This Time Forever (22 page)

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Mickelle was absolutely furious. She couldn’t remember when she had been so completely angry. She gave the fender another push with her booted feet and slid out from under the car. If only she could get the fender to bend enough so the wheel wouldn’t scrape when she turned left!

She’d found out that her uninsured motorist coverage obligated her insurance company to pay for her repairs, since the driver of the other vehicle had been uninsured. At first this had relieved her, but then she’d discovered that the repairs would cost six hundred dollars, and her deductible was five hundred. That meant Mickelle would have to come up with the first five hundred dollars by herself. It was money she didn’t have. Money they needed for food and other necessities.

A panic attack came upon her so suddenly that she sank back to the cement near the tire, closing her eyes and trying to focus on her breathing. In. Out. In. Out. Her heart pounded in her breast, and she was afraid to open her eyes. Any stimulation would only make it worse. She heard an odd sound, an agonized whimpering, and realized it was coming from her own lips. Clamping them together, she breathed slowly until the symptoms began to ease.

When she’d recovered enough, she glanced at her watch. Bryan would be home any minute now, and then Jeremy, who planned to walk home with the neighbor children. They were safe, she reminded herself, and that was the important thing. Her parents, or any of her siblings, would give her the money to fix the car if she asked.

She knew she wouldn’t ask. Not yet. Her pride was already wounded and beaten; somehow, she would find a way out of this herself. Perhaps then she could find some reason to drag herself out of bed each day.

She hurried inside and called the number on the sheet she had exchanged with Tanner Wolfe. The boy himself answered. “Is your father home?” she asked after identifying herself.

“No. He’s gone. He’s never home.” The boy’s voice was matter-of-fact.

Mickelle felt her anger dissipating. The poor, lonely child! “When can I talk to him?”

“Tonight maybe. He’s working really hard.”

“Look, you’re a nice kid,” Mickelle said, “and I know you didn’t mean to cause the accident. But my car needs to be fixed.”

“You’ll have to talk with my dad.”

“All right.” She hesitated. “Are you home alone? I mean, is there anyone with you?”

“We have a nanny, but she’s not home right now.”

Mickelle wondered where the nanny had been the day before, when she was supposed to be taking care of him. “I’m sorry about your mom. I really am.”

“That’s okay.”

“It must be hard.”

“Yeah.”

Mickelle wanted to say something else. She wanted to make everything all right, but she couldn’t bring back his mom, and she still needed her car to be fixed. “I’ll call later,” she said.

The boy grunted.

“Uh, Tanner?” she said before he could hang up. “I want you to know that I understand. I know what it’s like to lose someone you love. And I also know what it’s like to cause an accident. It happened to me when I was young, and I thought it was the end of the world. But soon it’ll be just a memory—once we get it all straightened out.”

The boy was silent, and Mickelle felt like an idiot. Then he said, “Thanks.” It was just one word, but she was listening so hard that it spoke volumes. Instinctively, she knew he was grateful for her understanding.

All at once, she wanted to tell him that if he needed to go somewhere, to call her and she would drive him. That if his sister needed a ride home from school, she could help. But he was a stranger and a child, and her offer wasn’t appropriate.

“Goodbye.” The boy hung up before she could deliberate any longer.

Mickelle called the boy’s house twice more that evening. Once no one answered, and once she talked again with Tanner. Thursday night she tried to call a fourth time, but the line was busy. On Friday evening, still no one answered. “I bet they have caller ID,” Bryan volunteered. Mickelle gritted her teeth.

* * * * *

Rebekka was having fun. Working with Damon and Samuel for most of the day instead of baby-sitting was rewarding. No longer did she have to worry about what she said around Tanner, or try to elicit sullen responses from Belle.

Samuel was a large part of her enjoyment, and she realized she would miss him when he returned to Cincinnati. He wasn’t a member of her faith, but she could tell he was a religious man. Whoever had raised him had done a very good job.

“My parents,” he said when she asked on Friday afternoon. They sat alone in the meeting room, which doubled as a break room, eating a late lunch. “They just celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary.”

“Are they religious?”

“Actually, yes. Active Catholics. Great people. They raised me with good values.”

“Do you attend church?”

“When I can.” His eyes met hers, and he added quietly, “I believe in the role of religion, if that’s what you mean. What about your family?”

She told him about her parents and about Raoul, who hadn’t e-mailed her since the night of his engagement.

“Aren’t you leaving someone out?” His voice was gentle and understanding.

She met the green eyes that seemed to stare at her so compassionately. “There was a very dear friend of mine whom I’ve sort of had a crush on since I was five.”

He whistled. “That’s a long time to have a crush.”

“Like I said, we were friends. It was hard to leave him.”

“So why did you?”

She didn’t reply right away, but he waited patiently. “Marc is a lot older than I am. I’m more like his sister than anything else.” She thought of her mother. “Or perhaps he sees himself as my father. I don’t know.”

Samuel sat back in his chair, his eyes twinkling. “Ah, that explains it.”

She gathered up the remains of her sandwich and stuffed them into the empty lunch container Damon’s cook had given them. The sandwiches had been too dry, but at least they hadn’t been that horrible five-way chili. After tasting it earlier in the week, she didn’t see how anyone as nice as Samuel could stand the dish. “Explains what?”

“Why you like Damon so much.”

Rebekka bristled. “He’s a nice man.”

“I know he’s a nice man.” Samuel leaned forward and grabbed her hand unexpectedly. His warmth surged through her. “But he’s old. I mean, you’re so young and beautiful. So full of excitement. Damon’s so much more conservative and . . . well, I admire his business sense . . . but—” A look of sheer frustration filled Samuel’s face. “I guess the truth is, I’m jealous. There, now you know.”

Rebekka didn’t know what to say.

“Look,” he continued, “I’m not saying that you don’t like Damon for the great guy he is, but could it be that you see in him a lot of what you saw in your friend—Marc, wasn’t it?”

She nodded dumbly. This possibility had crossed her mind more than a few times, and it bothered her more than she was willing to admit to anyone. “Maybe.”

Samuel rose, still holding her hand. “I have to fly back to Cincinnati tomorrow—I’ve already stayed longer than I was supposed to. Would you like to go out to dinner with me tonight?” For a moment, he didn’t look like a tough CEO, but an eager young boy.

Rebekka wished she didn’t have to let him down. “I can’t. I really would like to, but I have plans already.”

His grin vanished. “That’s okay. I understand.” He paused. “But I’ll be back next week, you know.”

She knew he could easily send someone instead of making the trip himself. He would be coming to see her. “We could go out then.”

The grin on his face reemerged like the sun from behind a cloud. “Okay, Rebekka. Next week it is.”

Damon walked into the room. “Am I interrupting?” he asked, eyeing their linked hands. He rubbed his jaw with his fingers as he spoke.

Rebekka pulled her hand away from Samuel’s. “No.” She glanced at her watch, searching for an explanation. “Oh, look at the time! I have to pick up Belle at school. I’d better hurry.”

“Mrs. Mertz said she’d watch Belle for us tonight,” Damon said. “What time are we leaving for our dinner?”

Rebekka felt her face color slightly. She didn’t dare glance at Samuel for fear he’d be watching her. Was she attracted to Damon because he reminded her of Marc? Samuel seemed to think so.

Nonsense. They didn’t look anything alike.

She smiled at Damon, realizing that she still didn’t know where she was going to take him. “Sixty-thirty. Now, if you gentlemen will excuse me?” She took a few steps toward the door.

“May I go with you to get Belle?” Samuel asked. “I’m finished here, and I’d like to come along for the ride. Besides, Belle likes me.”

Rebekka could hear the grin in his voice, though he kept his face straight. “By all means.” She motioned to the door. From the corner of her eye she saw Damon grimace, but there was nothing she could do to reassure him when she didn’t know how she felt about Samuel. He was so tall and smart and good-looking. What would it be like to be kissed by him?

As if reading her thoughts, Samuel put an arm around her when they were out of Damon’s sight, once again making her skin tingle. “I can’t wait until next week.”

* * * * *

They arrived five minutes before school let out. “So, do you do a lot of traveling?” Rebekka asked as they waited in the car for Belle.

“Yes. I travel quite a bit. I don’t need to, really. I employ people I trust and who are very qualified, but I enjoy moving around and meeting new people. Besides, most of my top executives are married, and they don’t like to be away from their families so much.”

“So you go instead.”

“I have to make a lot of decisions anyway, and it’s always easier for me if I can get a feel of things myself.”

“Do you make a lot of business decisions because of your feelings?” Rebekka found that a fascinating concept. All the men in her life had displayed strong business acumen—her father, Marc, Damon, and now Samuel. She was curious as to how they worked inside, and what her fascination with them might say about her.

“It’s more of a gut instinct.” Samuel made a fist and held it to his stomach. “Perhaps like what you Mormons call inspiration.”

Marc had told her many times of feeling inspired in his business dealings. She had figured it was the Holy Ghost prompting him, but how did Samuel feel it? And Damon hadn’t been a member long, yet every business he touched—even before he was baptized—had turned to gold.
Perhaps the Father isn’t looking so much at the religion as He is the man.
Of course that didn’t explain evil men who became rich every day.
We are all born with talents,
she reminded herself.
We are all children of God, even if we choose another path.
Like her father. Rebekka sighed.

“You haven’t heard a word I’ve said,” Samuel accused.

She looked at him sheepishly. “Sorry. I was thinking.”

“About our date next week, I hope.”

“Are you sure you’re coming back?”

“To tell the truth, I was going to send someone else. But now, even two software mergers couldn’t keep me away.”

Rebekka laughed. “You’re funny.”

“I was being serious.” He tried to look offended, but his eyes were laughing.

“Right. I wonder what’s keeping Belle?”

“Should we go in and look for her?”

“We’d better.”

They went into the school and down the hall to Belle’s first grade classroom. The teacher looked up at them expectantly. “May I help you?”

“I’m here to pick up Belle,” Rebekka said, thinking the woman must not remember her from the two times she had come into the classroom with her young charge.

“Yes, I recognize you. But Belle already left. Right when the bell rang. You didn’t see her in the hall?”

“No. She was supposed to meet me outside.”

The teacher looked worried. “I don’t know what to tell you. Maybe she’s down at the office.”

Rebekka’s heart thumped heavily in her breast. “I’ll check the office,” she told Samuel. “Would you mind going back to the car in case she goes there?”

Samuel nodded. “Don’t worry. She’s a smart little scamp. I’ll bet she’s fine. Probably heard we were having five-way chili again for dinner and decided to hide out until the danger was past.”

Rebekka gave him a brief smile of gratitude before turning away. Belle had hated the chili as much as she did. It had been the first thing they’d agreed on in a long time. But the cook wasn’t making the chili tonight, so Belle had no reason to hide—unless she’d been upset about Rebekka’s pending date with Damon. Was this the child’s way of rebelling? Anger nearly blotted out the worry in Rebekka’s chest. Belle was all too capable of such a thing.

But Rebekka had also seen Belle when she was helpless and crying—very much a child in need. Damon had been away on business the first of the summer, and Rebekka had left the intercom to Belle’s room on, just to be sure she was all right. Around midnight, Belle had started to cry. Rebekka had gone to her room to offer comfort, but Belle had turned her face to her brown teddy bear and refused to look at her. Rebekka had stayed with her anyway, until the child was asleep. She had looked so young and helpless, and Rebekka’s heart had ached at not being able to comfort her.

“She does that sometimes,” Damon said when she told him about the incident later. “Not very often. Usually when it happens she’ll come into my bed, or I’ll hear her and go in. I just hold her till she goes to sleep.”

“She wouldn’t let me touch her.”

“I’m sorry. That must have been hard on you.”

Rebekka swallowed the sudden lump in her throat. “She was the one suffering. I wish she’d let me help.”

Now, Rebekka stored the memories away. This wasn’t the middle of the night, and Damon wasn’t away on business. Belle had to be pulling one of her tricks.
Please let it be one of her tricks.

Belle wasn’t in the office, and she wasn’t anywhere on the school grounds. The principal contacted the police while Rebekka called Damon. In her emotional state she stumbled over her words, and her slight French accent was more pronounced.