The Inn at Eagle Point (20 page)

15

O
n
the taxi ride into the city, Abby felt none of the usual excitement she'd
always experienced on returning to Manhattan. Stress seemed to kick in on the
Triborough Bridge and continue all the way along the FDR Expressway, even
though the sky was a brilliant blue and sunlight filtered down in bright shafts
between the skyscrapers. It was a perfect early-summer day. It would be a few
weeks before stifling heat kicked in and radiated up from the pavement.
Despite her mood, the girls were clearly thrilled about getting to spend a few
days with their dad and going shopping with their grandmother. Megan had agreed
to meet them this morning for shopping and lunch. Then Wes would pick the twins
up at their apartment and take them to his place until Monday evening.
Abby was trying hard not to worry about the plan. A tiny part of her was still
fearful that when the time came for her to leave for Chesapeake Shores with
Carrie and Caitlyn, Wes would pull some sort of a stunt to keep them with him.
She tried to push the concern from her mind, but it continued to nag at her.
As they arrived at their Upper East Side apartment, she spotted her mother
walking down the street. At fifty-four, Megan was still an attractive, vital
woman with long legs and an easy, brisk stride. Her short hair, now a shade of
honey-blond, was professionally highlighted and accentuated her large, dark
blue eyes. Her face was virtually unlined, her figure trim from daily workouts
at a gym frequented by a few celebrities. Her taste in clothes was impeccable,
which meant she could carry off an outfit from a discount store as easily as
she could the designer labels that filled her closet.
When she spotted Abby and her granddaughters emerging from the taxi, her face
lit up with unmistakable joy.
As the girls ran straight to her, Abby paid the driver, set their luggage on
the curb, then approached more slowly. She still wasn't sure what she was going
to say to convince her mother to make the commitment to come for the inn's
opening. Thus far, Megan had remained determinedly silent on the subject, her
reluctance palpable whenever Abby broached the subject.
"Good timing," Abby said, giving her mother a quick hug. "Come
on up while I drop off our bags and then we'll head out."
In the elevator, Abby observed her mother closely, noting a hint of exhaustion
in her eyes. "Mom, is everything okay?"
"I've just had a lot on my mind lately. Nothing to worry about,
though." She forced a smile. "I'm just so glad you're back home
again, even if it is for only a few days. I feel a bit at loose ends when
you're gone."
Abby felt a flash of guilt, then dismissed it. "Mom, you have dozens of
friends in New York. You have a wonderful job that you love. You've made a good
life for yourself."
"That's true, but you're the only family I have here, the only ones who
keep in touch."
The hint of nostalgia in her voice made Abby realize what was going on.
"Mom, what's really on your mind? Is it my invitation to come to
Chesapeake Shores? Has it stirred up a lot of old memories?"
Megan nodded. "That's certainly part of it. Now that you kids, except for
Jess, are grown and gone, I've had little reason to visit. The last time was
for your wedding."
"But that's not the only thing on your mind, is it?"
Her mother cast a pointed look toward the girls. "Why don't we discuss it
later? We have a big day planned."
Abby nodded, but she wasn't willing to put off the conversation for as long as
her mom was obviously hoping. The instant they were inside the apartment, she
sent Carrie and Caitlyn off to their room to pick out anything special they
wanted to take with them to their father's.
"We have time for a cup of tea," she informed her mother, heading
into the kitchen without waiting for a response. She took a shortcut that Gram
would have abhorred and put two cups of water into the microwave, teabags
already immersed in them. Two minutes later, she set the cups of brewed tea on
the table, then gestured toward a chair.
"Have a seat, Mom. Our big day can wait a few minutes while we catch up."
Her mother remained standing, her back toward Abby as she gazed out toward the
East River. When she finally turned around, her expression was bleak. "We
really should go. We don't have a lot of time to fit in shopping and lunch
before Wes will be here to pick up the girls."
"We'll manage," Abby said. "Talk to me."
Megan finally sat down with a sigh. "Okay, if you must know, I had a
conversation with your father the other night," she admitted.
Abby regarded her with surprise. "You spoke to Dad? Did he call you?"
She shook her head. "No. I wanted to test the waters, see how he'd feel
about me coming for Jess's party."
A feeling of dread settled in Abby's stomach. "And?"
"He told me to do whatever I felt like doing," she said wearily.
Abby didn't see the problem, but obviously there was one. "That's good,
isn't it? It means he doesn't mind if you're there. He left the door
open."
Her mother gave her a rueful look. "We're talking about your father. You
have to know there was more. He said that's what I'd do anyway. In other words,
he accused me of being selfish."
"How can it be selfish to do something that would mean so much to
Jess?"
"Because it would hurt Mick. He won't come if I'm there," she said.
Abby didn't want to believe her father could be so stubborn, but she knew he
was certainly more than capable of being pigheaded, especially where Megan was
concerned. That's how they'd wound up divorced in the first place. And the
truth was that there had been a similar standoff over Abby's wedding, until
Gram had put her foot down. Abby knew from her conversation with her
grandmother that there would be no similar interference this time.
"Did he actually say that?" she prodded.
"In those words, no. But believe me, I got the message. I could always
read him, even when he was being stoically silent."
"Mom, please don't stay away because of this," Abby pleaded.
"This is the perfect time for you to make this overture to Jess. The inn
opening means so much to her and, even though she probably won't admit it, your
support will mean the world. If Dad can't handle you being there, then that's
on him."
"Oh, sweetie, you're forgetting that it's his home. I'm the one who walked
away. I can't just breeze back in as if nothing happened. He's right. That is
selfish. Not only will it hurt Mick, but your sisters and brothers have their
issues with me, as well. It has the potential to turn into a big drama, rather
than being the happy occasion Jess deserves."
Abby scrambled for some way to persuade her that it could be worked out.
"What if I can convince him to say it's okay? Or book you into the inn,
rather than having you stay at the house? Will you come then? It may be awkward
at first, but the whole point is for this to be a fresh beginning for our
family."
Megan regarded her curiously. "Why is this so important to you?"
"Because we should all be together for Jess's big day."
Her mother reached over and squeezed her hand. "You always were a better
mother than I was. You fight so hard to keep everyone happy, to make sure that
we act like a family, even when things are falling apart. That's not your job,
Abby. Mick and I created this family and this mess. It's up to us to fix
it."
"Will you do it, then? Will you fix it, so you can be there for your
daughter? For all of us? Call Dad back. Really talk to him for once, tell him
how important this is."
Megan made a face. "I tried that. I just told you how well it went
over." Changing the subject, she asked, "Have you heard from Bree? Is
she coming?"
Abby hadn't spoken to her sister, but she had gotten an e-mail that she planned
to come. "She says she will."
"And Connor?"
"He may just come for the day, but he'll be there. The only one missing
will be Kevin. And you, unless you change your mind."
"I just don't want to make your father any more unhappy than I already
have. And the same thing's true where Jess is concerned. I might feel
differently if she'd asked me herself. Does she even know we've discussed
this?"
"Not exactly," Abby admitted. "I wanted to be sure you'd be
there before I said anything. I didn't want to get her hopes up and then
disappoint her."
Megan gave her a wry look. "Are you so sure she'd be disappointed? For a
very long time after I left, she wouldn't even talk to me on the phone. Every
time I visited, she found a way to punish me for leaving. Nothing I tried
worked with her." When Abby started to speak, she held up her hand.
"Not that I didn't deserve it, but none of you knew the whole story."
"What story is that?" Abby asked, puzzled.
Megan hesitated. "Let's not get into all this now. The point is that Jess
isn't going to be happy about me coming."
"Mom, you don't know that," Abby protested again.
"I do know," Megan insisted. "Even though you haven't said it, I
know she's balked at seeing me when she's come to visit you in the city. Oh,
you've come up with some incredibly creative excuses, but I know it's Jess
who's made the choice to turn down lunch or cocktails or shopping, whatever
I've suggested the three of us could do."
Abby couldn't deny it. "That doesn't mean you should stop trying."
"I haven't and I won't, but I'm not holding out much hope she'll change
her opinion of me," Megan said wearily. "Even right after I left, she
flatly refused to come to New York for a visit. I could have forced that, I
know, but I knew how badly I'd let all of you down. I guess I kept thinking
that I'd work everything out with each of you in time. You and I have done
that. I think that's because you were the oldest and maybe had some idea of why
I had to leave. But the others are still furious with me and they have every
right to be. Regular visits to see them didn't make up for not having their
mother around full-time."
There was a question on the tip of Abby's tongue, one she'd never dared to ask
before. In some ways she and her mother had achieved a new rapport in recent
years, but Abby suspected it was because she'd never asked the really tough
questions. She'd let Megan slide, accepting a superficial bond because it was
better than nothing. Now, though, it was time to dig beneath the surface. She
had to find out why Megan hadn't sent for them as she'd promised on her way out
the door.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"The day you left you promised me you'd be back for us. Why didn't you
come? Why didn't you fight for custody, especially of Jess? She was so young,
only seven, and she thought you'd left because she was too much trouble."
Megan reacted to her statement with dismay. "No! How could she have
thought that?"
"Mom, come on," Abby said impatiently. "You're not that naive.
Kids always think divorce is their fault. It was even worse for Jess because of
the ADD. She was a handful. I think all of us were at our wits' end trying to
figure out what was going on with her. She needed her mother. Instead, you
bailed."
Tears welled up in Megan's eyes. "I know. And I swear to you that I always
intended to keep my promise and come back for all of you. I even found a school
that would have been ideal for Jess and her special learning needs. I just wanted
a little time to get settled, have a place for all of you, get a job so I'd
have my own money, instead of relying on Mick for support."
She regarded Abby with an earnest expression. "I honestly did have a plan.
At first time simply got away from me. And you were all so hurt and angry.
Every time I came back to see you, the chasm between us was wider. It was as if
you'd shut me out."
When Abby started to protest that the behavior had been a protective defense
mechanism, Megan stopped her.
"I understand why you did it," her mother said. "You were hurt.
None of you trusted me. I finally told myself you were better off with Mick,
that you were happy in the home you'd always known, that he needed you,
too."
Even as she spoke, she waved off the explanation. "That's no excuse. I
should have worked it out with him, but when I tried, he told me exactly what
I'd seen for myself, that you all were finally getting your feet back under you
and that disrupting your lives again would be yet another selfish act. I knew
you'd be okay. I knew he was a good father. I let myself believe that would be
enough for you. I settled for staying on the periphery of your lives, sending
cards and presents, coming to town for those increasingly awkward visits."
"Cards? Presents? Visits?" Abby said incredulously. "What did
those matter, when you and Dad were
gone!
"
Clearly shocked by her vehemence, Megan turned pale. "I didn't realize at
the time that Mick had taken on even more out-of-town jobs."
"Would you have done anything differently if you had known?"
Megan nodded, though she didn't meet Abby's gaze. "I'd like to think I
would have fought harder for custody, as I'd originally intended." When
Abby looked skeptical, she added, "I can show you the private-school
brochures I pored over. Why did you think that first apartment of mine was so
large? I hardly needed all those rooms just for me. Mick paid for it, so we'd
all be comfortable."
Abby was startled to realize that the first time she'd visited her mother in
New York, there had, in fact, been four bedrooms. Mick must have paid a fortune
for such a large apartment. Only years later, after Abby had moved to New York
to work and Kevin, Bree and Connor were in high school or college, had Megan
moved into something smaller, with only a single guest room. It had apparently
taken that long for her to give up on her plan to have her children with her.
"I'm sorry, Mom. I guess it was easy to misjudge your intentions."
"Of course it was. And that's totally my fault. Just asking all of you to
come to New York, expecting you to turn your lives upside down because I
couldn't be with your father anymore, wasn't enough. I should have fought to
make that happen, maybe even moved back to Chesapeake Shores."
"Back with Dad, you mean?"
"No. That would have been impossible. Nothing had changed."
"Did you think he was going to change?" Abby asked. "Dad? He's
the most stubborn person I know."