Spring Fever Read online

  “What? What time is it?”

  “Seven-thirty. I have no idea. Looks like Barney’s coming to visit too.”

  “Great. Could you let them in…make coffee? I’ll be with you in a moment.”

  “Don’t worry. It will be fine.”

  Rebecca made a face at herself in the mirror and picked up her robe. If David had decided on being passive-aggressive this morning by arriving this early, he couldn’t blame her for not being dressed yet. She picked up a brush from the dresser, willing to make herself look a little less like she’d just gotten out of bed.

  “Hey. You’re early, but that’s fine. There’ll be coffee in a bit.” They had also stocked up on the girls’ favorite food. Callie used that cue to excuse herself.

  Rebecca’s heart sank as she took in the expressions of the other occupants of the room, ranging from a tired Dina to the stormy look on David’s face. Maggie, biting her lip, looked like she barely held back tears. “What’s going on?” Rebecca kneeled in front of her, attempting to hug her, but Maggie resisted. Startled, she got to her feet. “Would anybody care to tell me?”

  Dina sighed, obviously anticipating where this conversation would go.

  “It’s not like you don’t know,” David said with unveiled anger, “but from the looks of it, you don’t care much. Why didn’t you tell me Maggie’s nightmares were this bad? She can’t sleep through a single damn night!”

  Sure, find someone to blame. “I didn’t keep anything from you. I swear she was getting better! Maggie, honey—” Maggie stared at the floor, as if pretending this exchange didn’t take place. “Let’s sit down for a moment and talk about this,” Rebecca suggested, keeping her tone calm for Maggie’s sake. “What happened?”

  “How the hell would I know, when you never tell me anything? You were supposed to call after each appointment with the counselor.”

  “She had nothing new to tell us when we saw her the last time. She—” Then, it hit Rebecca. How could they have missed it? Her throat tightened as she thought about Maggie, triggered into the memory of the last time she’d been in a hotel room. With Craig, on the run. “Oh, Maggie. Did the hotel remind you of where you were with Uncle Craig?”

  Maggie shook her head.

  “Yeah, right. Like none of this could possibly be your responsibility,” David scoffed. “Do you even have time for her when she’s here?”

  The accusation stung, but for the sake of both her daughters, Rebecca didn’t want to take the dispute any further. “Let’s sit down. Please.”

  “No! You’re just going to yell again!” The vehemence of Maggie’s words startled her, and she could only stare as Maggie ran for her room and slammed the door. It was the first time Rebecca had ever seen her do that. Maggie was quiet, sometimes a little too quiet for her liking. In the past, she had gotten in a few fights over bathroom time with Dina, but that was all.

  “I’ll check if the coffee’s done,” Dina announced, the distress in her own voice audible.

  Callie stood in the doorway. “I can go look after her…if you need to talk,” she said quietly.

  “Sure you can.” She flinched at the sarcasm in David’s tone but left the room without any response, closing the door behind her.

  “What does that mean?”

  Rebecca felt torn between the need for answers and wanting to go after Maggie.

  “You shouldn’t be so quick to blame all of this on Craig. Someone told Maggie we would give her to foster parents,” David informed her.

  “What? Oh, my God, and you’re telling me this only now? Why didn’t you call?” No wonder Maggie had turned away from her. “You told her it’s not true!”

  “Of course I did.”

  “Craig has spent months figuring out a way to get back at me. Who else could have—?”

  David cast a contemplative gaze toward the closed door.

  “No.”

  “—because Callie can do no wrong, right? Didn’t she once say that she never wanted children? Maybe she got tired of living with one under the roof.”

  “I can’t believe you! Do you even know what you’re saying? Callie’s spent more time with her in the last six months than you did in the last year we were married!”

  “I can’t argue with that, I guess. It doesn’t mean it’s a good thing. I know what Craig did is not helping, but can’t you see how confused Maggie is right now? Why do I even ask?” He shook his head.

  “Excuse me?”

  “I forgot, this is all about you and your new-found freedom. It’s exactly like they say.”

  “Who says that?” Rebecca demanded, her mind still reeling with all the questions.

  “Doesn’t matter.”

  “I think I have the right to know if someone’s telling lies about—” In the corner of the room, right next to a potted plant, Barney lifted one of his hind legs.

  Rebecca wanted to go hide in her bedroom too.

  * * * *

  Callie wasn’t surprised to find Maggie had locked her room, but she found an easy way to circumvent the barrier. In the backyard, she pushed the window open a little wider and climbed inside. Thank God Maggie’s room was on the ground floor. Little girls deserved their privacy, but they couldn’t help her as long they were in the dark about the reason for her nightmares. Callie assumed Maggie was a little overwhelmed in the presence of her parents now.

  The girl sprawled on the bed. “Go away!” She sniffled.

  “I will, in a minute, okay? I’m sure you had a good time with Dina and your Dad otherwise, but those nightmares really suck. I know. I had some myself.” The content was different, but that was of little relevance at the moment.

  Maggie wasn’t interested.

  “Did you talk about what you want to do while Dina is here?”

  “She wants to text her boyfriend all the time. Dad says he’s not going to pay for her plane ticket anymore if we go.” Maggie’s pillow muffled her voice.

  “I’m sure we can find something fun to do,” Callie said, for the moment ignoring the travel finances situation. “Would you like a picnic by the lake? Wait, that’s silly of me. Did you even have breakfast?”

  “We had pancakes on the way.” She turned around to look at Callie. “You want to go to the lake?”

  Callie couldn’t make sense of why this question would make the girl’s eyes brim with unshed tears. “That would be nice, don’t you think? I also have a little surprise for you.” Frankly, she had completely forgotten about Beth and the still impending call for a moment. “I wrote a little story while you were away. Maybe you’d like to read it later.”

  Maggie’s eyes lit up, but just as quickly, worry replaced the elation in her gaze. “I can stay with you and Mom?”

  “Why wouldn’t you?”

  “Dad said so too, but I don’t know.” Confused, Callie sat down next to her on the bed and laid an arm around the girl’s shoulders.

  Maggie continued. “Lesbian moms shouldn’t have children, because they don’t want them—”

  “Whoa. Who said—”

  “—then they go to an orph…phan…orphanage, or if they’re lucky, to a nice foster family. I don’t want to go away!”

  “Hey. Stop. You don’t have to. Ever. I promise.” Callie held the sobbing girl in her arms, tearing up herself. Maggie had a vivid imagination, no doubt about it, but those hateful ideas didn’t come from the mind of an eight-year-old. Someone had put them there, and the moment they found out who that person was, there would be hell to pay.

  From Callie, from Rebecca, possibly from David too.

  “Can you tell me who said that to you?” Maggie shook her head without looking up. Callie didn’t want to push her too hard, and she didn’t want to make decisions without Rebecca. “I know this is really hard for you. I want to give you a little time to think about it, but I also want you to know that whoever said this, lied to you. I don’t blame you for being scared. I would have been too, but we love you very much. We want you to be here with us.
Some people lie, because they are scared and unhappy with their lives, and they don’t care how much they hurt others.” Stop it right there, she told herself. This is not making her look forward to growing up. “Remember Dana, the girl from the book? Her moms loved her. There’s no talk about a foster family.”

  “It’s a book.”

  “That is true, but you don’t have to worry about anything in reality either.”

  “I hate it when Mom and Dad yell.”

  “I understand, but they’re worried about you. Maybe…we could unlock the door so you could say good-bye to your dad?”

  Maggie considered the idea. “Do you still want to go to the lake?”

  “Of course. Barney will like it there too, don’t you think?” The reason David had brought the dog was another, less urgent mystery to solve. “Maggie, your mom and dad will probably ask you who said these things to you.”

  “I promised not to tell,” Maggie whispered, her eyes downcast.

  “I know, but remember, that person lied to you. They can’t ask you to promise anything. Did your uncle—”

  “No. Leave me alone!”

  “That’s okay. I will. Are you going to come out in a bit?” Maggie’s answer was to throw herself back on the bed and turn her back to Callie.

  When Maggie didn’t answer, Callie squeezed the girl’s shoulder gently and then got up to check on the situation in the other room. Rebecca was onto something when she suspected her former brother-in-law was responsible for Maggie’s current misery. She wouldn’t be surprised. David would not be happy to learn the new development.

  Both David and Rebecca jumped to their feet when she came into the room. “I think you should give her some time now. Someone put that idea in her head—”

  “We know,” David said. “She isn’t saying who it was. What the hell are we paying that counselor for anyway?” That was directed at Rebecca.

  “She can’t find answers if she doesn’t know what to look for,” Callie answered for her. “Now we know. It will be easier—”

  “All of a sudden, you’re not only a parenting expert but also a psychologist? Wow, what would we do without you?”

  “David, that’s enough! I—I can’t believe anyone would do this. Other than your brother, of course, since he doesn’t care about anyone but himself.” Rebecca had her mind made up.

  As much as Callie disliked Craig Lowman, she wasn’t sure they should settle on him already. After all, Maggie hadn’t given a name.

  “We have to be careful. Let her calm down for a bit.”

  David shook his head in a dismissive gesture. “I’d like to say good-bye to my daughter—if that’s okay with you, Callie. Thank you.” He didn’t wait for an answer but headed for Maggie’s room.

  “Talk about a rude awakening. I have no idea what’s gotten into him lately, and Maggie—” With a sigh, Rebecca sank onto the edge of the couch. “I so hoped she’d enjoy the trip. Now, she won’t even look at me.”

  “She’s scared. I can’t blame David for freaking out. Frankly, I’m not sure if Craig is that imaginative.”

  “He isn’t,” Rebecca scoffed. “If it wasn’t him, where would she pick up these things? I mean, I know the places Maggie goes to—school, her book club, and the counselor. None of the kids would make up anything like that!”

  Like Rebecca, Callie was certain none of Maggie’s peers were the culprits. There were a number of possible suspects. Tim Beckett’s parents still hadn’t acknowledged that their son was a rapist. Neither of them had spoken to Callie or Rebecca since the conviction; however, like with Father Reynolds, there was hardly an opportunity for any of them to approach Maggie without any of the adults in her life noticing.

  Callie’s mind wandered to the other person who had thrown homophobic insults at her. She didn’t want to remind Rebecca, not at the moment. Betty had apologized. Yet, she seemed like the only one who could have gotten Maggie alone for a moment, and it would make sense that Maggie didn’t want to tell on Rebecca’s oldest friend. If she kept this up, she’d become paranoid.

  “I don’t think any kids would come up with these things, unless their parents told them. I wouldn’t put it past Father Reynolds, but we’re always with her in church—”

  She broke off as David returned with Maggie. “I have to get to work,” he said. “I’ll call you later.”

  “Okay. Thank you.”

  Callie observed the girl, glad that all adults in the room had lowered their voices. Maggie seemed relieved too. She walked to Rebecca, her hesitation obviously stemming from shame over her earlier behavior, and let herself be embraced. After a quick good-bye to Dina, David went on his way.

  Callie left mother and daughter to themselves. She found Dina in the kitchen, cradling a mug that held more milk than coffee.

  “Drama central,” Dina said. “At least this time, it’s not all about me. Seriously, telling a little girl these things? I want to punch them in the face!”

  Not wanting to condone violence, Callie kept to herself how much she shared the sentiment. They had done the best they could to provide a safe environment for Maggie after her kidnapping. She’d know who to believe, and she’d recover from her fears, but someone was to blame. They had to find that person, and soon. It had taken Callie a long time to find out how mean Nicole truly was. She wanted to spare Maggie the pain and confusion that came with having to understand someone only pretended to care.

  “I know. We will figure it out. What about you? How is Tomaso?”

  Dina had met her boyfriend, an exchange student, at the beginning of the year in New York, but he was now back at home in Italy.

  Pleased that someone was interested in her life, Dina began to tell her.

  * * * *

  There was finally a moment to breathe. Maggie, though still pale, had found her smile again. She cradled Barney on her lap. Fortunately, he had not had another accident. Dina showed pictures Tomaso had sent her to Rebecca and Callie, intent on wooing the adults around her to allow her a trip to reunite with him, in the beauty of Tuscany. The following year, she wanted to go on an exchange herself.

  Rebecca had to admit that she was easily seduced by the idea of spending a couple of weeks there, but she and Callie had to take finances into consideration.

  For the moment, she’d settle for a strong coffee and a trip to the lake, as Callie had promised to Maggie. Hopefully, they’d get to the root of the problem.

  She’d finished the paperwork for her planned prison visit the day before. If Craig didn’t agree to see her, she’d have her answers. If he did, Rebecca still had many questions for him. Everything had happened so fast, and even though she’d been to his trial, she hadn’t fully understood what drove him to kidnap Maggie or why he blamed Rebecca for his wife’s death in the first place.

  “My aunt Valerie loved Italy too,” Callie said. “She often spent months there at a time. I’m not sure how she could afford it.”

  “I could find another contract before the summer holidays.” Rebecca thought ruefully that the website and all-inclusive service for Amber Cole would not pay her way to Italy, not even with the addition of Roz’s payments. She was hesitant to touch any money from the house sale, much less for a vacation. There were college costs in the future to consider, sooner in Dina’s case, later in Maggie’s.

  “Dad said I can help out in the office for a few hours once we figured out who’s going to walk Barney.” She looked guilty all of a sudden. Maggie cast her sister an uncertain glance.

  “Anyway…I’ll be able to pay for my own ticket.”

  “How’s Susan?” Rebecca asked in order to be polite.

  The girls exchanged another meaningful look.

  “She’s fine,” Dina said. “Just very busy with…things. So, how about Italy? It’s a done deal?”

  “We have some calculation to do, and of course, Dad has to be okay with it. We’ll see.”

  Dina gave a dramatic sigh. Maggie was more relaxed now that she was off the ho
ok for the moment. How long they could let her be, Rebecca wasn’t sure. She wanted that person held accountable for all those nights Maggie had clung to her, crying hysterically.

  Would Craig really go this far? Would Father Reynolds?

  There was no way to find out other than ask some hard questions.

  * * * *

  At the end of the week, there was no notable progress on either front—Beth Murphy or the person who had told those terrible lies to Maggie. On the bright side, they had a few quiet days—not enough to let their guard down though. Those nightmares could always return.

  Rebecca could only guess at some of the things that might go through Maggie’s head. Her inability to make it all right pained her. She had taught her children not to talk to strangers, but Maggie had seen nothing wrong with her uncle picking her up after her book club. Neither had Jenny, the other mom who was the designated driver that night.

  Maggie had experienced that seemingly good people did bad things. Did she really believe Callie and Rebecca when they told her they loved her and wanted her to be with them?

  She’d ask around at brunch, for once, and use the Autumn Leaves grapevine for her own benefit. If anyone was going around sprouting stories like this, someone had to have heard about it, and there was a good chance that one of her friends knew something. Of course, this information wasn’t always a hundred percent correct—Betty had once thought Callie was a Hollywood actress—but it was a place to start.

  It troubled her that Maggie still felt obliged to stick to her promise. Did that mean the person was someone they knew? Rebecca was thinking about her own daughter first, but as long as that someone felt safe, they would probably harass other families. Mean-spirited people always went as far as they possibly could.

  Dina went shopping with Maggie. Meanwhile, Callie prepared the table for seven, casting a regretful look at the silent phone.

  “She might not call you back. You tried.”

  “Yeah.” Callie sighed. “She might have appreciated it more if I hadn’t waited for almost twenty years, but you know…I was so ashamed of myself, I didn’t tell anyone before Nicole. I guess I have to accept I messed this one up.”