wondering for the millionth time how this man could make her body react with a one-syllable word.

“It means a lot to my grandfather that you invited us here today,” he said.

“It meant just as much to me,” Chesney smiled.

Dalton stared at Chesney until she finally asked if something was wrong. “Your gray eyes, they are breathtaking. And I’m amazed that Piper’s eyes are the same color.”

“They are Grace’s eyes,” Chesney said. “Just as you have Ben’s eyes.”

“Yes,” Dalton nodded.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Chesney asked softly. “You worked here with me for all those months. You never said a word. I thought, I thought you and I were friends. I thought you would know what it would mean to me, to hear about Grace’s life with Ben.”

“I…” Dalton seemed uncomfortable.

“It hurts me that you never told me about Ben and Grace,” Chesney said.

“It wasn’t my place to tell you,’ Dalton said. “I never meant to hurt you, Chez. But I didn’t think I should be the one to tell you the story. As it turns out, my grandfather told you himself. And that’s how it was supposed to be.” He shifted his weight, looking frustrated. “When I saw how often you went into the attic to look for things, I knew it was just a matter of time before you found the letters. I’m very sorry if I hurt you. I was trying to do what I thought was most respectful to both of them.”

Chesney only nodded. She did understand the predicament Dalton faced. But she still felt hurt about it. She still felt left out of a beautiful story that only Dalton got to see. He got to see Grace and Ben love each other. He got to be the grandchild trusted with the secret. But Chesney was left out. It stung deeply. She pressed her lips together, willing the painful moment to pass.

Dalton’s arms went around her then, pulling her close in a gentle way. He hugged her for a long moment. “Grace intended to tell you, Chez,” Dalton whispered against her ear. “Their pact included you and me. I only knew before you did because I had to occasionally drive Pa to Chesney Ridge. Grace intended to tell you. I promise she did. But she died before summer arrived.”

Chesney held on tight to Dalton’s shoulders and the tears were immediate and uncontrollable. She buried her face in the soft fabric of his shirt. Just to hear him say that Grace actually did plan to share the secret helped Chesney feel less upset. “Thank you,” she whispered as she took a deep breath and pulled away from his arms. “Thank you for telling me, Dalton. It makes me feel a lot better about everything.”

Dalton smiled, cupped her chin and barely touched her lips with his. “Merry Christmas, Chesney.”

On the eve of New Year’s Eve, the large parlor at Chesney Ridge was lit only by the fire burning in the fireplace. Becca was curled up on the couch, wrapped in a fuzzy blanket. Chesney sat on the floor, dressing a baby doll for Piper.

“Dinner was wonderful, Chez,” Becca said. “You’re becoming quite the domestic.”

“It’s freaking me out,” Chesney laughed. “I am learning a lot of new skills. I’m considering new adventures, like maybe planting a garden in the spring. And learning how to can. Neetie promised to teach me how to make salsa.”

“Very cool,” Becca’s smile got lost in a yawn.

“So how was Christmas with Deke and the family?”

“Very perfect,” Becca grinned. “At first they were freaked out by all that hair and the long beard. But they got past it pretty quickly. Deke fits in perfectly.”

“So what are you planning for New Year’s Eve? There’s not a lot going on, you know, in Bean Blossom, Indiana.”

“We’ve done so much traveling during the holidays. We’re both exhausted. So I’m thinking we will make dinner reservations somewhere in Nashville. Then spend a quiet night at the cabin.”

“Sounds like a perfect evening,” Chesney smiled. “The perfect way to begin the New Year.” Then Chesney scooped a sleepy Piper into her arms. “Time for bed, sleepy head.” Surprisingly, Piper did not turn on the siren sounds. She flopped her head on Chesney’s shoulder and rubbed her eyes. “
Night-night
to Becca.” Chesney said.

By the time Chesney changed the baby’s diaper and located her favorite blanket and pacifier, Piper’s beautiful eyes were closed. She kissed the sweet blonde curls, covered her with a small blanket and tiptoed out of the room and back down the stairs.

“What about you? Do you have plans for New Year’s?” Becca asked as she poured wine for them both. “What’s going on with Dalton?”

“Your guess is as good as mine,” Chesney shrugged. “Like I told you, he kissed me on Christmas Day and he has never been back. He’s a weird guy, really, almost as weird as me.”

They both laughed for a moment and Becca grabbed Chesney’s hands. “I want to tell you about something,” she said in a shaky voice. “I want to tell you a story about my life that I have never told anyone. I feel ready to tell it now though, because I really think I can finally put this bad memory in the past. If I couldn’t put it away, I wouldn’t ever be able to love Deke this way. I want to tell you the story, Chez because you’ve always known how bitter and mean I have behaved toward most men.”

Though her stomach was suddenly churning, Chesney squeezed Becca’s hands and said, “You can tell me anything, Bec, anything, okay? And I will never judge you or leave you or hurt you in any way. You know that, right?”

Becca nodded. Tears were already streaming down her face as the memories of her sixteenth year and the relationship with her math teacher, Mr. Wildman, flooded into her chest. Becca started the story by explaining her mother’s death and her father’s reaction, which was to unplug from everyone emotionally and drink himself to death. Then Becca slowly offered the bits and pieces that turned into details. She was surprised at how difficult it was to say Russ Wildman’s name out loud. By the end of the story, Becca was wrapped in her best friend’s arms and they were both crying.

“Poor baby,” Chesney whispered as she held Becca’s sobbing body. “You can’t be hurt anymore from that awful experience. You have to let it go, sweet. That guy was a pedophile. You were a victim. You are not in any way responsible for the suicide. You deserve to have a happy, safe life, Bec. Do you believe me? Do you know that you deserve to love and be loved? In a healthy way?”

Becca felt exhausted, totally drained. She only nodded as a response to Chesney. Her tears continued to fall, even when she tried to control them. In an odd way, it seemed that pain was seeping from her skin. She fell asleep on Chesney’s shoulder.

For most of the night, Chesney remained on the couch, gently stroking Becca’s hair and staring into the fireplace. Her heart hurt for the long years Becca lived in such a tragic torment. She felt anger rise from her throat toward the math teacher. Of course, he had carefully picked Becca as his plaything. She was grieving her mother and the loss of her brothers and the safety of a family. She was grieving the fact that her dad left her emotionally. That son-of-a-bitch Wildman took advantage of Becca’s broken heart. Chesney closed her eyes, trying to get past the fury she felt. She was glad the guy was dead. She was thankful. That way he could never groom another little Becca. He could never ruin another young woman’s life. Now that Deke had come into Becca’s life, Chesney knew that Becca would someday get past that awful memory. She had already seen Becca’s eyes soften. She had watched her rush into Deke’s arms. Deke had patiently chipped away at the protective shield Becca lived all of her life behind. To say she was grateful to Deke would never even begin to explain how Chesney felt about his presence in Becca’s life. Her best friend had lived more than a decade with haunting guilt and shame. Finally, Becca had a new beginning. She had a safe place, for the first time in her life. Through her silent, grateful tears, Chesney smiled.

“You will always be safe now, Bec,” she whispered. “From now on, you will be safe and loved. I promise that.”

On the first February day of the new year, Charlotte called Chesney. She and Cooper had attended several marriage counseling sessions. They had participated in a retreat weekend for couples in crisis. They had worked through a long list of problems and spent New Year’s Day in the tropics. The end result was that they both wanted to remain in the marriage. They were on their way to Bean Blossom to take their child back to her family. Of course, Chesney was happy for them. She was thankful that her niece would spend her childhood in a two-parent home. But Chesney wished she had prepared for this day. Just to think about her day-to-day life without Piper’s sweet presence was painful. Thank goodness Piper was napping. By the time Charlotte and Cooper arrived, Chesney had to somehow find a way to cope with her good-bye.

“I’m so proud of you for opening your own design business, Char,” Chesney said softly as she tried harder to breathe and calm down. “I don’t want you to allow Mom to guilt you about it, either, okay? There are lots of women out there who discover they need something more than motherhood. You are not, in any way, a shitty mom or a shitty wife, just because you choose to build yourself a career. Got that? Do you understand what I’m trying to say to you, sweet? I’m trying to remind you not to let Mom take away your happiness and excitement. Do you promise to protect yourself from her?”

“I certainly do,” Charlotte laughed on the other end of the phone. “A few days ago, Cooper and I both sat down with Mom and Dad so that she could immediately see that we are a united front. I explained that I will work from home a lot, especially as I take time to build a client base. But also, Piper’s getting old enough to enjoy preschool.”

“And? What was their response?”

“Actually, I was shocked,” Charlotte said. “Cooper and I were both shocked. They seemed to be very relieved that we are not divorcing. They were ecstatic to hear that Piper is coming home. They were very supportive when I told them that I am going back to work. Weird, huh?”

“Well, yeah,” Chesney laughed. “It is weird, but it’s also awesome. I’m so thankful that you aren’t dreading future interactions with our parents. You sound wonderful and I can’t wait to see you!”

“We’re maybe an hour away,” Charlotte said. “And I’m so sorry about this, Chez, but we heard this morning about a winter storm, so we can’t stay and visit. We’ve got to get Piper and head back to the airport. Hopefully we can get a flight back to Chicago before the airports start shutting down.”

“Oh, that’s okay,’ Chesney lied. “I should maybe go through my pantry and make sure I have enough of everything. Since the storm is moving from the south, you have a good chance of getting back north if you hurry.”

When the call ended, Chesney moved through the house, gathering Piper’s toys and packing her clothes. Her eyes stung as she wondered about how empty the house would feel when Piper was gone. She wished it was closer to springtime, that way she could lose herself in landscaping and gardening. But no, spring wasn’t close at all. And if the weather reports were even remotely correct, Chesney Blake would not be leaving home for several days. On the TV, the expected storm was described as blizzard conditions. She tiptoed into Piper’s room to gather her shoes and socks, coat and mittens. Piper’s blonde curly head popped up and she smiled brightly. She stood up in the crib and held her arms out to Chesney.

“Hi, Cheeky.”

“Well, hello there, sweet girl,” Chesney’s lips trembled as she walked across the room to change Piper’s diaper.

Do not start to cry in front of this baby girl. Do not make things difficult for her. You knew this day would come. So buck up and behave.

With the safety gate secured on the landing, Chesney put Piper on the floor and made a decision about how to dress her for the flight back to Chicago. “Come here, cutie pie,” Chesney grabbed Piper as she made a run from the hairbrush. “Don’t you want to look gorgeous?”

“No,” Piper shook her head.

“I love to give you ponytails. So let’s surprise Mommy with those, okay?”

“No no no no.”

Ignoring Piper’s refusal, Chesney expertly created the cute little ponytails, both with tiny pink bows. “Wow, you’re a pretty girl,” she said.

“Wow,” Piper repeated. In a hurry to get away from any additional grooming needs, a shoe fell off her favorite doll’s foot. “Oh, damn it.”

“Oh, Pip, let’s not say that word anymore. It’s not a nice word. Mommy will not appreciate the fact that you added it to your vocabulary.”

She carried Piper downstairs, let her down in the parlor and went to the kitchen to start some coffee. “Mommy and Daddy will be here soon, Pippa,” Chesney said lightly. “You missed Mommy and Daddy, didn’t you? And then you will see Nana and Papa, too.”

With too many toys in her chubby arms, a stuffed horse fell on the floor. Piper immediately kicked at the horse and added a loud “Damn it.”

“So you’re kicking your babies and cursing,” Chesney sighed. “Your mom will think you have turned into a little devil daughter.”

Ignoring her aunt’s lecture, Piper carefully placed her doll and a stuffed alligator in the baby carriage. “
Bye-bye
, Cheeky.”

“
Bye-bye
, Pippa,” Chesney waved. “Don’t be gone very long. Remember, Mommy and Daddy will be here soon.”