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Phil ended the call and then made a few calls to locate the sheriff’s cell phone number. Within five minutes, he keyed in some numbers.
On the couch with his feet in Katrina’s lap, Dave looked at his phone when it rang and was going to ignore it.
“Phil Alder. What in the hell does he want?”
“Answer it, Dave. I bet it’s about Amber.”
“I’ll put it on speakerphone.”
“Hello.”
“Sheriff Chastain, it’s Phil Adler. I hope I’m not getting you at a bad time. I know it’s late there.”
“We’re up, Phil. What can I do for you?”
“Sheriff, I just spoke to Amber and she’s beside herself with regrets over the confrontation today. She’s remorseful and ashamed. There’s no way to express how terrible I feel about what she said to you, and I promise you, she said those things out of jealousy and anger, not because she really believes them.” He waited for a bit and when there was no response, he continued on.
“Amber has the highest regard for Katrina. When we saw you both at Bayou Cottage, she was so full of admiration, I can’t express the joy she had wanting to be involved in some way but realizing she’d burned bridges because of her involvement with you and Justin.”
“I wouldn’t go that far to say she’d burned this bridge because I was the one who left her.”
“Right, but she felt a certain amount of shame over that, as well. So, the gifts, and I hesitate to bring that up and only do so as a way of explanation, were her peace offering. She knew it would be awkward for Katrina, but she really wanted her to know that she was happy for you both. I think deep down she was hoping to forge a friendship there, as unlikely as that would be.”
“Thank you for calling, Mr. Adler. What’s there to say beyond that?”
“No, of course. I just wanted to apologize. I want to make it right for Amber, too, because I don’t want her to sink so low in despair that she can’t recover from it. But that’s not your problem. Please, speak with Katrina and ask her if there’s anything we can do to make it up to you. All I have is money and would like to make a donation to a Down syndrome group if you have one in mind.”
Dave looked at Katrina and shook his head while she rolled her eyes. She pointed to herself and Dave nodded. “Phil, I have Katrina on speakerphone.”
“Okay, hello, Katrina.”
“Hi, Phil. If you want to make a donation, there is group here that is part of the National Down Syndrome Association. Blessed by Downs helps local families so that would be a great place to make a donation. They also educate the public regarding myths about Down syndrome.”
“I’m writing this all down,” he said. “I hope it didn’t come off as being arrogant but what else can I do to make it right?”
“It’s okay, Phil. Tell Amber to dry her tears. We love our baby so much. I sent you an announcement. When you see his little face, and he’s so cute, you’ll see what I mean. We’re doing great and Amber’s meltdown is long forgotten.”
“Thank you so much for your graciousness,” he said, wanting to hang up. The conversation had made everything worse because he was intimidated by Katrina Blanchard. “I’ll make sure you get credit for the donation.”
“That’s not necessary. Thank you again, Phil. So long.”
“Goodbye.”
Dave hurriedly ended the call, sitting up. “You are amazing,” he said, laughing. “I feel sorry for the guy. I could tell he was squirming by the sound of his voice. I wonder if that will be the last time he has to put out a fire Amber started.”
“I hope so for his sake. I hope he makes a huge donation.”
***
Monday started the new life—working while parenting. Standing at the counter in the fancy bathroom, she applied makeup and did her hair like she was going into the office. Katrina primping was one of the enjoyable aspects of Dave’s life and he noted the colors she used and the order of application, from chin up.
“Don’t overdo,” Dave said gently, afraid to seem like he was trying to control her.
“You mean the eye shadow? It is a bit much for daytime use.”
“Ha!” he bellowed. “Not the makeup, you nut. The work! You just had a kid. Try to remember that. I’ll change your computer wallpaper to sayReminder;you just had a kid.”
“I promise,” she said, leaning over to kiss him.
