Home in Carolina (9 page)

She’d been following her new routine for a week, when her mother called her on it.

“You haven’t stopped by Sullivan’s for breakfast lately,” Dana Sue noted casually, though there was a worried glint in her eyes that immediately put Annie on the defensive.

“I’ve been out running in the morning,” she told her mother. “Then I grab a quick shower and head in to work.”

“When are you eating breakfast?”

Annie bristled at the direct question. “Mom!”

“I’m just asking. You
are
eating, right? Your dad hasn’t seen you eating at home, either.”

“I don’t like to eat right after I run,” Annie said, her annoyance growing that they were obviously comparing notes on her eating habits again.

“Then you’re eating at the spa when you get there?” Dana Sue persisted.

“Why are you pushing this?” Annie asked, though of course she knew.

“You know exactly why,” Dana Sue said without even a hint of apology. “I’m not going to ignore it when I think you’re in trouble, Annie. Not this time.”

“I’m not in trouble,” Annie said furiously. “Get off my case, okay? I’m an adult.”

“Then act like one and answer a simple question. Are you eating at the spa?”

“Yes,” Annie said. “Of course I am.”

Despite the adamant response, Dana Sue looked as if she’d been slapped. “You’re lying. I can see it in your eyes. You’re saying what you think I want to hear.”

“Well, why wouldn’t I, if it will stop this interrogation?” Annie shouted, then whirled and left the house.

She’d walked the few blocks to Sarah’s before she even realized what she was doing. When she rang the bell, Sarah answered, looking frazzled.

“I wasn’t expecting you,” Sarah said, greeting her with a halfhearted smile.

“Is this a bad time?”

Sarah rolled her eyes. “It’s always a bad time around here. I thought you saw that for yourself the other night.”

“Well, it has to be better than my house,” Annie declared. “Mind if I visit for a little while, at least until I calm down?”

“Sure,” Sarah said at once, stepping aside and kicking a toy truck out of her path. “Watch where you’re going, though. Walking in here is like traipsing through a minefield.”

Annie headed directly for the kitchen and, without waiting for an invitation, poured two glasses of sweet tea. She leaned against the counter, her gaze taking in the fact that the room looked cleaner and more organized than it had on her last visit.

“Looks as if you’re getting things under control in here,” she observed.

Sarah gave a wry chuckle. “Looks can be deceiving. I had a cleaning lady come in yesterday and give the whole house a thorough once-over. You saw how long that lasted in the living room. The only reason the kitchen’s still looking good is that I banned the kids from setting foot in here and ordered pizza for dinner last night. I want one room in this house that I can walk into and not feel like crying.”

She sipped her tea and studied Annie over the rim of her glass. “You looked upset when you got here. More problems with Ty?”

Annie shook her head.

“What, then?”

Annie wasn’t sure she wanted to talk about her mom’s suspicions. She also knew why. There had been a faint whisper of truth to Dana Sue’s assessment that Annie was inching precariously close to reverting to her old eating habits.

When she remained silent for too long, Sarah’s expression turned dismayed. “Oh, Annie, no! Don’t tell me you’re not eating again.”

Shocked that Sarah’s first guess had hit the nail on the head, she demanded, “Why would you even say that?”

“Because you’ve lost weight just since I got back to town. It’s not like it was back in high school, but you’ve definitely shed a few pounds. And you haven’t mentioned that dinner the two of us were going to have at Sullivan’s again. When I reminded you the other day, you blew me off.”

“I had a tough schedule this week.”

“And yet here you are, apparently at loose ends,” Sarah said, calling her on it.

Annie pulled out a chair and sat down slowly, trying
to absorb the idea that her parents and her friend were all worrying about her, all seeing the same signs that she was in trouble.

“When did you eat last?” Sarah asked, her tone gentle.

“Not that long ago,” Annie said automatically.

“What did you have?”

When she thought about it, she honestly couldn’t remember. Was it possible she was skipping meals that often and not even aware of it? If so, even she could recognize that it wasn’t a good sign. Maybe she needed to pay attention to what everyone was telling her.

“I don’t remember,” she admitted eventually.

“Then how about I make you a sandwich? Ham and cheese with tomato? Tuna salad? Peanut butter and jelly?”

Annie’s stomach churned at the thought, which in itself gave her pause. Determined not to give in to the reaction, she said, “Tuna salad sounds fine.”

Sarah made the sandwich for Annie and put a scoop of tuna on a plate for herself. Annie picked up half a sandwich, took a couple of bites, then almost pushed it aside. The knowing look on Sarah’s face forced her to finish.

“Do you still see Dr. McDaniels?” Sarah asked. “That’s the shrink you saw back then, right?”

Annie nodded. “Once in a while, but it’s been a few months now.”

“Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to make an appointment, you know, just in case.”

“I’m not anorexic,” Annie said fiercely, even though her struggle to choke down that sandwich suggested otherwise.

“I’m not saying you are, but it didn’t happen overnight last time, either. Your dad left, and slowly but surely you stopped eating. Now Ty’s here, and you’re obviously
stressed out about it. Maybe it’s just a normal loss of appetite because of the stress, but maybe not. Are you willing to take a chance?”

Annie recalled the horror of what she’d gone through, of fading away to the point where she’d wound up in the hospital with major heart problems. She shuddered to think of it happening again.

“No, of course not,” she said emphatically. “I think you’re all overreacting, but I’ll make an appointment to see Dr. McDaniels.”

“Soon?” Sarah pressed.

“I’ll call tomorrow,” Annie promised. “I guess I should go home and apologize to my mother. I know why she worries, but I act like she’s nagging for no reason at all.”

“We’re quite a pair, aren’t we?” Sarah said as she walked Annie to the door. “I’d like nothing more right this second than a huge hot fudge sundae, and I can barely get you to eat some tuna salad.”

Annie gave her a hug. “But the good news is, I
did
eat the sandwich and you
aren’t
eating the sundae.”

Sarah grinned. “The night’s not over.”

“Don’t you dare fix that sundae,” Annie said. “You’ve already lost a few pounds. No backsliding, okay?”

Sarah’s expression fell. “It’s just that sometimes I wonder why I’m working this hard, when I know what the end result is going to be.”

“You being healthy?” Annie said.

“No, me getting a divorce, anyway.” She held Annie’s gaze. “That is what’s going to happen, you know. I’m just putting off the inevitable.”

“But you will be healthy and energized and you will kick his sorry butt in court,” Annie told her. “And when
you walk out looking like a million bucks with a boatload of his money in your pocket, the little weasel will eat his heart out.”

The look of discouragement on Sarah’s face faded and her eyes sparkled. “Now, there’s a plan I can get behind.”

“Call Helen tomorrow,” Annie suggested. “Take the initiative on this, unless you believe there’s a chance you can save the marriage and that’s what you want.”

Sarah shook her head. “My marriage is over. I’ve made peace with that. I’ll call Helen, if you’ll make that call to your shrink.”

“Deal,” Annie said at once.

Despite the commitment she’d made, as she walked back home, she couldn’t help wondering if she really needed to see Dr. McDaniels. Wasn’t it enough that she’d recognized the potential problem on her own? It would be better if she could prove to herself and everyone else that she had her life under control. Wasn’t that the goal of counseling? Weren’t you supposed to reach a point where you could handle things without asking for help?

By the time she reached her house, she’d convinced herself that everyone was worked up over nothing. She’d tell them that, too, if the subject came up again.

Not that she was quite ready to test her newfound conviction against her mom’s concern. She slipped past the living room, where Dana Sue was watching the Food Channel, and headed straight for her room. Denial, she’d discovered long ago, was a whole lot easier in private.

T
horoughly frustrated by his inability to make any progress at all with Annie and by the slow progress of his recovery, Ty decided to make a quick trip to Atlanta to see the team doctors and tie up a few loose ends. He could see Jay while he was there and make sure there was no news from Dee-Dee, since he was the one she’d chosen to contact. He also needed to set up a meeting with Tom Bristol, who’d represented him in family court. They needed to have a strategy in place in case Dee-Dee did decide she wanted to be a part of Trevor’s life, after all.

He’d debated taking Trevor along with him, if only so he could spend a little time with the nanny he asked about every day. Though Cassandra had initially come with them to Serenity, she’d stayed only a couple of days since there was plenty of family around, including Ty himself, to take up the slack with Trevor.

After several days of tear-filled requests for his beloved Cassie, Trevor had finally settled in with the family. Maddie and Cal had convinced Ty that it didn’t make sense to disrupt his son’s schedule for a couple of days when Ty was going to be tied up most of the time.

“He’ll start missing Cassandra all over again when you come back,” his mother warned him.

Ty had seen the logic and eventually agreed, despite his desire to give his mom and Cal a break. “You’re sure leaving him here is okay?” he asked Maddie one last time when he stopped by the spa on his way out of town. “It’s not too late for me to take him along with me. Cassandra’s eager to see him.”

“Don’t be silly. With Jessica Lynn and Cole already creating chaos around the house, one more hardly makes a difference. He’ll be fine.”

“I’ll be back tomorrow night,” Ty promised. “It could be late, so don’t wait up.”

Maddie’s face took on her worried mom frown. “If it’s going to be late, I’d rather you drive back the next morning. I don’t want you on the road late at night. You never know what might happen.”

Ty bent down and kissed her furrowed brow. “When are you going to stop worrying about me?”

“Never,” she said at once. “It’s part of the job description for a mother.”

Ty grimaced. “I was afraid of that. If I’m not going to make it back, I’ll call.”

He turned to go and saw Annie in the doorway, her expression frozen.

“You’re leaving?” she said.

He had the feeling if he’d turned just a second sooner, he’d have seen genuine dismay in her eyes. He held her gaze. “You gonna miss me?” he taunted.

“Of course not,” she denied too quickly.

Ty fought the desire to chuckle. “Not to worry. I’m just going for a couple of days. I have some business to
take care of in Atlanta. I need to check in with the doctors there.”

This time she didn’t even attempt to hide her alarm. “Your shoulder’s worse?”

“No,” he said. “It’s just that they paid a lot of money for my pitching skills. They like to check on their investment.”

“And I imagine you have other people to see, people who’ve been missing you,” she said, her more familiar reserve firmly back in place, along with that edgy tone she used when referring to his past history with other women.

“You’d be surprised by how few people genuinely care where I am,” he said. “Trevor’s here, and he’s the only one who counts.”

“Yeah, right,” she murmured. She started to turn away, but Maddie called her back.

“Annie, were you looking for me for a reason?”

Obviously flustered, she shook her head. “It can wait.”

“Don’t leave on my account,” Ty told her. “I’m on my way out.”

Annie’s gaze met his, and for a minute, he saw the old Annie in her eyes, the one who’d believed in him, who’d always wished him well. “Drive safely,” she said, then looked away as if she regretted saying even that much.

“Thanks. I will,” he told her. He hesitated a moment, then added, “Annie, when I get back…” He couldn’t decide how to finish that thought. He didn’t want simply to talk, at least not the sort of stilted conversation they had these days. He wanted to spend time with her the way he used to, sharing their dreams, talking about stuff that mattered.

She studied him quizzically. “Yes?” she said when he still hadn’t spoken.

“Maybe we could get together or something,” he said
finally, knowing even before the words were out that the response would be no.

She didn’t fail him. “I don’t think so,” she said at once. Then she must have caught Maddie’s disappointed expression, because she added, “Thanks, anyway.”

The words were so polite, so emotionless, he had to fight the urge to drag her into his arms and kiss her until she admitted that the old feelings were still there, that the old passion could still be sparked.

Of course, that wasn’t something he would ever do in front of his mom, and it was probably best if he didn’t do it at all. He settled for waving to Maddie and nodding in Annie’s direction.

But as he left the building, he couldn’t help wondering if he hadn’t just missed an important opportunity.

Annie turned to find a scowl on Maddie’s face. She sensed a lecture coming even before her boss opened her mouth.

“I know I was rude. I don’t know how else to be,” she told Maddie.

“
Not
rude would be a good start,” Maddie said. “He’s reaching out to you, Annie. One of these days he’s going to get tired of being slapped down.”

“I hardly slapped him down. I said no.” She shrugged. “Of course, it’s little wonder he looked so shocked. I doubt that’s a word Ty hears too much these days.”

Color flooded Maddie’s cheeks. “That’s not fair, Annie. Do you have any idea what the past three years have been like for him? He made a terrible mistake, and the person he counted on for most of his life got hurt. That’s you, in case you have any doubt. So, not only has
he been filled with guilt, he has a little boy who needs love and attention. Raising a son isn’t easy for a man who’s all alone. Ty had to grow up fast. He learned to put someone else first.”

She drew in a deep breath, then added pointedly, “Of course, I think he already had a pretty good handle on that concept, because that’s what he did with you. For years, he put you first.”

Annie flushed with guilt at Maddie’s criticism, but she still couldn’t stop herself from retorting, “And then he stopped. Let’s not forget that, Maddie. He didn’t have some one-night stand with one woman. He was having flings with women in every city with a National League team. It just so happened that Trevor’s mama got pregnant. Ty stopped worrying about me and my feelings a long time before that happened.”

Maddie’s burst of anger fizzled out. “Okay, okay,” she said wearily. “I know you’re right. What he did to you was lousy. I just can’t help thinking about the way it used to be. Every time I turned around, the two of you had your heads together. Even when you were little, when Ty thought most girls were an annoyance, he had a soft spot in his heart for you. As for you, you always thought he hung the moon. I remember my heart aching for you because you were so obviously crazy about him, long before he started thinking of you as having girlfriend potential. When you two finally got together, it was as if my prayers had been answered. I knew things were the way they were supposed to be.”

She sounded so nostalgic, Annie sat down and regarded her with sympathy. “I wish it were the way it used to be, too, but I can’t change what happened, Maddie. I can’t forget it, either.”

Maddie shook her head sorrowfully. “You two apart, it’s such a waste.” When Annie remained silent, Maddie sat up straighter. “Okay, obviously you didn’t come in here to talk about my son. What did you need?”

Annie hesitated, afraid her reason would be too telling, especially after the conversation they’d just had. Still, it was important. “I’ve been doing some research,” she began, phrasing her words very carefully.

“On?”

“Some equipment that might be helpful for people with shoulder injuries.”

Maddie’s expression brightened, but she was wise enough not to connect Annie’s idea directly to Ty. “You have the information with you?”

Annie reached in her back pocket and pulled out the pages she’d printed off the computer over the past few days. She handed them to Maddie. “I know this stuff is expensive, but we could start with just one piece, see how much use it gets.” She pointed to the page on top. “I think this one, which helps with range of motion, should be the first one we consider. We don’t have anything comparable.”

Maddie gave her a knowing look. “How many clients do you have at the moment who might benefit from this?”

Annie swallowed hard. “I don’t have any right now, but we both know that Elliott does.”

Maddie nodded. “That’s what I thought. It’s for Ty.”

“He won’t be the only person who’ll ever need it,” Annie argued. “Women hurt their shoulders playing tennis or lifting kids all the time.”

Maddie grinned. “Nice save. How about this? I’ll consider the equipment, if you’ll reconsider working with
Ty. I might even make him buy the machine, since he’ll be the primary beneficiary for the time being. That way I won’t have to try to squeeze the money out of the budget and explain it to your mom and Helen.”

“You’re trying to manipulate me,” Annie accused.

Maddie didn’t flinch. “Yes, this time I am,” she admitted. “He’s my son and he needs you.”

The outright request wasn’t unexpected, but still, Annie sighed heavily. “I’ll think about it,” she said eventually. “I’ll give you an answer in a couple of days.”

“Perfect. We can discuss it again as soon as Ty’s back in town.”

Annie would have left then, probably
should
have left then, but she stayed. “Would you tell me something?”

“If I can.”

“Why did he come here for rehab when he could have had a whole team of top-notch doctors and therapists in Atlanta, along with every piece of top-of-the-line machinery on the market?”

Maddie smiled at the question. “Do you really need me to answer that?”

“He wanted to be home,” Annie said, half hoping that was all it had been.

“He wanted to see you,” Maddie corrected. “There’s not a doubt in my mind about that. The rest of us, we’re just the icing on the cake.”

Annie wanted so badly to believe her, but doing that, having hope…she wasn’t sure she dared.

Helen walked to the door with her client, then turned to find her longtime secretary regarding her wearily, a fan of pink message slips in her hand.

“Your mother,” Barb said succinctly.

Helen took the half dozen or so pieces of paper and asked, “What on earth did she want that was so important? I’m sure she talked your ear off about it, whatever it was.”

“I believe she’d like you to pick up some shampoo. She doesn’t like the brand you use. And then there’s the soap. It’s too harsh for her skin. And since you’re going to the store, anyway, it would be nice to have some chocolate-dipped macaroons. They’re her favorite.”

“Did you tell her shopping lists aren’t in your job description?”

“I thought maybe the parameters of my job were changing,” Barb said tartly, though her expression was filled with amusement.

Helen sighed. “I’ll tell her she can’t call here all day long.”

“Hold on a minute. I didn’t say I minded chatting with her,” Barb protested. “I’m sure she’s bored to tears cooped up in that house all day long. Has she been in touch with any of her old friends?”

“Not that I’m aware of,” Helen said. “I’m not sure how many old friends she still has around town. She had coworkers, but she didn’t have a lot of spare time to spend with other people.”

“Well, she needs some distractions, and trust me, Letitia Lowell is not going to provide them. I know I told Erik she’s a good caregiver and she is, but she has the personality of a tortoise…slow, steady and dull.”

“We didn’t hire her to provide entertainment,” Helen said.

Barb gave her an impatient look. “I know that, but try to imagine being stuck in the house all day long with
nothing to do and no way to get away from the tedium. You’d be calling Erik every ten minutes.”

“True,” Helen admitted. It had been hard enough in the first weeks after Sarah Beth’s birth, when she’d taken time off from work. Even though she’d been able to pack up the baby and visit friends, she’d almost gone stir-crazy before she’d finally been able to come back to work at least part-time.

“Did she belong to a church here in town?” Barb asked. “A lot of them have people who visit members of the congregation when they’re confined to home.”

Helen’s expression brightened. “Actually, she did go to the Methodist Church. Right before she left she mentioned something about joining their seniors group. I think she might have gone to a few of their activities.”

“Well, find out and call some people. In the meantime, if you’ll let me take a break, I’ll go pick up those things she wanted and drop them by.”

“You are not her personal shopper,” Helen protested.

“I know that, but I could use some things, too, so I can kill two birds with one stone.” She grinned. “And I can do it on your time.”

“If you’re sure you don’t mind, go,” Helen told her. “I’ll answer the phones.”

On her way back to her office, she checked her schedule and saw that Sarah Price was due in for a two o’clock appointment. It was after that now. Helen thought about the fact that a couple of years ago, a client who wasn’t prompt might have had to wait weeks for another appointment. These days she was determined to maintain a more rational pace. That didn’t mean that having a few unexpectedly free minutes didn’t make her antsy. Appar
ently, she and her mom were more alike than she’d thought. Neither of them knew how to fill free time.

When Sarah finally arrived, Helen tried to reconcile the harried young woman who rushed in filled with apologies with Annie’s stalwart friend from high school. Obviously her life had taken a stressful detour.

“Sarah, how are you?” she asked, giving her a hug.

“Believe it or not, I’m a whole lot better than I was when I got back to town a few weeks ago,” Sarah said with a halfhearted grin.

“Come on into my office and tell me why you’re here,” Helen said.