Pieces of the Heart (16 page)

Drew almost laughed out loud at the mental picture of demure Margaret Collier using any sort of physical violence, but the impulse stopped when he caught sight of Caroline’s face as she approached the table.

Her fingertips wandered across a yellowed travel brochure with Big Ben on the front before he picked it up and opened it. “I remember these.” A small smile brushed across her face, illuminating it for a brief moment. Drew continued to watch her, fascinated at the change.

Rainy laughed out loud. “Well, you should. They were the source of the biggest whupping you ever got.”

Caroline actually laughed. “Yeah, they were, weren’t they?”

Drew wanted to ask what they were talking about, but he was too busy watching Caroline and the way an old memory made her face shine like it was lit from within. He hardly recognized her as the taciturn woman next door.

“When Caroline was in high school,” Rainy explained, “she and Jude and Shelby collected all these travel brochures for me. Even back then I was planning on taking a big trip sometime when Bill and me could get away. Anyway, Caroline got it in her head that it would be a good idea if the three of them took a trip, too, even though me and Margaret had already said no. So what does Caroline do? She sneaks her mother’s credit card out of her wallet and books the reservations over the phone.” She slapped her denim-covered knee and snorted. “Can you believe that? And Caroline planned that all on her own—and took the punishment all on her own, too.”

Caroline sat down at the table and began leafing through all the brochures. With a smirk, she said, “Actually, it was my idea to go first-class. The rest was all Jude’s doing—but I had to make the actual phone calls, since I could imitate mom’s voice.” She smiled to herself, her eyes almost closed, as if seeing old friends long since gone. “I even called the school so we would be excused for the week we were planning to be in Europe.”

Drew stared at the pale, serious woman in front of him, wondering what had happened to the mischievous girl she had once been. He sat down next to her. “How did you get caught?”

“My mom found our itinerary. She saw it under my bed when she was snooping.”

Rainy cleared her throat. “Now, Caroline—you know that’s not what happened. She was hiding your birthday present under your bed because it was the one place you never looked. Your itinerary was lying there clear as day, and Margaret couldn’t help but see it.”

Caroline flipped over a pamphlet from the Louvre and laughed softly. “I almost had her believing it was for your trip when the mail arrived and in it was the American Express bill.” She leaned back in her chair and laughed out loud, a surprisingly rich, throaty laugh. It was the laugh of a person who laughed often and from the heart. “I’d never seen her so mad—I thought her head would pop off like a cork from a champagne bottle.”

Drew found her laughter contagious and couldn’t help but laugh, too, at the image of Margaret Collier’s head propelling off her shoulders. He could see the whole thing from Caroline’s young eyes and wondered again what had happened to her in the years since that had taken the laughter from her. If he had the inclination to get to know her better, which he didn’t, he’d look forward to the challenge of finding out what it was and bringing the laughter back to her eyes.

She caught him staring at her, and the laughter faded from her voice. Her face dimmed again, as if a cloud had passed over the sun, stealing away all color. Softly she said, “I never made the trip either.” With a deep sigh she added, “And, as it turned out, it was probably a good thing my mom stopped it when she did. We couldn’t have gotten on the plane without passports—something I’d forgotten about completely—not to mention the criminal charges for unauthorized use of a credit card.” She glanced at her watch, signaling that the conversation was over. “Come on, city boy—looks like the stores should be open by now. Then I’ll show you what a squirrel looks like and you can play bodyguard in case I decide to pass out and fall off a cliff or something.”

“You sure know how to make an ordinary day sound exciting.”

Caroline stood and threw her backpack purse over her shoulder. Kissing Rainy’s cheek, she said, “If my mother calls, tell her I’m in the back room taking a nap.”

Rainy just shook her head slowly.

After telling Rainy good-bye, Drew followed Caroline out of the store, watching the swing of her ponytail. Even though he told himself every day that he didn’t miss the corporate world, he could at least admit that he missed the daily challenges of accomplishing the impossible. He’d always thought that was what had made him a successful attorney—and a lousy husband and father. A little challenge like Caroline Collier could be just what he needed. He didn’t need to get personal—just make her laugh.

Drew smiled broadly and held the door open for her. “After you, ma’am.”

“Beauty before age,” she said as she walked past him.

He followed her toward his truck, the thrill of a challenge lightening his step.

Caroline settled herself in the passenger seat of Drew’s pickup truck, wondering again why she had agreed to this. The man bothered her. He couldn’t take a hint when it was time to back off. Every time she caught him looking at her it seemed he was planning something—something to change her. It made her feel like a spider trapped under a magnifying glass on a hot day. She wondered how long it would be before she felt the burn.

They had barely left the parking lot before Drew leaned over and popped open the glove box. “There’s some sunscreen in there.”

His smirk matched hers. “Your mother is just being a parent. She’s only showing you that she loves you.”

Caroline took the tube of sunscreen out of the glove box and opened it. “But she doesn’t have to treat me like a five-year-old.”

“Then maybe you should stop acting like one.”

She was still thinking of a comeback when Drew let out a loud curse and slammed on the brakes before running the truck up on the grass on the side of the road. A large tractor-trailer rumbled past them, rattling the truck. For a moment she thought she was going to throw up. The sound of the squealing brakes and then the wheels going up over the grass had sent her arms over her face as she waited for the truck to flip. It was only after Drew had slammed his door that she opened her eyes and began practicing breathing again.

Caroline stuck her head out the window and looked behind her and spotted Jewel on a bicycle struggling to make it up the hill on the side of the narrow, two-lane mountain road they had just come up.

Drew marched behind the truck to where Jewel had given up and dismounted from the bike. Making sure she could be steady on her feet, Caroline followed in case she needed to be a referee.

“What in the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Jewel looked up at her father with a smile that Caroline could see wasn’t as confident as she was trying to make it. “I’m riding my bike. You said I could.”

“When I said you could ride your bike, I assumed you meant up and down our street—not on the highway!”

“But you didn’t say I couldn’t.”

Drew opened his mouth but no words came out, though his face had turned a dangerous shade of red. Caroline wondered why Jewel hadn’t stepped back. After a deep breath Drew pointed to the truck. “Not another word. Get in the truck. I’m putting your bike into the back, and don’t expect to see it for at least a month. And it’s going to be at least that long before you’re allowed outside without me accompanying you.”

“That’s not fair! I was only—”

“I said not another word. Get in the truck. You’re going shopping with us, and I don’t want to hear a peep out of you until we get home.”

Caroline sent her a warning glance and motioned for Jewel to get in the middle of the front seat before following her inside, and she found that her hands were still shaking.

Drew climbed in behind the wheel and started the engine. They rode in an uncomfortable silence for about ten minutes. Then, under her breath, Jewel said, “He is
so
clueless about being a dad.”

Caroline hesitated before putting an arm around the young girl. “He’s just trying to be a parent, Jewel. If he didn’t love you, he wouldn’t be so hard on you.”

Jewel sniffed and a tear dropped on her forearm. “Well, he doesn’t have to treat me like a little kid.”

After a long pause, Caroline said, “No, probably not. But my guess would be that his reaction came completely from his concern for you and not any real wish to embarrass you.”

Silence fell inside the truck again while Caroline studiously avoided looking at Drew and seeing his “I told you so” look. Then fat pellets of rain began to hit the windshield, and the fear and panic that she’d managed to hold at bay rushed to the surface of her skin, pushing at her like tiny needles.

Drew leaned forward to peer up at the sky, then looked at Jewel, who continued to stare straight ahead. “Maybe we can go to the Y for a swim after we finish our shopping. Caroline’s welcome to come, too.”

Caroline answered too quickly, “No. But thank you. I’ll need to get home, if you wouldn’t mind.”

“No, I wouldn’t mind. Just thought you might like a swim. It’s great exercise, you know.”

“I know.” Finally her eyes met his and she saw him dip his gaze to where her hand had clutched at her tank top over her chest. She released her grip, then turned away and stared out the window, where the drops were now hitting the glass in earnest. She watched as rain dripped from trees and puddled like swollen tears on the road. She gripped the door handle tightly, feeling the old fear again, and closed her eyes. The truck slowed and her eyes fluttered open as she glanced at Drew. She caught his look of concern before he turned back to watch the road, keeping his speed to below the speed limit, regardless of the line of cars behind him. She supposed she should be grateful for his concern, but it bothered her too much that he could read her so well.

Embarrassed, Caroline released her grip on the door handle and concentrated on her breathing, trying to ignore the sound of the wheels against wet pavement. She was fine when she was the one behind the wheel, but once she became a passenger without control, the fear consumed her. A warm hand crept into hers and squeezed. Surprised, Caroline turned to see Jewel looking up at her.

“It’s okay. Dad’s a good driver.” Jewel blinked her eyes a couple of times. “Dad, could you take me to Rainy’s? I feel a bad headache coming on.”

“Will do,” he said, patting her on the leg as he pulled into a side road to turn around. “Caroline and I can run our errands another time.”

“Thank you,” Caroline whispered, then closed her eyes and tried to concentrate on the warm hand in hers and the soft hum of the engine so she wouldn’t have to listen to the rain.

C
AROLINE TIPTOED PAST HER MOTHER’S OPEN BEDROOM DOOR, hoping to sneak by unnoticed. She might be almost thirty years old now, but she still remembered from childhood the floorboards to avoid and had almost made it to her own room when she heard her mother call out. Her mom had always claimed to have six ears and eyes in the back of her head, and Caroline was inclined to believe it. She paused for a moment before answering, surprised to remember that her mother didn’t say that anymore. Her mother had stopped claiming extrasensory powers when Jude died, as if her sixth sense had somehow failed her forever on that rainy night in November.

“Yes?” Caroline lingered in the doorway.

Her mother lay in bed propped against a large pillow with a magazine on her lap. She patted the mattress next to her. “Come sit.”

Caroline sat on the edge of the mattress, smelling the aroma of Youth Dew body cream, another childhood memory. A thick cloth headband held her mother’s hair back from her face so that it wouldn’t stick to the gooey white mask spread over her forehead, nose, and cheeks. “You look great, Mom. Going out?”

“No, I’m saving all this splendor just for you.” She reached for the jar of cream on her bedside table and unscrewed the lid.

Caroline shrank back. “Don’t even think about it.”

“Humor me this once, all right? I think you’ll enjoy it. Not only does it tighten the pores and lift your skin, but it’s also scented with vanilla and chamomile to help you relax.” She gave Caroline a pointed look. “I know you haven’t been sleeping well—I hear you up all hours of the night. This might help.”

Their eyes met, but all Caroline could see was her mother crying on the back porch while the loon called from the lake. Her mother waited, as if expecting her to argue. Instead Caroline moved forward and tilted her face, as if giving in to this one small thing might somehow bridge the distance between them that words always seemed to mangle.

The cream felt cold as Margaret’s gentle fingers spread it over her skin, and she smiled at her mother’s facial gyrations as she motioned for Caroline to flatten a cheek or lift her jaw.