Page 77 of Fourth Heartwarmers Trilogy
Jaqueline nodded. “Yes, please come back as soon as you can. We need you with us.”
He nodded at her and then glanced in the back seat to see Charlie had taken the middle seat so he could sit closer to his sister. He held her hand, and she had her head on his shoulder. They didn’t speak but the scared, dazed looks in their very large eyes let him know they suffered tremendously. How could they not? Their whole world had shifted in a matter of hours, and it would never be the same again.
***
Once Colin turned to go back inside, Jaqueline swiveled to look at the children. She saw the dogged expression on Charlie’s face and instantly knew the boy had taken on the safety and well-being of his sister. And he’d fight for her happiness with everything in him.
They began to whisper, his head close to hers, shielding them from the world. My goodness, the boy wasn’t even seven years old and yet his actions and behavior were more like those of a much older child. Probably came from living with a mother who constantly leaned on him.
How could she reassure them that everything would be okay when she had no idea what the dickens the adults were doing? Or the steps they’d need to cover in order for the kids to stay with Colin? In fact, she was still processing the events of the morning leading up to the present moment herself.
Thinking back, her visit to Quebec City had been a dream her Grandmother Gigi had forced on her. No doubt to get her away from her mother. The two women barely suffered being in the same room with each other. Gigi, her father’s mom and similar to him in so many ways, knew exactly how to get through to Jaqueline.
She had the same personality traits her mother had openly despised about her husband… called him weak when Jaqueline thought him generous. Said he was blind to the bad in the world when he’d preferred to concentrate on the good. And seldom got his quirky jokes, tending to ignore rather than laugh along.
Whereas Jaqueline had always adored her father, and they’d had a wonderful relationship… one her mother took advantage of after they lost him in a train accident. Once he’d disappeared from their lives, grumpy had switched her dependence onto Jaqueline. Of course, being her father’s daughter, she’d given up her apartment to move into the old house, picking up her father’s reins just as her mother intended she should.
Right from the start, Gigi had hated their arrangement. She took every measure she could to separate them. With caustic comments to make her daughter-in-law grow up and look after herself, she spoke her mind. Her father’s mom knew how much her precious granddaughter had loved her independence and wanted her to go back to having a life of her own.
Presenting her with this trip had been her sneaky way of forcing the issue. She knew Jaqueline would never let her lose all the money she’d invested to give her this vacation. But here she was, the second day in and who could have imagined the crazy circumstances she faced. A man she only met a few hours ago had become hugely important. And now the futures of two children she suddenly cared about would become a part of her world.
Her throat tightened and her hands became clammy. These new unforeseen responsibilities sat heavy on her shoulders. What would happen tomorrow, she had no idea and that kind of terrified her. Sitting in a stranger’s car in Quebec City, staring at two kids who had suddenly become her new focus freaked her out. No one could have made up a story like this and have it be believed.
She took another tissue from her handbag and passed it over to Charlie. “Here honey, let Maisie blow her nose. Her poor face is a mess. Are you guys hungry? I can ask Colin to stop at a restaurant.”
“Not really, but you and Colin might be.” Charlie held the tissue to Maisie’s face and helped her clean herself, then straightened her pink woolen hat before he asked, “Do you want some pancakes, Mais?” When she hiccupped and then nodded, he turned to Jaqueline. “That’s her favorite thing to eat. Blueberry pancakes.”
“Then she will have some as soon as Colin returns. Is there a favorite restaurant you like to go to?”
“Uh huh. One is close to where we live. It’s easy to walk there. Maman would take us sometimes.”
“Before she got sick?” Jaqueline was relieved that Charlie could talk about Gisele.
“Yeah. She’s been sick a lot lately. She thought I didn’t know, but we could hear her in the bathroom. I asked her about it once, but she just pretended everything was okay.” His searching stare asked for an answer and Jaqueline had nothing to tell him. She refused to lie and so she said, “Your mother loved you and Maisie and didn’t want to scare you. If she knew you’d heard her, she might have explained.”
“What?”
“That she had an ailing heart, and it wouldn’t be able to keep her alive much longer. Your poor mom fought for as long as she could, Charlie. You and Maisie mattered to her more than anything.”
In a tone not often used by a child, he stated with a harshness that made her sad, “Yet she left us alone. I thought mom’s weren’t supposed to do that.” Those words brought a gush of tears, ones he couldn’t hold back.
Before Jaqueline could answered, Colin arrived. Realizing the kids needed to be held, she opted to move to the back seat. In her heart, she figured Gisele had done her best, but Charlie had been right too. His Maman had left them all alone with no one to step in and take her place. Not caring if her judgment might be harsh, she had to agree with the boy. Mom’s should do better… even sick ones.
Chapter Seven
The drive from the hospital to the restaurant was one of the saddest times Colin could remember having to deal with. Upon his return, he could see the children were having a meltdown. Thankfully, Jaqueline decided to move to the middle of the back seat with the two kids who were both crying their little hearts out. She held one in each arm, gathering them both close to try and soothe them as best she could.
Colin sensed the fear that Charlie tried manfully to hide but hadn’t the skills to do so. And he knew that Maisie picked up on her brother’s distress and reacted accordingly for a small child. None of them had any idea what would be happening to them, especially Colin after hearing what the doctor had told him about Child Services.
Whether they knew what that entailed, he wasn’t sure, but he did believe that Charlie understood it meant they might be taken away and separated, which would be his ultimate nightmare. Therefore, when they stopped in the parking lot of the caféJaqueline had requested they go to, Colin turned to look at the three sad individuals.
“Listen, kids. I want to tell you something, and I need you both to understand as best you can. If you have any questions, we’ll deal with them later but for now you must know that both Jaqueline and I will do whatever we can to keep you together and with us. We’re going to talk to a lawyer after we eat and see if we can get started on my being able to foster you two. But for now, let’s just enjoy our lunch, okay? Gisele would want you to eat your favorite food, right? And she’d want you to have faith that it will all turn out just fine. Agreed?”
Two small, weepy voices echoed along with Jaqueline’s. “Okay.”
While the kids were getting out of the car, Jaqueline caught his eye, hers questioning. All he could do was shrug and nod, hoping to give her some sense of calm assurance. In his heart, he just wished he felt as certain as he pretended.
***
