Daniel's Gift (26 page)

Luke parked the car in front of her house, and they got out.

"Say, you don't know anything about cars, do you?" Jenny asked.

Luke eyed her warily. "I know if you push down the gas pedal, the car goes forward."

"Thanks, Einstein." Jenny pointed to her ten-year-old white Honda, which looked like a poor relative next to Luke's sleek black Mercedes. "My car stopped running a couple of days ago, and I have no idea what the problem is."

"Why don't you take it to a mechanic?"

"I don't have an extra hundred bucks at the moment. I don't really need the car much around here. I can bike to work. And Danny walks to school."

"Let me take care of it for you," Luke said urgently. "I'll have it towed to a garage first thing in the morning. I'll pay for everything."

"No." Jenny shook her head and turned away. Luke caught her by the arm.

"Why not?" he demanded. "You'll need a car to get back to the hospital."

"One of the neighbors will give me a ride. And I'll fix my own car in my own time with my own money. I'm sorry I brought it up."

"You are so stubborn, Jenny. Why won't you let me help you?"

"Because."

"Because why?" he persisted, sounding a lot like her son.

Jenny searched for a logical, calm explanation, but instead her words came out in a torrent. "Because you're rushing me. As of a week ago, I hadn't seen or heard from you in over a decade. Now, you want to claim my son as your own, see my house, take care of my car, and pay my bills. I can't handle it. Back off."

The air crackled between them, and Jenny felt almost breathless by the exchange.

Luke put a hand up in apology. "Okay. You're right. It was just an offer. I'm not trying to take over your life."

"Good, because it's my life, Luke. I had to stand on my own two feet a long time ago. The girl you once knew is gone forever. Don't get me and her confused."

Luke sent her a curious look, and something that seemed like admiration passed through his eyes. Luke had never looked at her with respect before, not even all those years ago. He had looked at her with desire and passion and often complete bewilderment at some outrageous plan she had concocted, but never with respect. She stood a little straighter.

"You've changed, Jenny."

"We both have."

Jenny turned toward the house, then paused as she spotted a flash of white on the other side of the fence. "Grace?"

The older woman came into view. She was holding a spade and wearing a pair of white overalls. On her head was the straw hat she wore to protect herself from the sun. Only, it was almost seven o'clock at night, and the sun had long since gone down.

"Jenny. I heard about Danny. How is he?"

Jenny walked over to the fence. "He's badly hurt, but we're hoping for the best."

Grace looked at her through worried eyes. "I say prayers for him every night."

"Thank you." Jenny pointed to the spade in her hand. "What are you doing?"

"Why, some gardening, dear, isn't it obvious?"

"It's late, Grace. It's dark."

"Oh?" Grace looked around somewhat distractedly. "So it is. I just didn't take notice, I guess."

"You'll have to finish tomorrow."

"Yes. Yes, I'll do that." Grace brushed some dirt off her sleeve with a noticeably trembling hand.

"Are you all right?" Jenny asked with concern. Grace was more than just a neighbor. She was Jenny's second mother, and it had become apparent in recent weeks that the woman's health was beginning to fail.

"I'm fine, fine," Grace said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "I gave your brother some lasagne. I hope he put it in the refrigerator for you."

"Matt was here?"

"Yes. Yes, he was. Yesterday, or was it the day before? No, I think it was yesterday because Doris had just gotten back from her trip. She was so upset to hear about Danny. She said she would drive me to the hospital to see you both. She just hasn't had a chance yet."

"I know she's busy looking for a job," Jenny said. Doris was Grace's niece and had come to live with Grace so the older woman wouldn't be alone. "Danny's unconscious," Jenny added. "He may not know you're there."

"But you will, won't you, dear?" Grace reached over the fence and squeezed Jenny's hand. "You're family to me. I love you both as if you were my own. If there is anything I can do to help, please tell me."

"Thanks. I know Danny would love to hear your voice. The two of you have been so close over the years."

"I love that boy. Now, who is that young man you're hiding behind you?" Grace asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry. This is Luke Sheridan." Jenny stepped aside. "This is Grace, my longtime neighbor and dear friend."

"Nice to meet you, Mrs ...."

"Oh, just call me Grace. Everybody does." She smiled at Jenny. "He's handsome, your new boyfriend."

"He's not my boyfriend."

"Oh, too bad."

"Grace."

"Well, I'm sorry, but I like him better than that other boy."

Jenny rolled her eyes as Luke smiled at her with amusement. "Good night, Grace," she said pointedly.

"Good night." Grace waved and headed toward her house.

"She's a nice lady," Luke commented as Jenny led him up the walkway to her front door. "And she has excellent taste in men."

"She doesn't know you like I do."

"Ouch."

Jenny pulled a key chain out of her purse and slipped her key into the front door. "Grace used to watch Danny for me when he was a toddler. She still keeps an eye out for him after school."

"Jenny?"

"What?"

"You're stalling."

Jenny looked at the door in front of her and realized she had yet to turn the knob. "I want to go in and call Danny's name and have him come running. That isn't going to happen, is it?"

Luke shook his head.

"Right." She opened the door.

The house smelled stale. Jenny flipped on the light switch, still half expecting Danny to pop out and yell surprise. He didn't.

They walked through the living room/dining room, into the kitchen. A slab of melted butter was sitting out on the counter. Danny's cereal bowl from Friday morning was still on the table, Fruit Loops soaked in milk.

Jenny stared at the cereal and burst into tears. "Oh, God. He's gone, Luke. He's really gone."

Luke pulled her into his arms. "He's not gone, Jenny. He's going to make it. You have to have faith."

"How can I? It's been three days. How can I go on without him? He's just a little boy, but he's my life."

Luke shut his eyes as he closed his arms around her waist. He wanted to cry with her, but she needed him to be strong, and this much he could give her.

"Everyone I've ever loved has gone away," Jenny said. "My mother, then you, now Danny. What did I do wrong, Luke?" She lifted her head. "Why am I being punished?"

"You didn't do anything wrong."

"I must have. Merrilee says I screw up everything."

"Merrilee doesn't know what she's talking about."

"My father thinks I'm a slut."

"Jenny, stop."

"And your parents. What was it your mother called me -- a silly, foolish girl? Everyone can't be wrong."

"I never thought you were any of those things."

"Then why did you leave me? Why did you break us up? We were so damn good together." It was a question she had wanted to ask him for years. Now, it burst out of her before she could stop it.

"I was afraid. My parents had such high expectations. I didn't want to disappoint them. We were young, Jenny, kids. We didn't know what love was."

"I did. I loved you more than anyone else on this earth." The confession came from her soul, and it felt good. She needed to get it out in the open, so the wound could heal. "I gave my heart, my soul, and my body to you. Maybe you thought I gave it lightly, but I didn't."

"I know you didn't."

"You just couldn't love me back the way I loved you."

"No, because I wasn't as generous or as courageous. You were the only rebellion of my life. The only time I was my own person were those two months with you."

Jenny stared at him in amazement. "I can't believe that."

"Why not?"

"Because you made your own decisions. You chose to get married to someone else."

"She was part of the plan, Jenny." Luke ran a hand through his hair. "Denise is not a bad person. It's not her fault that -- "

"That what?"

"That she's not you."

Jenny felt herself being sucked into a whirlpool of feeling. Logically, she knew she couldn't let it happen. Emotions were high because of Danny. Everything was more intense because of the danger of losing him.

Luke lowered his head. His eyes narrowed. He was going to kiss her. And she wanted him to.

No!

She had to remember who she was, and who Luke was, and how much he had hurt her the first time around.

Slowly, she disengaged herself from his arms.

"Jenny."

She held up a hand. "Don't say anything. Just go." Her voice shook. "I can't do this with you."

"What about Danny's room?"

"Tomorrow or next week or next month, when it's light out, when I can remember that you're married, and we mean nothing to each other."

"Nothing, Jenny?" Luke tilted up her chin and looked deep into her eyes. "You never used to lie to me."

Chapter Eighteen

"Don't lie to me, Matt. I want to know where you were Friday night." Alan sat down on the edge of the sofa while Matt tossed back another beer.

"I went to the Acapulco Lounge and had a few brews. What's it to you?"

"The bartender says you were drunk when you left."

Matt swore under his breath and set his bottle of Bud down on the coffee table, next to last month's issue of Sports Illustrated. There was a photograph of the new 49er quarterback on the cover of the magazine, with a headline proclaiming him football's newest rising star.

Matt had a similar cover buried away in his desk drawer, a painful reminder of everything he had lost. He wished he could go back to the days when everyone had believed he was a winner, including himself. But they were gone forever.

"Well," Alan persisted.

Matt sat back in his chair. "Why don't you just tell me where you think I was?"

Alan's eyes narrowed. "Don't make me say it, Matt."

"Why the fuck not?" he demanded, tired of the cat-and-mouse game. "Who do you think you are anyway?"

"I'm your sister's boyfriend, the man she's going to marry, and the man who's going to find the bastard who ran over Danny."

Matt jerked to his feet. "You think I would hit my own nephew?"

Alan stood up. Face to face, they were almost of equal height, but Alan was broader in the shoulders, stockier through the thighs. His face was square and rugged, the look in his eyes determined.

Matt dropped back, his quarterback instincts coming to the fore. Alan pressed forward like a defensive lineman smelling an easy sack. There was no one to block, no one to protect him, and not one damn thing he could say in his defense -- well, maybe one.

"I was with Brenda," Matt said. "Brenda Charming. She's a flight attendant. We spent the night together."

Alan looked somewhat disappointed at this piece of news. "Charming, huh. Where do I find this Brenda Channing?"

"I don't know. She said something about Tokyo."

"Really. Interesting."

"Is that it?" Matt asked, eager to get Alan out of his house. He had never particularly liked the man. He thought Alan was an awfully cold fish for his warmhearted sister, but if Jenny liked him, that was all that mattered. He had wanted her to be happy for a long time.

Matt just wished she had chosen someone different, someone who didn't look at him like he was a piece of dog shit on the bottom of a shoe. Hell, didn't Alan know he had once taken the 49ers to a division championship? He was important. He deserved to be treated with respect.

"I'd like to see your car," Alan said.

Matt's puff of confidence vanished as quickly as it had appeared. "Uh -- my car's not here. It's at a friend's house."

"Fine. Let's go to your friend's house."

"He's not home."

"What's his name?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Why don't you want to tell me?" Alan wrinkled his nose as if smelling the scent of guilt.

Matt tried to look unconcerned. "I just don't see the point of this conversation. Does Jenny know you're here?"

"Where's your car, Matt?" Alan grabbed him by the collar. "Tell me where your car is."

"I don't know. Okay? I don't know!" Matt yelled, knocking Alan's hands away from him.