Softly and Tenderly (13 page)

“You
can
trust me, Jade. This is about one night gone bad with unbelievable repercussions.”

“Repercussions you hid from me.” She dipped her shoulder to step around him. Mama waited inside and Jade still had to carry out her luggage. “If you’d have come home from Vegas and told me what happened, sure I would’ve been upset. Mad. Hurt. But I would’ve forgiven you.”

Max walked alongside her. “And if I came to you and said Rice was pregnant?”

“It would’ve killed me, but I would’ve known about that night.”

“So, if I’d known how it all played out in your head, I could’ve done it exactly the way you wanted. Well, I’m sorry, I played it out in my head and did what I thought was best.”

“For you. What was best for you.”

“I see, you’re the saint and I’m the jerk?”

“Yes, you’re the jerk.” Jade stopped short, whirling to face him. “An arrogant jerk. Don’t you dare put any of this on me.”

“You’re running away, overreacting.”

“Overreacting? You purposefully hide your son from me, and I’m overreacting? No, Max, no. You overacted when you hid your son from me.” Jade stabbed his chest with her fingers. “You should’ve included me from the beginning. I can walk the crooked road with you, Max. I can help bear your burdens, unless you lie to me. The only reason I know about any of this is because a woman tragically died.” Her tone spiked with emotion. “When were you going to tell me? When Asa showed up on our doorstep as a teenager? On your deathbed?”

“I wanted to tell you. The timing never seemed right.”

“For a brilliant man, you can be so unaware. Do you not know me?” She started for the door, then backed up. “You want to know the worst part, Max? You denied your son.”

“I supported him.”

“With money? Well, bully for you. Aren’t you a stand-up guy? And I never saw any child support category when we went over our budget. Where’d you hide the money, Max?” She deflated. “The lies just keep on coming. Asa deserves so much better.”

“Stay and make sure he gets it.” His taunting didn’t linger with her.

“I’m leaving.” She backed away from him. “I need space, and you need to grow up and be the dad he needs.”

“Where are you going? When will you be back?”

“I’m taking Mama home. And I don’t know.” Jade walked toward the door again. She liked the weight of the praying hands at the base of her throat. “Your mom is going with us.”

“Mom? In a car for thirteen hours?”

“She volunteered to go.” Max’s presence tapped at the weak walls of Jade’s heart.
Don’t break down now, Jade-o. Hold it together. Get some distance, some
perspective
. “Apparently, she has the perfect road trip car, or so she says.”

Max nodded, a small grin rising. “She does.”

Jade backed toward the house. “I need to get Mama’s luggage.”

“What about the Blue Umbrella? The construction of the Blue Two? Who’s going to deal with all of that?”

Jade paused on the porch, holding the screen door open. “Kip and Tom will handle the Blue Two. Lillabeth, the shop here.”

He studied her for a moment, then gazed into the sunlight.

“Look, I know you want me to just push past all this, Max, put my oar in the rapids and row with you. But I can’t.” Jade swung the screen door gently to and fro. “As much I want to be wise enough, spiritual enough, and healed enough, I’m not. All I know is you have a son and I have an empty womb. You share something with another woman I may never share with you. And I need space. Time apart.”

“Babe, if I could change the past I would, but I can’t. Don’t give up on me, on us. Asa needs you. I need you, Jade. I love you. I always have. Nothing’s changed for me.”

“But don’t you see, Max?” Her resolve dropped its final anchor. “Everything’s changed for me.”

Eleven

A pale pink Cadillac. June leaned against the trunk of an enormous, rectangle, ancient-looking Caddy, her legs crossed at the ankles, her arms out to her sides.

She wore, no kidding, a pair of shiny blue capris, white Keds, a cashmere sweater with a scarf tied around her neck, and bug-eye sunglasses. Jade could’ve sworn she’d seen the same getup on the cover of a ’60s
Vogue
.

“June, this is your road trip vehicle?” Jade clapped the truck door shut and approached the car. “What is it?”

“Darling, you’re looking at a ’66 Fleetwood Eldorado with stereo, power steering, and heated seats. Doesn’t it just scream road trip?” June spread her arms over the vehicle like a
Price Is Right
model. “Big, comfortable—”

“Does Al Gore know you own this thing?”

“We can even bundle up and drive with the top down for a while.” June shaded her eyes and peered toward the sun.

“This is a land yacht, June. I can’t drive this thing. I’d need a captain’s license.”

“Aren’t you funny. Beryl, what do you think? Doesn’t it take you back?” June smacked the side of the car. June had missed her calling. Interior designer? Wife of a prominent lawyer? Committee chair? No. Used car salesman. Absolutely.

“I think it’s
swell
.” Yes, the hippie uttered the word “swell.”

“I’m in the twilight zone.” Jade dropped the truck’s gate and tugged out the first round of luggage. Mama arrived in Whisper Hollow with one suitcase and was leaving with three. She’d actually
shopped
with June a few times.

“Beryl, you can ride shotgun.” June walked around to the front of the car. “I brought toques for us, extra coats and blankets. I know it feels springy today, but I’m betting it’s still right chilly out on the open road.” June held up the outerwear. “This’ll be fun, fun, fun.”

Fun, fun, fun? June was way overdoing it. Jade checked with Mama. “Are you okay to ride with the top down?”

“Did I tell you the seats were heated?” June plopped a wool cap on Mama’s head.

“So Mama’s butt will be warm. What about the rest of her?” Jade set the first two pieces of luggage by the Caddy’s trunk. “Mama, are you okay to ride with the top down? And, June, don’t say a word.” The gray tint to Mama’s skin had remained, even in the midst of a road trip and home-going excitement.

“Wouldn’t be a road trip otherwise.” Mama stood still as June threaded her arms through the sleeves of a ski jacket. “I remember when I first heard of heated seats. Our high school principal had an Eldorado, and how he afforded it was the scandal of Prairie City.”

“This model was the first of its kind to have heated seats. And she’s in mint condition. Jade, queen of vintage, you should be thrilled.” June opened the driver’s door and reached inside. A grinding motor sounded as the top shimmied and rattled opened, stretching toward the blue sky before settling in its “bed” behind the backseat.

Jade examined the ride. Deep, wide white leather seats, a skinny steering wheel, and a . . . “A Garmin?” She glanced at June. “Was that standard in the ’66 Cadillacs too?”

“Certain modifications apply. We don’t want to get lost, do we?”

“We won’t get lost. I’ve driven to Iowa a dozen times and Mama was a teamster, for crying out loud.”

“Well, there you go, sugar. All the bases are covered.” June patted the Cadillac. “Perfect road trip car or I’m not June Benson.”

“You pay for half the gas.”

“Naturally.”

Jade peered over the door toward the in-dash radio. “And Mama chooses the music.”

“Fine by me.” June held out her hands. “I brought my entire ’60s collection.” She appeared serious about having a fun, fun, fun road trip. Mama looked like a stuffed tick bundled up in red and brown ski gear.

Jade hauled the rest of their bags from the truck to the Caddy. The space was huge.

“Good grief, we could fit a Smart car in here. Or, as the case may be, most of June’s luggage.” Jade shoved suitcases around, making room for Mama’s and hers. “Gee, June, did you leaving anything back at the house?”

“Never you mind. And would you stop complaining?”

Jade clapped the truck closed. Seeing Max earlier had set her on edge, teetering, feeling alone and abandoned.

“Jade-o, you ready?” Mama waited by the passenger door, her braids slinking out from under her wool cap, her arms buoyed out at her side.

“Let me leave the truck key for Lillabeth.” Jade rolled up the driver’s side window on the truck, then headed for the shop’s back door.

Jade paused when she passed through the dark shop. Since opening the Blue Umbrella four years ago, the shop had never been closed and dark in the middle of the day. The quietness screamed to Jade that things were changing. She’d come to Whisper Hollow from her Chattanooga marketing job with one idea in mind: dream dreams, open her own place. Find the balance between career and loving life.

Falling in love with Max so quickly was beyond her wildest imagination. Not a thought in her universe. She only wanted to survive her first year in business. But the God who loved her before she loved Him had already put her destiny into motion.

So, God-who-loved-her, how did she end up with a cheating husband and a marriage based on lies?
Is this Your best plan?

The day she walked down the aisle with so much love in her heart for Max, pledging her heart to him, God knew what Max had done, and that a child had been conceived.

Jade resisted the impulse to run up the loft stairs, lock the door, and never come out. Let June road trip with Mama. Jade had been happy when she lived in the loft, running the shop, having girls’ weekends with Daphne and Margot, dreaming of a “one day” love.

Instead, she stood in the dark, quiet shop, broken.

Stirring herself, Jade moved into the office, not bothering with the light, and tossed the truck keys to the desk. She’d called Lillabeth from Daphne’s to let her know the plan. She’d e-mail more details from the road.

With the keys delivered there was nothing left to do but just go. Get on the road. Leave . . .

Max darkened the doorway. “Oh my gosh.” Her heart jumped. “What are you doing in here?”

“I couldn’t let you go away mad, hurt.” He moved from the shadows, and into the pale yellow falling through the office window. He’d showered and changed into jeans and a polo. His dark hair moved freely over his forehead, accenting his hazel eyes.

“Don’t, Max.” She backed away. If he reached for her . . . “Can’t you just give me a bit of space?”

“Space? From me?” He stepped close enough to brush the back of his fingers against her cheek. “Please stay.”

Why was he doing this? Another second, she’d shatter and crumble. But she couldn’t let him get away with it, could she? Look at what acquiescing had done to June’s life.

“I’ll call in a few days.” She drew herself tight to move around him and exit the office.

“Jade, you
can
trust me.” He reached for her arm. “I’m not Dustin.”

“Dustin? Wow, did you just pull his name out of the air or have you been mulling over it for a while?” Jade scoffed. “You think I’m upset at you because my teenage husband walked out on me? You want to blame my disgust at your infidelity on Dustin Colter?” She leaned into him. “You spoke
wedding vows
, Max, knowing you’d already broken them.” Her heels thudded against the hardwood as she walked away.

“I’ve never broken my wedding vows to you, Jade. Never.”

Jade paused, turning to him. “Yes, you did. Once you knew about Asa, you conspired to hide your life from me. That breaks your vow to love, honor, and cherish.”

Max held up his hands and trailed her out to the pink Caddy. When he got to the car, he complimented the priceless antique and then kissed his mother good-bye. When he went to hug Beryl, Jade noticed the wet sheen in his eyes. “Get well, okay?”

Mama held her hands against his face. “Thank you for last night.”

“My pleasure.”

“Last night? What happened last night, Mama?”

“That’s between me and my son-in-law.” Mama held on to June as she maneuvered into the passenger seat.

“What did you—”

Max tugged Jade into his arms and kissed her, stealing her words, cooling her anger, warming her cold heart. She couldn’t help herself. She kissed him back, melting into him as her defenses crumbled. Being loved by Max, being desired by him, left her both weak and strong.

June blasted the car horn. “The road awaits. Let’s go.”

“See you.” Jade pushed away from Max softly, brushing her hand over his chest.

He held on to her fingers. “Do you love me?”

“Max—”

“Jade, tell me, do you love me?”

“Love can’t fix betrayal, Max.” She crawled into the middle of the Caddy’s backseat.

Max watched by the car. “Be careful, Mom, you have my precious cargo.

Any message for Dad?”

“Yeah, tell him to keep his britches on.” And she gunned the gas.

Jade yelped as the big Caddy fired down the alley. Oh, this was going to be a fun, fun, fun trip.

“Mercy,” June uttered, gripping the wheel, mashing the brake as the car eased beyond the Stop sign. “I forgot this thing has a mind of its own.”

“June, are you sure you can handle this beast?”

“Sit back and watch. I learned to drive in an Oldsmobile twice this size.”

“How is that possible?”

June was gentler with the gas this time, as she turned left toward Main Street.

Turning around, Jade rose up on her knees. Max was at the end of the alley, squinting in the afternoon sun, his shirttail lifting in the breeze, his hand raised in the air.

Jade lifted her hand, responding to his silent good-bye.