The Swear Jar (43 page)

“I could bring one of Lynn’s
sandwiches for you,” she tempted.  “Or you could settle for a meatloaf
sandwich.”

“Lady Meara, it would never be
settling to eat your cooking.  I’ll take the meatloaf,” he said.

“Gallant as always, Sir Duncan.”  She
hugged him.

“Now take a shower.”  He slapped
her on the butt.  “We shouldn’t be late.”

It had been a good week.  They had
announced their engagement to Tom, Lucy and Sherrie on Monday.  There was an
impromptu celebration with pizza and cake.  Duncan braced himself when Meara
chatted with Yolanda.  He stood back while the two women squealed with
delight.  Yoli was so happy she cried and then Meara cried.  He had to console
them in two languages.  When they had calmed down, he left them giggling in
happiness.

Andrew, Lisa and Sean all called
separately during the week to check on them.  They wanted to know if Meara was
feeling better.  He assured them she was fine.  He appreciated the fact his
family loved Meara and had stood up for her.  She deserved to be happy.  He
couldn’t believe how lucky he was to have found her.  She was everything he had
ever wanted and more.

He arrived at the library, first as
usual.  He liked it because it gave him time for one last kiss from Meara.  He
had been putting off making an important phone call all week.  The Board wanted
Meara to have a year of service, but they agreed she should be promoted to
Assistant Director, based on her own merit.  She appreciated his support of her
career.  She was willing to wait for the promotion.  Now he was going to tell
the Board president he was marrying her.

He saw why the mixing of personal
and professional could get thorny.  How would the Board react?  He hoped it
wouldn’t be a conflict, considering it was such a small town.  What would they
do if the Board thought it was a problem?  He hoped the Board president would
congratulate them and change the subject.

Around noon, Meara walked down to
Duncan’s office.  Sherrie and Meara were leaving to meet Diana and Anne.  She
knocked on Duncan’s door.  Oddly, the door was closed.

“Come in,” he said quietly.

“Hi!  We’re leaving now,” she said,
noticing how upset he looked.  “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.  That’s not true,” he
said.  “I spoke to the Board president.  I told him we’re engaged.”

“What did he say?” she asked,
smiling.  “Congrats and when’s the big day?”

“No, he wants to speak to the full
Board.  He wants their input on whether or not it constitutes a conflict of
interest.  He’s questioning your promotion to Assistant Director.  He’s
wondering if my personal interest in you has clouded my judgment.”

She was instantly annoyed.  “And if
it’s a conflict of interest?  They can’t stop us from being together.  I don’t
care if they promote me or not.  All that matters is you think I can do it. 
You’ve never acted unprofessionally.  You wouldn’t jeopardize our careers or
the library in your actions.  You’ve done your job, I’ve done my job and the
library’s thriving.  What more do they want?”

He sat silently, looking
miserable.  He shrugged.

“Would they fire me?” she asked,
shocked.

“No.  They would need grounds for
firing you.  I hired you for your abilities and checked your references.  Your
job’s secure.  They may suggest one of us resign.”

“It’s not going to be you.  I won’t
let you,” she said.  “You’re the best damn director I’ve ever known.  This
library needs you.  We’ll talk about this later.  Maybe the full Board won’t
have a problem with it.  Let’s not get worried before we have to or let it ruin
our happiness.  I’ll be back soon.”

She kissed him goodbye.  He smiled
wanly, hugging her.

“I love you, Meara,” he said sadly.

“And I love you, Duncan.  Nothing
will ever change that,” she said softly, kissing him again.  “I’ll get Anne to
cheer you up.”

He smiled.  “I’d like that.”

Meeting Sherrie at the Circulation
Desk, Meara’s face darkened.  She was visibly upset.

Sherrie raised her eyebrows. 
“What’s up?”

“Duncan spoke to the Board
president.  The Board’s going to decide if our engagement constitutes a
conflict of interest.  I don’t care what they think about our relationship, I
want them to know Duncan is always professional in his decisions regarding the
library.”

“The Board president’s a stickler
for rules.  The other Board members have known Duncan for years.  They’ll talk
about it and throw you an engagement party.  Trust me.”

“The library needs Duncan more than
it needs me.  I’ll resign and volunteer as the director’s wife.”

“The library needs you both. 
You’re the best team I’ve ever seen.  The Board wouldn’t mess with that.  Tom,
Lucy and I would raise holy Hell if they did.”

“Thanks, Sherrie.  I hope you’re
right.”

Chapter Forty-Eight

Meara, Sherrie and Anne returned
from South Branchville.  Meara nodded to Tom and Lucy.  Sherrie pulled Anne in
the direction of the Youth Services Department.  It was going to be a difficult
afternoon for everyone.  Duncan’s door was closed.

“Is he in there?” Meara asked Tom.

“He’s in there.  There was a phone
call from Russell,” said Tom.  “I figured he called to congratulate Duncan on
the engagement.”

“Shit.  I don’t think so, Tom,”
replied Meara, grimacing.  “I’m in big trouble.”

She knocked.  She opened and closed
the door behind her.  Duncan was sitting at his desk, looking extremely angry.

“Hi.  I ran into Russell.  I tried
avoiding him, but he found me,” she said sheepishly.

“I heard.  He called after you left
there.  I’m deciding what I should do,” he said through gritted teeth.  “Is it
true?”

“Yes, it’s true.  I’m sorry,
Duncan,” she said sadly, hanging her head.

“I can’t believe it.  You’ve been
LYING to me?  I thought you LOVED me,” he yelled.

“What are you talking about?  I
haven’t lied to you.  I do love you.  I’m confused.”  She threw up her hands.

“How can I trust you?  You’ve been
using me.  You’re waiting for me to retire so you can be Director.  You’re
ambitious, cold, and calculating.”  His voice was strained, his eyes tearing
up.

She was horrified.  “What the HELL
are you talking about?  What did Russell say to you?”

She collapsed into a chair by his
desk.  She was shaking.  This was spiraling out of control.  She didn’t know
what to do.

“Why don’t you tell me what Russell
said?  I’m not sure I’d believe anything you say.  Your mother was right.  It
was only a matter of time before you showed your true colors,” he sneered.

It was as if he had slapped her
across the face.  She was gulping for air, her eyes full of tears.  Swaying as
she sat in the chair, she gripped the edge of his desk.  He had been upset
about the Board president, but now he was raging at her.  It broke her heart to
know he was having doubts again.

“Asking you to marry me was a
mistake.  I should have realized you were too good to be true.  You’ve played
me for a fool.  An old, doddering fool.  You’ve hurt me, Meara,” he hissed.

She whispered, “I have no idea what
you’re talking about.  If that’s how you feel, then I don’t have anything to
say to you.  I’m not going to defend myself because you won’t believe me
anyway.  I don’t know what Russell told you.  I’m not sure it matters.  You’ve
made up your mind.”

She wanted to run.  She didn’t want
to believe he was saying what he was saying.  She had to get out of there.  Sniffling,
she grabbed a pad of paper from his desk.  With tears running down her cheeks,
she scrawled a few sentences and signed it.  She threw the pad in front of
him.  She slipped off her engagement ring and heart necklace.  She took keys
out of her pocket.

“I’m not wearing the earrings, but
I’ll get them back to you.  Here are the keys to the library and to your
house.”  She choked.  “Goodbye, Duncan.  This would be easier if I never saw
you again.”

“Goodbye, Meara,” he said
heartlessly.  “I’ll give your resignation to the Board.  It’s courtesy to give two
weeks’ notice, but you’ve never played by the rules, have you?”

“I guess I don’t.”  She walked out
of the office with tears streaming down her cheeks.

Tom and Lucy had heard Duncan
yelling, but they couldn’t tell what was going on.  The sight of Meara crying
bewildered them.

Meara weakly waved.  “Goodbye,
guys.”

She made it to the Youth Services
office.  When she saw Sherrie, she sobbed uncontrollably.  Sherrie threw up her
hands.  Meara took great gulps of air, rocking back and forth in her office
chair.

“What’s wrong?” asked Sherrie,
throwing her arms around Meara.  “You told him, right?”

“I tried to tell him.  I don’t know
what Russell told him.  I’m leaving,” she whimpered.

“Good.  Go home, and you’ll talk
about it tonight.  Give Duncan some space.”  Sherrie nodded her head.

“No, I’m leaving.  He won’t have to
worry about our jobs.  I gave back the ring.  No matter what I do, he’ll always
have doubts.  It’s better this way.  Goodbye, Sherrie.”  She sniffed.  “Anne?
Let’s go.”

Anne saw Meara’s face.  The last
time she looked that way was when Hank died.  Anne was instantly frightened.

She grabbed Meara’s hand.  “Where
are we going?”

“Home,” Meara said as they headed
for the front door.

“MEARA!” Sherrie cried, following
behind.  “Don’t go.  Tom, Lucy, talk some sense into her.”

Tom asked, “What’s going on?”

Lucy said, “This doesn’t look
good.  What did Russell do now?”

“She’s leaving.  She quit.  They
broke up,” Sherrie rambled.  “I can’t believe Duncan’s on Russell’s side.  I
thought Duncan might be disappointed, but not this.”

The three of them watched Meara
leave.  Anne trotted to keep up with her.  Tom and Lucy were still in shock,
but Sherrie was mad.  She marched to Duncan’s door and banged on it several
times.

“Duncan, I’m coming in and you
better not stop me,” Sherrie said, swinging the door open.

“I would rather not be disturbed,”
he said.

“Tough shit,” she said as she
slammed the door shut.  “What the hell is going on?”

“I’m not sure it’s any of your
business,” he replied.

“You bet the hell it is.  I was
there when Russell spoke with Meara.  I KNOW what happened.  You’re mad at her
for giving him a piece of her mind?  For defending you against that jackass?  I
want to know what Russell told you.”

His rage cooled slightly.  “What
are you talking about?  She defended me?  That’s not what Russell said
happened.”

“You, IDIOT.  You believed Russell
over Meara?  We met Diana and Anne.  Russell found Meara.  He noticed the
ring.  She told him about the engagement.  He asked her if she was looking for
another job.  He hasn’t hired a Youth Services person and now needs an
Assistant Director too.  He hinted he would combine the jobs for her.  She told
him he was stupid and would never work for him.  He got mad.  He asked if she
was waiting for old Duncan to retire to take your job.  She bit his head off. 
She said she would never work for anyone else.  She said you’re twice the
director Russell is or ever will be.  Russell should quit because he’s
useless.  You could run this library and Russell’s without breaking a sweat. 
Russell was fuming.  Meara ripped him a new one right on the floor of his own
library and he deserved it.  I heard clapping from his staff.  She crossed the
line.  She knew you’d be disappointed with her for losing her temper.  But I
tell you, Russell had to be put in his place and she did a good job.  What did
Russell tell you what happened?”

Duncan’s anger turned to cold
chills.  “Russell called to congratulate me on the engagement.  He said he ran
into Meara.  He asked her to consider working for him as Assistant Director and
Head of Youth Services.  She said she would.  He asked her if she was waiting
to take my job when I retired.  He said she said that’s what the plan was.  He
warned me about trusting her, that she was ambitious.”

“And you believed him over the
woman you’re supposed to love.”

“She admitted it was true.”

“What was she admitting?  To the
lies Russell told you?  Or to what she had done and was afraid you’d be mad at
her for doing?  She loved and respected you enough to fight for you.  Now
you’ve lost her from your library and your life because you believed Russell’s
lies.  Meara’s right.  You’ll never stop doubting.  She’s better off without
you.  I’ll stay until you find someone to replace us, but then I’m gone too.”

Panicked, his mouth fell open. 
“What can I do?”

“Nothing.  You’ve done more than
enough.  Leave her alone,” she snapped.

Sherrie’s cell phone rang.  She
frowned when she saw who was calling.  She answered it.

“Meara?  Anne.  What’s wrong?  Slow
down.  What happened?  Oh no.  Duncan’s right here.  Speak to Anne.  Meara’s
hurt herself.  Pretty badly.  Anne’s hysterical.”

He grabbed the phone.  “Anne? 
What’s wrong?  There’s blood?  Her head?  Anne, calm down and listen to me. 
Get towels and cover anything that’s bleeding.  We’ll be right there.”

He hung up, handing the phone back
to Sherrie.  He opened his office door, slamming it against the wall.  At the Circulation
Desk where they were waiting anxiously, Tom and Lucy jumped.

Duncan roared.  “Tom, get Meara’s
emergency contact information.  Call Diana and Ben.  Tell them to meet us at
the hospital.  Meara’s had an accident at her house.  Lucy, call 911.  Tell
them she hurt herself and there’s blood.  Sherrie, you’re with me to calm Anne
down.”

“Tom, call the police department
and tell them Duncan is about to break the land speed record and not to stop
him,” Sherrie said grimly.  “Right now, Duncan, I hate you.  This is your
fault.”

“I know.  I hate myself.  Let’s get
to Meara,” Duncan said.

Duncan sped to Meara’s house while
Sherrie held on for dear life.  He barely slowed down on the driveway, slamming
to a halt when he saw Anne standing in Meara’s doorway.  She had blood smeared
on the front of her t-shirt.

“No,” Duncan whispered.  “Please,
no.  No.”

Remembering Meara’s father, Duncan
wondered if she would have tried to hurt herself.  He shook his head free from
negative thoughts and jumped out of the car.  Duncan and Sherrie ran to Anne. 
She was swaying back and forth.  Sherrie grabbed her, pulling her close.

“She’s in the bathroom.  In the
tub,” Anne mumbled, in shock.

“You two stay here and make sure
the paramedics find the house.  With the snow, they might not see the house
back here,” Duncan said.

He pushed past them, entering the
house.  The living room was a mess.  Meara’s coat and purse were thrown on the
floor.  One shoe was against the back of the sofa.  The Swear Jar from the
mantel was now in a million pieces on the floor.  There was glass and coins
everywhere.  He spotted her other shoe among the debris.  She must have thrown
it and hit the Swear Jar.  He followed a bloody trail down the hallway.  The
trail went in the hall bathroom.  He saw her hand sticking out of the tub.  It
was covered in blood.

He ran into the bathroom, recoiling
in horror when he saw her.  She was lying on her back in the bottom of the
tub.  Her head was at an odd angle against the side of the tub, a bloodied
towel propped underneath it.  There was a smear of blood across the wall of the
shower.  Her feet were wrapped in soaking red towels.  He saw a wrench in the
bottom of the tub.  The shower head was damaged as were several tiles on the
wall.

It looked like she had thrown a
shoe and hit the Swear Jar.  She had walked on the glass, cut her foot and went
to the bathroom to clean it up.  She saw Ben had not fixed the shower, so she
had taken a whack at fixing it herself, literally.  She must have dropped the
wrench on her other foot and bent over to retrieve it.  Then she hit her forehead,
fell backwards and hit the back of her head.  She had passed out cold.

He didn’t want to move her until
the paramedics came.  Her neck and spine could be injured.  The amount of blood
on the towels made him nervous.  He wanted her to open her eyes.

“Meara?  Sweetheart?  What have you
done?  Wake up.  Speak to me.  Please, Meara,” he cooed, stroking her cheek. 
“I’m so sorry.  I love you.”

“Who are you?”  Her eyes
fluttered.  “What happened?  Why does my head hurt?”

“It’s me, Duncan,” he said
anxiously.  “You’ve had an accident.”

“Where am I?  I’m sorry, I don’t
know you,” she said, raising her head.  “Why do my feet hurt?”

“Honey, you’ve had an accident. 
You hurt your feet and your head.  You have a nasty gash on your forehead.”

“Are you a doctor or something? 
Why are you in my house?  Why are you calling me honey?”

“Please tell me you’re joking. 
You’re mad, so you’re punishing me.”  He held her hand.

“I don’t know who you are.  Let go
of my hand, please.”

Horrified, Duncan was saved by the
arrival of the paramedics.  They asked him to step away from Meara.  He hovered
nearby.  Anne appeared, grasped his arm and buried her face in his shirt. 
Sherrie was in the hallway, pacing.

“What happened here?” asked the
male paramedic.

Duncan explained his theory.  He
said Meara didn’t recognize him.

The female paramedic asked, “Is she
on any medications?”

Blushing, he hoped Anne wouldn’t
hear.  “Birth control pill.”

Nodding, the female paramedic
whispered, “Could she be pregnant?”

“I don’t think so, but it’s a possibility,”
he replied quietly.

“Was this a suicide attempt?” asked
the male paramedic.

Duncan raised Anne’s chin to look
into her eyes.  “Was she trying to hurt herself?”

“No, she was mad and upset.  It was
an accident,” Anne cried.  “It’s my fault.  She told me to be quiet, but I kept
pushing.  She hurt herself because of me.”

“No, I upset your aunt.  It’s my
fault.”  He hung his head, hugging Anne.

“Excuse me, but will someone tell
me what the hell’s going on?” asked Meara.  “Why the hell is that guy answering
questions for me?  I have no idea who he is.  Anne, don’t talk to strangers.”

“What’s your relationship with the
patient?” asked the female paramedic.

“She’s my fiancée,” said Duncan.

“Fiancée?  I don’t see a ring. 
Leave my house immediately.  Anne get away from him,” Meara said angrily.

Duncan was crushed.  He let go of
Anne and stepped into the hallway.  Sherrie had heard what Meara said.  Even
though Sherrie was still angry, her heart broke for him.  His eyes filled with
tears.