Home with My Sisters (21 page)

“Wonderful, Roger,” Yvette said. “Wonderful.” Yvette clasped her hands by her mouth. She was smiling. Hope couldn't tell if she was applauding the fact that he had spoken or actually agreeing to the suggestion that he was fit enough to watch the kids.

“Why don't we call Austin?” Faith said, her voice cracking. “He could watch them.”

“Roger just volunteered,” Yvette hissed. “Don't hurt his feelings.”

“Harrison can watch them,” Joy said. “Unless you have a problem with him?”

“You're hurting his feelings,” Yvette said. Her voice shook with anger. Hope looked at Roger, who was indeed staring at the ground and pawing at it.

Hope slowly approached. “Did we hurt your feelings?” Roger continued to stare at the ground. “We didn't mean to. I trust you.”

“They're my kids,” Faith said.

“You have to understand. We just met you. You don't talk very much. It's not personal.” Hope stared at the top of his red cap. She wasn't sure whether he understood or not. “Were you friends with my father?” Roger lifted his eyes, made eye contact, then slowly shook his head no. Hope took a step back.

“He was, he was,” Yvette said. “Leave him be now. You're confusing him.” Roger continued to look at Hope and shake his head no.

“What about Harrison?” Joy barked again.

“I'll watch,” Roger said.

“Let him do it,” Yvette said. “He can do it.”

Faith smiled at Roger, then turned and lowered her voice. “I'll decide who watches my kids.” She threw her arms open.

“Roger and Harrison. You'll make a great team.” Roger stared at Faith. For a minute Hope thought he was going to speak again. Instead he just nodded.

“I'll go tell Harrison,” Joy said. Faith's cell phone rang. She glanced at the screen and a blush spread across her face. She answered and hurried away. Hope stood alone with her grandmother, Roger in the background. They fell into an awkward silence.
And so this is Christmas.

CHAPTER 22

Austin was at the call center finishing up on paperwork when his cell phone rang. He glanced at the screen. It was a number he didn't recognize. Could it be Josh?

“Hello?” There was a moment of silence. Austin lowered his voice and sank down into his cubicle. He cleared his throat and started again, treating it like the call came in through the switchboard. Hope must have given him the note. Josh might have confused which number to call. Austin took a chance and answered his cell the way he would have answered his work line. “Suicide Prevention. This is Austin. I'm glad you called.” There was another moment of silence.

“Why?” the caller said. It was a young male. Austin knew it was Josh. Hope had given him the note.

“Because you're reaching out for help and that takes guts.”

“Whatever.”

Oh yes. Definitely Josh
. “Are you feeling so bad that you're thinking about suicide?”

“Maybe.”

“Have you thought about how you would do it?”

“It might just involve Christmas lights.”

Austin was glad to hear the sarcasm. That was actually a good sign. But he wasn't going to laugh. He needed Josh to know that he took this very seriously. “You're not alone. Christmas is a really tough time of year for a lot of people. I want to help you.”

“You'd want to kill yourself, too, if you had my family.”

Did Josh know he was talking to Austin, or did he think he'd called the main line? Austin would pretend it was anonymous unless and until Josh identified him. “What's been going on?”

“How soon do you die if you fall through ice?”

“Are you near a body of water? Are you thinking about drowning yourself?” The pond. It would be frozen solid, so at least that was some relief.

There was a click and the line went dead. “Damn it,” Austin said under his breath. He stared at his cell phone hoping it would ring again. He knew Josh was in trouble. Something about the pained look in his eyes reminded him so much of his brother. Austin would have given anything if someone had recognized the warning signs in his brother and told him to pay attention.

What should he do now? He definitely didn't want to say anything to Faith because she seemed like she could really tear into you given half a chance. He'd stop by Yvette's place after work, see what was going on. Maybe he could get to know Josh a little bit more, see if he could get him to open up face-to-face. From what Austin could tell, Josh was in the early stages of pondering suicide. He still had time. If it got to a point where Austin felt like he had to break confidentiality to save Josh's life, he would tell Hope what was going on. She could deal with her sister. At the thought of Hope, Austin's heart beat a little faster. The more time he spent with her, the more he wanted to see her. He had to constantly remind himself that she wasn't here because of him. He didn't want to take the spotlight away from Yvette or Hope spending time with her sisters. But boy would he like to. Was there any chance that she would stay on after Yvette passed away? He hated the thought of Yvette passing away, and he hated the thought of Hope going away. They were both here now and that's what he should focus on. That and helping Josh. Austin was done with his shift for today. He'd go straight to the estate. And he'd definitely check out the pond, make sure no one was in danger of falling through the ice.

* * *

The little tavern downtown was practically empty. Just a few old-timers lined the bar. The bartender smiled at Yvette and set them all up at a table. It was dim inside, and the few Christmas decorations that hung about the place made Hope feel sad. This was where Charlie Brown the grown man would have hung out. Soon after they were settled into a booth and their drinks had been delivered, they raised their pints. Faith had asked for a mimosa and was informed they had ale. Light and dark. They all ordered dark, which Hope hoped wasn't a bad omen, and at the last minute she changed her order to sparkling water.

“Party pooper,” Joy said.

“To family,” Hope said, ignoring Joy and holding up her pint of water.

“To family,” they echoed with varying degrees of enthusiasm. They all raised their pints and clinked glasses. At least that was a bit of cheer. Just then something began rattling above them, and just as Hope was thinking,
Earthquake!
a whistle sounded. Hope looked up. A model train was chugging above them, the tracks running along the wall like crown molding. They all took a moment to watch it go by.

“Dad loved Christmas trains,” Faith said.

“I love trains too,” Joy said.

“Me too,” Hope said. The two of them looked at Faith.

“They're charming,” Faith said.

“Would you look at that, it's the United Nations,” Yvette said.

“You're feisty, Granny,” Joy said. “I like that about you.”

Yvette actually smiled; then she looked at the girls. “I can see your father in each of you,” she said.

“Tell us everything you know about him,” Hope said.

“That's a lot to tell,” Yvette said.

“What was he like as a boy?”

“He was spirited and adventurous. You couldn't contain him. I had gone completely gray by the time he was three.”

“That sounds like our dad,” Faith said. A sad smile played at the corner of her lips.

“Where did you live? What was our grandfather like? Why didn't you have other children?” Hope knew she was asking too many questions at once, but she felt an invisible timer ticking away and she wanted to know everything now. “Do you have photo albums?”

“Relax, Hope,” Joy said. “Can the rest of us at least get a buzz on first?”

“I have photo albums, of course,” Yvette said. “Your grandfather, Jeremiah, could be a very hard man. He left when Thomas was ten.”

“Is that why it was so easy for Dad to leave us?” Faith said.

Yvette slammed her fist on the table. “He did not leave you girls! You were kidnapped!” Several patrons looked over and the bartender shot the girls a warning look. Yvette was already so fragile, it pained Hope to see it. She immediately took Yvette's hand.

“We don't want to upset you,” Hope said.

Faith shook her head at Hope and plunged ahead with the interrogation. “If he was coming to see us—why was Roger in the car?” she asked.

Yvette shook her head. “He was coming to see you. He never would have let you girls go.”

“Why was Roger in the car?” Faith repeated.

“It's a long drive to Florida. Maybe he just wanted the company.”

“Was our father drunk when the accident occurred?” Hope had to ask the question. Yvette pulled her hand back.

“You keep asking that!”

“Because you've never answered.”

“I don't know. Back then they didn't make a fuss over things like that.”

“You're saying they didn't check?” Faith asked.

Yvette rolled a napkin between her fingers. “He died. That was punishment enough.”

“He hurt Roger,” Joy pointed out.

Yvette's chin jutted up. A look of fierce pride crossed her face. “I've done right by Roger. I've done right by him.”

Hope hadn't wanted to escalate the conversation to this stage this fast. She had wanted to hear happier memories of her father. She tried to steer the conversation back to safer subjects. “He must have had good Christmases growing up.”

“We didn't spoil him by any means,” Yvette said. “But he did always love it. He loved Christmas lights, and Christmas trees, and Christmas songs. He would just light up all throughout the season. And he was a generous boy too. He loved giving gifts more than receiving. One year I think he gave everyone he knew a gift. Even the mailman. He loved
A Christmas Carol
and later
It's a Wonderful Life
.”

“We watched those with him,” Faith said.

“Over and over,” Hope said. “All year round. I loved his love of Christmas. And I loved that he would pick me up and swing me around a lot.”

Faith laughed. “Oh, I used to love when he did that. He was so strong.”

“And handsome,” Yvette said.

“Where did he grow up?” Hope asked.

“It's a very small town, about an hour south of here,” Yvette said. “He moved to Seattle when he was only seventeen years old.”

“And that's where he met our mother,” Faith said.

Yvette kept her lips clamped shut.

“They were so young,” Faith said.

“Women and girls were always throwing themselves at your father,” Yvette said. “I never expected him to marry so young.”

“So you hated her before you even met her,” Faith said.

“I have my prejudices. I'll admit it. He was my only son. He was my everything. But it's all in the past. Can't I enjoy my last days on earth with my three beautiful granddaughters?”

Hope reached over and took her hand again. “Of course you can.”

“Mom never remarried,” Joy said. “Even though she's been with a ton of men. I mean a ton.” Faith and Hope gave her a look. “What? Just sayin'.”

“I think we should all go sledding,” Hope said. “The kids are dying to do that.”

“Don't forget we're here to talk about Roger,” Yvette said. “I want to draw up a contract where the three of you agree that he's to stay on the property until it's his time to pass away. After that you're free to do whatever you wish with it.”

“What if we found him another home instead?” Joy asked.

“He's already home,” Yvette said. “You will not move him.”

“What if he gets to a point where he needs twenty-four/seven care,” Joy persisted. “We're not nurses.”

“I'm sure you'll see there's enough money to hire a full-time nurse,” Yvette said. “But that man is going to die at home, do you hear me?”

“I definitely hear you,” Joy said. “You're loud.”

Yvette stared at Joy, then laughed. “It runs in the family,” she said. “Now, I'm going to call a taxi and go home.”

“No need,” Faith said. “We'll take you back.”

“No, I want you girls to spend some time together, away from the house. Talk about my terms. If you don't agree, that's fine, but you'll need to let me know so that I can decide who will inherit the property. Roger is nonnegotiable.”

“Would there still be enough cash in the estate for me to start my coffee shop?” Joy said.

“Not while Roger is alive,” Yvette said. “You might need it.”

“My God,” Joy said. “You're certainly giving us motive for murder here.”

“Joy!” Hope said.

“Oh my God, I'm kidding,” Joy said. “Lighten up.”

“Let's have another round,” Faith said.

“Didn't you take your vitamins this morning?” Hope said to Faith.

“What?” Faith said.

“Your
vitamins,
” Hope said. “I don't think you're supposed to mix them with alcohol.”

“You're really not supposed to mix anything with alcohol,” Yvette said. “That's why I've pretty much given everything up but drinking.”

“We'll agree to your terms, Granny,” Faith said. Joy shot her a look. “Unless you have a better idea?”

“Fine,” Joy said.

“Of course,” Hope said.

“I'll have my attorney draw up the contracts,” Yvette said. “I want them signed while I'm still alive to witness it.” They helped Yvette to a taxi and stood watching as it pulled away. Shops were just starting to open and the sun was peeking through the clouds. Christmas decorations started to glow and the snow sparkled.
Magic,
Hope thought.
It's enough to make you believe in magic.

* * *

“How do we know Roger isn't some kind of scam artist?” Joy said. They were sitting on a retaining wall overlooking the sledding hill. Kids on colorful sleds zoomed by, squealing and shouting. Hope wanted to grab Brittany and Josh and have them all join in.

“I like Roger,” Hope said.

“You would,” Joy said.

Hope plunged on. “She's known him most of his life. He was friends with our father.”

Joy snorted and began kicking her feet on the stone wall. Maybe they should give her ADHD medication for Christmas. Joy in a coffee shop swilling espresso all day would be overkill. “So she says,” Joy said. “Do you two ever remember meeting Roger? Did Dad ever mention him?”

“We never met anybody,” Faith said. “Any memory I have—besides meeting Granny a few times—was just Mom and Dad.”

“We could ask Mom if she remembers him,” Hope said.

“That's like being the one to give Pandora the box for Christmas,” Faith said. “No thank you.”

“Good one,” Joy said. “But what does an Internet radio station have to do with Mom?”

“We did kind of live in a bubble,” Hope said.

“Some of us still do,” Faith said, flicking her glance to Joy.

“What do you think, Faith? Could Roger be a scam artist?” Joy asked.

Faith shrugged, stared off into the distance. “If he is, he's certainly a pro.”

“He was in the accident with Dad,” Hope said.

“So she says.” Joy again.

“Why in the world would Yvette make that up?” Hope couldn't bring herself to call her Granny, or even Grandmother. She was hoping she would feel that connection, that Yvette would morph into something grandmotherly and loving, but it just hadn't happened. They weren't here to bond with her, they were here to make sure Roger had a home. There was no way that woman would go to such extremes for just some man. Would she? People took advantage of the elderly all the time. Did they know for sure that Roger wasn't faking his brain injury? Could he be scamming their grandmother? Hope didn't want to think so, he seemed so sweet.