Just the other day Catherine had found bridal magazines—and heaven save her, upholstery swatches—in the library. It
had
to stop. Now, before her mother actually mailed out the engagement announcements stacked next to the swatches. Catherine was afraid to ask how long ago they’d been purchased.
She planned to drive out in about two hours, headed to New Haven. She nodded decisively as she snapped the suitcase shut and hefted it to the floor to sit beside the rest of the matched set. She’d had enough of Thompkin, enough of parental machinations. She longed for her uncomplicated, comfortable apartment.
But first she had to make it out to her car with her suitcases. And do it without the additional guilt, remorse, and disappointment her mother could so expertly heap on her.
She succeeded in getting all of her luggage out to the car, which was parked at the side of the house. As she went upstairs a final time for her purse and a small tote bag, her mother appeared at the bottom of the stairs and peered up at her.
“Cathy?” Just her name, but Catherine could hear the plea, as well as the demand, in her mother’s voice.
With a sigh she turned, smoothing down the skirt of her navy summer-weight suit. “Yes, Mother. I was coming to the parlor to say goodbye.” She paused, astonished at the sudden sheen of emotion in her mother’s eyes and the way she wrung her slender hands together.
“But, Cathy, why leave now, just when everything is coming together—”
“You know why I’m leaving now,” she reminded her mother as she descended the stairs. “I told you, and Ruth, too. I really don’t want to be here right now.”
One tear spilled over her mother’s lower lid and tracked slowly down her cheek. “You are so close, my dear, so close to attaining everything you’ve always wanted. Why would you throw it all away when you only have to reach out for it?”
Though her mother’s tears made her feel horrendous guilt, as they usually did, Catherine held firm. “It’s not what I want. It’s what
you
want. What Ruth wants. Please don’t insult my intelligence any further. If I’m very lucky, I won’t have lost Travis’s friendship during this entire debacle.”
“Travis won’t marry that girl, Cathy. Why, he’s coming home very soon. Ruth said—”
“For heaven’s sake, stop listening to what Ruth says. She knows nothing about her son, his goals and dreams, his needs. She never did.” Catherine fought her temper. She wanted to yank her hair out by the roots and stomp on it.
With a fortifying breath, she reached for her mother’s hand. “You have
got
to let me live my own life. For too long, I’ve gone along with this insane plot to capture Travis, thinking I was in love with him and he was the one for me. But he’s not, understand that. I deserve a man who’ll look at me the way Travis looks at Annie, Mother. I deserve no less than that.
“Please.” Catherine held her mother’s sad gaze. “Let me do what I think is best for me. Stop buying into Ruth’s madness.”
She leaned in and kissed her mother’s damp cheek, then released her hand and walked to the door. Turning, Catherine offered a strained smile. “I’ll call you in a few days. Maybe you can come up to New Haven and help me get ready for the semester. Stay a while. We could eat out at fast food diners and go shopping.”
“You know I abhor fast food.” There was a steadier note in her mother’s voice, though tears still streamed from her eyes. “I’ll miss you, Cathy. I love you so much.”
“I love you too, Mother. I’ll call you when I get to New Haven.” Catherine pulled the heavy door open and stepped out into the warm sunshine, breathed deeply, tasting her freedom, as well as the sweet scent of the primroses that grew in tangled profusion along the side porch.
After one more important stop, she’d be out of Thompkin. There was a lilt in her step, all the way to the car.
Annie paused in the open doorway of Mark’s old room with a purposely cheery smile on her face as she watched Sissy nursing Toby. That kind of bond between mother and child was so important. Remembering how incredible it had felt to nurse Hank, Annie was thrilled for Sissy to have a chance to experience it for herself.
Sissy looked up from admiring her son as Annie stepped through the door. Her cheeks flushed pink, but she made no move to cover herself, which in itself spoke volumes about the way her role as wife and now motherhood had matured her. Sissy was so painfully shy, it had amazed the family when Mark snared a first date with her. And look at her now; well balanced, secure, and content. It was wonderful.
“I just wanted to see this sweet boy, before we take off for Weston. We’ll be gone most of the day, and Mark mentioned last night that y’all might leave today?” There was a question in Annie’s voice as she sat down on the bed next to Sissy and caressed Toby’s downy cheek.
“I talked him out of it,” Sissy replied. “Your folks want to spoil Toby some more, and I’m not ready to leave everyone. We’ve got another three weeks, if we want to take them. I think we should stay right here. What if there’s more trouble?” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Travis’s mama might try pulling something else. It’s best we stay awhile.” She supported the baby’s head and tiny shoulders when his mouth slipped from her nipple, his milky lips already going slack with sleep.
“Well, you sure won’t get any argument from me.” Annie held out her arms and Sissy handed Toby over. She rested against the pillows and fastened the front of her nightgown as Annie worked a noisy little burp from the dozing infant. She propped him on her shoulder and nuzzled him, loving the tender feel of him in her arms. “Oh, he’s so very adorable. He makes me want to have another of my own.”
“You’re not—” Sissy gestured with one hand and blushed.
“Oh, no!” Annie hastened to reassure her. “We’ve only been, um—” Now it was her turn to pinken. Sissy nodded in understanding as Annie confessed, “We’ve had only a few opportunities to be together. And we’ve been careful. I know it’s just a few weeks until the wedding, but we can’t afford another baby, at least not for a few years. I’m going to get a prescription for pills, I think. It’s the best thing to do.”
“Well, there, you see? We need to stay, for the wedding. In all the excitement of these past few days, I forgot. I’m so sorry.” Sissy was sweetly contrite, and Annie waved it away as she rocked her nephew in her arms.
“Gee, I wonder why you’d forget a thing like that? It’s not as if you had other pressing things to think about.” With reluctance, Annie handed the baby back to Sissy and stood, moving toward the door. One final glance over her shoulder and she just had to tease the new mother. “Enjoy it now, Sissy. Before you know it, he’ll be biting when he nurses.”
Sissy went milk-pale and gaped at her, then stared down in dawning horror at the innocent angel she held. Then back at Annie as she stammered, “They bite? Nobody told me they bite!” There was a note of panic in her voice that had Annie laughing all the way down the stairs.
In the kitchen, her mother cleaned Hank’s breakfast off his face. He bounced in his high chair as soon as he saw Annie in the doorway.
“Hank, hold still. You’ll fall right out and land on your head again.” Her mother scolded him as she scrubbed at his chin.
“Owd, owd, owd! Gammy! Owd!” Hank shrieked and clapped his pudgy hands, then stretched them out to Annie as she walked over to him. “Bye-bye, Ma-Ma? Bye-bye?” His eyes widened with excitement as he spied the sweater she held.
“Yes, you messy little monkey. Bye-bye. Now, sit still and let Gammy finish washing your face.” Annie frowned in mock-ferociousness, and Hank quieted in his seat and grinned angelically as her mother cleaned him up.
She bent and kissed his pink cheek, then laughed when he turned his head and gave her a smacking kiss on her mouth. “What a flirt you are. Be a good boy for your mama and daddy, you hear?” She ruffled his hair and deftly lifted him out of the chair.
Annie dressed him in his bright blue sweater, then patted his denim-covered rump and instructed, “Go find Daddy.” Hank tottered off in the direction of the living room, calling for “Da” with every bounce he took on his hi-top sneakers.
“Well, he’s full of pee and vinegar this morning. You sure you want to take him with you?” Her mother swiped the wet cloth over the highchair, cleaning off a few smears of cereal.
“I’ll feel better having him with us, Mama. He’ll probably fall asleep in the car.” Annie picked up the diaper bag that sat by the front door and commented, “By the way, I talked to Sissy. They decided to stay another few weeks.”
“That’s just fine. I hoped, but I didn’t like to ask, you know. I haven’t had near enough time with Toby.”
“No, neither have I. And things might start to get ugly with Ruth Quincy.” Annie hated to formulate in words what her thoughts didn’t want to admit to.
“Now, there’ll be none of that. It’s going to work out. There’s nothing she can throw at us that we can’t work through, honey. Aunt Nan decided to stay a while longer too, at least as long as Mark and Sissy. She’s got some crazy idea that I might overdo it, doting on a newborn baby day and night.” Her mother slipped her arms around Annie and cradled her, diaper bag and all. Annie rested her head on her mother’s shoulder and gave in to the luxury of being treated like a little girl.
How many times had her mama been there for her, with open arms and loving reassurances? All of her life. She was so very lucky. Surely her luck would continue to hold through anything.
For a minute they snuggled together with Hank’s blue plaid diaper bag hanging off Annie’s arm, and they drew what both needed from each other. Annie raised her head and smiled into her mother’s eyes, about to speak, when the doorbell suddenly pealed.
“Who could that be?” Annie set the diaper bag down and walked to the door. Just before she grasped the knob, she turned to her mother. “You think it could be that county child welfare office again?”
“Well, there’s only one way to find out.”
Annie nodded and peeked through the tiny peephole. “Oh, Lord.” She pulled the inside door open and stood behind the screen, staring at the young woman who stood there in a dark blue suit. It had been over two years, but Annie knew who she was.
“Hello, Annie. I—” Catherine Cabot faltered, then straightened her shoulders determinedly. “May I come in?”
A few minutes later, Catherine sat on the living room sofa, her feet pressed together, toe to heel. Her hands, with their short, neat nails, lay folded in her lap. In her pretty navy suit, she seemed calm and capable, but Annie could see the uncertainty in her eyes.
On the floor, Hank played with his dump truck and plastic cars, occasionally pounding them together and then giggling with glee. Next to him, Travis sat cross-legged and kept one eye on their son and the other eye warily on Catherine, probably wondering the same as Annie wondered what on earth had brought her to Spring Street.
She should be furious that Catherine would just show up on the doorstep and ask to speak to her, then sit there silently and look all around at the room and the furnishings as if she’d never seen anything like it before. Annie doubted Catherine’s ability to understand or be able to relate to a life so foreign to her own.
As if to confound her, Catherine raised her eyes from watching Hank play with his toys. “He’s a lovely boy. You’re very lucky, Annie. I’m sure you know that.” She glanced around the room again and added, “Your home is so warm. It feels happy. It seems like a good place to raise a child.”
“Thank you.” Annie was stunned, to say the least. For years she’d envied this girl, jealous of the preference Travis’s mother showed toward her. But now, she looked at her rival’s face and saw only wistful envy. No vindictiveness, just longing and regret in Catherine’s pale gray eyes.
Suddenly, the threat she used to pose seemed ridiculous. Annie’s lips curved into a smile, which widened even more when Catherine hesitantly returned it.
“Catherine, what’s going on? Why are you here?” Travis asked bluntly.
“I wanted you to know—” She paused and wet her lips. “Travis, I overheard your mother telling mine that she was going to send someone from the county here, about your little boy.” She glanced down just as Hank raised his head and looked straight at her, then sent her a flirtatious smile. Her eyes lit up and she breathed, “Oh, Travis. He looks so much like you.”
“He does, doesn’t he?” Travis beamed. Meeting Annie’s compassionate gaze, he rose from the floor and sat next to Catherine on the sofa. “We know about Mother’s plans. She already sent a social worker, and the woman wasted her time coming here.”
“Thank goodness she failed. But I don’t see your mother quitting so easily. Do you?” Catherine asked.
“No, she won’t. We’re driving into Weston to meet with our attorney. Ten minutes later and you wouldn’t have caught us,” Annie explained.
“Then I’m glad I was on time. I wanted to meet Hank, Annie.” Catherine turned back to her. “And I wanted to tell you myself there has never been anything but friendship between Travis and me. It was all in our mothers’ heads, and there were times when just giving in was easier than fighting either of them.” She took a breath and rushed on, “If there’s anything you need from me, if I can tell your attorney anything that will help you, please let me know.”
“Do you mean it? You’d help us? Why would you do that?” Annie hadn’t meant to blurt it out quite that impolitely, but Catherine’s friendliness bewildered her. When she glanced at Travis, she saw the same confusion on his face.
Catherine spread her hands in appeal. “Because our mothers have gone too far, and I’m tired of having my life controlled. I think I finally got through to my mother today, but I know I hurt her in the process.” She stifled a sigh. “I’m going back to New Haven and get a head start on the semester. But if I can be of help to you, I’m happy to do what I can.”
“Would you be willing to—no, that’s too much to ask. Forget it.” Travis got to his feet and reached down for Hank, swinging him up into his arms, while Annie collected the scattered toys and deposited them in Hank’s toy box.
“What? Truly, if I can do anything, anything at all. . .” Catherine said earnestly.
Annie started to speak, glanced at Travis first, and caught his nod of agreement. “Would you come to Weston with us today? We meet with our attorney at ten. Any ammunition we can get is better than none at all.” She aimed a tentative smile at Catherine. “I think what you have to say, maybe your observations, would be a big help.”
“I can follow you in my car. It won’t delay me much at all.” Catherine extended her hand to Annie.
Annie took the narrow hand between both of her palms in silent thanks. She met Catherine’s eyes. “We’ll be leaving the attorney’s office about noon, unless there’s a delay. Hank will be hungry by then, and it’s not smart for you to drive all the way to New Haven on an empty stomach. What do you think about joining us at the downtown diner for some greasy, but very good, food?”
“I think I’d like greasy food. I’ve never had onion rings before. Will they have onion rings?” Catherine asked hopefully.