Authors: Judy Christenberry
Vanessa didn’t know which of them was looking forward to Friday more—her or Lindy.
When the day finally came, Vanessa thought she’d never get Lindy into school. On the ride there, the girl talked incessantly about the slumber party.
On the way to the university, Vanessa was alone with her thoughts, and they bombarded her from all angles. They all had one thing in common. Rick.
Tonight she and Rick would chaperone the party. She wasn’t sure that would work, especially since they would be alone together for a good part of the night. After all, they wouldn’t want to impose their presence on the girls unless there was a problem. Then she remembered Mrs. Abby. Of course the housekeeper would be around. Vanessa could make sure she stayed with Mrs. Abby so that Rick couldn’t lure her into a complicated situation. She was afraid she couldn’t resist temptation if he did.
She struggled with her classes that day, finding it difficult to keep her mind on her teaching. Somehow, everything they studied seemed to link itself to Rick.
When she finally got back to her office, she decided that since it was Friday, she would just go on home. She wanted to check on her mother and get ready for the evening.
Just as she was packing up to go, Dr. Cavanaugh knocked on her door. The door was open, so she couldn’t pretend she wasn’t there.
“Yes, Dr. Cavanaugh?”
“I have something I want to show you.”
He handed an envelope to her. When she saw the letter was from the Austin Group, she was fearful of what she would find. Surely Rick hadn’t complained about their relationship. But she worried that he might have confessed to a greater involvement than she had admitted to.
Her fingers were shaking as she pulled out a single sheet of paper. She opened the folded letter and something fell out on her desk: a check for one million dollars. With a gasp, she stared at Dr. Cavanaugh. “What—what is this?”
“A check obviously. Read the letter.”
She did, and when she finished, she breathed a sigh of relief. Rick had certainly praised her behavior, but he hadn’t revealed anything between them.
“Vanessa, I wondered if you knew why he wrote the letter and included the check.”
“I—I might have warned him about any personal relationship with Lindy or her family as long as I was treating her.”
“Very proper. And is the possibility of that happening the reason you asked Shelby to take on Lindy as a patient?”
She couldn’t lie. Not only couldn’t she live with herself if she did, but Dr. Cavanaugh would see right through her. “Yes, it is,” she said faintly.
She braced herself for his admonishment.
Instead, Dr. Cavanaugh said, “That was a thoughtful solution. I could tell there was something between you and Rick.”
She could hardly believe her ears. Struggling to maintain a professional demeanor and not jump for joy, she looked up at him. “I’m glad you think so, sir. So should I tear up the check?”
Dr. Cavanaugh leaned over and snatched it up. “Not on your life! I have great plans for this money.”
“But, Dr. Cavanaugh, he—”
“He wanted to thank us for offering immediate help. And you did a great job.”
“Oh. But are you sure you should keep it?”
“Of course I am. Besides, as a romantic gesture I think it’s highly impressive. I don’t think he’d want us to tear it up.”
“No, I guess not.”
“Just tell him I appreciate his generosity when you see him next.”
“Yes. I’ll see him tonight.”
“Now, I’m off to the bank!”
After her supervisor left her office, Vanessa slumped over her desk and rested her head on her arms. A romantic gesture? Yes, it was huge. She’d waited patiently all week for him to call her and give her an update on his problem. But it was Friday and she hadn’t heard anything. She didn’t want to ask Will again.
Of course, she hadn’t bothered to tell Rick she’d sorted out her problem without his generous donation. So when she finally told him her degree was not in jeopardy, he might be angry with her.
Why was their romance so complicated?
That was a foolish question. With Lindy and Sharon in the mix, it had to be complicated. And she knew her reluctance to be involved, in spite of the attraction she felt, had made things difficult, too.
That was an understatement!
She raised her head and packed the last of her papers in her briefcase. Time to go home, check on her mother and Danny, and maybe get some rest before she set out for the sleepover.
A
T HOME
, Vivian was lying down on the sofa in the morning room. When her mother looked up, she asked, “How are you feeling?”
“Bored. I’ve rested long enough.”
“I know, but you don’t see the doctor till Monday. You have to wait until then.”
“I’m so sorry you had to move the slumber party to Rick’s house. I feel like I let everyone down.”
“You’re being silly, Mom. We all know you didn’t want to ruin Lindy’s plans, but we also know that the baby is a lot more important than a slumber party.”
“I know,” Vivian said with a sigh. “By the way, have you heard anything about Rick’s situation?”
“No, have you?”
“No. I asked Will once and he just kissed me and said nothing.”
Vanessa sighed. She needed someone to talk to, and as always, her mother was here for her. “You remember I told you about Dr. Cavanaugh being at The Mansion that night?” At Vivian’s nod, she continued. “I sorted it out with him by arranging for Lindy to see another therapist. But I didn’t tell Rick that.”
Her mother just listened, not passing judgment.
“I guess he was worried about it, because today Dr. Cavanaugh showed me a big check to the Psychology Department that Rick sent, along with a letter praising my work and saying he hoped I’d be associated with the department for many years.”
“Oh, how wonderful of him.”
“Yes. And now I feel a little guilty that I hadn’t told him what I did.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t tell him?”
“I don’t want to lie about anything to him. He—he’s indicated he’s serious about our future.” She waited, breathless, for her mother’s reaction.
“How do you feel about it?”
“I think I feel the same way.”
Vivian reached up to hug her daughter. “I think he’s a good man. And he certainly fits in well with our family.”
“Mmm-hmm. And he’s done a wonderful job with Lindy.”
“With your help. The two of you didn’t get off to such a great start.”
“But even then there was something between us. I was resisting as hard as I could, but I didn’t hold out long. I can’t.” She let herself smile.
Her mother took Vanessa’s hands in hers. “I’ve worried about who you would marry. We’ve been so lucky with marriages in our family. It took me a second time to find the right guy, but I did. You were the last one, and I’ve been concerned about your future for a while now.”
“Oh, Mom, you’d better worry about the little one you’re bringing into the world. You’ve got Danny and the baby to marry off in a few years.”
“I know. Time really flies. It seems like just last week that it was just the two of us. Now we are such a big family.”
Vanessa laughed. “Not everyone, but we are getting bigger all the time.”
“Oh, I forgot to tell you. Rachel called. She’s pregnant again.”
“Really?”
“Yes. It appears we conceived at almost the same time.”
Vanessa laughed and backed up. “Maybe I’d better stay away from both of you in case it’s catching.”
“It’s not us you need to stay away from to avoid pregnancy. It’s Rick. I’ve seen the way he looks at you.”
She chuckled, feeling lighthearted. “You could be right, Mom.”
Just then Betty brought in lunch for the two of them. “I expect you both to clean your plates,” she said before she left them.
Vivian stared at the loaded tray. “How does she expect me not to be overweight when I go to the doctor if I eat everything? Look at that coconut pie. She knows it’s my favorite.”
“Mine, too. We’ll just do the best we can and then you can plead your appetite is off. And I’ll say…What can I say?”
“You can say you’re in love. Betty already knows that, and she approves too!”
“In that case, maybe we can go straight to the pie.”
They had almost finished their lunches when the doorbell rang. Vanessa glanced at her mother. “Are you expecting anyone?”
“No. Not anyone who would come to the front door. Maybe it’s Rick.”
“I’ll go see.”
When she opened the door onto the hallway, she could hear Sharon’s strident voice as Peter tried to
close the front door on the woman. Vanessa went to assist him.
“Let me in!” Sharon screamed.
“What do you want?” Vanessa asked.
“I want revenge!”
“That’s not going to make me let you in, Sharon. Besides, I haven’t done anything.”
“Oh yeah? You were the one who told him about Larry, weren’t you?”
“So?”
“Larry’s furious with me! He refuses to have anything to do with me now.”
“He didn’t know about Rick?”
“No! I didn’t want—He’s my—”
Sharon stopped talking because tears were falling from her eyes. For the first time, Vanessa felt sorry for her.
“Sharon, I’m not the reason Larry is mad at you. The fact that you tried to trick Rick with Larry’s baby is your fault.”
“Who told you that?”
“No one. I figured it out.”
“Well, I’m going to kill you before you tell anyone else! You’re not going to destroy all my plans!”
Peter, who had moved behind the door, out of sight, yelled, “Betty, call the police!”
But his order was too late.
Sharon pulled a gun and pointed it at Vanessa.
Vanessa jumped behind the door and gave it a
mighty shove. It knocked Sharon’s hand and the gun went off, chipping the door. When the crazed woman bent down to recover the weapon, Vanessa pushed her over. Then she closed the door and locked it.
It all happened so quickly, Vanessa couldn’t believe it. Her mother was coming down the hall, almost running, and Danny and Betty had emerged from the kitchen. Then a bullet struck a window in the front of the house, shattering the glass.
Gathering her wits, Vanessa guided everyone to the library. Its windows were narrow and looked out on the side of the house. She thought they would be safer there.
“Betty, did you call the police?” she shouted.
“I didn’t have a chance.”
Vanessa grabbed a phone and dialed 911. When the police answered, a bullet shattered another window.
“Ma’am, is that gunfire?” the police dispatcher asked.
“Yes, there’s someone outside shooting the windows out. She tried to shoot me.”
“We’ve got two cars on their way right now. Stay away from the windows.”
Next Vivian called Will. She told him what was happening.
“I’m on my way. Stay away from the windows.”
As if to underscore his words, another shot hit the house. They all cringed.
“I wish there was something I could do,” Peter
said. “We should be able to stop her. I could slip out the back and attack her from the back and—”
“No!” Vivian shouted. “Will said to stay inside.”
They realized that Sharon had figured out where they were, when she shot out one of the narrow library windows. Vanessa was the closest to it. The bullet didn’t strike her, but shards of glass did. Her arm started bleeding.
Betty got up. “I’ll go get some gauze and—”
Vanessa stopped her. “No, give me your apron, Betty. Now everybody get down on the floor behind a piece of furniture.”
Peter crawled across the room with Betty’s apron and wrapped it tightly around the cut.
“Thank you, Peter,” Vanessa said softly.
Then they heard the sounds they were waiting for. Police sirens. Vanessa knew the barrage wouldn’t last much longer. But, to her surprise, she heard more gunshots.
“Surely she isn’t stupid enough to shoot at the police?” Vanessa asked no one in particular.
Then the shooting stopped as abruptly as it had started. After several moments of silence Vanessa knew the siege was over.
The doorbell rang, and Peter got up. “I’ll answer it.”
“Peter, make sure it’s the police first,” Vanessa said. “Do you want me to go with you?”
“No, Vanessa, you stay in here. Take care of the rest of them.”
Just then they heard the screech of tires as a car pulled into the drive.
“That will be Will,” Vivian said with confidence.
“Stay here until he comes in, Mom. We have to be sure.”
Moments later the door swung open and Will searched the room with his gaze, looking for Vivian and Danny. He came to them at once. “Are you all right, sweetheart? Danny?”
Danny crawled into his daddy’s arms. “It was scary, Daddy.”
“I know, son, but Mommy and Vanessa took care of you, didn’t they?”
“Yeah.”
He looked over at Vanessa. “You’re bleeding! Were you shot?”
“No, Will, it was glass from the window.”
Jim appeared then in the doorway. “Everyone all right in here?”
“Vanessa has a wound from flying glass. We need to get it taken care of.”
Her brother came to her. “Come on, Vanessa. There’s an ambulance here. They can take care of you.”
“I didn’t know you’d come, Jim,” Vanessa said, feeling a little better.
“With someone shooting at all of you, of course I came. Let me help you,” he said, taking her wounded arm in his hands.
She was afraid to ask, but she had to know. “What happened to Sharon?”
“She started shooting at the policemen. They didn’t have much choice.”
“You mean…she’s dead?” Vanessa asked, her voice rising.
“Maybe they just wounded her,” Jim said.
“Oh, no, the baby!”
“You think that was Rick’s baby?”
“It doesn’t matter now,” Vanessa said, tears starting down her cheeks.
When Jim led her out the front door, Peter was talking to one of the policemen. “Here’s Vanessa. That woman tried to shoot her.”
“What we don’t know is why,” the policeman stated.
Jim whispered to Vanessa, “Let me handle this.” In a louder voice, he asked, “Can the EMTs bandage her arm? And while they do that, I think I can explain all this.”