Wayward Hearts (23 page)

Jason cleared the blockage in his throat. Every time he wanted to be mad at his father, Clint came up with the words to make him stop in his tracks.

Clint stood, stretched his back and smiled down at Jason. “I only hope I can make up for being a lousy father by being a terrific grandfather.”

 

****

 

Maxi sat in the late afternoon shadows on the Johnson's wrap-around porch, partially obscured by the draping foliage of a large weeping willow.

The Johnson home had always been the envy of most of the town's residents. The stately structure reflected the prestige and position of the bank manager. Maxi remembered the late Mrs. Johnson had enjoyed playing hostess for many social functions at the estate while she was still alive, functions that Maxi and her family had never been invited to attend.

Now as she waited for Gloria, Maxi wondered what it would've been like to grow up in this beautiful house, pampered by two adoring parents, given everything she'd ever wanted, instead of living on a farm, largely ignored by her father and tormented by three brothers. Was it any wonder Gloria felt entitled to receive her heart's desire when she'd been given it her whole life?

Maxi rose from the white wicker chair, setting her jaw to remind herself what she was here for. She looked at her watch, then wiped her moist palms on her brown suede pants. She hadn't changed out of her best suit, vowing for once not to be intimidated by Gloria's wealth and air of superiority. She didn't expect Gloria to roll over and give Jason up. That was never going to happen. But Gloria's actions would reap some negative consequences, even if it only meant she'd find herself on the receiving end of Maxi's sharp tongue.

Just as Sierra had been today.

Maxi smiled to herself, recalling the brief moment of satisfaction when, intimidated by the presence of the lawyer Maxi had brought along, Sierra had been forced to admit she'd ”mistakenly” included Maxi's pictures in her portfolio. The disapproval on Philippe's face had not matched his calm tone when he apologized to Maxi for the confusion and requested to speak to Sierra in private. Maxi wished she could've eavesdropped on that conversation.

She pulled out her cell phone to check for messages, hoping Philippe had come to a decision by now, but no messages appeared. Returning her phone to her purse, Maxi resumed her seat in the shadows of the porch. No matter what action Philippe now decided to take, at least she'd stood up for herself and hadn't allowed Sierra to get away with the fraud she'd intended.

Maxi drew in a deep breath, focusing her thoughts on another, more personal fraud she needed to deal with.

Fifteen more minutes passed, and she was about to give up her vigil when Gloria's BMW finally pulled into the long driveway. She screeched to a halt and got out with a swing of her long, blonde hair. Humming off-key, Gloria grabbed her purse and bags from the backseat and practically skipped up the stairs to the front door, her yellow skirt blowing out behind her. Maxi waited, motionless, while the woman fumbled with her keys to unlock the ornate front door. When Gloria bent to retrieve her packages, Maxi rose on silent feet, stuck her hands into her pockets, and stepped out of the shadows.

“Hello, Gloria.”

The other woman gave a squawk of surprise and dropped one of her shopping bags. Her startled expression twisted into one of extreme displeasure. “You're trespassing on private property.”

Maxi chose to ignore the remark. “I have a few things I need to say to you. I'd appreciate five minutes of your time.” How did she manage to sound so civilized when her insides rolled with a mixture of nerves and anger?

Gloria stepped away from the door and set the rest of her belongings on one of the wicker chairs. She straightened and crossed her arms over her chest. “I take it you're not here to congratulate me.”

“Not quite.”

“I didn't think so. Jason and I are expecting a baby and getting married in less than two weeks' time. Nothing you do can change that, so go ahead. Say what you have to.”

Maxi's stomach clenched as though someone had punched her. Hearing Gloria say it out loud felt like someone had rubbed vinegar into the raw wound of Maxi's heart. She took a deep breath and blew it out. “You've always been a bully, Gloria. All through high school, I suffered through your cruel jokes, your lies, and harassment. I guess I was as much to blame for keeping the game going. Until you did the meanest thing of all.” Maxi's voice cracked. She stopped to shore her courage again. She would not break down in front of Gloria, no matter what it took.

Gloria at least had the grace to look embarrassed.

“Your article in the school newspaper was unforgivable. At the time, I was too grief stricken to do anything about it. Maybe I even believed it somewhere deep down. It's taken me years to forgive myself for that night, and now that I have, I want to tell you what a lowlife you were to print those lies about my brother's death.”

Maxi had the brief satisfaction to watch Gloria pale beneath her fake tan.

“Is this all you want to do? Dredge up the past? I haven't got time for this.” She made a move to open the door.

Maxi stepped in front of her, blocking her way.

“I'm not finished yet.” She met Gloria's furious glare with a steely gaze of her own. “All those so called ‘pranks' pale in comparison to what you're doing now to Jason.”

Gloria's mouth fell open. “What I'm doing to him? He got me pregnant, and somehow
I'm
the villain?”

She was a good actress, Maxi had to give her that. Playing the outraged victim to the hilt. “You can drop the act with me. You may have Jason fooled, but I'd bet my entire savings account you're not pregnant at all. Or if you are, it's not Jason's baby.”

Fear leapt into the other woman's eyes. “You can't prove any of that,” Gloria sputtered. She pushed Maxi aside and went to grasp the door handle.

“You're right. I can't prove anything. That doesn't change the truth though. And the truth will come out eventually. It always does. I just hope you care enough about Jason not to ruin his life in the process.”

For a moment, Maxi let herself feel the rage she'd kept under such tight control. She grabbed Gloria by the upper arm and jerked her around. “I'll be watching you. And if you hurt Jason, you'll regret it. That's a promise.”

They stood nose-to-nose, anger and hatred mixing in the air between them. Maxi fought the urge to smack the lipstick off Gloria's smug lips. In an effort to regain control, she took one long step back.

“What's going on here?”

The loud masculine voice made her jump. Jason stood at the foot of the stairs, a thunderous expression darkening his face. How had she not noticed him arriving? Heat rushed into Maxi's cheeks, blood pounding in her ears. She wished the floorboards on the porch would part and swallow her. She hadn't wanted Jason to know she was back in town, let alone overhear part of her conversation with Gloria. Retreat became her only option. With one quick motion, she jumped off the porch to the grass below.

“Ask her.” She jerked her head in Gloria's direction. “I'm sure she'd be more than happy to tell you all about it.”

In two strides, Jason caught up to Maxi and grabbed her arm, halting her departure. “What are you doing here? I thought you were in New York.”

She could smell the fresh scent of his soap, feel the warmth of his breath on her face. She struggled to maintain her composure and not throw herself into his arms. “I finished sooner than I expected and came back to help Mama finalize the sale of the house.” An evil urge took hold. “Tell me, does your future wife know she'll be living on
my
farm?”

The shocked expression on his face told her exactly what she needed to know.

He ignored the question as she guessed he would. “Stay out of this, Max. It doesn't concern you.”

The harshness of his tone tore a strip off her already bleeding heart. “You're right. I am so done with this whole situation. You can save yourself a stamp, and don't bother mailing me an invitation to the wedding.”

She ripped her arm out of his grasp and took off at a run.

 

 

 

 

26

 

Jason ground his molars together and watched Maxi fly down the sidewalk. The sight of her on Gloria's porch, locked in a heated debate with his soon-to-be wife, had shocked him. He thought Maxi would be in the city for a few more days at least.

Jason turned and mounted the stairs to stand before Gloria, wishing he could turn around and go back the way he came. Because she clearly wasn't going to forget a word Maxi had said.

Sure enough, Gloria crossed her arms over her chest and frowned. “What did she mean by that comment?”

He feigned ignorance. “What comment?”

“About living on a farm? You don't live on a farm. You live with your mother.”

This was not going well. He didn't want to fight with her right now. “That's right. But we'll find somewhere to live as soon as possible.”

Her rigid stance relaxed a fraction. “Good. I've got a few ideas I want to run by you. There's this cute house on Greenmount Avenue—”

“We won't be buying a house.” They'd be fixing up a farmhouse. He needed the right time to break that one to her.

She scowled, clearly not happy with the idea. He scanned the house behind him and realized anywhere they did live would be a big come down for her.

“I came by to discuss the wedding date.”

She brightened at the change in topic. “Oh, good. I talked to Father Marcus at St. Peter's Church. After my father pulled a few strings, he's willing to marry us next Saturday. That should be enough time to get the bridesmaid dresses and the tuxedos—”

Panic grabbed his throat in a chokehold. “Whoa. Whoa. Wait a minute. Who said anything about a church wedding with tuxedos? City Hall will do fine.”

An expression of horror flew over Gloria's face. “Daddy will not allow anything less than a church wedding. Our marriage has to be sanctified by God.”

Nausea curdled in Jason's stomach. He wasn't getting married in the church with all the trappings. They'd have a simple wedding. Maybe Nick would marry them quietly with only a couple of witnesses.

Gloria planted her hands on her hips and stamped her foot. “I want a big church wedding.”

Jason recoiled at her spoiled behavior. How would he live with her on a day-to-day basis? He took a deep breath and forced himself to think about the only thing that mattered in this situation. Forging a relationship for the sake of the innocent one they were bringing into the world. “I'll talk to Nick and see if he'll agree to perform a simple ceremony in his church.”

A storm of emotions crossed her makeup-caked face. She looked like a petulant child unable to comprehend that she wouldn't get her own way. “I could take the baby away and never let you see him.”

Jason whirled on her so fast she gasped. His fingers circled her arm in a steely grip. “I would never let you get away with that. I'd hunt you down to the ends of the earth if I had to.” Anger had him shaking. He could see fear in Gloria's eyes and felt a twinge of regret.

“OK, fine. We'll do it your way. For now.” She pulled her arm away and gave him a scathing look before disappearing through the front door.

He watched her go and then turned and slammed his fist against the portico.

 

****

 

What on earth had she been thinking confronting Gloria that way? Once again she'd come out looking like the shrew and Gloria, the victim.

Maxi gunned the accelerator allowing her self-loathing to express itself through her lead foot. The sight of the local police station brought a splash of cold water to her hot head, and she eased off the gas, mindful she was still within town limits. Running into Jason at Gloria's had unnerved her more than she cared to admit. She needed time to recover her equilibrium before facing her mother and Peg. She decided to head over to the farm to cool down and start packing.

Her tortured thoughts turned to Peg. How was she handling the news that Jason would be marrying Gloria? Maxi doubted she'd take it well. She bit her lip recalling the burgeoning hope on the two mothers' faces as she'd left for the airport and shook her head at how fast the world could change. How hopes and dreams could die in the breath of a word.

The farm seemed desolate as Maxi drove up and parked in front of the house. She took a moment to study her home, the dormer windows upstairs, the friendly wrap-around porch, the lonely window boxes full of her mother's wilting petunias. Even in its neglected condition, Maxi loved the old house. Why was it when she was finally getting rid of this place that her heart squeezed with sadness at leaving it behind?

She swallowed the lump in her throat. No time for silly sentimentality. She had work to do.

With fierce determination, she jogged down to the basement and dug out the stash of old cardboard boxes her mother always kept there just in case they needed them someday.

She hauled a stack up to the kitchen, deciding this was the best room to start in. Her bedroom had nothing left except the dismantled bed frame. The two spare rooms contained only a few pieces of furniture. So the main floor became the area to tackle.

She grabbed a stack of old newspapers from the basket by the fireplace and began to wrap dishes. She placed each item in the box with care, forcing herself to concentrate on the task at hand and not let her mind wander to self-pitying thoughts. Halfway through the second box, a knock sounded on the front door. Maxi jumped and almost dropped her mother's favorite casserole dish. Her heart rushed into her throat, half-hoping, half-dreading that Jason had found her.

She leaned over the kitchen sink to peer out the window. The sight of Nick on the front porch made the air whoosh out of her like a deflated balloon.