Page 60 of The Night the Lights Went Out
“And don’t worry about feeding Lily. I took the liberty of packing a nice dinner for her, too—grilled chicken with roasted tomatoes and whole wheat pasta. Lots of protein and good carbs for practice! I hope you don’t mind.”
“Mind? Not only are you offering to save me from the torture of driving through rush-hour traffic, but you’re also planning on feeding my child a much more nutritious dinner than I could have put together. You’re really too kind, and I have no way to repay you.”
Heather laughed her little tinkling laugh again. “Merilee, we’re friends. And there’s no keeping score in friendship. I know how hard you work, and how unsettled you must be with the divorce and trying to figure everything out. I’m excited that I have the means to help you; that’s the biggest thanks I could ever get—knowing I’ve helped a friend. So don’t say anything more about it—just say yes. I’ve already texted Claire, so she knows, and she’ll bring Lily home after tennis. Sound good?”
“Sounds wonderful.”
“Great. So I’ll see you at the next committee meeting—tomorrow at Cups, right after drop-off.”
“I’ll be there. Thanks again.”
She was about to hang up when Heather spoke. “Oh, one more thing. Your boss called me to let me know about the diamond tennis bracelet he’s donating for the auction. Good job, Merilee! And I was thinking—to thank you for all your hard work and to give you the break I know you need, I thought I’d let you use our house on Tybee for the Columbus Day weekend. You can have four days of R & R all to yourself. How does that sound?”
Merilee could hardly breathe for a moment.
Heather continued. “If you don’t feel like you can accept, I could say that I’m going down for a needed break, and I don’t want to be lonely so you should come with me. Would that make it easier for you to say yes?”
“I... wow. Can you let me think about it? I need to check with Michael and the kids first, and I’ll let you know. Does that sound all right?”
“Of course. See you tomorrow.”
When Merilee returned to her seat, practice had just ended, and Jackie and Lindi were gone, leaving her without the chance to explain to Jackie that it hadn’t been Daniel Blackford calling her. As she stood waiting for Lily to gather her things, her mind was drawn back to her conversation with Heather, and a niggling thought about something Heather had said.
She frowned, trying to think of what it was. It wasn’t until much later when she was lying in bed tossing and turning and trying to find sleep in a bed made for two people that she remembered what it was. It had been Heather’s laugh. And how it had reminded her of something from a long time ago. Something that she thought she’d forgotten. And wished that she had.
Twenty-one
SUGAR
Sugar stood on Merilee’s front porch with her arms akimbo, frowning at Wade. He was pointing at two ancient metal hooks on the porch’s ceiling, and he was trying to tell her that a swing had once hung there, and how the porch really needed one and he would be happy to make one.
She stared up at the hooks, vaguely remembering a swing but not remembering when it had gone away. Ever since she’d told Merilee about the night of the full moon and Jimmy’s death, her memories had become fuzzier, a kindly survival mechanism, she supposed.
She only wished it had kicked in before she’d opened her mouth. It had felt good to finally tell someone. Only Willa Faye knew the whole story, but she’d known Curtis and knew where the blame lay. But in telling Merilee, it had been like a forgiveness of sorts. Because Merilee had listened and not blamed or accused or sympathized. Instead she’d squeezed Sugar’s hand and told her she was the bravest and strongest woman she’d ever known.
Sugar had always wanted to be brave and strong but had convinced herself that she was a survivor not because she was either, but because she didn’t have a choice. To have Merilee say it made Sugar believe maybe it was true. And it made her feel beholden to another human being, something she was pretty sure she’d never been in her entire life and didn’t particularly like.
Wade was still speaking. “The direction the house faces would make this a perfect spot to sit in the afternoons and catch a cooling breeze. I’m just sorry I never noticed those hooks before.”
She blinked a few times, seeing Tom sitting in the swing in his uniform, his duffel bag by the steps, his hand reaching for her. She forced her gaze to Wade’s face. “I don’t care what you do. If it makes you happy, then go whole hog. Just don’t expect me to sit in it. I get vertigo. A rocking chair is about all I can handle at my age.”
Wade tried to hide a smile. “I understand. But I thought Merilee and the kids might enjoy it.”
Merilee, who kept avoiding looking at Wade and whose face flushed every time her eyes accidentally settled on him, nodded in agreement. “It would be nice. It would give me the excuse to get the kids away from the TV, and since the Wi-Fi doesn’t reach out here, it would be a win-win.”
“Can I go now?” Sugar asked, not sure why she was feeling so cranky. “I told Willa Faye that as soon as I got my car back, I’d give her a prison break and take her out to lunch.”
Wade’s eyebrows lifted. “Now, now, Sugar. You know Grandma is in a gorgeous place where they take really good care of her, and the food is so good I go there every chance I get, and if they took people my age I’d be moving in any day now. Think how much fun you two would have if you lived in the same place. Just something to think about for the future—for when you’re old.”
“If this is another way for you to get me to sell you this land, you’ve got another thought coming. I’m not selling—ever. You know that.”
“I do know that, as I discovered the first and last time I ever asked you, and I promise you I rarely make the same mistake twice. Although I do hope one day you’ll tell me why you’re so desperate to hang on to all this land. I’d say it was for sentimental reasons, but you and I both know that despite all your many virtues, sentimentality isn’t one of them.”
He leaned down and gave her a quick peck on the cheek before she could avoid it. And she wanted to tell him then. Tell him the full story. She let her gaze travel over to Merilee, remembered how free she’d felt to tell part of the story.You’re the bravest and strongest woman I’ve ever known.She had a brief memory of looking at Merilee’s yearbooks, and the picture of the young man, John, who’d wanted to marry her. There was definitely a story there. A story Sugar was sure she didn’t want to know. Maybe the only reason Merilee thought Sugar was so brave and strong was because she recognized a little bit of herself.
“Good-bye. I need to get Willa Faye.” She grasped the railing and stepped down from the porch onto the first step.
“Hang on,” Wade called after her. “The other reason besides the porch swing I asked to see you and Merilee this morning was about that trunk in the cellar. Did you ever find the key?”
