Forever My Hero, page 28
Alice was angry all over again, remembering the shock they’d all endured when they were rejected by their family. She’d had no idea how deeply it had affected Patty and had never heard her use the description bad grandma before.
“I know how to make Bad Grandma go away,” Dan said.
Patty swiped away tears. “Really?”
He nodded. “We have to do this together. You, Mama, and me.”
Alice was intrigued. “What do we need to do?”
“What was her name?”
“Beulah,” Alice said.
“Okay, now all of us hold hands. Then we need to close our eyes. Picture Bad Grandma’s face and keep looking. I’m going to say a prayer for her to be happy, and you watch and see if she begins to smile. When she smiles at you, then Bad Grandma is gone and Happy Grandma is back. Are you ready? Okay, now close your eyes.”
Dan watched Alice and Patty’s eyes shut and was moved by the fact that both of them immediately frowned. Bad Grandma must have been a real headache. Then he closed his eyes, too, trying to paraphrase what Holly had said.
“Something has made Beulah sad and angry, Lord. We’re asking you to look in her heart and find the little girl she used to be, and then whisper in her ear that she is loved.”
He heard Alice’s swift intake of breath and knew it had moved her, but he kept talking. “Remind Beulah how to be happy, and please tell her no one is mad at her. Isn’t this right, girls?”
Alice’s voice shook, but she didn’t hesitate. “I’m not mad at you anymore, Beulah.”
Then Patty piped up. “I’m not mad, Grandma.”
All of a sudden they heard movement in the door behind them. “I’m not mad, either,” Charlie said.
Dan motioned for him to join them, and pulled Charlie into the circle. “Okay, Lord, Beulah knows she is forgiven. Tell her to go in peace and be happy.” Then Dan whispered, “Now we wait until you see her smile.”
Alice was the first. “I see it. She’s smiling at me.”
“I see your smile, Grandma,” Charlie said.
“Grandma is laughing,” Patty said.
“Then it’s done,” Dan said. “She won’t be sad anymore.”
Patty crawled out of her mother’s lap and into Dan’s arms. “Thank you for taking Bad Grandma away.”
“I didn’t do it. You and Mama and Charlie did it.”
“Thanks, Dan,” Charlie said.
“Group hug,” Dan said, and Alice didn’t hesitate to join in. He looked at her over the heads of her children and saw tears in her eyes, but she was smiling. He’d take that as an affirmation.
“Okay, kids, let’s try to get back to sleep,” Alice said.
“Not sleepy yet, Mama,” Patty said.
“I’m not sleepy anymore, either,” Charlie said.
But Dan knew it was because of what had just happened. “Well, I hate to brag, but I also know how to fix this,” and he winked at Alice. “If it’s okay with Mama, I think this might be the perfect time for an ice cream raid.”
“Mama says that’s a great idea,” Alice said.
“Yay!” Patty said, and bailed out of Dan’s lap.
“Robe and house shoes!” Alice said. “And for me, as well.”
“What about Elliot?” Patty asked.
“I think Elliot needs sleep worse than he needs ice cream,” Dan said. “And we need to be quiet so we don’t wake him as we go downstairs.”
A few minutes later, they were at the kitchen table eating ice cream and laughing and talking. By the time the ice cream was gone, so were the memories of the dream. The kids were running ahead of them up the stairs when Alice reached for Dan’s hand.
“Just when I think I’ve seen the best there is of you, you turn around and show me a new and wonderful facet. You are an amazing person, a wonderful man, and forever my hero.”
Dan was so moved that he kissed her there, without caring that the kids might turn around and see them, and knowing he would spend the rest of the night awake and wanting her.
But it was worth it.
* * *
The next day dawned with a nearly clear sky and no sign of rain. The street and garbage crews were making rounds for the first time in days, picking up limbs, cleaning up flood debris, pulling Blessings back together one street at a time.
Charlie spent some time cleaning up the dogtrot, with Booger nearby. Alice and Patty were doing a load of laundry, and Dan was outside using a chain saw on the trees he’d lost in the back of the house.
Elliot went across the street to talk to the Martin family who was living in the garage apartment, and then later Dan saw Ellis Martin outside with Elliot, removing the shutters and taking down the boards from the windows.
At the same time all that was going on, Alice received a phone call from Barton Rowland. She answered without looking at caller ID, and then her heart skipped a beat when she heard his voice. “Hello?”
“Mrs. Conroy, this is Barton Rowland. I hope you and your family have fared safely during the hurricane?”
Alice’s heart was racing. She hated confrontations of all kinds, even if she was on the receiving end of apologies. “Yes, we are all fine.”
“Wonderful. The reason I’m calling is to ask permission for our wives and daughters to come apologize to you and Patty in person. Would this afternoon be okay, or would you prefer another time?”
“No, this afternoon is fine.”
“Are you okay with two o’clock?” he asked.
“Yes, I can make that work, but we’re not at home. We have been guests of Dan Amos during the hurricane and will likely be here until power is restored. Do you know where he lives?”
“Yes, that’s Preston Williams’s old estate, right?”
“Yes.”
“We’re all coming together so this isn’t a long intrusion into your day.”
“We’ll be waiting,” Alice said, and hung up.
She sat thinking about the afternoon ahead, then sighed. “May as well get this over with,” she said, then got up and took a cold bottle of water outside to Dan.
He saw her coming and killed the chain saw. “Hey, beautiful. Is that for me?”
She nodded and handed him the water, watching as he drank in long, thirsty gulps.
“Thank you,” he said, and then sat down on the trunk of the tree and pulled her between his legs. “So, what’s going on?”
“How do you know anything is going on?” she asked.
He put his finger on the space between her eyebrows. “Because when you’re bothered, there are four little frown lines right here, even when you’re pretending it’s all good. So confess.”
“The three girls and their mothers are coming here this afternoon at two to make their apologies to Patty and to me. I am begging for your attendance.”
“You couldn’t keep me away,” he said. “I would hug you, but I’m too sweaty and dirty.”
She put her arms around his neck and leaned against him anyway. “Thank you,” she said.
“Thank you? I’m not doing you a favor, my darling Alice. There’s something I don’t think you have completely grasped. I love you. With all my heart. I felt it before we made love, but I knew it afterward. We belong.”
Alice leaned back. “I love you, too, Danner Amos. So much.”
“Then we’re on the same page. Yes?”
She nodded.
Dan smiled. “When you have trouble, I’m your go-to, yes?”
“Yes.”
“And you will always be my touchstone. No secrets between us from this day forward,” he added.
Tears were running down her cheeks. “Deal.”
Dan wiped away her tears. “Best deal I ever made, too,” he said, and sealed it with a kiss.
Chapter 21
Patty’s long blond hair was shiny clean and curly, and Alice had dressed her in jeans, a little yellow blouse, and tennis shoes. She was sitting primly beside her mother, who was wearing almost the same thing, except Alice’s shirt was blue-and-white plaid, and her thick, dark hair was hanging loose around her face. She still had the bandage on her right hand, and after a futile attempt to put makeup on with her left hand, she’d washed it all off and settled for a little lipstick.
Charlie was sitting nearby with Booger lying at his feet, and Dan was just coming down the stairs when the doorbell rang. “I’ll get it,” he said as he strode past the living room on his way to the front door.
Alice was so caught up in the black jeans and long-sleeved white shirt he was wearing that she forgot to be anxious about who was on the other side of the door. Then she felt Patty scoot a little closer and reached for her hand.
“We’ve got this,” she whispered, and winked.
Patty relaxed and then smiled.
But the three families at the door weren’t smiling, and when they saw Dan’s imposing figure in the doorway of an equally imposing home, their anxiety rose.
“Good afternoon,” Dan said. “Come in. We’ve been waiting for you.” And just like that, he not only took control of their presence, but let them know Alice and Patty were not facing this alone. As soon as he shut the door, he gestured. “Follow me,” he said, and led them into the living room, well aware that it was the most imposing room in the house.
The massive fireplace at the end of the room and the rich cherrywood paneling on the walls was a nod to old elegance. But the oxblood red of the leather chairs and sofas, the gold sconces on the walls, the ancient andirons at the fireplace, along with the massive crystal chandelier hanging from the thirty-foot ceiling above the seating area, were ostentatious and anything but subtle.
“Seat yourselves,” Dan said as he took a seat on the arm of the sofa beside Alice and then casually rested his hand on her shoulder.
The men saw it as a reminder that he would back her on whatever she chose to do. The women saw it as the gesture of a man who’d already staked his claim.
Their attention moved to Alice Conroy, sitting calmly in all that glamour, wearing jeans and a plaid shirt, with only a swipe of lipstick. A true example of the old saying that “Less is more,” and she was still the prettiest woman in the room.
Alice saw them staring and judging, and decided to take control of this meeting.
“I’m Alice Conroy. This is my daughter, Patty, and my son, Charlie. I’m assuming you know Danner Amos. I know none of you. Not even your daughters, which makes this meeting all the more shocking to me. I’ve already spoken to your husbands, so I have no need to hear anything more from them. Will the rest of you please stand when you introduce yourselves, then say what you came to say.”
The women were dumbfounded. They had expected a hillbilly. Instead, they got a queen wearing plaid.
Renée Rowland spoke first. “I’m Renée Rowland, and—”
“She asked you to stand,” Dan said.
Renée blinked, stood, and made Judy stand up beside her. “I’m Renée Rowland, and this is my daughter, Judy. I am so terribly embarrassed about all of this. I hope you accept my apology. I should not listen to gossip and certainly should not have passed it on as fact to my daughter.”
Renée poked her daughter, then nodded.
Judy looked down at the floor and before she even opened her mouth, Dan spoke again.
“Young lady, you did not offend the floor. Patty is waiting for your apology. You look at her.”
Renée paled, thinking of the lengths to which all of this could still go. “Do what he said, Judy.”
Judy was pasty-faced as she looked at Patty. “I did a bad thing. Mama told me not to play with you, but she didn’t tell me to be mean to you. I saw you fall. I am so sorry I didn’t tell Teacher right then. I didn’t want you to get hurt. I just wanted Teacher to myself. I’m sorry. Really sorry.” And then she started to cry.
Patty shrank back against her mama’s arm. Listening to what Judy had been thinking about her made her sad.
Charlotte Wells stood up next, with her daughter Ruthie at her side. “This is all so horribly upsetting. I don’t know what to say.”
“‘I’m sorry’ would be a good way to begin,” Dan said.
Charlotte’s expression blanked. “Uh…yes, of course. I’m so sorry, Miss Conroy, I—”
“Mrs. I’m a widow,” Alice said shortly.
Charlotte was pissed she had to do this. It was so demeaning. But she was far more nervous about what her husband was going to do to her than about all of this. She feared he was going to ask for a divorce, and that didn’t fit into how she envisioned her future.
“I’m Charlotte Wells, and this is my daughter Ruthie. I’m so very sorry I was a part of this. I’m even sorrier that your daughter was hurt. It was certainly never our goal to have anyone hurt.”
Alice interrupted. “You had a goal? Regarding me? What exactly did you hope to achieve?”
Charlotte moaned. “I didn’t mean it like that. There wasn’t a specific goal, just making sure we weren’t harboring drug dealers, you see.”
Alice’s heart was starting to pound. The woman wasn’t just mean. She was stupid, too. “So, your point is that people with a family member who gets hooked on drugs are also dealers?”
Jack Wells tapped his wife on the back of her head. “Charlotte, do us all a favor. Apologize and then shut the hell up.”
“Pleaseforgiveme,” she muttered, then pushed Ruthie forward.
Ruthie was confused. Judy was the one who hadn’t told their teacher that Patty had fallen, and she didn’t understand why she was in all this trouble. But she knew what her daddy was going to do to her if she didn’t do this right. He’d already taken away her blankie and electronics until Christmas, and it was only September. So she took a deep breath and repeated what she’d practiced to say, and said it with a big, happy smile on her face, thinking that looking friendly would be proper.
“I’m sorry, Patty. I’m sorry you were hurt. I’m sorry we were mean to you at school. I promise never to do that again.”
Charlotte and Ruthie sat down.
Dan kept watching Jack Wells’s face. The man was livid, but not at the situation. It was all directed at his wife and daughter.
And then Deidre and her daughter stood up. “I’m Deidre Treat, and this is my daughter, Carlene. I am so ashamed of myself right now that it’s hard to talk. I let myself be influenced because I wanted these two ladies to like me. I went along to get along, as my granny used to say, and it was my mistake. I am disgusted with myself that I spread gossip. In my mind, that’s the same thing as lying, and yet I did it. The horrifying part is that I actually told my daughter not to play with your sweet child. I did it because I wanted these two women to like me, without thinking about how it would hurt Patty. I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but I sure do want it. I’m sorry, Alice. I’m as sorry as a woman can be and still be breathing.” Then she patted Carlene’s back. “Your turn, sweetie.”
Carlene was already crying. “I’m sorry, Patty. I should never have said bad things about you. I should have played with you when you wanted to play. If you ever want to play with me again, I will say yes, a thousand times. And I am so sorry you got hurt. Please don’t be mad at me. I won’t be mean to you or anyone else as long as I live,” she said, and then she burst into tears.
Before Alice knew what was happening, Patty was off the sofa and hugging Carlene. “It’s okay,” she said. “I’m not mad at you. I was never mad at any of you. I just wanted you to like me.”
Alice dropped to her knees and pulled both little girls up to her, hugging them tight. Then she stood. “Thank you, Carlene. We accept your apologies. Thank you.”
“What about mine?” Renée asked.
Alice shifted her gaze to the woman without blinking. “So, Renée, the first words out of your mouth were that you were embarrassed. You lost me after that, but I heard you out. Your daughter is a child. I hope you teach her how to be a better person, or by the time she’s grown and happens to see you in need of rescue, you’re gonna be up shit creek.
“As for you, Mrs. Wells, you and I both know that wasn’t an apology. When school begins again, just know that if this gossip hasn’t stopped, and if you haven’t curbed your daughter’s behavior toward mine, then I will turn the entire matter over to my attorney, Danner Amos. Dan, would you care to have a word with them before they leave?”
Dan stood up, started to speak, and then stopped. “Charlie, would you please take your sister to the kitchen for a little snack? Maybe share another Pepsi and some cookies?”
“Yes, sir,” Charlie said, and took Patty by the hand and left the room, with Booger at their heels.
As soon as they were out of hearing distance, Dan lit into the three families.
“In my other life, before I came here, I was the most effective prosecutor in Dallas, Texas. I was on a first-name basis with most of the big shots in that city, and trust me, there are a lot of them. In my whole career, I tried hundreds of cases and put a lot of criminals in prison for a long time. So if you think I’m going to let all this slide just because everyone said ‘I’m sorry,’ then you’d better think again. One word from Alice, and you’ll be selling everything you own to get out from under the money you’ll be paying for her pain and suffering and the defamation of her character, not to mention the physical and emotional trauma that little girl incurred because of what your daughters did…on your orders.
“Because of what you said and did, a little girl almost died. That will make national news. Your names and faces will be plastered all over social media and news stations across the country. So when school starts again, you’d better make sure that the gossip and lies you spread are over and your daughters have learned what it means to be kind. If you don’t…if you and yours are still messing with her, I’ll be messing with you. Do we all understand each other now?”
