Matthew's Choice (13 page)

CHAPTER ELEVEN

T
HURSDAY
MORNING
, M
ATT
took his coffee into his living room and tried to get comfortable on the damask sofa. An impossible feat. Not to mention, he dropped a piece of buttered toast on the white material, which left a faint stain even though he cleaned it right away. He could imagine what the sofa would look like a month after Noah came to stay. He dialed Jessica’s number.

“’Lo.”

“I woke you up, didn’t I? I’m sorry.”

“What time is it?” Sleepiness slurred her words.

“Eight-thirty. I wanted to ask if you’d have lunch with me and help me pick out a new sofa, one that’s not white.”

“What? There’s nothing wrong with the sofa you have.”

That had woken her. “Not for me and you, but it’s not going to wear well with Noah here. I thought I’d get something a little easier to keep clean. Then after he goes back to his mother, we can bring the damask sofa out again.”

“You may have a point. Noonish? At the furniture store downtown?”

“Perfect.” That way he wouldn’t lose much time.

Or so he thought. Jessica found something wrong with every sofa he picked out. It was either the wrong color or the wrong style.

“You keep choosing the same kind.” Jessica waved her hands, the diamond on her left ring finger catching the light. “And it doesn’t go with the rest of your furniture.”

“But it won’t be for that long.” He glanced at the last sofa he’d chosen. It was similar to the one in Allie’s house, with soft cushions and big arms. “It’s leather, so it’ll go with the chairs.”

“But it’s too bulky.” She turned and pointed to an alternate. “What’s wrong with this one?”

Everything. It was thin and hard and a light fabric. He wanted something he could sink back in, something comfortable, something he didn’t have to worry about Noah spilling chocolate milk on. What he thought must have shown on his face.

“You don’t like my tastes, do you?” She blinked rapidly. “I bet you hate all of your furniture.”

“Nooo.” He took her hands. “I love my apartment, but as long as Noah is going to be there, we need to think about something practical. I don’t want to be on him every minute about furniture.”

She put her hands on her hips. “Well, so far, he isn’t even here.”

“I’m bringing him back with me next weekend.” He turned to the last sofa he’d chosen. “And I’d like to have this at the apartment when he gets there.” He ducked down so he could see her eyes. “Okay?”

Jessica shrugged. “It’s your apartment. And I suppose you’re right that the other one would soon be ruined.”

“Good.” He motioned to the salesclerk hovering nearby. “I’d like to buy this one.”

* * *

M
ATT
FLIPPED
THE
heater up a notch. He didn’t care what the salesman said. Convertibles were not made for cold weather, not even a Beemer. Where was that sixty-five the weatherman had predicted?

He checked the time and groaned. After eleven and he was still ten minutes away from Cedar Grove. He’d promised Noah he’d pick him up on Friday, only to have to break his word, and thought he’d have to cancel the whole weekend until his assistant agreed to take care of a dinner for the mayor’s birthday tonight. Even so, Saturday was half-gone. And he wanted to stop at the hospital to see Mariah before he drove to Allie’s house. His sister had pneumonia now.

The hospital came into view, and Matt pulled into the parking lot. He would bring Noah back later. He arrived at Mariah’s room as a respiratory therapist finished up a breathing treatment.

Matt tweaked her foot. “How are you feeling?”

“About like I look.”

He could barely hear her wispy voice. “That bad, huh?” He kept his tone light, but her emaciated frame and the dark circles under her eyes pierced Matt’s heart.

The therapist held up a small device that Matt recognized from his mother’s hospital stays. “How often are you using your incentive spirometer?”

“When I think of it.”

“You need to do better than that. Your lungs are still congested, Ms. Connors, and I can’t stress how important it is to use this device.” He rubbed his jaw. “Do you watch TV?”

Mariah nodded.

“Okay, when a commercial comes on, I want you to grab this and try to get the cylinder a little higher each time. You’re only pulling about five hundred milliliters now. By tomorrow I’d like to see that number up to seven-fifty.”

Closing her eyes, she nodded again. “I’ll try.”

The therapist caught Matt’s eye and shook his head. “Encourage her to use this.” He set the device on the table by the bed.

When they were alone, Matt nudged her foot again. “Hey, kiddo.”

Her lips curled into a faint smile, but she didn’t open her eyes.

“You have to do what they say.”

The smile disappeared, replaced by a coughing fit. She hugged her chest until the spell ended. “That hurts so bad I don’t even want to breathe. Do you think the nurse would give me something for pain?”

“Are you sure you need it?”

“What?” She snapped her eyes open. “Are you on the drug squad now, little brother?”

“If I have to be.”

Her jaw clamped down as beads of sweat popped out on her face. “Why are you here anyway? Go back to whatever penthouse you crawled out of.”

He flinched. “Look, I would have helped you if you’d called. Or if you’d told me about Noah.”

Her chin quivered, and he turned away, unable to take seeing her tears. Mariah had never been one to cry, even in the face of their drunken father’s rages. No, she’d been the one to stand up to him, protecting Matt.

“I’m sorry.”

He wasn’t sure he heard her right. He turned to face her. “What?”

Mariah took a shaky breath and winced. “Growing up in Cedar Grove with Luke Jefferies for a father scarred us both. We just dealt with it in different ways. At least you have something to show for it.” Did he? Matt wasn’t so sure anymore. Was his obsessive search for wealth and recognition any different than Mariah numbing herself with drugs? What if he hadn’t been so self-centered about leaving Cedar Grove and all it represented behind, perhaps Mariah wouldn’t be lying in a hospital bed, and he wouldn’t be trying to figure out why his life seemed so empty.

“Maybe both of us can do better from here on out,” he said. “Are you up to seeing your son?”

* * *

M
ATT
PULLED
IN
front of Allie’s house. She had not sounded too happy yesterday afternoon when he’d called to say he couldn’t make it to Cedar Grove. Noah’s attitude had been one of indifference. At least the temperature had warmed up again. Maybe Noah would enjoy riding around with the top down.

When the door opened, Allie’s face matched her red plaid shirt. A strand of blond hair curled under her jaw. Behind her, a din of shouting and groans filled the room. “Come on in. The boys are in the middle of a game of Wii boxing.”

“Boys?” Matt tried to look around her.

Before Allie could answer, a boy who seemed the same age as Noah bounded to the door. He looked familiar. “Miss Allie, Noah’s hitting below the belt.”

“Lucas,” Allie said, “work it out yourselves.”

The boy raced back to the TV and joined Noah and another boy that was his mirror image. Ah, the twins from the hamburger place last week, Lucas and Logan. Matt frowned. “What’s going on?”

She shut the door behind him. “Noah was disappointed when you didn’t come yesterday, and when you called to say you were going to be late today, I picked up a couple of his friends to keep him company.”

So, Noah had been disappointed. Surprise to Matt.

“I admire your courage, but question your sanity,” he said as he followed her into the living room.

“You and me both. I’m trying to let them work off a little energy with the Wii.” She turned to the boys. “Noah, say hello to your uncle, then get your bag. And Logan and Lucas, I’ll drop you off at the shelter on my way to the grocery store.”

Noah reluctantly pulled his gaze away from the Wii. “’Lo, Uncle Matt.”

Matt would’ve liked a little more enthusiasm. “You ready to have some fun?”

Noah shrugged. “I’m having fun now.”

It was going to be a long weekend. He rubbed the bridge of his nose.

“What’re we going to do?”

“Ah...” Matt hadn’t thought that far ahead. “I don’t know. It’s a pretty day. We could go to the park and throw the football around. Later we’ll go see your mom.”

Noah’s eyes widened. “Maybe we could have a picnic and Miss Allie and Logan and Lucas could come! We can even take Patches.”

Allie’s shoulders stiffened. “I don’t know, Noah. Your uncle might want to spend time with just you.”

“That won’t be any fun. Can they come, Uncle Matt? Please? We could have a real game, me and Miss Allie against you and the twins.”

“I don’t know. Miss Allie is probably busy.” Matt shot a questioning glance at Allie. It was crazy, but he found himself wanting her to say yes. The closed expression on her face, stiff body...
no
would be the next thing out of her mouth. If he let her be the one to say no, at least he wouldn’t be the bad guy for once. “Why don’t we leave it up to Miss Allie to decide?”

“Please, Miss Allie! Could we?”

As all three boys begged to go on a picnic, Allie shot him a dark look. Finally she sighed. “It
is
a pretty day,” she admitted. “And warm enough for the boys to use up some of this energy. But not the park. There’s a spot at my dad’s farm that would be better. And we’ll stop and pick up a bucket of chicken.”

He hadn’t expected her to agree. As the boys yelled and jumped up and down, he glanced at the painting over her fireplace. Surely not... One glance at her stoic expression told him that was exactly where she meant. Noah brought him back to earth when he tugged on his hand.

“Miss Allie says she doesn’t have a football. Can we stop and get yours, Uncle Matt?”

“What?”

“Your football, the one at your house.”

“Yeah, sure.” He glanced at Allie.

“I’ll grab a couple of old quilts and throw a few things in a picnic basket and we’ll get going.”

The boys set the kitten carrier in the front seat of Allie’s car while Matt loaded the things she handed him into the trunk of her sedan. When he’d finished, she tossed him the keys. “You can drive. That way I can ride herd on the boys.”

When they reached the house on Beaker Street, Matt hurried to the shed behind the house and retrieved the football. Back in the car, he enjoyed the boys’ reaction.

“You mean, this was in a real game?” Awe filled Noah’s voice.

“Yep. Last game of the season.” Matt backed out of the drive. “Who wants chicken legs, and who wants the breast?”

Except for Allie, chicken legs it was. As Matt navigated traffic through town, he noticed she kept watching her side mirror. “Expecting someone to follow us?”

She startled. “No. I just don’t usually sit on the passenger side.”

That made sense, but still, something seemed off. He glanced her way, and she gave him an imperceptible shake of her head. What was going on?

* * *

A
LLIE
HOPED
GOING
with Matt on a picnic didn’t prove to be a mistake. For more than one reason. Lenny Nichols had not been arrested, and no one had seen him since Wednesday.

She glanced at Matt. As soon as they were alone, she’d tell him what was going on. Alone. The other reason she shouldn’t be here. She needed to keep in mind he was an engaged man. She glanced in the side mirror again. No one
seemed
to be following, but... “Take the back road to Dad’s place.”

“What?”

“I’d like to show the boys Dad’s cutting horses. The back road takes us right past their pasture.” She’d know in a minute if anyone was following them. When the road behind them remained empty, tension eased from her shoulders. Now if she could just get through the day with Matt.

By two o’clock, the boys had eaten every piece of chicken, even the crumbs, and finally had tired of football. When they asked to explore the nearby woods, she hesitated. “Just don’t climb—”

“Don’t waste your breath.” Matt turned to the boys. “Try not to break a leg. Okay?”

She laughed as they raced off. “You’re right. Besides, we never broke a leg. How did you get so good with kids?”

He stretched out on the quilt, propping his head up with his hand, and finished off the bag of chips. Patches climbed over him and pounced on the empty sack. “Who knows?” he said as he stroked the kitten’s head. “I’m as surprised as you are. Now do you want to tell me what’s going on, and why your eyes were glued to the side mirror?”

She gathered the utensils, placing them in the picnic basket while matter-of-factly recounting what had happened at school. “When I called the shelter this morning, Sarah had not let Logan and Lucas play outside for fear their dad might drive by and kidnap them. I think all three of them were going crazy. She was as happy as Noah when I called.”

“Did you think that guy was following us?”

“No, just making sure he wasn’t. Very few people know the location of the shelter, and I doubt Nichols knows where I live. My phone number and address aren’t in the book.”

“There’s always the internet,” he said.

“There are precautions you can take, you know. I’ve done a search of my name before and my address did not come up.”

“I’ve always wanted people to find me.” Matt rolled over on his back and laced his fingers behind his head and stared at the sky. “This farm is the only place in Cedar Grove I like to be. Even the sky seems bluer. Do you remember the time we tried to cross the creek on that log, and you fell in?”

It wasn’t falling in the creek she remembered. It was the kiss that followed after he fished her out. She grabbed Noah’s jacket that he’d left behind and folded it neatly. “At least the weather’s good today. We don’t usually have such warm temperatures in January.”

“Just wait a couple of days, and the cold will be back with a vengeance.” Matt rolled over and sat up, his knees dangerously close to hers.