Summer's Child (29 page)

“Maybe,” he admitted, but he was still thinking about Ellen, about how she was always trying to interfere in Daria’s parenting of Shelly.

“How is your sister?” Cindy changed the subject. “Polly? I remember her so well. She was the first mentally retarded person I ever really got to know. I liked her a lot.”

Her words touched him. “She died a few years ago,” he said.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Rory. How unfair. You know, my strongest memory of you was of your devotion to her.”

“She was special to me.”

“It wasn’t just Polly,” Cindy said. “You were always so nice to everyone. Remember that boy who couldn’t catch any fish, and you—”

“Yes, yes.” His claim to sainthood.

“That was unusual for a boy, to be so sensitive to other people. If I’d had to predict what you would have become, I would have guessed a social worker.”

“A social worker!”

“Yeah, think about it. That’s really what you do on
True Life Stories
, isn’t it?” she asked. “I always get the feeling your heart breaks for the people whose stories you tell on your show. I bet some viewers think it’s an act, but anybody who knew you when you were a kid would know that you’ve always been a sucker for people in need.”

He thought suddenly of Grace. He’d been a sucker, all right, seduced by her neediness. Was that why he’d been drawn to her?

It had been the same with Glorianne. He remembered what his ex-wife had been like when he first met her, how unsure of herself she’d been, how desperate to find someone to lean on.

And then there was Daria, who didn’t seem to need anyone at all. He’d been so smitten by Grace’s beauty, so seduced by her need for him, that he’d failed to see the loving woman standing right in front of him.

“Cindy,” he said, abruptly standing up, anxious now to get back to Kill Devil Hills. “I have a feeling you just did me a big favor.”

D
ARIA CAME HOME FROM TEACHING HER
EMT
CLASS THAT
night to find Rory waiting for her on the Sea Shanty steps.

“Isn’t it a beautiful night?” he asked as he got to his feet.

She hadn’t noticed. She’d gone through her class in a fog. Everyone had wanted to talk about the hurricane and the real-life drama that had played out on Andy’s pier, easily the most exciting rescue of the night. She’d tried to shift the discussion to the need for emergency readiness during the heart of a storm, but no one was interested. Instead, they wanted to know how she’d gotten two people from beneath an overturned boat, with the sound rising and whirling around her feet. Supergirl, they thought, was back.

Now she looked up at the sky and saw that it was filled with stars.

“Come out to the beach with me,” Rory said. He was carrying a blanket. “There’s a meteor shower tonight. We can watch the sky.”

Her heart was saying yes, her head, no. “I don’t think so, Rory,” she said.

“Come on,” he pleaded. “Just for a while.”

Against her better judgment, she walked with him out to
the dark beach and helped him spread the blanket on the sand. She lay next to him, and the instant her head touched the blanket, three stars sailed across the sky.

“I told you it would be worth it,” he said.

How did he think she could simply lie there with him after what had happened the night before?

“How was your visit with Cindy?” she asked.

“Interesting,” he said. “She looks just like she did back in the old days. Even had on a bikini.”

“Did she shed any light on your story?”

“Oh, she has her theories, just like everyone else.”

“What are they?”

“She has kind of a crazy one,” he said. “Don’t laugh. Her primary suspect is your cousin Ellen.”

Another white diamond, this one with a tail, shot across the sky, but Daria barely registered its existence. She was too stunned by what Rory had just said. “What makes her think that?” she asked.

“Well, first of all, I got the sense that Cindy couldn’t stand Ellen, so this probably needs to be taken with a grain of salt. She said that Ellen once baby-sat for Cindy’s cousins, and she apparently hit one of the kids a few times. That made Cindy think that Ellen was capable of dumping a baby on the beach. Seemed kind of a stretch to me.”

Daria shut her eyes. This was it. Time for the truth. “Cindy’s very perceptive,” she said.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“I mean she’s right. Ellen is Shelly’s mother.”

Rory sat up abruptly, turning to look at her, and she could barely see his face in the darkness. “Do you know this for certain?” he asked. “Have you known all along?”

“Shelly wasn’t the only thing I found on the beach that morning,” she admitted. “I also found a pukka-shell necklace
that I knew belonged to Ellen. It was lying on the beach right next to the baby.”

“My God, Daria. Did you ever tell anyone?” he asked.

“No one,” she said. “I was horrified to realize that Ellen could have done such a thing, but she was family, and she was also one of the older kids. I wouldn’t dare say anything to anyone about her.”

“Did you ever talk to Ellen herself about it? Does she know that you know?”

She turned her head to look at him. “I’ve never said a word to anyone, until now. Ellen doesn’t have a clue that I know. It’s one of the reasons why I have such a hard time tolerating her. She’s always trying to tell me what to do with Shelly, and she makes me feel as though everything I’ve done with her has been wrong. But I don’t believe she really cares about Shelly; sometimes she’s even cruel to her. And she’s a rotten mother to her own two daughters, as far as I’m concerned.”

Rory stared out at the ocean, his arm resting on his knee, and she could only imagine how he felt about her having kept this from him. Reaching up, she touched his shoulder.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner,” she said. “I simply didn’t want you to find out. I didn’t want anyone to know.”

Rory lay down again and let out a sigh. “No one will know, Daria,” he said. “Revealing the fact that Ellen is Shelly’s mother can bring no good to anyone, least of all Shelly. I’ll just have to be satisfied that the mystery is solved for me, personally.”

Daria’s eyes burned with relief. “Thank you for understanding,” she said.

“Come here,” he said, slipping his arm beneath her shoulders and pulling her closer.

“No, Rory,” she resisted. “I can’t go through that again.”

Rolling over, he propped himself on his elbows and looked
at her. “Remember when I told you that I saw you working on a roof?” he asked.

She nodded.

“Well, I didn’t realize it was you at first,” he said. “All I knew was that I wanted the woman who was up there. I wanted her
bad
. When I realized it was you, I was sort of shocked that I could have those feelings for you. I’d always thought of you more like a kid sister.”

“I know you did,” she said.

“This has been a wonderful summer, even without getting a story for my show,” he said, “because I’ve gotten to know you again.” He smiled at her, and she couldn’t resist reaching up to touch the tips of her fingers to his lips. He turned his head instantly to kiss her hand, then looked at her again. “Our old pal Cindy and I had a little chat this afternoon that opened my eyes,” he said. “You were right about me being a caretaker. Glorianne needed that. Grace did, too. You don’t. And I think it’s time I broke out of that role. Time I had an equal partner. I’m not quite sure how to run a relationship with someone as strong, if not stronger, than I am,” he said, “but I’d like to try. If you’re willing, that is.”

That made her smile.

“I love you, too, Daria,” he said. “The feelings snuck up on me when I wasn’t looking. I’m sorry I was so blind.” He pulled her close to him, and this time, she gave no thought to resisting.

G
RACE FOUND
R
ORY AT HIS COTTAGE, WHERE HE WAS
repairing some of the siding that had been damaged by the storm. She had come without calling, afraid that if she’d called first, he might have told her he was busy, and then she would have no opportunity to see Shelly. It had been too long since she’d seen her.

Rory spotted her as she walked toward him. “Hi.” He stood up, and she knew she’d surprised him.

“I was out all morning and didn’t have a chance to call,” she said, “so I hope you don’t mind that I just stopped by.”

“No,” he said. “I’m just about finished up here. Why don’t you wait for me on the porch?”

“Okay.” She turned and walked around the cottage to the front steps. From Poll-Rory’s porch, she studied the Sea Shanty. There were no cars in the driveway; Daria and Chloe were probably at work. Shelly might be at work, as well. She hoped not; she had no good reason to stop by St. Esther’s today.

After a few minutes, Rory walked up the steps and sat near her on the porch. “I’m glad you’re here, actually,” he said. “I wanted to talk with you.”

His voice was so serious that her heartbeat quickened.
There’s no way he could know
, she told herself.
No way
. Unless maybe…Could he have somehow found the nurse?

“What about?” she asked.

“Well, it’s a bit awkward,” he said. “I need to tell you that, over the past few days, I’ve come to realize that I care about Daria as more than a friend.”

It took her a moment to understand. “You mean…you’re in love with her?” she asked.

“Yes.”

She could not help but smile, despite the implications of that news for herself. Daria and Rory. She had certainly never thought of them as a couple, but it made very good sense. They were a team. “I’m glad for you,” she said.

He leaned over to take her hand. “Thank you,” he said. “I wasn’t sure how you’d feel about it.”

“I can’t blame you for that,” she said. “I haven’t exactly been an open book with you, have I?”

“No,” he admitted. “You haven’t.”

“Well, I’ve enjoyed the time you and I spent together, but I think it’s really good that you and Daria found each other.” She kept the smile on her face, but inside, her heart was twisting. She no longer had an excuse to come to Kill Devil Hills—or to see Shelly. She’d hoped that somehow she and Shelly could have developed a bond that would transcend her need for a relationship with Rory, but that had not happened. And now, she’d run out of time.

“I guess I won’t be seeing you again, then, huh?” she asked.

“You don’t need to be a stranger,” Rory said, although he had to know as well as she did that there was no point in her visiting Kill Devil Hills again.

She struggled to find a way to shift the conversation to Shelly. “It must make Shelly happy, that you and Daria are
together,” she said. Not exactly a seamless transition, but it was the best she could do.

“I don’t know if she knows yet,” he said. “Daria and I just came to this conclusion last night, and I think Shelly was at Andy’s.”

“Oh, yes, what’s that all about?” she asked.

“Apparently, they’ve been seeing each other for a couple of years. And Shelly is pregnant. They want to get married, but Daria’s worried about—”

“She’s
pregnant?
” Grace leaned forward. The rapid heartbeat again. Her doctor would have a fit if he knew the stress she was putting herself under. “How far along?”

“Not far,” Rory said. “You’ve seen her in her bathing suit.”

“She should probably have some prenatal testing, shouldn’t she?” Grace proposed. “I mean, given her…you know, her…the brain damage.”

“But brain damage isn’t inherited,” he said. “There’s no reason to think her baby wouldn’t be perfectly normal.”

He probably thought she was an idiot. “Oh.” She smiled, trying to make herself look sheepish. “Right.”

“No, the real question is whether she should have this baby at all. And if she does, can she take care of it.”

The baby’s grandmother could help her
, Grace thought, and she felt tears rush to her eyes. She quickly lifted her sunglasses from her lap and slipped them onto her face. “Well,” she said, standing up. “I think it’s time I was on my way. Thanks for putting up with me, Rory.”

He stood up to give her a dispassionate hug. “Keep in touch,” he said. “I hope things work out for you.”

“Thanks,” she said. She left the porch and walked across the sand to her car, not daring to look back at Rory—or across the street at the Sea Shanty.

Eddie was waiting for her in the above-garage apartment. Grace stopped short when she saw him there, and he launched into an obviously rehearsed speech.

“Look,” he said, “I know I was wrong to do this, but please believe me, I did it because I’m worried about you.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I followed you when you left today,” he said. “I followed you all the way to Kill Devil Hills, and I saw you go to the cottage where Rory Taylor is staying. I didn’t know whose cottage it was, but I asked someone and they told me. I guess…I guess that’s where you’ve been going, huh? To see him? Was that who you were watching for outside the motel window in Greenville?”

Grace felt trapped and weary. She wished Eddie would at least yell at her, express some anger, so that she could get angry back. But that was not Eddie’s style. She sat down on the sofa. “It’s not what you think,” she said. The line sounded as tired as she felt.

“I’m in a state of shock,” Eddie said, taking a seat on the other side of the room. “The last thing I expected was another man. I didn’t think you had the energy or interest for that. I didn’t think that was what you wanted.”

There were tears in Eddie’s eyes, and she couldn’t bear to look at them. “You’re right,” she said. “That’s not what I wanted.”

“Then why have you been seeing him? I don’t understand, Grace. Do you want a divorce? Is that what would make you happy? I want to help you, and I don’t know how.”

Grace closed her eyes and felt her body sink lower into the sofa. It was all too much. Shelly was pregnant. Rory had chosen Daria over her. She might never see Shelly again. She wished she could simply crawl into bed and bury her head under the pillow. But Eddie was questioning her, begging her for answers, and somehow she had to find a way to explain to him her behavior of the past few months.

She could think of no way other than to tell him the truth.

“Great beach weather,” Bonnie said sarcastically as she stood by the cottage window and stared out at the street. It was not raining, not yet, anyhow, but the clouds were thick, and there was a chill in the air. It had been this way for three days, the first three days of their week-long postgraduation vacation in Kill Devil Hills. The cottage was two blocks from the beach, a one-bedroom with a view of the street. It was the best they could afford.

Grace looked up from the book she was reading. “Maybe tomorrow will be better,” she said, although she didn’t personally care one way or another. She was just relieved to be away from her mother and Charlottesville, where she’d had to mask her pregnancy. Here, for the first time, she was wearing actual maternity shorts and a top that ballooned over her abdomen. She was nearly eight months along, although she knew she didn’t look it, maternity clothes or not. A few of her classmates might have suspected something, but her mother attributed her weight gain to nothing more than her obstinacy. Her mother rarely spoke with her, anyway; she had not forgiven her for quitting Brad’s modeling agency and for letting herself “go to pot,” as she put it.

This week at the beach was not simply an idle getaway for her and Bonnie, though. They were supposed to use this time to figure out what Grace should do. The only thing she knew for certain was that she was keeping the baby. She already loved it. She’d loved it from the moment she knew it existed. Her maternal instincts were very strong—strong enough that she’d gone to a neighboring town for prenatal care, not wanting to take any chances with the health of her baby. The doctor there had tried to persuade her to put the baby up for adoption, but Grace was firm in her resolve. Her mother would have a fit, of course, and would most likely kick her out. But Grace was
determined to find a way to take care of herself and her child, and Bonnie had promised to help in any way she could.

Bonnie flopped down in one of the ratty-looking chairs and put her feet up on the coffee table. “I’ve already run out of books to read,” she said.

“You can borrow some of mine,” Grace offered.

“No offense, but I’m not very interested in reading baby books,” Bonnie said.

There was a sudden knock at the door, and Grace jumped. She couldn’t shake the fear that somehow her mother would find out she was pregnant and show up in Kill Devil Hills to drag her home. She stiffened as Bonnie got up and walked to the door.

A woman stood on the front steps. “Hi,” she said with a smile. She was probably in her late twenties. “I’m Nancy. My husband and I are staying in the cottage next door, and we don’t have a TV or radio. But we heard some talk that a storm was on its way in the next few days, and we were wondering if maybe you knew what was going on. Do you have a TV in your cottage?”

“Yes, a little one,” Bonnie said. “We haven’t had it on much, though. I don’t know what the weather report is.”

Grace stood up and walked to the door. “You’re welcome to come over later when the news is on,” she said.

“Thanks, I’ll stop by around five, if you don’t mind,” Nancy said. “We may leave if it’s going to be like this all week. We’ve been planning this vacation for so long, and I can’t believe how crummy the weather’s been.” Her gaze was on Grace’s belly as she spoke, and Grace felt torn between self-consciousness and pride.

“We’ll be here,” Bonnie said. “There’s not much else to do.”

At exactly five, Nancy and her husband returned to Bonnie and Grace’s cottage, and the four of them sat in the living room watching the news on the small black-and-white television.

The husband’s name was Nathan, and he was an engineer with short, jet-black hair, dark eyes behind thick, wire-rimmed glasses and a bushy beard. He was very quiet, lying on the cottage floor, his back propped up against the sofa, as he focused on the TV. Nancy, though, was talkative.

“Where are you girls from?” she asked.

“Charlottesville,” Bonnie said. “We just graduated from high school. This week at the beach is our present to ourselves.”

“High school?” Nancy asked. Again, her gaze moved to Grace’s stomach, and this time Grace felt distinct discomfort. “You’re not married, then, I take it?” Nancy asked.

“No,” Grace said.

“Wow.” Nancy said. “When are you due?”

“Another month,” Grace said.

“Do you…Excuse me for asking such personal questions, but I’m a nurse. Do you have a boyfriend?”

“No,” Grace said. For some reason, she didn’t mind Nancy’s probing. The woman’s questions were personal, but gently asked.

“Are you keeping the baby?”

“Yes, though I haven’t figured out yet how I’m going to support it and me,” she said.

“Won’t your parents help?”

Grace laughed. “I just have a mother,” she said. “And she doesn’t know.”

“She doesn’t know?” Nancy asked, incredulous. “Is she blind?”

“I’ve hidden it,” she said. “She just thinks I’m fat.”

“Wow,” Nancy said again. “What will she do when she finds out?”

“Have a heart attack.” Grace laughed. “Right after she kills me.”

“Why didn’t you have an abortion?” Nancy asked.

“I didn’t want one,” Grace said simply.

“It must be scary not to know how you’ll support the baby,” Nancy said. “You’re wise to be concerned about that. You’re only eighteen, right?”

“Not quite,” Grace admitted.

“Gee, honey, I think you should give some serious thought to adoption.”

“No, I’ll figure out a way to make it work.”

Nathan yawned from his station on the floor.

“It’s just that there are so many couples out there who can’t have a baby of their own for one reason or another,” Nancy said. “They would be able to give your baby a good home, with two parents and lots of love.”

Nancy was tapping into the one misgiving that gnawed at her: she was not being fair to this baby by depriving it of two parents and the material goods it deserved to have.

“I couldn’t give it away,” she said.

“I understand,” Nancy said. “I don’t think I could, either. But you still have a month to think through that decision.”

“I’ve thought it through,” Grace said.

“Well, how has your pregnancy been?” Nancy asked.

“Easy,” Grace said. “I was never even sick. Although now…I’m getting kind of nervous. I’ve been reading books about labor and everything. It scares me.”

“You’ll be fine,” Nancy said.

“What kind of nurse are you?” Grace asked. “Have you ever helped at a delivery?”

“When I was a student, yes, I sure did. Right now, though, I’m an oncology nurse.”

“What’s that?” Bonnie asked.

“I work with cancer patients in a hospital in Elizabeth City.”

“That must be hard,” Grace said.

“Hard, but rewarding,” Nancy said.

“So,” Grace began, hungry for information, “when you were a student, what was the longest labor you ever saw?”

Nancy laughed. “You’re worrying yourself into a tizzy, aren’t you?” she asked. “It’s not worth getting worked up about, I can promise you that. It’ll all be over before you know it, and then you’ll have your beautiful baby in your arms.”

Grace didn’t feel particularly comforted. She knew no one else she could discuss this with. “But why do women scream?” she asked. “I mean, I fell and broke my arm once, and I didn’t scream even though the pain was truly unbearable. So I figure, the pain of having a baby must be thousands of times worse.”

She thought there was sympathy in Nancy’s eyes. “I’ve never gone through it myself,” she said, “so I’m afraid I can’t tell you anything from personal experience.”

Grace thought Nathan glanced at his wife when she said that, but she couldn’t be sure. His glasses were so thick it was hard to tell just what his eyes were doing.