Protecting Her(73)

“No.” Jack gives Pearce another one of those telling looks. I don’t know what it means. “We plan to be there for years. At least until I retire.”

“I see,” Pearce says. “Well, that’s too bad.”

Pearce sounds sad when he says it. This is a big loss for him. He considers Jack to be like a second father. In fact, he spends more time with Jack than Holton. Pearce and Jack have lunch, go golfing, go out for drinks. And Martha is like a mother to me. We see each other all the time. I’m really going to miss her.

“Is it time to eat?” Garret runs down the stairs.

“Not yet,” I tell him.

“Come see your Aunt Martha.” She holds her arms out to him and he climbs on her lap. She hugs him. “I’m going to miss you.”

“Why? Where are you going?”

“Your Uncle Jack and I are moving. We won’t get to see you as much.”

Garret frowns. “Do you have to move?”

“Yes. But we’ll try to visit you. Or you can come visit us.”

He hugs her. “I don’t want you to move.”

“I know, honey.”

This is too sad. I need to lighten the mood. “Garret, can you help me set the table? We need to eat because it’s almost time for trick-or-treat.”

“Okay.” He climbs off Martha’s lap and we go in the kitchen.

I give Garret simple chores to do around the house, and setting the table is one of them. He doesn’t mind doing it. In fact, he likes having little jobs to do. It makes him feel like he’s contributing.

After dinner, Jack and Martha leave and Pearce takes Garret trick-or-treating. They stay out for an hour and then we have our movie night. As Garret watches his cartoon and goes through his candy, Pearce and I sit on the couch and talk about Jack and Martha leaving. We’re both sad about it. It won’t be the same without them here.





On Saturday night, we drive to Royce’s house for the party he’s hosting. Garret came with us. Victoria hired nannies to watch the children during the party. Royce and Victoria live in a huge mansion and she designated one of the rooms in the house as a playroom for the children. There will be games and movies playing to keep them occupied.

I’m actually the one who suggested we bring children to these parties. A few years ago, I was talking to some of the other mothers and they were saying how difficult it is to find a sitter that will stay late into the evening. Not everyone has a live-in nanny. Some just have nannies that work during the day. And Pearce and I don’t have a nanny at all and never have.

Victoria would never listen to one of my suggestions, but when one of the other mothers mentioned the idea to her, she agreed to try it. She had a dinner party and hired three nannies to watch all the children. It worked out so well that the practice has continued, not just with Victoria, but with the other moms too. So now, when Pearce and I go to parties, we’re usually able to take Garret with us, which is good because we don’t like leaving him with a sitter. I feel much better having him just down the hall.

“How long do we have to stay here?” Garret asks as Pearce drives down the long entrance road to the house.

“A few hours,” Pearce answers. “And you need to stay in the playroom. Don’t come out to the party.” He says it in a harsh, almost angry tone.

“Pearce.” I give him a look, questioning why he’s being so strict with Garret. He’s never had a problem before with Garret joining us at the party. He never stays long. He usually only leaves the playroom if he wants to tell us something or ask us a question. Or sometimes he’ll come out to see his grandparents or Jack and Martha.

“Royce doesn’t want children there,” Pearce says quietly.

“Then he shouldn’t have invited them,” I say quietly back.

“That was Victoria’s doing,” he says, seeming annoyed.

“I thought you wanted—”

“Ma’am?” I turn and see my door is now open and a man wearing a black suit and white gloves has his hand extended to me.

I take his hand and get out of the car. There are at least ten valets here, waiting to park cars. It’s all too much. The amount of money spent on these parties almost makes me ill. That money would be better spent on so many other things. Homeless shelters. Women’s shelters. Children’s charities.

Garret comes around the car and I hold his hand and walk to the door, with Pearce right behind us. Several maids are waiting inside to take our coats.