Her words from last night came back to me. The Sheriff only cares about the privileged, both financially and familially. “Shit.” I really messed up, and talking with Helen had made it crystal clear that Mara might never forgive me for this.
Helen’s deep chuckle pulled me out of my own depressive thoughts. “Just do right by both kids. Don’t let the boy skate if you plan to charge Lonnie. If anything they’ve done requires consequences, dish them out equally.” She stood just as Brenda Humphries appeared in the doorway, almost as if she had a sixth sense.
“Lonnie would like to speak to you, Helen.”
She turned back to me, sympathy blazing in her eyes. “Good luck, Xander. I have a feeling we’ll be seeing each other again soon.”
I hoped so, but as Helen and the social worker went to speak to Lonnie, I couldn’t help but wonder if it really was a case of poor timing between Mara and me, or if the past would always be a big looming thing between us.
I wasn’t ready to give up, but I had a lot of thinking to do.
Mara
I’m not gonna call. I won’t. I refuse to. Calling Helen’s house to speak to Lonnie was pointless. The girl was in a safe home with a foster mother who cared and I’d helped get her there. That was enough. It was more than enough. I’d taken Helen’s kindness and paid it forward to another soul in need, and now it was done.
I could move on with my life.
And I would, starting with a nice long run to clear my mind of everything. I was sick of thinking and worrying about things that didn’t matter or couldn’t be changed. I had changed one thing, and that was enough. I didn’t need a special thank you or anything, just knowing that Lonnie would get a shot at the life she deserved was enough for me. At least it would be, after my run.
I changed and laced up my sneakers just as the bell rang, or rather it clunked because it was in desperate need of repair, but I refused to bother the landlord with it because I didn’t get enough visitors to really care about my doorbell. When I opened the door, there were four worried sets of eyes staring back at me.
“Sorry, I gave a donation already.”
“Very funny,” Eva said and pushed her way inside, leaving Olive, Sophie and Joss to follow with bags and casserole dishes.
I frowned as I closed the door and followed the women into my kitchen. “Who died and why do they need to borrow my fridge?” It was the only reason people in a small town brought this much food to one house. That, or potluck dinners.
Joss laughed and set down her pink and purple cake holder. “This is all for you. I told the girls about Lonnie, and they wanted to do something nice for you.”
“That’s sweet, but unnecessary.”
Sophie turned to look at me, both hands fisted on her hips. “Joss said she was missing for weeks and you were worried.” There was a hint of accusation in her tone that I didn’t understand.
“She was, but she was found alive and unharmed. Xander was being a jerk about letting her go, so I called my old foster mother Helen, to come and get her. It’s over now.”
All the women but Joss wore shocked expressions. Sophie looked hurt as she stepped forward and put a hand on my shoulder. “You never said a thing. Why?”
I shrugged. “Because I don’t or need any sympathy for something that’s in the past and can’t be changed. It’s no big deal, really. I was only with her for a few years before it went to shit anyway.” I sighed and shook off those old thoughts that threatened to surface. “Helen will get Lonnie straightened out so she can use that big brain to take care of herself. That’s the only thing I care about.” Despite Xander’s best efforts, Helen and the social worker had gotten Lonnie out of her old foster home and placed with Helen.
“Why did everything go bad,” Olive asked tentatively as though worried I might bite her head off just for asking. “Did she abuse you?”
“Helen? No.” I laughed at the absurdity of that question. “Helen was the best foster parent I ever had. She was kind but tough, with a big heart for troubled kids. I’m the one who messed it all up. I got in trouble, over a boy of course, and took the fall for him. It got me a criminal record for my efforts, and I just didn’t want that fate for Lonnie.” There, now they had the whole story and they could decide to stick around or not. That was something like progress, wasn’t it?
Joss sighed and grabbed a cupcake that Eva had just set on the table. “Did you mean what you told Helen, that you were stuck here in Pilgrim?”