Bring on the Rain (46 page)

Chapter 25

The house did seem empty that night,
Brook’s room in particular. Madeline couldn’t seem to find a place
she wanted to sit, every place seemed too quiet, too lonely. She
stood in Brook’s doorway, seeing only the familiar wallpaper and
bed, the clutter and girl things were gone. Max’s expensive cologne
could be detected.

Later she would re-do everything, make
it more grown up and more of a guest room.

Lord only knew what taste Brook would
have when she came home the first time from Europe. However, for
now she left the door of it open and slept on the sofa, missing her
children, praying Max got home safely.

He called early the next morning. He
told her Gee Gee, his uncle and Brook would be leaving at the end
of next week. Brook would call her, he said.

~*~

The week got by Madeline, as always
filled with work. Summer brought more customers and they were so
busy most days, she’d hardly had time to eat.

~*~

Brook called when she got
home.

“
Mom? How are
you?”

“
Fine, missing you
awfully.”

“
Oh, Mom. We are leaving
this weekend. It will be awhile before I’m in touch.”

“
How do you like
Kentucky?”

“
It’s a blast. Aunt Gee is
cool, and Uncle is hilarious He talks to himself. Anyway, I met
some nice people. It’s a lot like home. Max is going to take me out
this evening, introducing me, he says.”

“
You sound
excited.”

“
Oh I am. I… Have you heard
if Karla is pregnant?”

Madeline closed her eyes. “No, but Ruby
will probably call in a few days. I’ve been putting off talking to
Jenna.”

“
Max told me Coy’s side of
things. I wish it made a difference. I feel too betrayed. It was
supposed to be such a wonderful night. I’d built it up in my
mind.”

“
I know, honey.”

“
Well, the next time we talk
I’ll be somewhere in Paris.”

“
Gee, sounds wonderful.”
Madeline laughed. “I am standing here smelling like the Tavern,
getting ready to take the trash out.”

“
I love you, Mom. Say hi to
Mitch.”

“
I love you—what’s that
supposed to mean?”

“
Bye.” Brook laughed and
hung up.

Madeline looked at the phone, and then
softly hung it up. She was taking out the trash when Jenna pulled
in. She got out of her car looking frazzled.

“
Hello,” she greeted her
then invited her in for lemonade.

Jenna said she’d rather talk on the
porch.

Lemonade poured, Madeline sat across
from her, thinking that even with the black eye gone she still
looked defeated.

“
What’s wrong?”

“
Everything.” Tears came
slowly, but Jenna wiped them away, and stared out at the road. “I
took Karla to the doctor. I didn’t want to rely on a home pregnancy
test.”

“
Is she?”

Jenna nodded. “She said she planned
it.” She looked at her. “How can you not hate me? Karla hurt Brook
badly.”

“
I don't blame you, Jenna.
What’s Karla going to do?”

“
I talked to Jude today.
Shit, that man scares me to death.” She sighed shakily. “Anyway, I
told him Karla wants to leave, and he said they intended to pay her
doctor bills. I was honest, I told him I didn’t trust her, didn’t
know what she would do. I feel like I messed up, that I caused her
to do all this. I don't even know her anymore; she has this...
twisted rage.”

“
What else did Jude
say?”

“
I was telling him I didn’t
know if she’d be a good mother, I couldn’t make her do anything
now.” She sat back and rubbed her temple. “He offered to pay Karla
to stay here, and have the baby…let Coy raise it.”

She was not surprised, but she asked.
“Did you tell Karla?”

“
Yes and she agreed.”
Jenna’s lips trembled. “My grandbaby. Oh God, I cannot believe the
nightmare I am in. I know we had a good relationship before
Tony.”

“
I think Karla had a lot of
problems, maybe since your husband died. She hid them
well.”

“
She’s asking them for a lot
of money.”

“
They’ll pay it. But I tell
you, Jenna, she doesn’t want to push them, or try something down
the line.”

“
God, don't I know it?
Everyone knows them Copper Creek men can be bas…Oh, I'm sorry I…I
for—”

“
Hey, because Mitch and I
have Max, because we mean something, doesn’t mean I think all
Copper Creek men or Coburn's are great. I think what Coy did was
way wrong. I also know the young ones, and a few older ones are
wild and reckless. The danger for Karla though, was seducing Coy,
pulling this stunt. You don't want to come against that
family.”

“
This isn’t the daughter I
knew and raised, Madeline. This girl who’s willing to betray her
friend, screw around, and sell her own baby…” Jenna cried some then
blew her nose adding, “I can’t stand even looking at her, and she
says the same thing about me, because of Tony. But she’s bitter and
talking about being rich…”

Jenna talked a while longer. “They told
me Tony has probably found another woman to bilk; he’s done it
dozens of times. They have leads and don’t think he’ll come back
since he had his stuff moved already to a storage place. They say
his kind keeps moving on, until they’re caught for
good.”

“
I'm sorry,
Jenna.”

“
I don't have any feelings
for him but disgust. Equal to what I feel for myself.”

“
I don't understand though,
why he hit you?”

“
For questioning him, for
asking why he was talking about some great romance, and treating me
shitty at the same time. I think he panicked, he saw me as
vulnerable and weak. Hell, I was, I am,” she admitted, “I was blind
at first, just determined to be, no matter what you and Ruby said.
It was good not to worry about things, details, and problems. I let
that mask the small flags I should have noticed. He was
controlling; I saw that as caring. He was possessive, yet
secretive… and in bed, his dominating bordered on
abusive.”

She shuddered. “I thought it was
because I wasn’t that interested in sex… I thought maybe I gave off
that vibe. But when he finally hit me, I knew with a gut sick
feeling… he was just waiting for a reason to.”

Madeline said, “You’ve got your job. I
know losing the house hurt you. However, you can pick yourself up.
Jenna, you cannot let Karla hold this mistake over your head.
She’ll manipulate you with the guilt and you’ll never have a
life.”

“
I know. “ Jenna stood. “I’m
moving into Ruby’s cottage next week. I have told Karla she isn’t
to come there and pull anything. I believe once she gets the money,
when the baby has come, maybe she will change.”

“
I hope.” Madeline said, but
she could tell even Jenna didn’t think so.

They said goodbye, and Madeline wished
the talk made her feel better. It didn’t.

Jenna’s life was a mess, and Karla was
making hers that way. It hurt her, what she felt for Karla and she
wished she could be super human and just mother her, make her do
all the right things, she couldn’t. She had her own shit to deal
with. She felt she had given Karla all kinds of positive support
over the years. It just brought her down to think of the path Karla
had taken.

Madeline didn’t see Mitch until early
August. She thought of him, wondered where the hell he was, and,
why he hadn’t called. She even thought, maybe, he’d gotten what he
wanted and was done with her. Nevertheless, when she was rational,
she knew he had a job, things to take care of, and family
obligations that had nothing to do with her.

Still, she was a bit cool to him when
he showed up at the Tavern one afternoon. She took her sweet time
getting to his table. He was dressed in a pair of dress slack, a
dress shirt, his tie hanging lose, collar unbuttoned.

“
Hello.” He had been
watching her. She’d felt it, waiting for her to come to his
table.

“
Hi. What can I get
you?”

He ordered. “Jason’s having a pool
party at his house Friday. He wanted to make sure you’d come. We’ve
been going like crazy, trying to finish the house. Ruby will be
there.”

“
What time?”

“
Around five?”

“
Sure.” She eyed his tie.
“Someone die?”

He grinned. “No, work. It’s all I’ve
been doing, trying to get all the projects moving, so we’re not
running into fall and winter.” He took a sip of his drink. “I’ve
wanted to call you.”

“
Oh. Yeah.” She sounded
doubtful.

He reached and touched her hand. “I
wish…I wish we’d get married and then date. I wish, I never had to
spend another night, without you.”

She could hear all the customers behind
her, but his face, his eyes, his voice, transfixed her.

He went on, “I’d talk to you as much as
you need, and we’d date all the time. All these years apart…I
thought I’d be your lover, until you knew me, I knew you. But I
hate the nights, hell, and the days we could be together, because
were not together.”

She said, “I get off in an hour. Would
you like to go somewhere?”

Mitch nodded. “Can I come by your
house?”

“
Yes.”

He smiled touched her hand again. She
had to go because a customer was calling.

~*~

An hour later Madeline pulled into her
yard and saw him sitting on the porch. She parked beside the truck
and walked up, glancing at him as she unlocked the door. “I need a
shower, a bit of chill out time. Come in and make yourself at
home.”

Mitch came in and got soda, but told
her he would sit outside, the day was nice.

She showered, changed into shorts,
T-shirt, and got her a coffee and came out on the porch.

He had his tie off, shirt unbuttoned
and sleeves rolled up, and he was drinking a diet soda and lazily
watched her until she came to sit beside him.

“
Were you asking me…to marry
you?” She’d come out of the numbness in the shower, playing his
words in her head, letting them sink in.

Mitch nodded, his eyes going over her
face. “I miss you. I want you. I want to make love to you all the
time. “

She smiled. Her bare foot rubbing his
on the banister, because he had taken his shoes and socks off. “I
think, maybe, we need to get something done.”

He smiled softly. “You telling me
you’re horny.”

“
Yep. And I know it’s harder
for us to talk about anything, get a conversation finished, because
we’re both…aroused.”

He reached over and laced their
fingers. It was a warm afternoon, with not enough breeze and too
much sun. Her hair was still wet, her legs besides his shimmering
from the lotion she’d put on them. She felt shy, flirtatious, and
yes, a bit wonderful now he had mentioned marriage.

She reached with her other hand ran the
backs of her fingers down his cheek. “I’ve got fresh, line-dried
sheets on my bed.”

His eyes lightened. “You
do?”

She nodded and stood. Their hands still
linked. She remembered how he’d phrased it before and murmured, “I
think, we need to get laid.”

His white teeth flashed. Mitch got up,
letting her lead him into the house. She locked the door and walked
him to her bedroom.

Having cleaned it top to bottom, it was
true, white cool sheets and pillows; a comforter was folded at the
bottom of her bed. The champagne carpet was freshly cleaned; the
celery green antique dressers had bowls of potpourri on them. At
the back of the bed, the window showed the lazy flutter of
butterflies on the flowered bush planted near it. Her fringe scarf
covered a night table bearing two miss-matched scented candles
burning a bouquet called ocean breeze.

Madeline stood by the bed, pulling off
her top, unhooking her bra, and removing her shorts.

Mitch walked close and, began kissing
her, moving down her body until he hooked his hands in her panties
and discarded them.

She waited until he worked his way back
up and did the same. Kissing his chest, his ribs, taking off his
clothing. Standing there nude, his hands on her hips, hers on his
shoulders and eyes locked, Mitch was the one who turned and pressed
her.

They were falling to the bed, mouths
parted at the feel of each other. Whole bodies touching all over,
skin against skin.

For a moment they simply lay, distantly
hearing summer sounds through the window, but aware of blood
rushing, hearts hammering and skin tingling.

Mitch rose up on his elbow and gazed
down into her face. “There’s something to be said for sneaking
around, and half doing things. No anxiety about being the perfect
lover for someone you want to please.”