Hidden Summit (19 page)

“Is he?”

“Truly,” Nora said. “I’m not a religious person at all, and when Mel Sheridan suggested I talk to him, I was very reluctant. I wasn’t sure I was brave enough to unburden my sorry soul to a minister.” Then she laughed a little. “One of the first things I learned about him is that he was a counselor before he was a minister.”

“Do you mind if I ask? How old are you, Nora?”

“Twenty-three. Only twenty-three. Going on forty.”

“Sounds like you’ve lived a lot.”

“Fast,” she said. “You look pretty comfortable with that baby,” she said with a smile.

“I wanted children,” Leslie confided. “I was married for eight years, divorced at thirty-one, and I wanted children. But my husband wasn’t interested in having kids and I let it go.” She shook her head and frowned. “I let a lot of things I wanted go. Now I’m trying to figure out why I’d do that.”

“What we do for men, huh?” Nora asked.

“Are you divorced, Nora?”

“Never married,” she said with a shake of her head. “I met this handsome, badass baseball player when I was nineteen and got pregnant not once but twice. He brought me up here and dumped me—Fay was only a few weeks old when he left. He had this idea he was going to get into the marijuana business, but he was too unreliable for even that and he took off. He left me right before this whole town was buried in the biggest snowstorm and the wind was blowing under my door! He took everything—the truck, even the refrigerator. I was scared to death and had no idea what I was going to do, and now? Now I feel like I should write him a thank-you note or something! Got my girls in a nice little town where I don’t have to be afraid of all the things I was afraid of before.”

“My God, how did you get by?”

“On the generosity of new friends who didn’t owe me a thing. Your boss sent someone over to my house to seal the doors and windows against the cold. Preacher’s wife brought over clothes and blankets and even an ice cooler for me to keep my milk and stuff. Adie told Pastor she thought I could use a Christmas food basket. It just spiraled from there. When the snow started to melt, Mel Sheridan gave me a part-time job in the clinic—she said I could bring my kids as long as I could manage them—that’s what she had to do when hers came along.” She reached over and gave her baby’s fat foot a squeeze. “I owe everything to the people in this town. I really don’t know what I would have done!”

“Where are you from?” Leslie asked.

“Berkeley. I lived there from the time I was ten—left three years ago when I was pregnant with Berry. Where are you from?” she asked.

“Grants Pass, Oregon. My boss, Paul Haggerty, worked there with his father and brothers for years, then came down here to open another arm of their construction company. I came down to work for him. Mainly to get away from my ex-husband.”

“He’s abusive?”

Leslie’s brows shot up. “Not at all!” she said too quickly. Then she realized why Nora might have made that assumption. “Let me rephrase that. No, Greg is not abusive in the usual sense of the word. He’s self-centered and egotistical and manipulative, but in the nicest possible way. He wants us to be best friends—even though he remarried right away and his new wife is pregnant. I just want him to go away!” She pulled the sweet little bundle closer. “I take it yours was…abusive?”

“He’s an addict. He was a minor league ballplayer when I met him. He had big dreams of the major league, but he tinkered with drugs. I tinkered, too—I have to own that. But I got pregnant and stopped the second I suspected. But Chad indulged. He got caught, of course, and was dropped from the league. Then he really bottomed out and pretty much took me down with him.”

“Do you know where he is?”

“No idea. Hopefully gone back to the Berkeley or Oakland area where he had all his old drug connections. I just need to never see him again. But you—you have a new man in your life,” she said.

“Conner,” Leslie confirmed. “He’s away—attending to some family business. It’s giving him a chance to visit his sister and nephews. He’s enjoying that a lot—he’s very close to them.”

“When will he be back?”

“I’m not exactly sure, but hopefully in a week or so. Maybe two weeks. He hasn’t seen his sister in a long time. But I talk to him every day.” She snuggled Fay a little closer. “You’re right about this one—a real snuggle bug.”

“I had no crib for her, so I barely put her down. The three of us sleep together, all cozy.”

“That sounds kind of wonderful,” Leslie said.

“Isn’t it amazing how some of your biggest blunders can end up being the best thing that ever happened to you?” Nora asked. And she gazed lovingly at little Berry, who sat on the grass between the flower beds, picking at the grass and making sounds that seemed to be a two-year-old’s version of singing.

“I have an idea,” Leslie said. “How would you and the girls like to ride into Fortuna on Saturday? Just wander around, maybe do a little shopping? Go to the big park?”

“That’s so sweet, but I don’t have car seats. Pastor Kincaid keeps his eye open for some to be donated to the church for one of their rummage sales. He says when and if that happens, he’ll snag them for me. Until then…”

“Well then, I think we should see if either Martha or Adie or both of them can babysit for a few hours,” Leslie suggested. “It might be good for you to have a break, get out of town for a while.”

“Maybe I could leave the girls with one of them during their nap time. I’ll ask…if you’re sure.”

“I’m sure,” Leslie said. “Not only would I enjoy the company, it would give you something fun to do. Let me know if you can rope those ladies into sitting for a while!”

Sixteen

L
eslie found herself hoping that Nora would be outside with her children when she came home from work. She’d love to wave to her—three doors down the street—and invite her for a glass of tea. She’d offer to hold the baby for her bottle....

Instead, there was a shiny Caddy parked in front of her house, and she groaned.

“Crap,” she said aloud. “What
now?
”

She quickly considered her options. She could go to Jack’s and wait him out. She could drive out to Paul and Vanni’s house and get herself some backup. Fortuna was an option—she could just go to a restaurant, shop, kill time. But she wasn’t afraid of Greg—she was simply
sick
of him! So she pulled into her drive and got out of the car.

He wasn’t waiting in his car but on the porch, sitting in one of those canvas chairs, the collar of his white dress shirt open and his sleeves rolled up. And she didn’t recognize his expression. It was odd. Maybe sad. Possibly contrite. Neither was an expression that was familiar to her.

When she stepped away from her car, he stood. He put his hand up, palm toward her. “Don’t shoot me with anything. I just came to talk. Not argue, just talk.”

She approached the porch. “You’re not coming inside,” she said with as much authority as she could muster.

“Fine. Will you sit out here and talk to me for a few minutes?”

“How did you find my house?”

“I’ve been down here a couple of times before. It’s a little town, and I spotted your car in the drive. I also spotted a great big construction worker’s truck parked on the street. I finally decided I had to brave the new boyfriend if I wanted to talk to you.”

“You didn’t think approaching me at work again was a good idea?”

“Paul seemed kind of opposed to that notion the last time I ran into him,” Greg said.

“Right. He offered to beat the shit out of you if you didn’t just leave me alone.”

“I’m not going to hurt you, for God’s sake! Can’t you give me ten minutes?”

She sighed deeply. “Stay right there. I’m going to pour a glass of wine. Can I get you anything? Merlot? Glass of tea? A little hemlock?”

He winced. “Tea would be nice.”

She went up the step and onto the porch. She opened the door. “You come in this house and I’m going to shoot you. Do you understand?”

“Leslie…”

“I’m serious. I’m so bloody sick of you, I will shoot you if you get in my space.”

“Fine. I’ll be waiting right here.”

She locked the door behind her for good measure. After dropping her purse on the counter and pouring a glass of wine and a glass of tea, she went back outside. She handed him his tea and sat in the other chair. “I came down here to get away from you,” she said. “I’ve told you that a number of times. When are you going to hear me?”

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I have heard you. I’m having a hard time letting go.”

“No kidding. But since you’re the one that ended our marriage and you have what you want, why not just enjoy it?”

“That’s the problem.” And then he sipped his tea and didn’t say more.

“What’s the problem now?”

“I hardly know where to begin,” he said, and he looked down into his glass. “I’ve made so many mistakes....”

“There’s a mouthful....”

He met her eyes. “Your boyfriend isn’t here, is he?”

“He’ll be along shortly,” she lied. “If I were you, I’d make this quick. What is it you want now?”

“Leslie, I’m sorry. I made a mess of our lives. I’m not sure what happened. But I’m now a man with many regrets.”

She was a little surprised to hear this. “What’s the matter, Greg? New marriage not working out so well?”

“It’s exactly what I thought I wanted, and now, I’m very embarrassed to say, it’s not what I want at all. I was a fool. I made a terrible mistake letting you go. I’m still in love with you.”

She was stunned speechless. She struggled to recover. There’d been a time, not very long ago, she would’ve given the earth to hear that. “I’m afraid that ship has sailed....”

“Has it? Because it’s never too late to repair the damage, if we handle ourselves appropriately. It’s time to put the cards on the table, Leslie. I’m not sure what happened to me—I was seduced, I guess. I was vulnerable for some reason and seduced and look what a fool I made of myself.”

She took a fortifying sip of her Merlot and then leaned forward in her chair. “You’ve fathered a child! Regrets or not, you have obligations!”

“Absolutely. And I intend to honor them. Allison makes a good living—she doesn’t need alimony from me but I will insist on supporting my child, both financially and emotionally. The sad truth is, I can’t stay in that marriage. It was a mistake, Leslie. I never really let you go and you’re the soul mate I should be with for the rest of my life. I want you to give me another chance.”

She actually gasped. “Are you
crazy?
”

“No, sweetheart, I
was
crazy. I was crazy when I thought an affair with a pretty young woman made sense, but I’m recovered now. I came to my senses. Late, I admit, but I finally see how wrong it was to leave you. I can’t tell you how sorry I am or how much I want another chance. We were so happy—”

“No, we weren’t,” she said, though she said it softly. And to her surprise, he turned his head to meet her eyes. “We weren’t. In fact, that’s what you told me when you were leaving me—that you weren’t happy. That you couldn’t live a lie. That you were really in love for the first time! And now that it’s in the past and I have some perspective, I can see that I wasn’t happy, either. I gave up so much to be your wife.” She shook her head. “I’ll never be that foolish again.”

“What?” he said, scooting forward in his chair. “What did you give up? I gave you everything!”

“No, you gave nothing and I gave up everything. We both worked tirelessly for your success and never discussed what was important to me. I wanted children, Greg. How many times did I tell you I wanted a family? You were so busy talking about yourself and your ambitions, you never listened to a word I said.”

“You want children? Fine, then. We’ll have children.”

She shook her head. “No, Greg. You’re much, much too late.”

“Don’t be hasty, Leslie. Don’t make the same mistake I made. We had a good life, you and me. You begged me to stay and I was the idiot who didn’t take you seriously when I should have.” He tried to reach for her arm.

“No,” she said again. “I’m over you. Completely. In fact, I have no respect for you.”

“God!” he said. “How can you say that to me?”

“Easily. It’s time for you to get over yourself. You didn’t honor your vows. You betrayed me and left me and went on your merry way to a new life. Made a mistake there, did you?” She shook her head. “Well, there are consequences, Greg. I guess you’re going to have to live with that.”

“Leslie!”

She shook her head, though she was
not
completely unmoved. She couldn’t imagine what he must be thinking and feeling. She couldn’t guess what it might be like to be him right now. Greg wasn’t used to being rejected. “I wish you’d leave so I can enjoy my wine.”

“Is this about
him?
The man you’ve been seeing?”

“Did I trade you in for a new man? Absolutely not—I was completely faithful while we were married. I didn’t so much as go out for coffee with a man for a year and a half after you left me. Have I found someone worthy now? Oh, yes,” she assured him. “In fact, in about thirty seconds I’m going to go inside and phone around to see if I can find him. I’m going to ask him to hurry up and get you off my porch. Seriously. Because if you have regrets, it’s your own damn fault and I’m not even slightly interested in giving you another chance to hurt me.”

“I would never—”

“Listen to me,” she said. “You don’t even tempt me. For the past few months I’ve been trying to remember what I saw in you in the first place.”

“I can’t believe you’re saying this to me,” he said. “We were so good together!”

“Go. Please, go. Ask Allison to forgive you for being stupid and take good care of her and your child.”

“Leslie, if you think about this—”

She slowly stood and went into the house. She threw the dead bolt and then went around to the back door to be sure it was locked. She took her glass of wine with her to the bedroom and sat on her bed, leaning back on the pillows. Using the cordless phone, she dialed Conner’s cell. It was about eight-thirty on the East Coast. When he answered, she said, “I miss you so much.”

“Not much longer, baby.”

“Are you in the middle of things?”

“I was doing dishes,” he said with a laugh. “Katie’s getting the boys showered and ready for bed. I was going to call you the minute the house got quiet. What I really want is to roll over and grab you and pull you closer. And make you beg…”

“I want that, too.”

“What’s wrong, Les? Something’s wrong.”

“How can you tell?”

“Your voice—it’s in your voice. Tell me. Don’t make me worry.”

“It’s just Greg. I found him on my porch when I got home from work. He’s sorry—how about that? He’d like another chance. He’d like us to try again.”

Conner was quiet for a long beat. “Is that so?” he finally said.

“Have you ever heard anything so absurd?”

“And what do you want, Les?” he asked softly.

“I want to take a shower with you, that’s what I want. I want to roll around in the bed with you. I want to feel your prickly mustache against my neck.” She sighed. “I want to be with you because I understand you, because I’m understood by you. Because I trust you and love you.”

“But he screws up your head,” Conner said.

“I can’t for my life figure out why,” she said. “He has only one agenda. It’s all about him. Why does it even distract me? I’m finished with him.”

“Maybe not quite,” Conner said. “Something is unfinished....”

She thought for a second. “Conner, I’m going to go see my parents this weekend. I’ll drive up early Saturday morning and come back here on Sunday. I’ll have my cell phone with me. It works just fine on the road to Oregon. I’m not going to see Greg, I promise you that.”

“I didn’t ask. Les, if you have to see him, I’m not going to try to talk you out of it. Do what you have to do. I’ve told you before—when we move on together, I don’t want you to have any doubts. I want you to be sure.”

“I am sure, Conner. I love you.”

“But something’s eating at you....”

“And I’m not sure what it is. All I’m completely sure about is that I want to be with you. Only you. I just have this baggage.... How do I dump the baggage?”

“I don’t know him like you know him. I can tell you what I did. I wrote Samantha a letter.”

“I didn’t know that.”

“I did it right before I left,” he said. “I told her I was happy in a way I’d never been happy before and it had nothing to do with her. I wished her well and said I was moving on and hoped she would, too. I didn’t give an address for her to respond to—but I said goodbye in the only way I knew how.”

“I
keep
saying goodbye to Greg and he just won’t go!” she protested.

“You’ll figure this out. And I’ll be with you soon.”

“I need my mother,” she said. “I’m going to go home, see my mom and get her to help me with this. My mom never liked him to start with! God, I wish she’d have told me and saved me the time!”

“If not for your marriage and divorce, we’d never have met,” he said.

That stopped her. She thought about that for a second. “Isn’t it funny,” she said, “that our biggest blunders can end up being the best thing that ever happened to us.”

When Leslie looked outside again, the shiny Caddy was gone, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Then she walked three doors down to Nora’s house and made her apologies—she had to cancel their Saturday trip into Fortuna together. “I have to take a drive up to Grants Pass to see my mother.”

“No problem, we’ll do it another time,” she said. “Is everything all right?”

“I’m not sure. My ex-husband showed up again. He’s a complete pest. But I need to talk to my mother about him. My mom is kind of…well…
opinionated
would be a mild description. I think she might have some advice for me. I’ll be sure to let you know.”

“I saw the car,” Nora said. “Wow.”

“It’s a very pretty car,” Leslie confirmed. “It’s not making him at all happy right now. But it used to. Things like clothes, cars, country-club memberships, all that stuff used to get him all excited. Not me,” she said. “Never me.”

Leslie hadn’t exactly lied to Conner, but there was a little more to her agenda than a nice visit with her mother. She called her mother on Friday morning and said, “I hope you don’t have really big weekend plans because I need you on Saturday—I want to come up to Grants Pass.”

“Sure, darling,” Candace said. “We have a kickboxing class in the afternoon, but we can miss it, I suppose.”