The Hearts We Mend (35 page)

“Where is Lily now?”

“She's with a friend of mine. Deidre. Remember her? Used to sing backup for the band once in a while?”

The image of a woman's face uploaded from an old file in Jack's memory. Long black hair, sultry eyes, pouty red lips. Part of the past Jack would rather forget.

Trav's voice dropped to a low rumble. “I need you to drive to Milwaukee and pick up Lily. Deidre still lives above the Lightning Lounge.”

Fear grabbed Jack by the throat. “I'll pick you up too, Trav.”

“And take me to the police department?”

Jack closed his eyes. “Yes.”

“Sorry. I beat you to it, big brother. I turned myself in.”

It took a moment for the words to sink in. “You did the right thing.”

“For once.” A sigh rattled in Jack's ear. “Tell Cheryl I'm sorry. And promise me you'll look out for my family.”

“I will.”

“I have to go.” In the background Jack heard voices. The scrape of a chair against the floor.

“I love you, Trav.”

Silence. His brother had already hung up. Jack was about to press the End Call button when Travis whispered his name.

“Jack?”

“I'm still here.”

“Don't stop praying for me, okay?”

Hope stirred inside Jack like the whisper of a warm summer breeze.

“Okay.”

C
HAPTER
41

A
t five in the morning, before the neighbor's automatic sprinkler system came on and the first chickadee showed up for breakfast at Evie's feeder, she was on her way to Jack's apartment with two large cups of Marie's French roast and a white paper sack filled with Nicki's apple turnovers.

If she hadn't been able to sleep more than a few hours—if you could even call it sleeping—Evie doubted that Jack had been able to sleep at all.

And where had Lily spent the night?

Jack had been on the telephone for hours the day before, calling everyone Travis and Cheryl knew, no matter how fragile the connection, asking if they'd seen or heard from him.

God, bring her home safely. And wrap Your arms around Jack and give him strength. He's been through so much with Travis already.

Evie hadn't wanted to leave Jack, but as the sun went down and the silences between them had grown longer, he had insisted she go home.

But Rosewood Court didn't feel so much like home anymore.

She turned onto Fairview Street. The rising sun painted the buildings with a rosy glow and glinted off the broken antenna sprouting from the roof of the bar across the street from Jack's apartment.

Evie grabbed the cardboard tray with the coffee and pastries
and slid out of the Jeep. As she closed the door, a squad car rolled up beside her and the driver's-side window scrolled down.

Ryan shot an envious glance at the white paper sack on the tray. “Jack's back already?”

“Back from where?”

Surprise flickered in Ryan's eyes. “He didn't tell you?”

“Tell me what?” The tray wobbled in Evie's hands, and she tightened her grip.

“Travis called Jack around midnight. He got as far as Milwaukee and turned himself in.”

“He did?” Fear distilled into relief. “What about Lily? Is she all right?”

“According to Jack, Travis left Lily with a friend. He went to pick her up.”

“You
talked
to him?”

“I'd asked him to call me if he heard from his brother.”

But why hadn't Jack called
her
? Why hadn't he asked her to go with him to Milwaukee?

Ryan must have read Evie's mind because he expelled a slow breath. “Look, Evie, you and Jack had a heck of a day yesterday. He probably didn't want to wake you up. I'm sure you'll hear from him soon.”

All Evie could manage was a nod. “What's going to happen to Travis now?”

“He'll be extradited back here. He proved he's a flight risk, so he'll be in jail until his hearing. The judge isn't very understanding when it comes to bail jumping, so the guy probably sentenced himself to a longer prison term.” Ryan hesitated, as if he were debating whether to say more. “I recommended to Jack that he file the paperwork to become Lily's legal guardian when he gets back. That little girl needs some stability in her life.”

Evie had no doubt Jack would give Lily everything she needed, but the fact that Ryan thought so too meant a lot.

“Here . . . you take these.” Evie handed him the tray. “You look like you've been up all night too.”

“Overtime.” Ryan shook his head. “Chief wants more police presence in this neighborhood now that the community garden got a green light. Are you sure you don't want the coffee though?”

“I can make more.”

Ryan left and Evie checked her phone again.

As she scrolled through the call history, Evie went through a whole list of reasons why Jack hadn't contacted her.

Travis had called in the middle of the night and he hadn't wanted to wake her. He'd been in a hurry to pick up Lily. He was driving . . .

I'm going to trust You with this too, God.

Evie walked up the stairs to the second floor of Jack's building, found the door to his apartment unlocked—that made her smile—and let herself inside.

Jack was on his third cup of coffee when Coop set a plate of misshapen pancakes down on the table in front of him.

He winced. “No, thanks.”

“You think I spent the last ten minutes trying to make a guinea pig out of pancake batter for you?” Coop chuckled. “These are for Lily.”

“She's awake . . .” Jack's chair scraped against the patio blocks. He started to rise, but Coop pressed a hand on his shoulder.

“Stay put. She and Anne are taking Rascal for a walk around the block. They'll be back in a few minutes.”

“Rascal can walk?” Jack had known Coop for years, and the only thing he'd seen the couple's overweight Corgi do was snore on the rug in front of Coop's La-Z-Boy.

“I see you haven't lost your sense of humor.” Coop pulled up a chair next to him on the patio. “So what's the plan?”

“I haven't gotten that far.” It had been a little after four in the morning when Jack arrived at Deirdre's apartment. She'd met him at the door wearing a red satin camisole that didn't quite meet her low-cut shorts. Fortunately, Lily had roused at the sound of Jack's voice.

Next he drove to Coop's house and tucked Lily into the guest room. She'd clutched his hand as he drew the blanket over her shoulders, her eyes begging him not to leave. Jack had finally fallen asleep in the rocking chair next to the bed until the aroma of freshly brewed coffee lured him downstairs.

“Then how about I start you out?” Coop leaned back, folding his arms across his massive chest. “The house you finished before you left . . . It's yours if you want it.”

Jack was blown away by the generosity of the offer. “A house in that neighborhood is worth a fortune, Coop.” They could buy and flip two more houses after the closing costs.

Coop gave him a look. “Don't get me wrong,” he said dryly. “Anne and I have no problem with you living above our garage, Jack, but it isn't big enough for two people—even if one of them is only four feet tall. You said your sister-in-law isn't getting out of jail until January. Why would you stay in Banister Falls?”

It was a fair question. And one Jack tried to dodge. “Maybe I will have one of those pancakes.”

“Is your landlord easier to work for?” Laughter gleamed in Coop's eyes. “Does he give you time off when you need it? Better advice?”

Jack snorted. “None of the above.”

“Is it Evie?”

Jack should have seen that coming. He met Coop's eyes and told the truth. Coop had always had that effect on him. “She's the reason I have to leave.”

C
HAPTER
42

J
ack was alone when he pulled into Evie's driveway later that evening.

He'd called to let her know that he and Lily were on their way to Banister Falls, and although Evie hadn't expected Jack to share the details about what had happened over the past twenty-four hours, something in his tone had made her uneasy. And so had the lengthy silence that followed when Evie told him she was waiting for them at the apartment.

“I know you have things to do, Evie,” he'd said. “We won't be there for three or four hours, so you should probably go home. I'll call you when we get back.”

Evie had tried to attribute the lack of emotion in Jack's voice to fatigue, but the moment she opened her door and saw his face, her heart plummeted to her feet. “Where's Lily?”

“With Bert. She's pretty tired.” Jack's smile didn't quite reach his eyes.

“You look tired too.” Tired and wonderful and
here.
Evie wanted to wrap her arms around Jack's waist, but she nudged him into the foyer instead. “I would have come over to your place.”

“I wanted to talk to you alone.”

Evie's pulse evened out a little for the first time as Jack followed
her down the hall to the living room. Of course he wouldn't want Lily nearby when he talked about her father.

“Sit down.” Evie motioned toward the sofa. “Are you hungry? Can I get you something to drink?”

“No . . . I can't stay long.” Jack remained standing. “This is the first time Lily has let me out of her sight since I got to Milwaukee. Trav did the right thing, but it was pretty traumatic for Lily when he left her at Deirdre's like that. She and Trav go way back, but Lily had never met her. And the neighborhood she lives in makes Fairview Street look like a Rosewood Court.”

“No wonder you were in a hurry to get there,” Evie murmured.

Something flickered in Jack's eyes. Guilt? Regret? Maybe both.

“To tell you the truth, the last twenty-four hours have been a blur. I was out the door and on the road ten minutes after Travis called. I let Coop know what was going on. I live in the apartment above his garage, but Anne insisted we spend what was left of the night with them.”

Evie could admit it. It hurt a little, knowing Jack had found time to call Ryan and his friends but not her.

“I'm just glad you and Lily are back.” She reached out and wove her fingers through Jack's, needing to feel connected to him again. “I adjusted my schedule and took a few days off. I'll do whatever I can to help.”

Jack didn't move, but Evie felt something shift between them. Right before he let go of her hand.

“Evie . . . I have to go back to Milwaukee.”

“For how long?”

She saw the answer in Jack's eyes before he said the words out loud.

“For good. It's where I live . . . and work.”

“But Lily's family is here. Nicki and her kids. And what about Bert and Ron? Josh? The apartment building?” The words tumbled
out before Evie could stop them. “Keith thought it was a great idea, hiring you as the manager if the church decides to buy—”

“I can't.” Jack cut her off. “You know it's not going to work.”

“It will. Keith is confident the congregation will love the idea of doing something outside the walls of the church for a change. Gertrude's gift should be enough to cover the cost of the building.”

“I'm talking about us,” Jack said. “You went through so much when Max died. I'm not going to put you through that kind of pain again.”

Evie struggled to make sense out of what Jack was saying.

“It's not the same. Your job is . . . it's safe.”

“Don't you get it, Evie?
I'm
not safe. Not for you anyway. Do you know what I used to wish sometimes?” Jack didn't wait for her to answer. “Even after watching our mom go through radiation and chemo, I wished Travis had cancer because that meant he could be cured.

“There's no remission for addiction. It's something Trav will have to live with the rest of his life. Can he have victory over it? Of course, but I don't know if he's going to stay clean. Or if he'll have his head on straight when he gets out of prison. I can't promise he and Cheryl won't make mistakes with Lily . . . I can't even promise they'll stay together.”

“I'm not asking you to make promises, Jack. You don't have to go through everything alone. I'll be with you—”

“I don't
want
you with me.” The words vibrated in the air between them. “I don't want to have to worry about what this is doing to you. Whether you're getting tired of it all. You don't know what it's like to have someone you love struggle with an addiction. Every time the phone rings, you get this hollow feeling in the pit of your stomach. Every time they take a step forward, in the back of your mind you're waiting for them to take three steps back. The only thing I can do is hold onto Jesus's hand and
trust that He won't let go. Your life will be a lot less complicated without me.”