CnC 5 One Hex of a Wedding (28 page)

“Kip, you listen to this, too. I want you to both remember what I’m about to tell you, because I’m going to say it once—and that’s all it better take. Understand?”

Kip’s eyes were wide. Randa seldom ever got into trouble like this, and I couldn’t decide whether he was more impressed by her level of infraction or by my tone of voice. He nodded, his mouth full of jojos and chicken.

Randa’s eyes fluttered and she bobbed her head. Barely.

“Randa? I said,
do you understand me
? I want an answer.”

“Yes, ma’am,” she said quietly.

“Okay, here it is. This sort of behavior, whether it be toward a friend, a fellow student, or an adult—especially Joe, your father, or myself—is off limits. If it happens again, I won’t hesitate to drag you to the bathroom and wash your mouth out with soap. And you’d better believe that I can—and will—do it. I didn’t raise you to be trash-talking, snot-nose delinquents. I don’t care how upset you are, there’s no excuse for you to attack somebody else. Especially when you
don’t even know the truth of a situation
.”

Randa blew her bangs away from her face, rolling her eyes, and I lost it. I grabbed her wrist and pulled her to her feet. “You have everything—a good home, pretty clothes, a mother who lets you follow your passion. You know what you want to do, and your teachers back you one-hundred percent. Have I ever once complained about outfitting you with six-hundred-dollar telescopes and that trip to space camp? Have I?” I leaned into her face, forcing her to look at me.

She swallowed hard and shook her head. “No, ma’am.”

“Then why the hell have you turned into such a little drama queen? Lori’s parents make her life hell. The poor kid has to work twice as hard for her grades as you do. She’s not popular, she doesn’t fit in at school, and you go and call her a
hippo
and make fun of her? I’m ashamed to be your mother right now.”

“Em! Em—” Joe’s voice was neutral, but I glanced in his eyes and realized that I’d broken my own boundaries. I meant everything I’d said, but I could have found a better way to approach the situation.

Randa sank into her chair. She began to shake and threw herself on the table, her head in her arms. Kip slowly put down his chicken and wiped his hands. He nervously glanced up at me, then patted her shoulder.

I slumped in the chair next to her. Why did I have to apologize when she’d been in the wrong? “Randa, listen to me. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have grabbed you like that. But you have to acknowledge your behavior and take responsibility for it.”

She grunted something I couldn’t catch. I reached out, probing her energy. Yes, she was upset at me, but I had the feeling that she more upset at herself. That cheered me a little. Maybe it wasn’t too late to bring her to her senses.

“Randa, Lori’s been your best friend for quite a while. You’ll have a lot of boyfriends through the years, but a best buddy … you just can’t replace them that easily. You haven’t even listened to her side of the story, have you?” I gently but firmly rubbed her back. She stiffened at first, but then I felt her take a deep breath and let it out slowly.

I frowned. What was it going to take to bring her around? “Randa, you know what you did was wrong. The Thomases are coming over and they want to talk about the fight. I think they’re bringing Lori.”

Slowly, Randa raised her head. “They’re coming here?”

“You’d better believe it. Can you imagine what happened when Deacon took Lori home? You know the way Mrs. Thomas acts toward her.” Guilt. I didn’t like using it, but if it jogged her conscience, I’d willingly play that game.

Her mouth twisted in a little
o
and she reached for a paper towel, blowing her nose. “I guess it was pretty bad.”

I took the opportunity to put my arm around her shoulders. “Randa, listen to me. Lori and you have your differences, but do you really, truly believe that she’d do something like date Gunner when she knows how much it would hurt you?”

Randa contemplated her nails. After a few minutes, she shook her head. “Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe she was telling the truth.”

“Why didn’t you give her the chance to explain?” But I already knew. Randa’s ego had been so hurt by Gunner’s rejection that she was ready to believe anything and everything bad about him. She pretended to be okay, but under the surface, she’d probably been seething for months.

Taking a deep breath, she let it out slowly. “I don’t know. I guess I just wasn’t thinking straight. Maybe I didn’t want to believe her. Even if they were just studying together, it hurt to see him talk to her rather than to me.”

The doorbell rang. I looked up at Joe. “Can you show them into the living room. And, honey—”

He flashed me a worried smile. “Yeah?”

“Welcome to my world.”

Joe laughed then, gently. “I have news for you, Ms. O’Brien. I’ve been a part of your world since the day we met.” With that, he ducked down the hallway to go answer the door.

I told Randa to wash her face and wait in the kitchen until I called her, then joined Joe. The Thomases, Lori in tow, were sitting in the living room. Natalie and Luke were so stiff that I wondered if they were wearing matching corsets. Lori was curled in the rocking chair, her face puffy and red.

My heart went out to the child—not only did her parents deride her, but her best friend had turned on her. On a whim, I closed my eyes and made a quick scan of her aura. Not a deceptive bone in her body. She was telling my daughter the truth.

I let out a long sigh. “I think Randa has something she wants to tell you, Lori. If you go in the kitchen, she’s waiting.” In my experience, once children truly realized that they’d done wrong, they’d work things out amongst themselves, if you left them alone.

Lori hesitated, but Randa must have been listening at the door because she pushed her way into the living room.

“I’m sorry. I believe you about Gunner. I know I hurt your feelings, and I’m sorry.” My daughter’s face was as blotchy as Lori’s, and I knew how hard it was for her to admit she was wrong. “Will you come in the kitchen so we can talk?”

Lori glanced back at her parents, who gave her a stiff nod. The two girls slowly walked into the kitchen and I prayed that the truce would turn into a tearful reunion. I turned back to Natalie and Luke. Joe slid into place by my side.

“Well, this is awkward,” Luke said. He looked bored and I had the feeling his wife had dragged him here over strenuous objections.

I shrugged. “It’s not the best way to spend an evening, but I think the girls will resolve it. Randa realizes that her behavior was unacceptable and she will be punished for it.”

“Well, having my daughter brought home by the police for brawling was certainly embarrassing. I was entertaining and my guests heard everything.” Natalie pulled out a cigarette and prepared to light it.

“I’m sorry, you can’t smoke in here. You’ll have to go out to the driveway for that,” I said.

“Oh for … I’ll wait.” She gave me a disgusted look and tucked it back in the engraved silver holder. “Now, I’ll be the first to admit that Lori needs to lose weight, but really, a brawl? In a public park? That, I cannot forgive.”

“Oh for God’s sake, Natalie. They’re kids. Kids fight.” Luke stood up, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “I was carted home by the cops more than once and it never amounted to anything serious.”

“You were a boy, and you didn’t suffer from social ineptitude. I’m afraid this is just going to make Lori clumsier and more apt to lock herself in her room with a book when she should be out doing things and making friends.”

Though she didn’t exactly say it, I could tell that Natalie meant “other friends”—other than my Randa. I jumped to my feet. “I don’t presume to tell you how to raise your daughter, but a little more kindness at home might give her the self-confidence she needs to reach out to others.”

Luke glanced at his watch. “This is ridiculous. I have a business meeting in Seattle at six A.M. and I don’t have time for bullshit like this. If the kids are good, then we’re out of here.” He glanced at me. “Tell your daughter she’d better get a hold of that temper,” he said, heading for the door.

Natalie let out an indignant squeak but she gathered her purse. “I’m not going to stop Lori from visiting Randa. Lord knows she needs more friends, but, Emerald, if this happens again, I’ll sue your butt off for damages, regardless of whether the girls make up. Tell Lori to be home in an hour.” She stomped out, fluttering all the way to the door.

Joe and I followed them, waiting on the porch as they spun out of the driveway in their Jag, zooming off up the street.

“Good God, I feel sorry for that kid.” I stared at the sky. The evening was clear and drowsy. Joe slid his arm around my waist and I rested my head against his arm. “It’s been such a rough week. You getting shot and then my grandma, and Murray and the fire at Jimbo’s. Now Randa …” With a sigh, I pulled the velvet pouch holding Rose’s necklace out of my pocket. “Joe, I need to cleanse this. It’s hexed.”

He did a double take. “What?”

I told him what we’d found out about the Bride’s Circlet. “So, I either find a way to cleanse it, or I’m getting rid of it.”

He started to laugh. “Leave it to you, babe, to be given a jinxed necklace as a wedding gift. That’s too perfect. Come on, let’s go see how the girls are doing.” Holding the door open, he guided me inside. We slipped down the hall, peeking around the corner. Lori and Randa were sitting at the table, talking intently. Randa glanced up and waved us in.

“Mom, you were so right. Lori was telling the truth and I acted like a total jerk.” She reached out and grasped Lori’s hand in hers, squeezing tightly. Lori’s eyes were shining and I gathered that—whatever she’d said—Randa had managed to take the sting out of her insults.

“Good. I’m so glad you’re friends again,” I said. “Lemonade okay?” Randa nodded. As I poured three glasses and carried them to the table, Joe retreated to the living room, stating that girl talk wasn’t his forte. I sat down next to Randa and she gave me a guilty smile.

“So, what really happened?” I asked, hoping I wasn’t treading into thorny territory.

Lori blushed. “Gunner wants to get back together with her and was asking me if I’d talk to her for him.”

Whoa. Talk about irony. I glanced at Miranda. “So, are you interested?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. I like Gunner, and I was really upset when he dumped me, but now I’m not sure how I feel. I’ll think about it. Right now, I want to spend time with Lori. I’ve been a total ass.”

I tapped her on the head. “Yes, you have been. And I’m glad you girls are friends again—very glad. But Randa, I have to punish you for your behavior.”

Her face clouded over. “I know. How long am I grounded?”

I contemplated the situation. I could ground her, but I wanted her and Lori to actually spend time mending their friendship. Then it hit me. Something that she’d agonize over, something that might actually stick.

“I’m not going to ground you this time.” Her face lit up but I held up my hand. “Not so fast. I want a two-thousand-word essay. It’s to be well-thought-out, with no typos. I want a heartfelt analysis telling me why what you did was wrong.”

Bingo. The look of panic on her face told me I’d hit pay dirt. She hated English with a passion, and this would both make her think about what she did and force her to use her brain on something else besides stars. She was starting high school in the fall, and she’d be subject to a lot of pressure. I wanted her to face her inner demons before she was called on by her peers to unleash them, though a little voice in the back of my mind warned me she might be on the receiving end of the taunts rather than dishing them out.

“Mom—”

“No whining, miss. You’re getting off easy. Your essay is due in two weeks, and it better be good or I’ll make you write it again. And Lori can tell you how she felt so you can use it in the essay, but you’re not to let her help you write it. Got it?”

With a nod, she said, “Yes, ma’am. And … I really am sorry for what I did. It won’t ever happen again.”

“Okay then, off with you.”

“Can Lori spend the night?”

I glanced at the plump, pretty young woman and once again wished that I could make life easier for her. “Would you like to stay, hon?” She nodded. “Okay, go call your folks and if they say it’s all right, then it’s fine with me.”

As they took off for the living room, I slowly dragged myself up the stairs, wondering where Joe had gone to. I was exhausted, too tired to even think straight. When I opened the door to my bedroom, I heard running water and peeked in the bathroom. Joe had drawn me a tub full of bubbles, and he’d lit a dozen pale pink candles that formed a brilliant line along the vanity.

“Your bath awaits, madam.” He bowed as I broke into a goofy grin.

“You always know just what I need.” I pulled him to me and slid my arms around his waist.

He rubbed my back. “And I intend to go right on knowing just what you need. Take your bath. I checked on Kip and told him everything’s okay. He’s fine, so don’t worry about him.”

“I love you,” I said, mumbling into his chest. “I love you so much.”

Joe leaned down and planted a kiss on the top of my head. “That’s all I want, Emerald. That’s all I want.”

Fourteen

 

 

 

EARLY THE NEXT morning, I headed out to look for a dress. Before I hit the shops, I decided to stop in and see how Cinnamon was doing. I pulled into my parking space by the Chintz ’n China and bustled into the shop.

Cinnamon’s face lit up. “Emerald! You just here for a moment, or you planning on sticking around for a while?”

“Why?” I asked, glancing around. As usual, the shop looked checkerboard cheerful—clean, quiet, calm. Just the way I wanted it to be. “Anything happen I should know about?”

She shook her head. “No, but business picked up yesterday and we were run ragged. I haven’t had a chance to do any restocking on the shelves.” She put down the dust rag she was carrying and finished adjusting one of the teapots in our Summer Delights display—a colorful medley of fruit-shaped teacups surrounded by herbal tisanes and citrus-flavored teas. A pyramid of various marmalades rounded out the display.