Touching Stars (28 page)

J
ared didn’t want to pick up the pregnancy test for Brandy in Shenandoah County. He could just imagine how fast
that
news would get back to his mother. So on Sunday night, instead of going to the youth meeting at church, he drove Gayle’s pickup to Front Royal, slinking in and out of CVS like a shoplifter.

He supposed that if he wasn’t so embarrassed to admit he was “doing it” with Brandy they wouldn’t be in this situation in the first place. He would have purchased condoms right off the shelf and not expected his girlfriend to provide expired ones via Cray’s uncle’s medicine cabinet. But he couldn’t shake the feeling that the entire county wanted an insider’s view of his personal life and was watching everything he did. For once he wished he lived in a bustling metropolis where nobody cared about his sex life or future.

Early on Monday morning, he packed his camping gear—and the test kit—in the car and had started around to the driver’s side when his mother came out of the house.

He could see that Gayle was in high gear. He knew she’d already been up for hours. She waved him down before he could get in.

“Jared, do you mind taking Dillon with you? He usually walks over the bridge, but today he has all his camping stuff. I was going to take it over at noon with the lunch, but he wants to set up right away.”

Jared had plans for the morning that didn’t involve a little brother as witness.

He raked his fingers through his hair until he remembered that this was his mother watching, and her radar was ultra-sensitive. He managed a smile.

“Do I have to? I mean, I have to get Brandy and all her stuff, and there’s not going to be much room left in the car. Can’t Dad take him over in his Mustang?”

“He’s making trips to the landfill.”

“Is Dillon ready now?”

“Probably not quite.”

“Then I’ll get Brandy first.” Jared could just imagine the atmosphere in the car on the way to Mr. Allen’s house. Either a positive or a negative answer would have its consequences. But one look at his mother’s face and he knew taking Dillon with them couldn’t be helped.

“That’ll work,” she said. “I’ll make sure he gets everything together.”

“Well, it’s not like he can’t walk home for whatever he forgets.”

On the short drive to Brandy’s house he had time to consider his options. If the test was positive, he had to keep his emotions in check. Otherwise Brandy would cause a scene that would still be building when they got back to his house. If the test was negative, and he appeared too relieved, the same thing would happen. She would insist he didn’t love her.

There really was no reaction that would keep Brandy calm enough to fool his mother, no matter what the test kit revealed.

He wondered how he had gotten himself into this mess. But of course the answer to that was obvious.

He arrived at Brandy’s just as Mrs. Wilburn was pulling out of the driveway in a Buick right off her husband’s lot. Brandy was supposed to get her mother’s older model, but not for a couple more weeks. She’d had a fender bender several months ago, and as punishment her parents had told her that she couldn’t drive unless they were in the car. The restrictions would be lifted at the end of July.

He waved, and Mrs. Wilburn tooted her horn. After he parked, he let himself in through the front door, calling Brandy’s name.

“Hey, I’m right here.” She poked her head out of the kitchen. “Want anything before I start the dishwasher?”

He held up the bag he’d brought with him. “I bought a pregnancy test. I think we have to know where we stand.”

She chewed her generous bottom lip. “What kind did you get?”

He opened the bag and shoved it at her. She wrinkled her nose as she read the back of the package. “We’re kind of on the line here. But we can try.”

“What do you mean, on the line? You said you should have had your period by now. And the package says—”

“Jar-Jar, I told you, it’s not that simple. I don’t always know. Look, we’ll give it a try, okay? I’m willing. I’m just telling you it might not be that accurate yet.”

“If it says you’re pregnant, you’re pregnant.”

“And if it says I’m not?”

He wanted an answer. He really didn’t think he could stand the suspense. “Just give it a try, okay?”

“No problem. I have to pee on a stick. Do you want to watch?”

There were few things he would rather not do. “You go ahead. Read the directions, though. You have to do it just right.”

“Really? I thought I’d do it wrong, just to spite you.” She swung the box in his direction, narrowly missing his arm; then she headed for the bathroom and slammed the door behind her.

It seemed like forever, but only a few minutes passed before she returned. She wasn’t smiling, and for a moment, his heart sank.

“I thought
you
ought to be in on the fun part,” she said. “I did the work, now we get to wait and see together.”

“How long?”

“It says maybe as short as a minute, maybe as long as three.”

“So what, we just stand here and stare at it?” The evidence was encased in plastic. He’d bought the kit that promised the answer would be clear. Now he wished there would still be room for guesswork.

“So what are you hoping for, a boy or a girl?”

He stared at her, and she shrugged. “Just kidding. Jeez!”

He looked down, and words were appearing. He could hardly stand to read them.

“See leaflet?” He looked up at her. “See leaflet? What does that mean?”

“Maybe I’m pregnant with a tree.”

“Damn it, Brandy!”

“You don’t have to swear at me!”

“Where did you put the instructions?”

“They’re in the bathroom. Where do you think? On my mother’s pillow next to a chocolate mint?”

He stormed into the bathroom and found the packaging. He read through it, his stomach knotting.

Back in the living room, he thrust it at her. “It says an error has occurred, and we have to start over with a new kit.” He shoved his hands in his pockets after she took the paper from him. “We don’t have a new kit!”

“What’s the problem? You can get another one, and we can do it again tomorrow.”

“We’re going to be at camp! What, you want to do this in the Port-a-Potty with your campers watching?”

“You’re being impossible!” She turned around and stomped toward her bedroom. When she came out, she had a backpack slung over one shoulder and a sleeping bag under her arm. “If we’re
done
here, then let’s get moving. Before I can pee on a stick to entertain my campers, we have to get there.” Then she started to cry.

Jared grabbed her and pulled her close. She pummeled his chest, but only halfheartedly. “Look, I’m sorry,” he said. “Stop hitting me.”

“What’s wrong with you, Jar-Jar? Getting upset about this isn’t going to help. We’ll know soon enough. Just get over it and get moving.”

“It’s not knowing. I’ll feel better when I know.”

She sniffed. “One way or the other?”

“Sure,” he said. But of course it wasn’t true.

Gayle could almost see the storm cloud hanging over Jared’s and Brandy’s heads when they arrived to pick up Dillon. She regretted asking Jared to come back for his brother, but it was too late now to change her mind. The ride was short, so she knew Dillon wasn’t going to come to any harm refereeing what was clearly a fight. But she was sorry he had to be anywhere near the feuding couple.

“You have everything, honey?” she asked Dillon.

As only a young teen could, he made it clear without saying a word that his mother was rapidly losing IQ points.

“Okay, scoot,” she said. “It’s not like you won’t have a million chances to get anything you forget.”

“Yeah, and please don’t make a big deal out of seeing me when you’re there, okay?”

“I know the drill. No hugging, kissing or reminding you to wash between your toes.”

He shook his head. She was glad he was learning forbearance and that her maternal stupidity was responsible.

She waved goodbye and hoped the three of them survived the trip.

Inside, Paula was chatting with guests, and the cleaning crew was tackling the kitchen. Gayle intercepted Noah before he reached the kitchen door.

“It looks like it’s going to be another fifteen minutes, at least,” she warned. “Maybe as long as a half hour before we can get in there to prep for camp. They’re doing a top to bottom cleaning.”

“I’m going to work with the quilters, then.”

“You go ahead. I’ll join you if I can.”

“I think Ms. Henry has banned you from the room.”

“Hallelujah.”

Noah grinned. “She told me she’s sorry she lived long enough to see the day she couldn’t teach somebody to quilt a straight line.”

“I hate being her dying regret.”

“Not to worry. She says I make up for it.”

“I don’t know where your talent comes from, but hoard it. It’s in short supply in this family. Oh, and, Noah, meet me in the kitchen in half an hour, no later. I don’t know if we’re going to be able to get everything ready as it is.”

Gayle’s tiny office had formerly been a mudroom at the inn’s side entrance. Clutter wasn’t an option, but somehow in the last week the office had gotten cluttered anyway. Glad for a little time to bring order, she started at the top of a pile marked To Do. She was printing out tourist information a guest had requested when Cissy poked her head in, her daughter riding one hip.

“I just wanted to say hi. I came to quilt, but there’s no room. Reese, say hi to Ms. Fortman.”

Gayle held out her arms, and Reese, an adorable plump-cheeked preschooler, launched herself into them. This morning she wore denim overalls and a bright pink T-shirt with ruffles around the neck and sleeves. Her baby-fine blond hair was gathered into a ponytail on top of her head and held in place by half a dozen plastic barrettes.

“I was supposed to have one of these,” Gayle told Cissy.

Reese immediately fingered Gayle’s necklace and began to count the wooden beads. “One, two, tree.” She paused and started all over again. “One, two, tree.”

“She gets up to six on a good day,” Cissy said.

“Gween,” Reese said, holding out the necklace and pointing to a bead.

“Very good,” Gayle told her. “It certainly is green. Would you like a strawberry?”

“Strawberries are red. Two!”

Gayle gave her a quick hug; then, with Reese still on her hip, tiptoed into the kitchen and raided the berry bowl in the refrigerator.

Cissy was filing receipts when Gayle and Reese returned. They transferred Reese, who had a strawberry in each hand.

“I see she’s all yours today,” Gayle said.

“We’ve got big plans. We’re going over to the camp a little later to see what Caleb’s doing and take some more of his camping gear. Do you need help until it’s time? I’ve got Reese, but I can still get some things accomplished.”

“Boy, if you could do some of the filing and organizing in here, that would be a godsend. It’s all in this pile and pretty clear. Noah and I are going to be in the kitchen as soon as the cleaning crew finishes. Maybe we could all go over together afterwards?”

“That’ll work fine.”

“Just make sure you add in the hours to your total.”

“Whatever Reese doesn’t subtract.”

With Cissy and Paula both at work, Gayle was able to concentrate on the camp. Today she had extra supplies to haul and store in Travis’s house. She worked around the cleaning crew and gathered boxes of food from the pantry, carrying them outside. Eric had been using the pickup for early morning trips to the landfill, but now she saw it was parked in its usual place. After the third box of supplies, she was leaning against it to catch her breath when Eric found her.

He was in jeans and a tattered gray T-shirt, which was tight enough to make the point he was gaining back the weight and muscle that had been missing when he’d first arrived.

He took a place beside her and stuck his feet out in front of him. “I’m available for carrying those boxes. I’ve been hauling worse all morning.”

“How much debris is left?”

“Enough to keep me busy tomorrow, too. So why don’t you let me help you get everything over to the camp?”

“Great.”

“I don’t mind doing anything you need, Gayle. It keeps me busy. I hate sitting around.”

She thought of something she really needed. As close as they were, Jared had never been willing to discuss Brandy with her, and she doubted he was going to start now, when war had been declared. She wasn’t just being nosy, though. She had a bad feeling she might need to prepare for almost anything.

“I do have a favor. I wasn’t going to bother you with it, but…” She turned to face him and told him what she’d seen that morning.

Eric didn’t look surprised. And he didn’t smile, clap her on the back and tell her not to worry, as she’d half expected. In fact, he didn’t say anything, but he looked concerned.