Amelia (13 page)

The thought had him loosening his tie.

“She called Penelope last night. I know she’s in town.”

“Yes. She dropped Adam’s car off at my house before she got a hotel room. She needed a place to store it.”

Vivian narrowed her eyes. “I have a decent size lot. She could have brought it to my house.”

Now his nerves were caught in his throat. “Yes. She could have, I suppose.”

She ran her tongue over her teeth and gave him a nod.

The door to the office opened again and a man walked in. He could only assume this was Frank Monroe, Adam’s father.

From what Sam could remember of Adam, this man shared many of the same strong features. And being ex-military, as he knew he was, the hair cut would have given that away.

“Hello, Frank,” Vivian’s voice was soft and shook just a bit.

“Viv.” He acknowledged her with a nod. “And you’re Penelope, right?” He shifted his glance.

“Yes, sir.”

He let out a grunt and another nod before fixing his eyes on Sam.

“Mr. Jackson?”

Sam moved toward the man who stood a good four inches taller than he did. “Yes, sir. Sam Jackson.”

Frank shook his hand. “Thank you for meeting me.” Frank looked around the office. “There is one more, right? One more woman?”

“Yes, that would be me.”

Amelia’s voice came from behind the man. He stepped to the side and looked down at her.

“I’m Amelia.” She held out her hand and shook it.

He cleared his throat. “You’re the actual wife?”

“So they tell me. But we all share that title, sir.” She looked toward Sam. “Are we ready?”

“Yes.”

Sam showed them to the conference room. He noticed that when Amelia walked past him she didn’t acknowledge him. It was best, but he didn’t like it. A smile would have been nice.

The women all took the same seats they had the last time they’d met, but Frank took the seat Sam would usually occupy. So he sat next to Vivian.

“Mr. Monroe, is your wife coming?”

Frank Monroe rested his arms on the table and clasped his hands. “No. I asked her to stay home. She’s very fragile right now and I’m not sure we’d accomplish much.” He made eye contact with each woman. “Vivian told us about the predicament you’re all in. I’m sure you can appreciate that as the father of a fine soldier this is very hard for me to believe.”

Sam watched as Penelope forced herself to blink, Vivian looked down at the table, and Amelia met Frank’s eyes. She rested her arms on the table in the exact same manner he had.

“Sir, I’m sure you also can appreciate that none of us were prepared for this. It came as quite a shock to all of us.”

Frank made a noise as if he were sucking the words out from between his teeth. “I’m a big enough man to admit that men, and women, make some pretty amazing mistakes. I’d say that Adam did just that.” He stood from his chair and paced the small space before him. “I’m not proud of what my son did. He was a good soldier. That doesn’t always relate to being a good husband. Look at the house he had his family in. A providing husband would have taken better care.”

That said a lot, Sam thought. At least the man wasn’t candy coating his son to be someone they all knew he wasn’t.

He walked around Sam and to the other side of Vivian, resting his hand on her shoulder. “Vivian stood by my son since high school. I have two beautiful granddaughters. I thank God for them. But she knows my wife has always had reservations against her.”

Sam watched as Vivian wiped at her eyes. He pushed a box of tissue in front of her, but she refused it. Obviously in front of Adam’s father tears were seen as weakness.

Frank moved to the other end of the table and rested his hands palm down. He took a breath. “I’ll make this short and sweet. I have recently come into the knowledge that Adam wasn’t necessarily responsible for getting in the paperwork for your marriage.” He nodded toward Vivian. “I can’t condone what he did by marrying others when he should have at least honored the vows he made to you.”

He was speaking to Vivian, but he kept his focus down.

“I’m told you’re pregnant with my son’s child as well?” He looked up and focused on Penelope until she met his eye.

“Yes. Yes, sir.”

He gave her a slow nod. “Congratulations.”

“Thank you,” her voice was soft and she sounded fragile.

“You have my support.”

Penelope’s eyes grew wide. “I do? I—I mean, thank you.”

Frank pulled out a chair and sat down. “Vivian also shared with us that the three of you are going to go into business together. She says that Adam’s bills are more than what is expected from his insurance policies.”

“I have those here if you’d…” Frank held a hand up to stop Sam.

“I’m aware of his habits. I find it admirable that three women who had an unfortunate relationship with the same man are willing to work together.”

“Sir,” Amelia spoke up. “Their children deserve the best. I’m sure you understand that. Adam isn’t here to be part of their lives. At least the children will have each other.”

“Like I said, that’s admirable of you. Especially you.” He looked at Amelia. “You could walk away and you haven’t. I looked into you, you know. Your mother was a well decorated solider.”

Amelia pushed back her shoulders. “Yes, sir, she was.”

“It looks to me that she and your father raised a very fine woman.”

Amelia batted her eyes rapidly. “Thank you, sir.”

He nodded and pulled folded papers from his back pocket. He laid them on the table and flattened them out.

“I have decided that it is time my wife and I move from this area and retire. I have a hankering to own a boat and do some fishing. She…well she needs to separate herself from what’s going on.”

Frank picked up the papers and walked toward Sam. He handed him the papers and took his original seat.

“My mother lived right in town. The house is on Main and Pine. The house itself is about one hundred and ten years old. It needs paint, some updated wiring, and the floors could be redone.” Frank rubbed his hand over his mouth then clasped them together. “I’ve rented the house out over the years. I’ve used the garage for storage as well as the attic. But the yard is enormous. The living space on the second floor is very roomy. And I think the main area would be a wonderful place for a daycare facility.”

All three women raised their heads and their eyes focused on Frank Monroe’s.

Sam looked down at the papers Frank had handed him. “Sir, this is the deed to the property.”

“Yes. I’m signing it over to the ladies. I guess specifically to Amelia as she’s the heir to Adam’s estate, but it’s for all of you. I know you’ll have to put into it before you can open, but this is what I can do for my grandchildren.” He then looked at Amelia. “And my son’s wife.”

The air in the room grew thicker and Vivian’s sobs were now only matched by Penelope’s. But it was Amelia who stood and walked to Frank.

He stood and looked down at her.

“Sir, this is very unselfish. I’m not sure thank you is adequate.”

She moved into him and wrapped her arms around him. Frank arms tensed before he embraced her, then he stepped back and cleared his throat.

He pulled a set of keys from his pocket. “Here are the keys. Anything left in the house is yours as well. You can keep it. Sell it. Donate it. I have what I needed.” Frank turned to Sam. “I want to make sure you’re financially set for taking care of all this above what the insurance will pay you. I know you’ve been helping these fine women out. I appreciate that.”

Sam stood. “I’m taken care of, sir.” Telling him that he was hoping to be an integral part of their lives for a long time was probably not appropriate.

Frank gave another nod and pursed his lips. “Vivian,” he said and waited for her to look up. “I’m sorry for all the years of pain my wife might have caused you. Adam was her light. When his focus became you…well…I’m sure you understand.”

“I do.”

“You’re doing a fine job with the girls. I’m very proud of them. And you.”

Vivian stood. “Thank you, sir. That means a lot.”

“You’ll let us visit when we are in town?”

“Of course.”

“And you’ll keep us updated about the girls?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

“Okay.” He tucked his hands into his front pockets. “I guess that’s all.”

He turned to leave but Vivian moved and stopped his exit.

“Thank you. You have no idea what comfort this brings to me to have your support and this gift.” She sniffed back her tears. “I loved Adam. I did. With all my heart from the moment I met him. I never could have seen this coming, but I loved him. And you’ve always been there for me and the girls. I appreciate that. This gift will take care of them—us—for a long time.” She moved in and kissed him on the cheek.

When she stepped back he cleared his throat again.

“Vivian has my cell phone number if you all need anything.”

He moved past her and left the office.

Sam looked down at the papers in front of him. “This is official. The three of you now jointly own the house at Main and Pine.”

“It’s a wonderful house,” Vivian said softly. “His wife always wanted to live there.”

“They never moved in?” Amelia asked.

“He wouldn’t let her live in his mother’s home.” Vivian smiled then tucked her lips between her teeth as if she were hiding it. “Frank Monroe is a man of his word. If he said he’d marry a woman it would be for life—even if he decided later she wasn’t who he thought she was.”

Penelope looked up at her. “She scares me.”

“Don’t let her. Frank would never let her do anything to harm you. And she wouldn’t. She might make it hard on you, but she wouldn’t hurt you.”

Vivian picked up the keys and held them in her hand.

“What do you say we go check out our new business location?”

Sam watched as Vivian’s cheeks lifted and lightness danced in her eyes. Frank Monroe might have just made up for his son’s shortcomings.

But if Sam remembered the house correctly, these women had a lot of work ahead of them. He knew a thing or two about home improvements. This might just be his excuse to get more involved.

He looked toward Amelia who seemed to be deep in thought. What possibly could have happened between the time he left her bed and now?

Chapter Fifteen

The three women stood in front of the house looking up. The white picket fence in the front yard was falling apart and the gate hung by only one hinge.

Paint peeled from the house, the mail box stood at an angle, and the windows had a hundred-year fog covering them.

Penelope shifted a glance between Vivian and Amelia. “I’ll bet it was lovely.”

Amelia looked toward Vivian who was smiling. “It is.” She looked at them. “C’mon, it’s old. It needs some love, but look at the possibilities.” Her voice was airy and full of promise, but Amelia looked back at the house and didn’t see it.

“Maybe we’d better go in and look,” she offered and Vivian headed toward the door.

Moving the broken gate, Vivian waited for the others to catch up to her. She took each step of the porch slowly as they creaked beneath her.

Taking the keys from her pocket, she slid it into the lock on the door.

“Okay, here we go.” She turned the lock and pushed open the door.

The three women stepped in and stood silently.

Vivian had been right. The inside was amazing—or might have been a hundred years ago.

The entry gave to a hallway and a set of stairs. To each side of the entry there were enormous rooms.

“I think this one was the dining room.” Vivian pointed to the left. “And over here was the sitting room, living room, it goes back to the library. But it all circles around to the kitchen. The whole floor flows.” She walked toward the sitting room. “There are these,” she began to pull a large wooden door from the wall. “Pocket doors.”

“Oh, my!” Penelope’s eyes opened wide. “Look how beautiful they are.”

“They’re original,” Vivian said as she pushed it back into place.

The three of them walked through the house in a huddle. Each room had some furniture, the floors were bare, and the air thick with Oklahoma red dust.

Vivian had something to say about each room. She’d remembered being there when Adam’s grandmother had been alive. “It was this dusty then too,” she snickered.

The kitchen was a different story. Where the other rooms had been left in their nearly natural state, the kitchen had been remodeled sometime in the 1970’s.

Amelia laughed. “Is that an avocado green refrigerator?”

“I’m sure it doesn’t work,” Vivian said.

“I’d be afraid to see what lived in it.”

The walls had orange and brown patterns. The light fixture over the eating area was citrine glass. The mosaic tile of the back splash was—well—hideous, Amelia thought.

“If we use this for the daycare center this will all have to be industrial,” Amelia offered.

“Thank God!” Penelope burst out, then covered her mouth. “Sorry.” She looked at Vivian. “The house is wonderful.”

Vivian let out a laugh. “It’s horrible. But it’s free. Free is good.”

“It’s going to cost a lot to fix it,” Amelia added.

“Yep. But can’t you see what it could be?”

Amelia couldn’t, but she’d seen what Vivian had done with the shack she lived in. She could only imagine that tucked into her pocket there were rose colored glasses. But Amelia would just have to take Vivian’s word on it. To her, a bulldozer seemed more appropriate.

They started up the stairs to the second level. Each step creaked under them.

“These are safe aren’t they?” Penelope asked.

“You’re fine,” Vivian said as she brushed cobwebs from in front of her.

The second floor had four bedrooms. One shared a Jack and Jill bathroom. The other two had a bathroom down the hall.

“I’m guessing these bathrooms might have been old closets?” Amelia said as she looked inside. She realized that the bathroom in her small condo had been twice the size of the one she was looking at.

“Remember how old it is,” Vivian said, her voice still dancing with enthusiasm.