Thirty-One and a Half Regrets (3 page)

Her smile fell. “You’re kidding.”

“I thought you’d be happy.”

“I am, but I’m stuck on the fact that you said you’re going to your birth mother’s farm.”

“Jonah thinks I need to confront my past. And her farm is part of it.”

“It’s not a very romantic date. The last time I forced you to talk about the farm, you said it’s run down and no one’s lived there for years.”

“It’s still run down, but it’s not a date, Neely Kate, not really.”

“
That’s
obvious.”

“Mason seemed happy to go with me.”

“The man would tie your shoelaces if you let him just so he could be with you.”

“Neely Kate.” The way she said it made me reconsider asking him. I didn’t want to take advantage of his kindness. He’d done enough for me.

“I’m kidding. Kind of. I’m sure he’s happy to go with you. And it could be romantic, just bring lunch and—”

“It’s not supposed to be romantic, Neely Kate. It’s supposed to be about me connecting with my past.”

“And doing it with the man of your future…” Her face lit up. “I changed my mind. It
is
romantic.”

“You’re hopeless.”

A dreamy look filled her eyes. “Yes, a hopeless romantic.”

We ordered lunch, but Neely Kate only took a few bites of her sandwich before pushing it away.

“I’m not feeling very well. It must be all that Halloween chocolate Tiffany brought into our department. I’m a sucker for those mini Snickers bars, but even those have been turning my stomach.”

“That’s not like you.”

She inhaled and sat back in her seat. “I know. I’d call it a stomach bug, but it’s lasted for days. I’m so exhausted every night that I’ve been falling asleep before ten.”

“Bruce Wayne hasn’t been feeling well, either. He says it’s just a bad cold, but he’s missed three days of work, which means he’s been sick even longer because today is Tuesday and he doesn’t work on the weekends. I’m really worried about him. And what’s even weirder is David was up before seven this morning. He called me to tell me that Bruce Wayne wouldn’t be in.”

“That pothead was up before the sun rose?”

“Well…it was
after
the sun rose, but obviously much earlier than he usually gets up. According to David, Bruce Wayne was up coughing all night, but he refuses to go to the doctor because he doesn’t have insurance.”

“Oh, dear. I can see why you’re worried.”

“Maybe I should check on him myself. I can bring him some chicken soup so I don’t look so obvious. He hates attention.”

“That’s a great idea.”

“And if he’s really sick, maybe I’ll kidnap him and take him to the doctor myself, like it or not.”

“Well, if anyone can pull it off it’s you. You have an influence over that man that no else seems to have. It’s a good thing you use it for good instead of evil.”

I laughed, but I could see how easy it would be for someone Bruce Wayne trusted to control him. I was just glad he was trying so hard to stick to the straight and narrow path.

After ordering Bruce Wayne’s soup to go, along with a slice of apple pie, I said goodbye to Neely Kate and headed over to his house.

Bruce Wayne and David lived in a rental house in an older part of town. The first time I saw their house, the paint was peeling off the siding and the yard was overgrown. But when I stopped by again after Bruce Wayne started working for me, the bushes had been trimmed and all the weeds pulled out. Bruce Wayne had begun taking pride in his work, his life. I felt lucky to be a part of his transformation.

I wondered if Joe had felt the same about me?

The thought shot a stab of pain through my chest, but I took a deep breath and walked toward the front door. Joe was in my past. It was time to let him go.

I knocked and waited for someone to answer. After about ten seconds, I knocked again and called out, “Bruce Wayne, it’s Rose. I brought you some chicken noodle soup and a piece of apple pie. It’s from Merilee’s. Your favorite.”

When he didn’t answer, I tried the door knob, surprised to find it unlocked. Pushing the door open, I looked around the tiny living room. “Bruce Wayne?”

I stepped inside, leaving the door cracked behind me. The living room was messy; the secondhand furniture had seen better days. I looked around the corner and saw dishes piled high in the kitchen sink.

“Bruce Wayne?”

Heading down the hall, I peered into the bathroom. The trash can caught my eye and I realized that there weren’t any used tissues in it. Unless David had suddenly developed a type-A personality when it came to taking out the bathroom trash, it seemed strange.

Continuing down the hall, I peered into both empty bedrooms. One was generically messy, but it was the other that grabbed my attention. Several of the dresser drawers hung open. I walked in and found a photo of Bruce Wayne and his parents on the nightstand that looked like it dated back to his high school days. A silver necklace with a medallion lay on the dresser. I picked it up and recognized St. Jude. I’d seen him wear it a few times. But what concerned me the most was that two drawers were empty and there were multiple empty hangers in his closet.

Bruce Wayne wasn’t sick.

Bruce Wayne was gone.

I ran to my car and pulled out my cell phone. “He’s gone, Neely Kate! Bruce Wayne’s gone!”

“Oh, my God! He’s dead?”

“What?” I shook my head. “No! He’s
gone
. As in he packed up his clothes and left.”

“What?
Why?
”

“I don’t know.” My voice broke. “But if his parole officer finds out, they’ll put him back in jail. And he might not get out this time.”

She sighed. “So I guess telling Mason is out.”

“Definitely.” I fought to keep from crying. “I don’t understand. Why would he take off? He was doing so well.”

“I don’t know, Rose. What’re you goin’ to do?”

“David wasn’t at their house, so he must be at work. I’m going to swing by the Piggly Wiggly. Ten cents to the dollar he covered for Bruce Wayne this morning.” Which meant David had lied to me. My hand gripped the steering wheel. “I’m going to make him tell me what he knows.”

“Good luck. And keep me updated.”

“Okay.”

While Bruce Wayne had been making progress at becoming a productive member of society, David had been making strides of his own. He’d been working at the Piggly Wiggly since Bruce Wayne’s trial for murder three months ago, longer than most jobs he’d held.

Sure enough, I found him stocking a shelf with cereal. He stood bolt upright when he saw me, a box of Cap’n Crunch shaking in his hand. “Rose, what are you doing here?”

“I’m looking for you.”

The color drained from his face. He put the box on the shelf.

“I stopped by your house a little while ago to bring Bruce Wayne some chicken soup and apple pie. Imagine my surprise when he wasn’t home.”

David picked up another box, his hand shaking so badly the cereal inside rattled. “Maybe he went to the doctor after all.”

I put my hand on my hip. “Was he plannin’ on spending a
really
long time in the waiting room? ’Cause it looks like he took most of his clothes with him.”

He threw the box down and took off running.

“David! Wait!”

He headed for the back exit and I followed him out the door, cornering him on the loading dock.

He turned to face me, wide-eyed. “I didn’t want to do it.”

“Do what?” I took a breath and held up my hands in surrender. “It’s okay, David. Just tell me where he is. I want to help him.”

He shook his head. “The best way you can help him is to let this go.”

None of this made any sense. My voice broke. “I don’t understand. Why did he leave?”

“I don’t know for sure. He was gone when I got home from work last night. I called you this morning to cover for him. In case he came back. If his parole officer finds out…”

“I know,” I said, the words full of worry.

David squared his shoulders. “Are you goin’ to turn him in?”

I shook my head. “No. I don’t want him to get into trouble. I want to help, but I can’t do that if I don’t know where he went and why. He wasn’t sick, was he?”

“No.”

“So where was he instead of working?”

“All I know is that for the last few days he’s been leavin’ early in the morning and only coming home to sleep. And then last night, he didn’t come home at all. The other day I asked him where he was goin’, ’cause I knew he was calling in sick to work, but he insisted that I didn’t want to know. I could tell he was scared.”

“Scared of what?”

Pressing his lips together, he shook his head. “I don’t know.”

“If you hear from him, promise to call me immediately. Okay?”

He hesitated.

“
Please
, David. I’m worried sick.”

“Okay.” He nodded. I could tell from the look in his eyes that he was worried too, which only made me feel worse.

“Thanks.” I headed out to my car and called Neely Kate. When she didn’t answer, I left a message telling her what I’d found out. I was deep in thought when I pulled up to the nursery, unsure what to do about Bruce Wayne. I grabbed my drawings from the truck and headed for the back to work up some estimates.

Violet was standing behind the register, but she came around the end of the counter when she saw me. “Rose, I need to tell you something.”

I stopped and blinked. “Okay.”

“I got a phone call yesterday, from the Arkansas Small Business Administration. They’ve presented us with a wonderful opportunity.”

“Oh, that sounds great.” I swiped some loose hairs from my face, my mind still stuck on Bruce Wayne. “What is it?”

“Well…” She twisted her hands in front of her, looking at the floor. “They want to feature our business. We’ll be part of a press conference and they’ll post a story about us on their website. And they’ve promised to give us that grant I applied for, the one that will let us expand into the lot next door like we’ve been talking about.”

I dropped my defenses and gave her my full attention. The grant meant I wouldn’t have to come up with the extra cash. “That sounds great, Vi. Why didn’t you tell me yesterday?”

“Well, there’s a catch.”

My back stiffened. “What is it?”

“The presentation is part of a campaign stop.”

“Joe’s?” A band constricted around my chest and I fought to take a breath. It couldn’t be.

She cringed and her words rushed out. “When I agreed, I told them you wouldn’t be here. That’s why I didn’t mention it yesterday. I didn’t want to hurt you. But they called back today and said we both had to be present. And if we’re not, we won’t get the grant.”

“I don’t understand. We’re not even in his district.”

“They said the small business administration is part of his platform; that it’s a great opportunity for both sides.”

Feeling lightheaded, I leaned against the counter. “When is it?”

“Tomorrow at one. They need to have it done as soon as possible since the election’s a week from today.”

Joe was coming to the nursery. I was going to see Joe.

“The press will be here. Joe will hand us the grant check. They’ll interview us, and that will be that.”

I didn’t know if I could stand with him in front of cameras and pretend nothing was wrong.

“Rose.” She sounded worried. “Say something.”

“I need to sit down.”

She dragged a stool from around the counter and I perched on it, resisting the urge to put my head between my knees to keep from passing out.
I will not faint
. Thankfully, all the recent shocks in the last few months had helped me outgrow that reaction. But apparently some shocks were still strong enough to bring it back.

“How much is the grant?”

“Large enough to build a greenhouse. We’d be two years ahead of our business plan and you wouldn’t have to get a loan or sell your farm.”

I closed my eyes.

“I’d tell them no, Rose, but it’s a grant. We don’t have pay it back.”

“Okay,” I whispered.

She released a soft groan. “I’m gonna tell them no. It’s not fair to you. Not after what that man did to you.”

I looked up into her clueless face. She had no earthly idea what he’d done to protect her and her children.

I stood up. “No. We’ll do it.”

“Are you sure?”

I headed to the back room. “I have to work on some estimates.”

She followed me to the doorway. “I’ll tell them no, Rose.”

I spun around. “No, you will not. I’m not gonna hide and pretend like I’ve done something to be ashamed of. Now I have to get to work on these estimates if we’re hosting a press conference tomorrow.”

The bell on the front door dinged and guilt covered Violet’s face.

I sighed, weary of the conversation. “I’m fine, Vi.
Go
.”

I spent the next two hours trying to concentrate on my work, a difficult task given all the worries weighing on my mind. I tried to call Bruce Wayne three times. The first call rang with no answer, but the other two times it went straight to voice mail. I left messages all three times, begging Bruce Wayne to call me and let me know he was okay.

I struggled to come up with an explanation for why he had fled. After all, he hadn’t run after witnessing a murder while robbing the hardware store. He’d gone to David for help. Of course, that hadn’t turned out well, and as much as I loved Bruce Wayne, I’d be the first to admit he wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed. He’d been a pothead for years, notorious for making the same mistakes over and over again. It stood to reason that he’d repeat his earlier behavior by seeking help from David. So if he hadn’t gone to David with his problem this time, where was he?

I was lost in thought when Violet came back and told me that it was five and she was closing the shop.

“Are you still comin’ over?”

“Yeah. I just want to get Muffy.” I felt guilty enough about leaving her home alone all day, and although our neighborhood didn’t get a lot of trick-or-treaters, I didn’t know how well she’d do if people were knocking on our door all night.

“Okay, get Muffy and come on over. The kids miss you.” She sounded wistful and I wondered if she was implying that she missed me too.