The Perfect Family (40 page)

A rustle at the doorway. Laura Simpson stood there in a raincoat. He’d heard the droplets ping against his windows for the last hour. “Leaving?”

“Yes, and you should, too.”

“What time is it?”

“Seven.” She gave him an understanding smile. “Don’t you need to get home?”

“Hardly.” He had no idea what either boy was doing tonight or where his wife was right now. He hadn’t called her and she hadn’t made contact either.

“Are you all right, Mike?”

Leaning back in his chair, he watched the lovely woman before him. “No. I guess not.”

Uninvited, she came inside and perched on the edge of the chair in front of his desk. “You’ve been preoccupied all day. Actually, for a couple of days.”

“I know. I almost blew that phone conference with China.”

“You did fine.” Again, she smiled. The red of her dress peeked out from her coat and, he noticed, went great with her coloring. “You could run circles around those guys using half your brain.”

Compliments rolled easily off her tongue and it made him feel good. “You didn’t have to stay this late.”

“I had paperwork to catch up on.” She gave him a suggestive wink. “Besides, any assistant worth her salt doesn’t leave before the boss.”

“Then I better get out of here.”

“I’ll walk out with you.”

That seemed harmless. They made small talk on their way down the hall, riding the elevator. When they reached the entrance, she pulled out her cell phone.

“What are you doing?”

“My car’s in the shop again. They didn’t fix the problem last time and it stalled out. I hope I can get a cab in this weather.”

“Did you have a ride arranged earlier?”

“I was supposed to go home with Ginny.”

“But you stayed because I was here?”

Now she gave him a level stare. “Yes, Mike, I stayed because you were here.”

He waited only a beat. “I’ll give you a lift.”

The drive to her apartment was filled with work chatter. When he pulled up to her apartment building, she faced him. The front seat of his Taurus seemed to have shrunk, and her perfume, sweet and flowery, filled it. “Want to come in? For food. Or a drink.” She shrugged one shoulder daintily. “Anything.”

Don’t do it
, his conscience warned.

But this time, Mike didn’t listen. He was tired of being sensible Mike. Mike the father. Mike the husband. Tonight he wanted to be Mike the man. So he smiled back and realized he hadn’t forgotten how to flirt. “Sure, I’ll come up. I’m not hungry but I could use a drink.”

*

Maggie had been in a funk for two days. She’d dressed for work today in a buttercup yellow skirt and knit top, one of her favorite outfits, hoping the bright color would cheer her up.

Gretta had gone with Tim on a business trip, and Melissa wasn’t due back from her vacation until next week. So when Reverend Anabelle called and wanted to meet, they’d chosen tonight at eight. After Maggie finished grading papers, she decided not to go home.

Instead, she headed out of her office to the student café. The trip across campus lightened her spirits—the sprawling, picturesque grounds, coordinated architecture, quiet now because most of the students were gone and summer school hadn’t yet started. At the door to the building, she bumped into Damien. In tailored slacks and a beige linen shirt, open at the collar, he was handsome, attractive, alluring.

“Hey, pretty lady, you’re usually long gone by now.”

“Usually.”

“Nobody to go home to?”

Tears threatened. “Um, no.”

Damien grabbed her arm. “You all right?”

“I can’t talk about this, Damien.”

“Then eat with me.”

“I was heading in there.”

“Nah, not in there. Come on, we’ll go to Jinx’s.”

Maggie knew she shouldn’t go with him. But then she recalled Mike’s black moods and the turmoil in her marriage. And bitterly, a thought came to her.
Maybe I’ll give Father Pete something to worry about.

“I’ll go on one condition. That we don’t discuss my problems.”

“If that’s what you want.”

The atmosphere at Jinx’s was pleasant.

Damien was a terrific conversationalist.

The wine they ordered was rich and it went down smooth.

When they left, both she and Damien were feeling mellow. He walked beside her to her car, which was parked at the far end, overshadowed by some trees. He opened the driver’s door and Maggie slid behind the wheel.

Then Damien rounded the hood and got in the passenger side.

“What are you doing?”

“Just this.”

Leaning over, he grasped her shoulders. His lips were soft, tender. At first. Then they became more insistent. He deepened the kiss. Drew her to him.

Maggie moved in close. Closer.

And let herself go.

*

Jamie was alone in his house, which never happened, so he took advantage of it and lit incense and cranked up the volume of his stereo. His brother was at a baseball meeting and had called Jamie, pissed that he hadn’t gotten the car back before Brian had to leave, forcing him to catch a ride. His mother was having coffee with Anabelle, and his father was…he had no idea where his father was. All he knew was that his dad hadn’t come home a few nights ago. His parents were fighting. He’d be more worried about them if he wasn’t so preoccupied with Luke.

So much had gone wrong lately—the blood drive, the prom tickets. But the run-in with Luke’s parents that night in the basement was almost too much to handle. He could still see the disgust on Dr. Crane’s face. Two guys getting physical with each other made him sick. When Luke’s father ordered Jamie out and said he was never welcome in their home again, it shocked both Jamie and Luke. They’d left together and sat in the car in front of Jamie’s house talking about it. They’d decided that Luke didn’t have to go to that camp no matter what his parents said, so there was no reason to be upset. And they could still see each other as much as they did now. Like with college, Luke was eighteen and his father couldn’t
force
him to do anything. Luke seemed to have calmed down, but Jamie knew when he went home, his parents would work him over.

Yet then in school today, Luke seemed happy. He’d told Jamie his mother had been reasonable and he was feeling better. He’d also given Jamie a present. A meaningful one. His school letter jacket. Jamie asked why and Luke shrugged, said he wanted Jamie to have it, wear it. Then he put his arm around Jamie—right out in the open at school—and whistled all the way down the hall. They’d caught people’s attention but Luke didn’t even seem to notice.

Jamie’s cell phone rang. Grabbing it from the desk, he checked the caller ID. “Hey, Luke,” he said clicking on.

Mumbles. A sound in the background.

“Luke, is that you? I can’t hear you.”

“Jame…”

“Luke? You sound funny.”

“Come over…”

Some coughing. Rustling. Jamie couldn’t place the noise in the background.

It took his brain a minute to catch up. Something was really wrong. Luke’s words were slurred. Was he drunk? Jamie yelled Luke’s name into the phone. Though the line hadn’t gone dead, Luke wasn’t talking anymore. Jamie bolted out of his desk chair, grabbed his car keys, and hurtled downstairs. He was in the Prius and on the road in a few minutes. Thinking about the pills, about Luke’s fights with his father, he drove as fast as he could to the Cranes’ house and came to a halt in the driveway. He leapt out of the car. The windows were all dark. The garage doors were closed and as he passed them, he heard an engine running inside.
Heard
an engine?
What the hell?

Oh my God.

Stay calm. Stay calm.
He put his ear to the first of three bays. A car was definitely running behind it. He banged his fist on the metal. After a few seconds, he remembered that he and Luke had been out late one night and when Jamie dropped him off, Luke realized he had forgotten his key. The Cranes sometimes left open the side door to the garage, and Luke got in that way.

Jamie bounded around the house. He tried that door. It was locked.
Fuck
! But it had a window. He could see two cars inside.

Frantically scanning the lawn, Jamie caught sight of a big decorative rock. He hefted it up and smashed in the glass. The shattering sound was loud in the still night air.

Jamie yanked open the door and rushed inside. His eyes stung and he began to cough. There was an empty spot where Dr. Crane would park, then Mrs. Crane’s BMW, then Luke’s car. Which was running.
Oh God oh God oh God.
He vaulted onto the BMW, walked over it, and circled around to the driver’s side of Luke’s Camaro. He opened the door and found Luke, cell phone still in hand, head back against the seat.

No, no, no, no.

“Luke!” Jamie pressed his ear to Luke’s chest. He was still breathing.

Spotting the three automatic garage door buttons on the wall, Jamie sprang toward them and hit the first one open-handed. The single bay where Luke’s car was parked screeched up. Jamie reached inside the front seat for Luke. He was dead weight. No, no, not dead. He was breathing. He was heavy anyway, but now…
Please God, please let him be okay
. Finally Jamie managed to pull Luke out of the car. He fell onto the hard cement floor and Jamie went to his knees with him. He maneuvered Luke so he could grab him under the arms, then stood and dragged him out into the fresh air. The cell phone dropped out of his hand on the driveway. Jamie scooped it up and punched in 911. “There’s been an incident. 987 Lark Lane. My friend was in the car. There was a lot of carbon monoxide. Please hurry.”

“Stay on the line,” the woman said. “An ambulance will be right there.”

Jamie dropped the phone. He’d taken Advanced Health last semester and had gotten his CPR accreditation.

Tilt the head.

Clear the passageway.

Take a breath.

Cover his mouth.

Until the ambulance arrived, Jamie gave his own air to Luke and prayed that he would be all right.

*

“Thanks for asking me to coffee.” Sipping her latte, Maggie sat across from Anabelle at the same Starbucks where she’d met Casey Carson. “I know you’re busy.”

“I wanted to see you, Maggie. You’re one of us, even if you haven’t officially joined our congregation.” She gave Maggie a comforting smile. “And I want to help any way I can.”

Maggie and Jamie had been back to UCC on several Sundays. Jamie talked about joining their youth group. Maggie helped with a coffee hour and signed up for the book club.

“How’s it going with Mike?” Anabelle asked.

“Can you read minds, too?”

Her slate blue eyes twinkled. “Comes with the collar.” Which she didn’t often wear but had on tonight because she’d been to the hospital to visit a sick member of the church.

“Not good.” Maggie thought about what she’d done earlier and cringed. “We’ve never been so distanced before. Not for so long, anyway.”

“Is that all you’re feeling?”

“No, I’m mad at him, too. He should be doing better with Jamie.” Anabelle waited. “And I should be doing better, too. I’ve withheld a lot from him.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t trust him to handle what’s happening to Jamie anymore.”

“That must hurt you both.”

Moisture filled Maggie’s eyes and she blinked it back. “I did something tonight, before I came here.”

When she hesitated, Anabelle said, “Maggie, I’m not here to judge you, and I might be able to help.”

“I let another man kiss me. I kissed him back. It was more than friendly and would have led straight to a motel room if I’d let it.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“Because I love Mike. And I know he could never forgive infidelity. I’m not sure I could either.” She ran a hand through her hair. “I just want my family back, Anabelle.”

“Have you thought of marriage counseling?”

“I suggested Mike and I go to a therapist, but he balked at the idea.” Actually, he’d said
fuck marriage counseling
.

“Men.” Anabelle shook her head. “Can I help?”

Maggie shrugged. “You’re helping by being here with me. Listening. You make me feel closer to God.”

She smiled. “Well, if that isn’t the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me!”

Maggie admired so much about Anabelle and wondered about her life. What was it like to be a lesbian? To have a female as a partner, a woman who thought more like you, felt the way you did? Would that preclude the majority of arguments?

So Maggie asked her.

Anabelle chuckled. “Sometimes it does. Especially if you have as much in common as Lisel and I do.”

Maggie had met Anabelle’s partner at some UCC activities and seen her from afar at worship services. A tall, light-haired woman with a beautiful smile, she always seemed serene, which Maggie envied. Maybe Lisel’s calm came from working with special education students and the patience that demanded.