And to make matters worse after she and the other passengers took their seats on the large bus, and the driver slung the doors shut and took off, rain began to pour over Dillon like sheets of tears from heaven.
That was what it always felt like to Maude whenever it rained in what she considered to be her hometown. A gray dreariness came over the place. And a feeling of deep sadness washed over her. As if life wasn’t hard enough as it was, but now she had to deal with the tears too. Tears that she felt she deserved. That she had coming to her. That needed to be shed.
She even felt like crying herself. Because she knew the reason she never wanted to leave that town said more about herthan it would ever say about that town. She was scared to leave. It never embraced her, but it never abandoned her either. After her parents and sister died, and after her aunt deserted her, and after all her boyfriends betrayed her, it was the only constant thing she’d had in her life. She could rely on the fact that it would always be there. Not necessary be thereforher. But at least not against her.
And she knew, when she returned, she had her life to map out. A life that wasn’t a bowl of cherries to begin with, but now would be even harder to maintain.
She pulled out that list again. All those people Natasha thought were in her corner didn’t even like her. Most hated her guts. And her so-called ace in the hole if all else failed, her brother, wouldn’t even return Maude’s phone calls or text messages. That was why she had to travel all the way to Baltimore just to talk to him. Did he hate his sister like her so-called friends did?
But what was happening to Natasha was so wrong and so downright corrupt that Maude knew somebody had to step up. Since everybody felt Natasha got what she deserved and they were offended just to be asked to help her, Maude knew she had to be the one. She didn’t want to be the one. But there didn’t appear to be anybody else.
As the bus careened through town, she was kind of excited to have an adventure in her life where she didn’t have to do all the work for a change. Just relay the message. And enjoy the ride. But it was also filled with grave concern that Natasha’s brother would be just like the rest of her so-called inner circle, and that was the real reason he was at the bottom of the list. It made for mostly a nerve-racking ride.
Because even when she called the main line of the hospital and asked for a direct connection to Dr. Edmund Keating, she couldn’t even get through to him there. There wasno way she was going to be connected directly to a surgeon no matter how serious Maude tried to tell them it was. In other words, that receptionist implied,are you kidding me?
And that was the fear Maude couldn’t shake as she laid her head back and looked out the window as they left Dillon for places she’d never been before. Was she kidding herself? What if that brother wasn’t as wonderful as Natasha claimed he was? What if he didn’t love his sister like she thought? But Natasha seemed so certain. Once her brother found out she was in trouble, she insisted, he would absolutely come to her rescue.
But he wouldn’t respond to a series of text messages that told him his sister was in trouble. He wouldn’t return phone messages that told him the same thing. How on earth did she think he would care if a woman he didn’t know came over seven hundred miles just to tell him his sister needed him when texts and phone calls didn’t do it? Some families didn’t roll like the lovey-dovey wholesome types and Maude knew it. She came from one.
But as she rode for hours on end on that bus, with twelve stops in between, the bus finally arrived in downtown Baltimore, Maryland right around eight p.m. the next day.
But when she stepped off of that bus in that bustling big city, it felt strange to be there. She felt like the barking dog that ran and ran and finally caught the car. But didn’t know what to do with it once he caught it.
She knew not to go to the hospital. They wouldn’t even put him on the phone. She’d be nuts to think they were going to let her waltz into his office. Besides, it was nighttime. He probably wouldn’t still be in his office anyway.
She, instead, went to the bathroom, brushed and gargled, washed off in the sink and put on a fresh pair of underwear, jeans, and a blouse. Then she stuffed her old clothes in her shoulder bag and pulled out the address Natasha had given toher for her brother. And she caught a cab to his house.Say my name, Natasha had told her,and he’ll let you in.
But when the Uber driver got past the gate of the gated community and pulled up to this big, brick, colonial-style, museum-looking mansion of a house, Maude felt so out of her league that the dog finding great use for the car seemed a more plausible bet. What was she thinking injecting herself into these rich white folks’ business? Why didn’t she just let Natasha twist in the wind like everybody else, including her own brother it seemed, were more than willing to do? Why did she always have to be the one to do the dirty work?
But she wasn’t there just for Natasha. She was there because Natasha’s vindication would mean vindication for her investigation into Ross Hampton and all those other elitist crooks around town. It would mean all that hard work, work that got her fired, wasn’t in vain after all and that maybe, just maybe, it would lead her back to her old job. Or even something bigger and better.
And besides, she was there now. There was no turning back now. And that Uber driver was anxious for her to get out of his car so he could go make more money.
She stared at that enormous home for several more seconds. A Lexus was in that driveway, and what looked like a Rolls Royce. A Rolls Royce! She felt as if she truly didn’t belong there in any way, shape, or form.
But then she steeled herself, got out with her big shoulder bag, and stood there as she placed the strap over her small shoulder. The Uber driver didn’t wait around at all. She had barely closed the door and he was backing out of that driveway and was speeding away.
Not that she blamed him. She wished she could take off too. But she was there now. And even though her heart was pounding, she knew there was no turning back. She inhaled andthen exhaled. And made her way across his brick driveway to the steps that led up to his front porch with thick white columns on either side. And then up to his incredibly tall double doors. So tall that Maude looked skyward to see their end. And she exhaled again. She was sooo out of her league, and anybody in Dillon’s league, that it made her begin to doubt herself. What on earth was she even doing there?
But she was there now.
Lord help me, she said, and gave a sign of the cross even though she was Baptist, not Catholic. And then she reached out to ring his bell.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
After dinner, he sat stiff back in his archtop chair. She sat on his sofa. They were inches away from each other in his living room, but they were a million miles apart. It had been a long time coming. The writing had been on the wall for Edmund within the first few months. But they lasted because they knew the rules and stuck to them. Now she, like all those other women before her, wanted more. She wanted their five-year relationship to finally move forward. She wanted exclusivity. She wanted to be his one and only.
“I know it wasn’t meant to be a commitment,” she said softly, “but that’s what it’s beginning to feel like to me. Five years has to account for something.”
Edmund didn’t respond to her. What was he going to say?She knew the rules? He was a heart surgeon. He knew hearts never worked that robotically.
“The thing is,” she continued, “I’m not getting any younger, Edmund.” She looked at him.
He finally looked at her. She was a gorgeous woman who was showing every bit of her forty-five years. Hell, she was three years older than Edmund. Of course she was aging. But five years ago she only had a few lines on her face. Now she had several, even with Botox. But to him she was still one of the best looking ladies around.
Teri knew her beauty and she knew her worth. But age was creeping up on her and scaring her straight into action. Something had to be done. Something had to change. And although Edmund understood where she was coming from, justlike he understood where Shannon was coming from and all those other ladies he’d had before too. But what they all had to understand was that wherever they wanted to go in terms of commitment and marriage, he wasn’t going with them. Period.
“I don’t want to be alone as I get older,” Teri continued. “I can’t keep playing house with you.”
