Trouble Me: A Rosewood Novel (46 page)

Fifty wasn’t bad, he thought, taking a long pull of his Stella. Though twice that number would be even better. They didn’t have a lot of time before tomorrow afternoon. He could definitely get everyone at Steadman’s Saddle Shop to put their names on the petition for Jade. Then there was Braverman’s. Both did a lot of business.…

A second voice sounded, cutting into his thoughts. “Good news, buddy. We’re getting a flood of emails in to the
Courier
about my editorial. Damned if this isn’t turning out to be fun. Call me back.”

Another voice filled the kitchen. “Hi, it’s Jordan Radcliffe Gage. I’m pleased to report that Margot and I had a very civilized conversation with our good friends yesterday. Noses remain intact.”

He grinned. This was definitely good news. He hoped that, between Eric’s editorial piece, Margot and Jordan’s “friendly” chat with Nonie Harrison and Pamela Hood, and his and Maryanne’s growing petition, Jade would be back teaching at Warburg Elementary this very week.

And tomorrow, after he handed the petition to Ted Guerra to present to the school-board members, he and Hayley would drive over to Rosewood. And Rob was going to do whatever it took to get Jade back in his life forever.

G
ARBED IN
heavy sweaters, jackets, and shawls, they walked in silence up the hill; overhead, gray clouds chased one another, urged on by capricious gusts of wind.

The climbing roses that grew along the fence were still in bloom. The pale-pink blooms against the weathered gray of the wood railings and the moss creeping over the aged headstones gave the family plot a haunting, romantic beauty. With Ned leading the group, they passed single file through the rickety wooden gate.

Jade looked at the faces of her family, blood-born and extended—from Margot and Jordan, to Travis and Owen and Ned, to Tito, Felix, Andy, Miriam, and Patrick and Ellie Banner, and finally to Stuart Wilde—who had formed a quiet circle around the three most recent graves, and she thought about how much she loved them.

Lowering her gaze to the headstone before her, she read the inscription:
Nicole Warren Radcliffe, Beloved Wife and Mother
.

Too often when she’d come to this spot, the carved words on her mother’s headstone had struck her as a travesty. No longer.

On this bleak, blustery morning, with Jordan and Margot flanking her and Stuart Wilde’s strong voice offering comfort from the Gospel of John, a new sensation filled her, one of simple and profound loss.

Gone was the bitterness that had festered inside her for so long.

The reading drew to a close and they bowed their heads in either prayer or remembrance, and Jade found herself filling the emptiness in her heart with a silent whisper.
I love you, Mom, and I’m so sorry I didn’t believe in you. Please, wherever you are, know how much I admire what you were trying to do for yourself, me, and Dad
.

There really wasn’t anything more important to say than that, she decided. The lesson she’d learned from her mother’s attempt to address her problems was one that she needed to apply to the living.

With the workday ahead, none of them could linger in the cemetery. The circle broke, but everyone paused to say a word of thanks to Stuart Wilde. Jade was the last. “That was lovely, Stuart.”

“It was a pleasure, my dear. Your family means a great deal to me.”

“Well, you are one of us.”

“An honor that leaves me humbled.” He fell into step beside her, the two of them bringing up the rear of the snaking line as everyone made their way back down the hill to the glorious old house and barns below.

“I’d have thought you realized that we consider you part of the family, Stuart. Jordan doesn’t bake her lemon cake for just anybody, you know.”

Stuart turned pink as he smiled. “Now I’m not simply honored but gratified.” Turning serious, he continued, “So, Jade, may I speak not only as an old friend but as a great-uncle too? Are you all right? Are you holding up?”

“Yes—at least with regard to Mom. I never realized how much anger and resentment was still inside me, even after all these years. It’s a relief to miss her again, the way I did in those early days before I found the diary. Actually, and you probably understand this better
than anybody, Stuart, I want to say my grief is purer somehow. It’s no longer mixed with confusion or hurt, because I finally understand the roots of her behavior.”

“And the other?” he asked gently.

They knew each other well. Stuart didn’t need to spell out the entire question for her to identify what he was alluding to.

A gust of cold wind sliced at the layers of wool she wore. Shoving her hands deep in her jacket pockets, she smiled sadly. “Ah, well, all will be revealed in a matter of hours, right? High drama in Warburg. It might get ugly,” she admitted. “But at least I’ve grown up enough to avoid the typical self-destructive behavior I resorted to in the past. Rest assured, I will
not
be calling my best frenemy Blair to suggest we go barhopping. In fact, I will avoid any activity that might land me in the Warburg police station, which would result in my not being able to pass go and collect my two hundred dollars. More than that I cannot promise.”

“These are all admirable goals. Would you like some company this afternoon while they’re voting on your fate?”

She hooked an arm about his, squeezing the sleeve of his green herringbone jacket. This man had kept her company through some of her worst moments, sometimes talking but more often enduring her stubborn adolescent silences with unwavering patience and kindness.

“Thank you for the offer, Stuart. But as I don’t have a riding lesson to teach today and Margot and Jordan kept me company yesterday evening, I’m dragooning Ned into taking the littlest clan members to the Shake Shack with me. The goal is to see how much ice cream we can consume in one sitting. I imagine by the time we’re finished, Georgie, Will, and Neddy will be so buzzed on sugar, I’ll be forced to run laps with them around the property. Then I plan to collapse on my sofa
and reflect on my sins until my cellphone rings with news of my fate. I’d invite you along to the Shack, but I think Ned is looking forward to some quality time with the little ones. He’s especially proud that he and Neddy share a favorite flavor—strawberry.”

“I quite understand. They’re fine children and lucky to have such a terrific aunt. Everyone at Rosewood is so happy to have you back where you belong,” he said, smiling.

Jade, however, was familiar with her canny friend’s ways. He’d guessed that she was thinking of leaving Warburg.

Best to distract him before he broached the topic openly. “Did I tell you that Jordan’s been experimenting with a chocolate, walnut, and pear crostata? It’s a pretty scrumptious combination. You might even call it divine. I think she mentioned baking one so that you could taste test the latest version.”

There were perks to living in a small town. Rob didn’t even have to make the rounds of the station to find someone to fill in for him so he could meet with Maryanne Ferris and take their petition to Ted Guerra before the school-board meeting convened. One of his fellow officers, Tory Bryant, approached him.

“I read in the
Courier
about the flak Hayley’s teacher’s been getting,” she said. “A shame. We need young people to be informed and responsible, not ignorant. If she got kids to remember to put on a condom before having sex, we should be giving her an award, not firing her. Anyway, I told the chief I’d be happy to take the last hour of your shift this afternoon.”

When he arrived at the school, Maryanne Ferris was waiting in the school lobby. “Hi, Rob. I’ve got the petition here.” She handed him a stapled sheaf of papers filled with names, addresses, and signatures. “One hundred
and eighteen names!” Maryanne said triumphantly. “Ted’s in his office.”

As the school-board meeting was set for 3:30
P.M.
, Rob knew he and Maryanne had only a few minutes to make a pitch for Jade.

Handing Ted the petition, Rob said, “Ted, you know I had certain reservations about Jade Radcliffe when the school year started. They were completely misguided. I’ve seen firsthand what a wonderful teacher she is. You don’t want to lose someone this good who obviously loves what she’s doing.”

“I agree and, as I’ve told Jade, I intend to fight for her.” He paused to flip through the petition. “You’ve gathered an impressive number of signatures here. This may help convince any board members still sitting on the fence. Thank you, Maryanne, Rob, for making this effort on her behalf.”

“We want to do everything we can to keep her as our children’s teacher. Do you think the board will actually vote against her when it’s clear so many parents and people in the community support her? Has anyone on the board even considered how disruptive and stressful it will be for the children? They’ve grown so attached to her,” Maryanne said.

“That’s definitely an argument I’m going to make. Judy Altmann, the school-board president, will be stressing what a superb job Jade has done and that her abilities as a teacher are unquestioned. The challenge will be to convince certain board members that what Jade wrote in college has no relevance in determining her fitness as a second-grade teacher. It helps that people have been talking nonstop about Eric Drogan’s editorial supporting Jade. His was truly the voice of reason. Do we want young people to be informed about sex and sexuality through the intelligent writing of their peers, or do we
want them turning to the distorted world of reality TV or Internet sites for their information? It’s an important question, and I’m glad people in our community are discussing it.” Ted picked up the folder on his desk and slipped the petition inside it. “But, unfortunately, there are some who are simply going to focus on the fact that Jade wrote about
sex
and consider it grounds for immediate dismissal.” He checked his watch. “Well, our conversation has served as an excellent warm-up. I feel more than ready for the next hour or so of head-butting. I’ll put the petition in Judy’s hands as soon as I see her.”

Rob extended his hand. “Good luck, Ted.”

“Thanks,” Ted said, shaking it. “I’ll need it. Certain of our school-board members’ heads are awfully thick.”

Rob hoped that Jordan and Margot’s conversation with Nonie Harrison had packed enough dynamite to make a lasting impression.

Hayley’s first words when he picked her up in the classroom were, “Can we go see Miss Radcliffe, Daddy?”

“Absolutely. You hungry, sweetheart?”

“Yeah. Maybe we could stop at Braverman’s on the way. We could pick something up for Miss Radcliffe too. She really liked that pumpkin muffin. You could give her that and I could give her the card I made.”

“An excellent idea, Hayley.” He ruffled her hair. “So, you have all your stuff? How was school?”

She hefted her book bag and let it drop against the beige-flecked linoleum floor, its thud proof that she did indeed have all her stuff. “It was okay.”

“Okay”?
This from a child who bubbled with enthusiasm when she described the projects Jade had devised for the class or repeated the funny things Jade had said? Nothing would be sadder than if the remainder of Hayley’s fall became a string of “okay” days.

Pushing open the school door, he paused, his eyes widening in surprise. A crowd had gathered on the front steps, a crowd composed of many of the parents whom Rob had contacted about signing the petition. He spotted Eric Drogan too. Next to him stood a young woman wielding a camera with a telephoto lens, obviously one of Eric’s staff photographers.

Eric must have decided the afternoon’s school-board meeting warranted full coverage in the
Warburg Courier
.

Busy scanning the crowd himself, Eric saw Rob and Hayley. He flashed Rob a happy grin as he gave a thumbs-up sign.

Rob waved back. Just then there was a shift in the crowd, and two figures stepped into his line of vision. Jordan and Margot Radcliffe were waiting with other parents from the elementary school, but instead of exchanging idle chitchat, their attention was fixed on the board members who’d begun to arrive and who were climbing the stone steps to the school entrance.

“Daddy?” Hayley tugged his hand. “Why are all these people here?”

“There’s an important meeting today and they want to know what’s going to happen. Hey, do you see Mrs. Gage and Ms. Radcliffe, Miss Radcliffe’s sisters, standing over there? Let’s go say hi to them.”

“Okay.”

Margot was the one who noticed their approach. “Hi, Hayley, Rob.”

Jordan turned. “Hello, Hayley.”

“Hayley, we missed you yesterday,” Margot said pointedly. She’d gone back to watching the board members’ progress on the steps, but Rob had no need to see her expression to know her protective instincts were in the red zone.

Understandable, he thought. Nevertheless, Margot
Radcliffe needed to recognize a few facts, the first being that he was no pushover.

“Hayley had to leave school in the middle of the day with a bad sore throat, and I spent the remainder of it helping clear the car crash at the intersection of Routes 50 and 626.”