Chapter 7

 

On Monday, Susan took extra pains with her appearance. Giving herself one last check in the mirror, she decided she looked competent and professional. Yes, the dark jade linen dress was perfect, as were her bone heels and off-white hose. Normally, in the heat of August, she would not wear stockings, but she was no longer sure of the proper protocol for a job like this one, so she’d opted for the safe choice. She probably should have called Zoe for advice, but it was too late now. Susan gave one last pat to her hair, then picked up her purse and headed for Scott’s bedroom.

“You ready, honey?” she said, poking her head in.

Scott was sitting on the end of his bed lacing up a sneaker. “Uh-huh.” He finished with the shoe and reached for his backpack, which contained his swimsuit and assorted belongings. “I wish I didn’t have to go to daycare.” He said the word as if it were dirty. “Why can’t I stay with Emma?”

Emma was Zoe’s eighteen-year-old daughter and she often stayed with him when Susan wanted to go out.

“You know why. Emma’s getting ready to go back to school.” Emma was a great kid. Susan loved her. She would turn nineteen in September and would be a sophomore at the University of North Texas this year. She and Zoe had picked North Texas because of its fantastic music program.

He sighed elaborately. “I could help her. She likes me to help her do things.”

“Scott, honey . . . come on. It’s all settled. You’ll have fun there.”

He scowled. “They’re all babies there.”

“They’re not all babies. Miss Molly doesn’t take care of babies. She only has school age children. I’m pretty sure Jordan Branch goes there.” Jordan was one of Scott’s classmates. "And I know Miss Molly has a basketball hoop in the backyard." She’d purposely saved this information for just such a moment.

Scott shrugged. But he didn’t protest further.

Susan decided she’d better quit while she was ahead, so she didn’t say anything else, just led the way outside.

The drive to Molly’s Before & After didn’t take long. Although in the future Susan would drop Scott under the porte-cochere, since this was his first day, she walked inside with him.

Molly Callahan, a tall blonde with kind eyes, smiled as they entered the big, open classroom. ‘‘Hi, Scott. Welcome.”

“Hi,” Scott said cautiously, although his eyes lit up when he spied a friend of his who was already there.

The boy, whom Susan recognized as Travis Webber, also a classmate of Scott’s, waved. Susan breathed an inward sigh of relief. She hadn’t known Travis would be there, but she did know Scott liked him a lot.

“You can put your things in your locker,” Molly said, indicating the row of lockers at the far end of the room. “I marked your name on it.”

Susan knew Scott would be embarrassed if she hugged him, so she just smiled and said, “’Bye, honey. See you this afternoon.”

“’Bye, Mom.”

It surprised Susan that she felt such a wrench leaving him. He was fine now, and there was certainly nothing about the center itself or Molly and her assistant to worry Susan. Still, except for school, this was the first time since Paul’s death that Susan would be leaving Scott in the care of someone other than his grandmother or Emma for any longer than a few hours, and Susan was acutely conscious of the underlying reason for it to be happening now. So even though she was excited about her job and eager to begin this new phase of her life, she couldn’t help feeling sad about why these changes were taking place.

She knew that for a long time after Paul’s death, Scott had felt abandoned. It had taken a lot of love and care on her part to make him understand that his father would never have willingly left him. Now she could only hope Scott didn’t feel she was abandoning him, too.

She tried to shake off her concerns during the ten-minute drive to the community college that was shared by two other towns within a half hour’s driving distance of Rainbow’s End. As she approached the sprawling, redbrick structure, which occupied several acres on the main highway leading south, she smiled in satisfaction. The school was lovely, she thought with pride, surrounded as it was by leafy oak trees and tall pines. Callahan Construction had built it, she remembered, as they had almost every important building in town. In fact, the company was the main reason Rainbow’s End was home to the school rather than one of the other two towns, because Patrick Callahan, Sr. had offered to build the school at cost, as long as it was located in Rainbow’s End.

The mayors of Pollero and Whitley had grumbled a bit about “high-handed tactics” but neither had been willing or able to match Keith’s father’s offer, which the mayor of Rainbow’s End had pointed out with great pleasure.

Susan parked in the side lot and entered through the closest entrance, as she’d been instructed. From there, it was a short walk, down the corridor and to the right, to reach the administrative offices.

“Good morning, Susan.”

Susan smiled at the plump brunette who stood behind a counter in the outer office area. ‘‘Good morning, Rhonda.”

“You’re sure early,” Rhonda said. The big clock mounted on the wall showed the time to be five minutes after eight. Susan wasn’t supposed to start until eight-thirty.

“You are, too,” Susan pointed out.

Rhonda shrugged. “I know. I like to get a jump start on the day.”

“Me, too.”

“Well, come on in,” Rhonda said, opening the swinging door that led to the inner sanctum. “I’ve got a bunch of stuff ready for you.”

“Is Mr. Shaver in yet?” Susan inclined her head toward the closed door of her boss’s office.

“Tom?” Rhonda grinned. “Nah, not him. He’s never here early. In fact, it’ll be a miracle if he can drag himself here by nine. He’s totally unorganized, hon. That’s why he needs us.”

Susan felt a bit overdressed when she noted that Rhonda was wearing sandals, cropped pants, and a casual top. “So casual dress is fine for us?” she asked. “I wasn’t sure.”

Rhonda nodded. “Oh, absolutely. You’ll see. Tom only wears a suit when he’s entertaining some big wig. Otherwise, we’re all about casual.”

Susan felt relieved. Since that was the case, she wouldn’t have to go out and buy a lot of clothes.

For the next ten minutes or so, Rhonda showed Susan around, gave her a set of keys and explained which doors they unlocked, and loaded her down with supplies.

Finally settled at her desk inside the dean’s suite of offices, Susan had just enough time to put her supplies away and pour herself a cup of coffee before the official eight-thirty start time.

However, just as Rhonda had predicted, Tom Shaver didn’t arrive until ten after nine. A big, genial man with a ruddy complexion and thick salt-and- pepper hair, he gave Susan a welcoming smile and a hearty ‘‘Welcome’’ before entering his private office and indicating she should follow. And just as Rhonda had said, he wore casual slacks and a blue golf shirt.

The morning was spent getting acquainted with her boss’s routine and particular needs and idiosyncrasies. He was adamant on only one score. “The name is Tom,” he said when she called him Mr. Shaver. “It’s okay to use ‘Mr. Shaver’ when students are in earshot or when you’re talking to a parent or someone like that, but here, in my office, between us, it’s Tom.”

“Okay,” Susan said, even though calling someone old enough to be her father by his first name was against her upbringing.

Susan ate lunch in the cafeteria, which was offering a limited menu during the summer. The food was fine, if nothing special.

“I told you,” Rhonda said when Susan returned to the office. “I always bring my lunch.”

“Tomorrow I will.”

The afternoon was spent calling a list of suppliers and answering some of Tom’s mountain of correspondence.

“I’ve gotten a bit behind,” he said somewhat sheepishly.

Susan smothered a smile. Some of the letters were dated as far back as six weeks earlier. Yes, she could see why he needed an assistant.

“Actually, he needs a keeper,” Rhonda said. But she smiled affectionately when she said it.

By the time four-thirty rolled around, Susan was tired, but it was a good tiredness, the kind that comes from the knowledge that you’ve done a good job and gotten a lot accomplished.

“So,” Tom said, leaning back in his chair. “Your first day is over. Think you’re going to like it here?”

Susan smiled and nodded happily. “Yes. I like it very much.”

But as Susan drove back to town on her way to pick up Scott, her happiness and satisfaction dimmed as worries about how her son had fared today took their place.

She needn’t have worried. Scott was happily working on building a complicated Lego fort with three other kids and seemed almost reluctant to go home. Once they were in the car and on their way, he talked nonstop about everything he’d done that day and how nice Miss Molly was and what they were going to do tomorrow.

“And you know what, Mom? We’re going to San Antonio to SeaWorld next week! I brought a permission slip home. It’s okay for me to go, isn’t it?” It was with a profound sense of relief and thankfulness that Susan said of course Scott could go. And for the first time in a very long time, she felt almost lighthearted as she looked forward to the future.

* * *

Keith spent most of his first week at home doing odd jobs for his mother and hanging out with his brothers. On Saturday, Glenn, who’d recently turned twenty-six, came back from his vacation and he and Keith played catch-up.

But the whole time, in the back of his mind, were thoughts of Susan and Scott. He tried not to think of them—especially Susan—but his efforts were unsuccessful. On Monday, unable to resist, he drove by their house. He had no plan, just a vague idea that if he saw Scott outside, he’d stop. After all, he had promised the kid he’d come by again.

But the house looked closed up, as if they weren’t home. Keith fought his disappointment, telling himself it was just as well. He had no business there, anyway. Even as the thought formed, he studied Susan’s neighbor’s house. If he happened to see the redhead, he could casually stop and maybe find out about Susan. "You’re being ridiculous. What are you? Sixteen?" He snorted. Now he was even talking to himself. He’d better get a grip.

Yet the following day, he drove by Susan’s house again. Still no activity. He slowed down, taking a good look. Everything looked quiet. Maybe they were away. No signs of life at the neighbor’s house, either. Well, the redhead probably worked.

Late that afternoon, on impulse, he drove by again. And just as he drew even with the house, he saw Susan and Scott getting out of her Saturn, which was parked in the open garage. Before he could change his mind, he pulled into the driveway.

Scott’s face lit up when he saw Keith’s truck. He said something to his mother, and Susan turned around. Her smile was slower in coming.

Keith climbed out of his truck.

“Keith!” Scott called, running toward him. “Hi.”

“Hi, Scott.”

“Didya come to play basketball with me?”

By now Susan had walked toward them. She was all dressed up, Keith noticed, in a dark blue dress with pearls and high heeled sandals. She looked beautiful, but a lot less approachable than that first day at Kroger when she wore shorts and a tank top or the day he’d put up the basketball hoop. He wondered where she’d been.

“Hello, Keith,” she said.

“Hi. I was just passing by and, uh, saw you, so—”

“He came to play basketball with me,” Scott interjected eagerly. “Didn’t you?”

“Yeah, I thought, if you weren’t doing anything, we might shoot a few.”

“Can I, Mom? Can I?”

After a brief hesitation, she smiled down at Scott. “All right. You may play while I get supper ready.”

Scott grinned. “Thanks, Mom! C’mon, Keith. Let’s go.”

Susan gave Keith another smile, then walked through the gate and disappeared from sight, although Keith could hear her unlocking the back door. He wished he had some reason to keep her outside, but he couldn’t think of a thing. “Ready?” he said to Scott, who had dashed into the garage and emerged with the basketball.

For the next thirty minutes or so, they played a spirited game of one-on-one. Keith let Scott score a few points without being too obvious about it, and was rewarded with Scott’s beaming smile.

“Let’s take a break,” Keith suggested when the heat finally began to get to them.

“Yeah,” Scott said, panting. “I’m thirsty. Let’s go get some water.” He opened the gate, beckoning for Keith to follow.

Keith hesitated. As much as he wanted an excuse to see Susan again, he didn’t feel right about barging into her house, even if Scott had invited him. But Scott had already gone into the back door, shouting, “Mom, we need something to drink!”

Still Keith hesitated. A few seconds later, Scott poked his head out. “Hey, aren’t you comin’, Keith? Mom has iced tea.”

Keith started to say he’d drink his outside, but then he thought maybe he was making too big a deal out of this. There was no harm in going in for a glass of tea. Still, he wished Susan had been the one to invite him. He moved toward the door when she suddenly appeared in the doorway. There was a tall glass of iced tea in her hands.

“Why don’t you come in where it’s cooler?” she said.

Keith smiled in relief. “Okay.”

When he walked into the kitchen he saw that she was broiling chicken and that the table was already set for their dinner. She’d also changed her clothes and now wore a pair of denim shorts and a white T- shirt and flip flops. He liked her better this way. Leaning against the kitchen counter, he drank his tea. He watched as Susan opened the refrigerator and removed store containers of potato salad and coleslaw.

“Now that I’m working, it’s easier to buy some things ready-made,” she said with an apologetic tone.

He blinked. “Working?”

She nodded. “Yes. I started yesterday.”

Keith didn’t know why he was so surprised. Most women worked nowadays. But he’d thought Susan was a stay-at-home mom. In fact, he was sure she was. Then it struck him. She’d had to go to work. Now that Paul was dead, she was the breadwinner. “Where are you working?”

She smiled. “For Tom Shaver, over at the community college. I’m his assistant.” This last was said proudly. “Do you know Tom?”

“I don’t know him personally, but I know who he is.”

“I’m going to Miss Molly’s while Mom’s at work,” Scott piped up. "And we’re goin’ to SeaWorld next week."

“Miss Molly’s? You mean Molly Callahan’s daycare center?”

“Yes,” Susan said. “It’s a great place. Um, Paul told me she’s married to your cousin?”

"Yeah, my cousin, Jim." The center was a great place. Keith had stopped by there the other day, as a matter of fact, and been impressed with what Molly had done with the facility. “Do you like your job?”

“So far I love it. It’s going to take a while to get used to working, of course. I’m not very organized yet, but things will get better.”

Keith nodded slowly. She didn’t seem to mind that she’d had to go to work. And Scott didn’t seem to mind, either. But it bothered Keith that Susan probably hadn’t had a choice. In a way, he was puzzled, too, because the Sheridan family certainly wasn’t hurting for money.

He finished his tea, and even though he’d have liked to stay longer, he knew it was time to go. “Guess I’ll shove off. Thanks for the tea.”

“Scott, say goodbye to Keith, then go wash your hands,” Susan said.

‘‘Okay. And Mom? After we eat, can I go over to Ryan’s house?”

Susan sighed. “Scott...”

“Please?” He gave her a suddenly sly grin, adding, "May I please go?"

Keith saw how she was trying not to smile.

“You’ve been spending an awful lot of time over there,  honey," she said. "Maybe Mrs. DeAngelo is tired of—”

“She’s not tired of having me.” Scott turned to Keith. “My friend Ryan, his dad built him a tree house. Boy, you should see it. It’s so neat.”

“Why don’t you ask Ryan if he wants to come over here tonight instead? You can shoot baskets.”

Scott’s face fell. “Aw, Mom. We like to play in the tree house. We have a club.”

Keith smothered a smile. He remembered when he and Paul had had a “club,” too. “So what’s your friend’s tree house like?”

Scott eagerly began describing the structure, ending with, “And his dad built a ladder to go with it, and everything.” With his sneaker, he made circles on the floor. “I’ll bet if my dad hadn’t’ve died, he’d’ve built me a tree house, too.”

Keith glanced at Susan. She looked stricken. ‘‘You know what?” he said impulsively. “I could build you one. In fact, you could help me.”

Susan looked at Keith. She started to say something, then stopped. Her gaze moved to Scott, whose blue eyes were shining.

“I could? You would?” he squealed. “Mom? Isn’t that great?”

“Yes,” she said faintly. “That’s great.”

“When can we start?” Scott said.

“Well,” Keith said, “I’ll have to get the materials. I can do that tomorrow.”

“We’ll pay for the materials,” Susan said quickly.

“You don’t have to do that. This was my idea.”

“I insist. In fact, it’s the only way I’m going to let you do this.”

Keith could see from the expression on her face that she meant what she said. “Okay,” he said with a sigh. “You can pay for the materials.”

“So can we start tomorrow night when I get home?” Scott said.

Keith smiled. “Sure.” He looked at Susan. “What time?”

“We should be here by five-thirty,” she said.

“I’ll see you then.”

After Keith left, Susan wondered what she could have done to prevent this development. Nothing, she guessed. Once Keith made the offer to build the tree house, she’d been trapped, because there was no way she was going to be responsible for extinguishing the happiness in her son’s eyes.

But it was going to be tough having Keith around every night. Still, he and Scott would be working outside, and she could stay indoors. That was it, she decided. She would greet Keith when he arrived, then make herself scarce. She hardly had to see him at all. And before she knew it, the tree house would be finished and Keith would be going back to Alaska.

There’s not a thing to worry about, she told herself firmly.

* * *

“Hey, Susan, how’s the job going?”

Susan looked up from weeding the front flower bed to see Zoe walking over from next door. “I love it." She got up and stretched. Man, she was out of shape. Her back was killing her, and she’d only been weeding since she and Scott had finished their dinner. “What’re you doing home so early?” Recently promoted from a position as a buyer to the position of merchandising manager at Palmer’s, San Antonio’s largest and most successful department store, Zoe had been staying until close to closing almost every night.

“I had a horrendous day Saturday and another one yesterday, so I decided to take a personal day to see Emma off to school. I left Brad in charge.” Brad was Zoe’s admin.

How did Zoe always manage to look so good? Susan wondered, not for the first time. She knew Zoe was thirty-nine, but in Susan’s opinion she could pass for ten years younger. With her wildly curly red hair and gorgeous dark chocolate eyes and a figure to kill for, Zoe turned heads wherever she went. Tonight she wore denim shorts and a red print halter top. Her beautifully pedicured feet were bare.

"Why did Emma leave so early? I thought she wasn’t going back until next week." 

"She was excited about living in an apartment this year and really wanted to get up there and get settled in ahead of time."

Susan studied Zoe for a few seconds. "How are you doing?"

Zoe shrugged. "Oh, you know, I’ll be missing her, but I’m happy for her."

"So what time did she leave?" Susan wished she’d had a chance to say goodbye, but Emma would be back for the holidays.

"Around noon, and that little Miata was crammed full. She couldn’t even put the top up." Zoe had bought a bright blue, used Miata convertible for Emma when she’d graduated from high school. "I just prayed she wouldn’t lose any of it on the way."

Susan laughed. "Have you heard from her yet?"

"Yeah, she called when she got there. Safe and sound, thank goodness." Zoe cocked her head. "But enough about me and mine. Let’s talk about you and yours. So you think you’re going to like it at the college, then?"

“I know I will. Tom Shaver’s so nice, and the work is really interesting. Makes me want to get my degree...finally.”

"You should." Zoe grimaced. "Took me forever to get mine, but it’s worth it." Then she brightened. “I haven’t had a chance to tell you, but I’ve been asked if I’d like to teach a merchandising course at Tri-City.”

“Really? Gee, Zoe, that’d be great. The kids would love you. And you have practical experience to share.”

Zoe nodded. “I know. I’m trying to decide whether I can fit it in. I’d only have to be there one night a week, but my schedule’s jammed as it is."

Susan took off her gardening gloves, thinking she should invite Zoe inside where it was cooler. “It’s hard, isn’t it? To do everything?”

“Unfortunately, yes. But as I said before, I didn’t come over to talk about me. I just wanted to tell you I met the sexy hunk spending so much time here.”

Susan knew her face had probably turned a telltale pink, because even the mention of Keith’s presence had that effect on her. “So you know...he’s, um, Sheila Callahan’s brother,” she said as casually as she could manage.

"Yes, we introduced ourselves and I told him I knew Sheila."

Susan was dying to know what else they’d talked about, but there was no way she was going to ask.

“So I guess he’s moved back here from Alaska," Zoe said.

“Um, I don’t think he’s moved back here. He’s just visiting.”

“Oh, really? It’s been what, a couple of weeks now, right?”

“I, um, I’m not sure.” Oh, God. She sounded like such an idiot. Why couldn’t she talk about Keith like a normal person? Why did she have to sound like a stupid kid with a crush?

Zoe looked at her closely. “I do believe you’re blushing, Susan.”

“I am not.” But Susan knew she was. What was wrong with her?

Zoe laughed. “Hey, it’s okay. In fact, it’s more than okay. It’s normal. He’s a good-looking guy. And you’re free.”

“Zoe, it hasn’t even been a year since Paul—” Susan broke off.

“I know that, hon, but Paul wouldn’t want you to sit around moping and crying. He’d want you to be happy.”

“I am happy. I have a new job and I have Scott and I have friends. Like you.”

“You’re young. You should marry again. Have more children.”

“Zoe . . . ”

“What? I’m just saying.”

“You didn’t marry again.”

“I didn’t marry, period.”

Susan’s mouth fell open. She hadn’t known that. Truth was, she didn’t know that much about Zoe. When they were together, they mostly talked about her. Or Emma. Not Zoe.

“Yeah,” Zoe said, “I got knocked up. I was only nineteen. The guy wasn’t interested in being a father, so I never even told him I was pregnant. I just moved down here to Texas and stayed with my great-aunt in Dripping Springs until I got on my feet, and then, with her help, I moved here to Rainbow’s End. Except for her, I’ve been on my own the entire time.”

“And he never knew about Emma?”

Zoe shook her head.

Just like me, Susan thought. We’re more alike than I ever knew.

“Does...she ever ask about him?”

“She used to. All the time. She hasn’t lately.” Zoe made a face. “She’s given up, I guess.”

“Do you want to talk about him?”

“No.”

“Okay. We won’t.”

After that, they moved into the house, talked about inconsequential things, and when Susan said it was Scott’s bedtime, Zoe said she really needed to go, and they said goodbye.

But the discussion of Emma’s father stayed with Susan all night, which led to thoughts of Keith. And they carried over to the following day, when more thoughts of Keith kept intruding and distracting her. By the time she picked up Scott at day care and they were on their way home, Susan knew she’d been lying to herself yesterday. There was plenty to worry about with Keith. She was far too attracted to him, and every time she saw him, she was reminded of the one thing she knew it was dangerous to dwell on: Scott’s parentage. She knew it was silly, but she couldn’t get rid of the notion that Keith might somehow guess her thoughts. Thank goodness Zoe was wrong. She had to be wrong. Keith was going back to Alaska. Because if he didn’t....

That evening, he was waiting for them when they arrived at the house. He waved as they passed his truck, which was parked in front, then backed into the driveway after them. The bed of the truck was filled with lumber and other materials.

“Hi,” he said.

That smile of his had been her undoing once. Susan steeled herself as she walked toward him and tried to ignore the fluttering in her stomach. “Hi.”

“Well, Scott, you ready?” Keith said.

“Yeah!”

“Before you start helping Keith, you need to change your clothes,” Susan said. Once Scott was out of earshot, she looked at Keith. “This is awfully nice of you.”

“It’s my pleasure.”

“I hate that you’re tying up every afternoon, though.”

“I don’t mind a bit. It’ll be fun.”

“Yes, but you must have other things you want to do. After all, you only have a short time before you’ll have to go back to Alaska.”

“Yeah, well...”

Just the way he said the words caused alarm bells to go off in Susan’s mind.

“Thing is, I’ve been thinking…maybe I won’t go back.”

“Oh?” she said weakly.

“Yeah, my dad really wants me to stay and work for the company, and...” He shrugged, his intense blue gaze meeting hers. “I don’t know. I guess I didn’t realize it, but I’ve really missed Rainbow’s End.”

Susan’s heart was beating too fast. Dear God, she thought. This can’t be happening. Keith can’t really be planning to stay in Rainbow’s End. Fear rendered her nearly speechless, and yet she knew she had to say something. “I-I thought you loved your work in Alaska.”

“I do, but you know how it is. You get older. You start to think about what’s important and what isn’t.”

She nodded. Swallowed. Darn you, Zoe, why did you have to be right?

“Truth is, I’ve missed my family.”

Family. Dear Heaven. Scott. Laverne. And Scott’s memories of Paul. All jeopardized now. “S-scott will be thrilled.” She could have kicked herself for stammering. The last thing she wanted was for Keith to know how his news had thrown her. She was saved from having to say anything else by Scott’s exuberant reappearance.

Promising to bring them something cold to drink, she made her escape. Once she reached the safety of the house, she covered her too-hot face with hands that trembled.

What was she going to do?

How was she going to keep Keith away, now that he and Scott had developed this bond? What excuse could she give that Scott would accept?

There was none.

Face it, she thought. Somehow you’re going to have to let Keith remain in Scott’s life without letting him disrupt your life. And, more importantly, without letting him know how you feel about him.