Authors: Leigh Bale
“I’d feel better if you went to see
a doctor first,” Mac told her. “You may need some X-rays.”
Toni pressed a hand against her
sore ribcage. “I don’t think that’ll be necessary. I can take a deep breath
without my side hurting as much. Except for my sore fingers, I feel fine.”
He frowned, but accepted her
decision without comment. The afternoon sun filtered through two Joshua Trees
in the front yard. Dad had planted them when they’d first moved into the house
just after Toni’s third birthday. She didn’t have a single memory that didn’t
include her childhood home.
Thankfully, her grandmother’s car
wasn’t in the driveway. “Grams said she’d stay at Aunt Holly’s until I get
there. She was going to have Uncle Glade pick up Cara.”
The front windows looked black and
vacant. A symbol that joy no longer lived in this house. In one window, a small
flag with a single star remained suctioned to the window pane. A reminder that
they had a marine serving in a war zone. Neither her nor Grams had the heart to
replace it with a gold star, which meant Eric wouldn’t be coming home.
“I dread going inside,” Toni
confessed.
“I know, but I’m here. Come on.”
His words renewed her confidence
and his smile stirred her heart. They headed up the walkway. Mac took her key
from her trembling hands and unlocked the front door. She turned the knob to go
inside, but Mac lifted a hand to intercede. “Let me go first.”
He stepped into the entranceway
with Toni right on his heels. At that moment, Cara came bounding down the
stairs, her backpack slung over one shoulder. Toni stared with surprise. Cara
wasn’t supposed to be here.
“Why aren’t you with Uncle Glade?”
The girl drew up short, her gaze
darting to Mac. “Because I’ve been with Shannon. What are you doing home?”
“I live here, remember? Have you
talked to Grams this morning?” Grateful her sister was safe, Toni sighed
inwardly as she gaped at Cara’s gothic attire. Everything black. Black boots,
hose, skirt and vest. Even her spiked hair, nail polish and lipstick were black
as sin.
“Nope. I’ve been busy. You’re never
home in the middle of the day.” Cara’s tone sounded sullen.
Toni ignored the urge to snap back
at her younger sister, but couldn’t help feeling as though Cara had been
sneaking off somewhere. Obviously Grams hadn’t reached Cara and the girl had no
idea what had happened.
“Hi, Mac. You guys getting back
together?” The teenager hugged Mac, wearing a half-hearted smile.
Toni’s face heated up like road
flares.
Mac answered before Toni could
think of a response. “Hi, sweetheart. How’s your soccer and guitar coming
along?”
The color drained from Cara’s face,
replaced by a pale look of remorse. “I…I don’t play sports now and I don’t have
time for the guitar.”
Mac crossed his arms and leaned
against the doorjamb. “Really? Why not? You’re so good at both.”
She shrugged. “Just because.”
Toni shifted nervously. If the
truth be known, Cara’s grades had fallen steadily since their parents died last
year. Eric’s death seemed to throw her off the deep end. With such a low GPA,
she’d been tossed off the soccer team. Toni worried about her sister. It seemed
she’d lost interest in all the good things she used to enjoy in life, replaced
by fast friends and ugly habits Toni shuddered to contemplate. Even counseling
hadn’t helped.
Mac gave Cara a fond smile. “I’m
sorry to hear that. You play the guitar better than anyone I’ve ever met.”
A flush of pleasure suffused the
girl’s face. “You really think so?”
“Yeah, I’ve always been proud of
you. An honor student and the star player on the girls soccer team. If you
start playing again, I’ll make a point of coming to your games whenever I’m in
town.”
“You’d do that for me?” The girl
looked hopeful and Toni couldn’t help thinking how much she must miss Dad and
Eric. Kids needed both a woman and a man’s loving influence in their lives.
“Absolutely! I wouldn’t miss a
game.”
“Why aren’t you in school?” Toni
asked.
“No school today. It’s staff
development, remember? I told you about it last week.” Cara’s voice held an
edge of resentment. She hesitated on the bottom step, her gaze sliding toward
the door, as if she longed to escape.
“Sorry, I forgot.” How foolish of
her. Grams had said Cara wouldn’t be home until this evening, but the man with
the ponytail could have shown up with Cara alone in the house. Toni’s gaze
swept over Cara’s skin-tight sweater, which showed a substantial amount of
cleavage and midriff. The teenager looked like a hoodlum with her garish makeup
and hair spiked to thorny points.
“I’m going out.” Cara tried to edge
past Toni and Mac.
“Uh-uh. We’ve got a problem I need
to tell you about. And you’re not going out looking like that.” Toni shook her
head and crossed her arms, positioning herself in front of the door.
“What’s wrong with the way I look?”
Toni’s eyes widened. “If you can’t
figure it out, then you didn’t learn much from Mom and Dad.”
Toni hated arguing with Cara in
front of Mac, but it couldn’t be helped. Cara seemed to take special delight in
picking public fights.
Mac leaned against the wall to rest
his leg, averting his eyes, as if he wished he could disappear. Parenting came
at the most awkward moments. For months, Toni had tried to be both Cara’s
sister and friend. Over time, they’d become enemies instead.
“Don’t bring Mom and Daddy into
this,” Cara said. “Don’t you remember what it feels like to be young?”
Toni braced a hand against the wall
to steady her nerves. Still in her twenties, she felt closer to eighty. “Of
course I do. It was last Tuesday.”
Cara snorted. “You pick on me every
chance you get.”
“Cara, I’m not picking on you, but
I do care about you. Where are you going? Who will you be with? And when are
you planning to come home?”
Cara’s face hardened, her eyes
flashing with anger. “You’re not my mother.”
Their voices escalated.
“Excuse me,” Mac interceded in a
soft tone. “May I suggest a small compromise?”
“No!” In the heat of battle, both
Toni and Cara spoke in unison as they turned and glowered at him.
He flinched, then chuckled and
lifted his hands as if to ward them off. “Whoa, come on, ladies. I can give you
an outsider’s perspective.” He smiled at Cara. “Why don’t you change your shirt
into something more modest and you can be home by six o’clock. Deal?”
“Mac, she has homework,” Toni
interrupted. “I don’t let her go off with friends until her work is done.”
Cara stomped one foot, leaving a
slim black mark against the baseboard of the wall. “You just want to keep me
prisoner in this house. You don’t trust me.”
“You lost my trust, Cara. Remember
you were arrested last month for shoplifting, and then you stayed out all night
without telling me where you were. Grams and I walked the floor, fretting,
calling the hospital and police, afraid you might be in trouble or dead. Now,
you have to earn our trust back.”
Cara breathed a melodramatic sigh.
“Did I ask you to stay up all night worrying about me? Huh? Did I?”
Toni’s face stiffened. “We stayed
up all night because we love you, Cara. It’s not fair for you to worry us
needlessly. You know Grams has been sick. She needs rest. Think about someone
besides yourself for once.”
Cara bit her lip, her eyes angry
and sparkling with tears. Toni didn’t know what it might take to get through to
her. To make her realize how much she and Grandma loved her.
“Hey, Cara,” Mac gave the girl a
half-smile. “How about I order an extra-large pizza and you spend the evening
over at your Aunt Holly’s with us? I’ll even help with your homework. I’m
pretty good at math.”
Cara looked him over like he had a
stink bug plastered to his forehead. “I don’t think so. I have to go to
Shannon’s house to study. We’re working on a poster for art class. It’s a team
effort and Shannon’s my partner.”
Toni thought this over. She then quickly
explained about the ponytail man shooting at her and trying to push her and Mac
off the road that morning. She omitted the part about Eric’s stolen letter. “It
may not be safe for you to be here at the house alone. I want you to go to Aunt
Holly’s place.”
The girl shrugged, seeming
unconcerned. “No one’s gonna come here. Besides, I’m on my way out. Shannon’s
mom will give me a ride over to Aunt Holly’s place after we’re finished with
our project.”
Mac glanced at Toni, raising his
eyebrows in question. “If she changes her shirt first, does that sound okay?”
Not exactly, but getting Cara to
concede to change her immodest top was a big milestone as far as Toni was
concerned. Certainly more progress than she’d been able to achieve with her
sister in the past months. Maybe taking baby steps was the key to softening her
sister’s rebellion.
“Okay, but I want you over at Aunt
Holly’s place by seven o’clock tonight, not at Shannon’s. Until we find out
what the ponytail man wants, I think it’s for the best. Agreed””
Cara gave an impatient nod.
“Good. But Cara, I want you to take
this seriously. This man tried to kill us. Do you understand?”
“Of course. I’m not a child.”
Yes, you are! Toni wanted to shout
the words at her sister, but bit her tongue instead.
Cara gave a happy sound of victory
before turning to pound up the stairs to go change her shirt.
Toni glanced at Mac. “I hate to
admit you handled that situation better than me. After our parents died, I used
to let Cara do anything she wanted, until she got into trouble. Then, I pulled
in the reins and we started fighting all the time. I’ve tried reverse
psychology and grounding her, but she just sneaks out of the house. It’s been
hard on all of us and I don’t know how to get through to her.”
He quirked one brow. “I’m sorry
it’s come to that, but things will change. Thankfully, all kids grow up.”
“I just hope it’s soon, before she
does something serious to ruin her life.”
“She might surprise you. When it
comes down to it, she’ll remember the good values you and your parents have
taught her over the years and make the right decisions.”
“I hope you’re right.” She stepped
into the living room, feeling better in spite of everything.
Mac followed her, glancing around.
His gaze centered on a framed picture on the mantel of Eric looking handsome in
his dress blue uniform. The photo rested next to a tall, delicate green vase,
the glass etched with scenes of bluebirds and pink, exotic flowers.
“That’s pretty,” he said. “I
remember the day Eric bought it for you.”
“You were there?” she asked.
“Actually, I picked it out. He
couldn’t decide between the vase and a red handbag.”
She chuckled, then clutched her
sore ribs. It still hurt to laugh. “Thank you. I’d rather have the vase. Eric
never was very good at picking out gifts. I think that’s why this one means so
much to me. He gave me the vase the last time he was home on leave.”
Just after she and Mac had broken
up. The vase was a cherished gift. Knowing Mac had picked the vase out made her
feel strange inside. As if both men had given the vase to her. She wasn’t quite
sure what to think of that.
He stepped near and she looked up
at his face, lost in the depths of his brown eyes.
“I’m sorry for ever hurting you,
Toni. I wish things could be different between us.”
So did she, but the change would
have to remain in his ball court. He’d broken up with her, not the other way
around. Even if he asked to get back together, she feared she’d never be able
to trust his commitment to her. What if he changed his mind again? “Things can
be different, Mac. It’s all up to you. But don’t make that move unless it’s for
keeps this time. I won’t accept anything less.”
She didn’t know how to give him a
more blunt invitation. All he had to do was say the word and she’d melt into
his arms like nothing bad had ever happened between them.
When he turned away, her heart gave
a painful jerk. She watched as he eased himself into a chair, knowing he still
wasn’t ready to settle down. At least not with her.
“Is your leg hurting you?” she
asked.
“It’s fine. I’ll wait here while
you get cleaned up and change your clothes.”
“Thank you.” Her voice wobbled and
she felt anxious to leave the room.
She glanced at the stairs. “Will
you make sure Cara’s wearing something modest when she comes down? I’ll call
Grams and let her know that she’ll be working over at Shannon’s house until
later.”
He didn’t look at her as he spoke.
“Sounds good, but you realize Cara could change back into something immodest
over at her friend’s house, right?”
“Yes, but I still have to enforce the
rules.”
He smiled. “I agree. I’ll make sure
she’s wearing something suitable.”
Toni went upstairs, passing by
Cara’s bedroom on silent feet. What a coward, trying to avoid her own sister.
When she returned to the living
room a short time later, she wore Capri’s, a light blue blouse and sandals. Mac
sat on the sofa, flicking absentmindedly through a magazine. He perked up when
she came into the room. His gaze scoured over her and one corner of his mouth
lifted in a pleased smile.
She felt the heat of a blush stain
her cheeks, confused by the mixed signals she was receiving from him. One
moment, it seemed he didn’t want her. The next moment, he gave her a look that
could melt honey.
The phone rang and Toni welcomed
the distraction.
Mac turned back to his magazine,
but she wasn’t fooled. He seemed aware of her every move. She caught his
occasional glance as she spoke to Keri, her store manager. As she listened to
Keri’s report, she tried to watch what she said, knowing Mac could hear her
conversation.