Finding Libbie (36 page)

Libbie sighed. “I try not to think of that. Poor Jack. He tried so hard. He had no way of knowing why I acted the way I did. It was better that he started his life over. A life with me would have been too painful for him. He deserved happiness.”

Tears filled Emily’s eyes. “You deserved happiness, too.”

“Oh, sweetie. I’m happy now, and that’s what counts. You’re here. I’m grateful for that.”

Long after Libbie had fallen asleep, Emily thought about all that she’d learned. It was sad that Libbie and her father had been torn apart by something neither one could control. It made her feel even happier that she’d found Libbie. At least now Libbie had people in her life again who loved her and cared about her. If only Jack could see Libbie now. She wondered what he’d think.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

Two weeks later, Jordan was gone. He finally left after holding out as long as he could for Emily to change her mind and go with him. After she’d registered for fall semester at Jamison State College, he realized at last that she was serious about staying.

He packed up his things and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “I wish you were coming along,” he told her. “But I guess you have your mind set on staying.”

“I want to build a life, Jordan. We’ve just been playing house, but now I want more. I hope you understand.”

“No, I don’t. But I wish you all the best anyway,” he said. Then he gave her one of his cute grins and left.

For a brief moment, Emily felt like she’d made a huge mistake. But then she remembered her dad, and her grandmother, and Libbie, and she knew her place was here.

Since the night Libbie had confided in her about her medical condition, she talked more openly about her and Jack’s life together and how much she’d loved him. Emily began to wonder if her father and Libbie should meet. If nothing else came of it, they could at least be friends. Her father was so lonely now without her mother, and Emily thought it would be nice if he had someone to spend time with. Libbie had told Emily that she didn’t have to live in the assisted living facility; she chose to stay there because she didn’t want to live alone. Maybe, if her father finally understood what had happened to Libbie all those years ago, just maybe they could come together again. Emily knew it was a stretch of the imagination to believe they could have their happily ever after all these years later, but it wasn’t completely out of the question.

Was it?

So Emily gathered up all her courage, put the hatbox of photos in her car, and headed out to her dad’s house.

She parked in front of her childhood home. The lake was smooth as glass on the warm August day, and the old oak and birch trees shaded the yard to a nice temperature. Emily gazed around the yard, trying to picture where Jack and Libbie’s cottage had once stood. It amazed her that her father had bought the land where he’d once loved Libbie and had been able to live there with the memories surrounding him all these years.

Maybe her idea wasn’t so ridiculous after all.

Emily found her father in his large garage, under the hood of a car.

“Hey, stranger,” Jack said, smiling widely as he wiped his hands on a rag. “What a great surprise.”

Emily set the hatbox on his workbench and walked over to give him a kiss on the cheek. His hair was longer than usual and mussed, and his coveralls needed washing, but the grin on his face was all that mattered to Emily.

“I see you’re hard at work again,” she said. “I thought you were going to start taking it easy.”

Jack shrugged. “It fills the day,” he said. “Hey, your grandmother told me about you and Jordan. I’m sorry to hear that it ended. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Jordan’s life plan didn’t fit with mine anymore. I’m going back to school and moving on with my life. And I’m excited about it.”

“Your grandmother told me that. I think it’s wonderful that you’re going back to school. You know that if you need extra money you can count on me to help, right?”

Emily smiled. “Thanks, Dad. I’m sure I’ll take you up on that.”

“This weekend is the big move. Your grandmother is getting excited about moving into the town house and not having to take care of that big place anymore,” Jack said.

Emily nodded. “Yeah. It’ll be good for her. It will be a fresh start.”

Jack glanced over her shoulder. “So, what’s in the box?”

Emily walked over to the bench where the hatbox sat and looked up at her dad. “It’s old photos Grandma and I found when we were packing up the house.”

“Really? Why’d you bring them here?”

Emily took a deep breath and then looked up into her father’s eyes. “They’re photos of you, Dad. When you were young. Of you and Libbie.”

Jack stood silent a moment, his expression unreadable. “So, your grandmother told you about Libbie, huh? Well, I guess it’s no secret.” He gazed at the box. “I’m surprised she kept those after all these years.”

“They’re amazing, Dad. You and Libbie were so adorable together. Do you want to look at them?” Emily stared at him, hopeful.

Jack slowly shook his head. “No, sweetheart. The past is best left in the past.” He turned and walked back toward the car.

Emily’s excitement faded. She followed her father across the garage. “Dad. Haven’t you ever wondered what happened to Libbie? Where she is? How her life turned out?”

Jack turned, a crease forming between his eyes. He didn’t look angry. He looked pained.

“I loved your mother, dear. We had a good life together and had you and your brother to fill our lives with happiness. I left the past behind me and built a new life.”

“Yet you chose to build that life on the same property where you and Libbie were once so happy,” Emily said gently.

“Leave it be, okay, honey?” Jack bent over the open engine.

“She’s alive, Dad,” Emily blurted out. “Libbie is still alive and doing well. She’s the prettiest, sweetest woman you could ever meet. She’s had a hard time through the years, but now she’s better. She’s . . . content.”

Jack’s head rose up sharply as he stared at Emily. “How do you know this?”

Emily took a step closer, feeling braver now. “Because I found her and I’ve been visiting her for the past few weeks. She’s amazing, Dad. She lives in an assisted living facility about forty miles north of here. Everyone there just loves her. I’ve grown to care about her, too.”

“Why would you do that? What on earth made you want to find her, to talk to her?”

“After Grandma told me your story, I had to find her. I needed to know if she was okay. You had your happily ever after with Mom. I needed to know if Libbie got hers.”

Silence swelled between them. For a moment, Emily thought her father wasn’t going to say another word. But then he turned to her.

“Did she?” Jack asked softly, his face suddenly looking tired and worn.

Emily slowly shook her head. “Libbie never had the chance to love again or have a family of her own. But she isn’t sad or bitter about it. She says she feels lucky to finally feel well and to have so many good people around her. And she’s happy that I found her. For the first time in years, she has visitors, like Carol, and your old neighbor, June, and even Grandma.”

“You’ve all been visiting her? Even your grandmother?”

Emily nodded. “Yes. And it would be wonderful if you’d go see her, too, Dad.”

Jack raised his hand as if to ward off the idea. “No. I can’t do that. I’m happy that Libbie is fine and her friends have found her again. But I can’t go. Libbie can’t possibly want to see me.”

“But she does want to see you, Dad. She’s talked often about your years together and how much she loved you.”

Jack shook his head. “No. I can’t see her. You don’t understand everything that happened.”

Emily crossed her arms. “Then tell me. Tell me why you can’t go see the woman you once loved?”

Jack’s shoulders sagged. He looked over at Emily and spoke quietly. “I failed her, Ems. That’s what happened. I promised to love and take care of her until the day I died, and I didn’t keep my promise. Believe me, Libbie doesn’t want to see me again.”

Tears welled in Emily’s eyes at her father’s sad words. She pictured him as a young man, heartbroken, being thrown out of his own home by Libbie’s father and sister. He hadn’t failed Libbie, her family had. “You were so young then, Dad. You can’t blame yourself for everything that happened. You didn’t know how sick Libbie was. No one knew. But that’s changed. She’s better now. Please, come with me on Sunday to see her.”

Jack shook his head. “No. I’m sorry, dear, but no.” He turned and walked a few steps away.

The tears Emily had tried so hard to hold back trailed down her cheeks. “Dad. Listen to me.”

Jack stopped but didn’t turn around.

“For five years, Libbie dressed up every Sunday on family visiting day and waited for someone to come visit her. And for five long years, no one did. Yet every Sunday, she waited. She waited for someone, anyone, to remember her. Now she has me, and her other friends, but still, I see it in her eyes. She’s still waiting. She’s waiting for you, Dad. I know she is. Only you can give her the peace she’s been waiting for. Please, Dad. Please come to see Libbie.”

Through her tears, she saw her father standing there looking defeated with his head bowed.

“I can’t,” Jack said hoarsely. Then he walked out of the garage.

That Saturday, Jack, Edward, and Emily moved Bev into her new home. As the men lifted the heavy furniture into the trailer attached to Jack’s truck, Emily and Bev carried the smaller boxes, stacking them into the trailer and Emily’s car. Emily and Edward had both chosen a few pieces of furniture they wanted, and the rest was being stored at Jack’s place. It was a bittersweet day, emptying the farmhouse they’d all known as a home in one way or another, knowing that by this time next year it would be torn down and new houses would be sprouting up on the property. Yet Bev was excited to begin a new phase in her life of less work and more fun.

All day as they worked, Jack didn’t say much to Emily. She’d hoped that he would have had time to think about visiting Libbie and change his mind, but it was obvious he hadn’t. It made Emily sad to think that her father blamed himself for Libbie’s unhappiness all those years ago. She wished he’d visit, if not for Libbie, then to heal his own past demons.

On Sunday, she visited Libbie, and they walked along the winding path near the river. They talked about the Prentice farm and how sad it was to see it disappear. Libbie told her stories of a white horse named Sprite that she and Jack had ridden several times and of the small lake that sat on the back forty. Emily shared stories from her childhood about visiting the farm and all the fun she and Edward had there.

“Everything changes eventually,” Libbie said. “But this sounds like a good change for Bev. She can enjoy her life with friends and family close by.”

Emily nodded. Life was changing for her, too. She was living alone for the first time in ten years, and she was starting college classes next week. After Jordan left, she’d found that she didn’t miss him, which was sad, yet also a relief. She realized that they had both been living their own separate lives, just sharing the same space. That wasn’t what she wanted in a relationship. She wanted one like her father and mother had, where they lived, loved, and worked as a unit, always considering the other’s needs, too. She wouldn’t have had that with Jordan. Emily hoped that someday she’d find the right person to share her life with, but for now, she was fine living alone.

The weeks sped by once classes began for Emily. She’d chosen to take two night classes and one morning class so she could still work full-time at the store. Eventually, she’d have to take a heavier class load to finish her degree, and then she’d need to ask her father for help. But for now, she could do this on her own.

Emily found that she enjoyed the challenge of school. She didn’t even mind her retail job anymore. She had a new future to look forward to, and that made her feel more energetic and excited about life.

Emily continued to visit with Libbie on Sundays. She enjoyed spending time with her, and they had forged a strong relationship. She also saw her grandmother more, having dinner or lunch with her a couple of times a week since they lived so close to each other. She enjoyed her grandmother’s company, and they always had a good time. And, to her surprise, her grandmother did go on weekly senior bus trips to the various casinos in the area, and she was also planning an Alaskan cruise for next year with two of her friends. Bev was “living it up,” just like Emily’s grandfather had wanted her to, and Emily was very happy for her.

Her father, however, was a different matter. Since the day she’d told him about Libbie, she hadn’t seen much of him. Emily knew her father wasn’t angry with her—he was never angry with anyone—but it made her sad that he was keeping his distance. She’d hoped he’d changed his mind about visiting Libbie, but as August slipped into September, he hadn’t come. Emily worried that maybe she shouldn’t have ever told her father about Libbie. It obviously only brought him pain to remember the past. She’d been naïve to think that he would want to see Libbie after all these years. Maybe he was right—the past belonged in the past.