The Common Thread (33 page)

All in all, it had been an absolutely fabulous day.

“AJ, I think I broke my toe,” Andre said as he limped toward her.

“How’d you do that?”

“I don’t know, but it hurts.”

Nic turned up the wattage on the lamp. Laying him on the couch, with his foot in her hands, she examined the toe. It wasn’t red or swollen, and wasn’t tender when she compressed the bone. But when she looked on the plantar surface, she found a large sliver. “I see the culprit, pal. It’s a sliver, probably from the deck. Stay here. I’ll be right back.”

Nic hunted in her medical kit for the proper gear and then retrieved a roll of plastic wrap from the kitchen. Squeezing a dollop of a numbing cream from the tube, she smeared it on the toe and wrapped it up tight. She sat back on the couch and tickled his other foot while they waited for the medication to provide adequate anesthesia for a painless surgical procedure.

“Tell me a story, AJ,” he suggested.

“Hmm, let’s see. What kind?”

“You get to pick.”

To her surprise, he swiveled on the couch and climbed into her arms, resting his head against her chest. She cradled him, surprised at the softness of his hair and the familiarity of his scent. He’d used her verbena shower gel instead of the baby wash she’d purchased for him. Oh, well, she thought, it’s only thirty bucks a bottle. He smelled wonderful.

Nic squeezed him, thinking about the past few days and all the wondrous things that had happened to her. “Once upon a time, there was a princess who—”

“What was her name?”

Nic hadn’t thought of that. What was her name? Her friends on the tennis team had called her Jersey, because her initials were NJC, and sometimes she used that when she met women at bars or other large social gatherings. “Jersey, her name was Jersey. An evil sorcerer cast a spell on her, a spell that made her sad. And—”

“Why did he do that?”

Nic pulled back and looked into his brown eyes, wide with wonder. “He’s an evil sorcerer, Andre. It’s his job.”

“Oh.”

“So, she was sad. Even though she lived in a beautiful castle—”

“Was there a moat?”

Nic thought of the lake. “Yes, a large moat, and she had a Jet Ski to ride across it. And she had everything she wanted—a nice car—”

“I thought princesses had horses.”

“This is a modern princess. She also has a job. But she wasn’t happy, because of the evil spell. Then one day, she met a little prince. He was very little,” she said.

“Did an evil sorcerer cast a spell and make him little?”

“No, he was little because he was only six years old.”

“Just like me. I’m six years old.”

“Yep. Do you want to hear more?”

“Yeah, what was his name?”

“His name was Andre.”

“I can’t believe this. What happened then?”

“The prince was very happy. He loved to play and run and swim and eat hot dogs and play the piano, and just watching him made the princess feel better.”

“So was the spell broken?”

“No, not yet. But then, one day, he gave the princess the biggest hug ever, and she could feel all of his joy coming out through his fingers and his hair and his smile, and all of the joy shattered the spell, and then the princess was happy.”

“Did they get married?”

“Andre, the prince was only six years old. And the princess didn’t really want to get married, anyway. Now let’s see that toe.”

Nic carried him to her kitchen and let him sit on the island, where the lighting was best. After testing the toe to ensure it was numb, she used diamond-tipped tweezers to open the skin and grasp the splinter. After removing it in one piece, Nic scrubbed the wound with antibacterial soap and studied it under magnification, looking for smaller fragments that might lead to infection. When she was satisfied that none remained, she put a bandage on the toe and carried him back to his bed.

“How does it end, AJ?”

“The prince came to see the princess often, and they ate hot dogs and rode the Jet Ski and played video games, and they were both happy and lived happily ever after.”

“That’s a great story, AJ.”

Their eyes were just about level with him sitting on her hip as she carried him. His were full of wonder and excitement, even at the late hour, when they should have been clouded with fatigue. “I love you, AJ,” he said as he wrapped his arms around her in one of those magical hugs that broke spells of sadness.

“I love you, too. Now go to sleep, or you may turn into a frog.”

Carefully, she deposited him on the bed beside his sleeping sister and pulled the blanket up to his chin, then kissed him on the nose. As she closed his bedroom door, her phone began to ring.

A smile formed when she saw the caller ID. Rae. “Hi,” she said.

“Can I see you?” Rae asked.

“What? Where are you?”

“On the turnpike, a few miles from the Wilkes-Barre exit, and as I get closer and closer to home I’ve forced myself to admit the truth. I told myself I should leave tonight so I wouldn’t have to drive in the morning—I could just get up and relax. But I really wanted to be nearer to you. So since I’ve come all this way, can I see you?”

“Are you out of your mind?” she asked. Or am I out of mine? It was late, she was tired and ready for bed, and she’d like nothing more than to see Rae.

“I think perhaps I am. Yes. I am.”

She smiled the sincerity in Rae’s voice, understanding Rae’s need—she felt it, too. “Well, I’m a doctor, you know. I spent a month in the outpatient psych clinic. Perhaps I can offer some therapy.” Her tone was teasing, and Rae sounded relieved.

“Well, Doc, there’s this girl. And she’s beautiful, and smart, and funny, but she’s tough as nails, too, so I’m not quite sure how she feels about me.”

“How do you feel about her?”

“I like her, Doc.”

“Then I’d say you should call her. If she invites you over, she probably likes you, too.”

“Okay, thanks for the advice. Send me a bill. No, don’t. This makes us even. I’ll talk to you later. Bye.”

Nic heard silence on the other end as Rae disconnected. “What the hell?” she said, staring at her phone in confusion. It rang as she was looking at it, and Rae’s face appeared on the screen. “Did you just hang up on me?”

“Can I come over?”

“What?”

“My shrink said that if you invite me over, it means that you like me.”

“Rae, you’re inviting yourself over. I don’t think it’s the same.”

There was no reply, just silence.

“Rae? Did I lose you?”

“No, I’m here, waiting for you to invite me over.”

Nic cleared her throat and laughed. “Rae, would you like to come over tonight?”

“Okay!”

“Do you know where I live?”

“Lake Silkworth?”

“Yep. Do you know where that is?”

“As a matter of fact, I do. I just don’t know which house belongs to you.”

Nic gave her the details. “I should go now. I have to put some clothes on.”

“Oh, you don’t have to get dressed on my account.”

“Behave.”

“See you soon.”

“Drive safely,” Nic said before turning off the phone.

To her amazement, despite the fact that she’d awakened this day with the responsibility of two small children, added a frail senior citizen to the party, and then drove two and a half hours home, she hadn’t had a cigarette all day. A few times she’d wanted one, but she’d suppressed the urge, and with the constant chatter and activity, she’d practically forgotten about smoking. She’d been busy getting everyone settled into their rooms, then chasing the kids off the dock and teaching them to swim.

As she smelled her hair, for the first time in as long as she could remember, she didn’t need to wash away the lingering stench of smoke. She would brush her teeth, just in case her lips found the occasion to brush across Rae’s, a possibility she sincerely hoped for. With her teeth clean, she slipped into a pair of shorts and her favorite Scranton shirt and then surveyed the house. It gave no hint that two small children had spent the day here. They were as neat as Nic, picking up after themselves and putting things in their proper places. The same went for Nan. As far as houseguests went, she couldn’t have found a neater group.

She turned on the landscaping lights in the front of her house, then walked out and sat on the porch steps. The night was warm, the sky was clear, and the stars were out in full force. Even if Rae wasn’t coming, she should have been outside enjoying this. But she was tired. These kids were wearing her out, and without the adrenaline rush fueled by Rae’s call, she’d probably have been asleep by now.

Headlights weren’t a rare sight on a Friday night in the summer at the lake, but the slow pace of the set approaching her told her they likely belonged to Rae’s car. She stood and waved as the car approached, and Rae stopped, rolling down her window.

“Hi, there. Did someone here order a pizza?”

“Pepperoni?”

“Nope. Meatball.”

Nic laughed. She’d shared that story with Rae the night before. “You’ve got the right place.”

Rae smiled and pulled into the driveway, parking just at the edge of the walkway where Nic was approaching. She hopped out of the car and encircled Nic in her arms, and before Nic had a chance to say a word, Rae’s mouth was on hers. Just as quickly, Rae pulled back, leaving Nic breathless and wanting more.

“Well, hello to you, too,” Nic said.

“It’s good to see you. I know it’s only been twenty-four hours, but I’ve forgotten what you look like.”

“You could have gone next door and stolen a picture.”

“I did.”

Nic was mortified. “Did you really?”

Rae chuckled. “No. I’m not that desperate.”

“I won’t comment. But would you like to come inside? Have a drink? Go out on my deck? I was just stargazing at this wonderful sky.”

“The deck sounds great, and maybe some water.”

“Just water? I have a few bottles of wine and some hard stuff, too.”

“No, just water. Do you have lemon?”

“I happen to have some limes. Would that do?”

They walked into the kitchen, and Nic poured water over ice for both of them and garnished both glasses with lime wedges.

“Where are the kids?” Rae asked.

“Snoozing. Would you like to peek in on them?”

Nic guided Rae up the stairs and to the bedroom where Chloe and Andre were sleeping. Boards creaked in the old stairs, echoing through the silent house, threatening to wake them, but when Nic opened the door, the hall light creeping in revealed them both to still be asleep. Chloe was spooning Andre, her arms lovingly wrapped around him.

“Oh, look at them. It’s so sweet,” Nic whispered.

“She’s really protective of him, isn’t she?” Rae asked as they closed the door once again.

“Yes. She watches him like a hawk.”

“Is she getting comfortable with you?” Rae asked as she followed Nic back down the stairs.

“She’s tolerating me. Having Nan helps—Chloe seems to adore her. But Andre is my new best friend. I can’t go to the bathroom without him.”

“A shadow, huh?”

“Yep.”

“How’s their mother?”

“A little better. Sipping liquids, getting out of bed, sitting in the chair. We’re going to do a video chat tomorrow if she’s out of ICU.”

“Does she know about you yet?”

“No. Jet didn’t want to stress her any more, and I don’t blame her. As long as Katie knows her kids are safe, she doesn’t need to know who they’re with.” Nic slid open the door to the deck and stepped out, leaving it open an inch so she could hear her guests if they awakened. She seated herself on one of the chairs, and Rae was about to follow suit when she noticed Nic’s hammock.

“May I?” she asked.

“Be my guest.”

Rae handed over her glass of water and then eased herself into the hammock. Once settled, she could enjoy an unobstructed view of about a million stars. “Wow,” she said softly. “What a view.”

Nic leaned back in her chair to share the sight. “Yeah, it’s pretty amazing, isn’t it?”

They were quiet then, enjoying the night, with only the soundtrack of nature filling the silence.

“How was your day?” Nic asked, not just curious, but concerned. Rae had been sacrificing sleep and time for her, and there had to be a price to pay for it.

“Work was productive. It seems this drug ring in Philly may be imploding. The bullets that hit Katie and killed Wallace are probably from the same gun used to kill a parking attendant in a garage downtown. He was a known dealer, too.”

“So three of them? Any others?”

“It doesn’t look like it. But three shootings in less than a day is sort of a crisis.”

“Is this a good time for you to take off?”

“It’s up to the police for now. I’ll come in later.”

“It sounds dreadful.”

“It is, Nic. So many lives are destroyed—people like Katie who seem to be caught in the crossfire—”

“Do you know that for sure? Is she really innocent?”

“Nic, Katie has had her share of troubles, but it seems that she really got herself together when she was pregnant with Chloe. She’s been squeaky clean since then.”

“Hmm.”

After a while, Rae spoke. “So, anyway, about Katie. I think that’s a good idea, to not tell her about you right now. She’s dealing with enough.”

“Yeah, she sure is.”

“How are you doing?”

“I’m just going with the flow. They’re actually really easy. They swam the day away, and when I made them get out of the water, they chased each other around the yard. Tomorrow we’re going to some yard sales to see if we can find used bikes, and then we’ll ride around the lake. Simple stuff. No stress.”

“That’s great, Nic.”

“AJ, the name is AJ.”

“Sorry, AJ.”

“Their mother has raised them well, Rae. They’re great kids.”

“That’s good to know, huh? She can’t be all bad if she has good kids.”

“I suppose not.”

“Speaking of mothers, have you spoken to yours?”

Nic groaned and closed her eyes. “No. Jeannie must have called them before I left the hospital that night, because I had my first message when I got home, and about fifty since then, from both my parents. And a few from Jeannie, too. I don’t want to talk to any of them. I don’t know what I feel. I don’t know what to feel. Until I do, I’d rather just not deal with it.”