“When would you like to stop by?” Michelle asked.
“I’ll get settled in and be there in about an hour. Does that suit you?” The sooner he confronted the old man the better. Putting it off wouldn’t make seeing him again any easier.
“Perfect. I’ll see you at my parents’ house then.”
“See you,” Josh said and disconnected the call. It felt good to have one ally in town, someone he could talk to freely. He’d forgotten how just being in this town, close to Richard, made him feel under siege.
His truck keys jingling in his hand, Josh started down the staircase.
Jo Marie met him at the bottom of the stairwell. “I’m going down to the bank this afternoon, but the key to your room unlocks the front door as well, so if I’m not here feel free to make yourself at home.”
“Thanks, I will. I’m heading out now,” he said. “I’m not sure when I’ll be back.” Josh had decided that he would drive around town before heading over to the Nelsons’. It would be interesting to see what changes the years had brought to Cedar Cove. He hadn’t noticed that much when he’d exited off the highway. From the view in his room, the waterfront area didn’t appear any different than what he remembered. He expected much had remained the same as well.
“I’ll see you later, then.”
“Later,” he concurred. Leaving the B&B, he paused long enough to zip up the jacket he had yet to remove. The cold hit him hard as he walked outside. Rain had started to fall, a steady drizzle that was so common in the winter months around Puget Sound.
He headed for the high school and saw that other than a few more mobile classrooms, everything was as he remembered it. He parked the truck and walked around the back of the school to the track and football field. The track looked like it had been resurfaced recently. He’d run track in high school and done fairly well, but Dylan was the real athlete in the family—he’d even been on the Homecoming Court his senior year. By then Josh had been in the army, and he remembered how proud he was when Dylan had told him he’d been nominated.
Josh hadn’t attended his own homecoming or, for that matter, the prom. He couldn’t afford it and Richard wasn’t likely to pay for anything beyond his most basic needs. After his mother died, Josh knew he couldn’t depend on Richard for anything more than a roof over his head, and he’d been right. In the end Richard had been unwilling to provide even that.
From the high school, Josh drove down Harbor Street and was pleasantly surprised. The library was adorned with a freshly painted mural and the Chinese restaurant was in the same place he remembered. But several businesses were gone, including the dog-washing shop where he’d worked one summer between his junior and senior years in high school.
Finally he decided it was ridiculous to put his reunion with Richard off any longer and headed for his old neighborhood. Needless to say, he wasn’t anxious to see his stepfather, but he was determined not to let the old man intimidate him any longer.
Josh parked on the street outside the Nelson house and reached for a pen and paper, quickly compiling a list of things he wanted to collect from the house. His mother’s Bible was the first item he noted, along with her cameo. He’d give that to his daughter, if he were to have one. He also wanted to retrieve his letterman jacket and his high school yearbook from his senior year, both of which he’d paid for himself. He’d been unable to take them when Richard had kicked him out of the house. His stepfather wouldn’t allow it.
An hour after his phone call with Michelle, Josh rang the doorbell to the Nelsons’ house.
“Josh?” she asked, greeting him with a welcoming smile.
Surely there was some mistake. The person standing on the other side of the glass door couldn’t be Michelle. The woman who stood before him was tall and slim and … strikingly attractive.
“Michelle?” he asked, unable to disguise his shock.
“Yes,” she laughed softly, “it’s me. I guess you haven’t seen me since I lost the weight, have you?”
It was all Josh could do to close his mouth and not stare.
Chapter 3
Josh followed Michelle into her parents’ home, still trying to assimilate the fact that the beautiful woman in front of him was Michelle Nelson. It was difficult to believe that the overweight teenager he remembered and this svelte woman were one and the same.
“Coffee?” she asked as she headed into the kitchen.
“Ah, sure.” Josh’s head continued to buzz. He wanted to ask her what had happened, but realized it might be rude.
Michelle filled a mug and handed it to him.
Josh had a difficult time keeping his eyes off her. He suddenly realized why he hadn’t seen her at Dylan’s funeral—he simply hadn’t recognized her. She could have been standing directly in front of him, and for all he knew they might even have spoken. He remembered briefly talking to several people, a couple of whom he hadn’t been able to place.
Josh continued to stare at her from above the rim of the coffee mug.
“Are you so shocked?” she asked, grinning widely. She stood on one side of the kitchen counter and he remained on the other.
He nodded, hardly knowing what else to say.
“I’m not the same girl I was in high school,” she assured him. “And frankly, I’m glad.”
“Clearly, you’ve changed.” He pulled out the stool and sat down.
“We all do, don’t you think? You’re not the same as when you left Cedar Cove, are you?”
Josh conceded the point. “No, and like you, I’m grateful.” As a teenager he’d been hotheaded and angry. He’d just lost his mother and his stepfather had rejected him. He didn’t want to think about those days, and was glad he didn’t need to repeat them.
“What can you tell me about Richard?” he asked.
She took a moment to consider the question. “Not much has changed about Mr. Lambert, personality-wise,” Michelle said.
“You mean he’s still cantankerous, stubborn, unreasonable, proud, and difficult?” Although Josh made it sound like a joke, he was serious. That was the Richard he remembered. If anything, Josh assumed Dylan’s death and old age had probably intensified his stepfather’s negative traits, although he hoped otherwise.
“Basically, yes,” Michelle laughed, holding on to her coffee mug with both hands, halfway to her mouth. “He should be in a nursing home or some other care facility, but he won’t hear of it.”
“Same old Richard.” Josh knew his stepfather must have put up quite a fight to remain in his own home. He couldn’t fault Richard for that—he would have done the same.
“Same old Richard,” Michelle echoed.
“What about hospice?”
Michelle lifted one slender shoulder. “He’s refused to discuss it. He told me he doesn’t want a bunch of people drooling sympathy, hanging around waiting for him to die.”
Josh shook his head. He’d expected that Richard would be difficult even though he was close to death. Why change now?
He took one last sip of his coffee and set the mug on the counter. “No need to keep putting this off, let’s go on over.” He couldn’t help thinking that the shock of seeing him might be enough to cause Richard to keel over. He felt slightly guilty for being so negative and was surprised by his own attitude, especially since it felt a bit like wishful thinking on his part.
Over the years Josh had worked hard not to resent his stepfather. Yet he hadn’t been in town for more than a few hours and he found himself reverting back to the same negative feelings he’d harbored when he’d left as a teenager. It was as if no time had passed whatsoever, and he was eighteen all over again—proud, immature, and angry.
“I’ll grab my coat and be right back,” Michelle said, setting her mug down as she left the room.
Josh stuffed his fingertips into his jean pockets. “I appreciate you going over with me.”
“No problem.” Michelle’s words echoed from the hallway leading to the bedrooms.
When she returned
, she was wearing a bright red jacket and a white knit scarf was draped around her neck. Outside, Josh was again struck by the cold winter wind cutting through him. Thankfully, the two houses were close together. The Nelsons had lived next door to his family ever since his mother had married Richard.
“Anything special I should know before I see him?” Josh asked, wishing he’d thought to ask sooner.
Michelle’s steps matched his as they walked side by side in the drizzling rain. “He looks much older than his actual age. I first noticed the difference about six months after Dylan died. I don’t think he’s ever been the same since burying his son.”
To his surprise Josh experienced a twinge of sympathy. Richard had lost two wives and his only son. His last remaining relative was a stepson he’d never liked. Everyone who had ever been important to him was gone. And after Dylan’s death, Richard had no legacy to pass on to the next generation.
They climbed the steps onto the house’s small porch. The carefully tended flower beds that his mother had pampered had been completely crowded out by the encroaching lawn. Josh had done his best to keep the beds weeded while his mother had battled breast cancer, and after she’d died, too. He’d been the only one to care. He looked away, refusing to allow something like a neglected flower bed to undo him.
“Mr. Lambert keeps the door locked most of the time.” Michelle reached into the mailbox and extracted a house key. She unlocked the door and then replaced the key. It landed with a ping when it hit the bottom of the metal box.
“Yoo-hoo,” Michelle called as she opened the front door. “Anyone home?”
“Who is it?” Richard asked in a voice that Josh found only vaguely familiar. His stepfather sounded as if he were in the family room off the kitchen.
“It’s Michelle.”
“I’m fine. I don’t need anything.”
“Good,” she called back, leading the way. “Because I didn’t bring you anything.” She laughed and it was clear she was good at letting Richard’s grouchiness run off her back.
They entered the room and Josh’s gaze immediately went to the old man sitting up in the recliner. It was the same one Richard had favored when Josh had lived with him.
The old man looked small and frail in the chair, and he had a blanket over his lap. He’d never been a robust man. By the time Josh was sixteen he had stood six feet, two inches taller than his stepfather, and he had grown another inch the following year.
What he lacked in height, Richard made up for in bravado. He’d never gotten overly physical with Josh, but the verbal abuse had been nonstop. It had gotten much worse after his mother’s death.
Richard looked up and when he saw Josh, shock registered in his eyes. For just an instant his gaze seemed to soften, but any indication that he was pleased to see his stepson swiftly vanished.
“What are you doing here?” he demanded.
Josh stiffened, surprised that a dying man still had the power to intimidate him. “I came to see how you’re doing and to get a few of my things.”
“What things? You will take nothing, do you understand? Nothing.”
Josh bristled and bit back an angry response, amazed at how quickly Richard could rile him up.
Michelle placed a restraining hand on Josh’s arm. “Can I get you anything, Mr. Lambert?”
“No,” Richard barked. He tossed aside the blanket and attempted to get out of the chair.
Before he could do anything to injure himself, Michelle rushed forward. “Mr. Lambert, please.”
Richard eased back into a sitting position. He’d gone pale and he looked as if he were about to pass out. The sound of his deep, staggering breaths filled the room.
Josh felt terrible. He hadn’t meant to bait him. He hadn’t realized how fragile his stepfather was.
“I won’t take anything without your approval,” Josh assured him.
“You’re nothing but a vulture,” Richard said once he’d regained enough breath to speak. Even then it wobbled and was wispy. He pressed his hand over his chest. “You’ve come to circle overhead, just waiting for me to die so you can steal from me the same way you did when you were a teenager.”
“I don’t want anything from you,” Josh insisted. Five minutes with his stepfather and his blood was boiling.
“If you’re looking for a handout, then—”
“I want nothing from you,” Josh insisted, cutting him off.
“You’ll get nothing.”
“Do you honestly think I would want anything of yours?” Josh asked. “Do I look that desperate?”
“You were desperate enough to steal two hundred dollars from me. You don’t get much lower than that.”
Josh knotted his fists. If he didn’t leave now, he would do or say something he’d regret. Turning on his heel, Josh slammed out of the house and paced on the sidewalk as he struggled to deal with his outrage.
Michelle followed a few minutes later. By then Josh had regained his composure.
“Are you all right?” she asked.
Josh ignored the question. “How is he?”
“Weak, but okay.”
Josh exhaled slowly and closed his eyes. “I don’t think that could have gone much worse.”
“Mr. Lambert isn’t himself.”
Josh snorted. “You’re wrong. He hated me as a teenager and his feelings haven’t changed.” It must tighten the old man’s jaw to realize that Josh was his only living relative.
“What’s this about two hundred dollars?” Michelle asked.
“I didn’t take the money,” he answered vehemently.
“The missing money was the reason he kicked you out of the house, isn’t it?”
He stuffed his hands in his pockets, hunched his shoulders, and nodded.
“Who took it?” Not waiting for a response, she answered herself. “Dylan?”
“He must have. I can only assume he intended to return it, but Richard discovered it was missing before he got the chance.”
“And Mr. Lambert naturally assumed it was you.”
It wasn’t a question but a statement of fact. Josh doubted that he’d ever forget that scene. Dylan had been in the kitchen when his father had stormed into the family room where Josh was studying. Shouting and cursing, Richard had grabbed Josh by the collar. Dylan had stood frozen with terror, shocked speechless while Richard literally kicked Josh out of the house.
Although Josh and his stepfather had never gotten along, Richard had never manhandled him before.
Later, Dylan had come to him. Josh knew that Dylan had taken the money, and Dylan knew that Josh knew. But he told his stepbrother that it was time for him to leave anyway, and that they should let things lie. Even if Dylan had confessed, it wouldn’t have mattered. The missing money was just the excuse his stepfather had been waiting for.
What Richard didn’t know was that Josh had already enlisted at the army recruiter’s office. He was due to leave for basic training within a week of his high school graduation. He’d never planned on returning anyway, so clearing up the issue hadn’t seemed important.
Michelle placed her hand on his sleeve. “Are you okay?”
Josh wasn’t sure how to respond. Was he? “I’m surprised, is all. Surprised that Richard still has the power to rile me and shocked that he still has this much control over my emotions.”
“What can I do to help?” she asked.
Even if he knew, Josh doubted he could answer. Even more shocking than the anger that had consumed him was the sadness that threatened to overwhelm him.
In his own way, Josh had made peace with his past. He didn’t ever expect to be bosom buddies with his stepfather. Yet deep down, a part of him had hoped—had anticipated—that perhaps there was a chance they could finally come to terms. He didn’t hate Richard; he never really had. The old man was at the end of his life and even now, even with only weeks to live, it seemed unlikely that he would be open to settling their differences.
“Josh?” Michelle asked again.
“Nothing, thanks. I’m grateful you were there.”
“I think it might be best if I was with you next time you see Richard, too,” she offered.
Josh concurred with a nod. “That’s probably a good idea.”
“Have you been to the Pancake Palace yet?” she asked, after a pause.
The question seemed to come from out of the blue. “I beg your pardon?” The Pancake Palace, which served a wide variety of food, but specialized in breakfast, had been the gathering place for teens following high school football games, but he hadn’t thought about it in years.
“Have you had lunch?” she asked pointedly. “I’m always grumpy and easily upset on an empty tummy.”
“Lunch?” he repeated, still caught in the throes of the confrontation with Richard. “I guess I haven’t.”
“Me either, and I’m famished. Join me?”
She seemed to assume his answer was yes because she wrapped her hand around his elbow and led him toward his truck. “It’s after three already and I haven’t eaten since early this morning,” she said.
Josh doubted that he could down a single bite, but he needed to get away from Richard and the thought of returning to the bed-and-breakfast and sitting in his room held little appeal.
“Pancake Palace, it is,” he said, opening the passenger door for Michelle and helping her inside.
He walked around the car and joined her. When he went to insert the key in the ignition, her hand stopped him. “That must have been difficult. I’m so sorry, Josh, so sorry.”
He appreciated the gentle touch of her hand on his and the tenderness of her gaze. He found himself mesmerized by the changes in her. Not just the physical—although they were dramatic—but what struck him was her wisdom and maturity, neither of which came without dealing with some deep emotional pain.
Josh had his own issues, his own scars. Richard seemed determined to leave matters as they were between them and to die alone. If that was what his stepfather wanted, then far be it from Josh to stand in his way.