One Mountain Away (13 page)

I wonder, too, about Samantha’s mother, Georgia Ferguson, once the Covenant Academy headmistress, where Taylor and Samantha, even Jeremy, Maddie’s father, went to school.

At the end of an hour Samantha gets up and approaches me. There’s no place to go without drawing attention, so I look away. She stops in front of me until I’m forced to glance up.

“She’s not coming today,” she says.

I don’t pretend not to understand. Instead, I thank her, and she nods and motions for Edna, who reluctantly follows her up the hill.

I wonder how long she’s known that I come here to watch my granddaughter. I wonder why she, of all people, cares enough not to expose that secret to my daughter. She hasn’t told Taylor, or I’m sure I would know. Although we haven’t spoken in years, Taylor would find and confront me.

My visit to the park has ended in disappointment, but I think I’ve discovered a friend, even though I don’t deserve her.

Chapter Eleven

AFTER LEAVING THE park, Charlotte found herself driving aimlessly before she thought about where to go. Since she had instinctively headed toward town, she parked near the center and stopped by the City Market, something she hadn’t done in years.

After a cup of coffee and some self-scrutiny, she wandered through the stalls, buying a pound of fresh red pepper linguine she knew Harmony would like, along with honey and eggs. The last vendor was selling woven baskets, and on impulse she bought one and filled it with another vendor’s fragrant handmade soaps, which bore romantic names like Moon Lady’s Ocean and Ginger Grass and Silk. She was glad she had come, because she knew exactly who to give the basket to, if she dared.

She pulled out her cell phone and got Samantha’s address by calling Falconview and asking the receptionist to scout directories. Five minutes later she was on her way.

Ten minutes after that she pulled up to a tiny brick cottage not far from the street where Taylor lived. The house was substantially smaller than those around it, with a front yard gobbled up by a circular driveway and what looked like a complete absence of yard in the back. Now Charlotte understood why Samantha and Edna spent so much time at the park.

A yellow Volkswagen was parked in the driveway, and Charlotte thought she’d probably found them at home. Before she could think too hard, she took a deep breath, tucked the basket under an arm and made her way to the front door to ring the bell. Laughter spilled out through open windows, and in a moment Edna answered the door.

“I’ve seen you at the park,” she said in greeting.

“Yes, you have,” Charlotte said. “My name’s Charlotte.” Up close the child was even prettier than she’d expected, but of course, her mother was stunning. Edna had green eyes set off by her coffee-and-cream skin, and her shining black hair fell in curls to just above her shoulders. Tiny hoops adorned her earlobes, and her smile was beyond magnificent.

“I brought your mother a present,” Charlotte said, “but I bet you’ll enjoy it, too.” She handed the basket to Edna, who rummaged through, picking up the first bar of soap to sniff it.

“This smells good!”

“I liked it, too.”

“Mom?” Edna shouted. Samantha, who probably could have heard a whisper in the tiny house, came out wiping her hands on a dishtowel. She stopped when she saw who their visitor was, then she smiled.

“Come in, Charlotte.”

Edna ran over to show her the basket, while a relieved Charlotte stepped inside and closed the door behind her.

“This is lovely,” Samantha said. “Edna, why don’t you put the basket in the bathroom? And choose a soap you’d like for your bath tonight.”

Edna turned, basket in hand. “Thank you,” she told Charlotte. Then she took off.

“Thank you from me, as well,” Samantha said. “But you know—”

“That I didn’t have to do it?” Charlotte found herself relaxing. “I know, but I wanted to. I think you’ve gone out on a limb for me, and for no good reason I can think of.”

“Except that I understand how much you probably wish you could know Maddie. Come sit down. Iced tea or hot?”

“Whatever’s easiest.”

Charlotte made herself at home on a comfortable slipcovered sofa and took a glass of iced tea when Samantha returned with a tray. She added lemon and a packet of sugar before she spoke.

“I think I’ve put you in an awkward situation. I take it you and Taylor are friends? And you haven’t told her about seeing me at the park?”

“We’ve been friends since the Academy. Of course she was younger than I was, but a kindred spirit. Neither of us was comfortable there. Now, of course, we have daughters in common.”

“I love watching Edna at the park. She’s quite a diplomat, in the best possible way.”

“I only recognized you last week. How long have you been coming?”

“At first just on and off. Then… Well, a lot recently.”

“I haven’t told Taylor.”

Charlotte wasn’t surprised, given Samantha’s kindness so far. “I want to talk to her, Samantha. Do you think she might listen?”

Samantha was silent for a long time. Charlotte watched as she doctored her tea. She wore a purple T-shirt with sequins sprinkled over swirls of violet, and denim shorts that showcased her long legs. Her movements as she lifted the cup, added sugar and lemon, were like waves in a gentle ocean. Charlotte understood why Edna was so graceful.

“I don’t think she will,” Samantha said at last. “And I’m
sure
it won’t help to have anyone else plead your case.”

“I would never ask you to do that, but this can’t go on. Nobody should have to keep secrets for me. I never meant to involve anybody else.”

“You must feel so frustrated.”

“That’s the least I deserve.”

Samantha was silent, and Charlotte was glad the younger woman didn’t deny it or make excuses for her.

“This has gone on so long, this trouble between the two of you,” Samantha said at last. “I know time can heal, but sometimes it can magnify pain. I’m afraid that’s what’s happened with this.”

“Do you have a suggestion?”

“Did you know they’re back to square one on medication for Maddie’s seizures? That’s why she wasn’t at the park today. So this is a stressful time for Taylor. Maybe not the best moment to pop back into her life.”

Charlotte wanted every detail, but she knew she had no right to information. Still, she had to ask. “I appreciate the warning, but is there anything at all you can you tell me about Maddie’s condition? Without feeling like you’re betraying Taylor?”

“You probably already know she has temporal lobe epilepsy and they’re on a roller coaster ride. They’re looking for the perfect combination of medications to halt the seizures, but from the reading I’ve done in my nursing journals, I’m not sure it’s that easy. Taylor and her doctor are determined, though.”

“You’re a nurse, Samantha?”

“Sam. I just got my dream job at Mountain Medical. The clinic over on Martin Luther King? I’m the nursing supervisor in charge of the Child and Maternal Wellness program.”

Charlotte congratulated her as she filed away that information for Harmony. “So you’re not sure a perfect combination of medications is just a matter of trial and error?”

“Maybe, but often if a child doesn’t respond well to one combination, it means there’s a good chance that trend will continue.”

“That doesn’t sound promising.”

“Taylor’s sure they’ll beat the odds.”

“How frustrated she must feel. I can only imagine.” And it was true, because that was all she was
able
to do. Imagine. Worry. Wallow in regret.

“Maddie’s a wonderful little girl, well-adjusted, happy….”

Samantha had been surprisingly forthcoming, but Charlotte suspected Taylor’s friend wouldn’t be comfortable offering more detail. Once upon a time she wouldn’t have let that stop her, but that was then.

She bit her lip, trying to figure out how best to change the subject to one that was just as difficult. Finally, she simply did.

“You actually have a couple of reasons to dislike me. One is Taylor. The other’s…” She paused for a moment, and Samantha filled in the blank.

“My mother?”

Charlotte nodded.

“People change.”

Charlotte waited, but Samantha didn’t go on.

“They do,” Charlotte said tentatively. “But sometimes it takes a long time.”

“Taylor’s probably my best friend. We have a lot in common, but that’s one way we differ. Second chances? Well, she’s not big on them, and you should know that. I can look back at my own life, at who I was and who I am now, and I can say, yeah, people change and here I am, a prime example. I came this close to destroying my own life.” She held her index finger and thumb so close together it looked as if they were touching.

“I know you had a hard time in high school.”

“If only it were that simple.” Samantha smiled easily and did so again. “I drank. A lot. I partied all the time. You probably know that.”

“Just the basics.”

“Short of chaining me to the bed frame, my mother tried everything to control me. Then one night I got out of the house and into a car with a guy I hardly knew. We went to a kegger out in the country, and halfway home I decided to drive because he came close to passing out at the wheel. Of course I was in no shape to drive, either, and the car was weaving back and forth. I thought it was hilarious. A cop spotted us. I thought I’d see if I could lose him, so we had a ten-mile race up and down mountains until I ran off the road into a ditch and nearly killed us both.”

Charlotte also remembered what had come next. “And after that, I used your arrest to convince the other board members at Covenant Academy to fire your mother as headmistress.”

“I think you said if Mom couldn’t control me, then she couldn’t control anyone else’s children.”

Charlotte didn’t point out how poorly she had later controlled her own daughter. They both knew.

This time Samantha didn’t smile, but she spoke matter-of-factly, as if what she had to say had been said many times, in many crowded rooms, with many listeners.

“And the thing is? As awful as it was, Mom being fired was probably the thing that saved me. Because when I recovered enough to see what my actions had done to her, that she’d lost her job and maybe even her standing in the community because of my selfishness, then I began to figure out that I had to clean up my act. That and the courts, a great probation officer, AA, of course, and later, Edna. They all brought me back to earth. Oh, and the real threat of prison if I messed up again.”

Charlotte didn’t know what to feel, because even if firing Samantha’s mother had resulted in unintended positive consequences, it still had been terribly wrong.

“You were young, a mixed-up kid. I was an adult, and I had no excuse. Your mother and I never saw eye to eye on the way she ran the Academy. She wanted the students to have more freedom and control, and I just wanted her out of there. I used your personal tragedy to make that happen. You have no idea how much I wish I hadn’t.”

“I have to say, this is weird. I know people change, but I honestly never envisioned us having this conversation. I’m sure Mom never did, either.”

Charlotte leaned forward and told her the truth, because what would be the point of pretending now? “Taylor learned to hold grudges by watching
me.
Do you know how much space they take up in your heart? When you let go of your grudges, you’re practically empty inside.”

“So you go looking for something else to fill the space. And I think you want your granddaughter and your daughter right here.” Samantha touched her chest with her fingertips.

Charlotte felt a lump growing in her throat. “I’m not sure it can happen. I think maybe I stepped over that line, the one that you didn’t. You pulled yourself back from your personal precipice, Sam. I may have fallen over mine.”

“Don’t quit five minutes before the miracle.”

Charlotte tilted her head in question.

“I learned that in AA,” Samantha said. “You have to keep trying, because if you stop, you might miss something extraordinary, something that’s right around the corner. I think you’re going to have to find your way to Taylor by yourself, Charlotte, because you’re the only one who can recognize the right way to turn when you see it. But I promise, I’ll be rooting for both of you.”

Charlotte wasn’t sure of much, but she
was
sure this extraordinary young woman meant every word she said.

* * *

Not only was Saturday Harmony’s only day off, it was also payday. While she made most of her income in tips, the small checks were a nice addition. She immediately put them in the bank, and eventually she hoped to have enough to rent her own apartment. While she hoped she and Jennifer could share quarters once the other woman’s lease ran out, she was no longer counting on it. Jennifer didn’t know Harmony was pregnant, and noisy nights with a screaming baby wouldn’t be much of an attraction for a roommate. Harmony needed to find something she could afford by herself, and with the expense of child care, the tally was going up and up.

Today the worst of that weight was off her shoulders. She was going to pick up all her belongings at Jennifer’s and move them to Charlotte’s house. She had toured the upstairs that morning and settled on a room at the far end of the house.

The room, which had a luxurious connecting bath, was airy, with half a dozen windows, and she could hear the fountain in the swimming pool when she opened them. Best of all, the bedroom wasn’t downstairs, where she would be constantly underfoot. She liked the butter-colored walls and the embroidered white bedspread over pale lilac sheets. She liked the Van Gogh–style watercolors of sunflower fields and lavender. From her mother she’d learned to tat, and she thought she could afford enough thread to edge the pillowcases with handmade lace as a thank-you gift when she moved on.

She wondered what she had ever done to receive such a gift herself. To have a wonderful room where she could rest, save and prepare for the future was almost beyond imagination. Today, after she picked up her check and her belongings, she was going to shop for dinner with the crisp twenty-dollar bills Charlotte had given her.