The Living Room (46 page)

“We’ve not said anything to them and don’t intend to,” Amy said. “Your dad and I are going to believe you told me the truth this afternoon.”

“And the only reason this came up was because we can’t figure out why you’ve been so sleepy in the middle of the afternoon,” Jeff added. “You don’t always show us the proper respect, but there’s nothing about your overall behavior that’s out of line. You’re a serious student, participate in youth activities at church, and are dedicated to dance. All of those positives make the possibility of a big negative in your life seem out of place.”

Megan looked at Amy, who nodded. “I don’t know what you’ve told your friends, but after listening to you, I’ve accepted what you said.”

“Really?” Megan asked.

“Yes,” Jeff and Amy responded together.

“Okay,” Megan replied with a sigh. “I mean, I’m glad you care about me. I don’t want that to stop. But I also want to know that you trust me.”

“We do,” Amy replied.

“And even though we trust you, we’ll continue to ask you
questions if we think we should,” Jeff said. “Also, if you have questions, I want you to know you can talk to either one of us. Okay?”

“What kind of questions?”

“Anything.” Jeff paused. “Although if it has to do with hormones, you should probably talk to your mom.”

Supper was as close to normal as possible given the afternoon and evening discussions with Megan. Ian was so caught up with his day in the woods that he didn’t notice any remaining tension between his parents and sister.

“Bethany invited me to come over to her house and hang out for a few hours tonight,” Megan said as she took her plate to the sink. “Is that okay? Her mom is going to pick me up and bring me home.”

Jeff glanced at Amy.

“Sure,” Amy replied. “But there’s no need for her mother to make two trips. I’ll take you, and she can bring you home. How late will you be?”

“Maybe eleven or so. It will just be the two of us. Alecia can’t make it.”

Amy suspected the visit was set up by Bethany as an escape for Megan following her dramatic portrayal of the persecution she received at home. Amy and Megan left the house at 7:30 p.m. for the short drive to Bethany’s house.

“I never got a chance to ask you how dance practice went this morning,” Amy said as she backed the car down the driveway.

“It was good.” Megan paused. “Except Molly was trying to show off for Mr. Ryan. When I was onstage she was sitting with him talking his ear off. Everyone knows she has a secret crush on him.”

“Does he know it?”

“Probably, but he’s cool about it.” Megan turned sideways in her seat. “Dad said I can ask you any questions I want to. Is that really true?”

“Yes,” Amy said, offering up a quick prayer for divine wisdom.

“Would you let Ian shoot a deer? He thinks it would be like
something in a video game, but it wouldn’t. It’s a living creature with real blood in its veins. Crystal told me that after a deer is killed, the hunters have to cut out its guts and drag it from the woods. I can’t imagine Ian doing something like that.”

Amy kept a tight grip on the steering wheel.

“Ian didn’t say anything about him killing a deer. Bobby’s father invited him to come along on a hunt.”

“And watch Bobby’s dad kill a deer?”

“Yes.”

Megan shook her head. “If Ian thinks it’s okay to shoot a deer now, you’re going to have a hard time telling him no later. You have to manage his expectations.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Your dad will probably handle that one.”

Megan faced forward. Amy relaxed.

“Has Dad ever killed a deer?” Megan asked.

“Uh, he had a great-uncle who took him and your grandpa Clarke deer hunting several times in South Carolina. That was a long time ago.”

“Did Dad kill one?”

“I think he did. You can ask him about it if you want to know the details.”

“Why would I want to know more about something gross like that?”

Amy didn’t answer. They arrived at Bethany’s house.

“Thanks for driving me,” Megan said as she hopped out of the car. “I needed a night out.”

“Sure,” Amy said as she watched the confusing, complex bundle of humanity she knew as her daughter run up to the front door.

At home Amy went up to the writing room. The tension with Megan was hard, but it was perfect preparation for writing about conflict between Roxanne and her niece. Amy hadn’t planned on a scene involving the niece as next in line, but when she introduced the idea, the characters took off with it. As she typed, Amy came face-to-face with the niece’s feelings in a way she’d tried to avoid with Megan.

Amy tried not to be an overly self-protective parent, but it was tough not to hunker down in a defensive shell. In the novel, Roxanne and her niece ended up in a yelling match followed by a grudging cease-fire. Amy was careful not to let their reconciliation go too far. There had to be the seeds for future problems. Just as in real life.

Megan was home before 11:00 p.m. Amy heard her moving around in her bedroom and went down to see her.

“How was your time with Bethany?” Amy asked.

Megan let out a big yawn.

“Good, but I was ready to come home and go to bed. I’m really sleepy—” Megan’s eyes suddenly opened wider, and she started speaking faster. “But there’s no reason for it except I’d like to go to bed. The only thing I had at Bethany’s house was a bowl of ice cream while we watched a movie. You can call her mom.”

“It’s okay. Good night.”

Amy wasn’t ready to go to sleep when Jeff turned off the light and rolled over. She lay on her back with her eyes open. Her concern about Megan, the issue at the office with Dr. Ramsey, how to fix Natalie’s book, and lingering uncertainty about
Deeds
of
Darkness
ricocheted around in her head even though no answers could be found there. After forcing herself to breathe slowly and commanding the muscles in her arms and legs to relax, she drifted off to sleep.

In the middle of the night she went to the living room. None of the matters troubling her mind were addressed in her dream. Instead, something completely unexpected shot through her unconsciousness.

And it had to do with Mildred Burris.

The following morning at church, Amy kept turning over in her mind what she’d seen in the night. If she wasn’t one hundred percent convinced of Ms. Burris’s godliness, it would be easy to assign the worst of motives to the elderly woman. But even good people have
flaws. The purest marble looks less pristine under a microscope. Amy squirmed in the pew. Jeff nudged her with his arm.

“Is Reverend Harbough getting to you?” he whispered. “I wouldn’t think a sermon about the parable of the sheep and the goats would be a problem for you. You’re one of the wooliest lambs I know.”

“Quiet. It’s something else I’m trying to sort out.”

At the end of the sermon, the minister prayed for the congregation. Amy offered up one of her own. She desperately needed discernment on how to properly interpret what she’d seen and know what to do about it.

After the service, Natalie came over to her in the church parking lot and handed her a large envelope.

“Luke ran off color copies of the book illustrations for you. I’m not trying to be pushy, but have you had a chance to read it again?”

“No, but I will this afternoon. I need something light and happy to focus on.”

“What’s wrong?”

Amy glanced over her shoulder. Megan was out of hearing range with a group of her friends.

“More drama with Megan, but I think we’re making progress with her.” Amy paused. “But I saw something in a dream last night that’s really troubling me.”

“About your family?”

“No, it had to do with Mildred Burris.”

“What?” Natalie’s eyebrows shot up.

“I can’t say, but I’d really appreciate it if you’d pray that I’d know what to do. It relates to a situation at the office.”

“Is she in some kind of legal trouble?”

“Not yet, but this could have serious legal consequences for her. I hate to bring something up if it’s not true, or if I’m not interpreting what I saw correctly.”

“Shouldn’t you talk to her first? That’s what the Bible tells us to do.”

Amy shook her head. “There’s the Bible, and there’s Mr. Phillips. And I don’t have anything personal against Ms. Burris. It has to do
with what she did to someone else. Anyway, please pray for me, even though I can’t give you details.”

“Sure.”

The heaviness Amy felt about Ms. Burris was a weight on her soul as she climbed the steps to the writing room. It took every ounce of writer’s discipline to push aside her anxiety and work on Natalie’s idyllic summer tale. The story needed to reflect, not detract from, the beautiful watercolors. Two hours later she’d revised almost half the book. Amy laid out the new text beneath the applicable illustrations. The story now flowed, which gave her hope. She sent Natalie a brief, encouraging text message.

Going downstairs, Amy’s thoughts returned to Ms. Burris and her dream.

Jeff was working on their lawn mower in the garage. “The grass will start growing in a few weeks,” he said. “And I want to squeeze at least one more cutting season out of this old mower.”

“I’ve been thinking about work, too,” Amy said. “I’m going to run down to the office for a few minutes.”