Be Sweet (30 page)

I nod.

She looks as though she's not sure whether to laugh or cry. Suddenly, a chuckle bubbles out, then another, and another, until she's erupted into a full fit of laughter. I soon join her in side-splitting guffaws. Tension rising up and out with every chuckle. By the time we've finished, the weight of the world has lifted from my shoulders.

“Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry, Char, but it's just that I can picture it all.”

“It's all right. It's good to see you laugh.”

She squeezes my hand. “Thank you, sis, for being here.”

Before I can respond, Daniel steps into the room.

“Umm, something smells good,” he says, fidgeting with his belt buckle.

“Do you have help at the store today, or do you have to go in?” Janni asks.

He rubs the back of his neck. “I'm free to work here all day.”

“Before you get started, would you mind if we talked a little bit?”

One glance at Janni's face, and Daniel doesn't hesitate. “Sure, Sweet Girl. Whatever you want.” He looks at me, then back to Janni. “What's up?”

“Let's eat some blueberry muffins first. Then we'll take a walk.”

“Did you see them?” I ask Stephanie when she
joins us in the woods. I pull the bag from a maple tree and dump it into the bucket.

Stephanie shakes her head. “I sure hope everything is okay. How long have they been gone, do you know?”

“About an hour or two by now,” I say.

“Well, I just came down to let you know I got called into the coffee shop. I'll check back in later.”

“Okay.” She turns to walk away. “Stephanie?”

She looks at me.

“Don't worry. Things will be fine.”

“Thanks.”

It's hard to say how long we work before Daniel comes over to me. “You might want to go to the house, Char. Janni could use your help getting ready for lunch.” His eyes look red-rimmed and distant.

My stomach dips, and I swallow hard.

The trees offer a calm presence as I make my way to the house. They've sheltered us from the storms of life, provided sustenance, kept us together as a family. Janni's right. We can't let this farm go. We need the trees. We need each other. We'll get through this.

“Janni?” I call out when I step inside the house.

“I'm in the kitchen.” Her voice is shaky, as though she's crying.

Quickly, I go to her. “Are you all right?”

She turns away from the sink and lifts puffy, red eyes my way. “I've hurt him terribly.” She dabs at her nose with a handkerchief.

“Give him some time. He'll get used to the idea.”

She shakes her head. “I never meant to hurt anyone. And what will this do to Mom and Dad?” She looks at me. “How will the boys take it? I've made such a mess of things.” She pulls her hands to her face and sobs.

I put my hand on her shoulder. “Janni, take it one step at a time.”

She takes a deep breath.

“So tell me what happened.” We find our places at the table.

“We took a walk, and I told him everything. He listened intently, hardly ever interrupted me. When I finally finished, I was afraid to look at him, afraid of what I would see.”

“And?”

“He stopped walking, put his hand on my arm, and turned me to him so that I had to look square into his eyes. Then he said, ‘I just wish you had trusted me enough to tell me. How can I know there aren't other things you've been keeping from me?' What could I say? He went on to tell me that he had a past he wasn't proud of, but I knew about his, and I should have trusted him enough to be honest up front. He believes a good marriage demands honesty.”

Right then my ears perk, and I want to know what's in his past that I don't know about, but now doesn't seem the time to ask.

“He told me he loved me, but it will take some time for him to digest everything.”

“You see? He'll come around.”

Janni wipes her nose again and nods. “Now I have to tell the others. It's hard. Part of me feels sad that I have hurt Daniel, and I'm afraid of hurting the boys, Mom, and Dad. Yet another part of me is so happy and relieved. As I said, thoughts of my daughter have been a big part of my restlessness lately. ”

I give her a hug.

“Guess we should get the bread ready; the group will join us soon.” We both get up from our chairs and head over to the cupboards. “Enough about me. When's Russ coming over again?”

“Didn't I tell you we're going out tonight?”

“No, that's great.” Janni pulls the French bread from the refrigerator and slices off the top.

“Two friends going out to dinner. It's not time to order the invitations.”

She blows her nose, then chuckles, washes her hands, and starts buttering the bread while I set the table. Her back is to me, and I watch how she moves around the kitchen. She'll get past this and be just fine. Better even. She has a wonderful husband who adores her, two great sons, and now a beautiful daughter.

I have a house on the beach, a noncommittal boyfriend, and a date with a dentist.

twenty-five

By evening, we' ve managed to stave off any major
confrontations with Mom over the whole breaking-and-entering thing. Mostly because no one told her last night, and she's spent her day cleaning Russ's condo and then shopping with her friends while we worked the syrup, which is starting to slow down. Unfortunately, she has just arrived home. Now, call me psychic, but I think we're about to face the music.

Mom bulldozes her way into the family room where Janni, Daniel, Dad, and I have gathered. Fists planted firmly on her hips, she frowns at us as though we're Gertie's offspring.

“I turn my back for a minute and you two manage to get yourselves in jail?” Her voice is high-pitched and nasally.

I decide to face the family matriarch head-on. “I would call it a mis-understanding.”

She stares at me hard. “Let's call it what it is, Charlene Marybelle. Sin, pure and simple. You broke into the Tuckers's home.”

Can we talk about the sin of a loose tongue?

Janni slinks in her chair and tries to hide behind her hand. Amusement lights Daniel's face, the first genuine smile I've seen all day.

Dad peers over his newspaper. “The damage is done, Viney. The girls learned their lessons. Let it go.”

“Don't you take up for them, Milton Haverford.” One glance at Mom's face, and I'd say she's about to become syrup, because she's definitely reached seven degrees above boiling.

“What's done is done.” The firmness of Dad's voice makes us all turn to him. “I'm tired of the squabbling, and I don't want to hear another word about it.” He awkwardly folds the newspaper and slaps it down on the ottoman in front of him.

Okay, this is tense. I'm almost sure Mom is smoldering. She could combust at any moment. Just when I think one poof will take her to Jesus, she stomps off toward the stairs.

That's probably a good thing, because I really didn't want to face the twenty questions that were sure to come when Russ picks me up for our date.

Before we can figure out how to get out of this uncomfortable situation, someone knocks on the front door.

“Oh, that's Russ. I'll get it,” I say, rising from my chair. With a crank of the knob, I open the door. “Oh, hello.”

“Yes, um, my name is Carol Sherwood, and I believe my daughter, Stephanie, is staying with you?”

There is a definite audible gulp here. Mine.

Before me stands a tall, stately woman in an expensive black wool coat. Her creamy complexion, aged only slightly with a couple of faint lines, is framed by short, stylish auburn hair—I'm guessing bottled.

“I'm sorry. I know I've caught you off guard. I plan to stay at a hotel in town, but Stephanie called and asked me to come.”

“Well, don't just stand there, Char, invite her in.”

General Sherman's back.

“I was going to, Mom.” I step out of the way. “Please, come in.”

By now everyone else has come to see who's at the door. I make the introductions and notice that the few freckles sprinkled over Janni's nose completely disappear.

“Won't you sit down?” Janni's voice hovers somewhere between a squeak and a croak.

“So, you're here to see Stephanie?” Mom wants to know.

Carol's eyes brighten. “Yes.”

“She's working down at the coffee shop tonight,” Janni offers.

“Oh, do you think it would be all right if I went over there to see her?” Carol fidgets with the gloves in her lap, then looks up.

“It would be all right, but they're pretty busy this time of night. She wouldn't be able to talk much,” Janni says.

“Do you know when she gets done?”

“She closes tonight, I'm afraid. Won't be home until around mid-night.” Janni glances at the Precious Moments figurine on the stand and swivels it to its northern position.

“Well, I'll just find a hotel and call her in the morning.” Carol stands. “If you'll please let her know I stopped by?”

“You'll do no such thing,” Mom says. “We have plenty of room right here.”

Sure, why not? The more, the merrier.

“Oh, I couldn't do that.”

“Yes, you can,” Mom says, leaving no room for argument, as though this is
her
house. Guess she's forgotten Janni and Daniel took over the payments. There are no words to express the look on Janni's face right about now, but if looks could kill, Mom would be setting up camp in heaven at this very moment.

Just a few more days, and I can get out of this madhouse, head back to Maine, and leave this all behind me.

“I don't want to be any trouble,” Carol says.

“You'll be no trouble at all,” Janni assures her.

I hate to point this out, but my sister is lying through her teeth.

“Let's see, Stephanie has moved to Blake's room, and you can take Ethan's room, since they're both at school,” Janni says.

“So tell us about Stephanie,” Mom says, settling in for a good chat.

“Well, I'm sure you already know most everything,” Carol says.

My sister and I lock eyes.

“Carol, could I get you something to drink? Coffee, iced tea, water?” Janni cuts in before Carol can tell everyone in the room the truth about Stephanie.

Carol blinks. “Well, uh, yes, iced tea would be lovely. Thank you.”

“Would you care to join me? I can show you our kitchen.”

Not exactly Parade of Homes, but it will have to do.

The confusion on Mom's face says she's not sure what just happened.

“Well, sure.” Carol stands to join Janni.

“Char, maybe you can take orders from everyone else and come help us?”

Hello? Why do I have to be involved in this? Wait. There are still some bakery cookies in the kitchen. “Okay, I'm right behind you.” I take drink orders, then follow them into the kitchen.

“Carol, did Stephanie tell you that she told me?” Janni asks while grabbing mugs from the cupboard and filling them with coffee, one for her and the other for Mom.

“Yes.”

“Did she call you here?”

Carol nods. “Evidently, she overheard you and your husband talking about her. It upset her, so she called me and told me she needed me. I'm here for her, the same way I've always been.”

Okay, that was harsh. I should take the tray of drinks out, but things are starting to get interesting.

Janni measures her words. “I'm not trying to take her from you, Carol. I'm still adjusting to the news myself. And I need to make you aware that not all my family knows yet.”

Carol looks confused.

Yeah, she'll fit in fine with our family.

“But your mom asked about her, so she obviously knows who Stephanie is.”

“Oh, yes, they've all met her, but they don't know she's my daughter.”

Carol shakes her head. “She's
my
daughter.”

This has all the drama of a daytime soap opera. I try to busy myself filling a glass with iced tea for Carol, but I'm afraid Gail Campbell is rubbing off on me.

“Please don't make this a competition. There's no reason we both can't—”

“She only needs one mother.”

Janni takes a deep breath. “I was going to say, there's no reason we both can't be there for her. I'm not trying to take your place.”

Carol softens a little and rubs the back of her neck. “I'm sorry. This whole thing has me a bit on edge.”

Janni places her hand on Carol's arm. “There's room in her life for both of us, you know.”

“Is there?” Carol asks, worry lining her face.

“You are her true mother. You did all the work. I will not take that away from you.”

“Your iced tea, Carol.” I hand her a filled glass.

The sound of the front door scraping against the door frame interrupts the moment.

“We'd better see who that is,” Janni says, leading the way back into the living room.

While the two of them join the others, I pour myself a glass of iced tea and turn my attention to my date with Russ that's only minutes away.

Janni comes back into the kitchen.

“Do I look all right, sis? Is this pantsuit nice enough for Sok's Restaurant?”

“You look great.” She hesitates here, making me wonder if she's telling the truth. “But—”

Nerves clamor in my stomach, making me uneasy. “What is it? Is something wrong? Is Russ here?”

“Uh, no.”

Her answer causes me to release the breath I was holding. “Oh, good, you scared me.” Her fixed expression lets me know there's a problem.

“Janni, what is it? Carol? Don't worry, we'll figure it out. Wait 'til Russ and I get back, and we'll help you.”

“Char, listen to me. You have someone here to see you. It's not Russ.”