Susannah's Garden (Blossom Street #3)(45)

“What’s the problem? Is he married?”

She shook her head. “No, he says he’s never been married. I think…I think he might have a criminal record.”

“Surely there’s some way you can get that information.”

“I already looked on the Internet,” Carolyn said, then blushed again. “I couldn’t find a thing.”

“Do you suppose he’s using an alias?”

“I don’t know.” She shifted as if uncomfortable.

“What makes you think he’s been in prison?” Susannah asked gently.

“Nothing, other than the fact that he’s so private and much too beautiful never to have married or had a family.”

Susannah smiled at her friend’s use of the word beautiful. She didn’t consider men in those terms, but apparently Carolyn did.

“Yesterday afternoon as he left my house, I saw him glance at me—he didn’t know I could see him. Ridiculous as it sounds, I got this happy, excited feeling because he was thinking about me. I’m not sure if that’s true, but I felt it.” She brought one hand to her mouth. “I’m too old to have these kinds of feelings.”

“As long as you’re breathing, you’re not too old. It’s wonderful that you’ve met a man who makes you feel alive.”

“That’s not all he makes me feel.” Two red spots brightened her cheeks. She sighed. “It’s not a good idea to get involved with him.”

“Why not?” Susannah protested. She knew Carolyn, and her friend didn’t give her heart away lightly. “You deserve happiness. It’s hard enough to find without erecting unnecessary roadblocks.”

Still, Carolyn looked uncertain. “I don’t know what to do.”

Susannah could understand her dilemma. “Why do anything? Just let it happen.”

After a moment, a slow smile spread across Carolyn’s face. “Maybe I will,” she whispered. “Maybe I will.”

CHAPTER 17

Sunday morning, Susannah, Chrissie and Vivian attended the second service at Colville Christian Church, where Susannah had gone from early childhood. Several people greeted Susannah and Chrissie and offered Vivian warm hugs.

During the sermon, her mother held her Bible in her lap. She appeared to be following intently, running her finger down a page in the Book of John. Pastor Nichols was preaching from the second chapter of James, but Susannah didn’t have the heart to correct her.

Chrissie fidgeted throughout the service. As soon as the organist played the closing benediction, she hurried toward the door. She was waiting impatiently by the car when Susannah and her mother got to the parking lot.

Susannah drove her mother back to Altamira, and led Vivian into the dining room for lunch. The fact that her mother was joining the other residents for meals was progress. Until Saturday, Vivian had insisted on eating in her room. Susannah wasn’t sure what had convinced her mother to reconsider but she suspected it had something to do with the fees charged to deliver meals.

Once they were back in the car, Chrissie glanced anxiously at Susannah. “You wouldn’t mind if I took the rest of the day off, would you?”

Before Susannah could say anything, her daughter added, “Troy and a bunch of his friends are going to Lake Roosevelt to ride Jet Skis. He invited me along.”

“Ah…”

“It’s Sunday. You weren’t planning on packing today, were you?”

As a matter of fact, Susannah had decided she could use a day off. Their morning had gotten off to a late start with church. Her mother would probably rest for most of the afternoon.

Susannah hoped to spend time with Vivian later to discuss some of the decisions that had to be made. Vivian’s mental capabilities were clearly diminished, but Susannah felt the need to talk everything over with her, although it usually turned out to be a token effort.

“You don’t mind, do you, Mom?” Chrissie pressed.

“I suppose that would be all right.” She didn’t bother to disguise her displeasure that Chrissie was seeing Troy Nance again.

“You don’t like Troy, do you? You don’t even know him, but you’ve already judged him.”

“Chrissie…”

“I’m almost twenty years old, for heaven’s sake! I’m going to the lake this afternoon, whether you like it or not. Troy’s picking me up in twenty minutes.”

Chrissie’s mind was already made up and Susannah wondered why her daughter had bothered to ask in the first place. The struggle between approval and independence seemed to be a difficult one for her.

Sure enough, a few minutes later Troy drove up to the house. He climbed out of his truck as Chrissie dashed out the front door and down the front steps to join him.

Susannah stood at the living room window, her mouth pursed with disapproval. She watched Troy grab Chrissie around the waist, then drag her to his side as if staking claim to her sleek, young body. Troy’s older pickup truck was scratched and dented, but the sound system seemed to be top of the line. It was loud enough to rattle the living room windows.

The couple disappeared, leaving a trail of exhaust in their wake. Her instincts told her he was trouble. Where that trouble would lead her daughter, Susannah was afraid to guess.

With Chrissie gone, the house seemed unnaturally quiet. Susannah figured she had maybe two hours during which to work or relax before returning to Altamira. She roamed around the house, looking for an unchallenging task, something that would help pass the time. She would’ve called Joe, but he and Brian had gone salmon fishing for the weekend. Joe said he felt it was important that he bond with his son, in the same way Chrissie and Susannah were doing.