It's a Green Thing (15 page)

M
y attorney stopped by the boutique this afternoon. “I've got news for you,” he told me. Because we had customers just then, Jackie suggested we go to the back room to talk.

“Did Mr. Marshall settle?” I asked hopefully. Mr. Bernard had sent a letter to Brooke's dad late last week, but Mr. Marshall had been out of town for a few days.

He laughed. “Settle?”

I frowned. “What, then?” Okay, I'm not exactly a legal expert.

“To settle would mean that we pay them to keep the case from going to court. Under these new circumstances, a settlement would be ridiculous. I simply informed Mr. Marshall that we were considering a countersuit for—”

“But I don't want to sue anyone. I just want all this to be over and done—”

“Yes, I realize that, Maya.” He smiled patiently. “But you're probably aware that lawyers play games sometimes. I simply wanted to make it clear that the ball is in our court now. And to ensure Mr. Marshall and his daughter understand we are willing to play hardball if necessary.”

I sort of laughed. “You're really into sports metaphors.”

He grinned. “I'm sure Jackie's told you that I'm a bit of a sports fan—or
fanatic
as she calls it.”

“So…what happened?”

“Well, yesterday I received a letter from Mr. Marshall denying the validity of the photos. This didn't surprise me.”

“Why?”

“He's an attorney. It was an expected reaction. So your uncle and I met him for coffee this morning.”

“Really?” I couldn't imagine Uncle Allen and Mr. Bernard having coffee with Mr. Marshall. Okay, I don't even know Mr. Marshall, but I imagine him as this mean, evil lowlife.

“It was your uncle's idea. At first I wasn't too sure.”

“So how did that go?”

“We sat down like civilized gentlemen and showed him copies of the photos and asked him to explain them to us.”

“Did he?”

“He actually looked fairly shocked. He studied the copies closely, examined the dates, and made some notes. Finally he just shook his head, and I knew we had him. Just to be certain, I assured him that the photos would stand up in a court of law.”

“And?”

“He was rather upset.”

“So he didn't know that Brooke was faking it?” Now this just made no sense to me. How was that possible?

“Apparently not. Or else he's a very good actor.”

“But what about the doctors, the braces, and all that?”

“Yes. Exactly what we asked Mr. Marshall.”

“And?”

“He admitted that Brooke had gotten in trouble with her mother the same afternoon that she fell off the scaffolding.”

“In trouble? For falling?”

“No. It seems that Brooke had lied to her mom about using a credit card a couple of weeks ago, and Mrs. Marshall had received the bill that same day. She was not happy.”

“Oh?” I sensed where this was going now.

“So Brooke played on her mom's sympathy by allowing the accident to take center stage and distract her from the credit-card bill.”

“It was a pretty big fall,” I admitted.

“True. And it's possible that Brooke was injured, but not to the degree that she played it up.”

“But wouldn't x-rays show that?”

“Spinal injuries are complicated. Every spine is different. And often the doctor can only treat the symptoms.” He sighed. “Brooke started complaining of pain and went to lie down. Later on she said that her legs were numb and that she couldn't get out of bed. As you can imagine, her mother was alarmed.”

I nodded.

“So she called for paramedics, and Brooke was transported to the hospital, where her drama act took on a life of its own.”

“And the credit-card bill was forgotten.”

“Naturally.”

“Then Brooke was trapped in her lie,” I said.

“Exactly.”

“So she just kept it going.”

“That's what her father is thinking.”

“That is so mean.”

“And selfish.”

Even so, I have to admit I felt a certain amount of relief that it was only Brooke playing this nasty game. Well, Amanda too. But at least her parents weren't in on the scam. It had been pretty disturbing to think Mr. and Mrs. Marshall were that messed up.

“Brooke's dad is probably having a long talk with Brooke right now.”

“And the lawsuit?”

“There will be no lawsuit.”

“Not on our part either?”

“Not unless you want to—”

“No,” I said quickly. “I just want it to end. I mean, I realize you've put time and energy into it, and I know my dad will pay you for whatever you've—”

Mr. Bernard smiled. “Don't worry, Maya. It's not as if I wanted to take Brooke to court. But I do hope she learns a lesson. And I hope her parents don't let her off easily.”

I nodded. “Me too.”

“I did tell Mr. Marshall that Brooke owed you an apology, and he promised to see that it happens.”

I frowned. “A forced apology?”

“Hopefully, she'll be genuinely sorry.”

“Hopefully…”

Still, I'm not so sure. She's probably mad that she's been found out and furious at me for catching her on camera. How did she think she could continue her little charade without being discovered? And what a pain it must've been to wear that silly brace and use a walker! A high price to pay for Mommy's pity.

But even more than that, how can Brooke come before God and act like what she did was okay? Didn't she feel like a liar and a hypocrite? I mean, I realize Christians aren't perfect. But what about that still, small voice we're supposed to listen to? Why couldn't Brooke hear it herself? It's just too weird.

My dad called this morning. He usually checks in with me about once a week, depending on his schedule. But I'd already called him on Tuesday, leaving a message about the lawsuit. Naturally, he was relieved. But he was also curious about the details, so I explained why Brooke faked the whole thing. And like me, he was astounded.

“Man, that's a pretty hard act to keep up,” he said. “And I can't imagine how hot and cumbersome it would be to wear a body brace in July.”

I had to laugh. “Maybe that's why she decided to go swimming.”

“In a way, being stuck in her medical getup might've been a form of punishment in itself.”

“I guess. Although I think she enjoyed the attention it got her.” Everyone at youth group had gathered around her, helping her, showing sympathy. And although wearing the brace must have been miserable, I hope her parents dole out a little more punishment.

I still can't believe what she put us all through. Yesterday I added up all the people who were affected by her little scam, and there were more than twenty: my family, people at church, my boss and her husband, the park and recreation people, even Brooke's family—and probably Amanda and her family too. That's just crazy. If I wasn't so selfish about wanting to live a normal life, I might actually consider participating in a class-action suit against Brooke Marshall. Okay, probably not. I remember what Caitlin said about Christians not taking other Christians to court. But…is Brooke really a Christian? I don't think so.

Anyway, the main reason my dad called (besides expressing relief over the lawsuit) was to tell me he's taking a few days off toward the end of July.

“I'd like to come visit you, if that's okay,” he told me.

“Yeah, sure…” I knew I didn't sound too excited, and I think he heard the uncertainty in my voice.

“Unless it's not a convenient time for you, Maya. I wouldn't want to be an intrusion or anything—”

“No no,” I said quickly. “Really, Dad, it'll be great to see you.”

“You're sure?”

“Absolutely.”

“Naturally, I'll stay in a hotel. I don't want to put Allen out.”

“Yeah. That might be a good idea. This house isn't that big, and I've already taken over their guest room.”

“Anyway, I thought you might get a couple of days off from your job, and we could spend some time together. Maybe do something fun. How does that sound?”

“Awesome, Dad.”

“And to be honest, I'll probably just need some downtime too. I'm pretty exhausted, and I still have the Scandinavia tour to do. I'm booked ten nights during the next two weeks.”

“Wow, that sounds pretty tough,” I said. “Make sure you take good care of yourself, Dad.”

“Thanks, baby. I appreciate it.”

Although I was pretty shocked that my celebrity dad is coming here to Small Town USA—probably making a splashy entrance into my otherwise normal life—I am trying to be okay with it. He's not coming here to be in the limelight. He just wants to see his daughter, and that's nice. And he really sounded tired. He'll need to take it easy. Nick Stark never goes anywhere without being recognized, and that can be a pain. So my plan is to keep everything very low-key.

I told Kim and Uncle Allen about his impending visit, and they both seemed eager to meet him. But I made it clear that we didn't want anyone to make a fuss. “He's looking for some
downtime since his concert schedule has been pretty grueling. He'll want to keep a low profile.”

“No worries there,” Uncle Allen said. “I can understand his desire to fly under the radar.”

“Totally,” Kim agreed. “But maybe we can barbecue here at the house one evening.”

“That's a good idea,” I said. “And I want him to see my—I mean, Aunt Patricia's garden.”

My uncle smiled. “It's your garden too, Maya. And Patricia is probably smiling down from heaven to see how fantastic it looks now.”

Kim nodded. “This is the best it's looked in years.”

“And maybe we could invite a few people,” I said, suddenly eager for a social event. “Like Jackie and Robert Bernard—they've been so supportive of me.”

“I'm sure your dad would like to meet some of your friends,” my uncle said, “so he can see what your life is like.”

“You're right,” I said. “I'll make a short list. And I don't want you guys to lift a finger for this little soiree. I'll handle everything.”

“I'm happy to help,” Kim said.

“And I'm pretty handy on the barbecue,” Uncle Allen added.

“Okay.” I nodded. “But I'll be responsible for getting everything together, and I might hire a caterer for some of it.”

“This is sounding very cool,” Kim said. “I can't wait.”

So really, I'm going to be okay with having my dad here—and it'll only be for a few days. Besides, I'm looking forward to
seeing him again. I've made out a guestlist that includes the Bernards and Dominic. I might ask Marissa and her dad since he's such a fan. And maybe Caitlin and Josh. But I'll try to keep the number under twenty.

I met with Caitlin again this morning, and she asked me about Brooke Marshall. “Have you spoken to her yet?”

I shrugged. “No, why should I?”

She frowned slightly. “I guess I just assumed that you'd want to.”

“Why?”

“Well, this is a small town, Maya. And even though you don't see her much during summer break, you will see her at school in the fall. And you might see her at church, if she isn't too embarrassed to show up.”

“I didn't see her there on Sunday.”

“Exactly. Josh and I were concerned, so we went to visit her this week.”

“You went to her house?” Why would they want to go see Brooke Marshall? I actually felt sort of betrayed, like they had suddenly switched sides and were now against me.

“Josh said that if Brooke wasn't going to come to us, we would go to her.”

“So…how did it go?”

“Okay.” Caitlin smiled. “We called her mother to make sure Brooke would be home. Mrs. Marshall actually seemed glad that
we wanted to come visit. She assured us that Brooke would most definitely be home—in fact she will be home for the rest of the summer since that's how long she's grounded for.”

I nodded with a smidgen of satisfaction. “I'm glad she has some consequences.”

“She has a lot of consequences.” Caitlin took a sip of her mocha. “Besides being grounded and responsible for all the household chores—since both her parents work outside the home—she is also one sorry girl.”

“Good. She should be.” Okay, that came out all wrong, but it wasn't as if I could take it back. “I mean, I'm glad she's sorry.”

Caitlin studied me for a moment. “Brooke really regrets what she did, Maya. She said that her back really had been hurting that night. And although she was playing it up for her parents, she went online and read about spinal injuries and actually became somewhat convinced that her fall had been more serious than she'd thought.”

“Right…” I could hear the sharp tone of skepticism in my voice, and I didn't like it.

“I know it's probably hard for you to believe, and I'll admit that Josh was a little suspicious, but I can see how that might happen.”

“Okay. Let's say that's what happened. But the time had to come when Brooke realized her back was fine. I mean, I saw her doing a nearly perfect one-and-a-half off her diving board. And
she came up grinning like that was so great—until she saw me anyway.”

“Yes, that's a valid point. And one that Josh brought up.”

I nodded, mentally thanking Josh Miller.

“And she admitted she had known for a while that her back was okay, but by then the lawsuit was a big deal, and she was afraid to tell the truth.”

“So she just kept on lying?”

“Yes.” Caitlin looked sad now. “But I didn't really want to talk about Brooke's problems—and I'll admit she has some. I'm here to talk to you, Maya. I'm concerned that this thing between you and Brooke could turn into a big stumbling block for you.”

“How's that?”

“Remember Josh's talk about forgiveness?”

I nodded and looked down at the table.

“Like Josh said, God forgave us everything even when we didn't deserve it, and He expects us to forgive others. When we don't, we construct a barrier that separates us from God. Every day that we remain unforgiving becomes one more brick in that wall. And eventually we can't even see over it.”

We talked some more about forgiveness, and while I understand in theory, I'm just not sure how to put it into practice. Caitlin gave me a short list of Bible verses about forgiveness. And I promised her I would read them and pray specifically about this. And I will. But not today. Of course, I've just laid another brick.
Still, that wall can't be too tall yet. I mean, it's only been a little more than a week since I found out Brooke had lied to us. That would only be eight or nine bricks, and that wouldn't be much of a wall. Unless these are very large bricks. But I'll think about this tomorrow.