Winter Winds (27 page)

“I have to go visit Shannon Warrington, and I don’t want to go alone for several reasons. I know it’s an awful lot to ask of you since you’ve never even met the woman, but please come along?”

Bob Warrington’s abandoned wife. Jonathan and Judy’s daughter-in-law. Angle’s sister-in-law. If anyone needed an extra friend after life with that bunch, it would be Shannon.

“Sure, I’ll go.”

“Thanks, Dori.”

The relief in his voice made her glad she’d said yes, though she wasn’t sure what kind of help she could be. One thing was for certain. She understood everything that Shannon was feeling. Watching your marriage disintegrate was agony in the extreme.

“I’ll be home for you in about ten minutes.”

Good. Time enough to towel Jack a bit and still change out of her wet clothes.

She was ready when Trev walked into the house and looked at his still moist dog. “Did Dori take you for a walk on the beach, big guy? Have you been in the ocean?”

Jack wiggled with joy at having him home, even if only for a few minutes. Trev reached to pet him and froze. “He smells like a perfume factory.”

“He smells wonderful,” Dori corrected. “And he’s so pretty and clean, aren’t you, boy?” She crooned the last at him and he wiggled his way to her. “You smell beautiful, and don’t let the mean man tell you differently.”

“Yeah, Jack. You’re beautiful.”

She laughed at Trev’s sarcasm and pulled her coat from the closet.

“Say,” he said. “I have a turtleneck just that same color.”

She looked down at the crimson shirt with the cuffs rolled up three times. “Not anymore.”

Trev sighed as he followed her to the car. “First you wash my dog, then you steal my clothes. What next?”

She grinned at him. “Be afraid. Be very afraid.”

Shannon Warrington lived bayside in a large new house with lots of glass, an immense screened back porch looking over the marshes and bay, and a dock at the edge of the lawn. Dori could only imagine the size of the Warrington boat hibernating for the winter in some nearby marina.

“Bob and Shannon must be doing pretty well for themselves.” Dori eyed the rest of the neighborhood full of oversized but beautiful homes, all with backyard docks. “Or else they’re in hock to their ears.”

“He sells cars,” Trev said as he rang the doorbell. “Lots of cars. Shannon hasn’t worked since the kids came along.”

The front door opened a crack, and Dori saw a little girl with two lopsided ponytails sticking out on either side of her head and a one-eyed blue teddy bear tucked under her arm. Even though it was almost two in the afternoon, she wore a frilly cotton nightie with Cinderella, Jacques, and Gus-Gus on the front. She was a skinny mite who didn’t look tall enough or strong enough to handle a huge front door.

“Hi. I’m Serena. I’m three. Who are you?”

“Hi, Serena. I’m Pastor Paul and this is Dori. Remember me?”

Serena squinted at him. “Nope.”

Dori smothered a smile.

Trev tried again. “Is your mom home?”

“Sure. Her’s sleeping on the sofa. Come on in.” She turned and ran. “Mommy! There’s a man and a lady here.”

Hoping the child didn’t invite all unknown adults in, Dori pushed the door open, then entered, Trev right behind her. She heard a baby crying off in another room. When Serena came dancing back, Dori asked, “Is that your brother crying? Is he all right?”

Serena nodded, completely unconcerned. “That’s Jonny. He always cries. He’s got colic bad. He’s named after Grandpop Jonathan.”

A chubby woman with pasty skin and red eyes padded into the foyer. She wore old, faded navy sweat pants and a spotted red sweatshirt that read SEASIDE, NJ in navy stitchery. Seashells and a breaking wave backed the words. Its sleeves, which ended inches above her wrist bone, were badly frayed. On her feet were white socks fast losing their white.

Dori saw a woman who had probably once been cute but who had lost her vitality. She looked—hollow. Her hair needed a good shampooing, and the circles under her eyes evidenced sleepless nights. Dori wanted to hug her, to tell her it would be all right, but she knew there was a good chance it wouldn’t.

“Pastor,” Shannon whispered, her hand going to her uncombed hair and pushing it back from her face. “I’m sorry I wasn’t at church yesterday. I was afraid I’d see—” Her chin trembled, and she brought her hand up to still it. A lone tear slid down her cheek.

“Mommy’s crying,” Serena announced. Her little face scrunched up.

Quickly Dori knelt in front of the girl. “Don’t you cry too, honey. We have to be brave for Mommy, okay?”

Serena looked at her for a minute, and it was touch and go on the tears. Then the little girl gave a brisk nod. “Brave.”

Dori smiled at her. “Good girl.”

“Let’s sit down, Shannon,” Trev suggested.

Shannon nodded wearily. “Serena, honey, why don’t you go watch a video?”

“The mermaid,” Serena said.

Shannon nodded and turned toward the back of the house. “I have to set it up for her. I’ll be right back.”

Serena danced after her mother, then danced back. “I’m going to be Ariel when I grow up. That’s ’cause mermaids get to swim all over the world.” She grinned, then turned and ran from the room.

“How could anyone leave a charmer like that?” Dori asked as they walked into the living room. It was full of elegant beige and white furniture, totally unsuitable for a young family as evidenced by the grape juice stain on one of the beige chairs and a smudge on the pale carpet. A cream chenille throw lay crumpled on the floor beside the cream and beige striped sofa.

They sat in silence as they waited for Shannon. When she walked in, her shoulders were slumped and her steps dragged. She collapsed onto the sofa and pulled the chenille throw onto her lap like a security blanket.

“I went to the grocery store this morning,” she said. “They wouldn’t accept my debit card. They said there was no money in the account.” She gave a great, heaving sob. “Bob said he’d put some money back. He promised.”

Trev pulled out an envelope and handed it to Shannon. “Here’s a gift card to the grocery store for a hundred dollars. It’ll get you through the next few days.”

Shannon took it in a shaking hand. “Thanks,” she whispered, obviously embarrassed to take charity. She wrapped her arms about herself and began to rock. “I can’t believe this is happening to me. I just can’t believe it. I thought we were so happy.”

Dori felt her own heart being ripped open with empathetic pain.

“Have you spoken with Brewster Robbins yet?” Trev asked.

“I don’t want to go to a lawyer.” Shannon’s voice was suddenly stronger. “I don’t want a divorce. I want Bob to come back!”

Why she’d want a rat of a man who had left her and their kids, taken all their money with him, and moved in with his girlfriend was more than Dori could understand. She sure wouldn’t want him.

“I hope you can reconcile too, Shannon,” Trev said. “Brewster will just protect you and the kids. He’ll see that things like an empty account get fixed and real quick. He knows what buttons to push to get Bob to assume his legal responsibilities. He’s a
Christian too, Shannon, and he hates divorce as much as you and I do. He won’t push you in that direction, I promise. Please call him.”

“I can’t afford him.” She sniffed, then ran the back of her wrist under her nose.

Trev shook his head. “Money’s not an issue. Brewster has made helping women in circumstances like yours his special ministry.”

Serena danced into the room, a bag of potato chips in her hand. “Can I have some, Mommy? I’m hungry.”

“Sure, baby. Why not?”

Serena grinned, revealing a mouthful of chip crumbs. Her request was obviously a case of better late than never. Dragging the bag behind her, she danced away.

“I usually give her fruit and cheese and good things to eat,” Shannon said helplessly as she watched her daughter disappear. “Chips and junk food of all kinds were Bob’s favorites. But—” She waved her hand vaguely.

Dori knew. No money, no more good stuff.

Trev captured Shannon’s waving hand. He held it in both of his. “Lord, Shannon needs You to wrap Your loving arms around her and hold her tight. Be real to her, Father, and comfort her. Be her husband and a father for Serena and Jonny. And, Lord, break into Bob’s heart and bring him home.”

Dori knew he no more expected that miracle than she did.

On Tuesday boredom hung heavily once again, and Ryan’s
please, please
kept ringing in Dori’s ears as she rearranged the kitchen to suit her preferences. When she called Mae early in the afternoon, it was most assuredly not to talk about the store but to introduce herself since she was now living with Ryan and Trev. However when Mae talked about the store, Dori listened carefully.

“At least I was smart enough to fall after Christmas,” Mae said. “Otherwise I’d be really, really worried. Now I have the luxury of being just plain worried.”

Dori decided she liked the woman’s attitude even as she
thought of Small Treasures. While it was a sound little store, it wouldn’t take much of a forced closing to put them in financial difficulty. Bills like rent, electricity, and insurance continued whether income did or not.

Mae sighed. “It’s not that winter is such a great season in a resort town like Seaside, but I do have my regulars. And it’s my planning time for what’s to come. I also get orders through our web page, and no one’s filling them.”

“You have a web page?” Dori wouldn’t have expected a fifty-something proprietor of a small bookstore to have one, which she was certain said something about an age prejudice she hadn’t realized she had. After all, Meg had a Small Treasures web page.

Mae gave a burst of laughter. “I’ve got Ryan. How could it be otherwise?”

Dori grinned. “Point taken.”

When Randy and his friend Sam showed up late Tuesday afternoon with Dori’s car full of her clothes, treasures, plants, and most important, Trudy, Dori was still not willing to admit her growing compulsion to work at Harbor Lights. She was only too happy to dwell on her dog and her things, familiar and comfortable in a way her new life wasn’t.

“You’ll stay for dinner, won’t you?” she asked Randy and Sam who, all bleary-eyed and bristly jawed, looked like they had driven straight through from California.

“Can’t,” Randy said. “We want to get to New York today so we can get a decent night’s sleep before the new job tomorrow.” He gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Thanks though. I’m just sorry I don’t have time to wait and meet the husband. Mom’s dying to know what he’s like.”

Dori stood in the living room with Trudy dancing around her feet. “I’m sorry you won’t get to meet him too. You’d like him and Ryan.”

“Who’s Ryan?”

“A kid from Trev’s church who’s living with him—with us—while his grandmother’s in rehab for a bad fall.”

Randy grinned. “You’ve got a kid living with you? How old?”

“Thirteen.”

Randy started to laugh. “Only you, Dor,” he said setting the
last box of her things down. “A husband you haven’t seen for six years and a thirteen-year-old in residence to watch the reunion.”

“It’s not that funny” Dori said as his hoots filled the room, but she had to laugh too. How had her life become such a soap opera?

She followed Randy out to the car, snuggling Trudy under her black coat, the dog’s fluffy head peeking out under Dori’s chin. As she nuzzled Trudy’s ear, a school bus stopped at the end of the street, and a slight figure in an oversized Eagles coat climbed off.

“Ryan?” Randy asked.

“Ryan,” Dori confirmed. She waved. Ryan didn’t wave back.

When he got closer, she could see his glasses weren’t sitting on his nose right. When he reached her, she saw one bow was missing. From his stormy face, the story of what happened wasn’t good.

“What’s that?” Ryan asked abruptly as he eyed Trudy, all fluffy light topknot and panting pink tongue.

“This is Trudy.” At her name, Trudy turned and kissed Dori under the chin.

“What is she?”

“She’s a Dandie Dinmont terrier.”

Ryan frowned. “What does Jack think of her?”

“Jack hasn’t met her yet. I put him in your bedroom for the time being.”

“He’ll eat her for lunch.” His tone said it was nothing less than the little puffball deserved.

Trudy leaned toward Ryan, her little feet scrambling for traction inside Dori’s coat. She managed to climb out, teetering for a moment on the V of Dori’s coat. Then she launched herself at Ryan. She hit the front of his slick coat, surprising him completely, and began a quick slide to the ground. Dori made a little yelp and reached for the dog, but Ryan was faster. He grabbed Trudy just as she slid off the bottom of the coat and, pulling her to him, cradled her in his arms.

Trudy reacted with a happy little bark and a dainty slurp of a kiss. Just like that Ryan was smitten. He slipped her inside his coat and held her close while they said good-bye to Randy and Sam.

Just before he climbed into the driver’s seat of Dori’s rental, which he was going to return in New York, Randy took Dori by
the arms and looked at her with concern. “Are you okay, Dor? Are you going to be happy?”

“Of course she’s happy,” Ryan answered for her, and she was glad. She didn’t know what her true answer was. “She lives with two great guys, and she’s running my grandmother’s bookstore.”

Randy brightened. “You got a job?” For some reason Dori couldn’t fathom, that seemed to satisfy him about her welfare. It must be that jobs were some kind of guy sign of happiness. At any rate, he pulled her into his arms for an exuberant hug, gave her a kiss on her cheek which she returned, climbed in the car, and drove off, leaving her waving on the curb.

She turned to see Ryan and Trudy frowning at her. “What?”

“He kissed you,” Ry accused. “And you kissed him back.”

“He’s an old friend.” She held out her arms to Trudy who came only after bathing Ryan’s face and sending his glasses flying. “Friends sometimes kiss good-bye.”

Ryan bent and picked up his glasses. “Well, I won’t tell Pastor Paul if you work at the bookstore.”

“That, sir, is called blackmail.” She buried her face in Trudy’s soft fur. “Come on. Let’s get you something to eat and drink.”