A Weekend Getaway (13 page)

CHAPTER TWELVE

Gasping, Beth
felt as if she’d just been thrown off a cliff. “You really don’t want kids?”
She stood and walked around the bed so she could face him.

“Don’t be like
this, Beth.” He dropped his tie and squeezed her tight shoulders.

 
“This is big.”

“I’m not saying
we won’t ever have kids. Just not in the foreseeable future.”

Her head throbbed
and for once, she wouldn’t let his massage distract her. “I need some time to
think.”

Racing
downstairs, she grabbed her coat and purse, then rushed out to her car. She
wasn’t sure where she was going, but she had to get away.

After driving around
aimlessly for thirty minutes, she found herself parked in front of Sarah’s
yellow house on a cul-de-sac across town. A child’s bike sat in the driveway
and a homemade pinecone and peanut butter bird feeder swung in a nearby
red-leafed maple tree. The only thing missing was a white picket fence. Beth
checked herself in the rearview mirror. Her face was a little blotchy. She used
her fingers to straighten her dishwater blonde hair and walked up to the front
porch. A dog barked in the backyard as she rang the bell.

Sarah, wearing
a polka-dotted apron, answered the door. “Beth! Are you all right?” She stepped
aside and waved for her to come in.

A woody,
balsamic aroma filled the air. Beth suddenly felt guilty. “I’m sorry. Did I
interrupt dinner?”

Sarah took off
her apron and laid it on a dining room chair. She pulled her long braid over
one shoulder. “No. The rosemary chicken isn’t quite ready yet. Can I get you
something to drink?”

Beth shook her
head. “No, no. I should’ve called first. It’s just
that.
. .Drew and I got in a fight. . .and I had to get away. Before I knew it, I
ended up here. I hope that’s okay.”

Sarah hugged
her. “Of course. You’re welcome any time. No need to call first.”

A
thirteen-year-old girl with dark brown hair past her shoulders slunk into the
room. Except for the attitude, she bore a strong resemblance to her mother. “I
can’t find my library book.” She pushed her bangs out of her almond-shaped
eyes. “Did you put it somewhere?”

Sarah focused
on her daughter. “Check the bookshelf in your room. I think I put it there when
I was dusting.”

The girl huffed
and marched out of the room.

Sarah shrugged.
“Teenagers. Everything I do is wrong these days.”

Beth looked at
the floor scattered with children’s toys. It was the best kind of mess possible.

Sarah gestured
toward the stairs. “Let’s go to my room so we can talk. If we stay out here,
we’ll be constantly interrupted with more obvious questions from my children.”

Beth followed
Sarah up the well-worn carpeted steps and noticed index cards taped to the
walls labeling each object: light, hall, door, picture. Her youngest must be
learning to read already.

Beth sighed.
Sarah’s life was the opposite of hers in every way. Sarah had put home before
career, whereas Beth was just now starting to question if she’d chosen the
right priorities herself. No wonder their friendship had disintegrated over the
years.

Once inside the
master bedroom, Sarah set aside a half-finished knitting project so they could
sit on yellow chairs which flanked the window. She curled her legs under her as
if she were still in college, about to chat about boys. “What’s going on?”

Beth took a
deep breath and nervously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Emma’s gone
and Drew and I got into a fight and. . . I spoke to Hannah.”

Sarah’s hazel
eyes lit up with obvious joy. “And?”

“She sounds
like she had a good upbringing. I didn’t get a chance to tell her
about.
. . you know. I kind of thought maybe I could do it
in person, but when I asked if she wanted to meet me. . .” Tears pricked her
eyes and she took several breaths to regain control. “She said no.”

Sarah covered
her mouth. “I’m so sorry.”

“I always
thought that I could see her whenever I was ready. It never occurred to me that
she wouldn’t want to see me. All she wants is to know about her biological
father.”

“That’s
strange.”

“I think it’s
because her adoptive father died. I mean, it makes sense. It just hurts.” Her
chest heaved.

“Her father
died?”

Beth nodded.
“Cancer.”

“That’s
terrible.” She paused as if showing respect for the dead before proceeding.
“What did you tell her about Parker?”

“Nothing. I’m
not sure if it’s my place to share where he is. When I told him, he went
ballistic. He yelled for me to leave.” She swallowed. “What should I do? I
really want to see her.”

Sarah tilted
her head with an empathetic expression on her face. “I thought you wanted to
forget about her.”

“I did. But
everything’s different now. I keep thinking that I want my own child. If I stay
with Drew that might not ever happen. So I feel compelled to at least meet
Hannah. I can’t explain it.”

“You don’t have
to explain it. You’re her mother.”

Beth sucked on
her lower lip. Mother. “I know I’m not her mom, not in the way that really
matters. But I want to meet her. I have to meet her. What should I do?”

Pausing a
moment, Sarah glanced out the window. “You can’t force it.” Her focus returned
to Beth. “She’s a teenager, right? Well, you met mine. If you push her to do
something, she’ll just dig in her heels. It’s how they are. Besides, you need
to give her time to process things. She’s tracked you down, she’s lost her
adoptive father,
she’s
on an emotional roller coaster.
Be patient.”

Beth gulped
some air. Be patient. “I don’t know how.”

“You can do it.
Tell her what she wants to know. If she wants to know about Parker, tell her.
Maybe if you start slowly, you can build up her trust.”

“Okay.” She saw
empathy lining her friend’s usually tranquil face. “But I feel like I can’t
move forward with my life until I see my daughter alive and well.”

Sarah nodded
and pulled her knee to her chest. “Just remember, the more you push, the harder
she’ll resist.”

Beth’s cell phone
rang and she hesitated when she saw Drew’s name on caller
i.d.
She exchanged a nervous look with Sarah before answering. “Hello?”

His voice
sounded a little tense. “I thought you’d want to know Missy brought Emma back.”

# # #

The little girl’s presence created a temporary truce between
Beth and Drew. Funny how supervising baths and having tea parties and reading
bedtime stories distracted a couple from the big issues. After work one day,
Drew took Emma with him to the hardware store to pick out the paint color for
her room while Beth went straight home to prepare dinner.

As she pulled carrots out of the refrigerator, a strong rap
on the front door demanded her attention. When she opened it, a short man,
dressed in a brown sheriff’s uniform, looked her in the eye. The star on his
chest shone in the November sunlight. “Bethany Morris?”

Her heartbeat ramped up. She nodded, wondering what had gone
wrong. Had Drew been in an accident? Was Emma all right?

He handed her a large envelope. “You’ve been served.” He
turned and briskly walked away. For a moment, she stared at the back of his
balding head, convinced he had the wrong woman. The wrong Bethany Morris.

Eventually, she shut the front door.

Ripping open the envelope, she gave herself a vicious paper
cut. She sucked her bloody thumb as she scanned the legal documents, trying to
understand what they said.

“Parker DuBois versus Bethany Morris. Summons in a Civil
Action. You are hereby summoned, to appear before the court with respect to the
intentional infliction of emotional distress to Parker DuBois. If you do not so
appear, judgment by default will be taken against you for the relief demanded
in the complaint.”

Her heart thudded against her ribs in pure panic.

She read the details. It sounded like Parker was suing her.
For an exorbitant amount of money. Five times her annual salary. He claimed
that by keeping their child away from him, she had caused him pain and
suffering.

Sweat formed on her skin as she leaned against the wall in
her foyer for support. He didn’t need the money, and he certainly knew she
didn’t have this much on-hand. This was pure vengeance. Did she need to get a
lawyer? Was she going to lose her entire life savings and still be in debt?
Would Hannah be forced to take sides?

Parker was pissed. She’d hoped maybe he’d settled down since
she told him about Hannah, but apparently not. And he had the unlimited
resources to make her life hell. She needed to talk to someone who understood
legal lingo. Did she know anyone who was a lawyer?

Sucking on her bloody thumb, she scoured her memory banks.

She only knew one person who’d passed the bar. Someone she’d
kept in the dark for years. Someone she dreaded to tell.

# # #

The next day Beth sat in a Chicago-style pizza parlor,
across from the only lawyer she knew. The scent of melting mozzarella and
Italian seasonings filled the air, but the tantalizing aroma did nothing to
help Beth’s mood. The meeting was guaranteed to be awkward.

While “O Sole Mio” played on an accordion over the stereo
speakers, the attorney slid off her wool coat, shook her bob then glanced at
Beth’s left hand. “When you said you wanted to see me right away, I’d thought
maybe you were engaged.”

Beth’s shoulders clenched as she picked up the menu, her
paper-cut, bandaged thumb feeling big and clumsy. “Sorry to disappoint you,
Mom.”

“I just don’t understand why so many young people today
choose to live together instead of getting married. Beyond the moral
implications, it causes all sorts of legal problems. I see it every day in my
office. Especially if they buy a house together or have children.” She stopped
herself there, perhaps realizing she was treading on thin ice. She picked up
her menu. “What sounds good?”

“Whatever you want.” Not that there was anything on there
that wouldn’t cause Beth to balloon up. She hated that her mom never had to
worry about weight the way she did. She hadn’t wanted to dicker over the
restaurant, though, when she had more critical things on her mind.

The waitress, wearing long, dangling earrings and her black
hair in a ponytail, breezed over. Beth ordered ice water and a salad while her
mom ordered a Coke along with a small everything pizza. After the waitress
placed the napkin-wrapped silverware on the table, Beth knew the conversation
needed to get serious. Time was slipping away.

Her mom studied her, and as if reading Beth’s thoughts said,
“Well, what’s the big news?”

Beth avoided looking at her. She didn’t want her mom to
think even less of her. Over the last year, she’d sent Beth on many guilt trips
about living with Drew and how it made her father look bad to his parishioners.
This was even worse.

Stalling, Beth watched as a group of office workers entered
the restaurant and selected a corner booth. They wished a pudgy woman, “Happy
birthday, the big 5-0” so loudly they drowned out the music.

The waitress returned to Beth’s and her mom’s table and
quickly dropped off their drinks. Beth grabbed for hers. Watching the birthday
celebration to avoid eye contact, she took a long sip on the straw.

It scared her to death to admit this to her mom. Even more
so than to Drew. She figured at some point, it would be revealed to him,
especially if and when he became her husband. But for sixteen years, Beth had
hidden this from her parents. Telling her mom was the same as revealing it to
her dad since they didn’t keep secrets from one another. Her chest suddenly
felt heavy.

Her mom cleared her throat. “Is it something bad? You look
terrible. Please tell me you’re not. . .” The woman couldn’t even say the word
pregnant
.

“No, Mom.” Beth rummaged in her purse and pulled out the
legal documents. She handed them to her mom.

Putting on her dime store reading glasses, her mom peered
down her nose at the papers. “You’re being sued? For what? The intentional
infliction of emotional distress. For what? I don’t understand.”

Even now, Beth waited. As if a few more seconds would take
the sting out of her mom’s disapproval. She lowered her voice. “I’m not
pregnant, but I was once. Back in college.” She forced her gaze to meet her
mother’s. Beth wanted to see her mom’s instinctive reaction.

Her mom’s mouth fell open. “You what?”

“My freshman year. It just kind of happened.” Would blaming
alcohol help? Probably not.

“It just kind of happened?” Her pitch and volume rose. The
corner booth office workers glanced their way.

Beth waited for the onlookers to lose interest, then leaned
in. “It’s not like you ever taught me about birth control.” She regretted the
words immediately, because come to find out, lashing out didn’t make her feel
any better. “Anyway, I got pregnant and I wasn’t ready to have a baby. I
figured the best thing to do was to put her up for adoption.”

The sixty-year-old woman swallowed. “Her? I have a
granddaughter? You’re telling me that all of these years. . . I’ve had a
grandchild?”

Beth didn’t respond. Her mom almost sounded wistful, but
just like Parker, the woman wouldn’t have been so excited about the pregnancy
at the time.

Her mom pursed her thin lips. “Explain to me why Parker
wants to sue you.”

“He’s the father, but I never told him. You know he married
my roommate, Ivy. The thing with him and me was just a one-night stand.”
Judgment darkened her mother’s features, but Beth continued. “Recently I found
out he’s sick, really sick, and isn’t going to live past middle-age. I realized
I had to tell him about the baby. He was furious and now it looks like he’s
trying to punish me for keeping this from him.”