Irene Brand_Yuletide_01 (11 page)

“What’s Leroy doing these days?”

Janice figured he knew that her father was in prison, but she said evasively, “I don’t keep in touch with him.” Starting toward the door, she said, “Is there anything else you want to see?”

“Oh, I might take a look upstairs. I used to sleep up there when I was a little shaver.”

“That won’t be possible—the steps have been dismantled.”

“Why’d you do that?”

“I
didn’t do it. It was that way before I came.”

With a suspicious glance at Janice, he headed toward the stairwell. When Albert saw the empty space, he looked sharply at Bob, who’d come into the central hall with Cecil tagging at his heels.

“There’s some kind of hanky-panky goin’ on here, niece. You’d better find another place to live. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to you like it did to brother John.”

Over Albert’s head, Janice exchanged glances with Cecil, and he winked at her.

“That’s about all there is to see, Albert, so you’d best be on your way,” Cecil said. “Me and Janice have got a lot of work to do today.”

Bob slanted an angry look toward Cecil, and he said, “Come on, Dad. I don’t want no part of this haunted house anyway.”

“What was their
real
reason for coming to Mountjoy?” Janice asked herself as she observed Bob’s reckless speed down the driveway.

A
lthough school had been in session for several weeks, Janice still wasn’t willing to let Brooke walk home alone. It shortened her working time at Mountjoy, but she considered her sister’s welfare her first priority. As they walked home from school the day the Reids had visited her, Brooke said, “Let’s eat out tonight. Okay?”

“Don’t tell me you’re getting tired of my cooking already?” Janice said with a grin.

“No. No,” Brooke stammered. “Taylor told me that they’re having a cheeseburger and French fries special at the diner tonight. I thought it might be fun to go there for our supper.”

Since it didn’t take much persuasion to avoid cooking, Janice said, “I’ll agree we can’t turn down a special like that.” Thinking that since she’d had a cheese sandwich for her lunch, she’d aim a little higher for her dinner.

Hungry was waiting for them at the corner of the street, and he bounded ahead of them toward the vacant lot. He looked expectantly at Brooke. “You feed your pet and keep him company for a bit,” Janice said.

The dog’s appearance had improved greatly since he’d been getting proper food, and Janice didn’t hesitate to let Brooke play with him. Having the dog for a companion was good therapy for her sister. Janice had often wished for a dog when she was a child, but when there was hardly enough food to feed the family, she hadn’t asked for a pet.

“Are you hungry now? Or do you want to wait a while before we go to the restaurant?”

“I was thinking about six o’clock,” Brooke said. “There’s a television program I want to watch.”

“Fine. I’ll do some laundry.”

“Will that give you time to shower and change into some clean clothes?”

Janice looked down at her jeans and shirt, which were wrinkled but not dirty. “We’re only going to the diner—not a Broadway show. I think my clothes are appropriate enough.”

“It’ll make you feel better to take a shower,” Brooke insisted.

Janice wondered at the unusual ideas in Brooke’s mind. She frowned a little, realizing how inadequate she was to mother an eleven-year-old child. She made a mental note to buy a book on child psychology so she could brush up on what to expect as her sister matured.

She put the last load of clothes in the dryer at five o’clock. Feeling somewhat disheveled after sorting and folding clothes, Janice decided a shower would be welcome. Brooke was immersed in the television show, but when Janice finished her shower, put a robe on and left the bathroom, Brooke said, “I laid out that new dress you bought last week. Tonight would be a good time to see how you like it.”

“Maid service ’n’ everything,” Janice said. “Brooke, what are you up to?”

Brooke wouldn’t meet her gaze. “Nuthin’. I just wanted to help.”

“I bought that dress to wear to church. I’ll stick out like a sore thumb if I wear it to the diner.”

“You should dress up more, Janice. Mrs. Smith always dressed up when we went out to eat.”

“Mrs. Smith is forty years older than I am, too,” Janice retorted.

But Brooke was insistent, and she handed Janice a bottle of perfume. “Put some of this on. I like to smell it.”

Still baffled about Brooke’s behavior, Janice took the bottle of spicy Parisian Night perfume that her supervisor at the store had given her for Christmas. She sprayed a soft mist on her wrists and behind her ears, thinking she definitely needed some advice on how to handle her sister. Who could she ask? Being childless, Henrietta wouldn’t know any more than she did, so Linda Mallory would probably be her best source of information.

Without any more argument, Janice put on the ivory two-piece dress. With its button-front jacket, princess seams and front slits, double collar and full-length sleeves with gold trim, the polyester poplin dress flattered her brunette features. The knee length elasticized-waist skirt had a kick pleat in the back. Getting into the spirit of the occasion, Janice put on a gold choker necklace and small gold-plated earrings. She slipped her feet into a pair of ivory and brown sandals.

Brooke turned off the television, although the program wasn’t finished yet. “Are you ready to go?”

Janice pirouetted before her sister. “I guess so, if you’re sure my appearance suits you.”

Giggling, Brooke answered, “You look good enough to go on a date.”

Picking up her purse, Janice said, “Run upstairs and tell Henrietta we’re going out. We might as well walk to the diner—no need to take the car for three blocks.”

The cheeseburger special had apparently enticed many people, for the parking lot was crowded and a long queue of people waited to place their orders. Taking Janice’s hand, Brooke tugged her past the ordering line toward the far corner of the restaurant.

“Well, look who’s here,” Taylor Mallory said, and Janice saw Taylor and Lance sitting at a booth. Taylor stood up and waved, “Come and sit with us. You won’t mind will you, Uncle Lance.”

“Well, no…” he said, and the surprised look on his face mirrored Janice’s amazement. He moved over and Taylor motioned Janice to sit down beside him. Her amazement shifted to anger, which increased when Brooke and Taylor starting giggling and made no move to sit down.

With a wave of her hand, Taylor started out of the restaurant, and Brooke said, “Have fun. Don’t stay out too late.”

Lance was stunned into speechlessness, but he finally muttered, “Do you have the feeling that we’ve been set up?”

Without meeting his eyes, Janice said angrily, “I assume that you’re as surprised as I am about this little escapade.”

“Why, of course. Linda had a dinner meeting at the church and Taylor suggested that we could eat out tonight.” He laughed. “Their little scheme worked, although I don’t care much for their choice of restaurants. What are we going to do about it?”

Scooting out of the booth, Janice said, “I don’t know what you’re going to do, but I intend to find my sister. If Linda isn’t at home, those kids are prowling around alone and I don’t like it.”

She started toward the door with Lance right behind her. “Let’s go in my van,” he said. “We can cover more territory that way.”

Janice nodded and walked silently to his vehicle.

When he started the engine, Lance asked, “Any ideas where they might have gone?” he asked.

She shrugged her shoulders. “I have no idea what goes through the mind of an eleven-year-old. Let’s check our apartment first.”

They drove to the apartment, but it was empty. Janice went upstairs and tapped on Henrietta’s door. When she received no answer, she remembered that Henrietta had also gone to the meeting at the church. She ran downstairs and back to Lance’s car.

“No sign of them here,” Janice said, her anger giving way to concern. “With all the trouble I’m having taking possession of the Reid property and trying to protect Brooke from harm, she pulls a stunt like this. What do we do next?”

“Let’s drive around a bit. It’s been less than fifteen minutes. They couldn’t have gone far.”

He eased out on Main Street and drove several blocks before they found the two children strolling along window-shopping. Brooke must have known that Janice was angry, because her face turned beet-red when Janice stepped out of Lance’s car and confronted her.

“What do you kids think you’re doing?” Janice said. “Get in the car.”

Wordlessly, Brooke and Taylor crawled into the back seat of the van, and when Janice sat beside him, Lance looked at her and lifted his eyebrows.

“Please take Brooke and me back to our apartment.”

The drive was made in silence, and after thanking Lance for his help, Janice herded Brooke into the apartment.

“Are you going to send me away, Janice?” Brooke whispered, tears welling in her eyes.

“Of course I’m not going to send you away. But I do want an explanation of your actions tonight.”

Brooke curled up on the couch and clutched a pillow to her stomach. Without meeting Janice’s gaze, she said, “I told you before that Taylor wants her mom and dad to get back together again. If you and Mr. Gordon would get married, Taylor thinks her mother would have to move out of his house. That way, Taylor thinks her parents would marry again. And I’d like that, too—I don’t want to live in Uncle John’s house.”

Brooke spoke logically, as if a situation that involved six people could be solved so simply. There was no sign of penitence, but Janice tried to control her anger.

“Marriage is a serious matter and Taylor is selfish to try and manipulate her parents’ decisions.”

Brooke opened her mouth to speak and Janice silenced her with a brusque wave of her hand.

“Taylor probably has no notion of why her parents separated, and regardless, you had no reason to interfere. Do you realize that you put me in an embarrassing position tonight? If Mr. Gordon wants to get married, he’ll choose his own bride—he certainly doesn’t need a couple of kids to arrange a blind date for him.”

“But…”

Janice shook her head. “I’m not finished yet. Besides, I don’t want any arguments. You interfered in a situation that wasn’t any of your business, and I don’t want it to happen again. Promise me.”

“All right, I won’t do it anymore. But I still think you and Mr. Gordon ought to get together.”

“It is none of your business, Brooke. Can’t I get that through your mind?”

“Am I going to be punished?”

“Do you think you should be?”

“Maybe.” She peered up at Janice anxiously, “Can I still go to Taylor’s slumber party?”

“I don’t know. It’s possible that Linda will cancel the party after she hears what Taylor has done.”

“I’m hungry. Will I have to go to bed without any supper?”

Janice stood and moved to the kitchen area. “What do you want to eat?” Her anger had cooled now, and remembering the times she’d gone to bed hungry as a child, she certainly wouldn’t punish Brooke by withholding food from her. She was still so confused and angry that she didn’t have an appetite.

“A bowl of tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich.”

“You prepare the sandwich while I heat the soup.”

While Brooke ate, Janice undressed and got into her pajamas. Long after Brooke was in bed asleep, she sat listlessly in the chair—wondering what it would have been like to have shared the evening with Lance.

Although Linda was as angry at her daughter as Janice had been with Brooke, she went ahead with plans for the sleepover because the invitations had already been given. She told Janice that if she canceled the party, she’d have to give a reason, and she wanted as little gossip about the girls’ stunt as possible. It bothered Janice that Brooke still didn’t feel guilty about trying to bring Lance and her together, but she wouldn’t punish her by taking away the opportunity for her sister to be with her friends. She gave permission for Brooke to go to the sleepover.

The day of the party, Janice was making curtains at Mountjoy when her cell phone rang.

“Hello,” Lance said. “Are you by yourself?”

“No, Cecil is working on the steps to the second floor.” She hadn’t told Lance that she was afraid to be alone at Mountjoy.

She sensed his hesitation before he said, “We haven’t had a chance to talk about what happened the other night. I realize you were embarrassed by the situation, but it would have been a pleasure to have dinner with you.”

“Thanks for letting me know that. I was so angry and afraid that I wasn’t very diplomatic. Nothing personal.”

“I’ve been thinking that the kids may have had a good idea. Since you’ll be alone for the evening, let’s have dinner together.”

Her pulse beat rapidly, and Janice disguised her elation by saying teasingly, “Are you sure you aren’t using me as an excuse to get out of a house with five girls?”

“I do wonder if the walls are thick enough to muffle their merrymaking, but that isn’t the reason I’m asking.”

“With Brooke in Linda’s care tonight, I’d love to accept your invitation. Are we going to have cheeseburgers at the diner?” she added, mirth in her voice.

He laughed in a mellow tone that always thrilled Janice. “I think we can do better than that. There’s a good Italian restaurant a few miles south of town. Would you like that?”

“Very much.”

“Then I’ll pick you up about six o’clock.”

Janice cradled the phone in her hand after Lance hung up, and she stared dreamily out the window without seeing the wooded hills in their autumn beauty beyond the house. With the suspense hanging over her head, was she foolish to become involved romantically with Lance? Janice knew she
was lonely. She’d been lonely all her life—even in a crowd of people she’d often felt alone.

She wanted someone to care for her and she’d be vulnerable in a relationship with Lance. He’d asked her once to be his friend, but often she’d wondered how it would be to be more than a friend to Lance. If she dated him and lost her heart to him, and he wanted nothing but friendship, she’d be hurt again. She’d had so little love in her life that it seemed she had a void where her heart was.

Janice had never felt that her parents loved her. Brooke loved her, but it was a childish love—a dependent love. Miss Caroline and Maddie had loved her unselfishly, but she sensed that a special love between a man and woman would be different. After she’d guarded her heart for years, she wanted to be sure that she didn’t lose it to Lance if he didn’t reciprocate her feelings.

Stirring from her reverie, Janice put her sewing aside and turned off the sewing machine. She wandered down the hall and waited until Cecil finished sawing on a piece of lumber before she said anything.

“If you’ll lock up before you leave, I’m going back to the apartment.”

“Sure, go ahead. I’ve got another hour’s work before I finish.”

“Brooke is going to a slumber party tonight and I’ll have to be sure she has all of her things together before Linda Mallory picks her up. See you tomorrow morning.”

Her phone rang again as she walked to the car. She answered to Lance’s voice. “I forgot to mention this, but I thought you were very attractive in the suit you had on a few nights ago. I’d like for you to wear it again.”

Janice’s heart skipped a beat, but she said lightly, “Thanks for the suggestion. Now I won’t have to decide what to wear.”