Chapter 10
The rest of Layne’s morning proved to be a total waste. She’d made at least a dozen trips to the window, apparently to see whether or not any of the scenery had changed. It had not. She ran out of pencils to sharpen and legal pads to arrange. She ran out of coffee, which was just as well. She was jittery enough as it was. And why in hell was the wall clock running so damn slow?
Finally, at 11:50, she checked her hair, for the fifth or sixth time, smoothed her blouse over her breasts, poked her head into Barb’s room to wave goodbye, and left the office.
Outside in the sunshine, she stood at the curb, waiting for a break in the traffic so she could safely cross to the restaurant. Finally, she saw her chance and hurried across. Erik was waiting in a booth as she entered, and immediately stood at her approach.
“Hi,” he said, in a quiet, cool tone. “Thanks for showing up.”
“I was afraid if I didn’t, you’d mess my hair by dragging me over here.” Even though her reply was flippant, she felt the possibility existed. But aside from that, Layne felt strangely relaxed. The almost overwhelming feeling of dread had somehow vanished.
“May as well eat something, as long as I’m here,” Erik said, casting a faint smile at her remark as he flipped through the menu. Apparently his anger had dissipated. At least he wasn’t raising his voice anymore.
“Do you want to talk first?” Layne ventured, scanning her menu.
“No reason why we can’t do both,” Erik said, looking up at the waitress who appeared at his side.
They both settled on a sandwich and a small garden salad, something fast and easy. Although Layne was now fully relaxed, everything she’d planned to say was gone, forgotten. She had no questions of her own, so she’d allow him to ask and she’d answer as best she could.
“When did you start hating me? Exactly what did I do?” Erik asked, looking across the table at Layne.
Layne stopped mid-bite. “I’m not sure there was a starting point. Besides, is that what we’re here to talk about?”
“I think it all ties in together, doesn’t it?”
After a moment, Layne nodded. “Yeah, I guess it does.”
“Well?”
“I think, oh hell, I know! At the barbecue, when I saw you with Joyce, her arms around you, I realized you’d been toying with me. I knew then that you stopped from having sex with me because you cared for her and your conscience wouldn’t allow you to continue. But I gotta admit,” Layne admitted dryly, “you were man enough to do that.”
Erik cast her an astonished look. “Stopped from having sex with you? I stopped making love to you, making love with you, because that wasn’t why I invited you to take part in the roundup. Things just got way out of control. It had absolutely nothing to do with Joyce.”
“You two were certainly entwined at the barbecue. It was rather obvious you cared for one another, and were in love.”
Erik’s astonishment grew. “Joyce was . . . is a nice lady. That’s why I was seeing her. I was not in love with her. I was hardly in friend with her.”
“You were merely in friend with me too,” Layne replied quietly, raising her eyes to meet his.
“No, that’s not true. You were in friend with me. I was starting to develop feelings for you.”
“And yet, you kept seeing Joyce.”
“Yes, I did. I loved you, but had no idea what your thoughts were about me. I sure as hell know what they are now, though,” he added quietly, almost to himself. “It didn’t take long,” he continued, “to realize that Joyce could never be a ranch wife, and then, when a realtor called, asking if I wanted to see the house Joyce had picked out for us after we sold the ranch, that settled it. She was gone.”
Layne could feel the burn coming behind her eyes, but she fought it off. Tears were definitely not needed now. Her mind was a jumble of confusion. Had she been wrong all this time? She looked long and hard at Erik, fighting off the tears that threatened to flow at the slightest provocation. She finally had to tear her eyes away, for fear of losing the battle.
“Let’s put that aside for a moment,” Erik said, rearranging the salad with his fork. “Why are you doing this to me? Why are you representing Joyce?”
Layne put the remnants of her sandwich back on its plate and studied him for a short moment. “Normally I’d keep this information to myself,” she finally answered, thankful she’d stemmed the threatened flow of tears, “but since I have her permission to do so, I’ll tell you. I’ve been retained by Joyce Callaway.”
“What?”
“Before I knew anything about her or her relationship with you, she came to my office, wanting to keep you from gaining custody of your niece. I took notes on our discussion and collected my retainer fee, and that made me legally bound to carry through and represent Mrs. Gerhardt. After this was all settled, she told me about her relationship and plans for you.”
Erik remained in his chair, slowly shaking his head, speechless.
“I have to say, I was as surprised as you are,” Layne said. “There was no way I could back out, and I’m so sorry, but I still can’t.”
“She didn’t want me to get the child? Really?” Erik kept slowly shaking his head. “Why would she care? I had no plans, no plans at all, of marrying her.”
“I can’t believe you could be that stupid, Mr. Rivers. You had no idea she planned to marry you? To keep the child out of your home? To sell the ranch? To change your entire way of living?”
Erik finally stopped shaking his head. “No,” he said. “No idea.” He paused for a moment. “Are there any more surprises you want to give me?”
“Only that I plan to carry through and represent her. She needs a voice. You’ve never met Mrs. Gerhardt, have you?”
“No.”
“So you don’t have any idea how kind, loving, and caring she is?”
“No. I do not.”
“Then why on Earth don’t you get to know her? I think you’re making a huge mistake by not meeting and getting to know her. Quite possibly, all this court crap would not be needed. Maybe you could work things out between yourselves.”
“You mean a mediator?” Erik replied.
“Something like that, or maybe just the two of you.”
“No, I think a court decision is the way to go. Then there’s no question. And,” Erik continued, “I have the financial ability that she lacks. I think that’s an important point.”
“Certainly, if anyone compares her wealth to yours, it’s no contest. Many other factors come into play though, not just money. And,” Layne continued, “just so you know, I’m not doing this to hurt you in any way. Please believe me on that point. I’m merely giving the child’s grandmother a voice. She deserves to be represented and heard.”
“She’s an old lady. How can she take care of the child?”
“You’re a single man, busy running a huge cattle ranch. How can you take care of the child?”
Erik had no answer. He wiped his mouth, then slowly folded the napkin and put it down upon the table.
“Well then,” he said quietly. “I guess we’ll meet again in court.” He tossed a few bills on the table, and then with a last long look at Layne, turned and walked out the door.
~ ~ ~
“So, how was lunch?” Barb asked nonchalantly, impatient to hear the juicy facts of Layne’s meeting with Erik Rivers.
“It was okay,” Layne replied, knowing quite well that Barb could hardly wait to hear all about it. “I had a roast beef sandwich and a garden salad. Very tasty.”
“Damnit, Layne, tell me! Inquiring minds want to know. Don’t give me that crap.”
Layne finally gave in to her demand and told her in detail what had transpired. “And I think I believe him,” she concluded, “when he told me about Joyce and his, our, rather, failed attempt at sex.”
“Go through that sex part again, please? Bit by juicy bit?” Barb said, moving to the edge of her chair.
“Oh for Pete’s sake!” Layne said, giving her a friendly punch on the shoulder. Then, in a serious tone, she continued. “So you’re sure it’s okay to leave Lucy with you while Mrs. Gerhardt and I are in court?”
Barb agreed it would be no problem taking care of the sweet little girl, and besides, she needed the practice in being a mother. She was seeing more and more of the barbecue cowboy, and who knew where that could lead.
~ ~ ~
Judge Jordan finally ordered Erik’s lawyer to desist from badgering Mrs. Gerhardt. The judge told him that the court was aware of her financial situation, her housing situation, and her age. Even Erik was upset at his badgering. There was no need to pound away on those facts.
Then it became Layne’s turn to question Erik. “Mr. Rivers,” she started quietly, “what is your experience as a parent?”
In a flash, Erik could see it coming. He was going to have little defense against this line of questioning. “I have no experience as an actual parent, although I care for many young animals.”
Oh boy. “So then, it’s safe to say that all of your experience is with four-legged children?”
“Well . . .”
“The problem with that, Mr. Rivers, is that the child we are talking about here is two-legged.”
“This is leading nowhere,” Judge Jordan interrupted dryly. “Let’s all assume we are talking about plain children, in the normal sense.”
“Fine. Mr. Rivers,” Layne continued, looking back to him, “exactly what do you know about six-year-old girls?”
Erik’s anger started to smolder, as he realized he knew very little about six-year-old girls, and Layne was certainly exposing this shortcoming.
“Not much,” he answered curtly, “but not many new fathers do.”
“I think you’re referring to teenage girls, Mr. Rivers,” Layne replied with a small smile. “No one understands them. But what do you know about a young girl’s adolescence, hygiene, proper nutrition, health care, and clothing? Things like that? I think, Mr. Rivers, you don’t have a clue as to what you are asking for. You would not know where to start, with a six-year-old child in your life.”
This line of Layne’s questioning went on for about thirty minutes longer, and at the end of it, Erik was well aware that he would not be awarded custody of Lucy. The best he could hope for were generous visitation rights.
Judge Jordan called Erik and Molly to the bench. He started by speaking directly to Erik. “Mr. Rivers,” he said, “although this court grants custody of Lucy Gerhardt to the grandmother, Mrs. Molly Gerhardt, you are certainly entitled to visitation rights. It is the judgement of this court that you two work this out yourselves, without the court’s input, but subject to the court’s approval, of course. Is this satisfactory with both of you?”
Molly and Erik nodded their approval.
“Be aware that certain restrictions apply,” the judge said, glancing up from his papers. “The child cannot miss school, and therefore visitation will only be allowed, as an example, on weekends, school holidays, and during the summer. I will leave those decisions to you,” he said. “This court will review any agreement you come to, and I expect it to be on my desk by the end of the month. Any questions?”
Neither Erik nor Molly had any questions, so they turned and started to walk back to their respective attorneys.
“I suppose we should start,” Erik said, turning to Molly. “Do we need the lawyers for this?”
“If you don’t mind,” Molly said hesitantly, “I’d like Layne to sit with us. Are you okay with that?”
“That’s fine,” Erik replied, “although I see no need for Mr. Baylor to join us.” He waved Baylor over and thanked him for his services but let him know he was no longer needed this particular day.
As Erik watched his lawyer leave, he joined Layne behind the bar railing and offered her his hand.
“Congratulations,” he said curtly. “When does the gloating begin?”
“The only thing that is about to begin for you, Mr. Rivers,” Layne replied, holding back the flash of anger that jolted her, “is meeting your niece, Lucy. We’re all hungry, at least Molly and I are, and I’m sure by now Lucy is too. She’s waiting in our office with Barb. We’re going to get her and have lunch. You’re welcome to join us, if you want.”
Suddenly, the chips were down and the cards on the table for Erik, and Layne could see it in his eyes. He was frightened, frightened of meeting a child he had not seen since she was an infant. What would he say? What would he do? What would the child do? His expression was close to panic, and Layne’s anger was swept away in a flood of sympathy.
“Well,” Layne asked again, but softly this time, “would you want to join us? You’ve got to meet this child sometime. And you and Molly can start working out some sort of visitation arrangement.”
Erik’s eyes met hers, and she could see he really had little choice. “Yes, I’ll join you. Where?”
“You remember the Stirring Spoon café? Where we had our little . . . discussion?”
Erik nodded.
“Why don’t you take Molly and meet us there?” She looked from Erik to Molly, noting their startled concern at the suggestion of being thrown together. “That will give you a little alone time to get to know each other while I get Lucy.” She settled her gaze on Molly. “That would be okay with you, wouldn’t it?”
Now it was Molly’s turn for the deer-in-the-headlights look. “Oh dear,” she said, “is that really such a good idea? I think I’d rather not.”
“Molly,” Layne replied, “you and Mr. Rivers share a very, very common interest, and like it or not, you’re going to be spending a lot of time together, either in person or on the phone, so you’d both better start getting used to it.” She turned to Erik. “And, Mr. Rivers,” she added, “you’d better start getting used to it also.”
Molly and Erik turned to look at one another, and he slowly offered his hand. After a slight hesitation, Molly smiled and clasped it.
The ice was broken.
~ ~ ~
Once Layne found a parking space, she and Lucy walked down the sidewalk to the Stirring Spoon. They stopped outside and peered through the window. Layne was astonished to see Molly and Erik in a booth, laughing, relaxed and enjoying each other’s company.
Layne held the door for the little girl and once inside, Lucy ran straight into Molly’s arms. After a long, warm hug, Lucy backed away and approached the side of the booth where Erik was seated. “I know who you are,” she said, sliding in beside him and holding out her hand. “You’re my uncle, Mr. Rivers, aren’t you?”
Totally surprised, but with a big smile, Erik took her hand. “Yes I am, but my friends,” he replied, casting his eyes directly to Layne, “call me Erik. I’d really like it if you’d call me Uncle Erik.”
Lucy glanced at her grandmother, who nodded.
“So, what did you talk about?” Layne asked, looking to Molly and Erik, ignoring his direct jibe. “Anything settled?”
“Actually yes,” Erik answered. “For a start, Molly and I have agreed that they’ll spend Thanksgiving with me at the ranch, and we have tentative ideas for other times. I think Judge Jordan will give everything a green light.”
Wow, Layne thought. He’s calling her Molly, on a first-name basis already, and already had plans for Thanksgiving, no less. “Well, that’s a great start,” she said to Molly, glancing at her watch. “I should be getting you home. It’s later than I thought.”
“No,” Erik said, “I’ll be taking them home.” He glanced at Layne. “If you don’t mind?”
That was a surprise, and even though his question was sarcastic, it was fine with her. The thought of the long round trip was not appealing. While she didn’t show it outwardly, the day had been long and stressful. “I don’t mind,” she replied thankfully as she watched Molly and Lucy leave for a potty break before the trip.
“I really goofed up,” Erik admitted, once they were alone. “Molly is a wonderful woman. I really like her. I should have connected with her years ago. And Lucy. How sweet can a little girl get!” He looked hard at Layne. “If it hadn’t been for you, none of this would have happened. I guess I have you to thank.”
Layne forced a smiling nod before turning away. Erik was too close, and his eyes were too beautiful, and if she backed away too slowly, sure as hell she’d pull him in and kiss him.
~ ~ ~
Thanksgiving was a couple days away, and Barb recently informed Layne that she was planning on celebrating the day with her now-steady boyfriend, the young cowboy, and his parents. The invitation was open if she wished to join them. Barb was spending more and more nights away from the apartment, and the handwriting was on the wall. Layne knew it wouldn’t be long before she had the place all to herself. The lease was up for renewal in two months, so she had to make a decision whether keep the place for herself or not.
It was Sunday afternoon and Layne was sitting on the apartment couch mulling these thoughts over, when they were interrupted by the musical signal of her cell phone. Erik’s cell number flashed across the screen.
She hesitated a short moment before deciding to answer it. Why the hell was her heart suddenly pounding? “This is Layne.”
“Layne,” he said, “this is Erik. Have you got a minute to talk?”
Layne decided there was little reason not to. The custody arrangements and visitations were settled and approved by the court. What could he possibly want? “Sure,” she replied somewhat warily.
“Do you have plans for Thanksgiving?”
A bit of relief swept through Layne. “Yes, actually. I understand the Stirring Spoon puts on quite a spread.”
“Your friend Barb. Is she going with you?”
“No, she’s got a serious boyfriend now. She’ll be with him, at his parents.”
“Lucky him! So you’re alone.”
“Yup.” Short, sweet, and cold.
“How’d you like to join Lucy and Molly and me for Thanksgiving?”
How quickly things change. “Um, sure,” Layne said after a slight hesitation, wishing her previous reply hadn’t been so curt. “That would be fun. What can I bring?”
“Just yourself. But, there are conditions. Three, to be exact.”
Crap. Conditions again. Now what? “And they are . . .?” she asked cautiously. She was damned if she’d put up with any more of his conditions nonsense.
“Well,” Erik said, “I understand your dislike of my conditions, but just allow me to pass these three by you, okay?”
Layne let out a weary sigh. “Go ahead.”
“First of all, I’m going to do most of the cooking, but maybe you and the ladies could putter around the kitchen and keep me company. I get lonesome in there, all alone. That’s sort of condition number one. Can you work with that?”
That was certainly not what she expected. “I suppose so.” Layne smiled into the phone. “What are the other two?”
“How are you with ideas for a little girl’s bedroom?”
“Hadn’t really given it much thought,” she replied. “Why?”
“I need your ideas on decorating Lucy’s bedroom. It’s gotta be fantastic for when she visits me. So, the second condition is for you to consider this request. I guess it’s really a plea, not a condition.”
“Okay, I can do that. In fact, I’d love doing that.” She paused briefly. “And number three is . . .?”
“I guess this is not really a condition, but rather a deep-down, heart-felt request. I wish you’d call me Erik again.”
That surprised Layne most of all. Her fears of a doomed relationship with Erik Rivers were washed away by his simple plea. The custody battle turned out not to be a battle at all, but a godsend in disguise.
“Okay,” Layne agreed quietly, “I guess I can do that. After all, you’ve invited me to Thanksgiving dinner.”
“I don’t mean just for Thanksgiving, or just because of Thanksgiving. I was kind of thinking of always and forever.”
“I knew what you meant . . . Erik. And yes, I can do that.” She paused for a moment. “See? I’ve done it already.”
“Thank you,” was his simple reply.
~ ~ ~
As Layne parked her car by Erik’s home, Lucy jumped off the swing and ran to hug her. “Hi, Layne,” she said breathlessly. “Happy Thanksgiving!”
“Happy Thanksgiving to you too,” Layne replied, releasing her hug and stepping back to look at Lucy. She was a cowgirl, head to toe! Cowboy hat, western shirt and dress, and real cowboy boots.
“Goodness,” Layne said, taking another step back to get the full picture, “do you ever look nice.”
Lucy did a little twirl, causing the skirt to billow out. “I’m a real cowgirl now, aren’t I?”
“You certainly are,” Layne agreed. “Love the hat and boots.”
Lucy twirled again. “Uncle Erik bought this for me. He took Nana and me shopping last night, and even promised to get me my very own horse and maybe a puppy sometime. And,” she went on, “you should have seen Uncle Erik’s truck. It was full of stuff!”
“Stuff? What kind of stuff, honey?”
“Food, silly! Food for us when we’re visiting,” She laughed.
Layne slowly shook her head, marveling at the revelation. The real Erik Rivers finally revealed himself. A total, total softy, in love with this darling little girl! Layne waited a moment for the tears to stop their threat, then took Lucy’s little hand and started to the house.
With all her might, Lucy pushed open the massive door in the entry, then found Layne’s hand.
“Come on,” Lucy said, pulling her along, “I know how to get to the kitchen.”
After no false turns and no dead-ends, Lucy more or less dragged Layne to the kitchen, although in reality, Layne probably could have found it herself, merely by following her nose to the delicious smells coming from it.
After an unsure hesitation, Erik met her with a warm hug, as did Molly.
“Happy Thanksgiving,” they said, almost in unison.
“Thank you. Happy Thanksgiving to you too.” Layne couldn’t help but notice Molly’s clothes. “That’s a beautiful dress, Molly!”
Molly did her own little twirl around the kitchen floor. “Thank you.” She smiled. “Erik insisted on buying it for me. He refused to take no for an answer.” She twirled again. “But isn’t it beautiful?”
Layne now knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that everything in Lucy’s life would be fine. And Molly’s life would be better too.
~ ~ ~
“Oh dear,” Molly exclaimed, setting the small goblet of wine back on the table. “It’s been many years since I’ve had an after-dinner cocktail. I hope I don’t make a fool of myself.”
Erik looked across the chaotic remains of a fantastic Thanksgiving meal. “Molly,” he smiled, “I’ll keep my eye on you, don’t worry.”
Layne glanced at Erik, knowing that he meant it. Warmth spread through her and again she blinked back tears. Whether Molly and Lucy realized it or not, he was their protector, their Fairy Godfather.
Erik folded his napkin and placed it neatly on the table. “Well,” he said, referring to the remnants of the dinner, “let’s let this stay for a while. It’s such a beautiful day. We should go out and enjoy it.”
He pushed away from the table, but Layne stopped him. “No, you three go.” She nodded toward Molly and Lucy. “I’ll clean up.”
Now it was Molly’s turn. “No,” she said to Erik, “you and Lucy go. I’ll stay with Layne and clean up.” She waved toward the outside. “Go, go!”
That was all Erik needed. He jumped from the table and with Lucy’s little hand in his, skipped their way outside.
Layne and Molly went to a window and watched them skip across the lawn toward the horse stable. “I wish we could have done this years ago,” Molly lamented. “He obviously adores Lucy, and she adores him. I’m wondering if I should have tried to find Erik, but honestly, I never thought about it. I didn’t keep Lucy away on purpose.”
“I’m sure he realizes that now, and actually, he told me that his custody request was the best thing that ever happened. It brought you all together. He found that you aren’t a wicked witch, and you found out that he isn’t some sort of horrible ogre.”
As they backed away from the window, Molly turned to Layne. “Um,” she started, “I certainly don’t mean to put my nose in where it doesn’t belong, but is there anything going on between you and Erik?”
That caught Layne by surprise. “No,” she started quickly, but then realized there was no reason to lie to Molly. “Well, that’s actually not entirely true,” she corrected. “I started out disliking him immensely, then we became friends, then I disliked him again, and then he disliked me, and now I think we might be friends again, but I’m not really sure of that.”
“Goodness,” Molly exclaimed, “that’s soap-opera material.”
“Why do you ask?
Molly hesitated, then said, “Well, you’re here today, on Thanksgiving, but I guess the biggest thing that makes me wonder is the way he looks at you when he knows you won’t notice.”
A warm feeling washed through Layne. “Oh, this is a special day for him,” she explained quickly. “He looks at all of us. He wants to be sure everyone is enjoying themselves. That’s the kind of man he is.”
“Okay,” Molly said, turning to the mess left on the table, “let’s get at this!”
~ ~ ~
With the table cleared and everything washed and put away, the women put on warm coats and went outside to find Erik and Lucy. Their first stop was the horse stable, and as they walked through the building, Layne showed Molly the various horses.
“This is Blaze,” she said, rubbing the horse’s nose as she stuck her head out of the stall. “Erik gave her to me.”
They continued through the stable and came across an empty stall. “I think this is Gracie’s place,” Layne said, looking over the gate. “She must be out in the pasture.” They completed their tour and stepped outside into the bright sunshine.
“Why does Erik need all those horses?” Molly asked, looking back at the stable. “Does he ride all of them?”
“No.” Layne smiled. “His horse is that big white one. Remember, at the end of the building? The others are for the cowboys who work for him. They live in San Antonio, but keep their horses here.”
“Isn’t that quite a long drive for them? Erik said it’s over twenty miles.”
“It would be difficult if they had to take their horses back and forth each day, for sure. Some of them used to stay in the place behind Erik’s house,” Layne explained, “but these are young men, most of them single. They need a night life, I guess.”
Instantly, as the words left her mouth, a thought flashed through her like a lightning bolt! The empty house! This could be the perfect solution, the perfect answer! What if? Layne had to test the waters! Was it possible? Would it work? Would Erik agree? How to approach the possibility with Molly?
“Isn’t this beautiful?” she said, sweeping her arm across the wide expanse of country. “Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be able to live here? In a place so lovely?”
“It certainly would be,” Molly agreed. “Lucy is going to love her visits.”
Layne mulled all the pros and cons through her mind when she spotted Erik and Lucy come around another outbuilding. He was holding Gracie’s reins while Lucy sat high in the saddle atop the gentle horse’s wide back.
Erik and Lucy saw them too, and waved vigorously as they slowly made their way toward the stable. The little girl was already shouting to the women about their adventures, where they’d been, and what they saw. “And,” she finished, “Uncle Erik said that from now on, Gracie was mine. All mine. He said he’d even show me how to comb her and everything.”
Layne’s heart swelled. Erik was completely twitterpatted, and she knew that from this time on, Lucy was never going to want for anything for the rest of her life. She decided to wait, to get all her ducks in a row, before approaching him with her thoughts.
As the evening turned cooler, everyone went inside for turkey sandwiches and pumpkin pie. With his mouth finally emptied of the massive bite of sandwich, Erik turned to Layne.
“Where should we put Lucy’s bedroom when she’s here?” he asked. “Upstairs alone, or downstairs, with me?”
“I don’t know,” she replied. “What do you think?”
“I think, if this meets with your approval,” he said, looking to Molly, “downstairs is best, at least for now. This is a big house, and she may feel uneasy about being upstairs alone. If her bedroom is down here, close to mine, I think she’ll feel more secure, safer.”
Molly nodded her agreement. “Yes, I think that’s best.”
“Then come with me,” Erik said, holding the sandwich close, ready for another bite. “Let’s look at the room.” He led them down a long hall to what was to be Lucy’s room. As usual, it was huge, and already held a queen-size bed and otherwise was completely furnished.
“This could hold an entire Girl Scout troop,” Layne exclaimed, walking around the room.
“Well, Lucy’s gonna meet friends while she’s visiting, and that may possibly mean sleepovers, don’t you think? But the real reason I’m showing you is because I want your ideas on bedspread, curtain, and wall colors. Little girl things like that.”
Molly gave Layne a beseeching look. “I’ve been out of circulation for so many years, I’ve got to leave those decisions up to you, I’m afraid. I hope that’s okay?”
Layne gave a smiling nod in reply as she continued through the room, picturing a picture-perfect, storybook bedroom. Yes, she could do this, and would do it gladly.
~ ~ ~
Later that evening, back in her empty apartment, Layne sat on the couch fine-tuning her approach to Erik. Although she couldn’t see any reason why he’d refuse, until the ink was dry, so to speak, she couldn’t be sure. Lucy and Molly lived in a less than desirable neighborhood, their little house was badly in need of repairs, and although these were the landlord’s responsibility, they were not getting done. The rent was scheduled to increase in a couple months, and Molly’s Social Security income just wasn’t enough anymore. Everything in their life seemed to be spiraling downhill.
She knew Erik would drive them back to Leesville Sunday afternoon, so she’d wait until Monday evening to present her case.