Rock and a Hard Place (18 page)

“
I’m sorry, but there’s no
other way. You said yourself there isn’t anyone else to step in. No
family, no neighbors, no friends. You’ll be fine,” she said in a
tone that told Libby she didn’t believe her own words. “Sit tight,
I’ll be back after finishing up your transfer arrangements.” She
opened the door to the patrol car.

“
Wait! Don’t go.” She
needed to convince the officer to let her stay at the farmhouse.
She couldn’t let them send her away.

Officer Decker offered a strained smile but
exited the car, shutting the door firmly. Libby pounded on the
metal divider like a criminal gone berserk. She imagined she’d live
with her aunt until graduation or until her dad came back. This was
beyond horrible. Her life was spinning into a total disaster. How
could her dad leave her to this?

Chapter 17

“
Pass the gravy, would ya
buddy,” Peter said to his young cousin Ryan.

They’d gathered around the Thanksgiving
table with the large extended family. Peter wondered about Libby
stuck with her crazy aunt. He doubted a turkey dinner was involved.
All he could picture was her alone thinking he dumped her. He tried
to call her using another phone, but the asshole, Garrett, had
canceled the cell service to her number. Now Peter had to wait
until the next day to get Libby’s service reinstated and to replace
his phone.

“
This one’s empty.” Ryan
looked up at him with angelic eyes.

“
Here, Peter. There’s
plenty in this bowl.” Carly, his Uncle Steve’s stepdaughter,
offered another bowl of steaming turkey gravy. She delivered a coy
smile and all but batted her eyes. Peter pretended not to notice.
He didn’t want to encourage her.

Determined to bury his worry about Libby, he
stuffed himself with food. Usually he loved Thanksgiving, but this
year, the gathering of twenty odd people was more than he could
handle. He took the bowl from Carly’s eager hands. “Thanks.” He
forced a smile and ladled the rich gravy over his second helping of
turkey, stuffing and cheesy potato casserole, turning the contents
on his plate into a thick stew.

“
Where does he put all that
food?” Grandma Jamieson commented, looking at his mounded plate.
Peter smiled at Grandma and shoveled in another
mouthful.

His mother looked at him warmly. “Ever since
Peter turned fourteen, he’s always eating; and he runs everyday, so
that boosts his appetite even more. It’s near impossible to keep
these boys fed.”

Peter responded with a black look. He didn’t
feel like making nice with his family. They still seemed like
traitors.

“
I can’t imagine your
grocery bill,” Becky, Uncle Steve’s new wife, commented. “My Carly
eats like a little bird. I swear she forgets to eat some days.”
Aunt Becky bragged about her daughter’s ultra skinny body. The girl
wore her clothes so tight they left little to the imagination.
Carly took a tiny bite of green bean and feigned
embarrassment.

“
Girls are too skinny these
days,” Grandma said. “Look like they could blow away in a strong
wind.”

At the other end of the table Garrett sat
next to Uncle Steve, Mom’s cool older brother, who always drove hot
cars and dated even hotter women. Aunt Becky finally landed him
last spring and became his second wife. She could pass for under
thirty, but Carly was seventeen, so it wasn’t likely.

“
Now that we’ve inhaled
most of this meal, who wants to start with their thanks?” his mom
asked. Every year she forced them to participate in this ritual.
Peter and his brothers groaned, while Carly glanced around the
table, confused at the mention of this unknown
tradition.

His mother eyed them. “Boys, you disappoint
me. This year, more than any other, we have so much to be thankful
for.”

Peter scraped potatoes from the side of his
plate and stuffed his mouth. He looked directly at his mother and
shrugged.

“
Fine. I’ll start.” She
wiped the corners of her mouth with a linen napkin then set it
aside. “I am thankful for the amazing doctors and medical staff at
Cedars-Sinai.” She reached out and took her husband’s hand.
“Without their dedication and talent, I might have lost you.” She
gazed at his dad; tears welled in her eyes.

“
And I thought you were
going to say you were thankful to get a few days freedom while I
was in the hospital,” his father said. His mother shot him a wry
expression.

“
I’m thankful we get to go
swimming after dinner,” Ryan chirped in.

“
But not until half an hour
after dinner,” Grandma said.

“
Aw,” Ryan
responded.

“
Mom, that’s an old wives’
tale. Leave the kid alone,” Uncle Steve said.

“
Nonsense. If the rule kept
you alive all these years, it obviously works.”

“
I’m thankful for video
games,” Ella, Ryan’s older sister, offered, successfully getting
the conversation back on track.

Each person in turn offered up something to
be thankful for. Next came Garrett.

“
I’m thankful, Peter’s got
such a weak left hook.” He rubbed his bruised cheekbone for
effect.

Their mother pierced Garrett with a powerful
stare. Carly looked from Peter to Garrett and back again,
intrigued. Peter set his fork down, his jaw clenched. He’d love to
slug him again. The asshole deserved it and much more.

“
What are you thankful for
Peter?” Grandma asked, oblivious to the tension between the two
brothers.

Peter looked from Garrett to his father and
mother. “Absolutely nothing.” He controlled his anger. He didn’t
want to upset Grandma.

“
Peter,” his father warned.
“We all have something to be thankful for. Try that
again.”

Inside he fumed. He was thankful to have
Libby, but then Garrett derailed that and he still hadn’t been able
to get a hold of her. They’d tracked down her aunt’s phone number,
but there was no answer. All he could think about was his need to
talk to her and clear everything up. He wanted Libby with him.
Other than that he only felt anger; anger at his family’s
interference, anger at being stuck in this fake happy holiday
celebration and anger at the clueless girl sitting next to him star
struck over his every word.

All eyes focused on him, including his
father’s.

“
All right. What am I
thankful for? Let’s see. I could say our sold out tour or our
platinum album, but no, that’s pretty shallow.” He gave a pointed
look at each of his brothers and his parents. He thought of Libby
and how alone she must feel. “I’m thankful to have a family I can
be mad at. Even though they make my life a living hell, at least
they exist.” His words were clipped and short. “Because if I didn’t
have a family, I’d be all alone in the world. Can you imagine how
lonely and difficult a life would be if I didn’t have Mom always
hovering or Dad caring enough to stay on our asses, or brothers to
piss off and fight with?”

Peter set a defiant stare at his parents
driving home the sad reality of Libby’s life. His mother looked
down at her plate.

“
That’s enough,” his father
said. A silent void filled the room as the relatives shared
uncomfortable looks. “Why don’t you make yourself useful. There are
a lot of dishes on this table that need washing. Perhaps that’ll
help clear your head.”

The guests watched the awkward battle. His
young cousins looked confused.

“
Fine with me.” Peter
shoved back from the table, grabbed his dishes and went to the
kitchen.

“
I’ll help you.” Carly
popped up and chased after him.

# # #

Peter’s waterlogged hands sank deep into
their third round of dishes. Now it was the serving pieces. Despite
his pleas to be left alone, Carly stuck with him and dried every
piece. Stacks of clean, dried china and silverware lay as evidence
of their work.

“
What did I do to make you
hate me?” She leaned against the kitchen counter, an irritated
expression on her face.

“
Huh?” Peter looked up from
the dishwater.

“
I’ve been trying to talk
to you all day and you treat me like I’m diseased. What’d I ever do
to you?” She folded her arms across her chest, the damp dishtowel
in hand.

“
Nothing. Sorry. I’ve just
got a lot on my mind.” He turned back to his sulking and dunked
another serving bowl.

“
Guys can be such jerks.
Steve said you were really nice, but I think he must have been
talking about Garrett.”

Peter’s head snapped around, he eyed her
closely. “That’s a good one.” He fought the smile that threatened.
She’d been trying to crack his defenses all day and had saved him a
ton of work by helping out. The least he could do was be nice.

“
What’s got you so
pissed?”

Peter glanced at her, an eyebrow raised.

“
Hello, you’ve been
brooding all day and your little speech in there just proves you’ve
got major attitude. You mad you got stuck with family all
day?”

“
I’m stuck with family
every day. Today’s better than most. With more people around, it
helps distract them.” He rinsed another platter and placed it with
the mounting pile of china stacked in the drainer. “You’re falling
behind.” He pointed to the waiting dishes.

Carly glared at him, then resumed her chore.
After that Peter finally allowed himself a smile. He found it
easier to be nice to Carly. He joined in the conversation and they
talked about their favorite movies, what music they most recently
downloaded and their dream cars. As Peter refilled the sink, Carly
placed another plate with the huge pile of clean dishes on the
island counter.

“
God there’s a lot of
dishes. Your dad is nasty to make you do all this.”

“
Yeah, Jett’s real good at
doling out punishment.”

“
What do you do for fun
around here?” Carly asked.

“
Oh, I don’t know.” With
the faucet on, Peter grabbed the spray hose and turned it on her.
Carly shrieked in surprise and tried to block his water assault
with the platter in her hands. He shot the spray across the room as
she tried to dodge it. By the time they were done, both were
laughing from the water fight and Carly’s skilled towel snapping.
He ended up having a good time despite himself.

And after all, Carly was pretty cute.

# # #

Karen Jamieson’s heart warmed as she watched
Peter play cards at the table with all the kids. Up until this
afternoon he’d been angry and sad. It hurt to see him so
heartbroken after Garrett’s little stunt. While she wasn’t exactly
proud of what Garrett had done, she wanted the best for Peter and
thought it better for him to move on. Clearly, Peter didn’t
agree.

“
Take that!” Peter slapped
his last card on the pile and won the hand.

Carly sat next to him soaking in his every
word. She glowed each time Peter looked her way. Her brother’s
stepdaughter did a great job of distracting Peter. The timing
couldn’t be better. Libby seemed like a nice girl, but her
situation was complicated. Perhaps Carly could help him forget her.
Peter grinned at Carly again. Karen’s hopes inched up another
notch.

“
Ready for pie?” she asked.
Hungry voices cheered. How these kids could be hungry again so soon
amazed her. “It’s ready in the kitchen. You can join the adults in
the living room.”

The mob of kids bustled past; Peter and
Carly shared a joke as they walked by.

Fifteen minutes later everyone sat in the
great room. The huge room overflowed with comfortable furniture and
oversized potted plants; a baby grand stood in one corner. The boys
often used the room to practice or just sit and play whatever
instrument they were in the mood for. She loved listening to their
music. It amazed her to have such gifted sons. On one side of the
room Adam’s camera sat on a tripod waiting for the traditional
family photos.

“
Peter, would you play
something for me? It’s been so long.” Karen’s aging mother-in-law
asked.

“
Sure, Grandma.” Peter said
from his seat next to Carly. He stood and placed his empty plate on
the coffee table. He smiled at Carly as he stretched his fingers.
Carly looked pleased.

Peter sat behind the piano. “What would you
like to hear?”

“
How about something new?
Are you working on anything?”

“
Mom, Peter is always
working on something new. The kid can’t seem to turn his writing
off.” Jett shared a proud glance with her.

“
All right, play something
pretty for me.” Grandma said.

Peter rewarded her with a loving smile. The
two of them always shared a special connection. Karen recalled when
she was in the hospital delivering Adam several weeks too early.
Tiny Adam stayed in the hospital for more than a week while Jett’s
parents took care of Garrett and Peter. During that time
four-year-old Garrett watched television and played outside with
neighbor kids. Peter, however, stuck by his Grandmother’s side. If
she worked in her flowerbeds, three-year-old Peter was with her.
When she did laundry and made beds, little Peter tried to help,
chattering away. He loved to help her make cookies and insisted
that Grandma teach him the piano. When they picked him up, the
young boy already mastered Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.