Free to Love (11 page)

“Of course!”

“Well, for starters, Ted and I saved two hundred-plus Boy Scouts from the clutches of starvation.”

“What?”

“Uh-huh. Yours truly managed to pull off his culinary genius once again—thanks to Ted’s help, of course.” His face was wreathed in a smile as he proceeded to explain what had happened. “You should’ve seen Ted and me, trying to keep cool while we were mobbed by all those hungry kids.”

She giggled. “If I’d only known, I would’ve dragged myself out of bed and driven right over there.”

“To rescue me, or watch me flounder?”

One corner of her mouth turned up.
“Maybe a little of both.”

“Seriously though, I think the cleanup was a huge success,” Austin continued. “Of course, we’ll know more when all the results are in. If the other beaches produced even half as much refuse as Two Capes did, then I’d say we’d put a big dent in the problem.”

“So what sort of stuff did people find?” she asked.

“Most was plastic, as we already expected. Vegetable sacks, sheeting, meat trays, bottles, diapers, six-pack rings, that sort of thing. Among the nonplastics, there were shoes, light bulbs, beverage cans, even crab traps.” His eyes crinkled at the corners. “One woman told us how she and her friend struggled with a sheet of plastic that was poking up through the sand below a large dune. They tugged and tugged, puzzled at why it should be so firmly rooted—until they finally looked up and discovered the reason. The plastic was not the small piece they had originally thought. Although part of it was buried where they were standing, the rest was covering the entire dune. It’d been put there to protect the dune from erosion!”

“I bet that’s not the first time that happened,” Joanna said after
they’d
shared a chuckle. Her thoughts rolled back to the beached sea lion
she’d
found that first day Austin had made his unannounced visit. “Did anyone find any more dead or injured animals that had been trapped by debris?”

“Sorry to say, there were several dead seagulls, though as you know, the volunteers were instructed to leave them on the beach. None of the gulls appeared entangled though.”

“I’m glad,” she replied.

“Some of the folks I talked to estimated the number of six-pack rings collected were much less than last year.
Apparently
the word’s getting out. People are remembering to cut through the rings, so that they can’t pose a danger to the animals.”

They talked on and on, till Joanna’s voice had grown so raspy, Austin insisted it was time for him to leave. “I’ll be close by, most likely in the kitchen, painting the trim strip above the cupboards,” he said. “But first, would you like me to bring you anything?
Some soup and crackers?
A cup of tea?”

“No thanks. I already fixed myself a cheese sandwich shortly before you arrived.” Drowsy again, she shut her eyes. It felt so good to simply lay still and rest. Their talking had tired her more than
she’d
realized.

She could hear the sound of his footfall grow softer, then finally fade down the hallway. The heady perfume of the roses drifted her way and she smiled, recalling the look on Austin’s face when
he’d
given them to her.
Roses.
Soft yellow roses.
Had he known
they’d
always been her favorite?

She
must’ve
dozed for nearly an hour, because when she awoke, the late-afternoon shadows had grown more angular, the sunlight dimmer.

Yet the sound of Austin talking jolted her to her senses.
Or had it been her ringing landline phone?
she
wondered, as it dawned on her that she was privy to a one-sided conversation.

She sat up, straining to hear.

“Oh, no.
Just stay right where you are,” he was saying, his voice tight. “I’ll be right over.”

Chapter Seven

“What’s wrong?” Joanna called to Austin.

“That was Marcella,” he answered in a rush, appearing again in the doorway. “She’s taken a fall. Says not to worry,
she’s
fine. She just needs help getting back on her feet.”

“Did she trip? Have a dizzy spell?” Joanna’s chest tightened with apprehension. It was just like her aunt to downplay a potentially serious situation. Marcella never wanted anyone to fuss over her.

“She didn’t say.
Gotta hurry!”
Austin jangled his key chain impatiently. “I’ll fill you in when I get back.” Flashing
her a
guarded smile, he turned on his heel and disappeared.

Joanna’s heart hammered as she listened to the roar of his Jeep fading down the highway. She prayed Auntie was all right. But what if a stroke or heart attack had precipitated her fall? What if
she’d
fractured a hip? Joanna blinked with disbelief. Why, only a few hours earlier,
they’d
visited on the phone, comparing notes about the night’s storm, sharing a laugh or two. If Aunt Marcella
hadn’t
been feeling well, she’d certainly managed to fool Joanna.

Fretful, Joanna got to her feet, put on her slippers, and shrugged into her white terry bathrobe. She
couldn’t
just stay in bed... she had to do something.

Padding down the hallway, she wandered into the front room and peered through the opened blinds that covered the picture window. Austin had left the window ajar a few inches. A brisk breezed caused the blinds to clatter against the sill. Behind her, the floor lamp, next to the overstuffed chair where Silky snoozed cast a rosy glow.

Outside, the purple dusk was growing deeper. To her right, a streetlight illuminated her front yard, the juniper hedge, the wheelbarrow Austin had left on the lawn before
he’d
decided to postpone his prep work on the roof. From the front street, car headlights cut swathes through the darkness. Mr. Peabody, the neighbor next door, turned into his driveway,
then
turned off the engine of his SUV.

Suppressing a shiver, Joanna hugged her arms to her chest. She thought again about Aunt Marcella.

And Kyle.

How, in only a split moment, could one’s life change so drastically—and as in Kyle’s case, come to an abrupt end?

Kyle. In the stillness of the empty house, her thoughts rolled back to their wedding day. A day bathed in sunlight and laughter.
How handsome Kyle had looked, how magnificently robust and alive, his face bronzed by the early summer sun, his eyes bright with happiness.

She’d
been so ecstatic, so blissfully in love, she’d scarcely cast a second glance, figuratively speaking, at any other man who’d come to witness their vows.
Even Austin.

Oh, yes, there had been the hearty handclasps and tearful hugs. But
somehow
the two brothers’ uncanny resemblance had never struck her—not even at the time of the funeral, eighteen months later. Of course, her awareness had not been altered only by her love for her deceased husband, but also by her indescribable grief. How could she have dreamed that in still another twelve months, Austin’s presence would be tearing her resolve into a thousand
shred
?

She turned away from the window and bit her lower lip. Unbidden, the years stretched before her, like solitary building blocks winding into some nebulous future. And what exactly would that future hold in store?
she
asked herself. Would she remain alone, forever looking back? Did she dare dream of a life with Kyle’s older brother?

She pulled her thoughts back to the present.
Surely
Austin must have arrived at Marcella’s by now. Hopefully
he’d
find her every bit as alert and coherent as when she’d phoned. Hopefully, somehow,
she’d
escaped from harm’s way.
Well, as the old saying goes,
Joanna reminded herself,
no news is good news.

The phone rang again, giving Joanna a start. Checking the caller ID and realizing it was Austin, she fumbled to answer it.
So much for the no news bit.

“Oh, Austin!
How’s Auntie?” She swallowed hard to keep from coughing.

“As far as I can tell, nothing’s broken, but she does have a good-sized lump on her head from where she hit the coffee table on her way down. Her vital signs are okay, but
I’m
concerned about a possible concussion. I’m taking her to the ER right away.”

“Oh... yes. By all means...” She pressed a hand to her heart.
“And Austin?”

“Yes, Jo?”

“Call me again as soon as you know more, will you?”

“Of course.”

To fill the anxious moments, Joanna wandered into the kitchen and began loading the dishwasher. Then, feeling a bit shaky, she heated a kettle of water and fixed a cup of mint tea. The tea would not only calm her nerves,
but
help the congestion in her chest, she decided.

Meanwhile, the phone rang three more times, the first, a wrong number, the other two, calls from solicitors.
Whatever is taking Austin so long?
she
fretted as she carried her teacup back to the living room and sat down. It seemed an eternity till the next call came through.

“Hi!” Austin’s voice boomed again on the other end. This time he sounded more composed. “Sorry it took so long, but what with the paperwork and—”

“How is she?” Joanna interrupted.

“Complaining of a headache, but otherwise all right—for now at least.
Your aunt told me while we were waiting to be seen that she tripped on the area rug in her dining room, and that’s what caused her fall.”

“Oh, dear.
I warned her about that.”

“The ER doctor agreed there’s danger of a possible concussion,” Austin hurried
on
. “Marcella shouldn’t be alone. The only way I could keep him from admitting her was to assure him she
wouldn’t
be.
I’m
going to stay with her tonight and maybe part of tomorrow.
We’ll
see how it goes. That’ll also give me a chance to remove that rug before she trips on it again.”

“Why don’t we put her up in the guest room?
Like
I said I’m almost as good as new, so I should be able to help take care of her. Besides, the new dusty rose comforter I put on the bed is just begging for someone to use it.”

“I’m not sure that would be a good idea. Regardless of what you say,
you’re
still pretty sick. At Marcella’s age, catching the flu could prove serious.”

“But I am better. A lot better. Aunty will never hear of your playing nursemaid to her.
She’s
too proud. She’ll insist she can manage by herself.”

“Proud?” His voice hinted at his amusement.

“All right.
Stubborn, then.”
She coughed. “You might say it runs in the family.”

“I know, Jo.” He chuckled good-naturedly. “How well I know.”

Ignoring his remark, Joanna continued.
“One more thing, Austin.”

“Yes?”

“Don’t forget Marcella’s next-door neighbor, the one who checks in twice a day. Lucille Shores, I think her name is. She needs to be notified as soon as possible.
I’m
afraid, though, I don’t have her number. If Auntie isn’t hurting too badly, maybe she can remember.”

“Lucille’s gone,” he said.

“What?”

“I said Lucille’s gone.”

“What do you mean,
gone
?” Joanna’s voice rose with controlled panic. “I talked to Auntie only a few hours ago. She assured me that Lucille was close at hand.”

“According to Marcella, soon after you phoned her, Lucille stopped by. She had just learned that her daughter in St. Louis was undergoing emergency abdominal surgery.
She’s
a single mom with four little kids all under the age of seven. Lucille is planning to stay with them till everything’s back under control.”

He lowered his voice. Joanna could almost see him tossing a wary glance over his shoulder to see whether Auntie was eavesdropping. “Marcella figured that wouldn’t be a problem. She thought by the time she’d
be needing
groceries or a ride to the doctor’s, you’d be well again. Meanwhile she wasn’t going to let on about Lucille’s leaving till it was absolutely necessary.”

“That sounds like Aunt Marcella. Well, at any rate, we know now.” Joanna sighed deeply. “Drive safely, Austin. The weather forecast predicts heavy fog tonight. And please give my love to Auntie.”

“I will.”

Back at Marcella’s home, she and Austin stood talking in the narrow hallway next to her bedroom. Penlight in hand, he reminded her he would be coming in very hour to check her pupils and determine her level of consciousness. Though at first she protested vehemently, now the gratitude was written clearly on her face.

“Such a fuss over an old lady like me,” she said as she held an ice pack to her head. “But what a gentleman you are.” She smiled and patted his cheek with her other hand. “Just think, my own private doctor—an animal doctor, at that. My hubby always said if his life was ever at stake, he’d choose an animal doctor over a people doctor every time.”