AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Edward looked up at her. "Gabe got mad because I banged the hammer, and I wasn't's'pose to. Then I called him the b-word." Edward dropped his voice to an anxious whisper. "Butthead."
Under other circumstances, it would have been funny, but not now. "Gabe still shouldn't have hit you, even though that was a rude thing for you to do, and you need to apologize."
Edward slipped closer to her side for courage and gave Gabe a resentful glare. "Sorry I called you butthead."
Gabe went down on one knee and regarded him with a directness he'd never displayed before. Now that it was too late, he could finally look her son in the eyes. "I forgive you, Chip. I just hope someday you can forgive me."
"I said I did."
"I know. But you didn't mean it, and I don't blame you."
Edward looked up at her. "If I mean it, do we still got to go to Flor'da?"
"Yes." She choked out the words. "Yes. We still have to go. Now run in your room, and pack up your things in the laundry basket."
He didn't argue any longer, and she knew he was anxious to get away from them both.
The moment he disappeared, Gabe turned to her. "Rach, something happened today. When I… It was—Chip didn't cry, but it was like he crumbled right in front of me. Not physically, but mentally."
"If you're trying to make things better, you're going about it the wrong way." She wouldn't let him watch her fall apart, so she turned away and headed for the kitchen, only to have him follow her.
"Just listen. I don't know if it was the shock of what I'd done, or… For the first time, I felt as if I were really seeing him. Only him. Not Jamie."
"Gabe, leave me alone, will you?"
"Rach…"
"Please. I'll meet you at the drive-in at six."
He didn't say anything, and, finally, she heard him walk away.
She packed up everything she and Edward owned and loaded it into the Escort. As she pulled away from Annie's cottage, she swallowed her tears. This small cottage had been a symbol of everything she'd dreamed about, and now she was leaving it behind.
At her side, Edward groped for Horse, and when he didn't find his old companion, chewed on his thumb instead.
Rachel called Lisa Scudder from Kristy's condo and got the name of a reliable high-school girl to watch Edward, then fixed him an early dinner from the leftovers she'd brought with her from the cottage. She was too upset to eat anything herself. By the time she'd changed into a clean dress, the sitter had arrived, and when she left, the two of them were safely tucked in front of Kristy's television.
Rachel would have given anything not to have to go to work that night. She didn't want to see Gabe, didn't want to think how he'd betrayed her trust, but she spotted him the moment she pulled into the drive-in. He stood in the middle of the lot with his fists clenched at his sides. There was something unnaturally still about his posture that alarmed her. She followed the direction of his gaze and drew in her breath.
The middle of the screen had been defaced with streaks of black paint like some giant abstract painting. She jumped out of the car. "What h
appened?"
Gabe's response was low and toneless. "Someone got in after we closed last night and wrecked the place. The snack shop, the rest rooms…" He finally looked at her, and his eyes seemed empty. "I've got to get out of here. I called Odell, and he's on his way. Just tell him I found it like this."
"But—"
He ignored her and headed for his truck. Moments later, it shot out of the lot, leaving nothing behind but a dusty trail.
She rushed over to the snack shop. The lock had been smashed and the door stood partially open. She looked inside and saw broken appliances littering the floor, along with spilled soft-drink syrup, melted ice cream, and cooking oil. She hurried to the rest rooms and found a sink partially ripped off one wall, rolls of paper towels stopping up the toilets, and broken ceiling tiles scattered over the floor.
Before she could inspect the projection room, Odell Hatcher arrived. He got out of his squad car along with a man she recognized as Jake Armstrong, the officer who'd tried to throw her into jail for vagrancy.
"Where's Gabe?" Odell asked.
"He was upset and he left. I'm sure he'll be back before long." She wasn't sure of anything. "He told me to tell you this is the way he found it."
Odell frowned. "He should have waited around. Don't you leave until I say it's all right, y'hear?"
