Threads of Steel (Bayou Cove) (28 page)

The hostess stepped up with menus in her hand. They followed her to a booth by a window. Anna Marie looked around and was glad there weren’t many customers eating at this time of the day. They both looked at the menu then gave their order to a young waitress.

When the girl walked away, Ronnie hiked his elbows up on the table and looked right at her. “So, why are you up in Birmingham?”

She was afraid he’d ask that. Even after all he’d done to her, she couldn’t lie to him.

“I wanted to talk with you.”

“You mean you drove all the way up here to talk with me. I think our telephones would’ve worked from the coast to central Alabama.”

“You’re right, but I wanted to talk with you in person.”

He sat up straight and crossed his arms. “That doesn’t sound good. What’s up?”

“I talked with
Doti
last week. She’d called and asked Nancy and me to come up to see her. I took an afternoon off and drove over.” She stopped, not knowing how to continue.

“And?” he asked with a frown.

She took a fortifying breath. “She wanted to talk with us. More specifically, she wanted to talk to me. You do know she has cancer and isn’t expected to live.”

He nodded. “After you told me about her at the funeral, I made a few calls and I’ve kept up with her.”

“She knows she’s dying. As much as I disapproved of the things she did in the past, I’m real proud of the way she’s handling this. She’s approaching this with a lot more sense and strength than I could ever do.”

“No, Anna Marie, you don’t give yourself enough credit. If you could handle what
Doti
and I did to you and go on to make a success of your life, you can deal with anything.”

“You give me too much credit. What you and
Doti
did to me nearly killed me. I finished the classes for my degree so I’d have something to do to help me get away from the area. I wanted out—out of everything. I would’ve lost my mind had I stayed around that town where I might run into you and
Doti
.”

His eyes scanned the table top. “You know I’m sorry I ruined what we had.”

“I know,” she said, surprised to still feel the sharp stab of betrayal, “but that’s not why I’m here. I want to talk about
Doti
.”

He grimaced. “She’s not my favorite subject, but I’m listening. What did she tell you?”

“It’s what she asked me to do that made me drive up here. She wants me to take your daughter after she’s gone.”

Ronnie hit the table with the palms of his hand. “Damn.” But then he raised his hands to her.
“Nothing against you, Anna Marie.
I couldn’t think of anyone better to take care of my daughter, but, damn, damn, damn, it probably never crossed her mind to talk with me, to ask me to raise Caitlyn.”

“Oh, it crossed her mind, but I’m afraid she wouldn’t do that. In fact, when I brought up your name about getting custody, she said she’d never consider giving her daughter to you.”

Ronnie stared at her with eyes that said more than he could ever say. The man was devastated.

“She’s my daughter. I have rights.”

“Not the way I understand it. According to her, you gave up your rights.”

“Yeah, well, it’s the only way she’d let me have a little visitation time. She thinks I’m scum.”

Anna Marie raised her brow and stared at him.

“Okay, at one time I was a lazy, no-good piece
of.
. . you know what I mean. But I’ve changed. Uh, I even have a new lady in my life, and I think you’d like her. She’s really respectable. She works in a lawyer’s office.”

“Really?
I’m impressed. What does she do?”

“She’s a paralegal.” His face was animated at the mention of his new friend. Anna Marie saw a lot of love and respect.

“She has me going back to church and she helped me find a job with a good steady company.”

“Wow. She must be a saint or have superhuman powers to do all that. I’d like to meet this woman.”

Ronnie nodded and grinned. For a moment he looked like the young man she’d married. He looked calmer and more settled, and if what he said were true, there was hope for him to be with for his daughter in the future.

“I’d like for you to meet her as well. She said if things looked okay with you I could call her and she could leave the office for a little while.” He picked up his phone. “Is that okay with you? Do you have a few extra minutes?”

“Yes, I’d love to meet her. Not meaning to jump the gun, but she might be a real factor in Caitlyn’s future.”

He wasted no time in calling her and relaying the message,
then
turned back to Anna Marie. “She’ll be here in a minute. Her office is right down the road. That’s why I picked this place. By the way, her name is June Talbert.”

“Where do you live now?” Anna Marie had to get all the facts, and she so hoped they’d be ones that could help his situation.

“I still rent a small apartment. It’s pretty junky, not the kind of place I could bring a little girl, but with this job and a steady paycheck I can look for something a little nicer or even think about getting of my own place soon. Hell, I even have health insurance with this job.
Never had that before.”

“Ronnie, I’m proud of you.”

She knew that eventually the money from
Doti’s
share of Miss Ellie’s house would go into a trust fund to help Caitlyn’s guardians, but she didn’t mention that. If he agreed to take his
daughter, it had to be because he wanted her, not because there was a financial stake involved.

“I’m proud of me too. June had a lot to do with this. I was getting pretty fed up with myself and my life. I needed some stability and she came around at the right time.” Again he beamed.

“Have you two talked about a future together?”

“It’s been mentioned, but we’ve really only started going out steady since the funeral. I think there’s a good possibility with her. I hope so. I really do love her.”

“I’m so glad for you,” she said and realized she was glad that he was trying to make something of himself.

“I’m trying real hard not to screw this up.”

“I hope everything works out for you two because I think your daughter belongs with you when something happens to
Doti
.”

Ronnie sat up straight. “You think there’s a chance for me to get her?”

“I’m no judge, but if your life is straightening out and especially if you and June get as far as marrying, I can’t see where any judge would keep her from you.

Tears welled in Ronnie’s eyes. He nodded. “Anna Marie, I love my daughter. I know I haven’t been a good father, but I love that little girl.” He reached out and took her hand. “Thank you for coming up here and thinking about me. Now I’ll have to change
Doti’s
mind. It won’t be easy, but with your help, something good might come of this.”

“I’ll do what I can.”

The door opened and Ronnie wiped his eyes,
then
jumped up from the booth. “There she is,” she heard him say as he darted toward the door. Anna Marie turned around to see him greet June with a sweet kiss on the cheek and to take her hand.

The lady wasn’t anything that Anna Marie imagined Ronnie to fall for. She had a pretty face and her brown hair was cut in a short modern style. She wore a dark brown business suit and looked like anyone who would work in an attorney’s office.

Still, she assumed Ronnie would continue to see young bimbos—as Nancy had put it—but this lady was nothing like that. In fact, she wasn’t the tall, thin female she envisioned Ronnie falling for
.
June was not fat, but she certainly wasn’t thin.

They walked up to their booth. Anna Marie didn’t get up, but she extended her hand and smiled when Ronnie introduced June to her.

“Anna Marie, it’s so good to meet you. Ronnie’s told me all about growing up on the coast and about you and Nancy and
Doti
.”

Anna Marie looked at Ronnie.
“All about us?”

June spoke up before he had a chance to answer. “Yes, Ronnie didn’t leave out anything. At least I don’t think he has. I know all about your marriage and what happened with
Doti
.”

Anna Marie was speechless. She couldn’t believe he’d confess such transgressions to the woman he was trying to impress.

“I wanted her to know my past—all of it.”

“It was certainly an eye-opener,” June added. “I had to think long and hard before I decided to continue to see him. I love Ronnie, but I didn’t want to get involved in another bad marriage. Been there, done that.”

“I’m sorry, June. I guess Life isn’t choosy about whom she makes miserable. I’m glad to see you’ve decided to continue seeing him.”

Ronnie put his arm around June and gave her a quick squeeze.
“Me too.
I don’t deserve anyone as good as this woman, but I’m trying.”

“And that’s what I want to hear.” Anna Marie picked up her purse.

“You’re not leaving, are you?” June questioned.

“Yes. I think you and Ronnie need to talk.”

June frowned and looked at Ronnie. “Oh, Ronnie, is there more I need to know?”

He chuckled. “It’s not what you think, but Anna Marie is right. We do need to talk.”

CHAPTER
18

Nancy glanced in her rearview mirror as she pulled away from her neighbor’s drive after picking up Little Harry. Since she’d taken on a fulltime job at one of the elementary schools, Mrs. Allen had been keeping the toddler during the day. Even though this was Sunday, she’d imposed by asking her to keep him just until she bought a few groceries. Who had time to buy groceries during the work week when she spent her time running children around after school? Anna Marie had just called and asked to talk with her so now she was hurrying home to straighten the house a little bit.

She lowered her window and stuck her hand out for a final wave to her neighbor. Her first prayer this morning was for her to be able to do everything that needed to be done today. Now her prayer was for the window to close. She shouldn’t have opened it.

Stupid van
.
Harry had bought the van second-hand about three years ago, and now, even though it was in desperate need of repairs, he said there was no money to replace it
.

She looked at the torn, stained seat covers. Hauling around kids and a dog had taken its toll on the old vehicle. She hated it, and she wanted to hate Harry for it—and other things, she reminded herself—but she couldn’t. Before he’d left for his other job, he’d spent every weekend working on the motor and patching up the body
.

“Just a few more months,” he’d say. “I swear, as soon as I can get some overtime, we’ll get you something else.” At first his brown eyes told her he understood her frustration, but it seems the van’s problems along with all the other things falling apart in their house and in their lives was just too much for him to take.

She swallowed the lump that she seemed to live with.
Maybe now that he was working on a big construction job near Jackson and she was bringing in a little more money, their problems could be worked out.

That is, if he decided to come back home to the family.

She blew out a long breath and thought about the silver sports car that Anna Marie drove. A wave of jealousy swept across her chest.

“Don’t do this to yourself. Your life’s bad enough without comparing yourself to her, especially now.” No way would she want to be in her friend’s shoes with the things she had to endure since Miss Ellie’s death.

But it was hard not to compare. Anna Marie had made something of herself. Nancy was proud of her.
Jealous, but proud.
Sure Anna’s marriage to Ronnie had been a disaster, but splitting up was probably for the best. Even in high school Nancy swooned over Ronnie like the rest of the girls, but in her heart she always knew he’d never turn out to be a good husband.

Maybe
Doti
had done her friend a service by going to the motel with him? If Ronnie could two-time Anna Marie with
Doti
, he probably had done it before. Just the thought of those two crawling into bed together still turned Nancy’s stomach.

Now the woman had the nerve to ask Anna Marie to take her child from that night.

Poor Anna.

Had Anna’s brief marriage ruined romance for her? Was that why she never remarried? Surely she couldn’t still love the jerk. No, Anna Marie was smarter than that.

She wondered about her friend who always seemed to be in control. Even when her marriage had shattered before her eyes, Anna Marie had picked up the pieces and moved on.
Over the years Nancy had watched her finish her degree, then start the business in New Orleans with Stephen.

Nancy and Harry had met Stephen when they’d taken a daytrip to New Orleans. Harry thought the guy was a little strange to spend his time sewing, but Nancy liked him and could see that he and Anna worked well together
.