Annie's Rainbow (25 page)

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Authors: Fern Michaels

BOOK: Annie's Rainbow
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Annie nodded. Right now, all she wanted was to be alone with the dogs:
“That does it. I'm going to drive Elmo home. I know you must be tired, Annie, so I'll say good night. We have all day tomorrow to talk about things.”
“I am tired. Thanks, Tom.”
Annie walked to the door with her brother and Elmo. She hugged the old man. “We need to talk, Elmo,” she whispered.
“No, Annie, we don't. Let it rest. I mean that.”
Annie's throat closed up tight. She nodded.
“It was a damn good dinner, too,” Elmo grunted.
“I swear I'll eat it for lunch. Maybe breakfast. I swear, Elmo,” Annie said, a desperate look on her face.
“Annie, look at me. I'm okay with this. I've lived my life, and it was a good life. I have no regrets. If it's my time, then it's my time.”
Annie nodded again as she chewed the inside of her cheek. She knew by morning her mouth would be raw. She managed a raspy, “Good night.”
Back in the kitchen, Annie looked at Jane's glassy eyes and then at the bourbon bottle. Suddenly she was seeing someone she didn't know. “Spit it out, Jane. We've been friends too long for me not to know when something is wrong.”
“Every damn thing in the world is wrong. I think my husband is cheating on me. No, that's wrong. I
know
he's cheating on me. I hired a baby-sitter one night and followed him. She's nineteen if she's a day. She's gorgeous with a drop-dead figure. She drives a racy red MG convertible. She comes from a rich family. Her father owns the company Bob works for. He walks around with this sappy look on his face. He leaves early in the morning and comes home after midnight. He has no interest whatsoever in our daughter. She was having problems in school. He doesn't attend any of the events. It's like I'm a widow.”
“Why didn't you tell me this before? How long has it been going on?” Annie demanded.
“Almost two years.”
“And you're just telling me
now!
”
“I'm so ashamed. I don't even know why I feel like that. I'm not good enough, not pretty enough, not rich enough. It's me. What's lacking in me? I was a damn good wife. I'm a good mother. I have a career. We certainly don't want for any material things. It has to be me.”
“Stop that right now. It's not you, it's Bob. Did you try talking to him? Confront him. If it's true, then boot his ass out the door. Why are you making yourself miserable by pretending you don't know?”
“I told you, Annie, it's that shame thing. I thought about going for counseling, but what good is it if I just go? And the other thing that's bumming me out is”—she paused and took a deep slug of bourbon—“I finally decided that . . . it's Elmo who took the money.”
“What?”. The single word burst out of Annie's mouth like a gunshot.
“You heard me. I think he had the money, then got scared and sent it back. When you're old like Elmo you do crazy things like that and then your guilty conscience takes over. It's the only thing that makes sense. Just sit there and think about it, Annie. Elmo has all this money. He sure as hell didn't get it from that rinky-dink little drugstore. So where did he get the money to buy that big house down here? He has a new car every year and an investment portfolio. I think he used the money to earn interest in different banks. He made a windfall, then gave it back.”
“That's the craziest thing I ever heard come out of your mouth, Jane. Do you see this bottle? You drank half of it. It's one-hundred-proof bourbon. You are drunk. If you weren't drunk, you wouldn't be saying these things. Elmo would never in a million years take something that didn't belong to him. Furthermore, I used to do his books once a month if you remember. Yes, he had an investment portfolio, but it was small. He'd buy five shares of something, sometimes three shares. At the most it was seventy thousand dollars. He gave away half of what he earned, and you damn well knew it just the way I knew it. He sold his business for one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. He paid one hundred and twenty-five for his house here. He leases his car every year. So what if he likes a new car every year. At his age he deserves everything life has to offer. He worked damn hard all his life, and he was good to us, Jane. How can you believe or say such a thing about him? I also pay him for any work he does for the Daisy Shops. He had a private pension plan he set up, and he collects social security. I'd like an apology right now, Jane.”
“Shut up, Annie. You always wear me down. I can't help what I believe. I told you nothing else makes sense.”
“You're the one who doesn't make any sense, Jane. It's not Elmo at all. You're just looking for something to vent on instead of talking things out with your husband. It is possible to save your marriage if you work at it. Two years is just too damn long to carry something like that around with you.”
“What if he leaves me? What if he doesn't want us anymore?”
“What am I missing here? Are you saying you are willing to stay in a marriage where you know your husband is being unfaithful just for the sake of being married? That's sick. No wonder Daisy has problems. Kids pick up on stuff like that and don't know how to handle it. You should talk to Tom. He's been through all that. I wouldn't mention that stuff about Elmo to him because he'll take your head off.”
Jane sniffed. “You always have all the right answers, don't you? Just because you're this big tycoon now you think you can still tell me what to do. You got it all, didn't you, the business, the money, the power, Woman of the Year, and now you snag this rich coffee king. Anna Daisy Clark, the queen of everything.”
Annie felt hot tears prick her eyelids. “I worked my ass off, Jane. Sometimes getting by on two or three hours' sleep a night. I offered you a full partnership. You turned it down. You wanted to get married and move to California to do your own thing. I gave you one of the shops. You said you only wanted one. I did what you wanted. I told you to get a lawyer, and you said no. We pay you some megabucks every year. We do all the work and you just sit there and collect the money. Where the hell is the money, Jane?”
Jane burst into tears. “Bob took it to invest. Nothing worked out. At least he said it didn't. We used to stand by the mailbox to wait for the next check.”
“All of it's gone!”
“Every penny,” Jane sobbed.
“What about the taxes and all that stuff?”
Jane cried harder. “I don't know. Bob handles all that. He's a CPA. I just sign the forms when he hands them to me. A lot of mail has been coming lately from the IRS. Bob just puts it in his briefcase. I don't know what it's all about.”
“That's stupid, Jane. You don't ever screw around with the IRS.”
“There you go again! You know everything! Keep your nose out of my business. For all I know you're the one who took the money, because I sure as hell didn't take it. Did you take the money, Annie?”
Here it was, right in her face, the question she'd been dreading ever since that fateful day back in Boston.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Annie grappled with her emotions, hoping they didn't show on her face. “I don't think I care to dignify that question with an answer, Jane.”
Jane's face crumpled. “I'm sorry, Annie. I didn't mean to say that. Really, I didn't. I didn't mean to say it about Elmo, either. It must be coming up to that time of the month to make me say things like that.”
Annie reached for the bourbon bottle with shaky hands. She shook her head when Jane held out her glass. “This is for me. You already have a snootful. It's time to put you to bed. In the morning we'll talk about what we're going to do for you. I'll take you back into the business. I'm willing to share everything I have with you. Except for Parker. On second thought, maybe you can have him, too. I'd love to get to know my godchild better. You can stay here in the house. If, and that's a big if, I marry Parker, I'm going to be living in Hawaii part of the time. I can get you up on your feet, Jane, but you have to meet me halfway.” She gulped at the stinging bourbon, her eyes watering.
Jane's head bobbed up and down. “She isn't really nineteen. The bimbo. She's twenty-nine. She's pregnant, too, Annie.”
“We'll handle it tomorrow when the sun is shining. Come on, Jane, let's go to bed.”
“You're a good friend, Annie.”
“So are you.”
“What are we going to do about Elmo?”
“Nothing. That's the way he wants it. We'll be here for him the way he was always there for us.”
“See, you always have the right answer.”
“You just think I do. This is your room. Crawl into bed, and I'll check on you later. Do you want one of the dogs to stay with you?”
“No. I'm okay. Thanks anyway. Night, Annie.”
“Night, Jane. Tomorrow's another day.”
“Annie?”
“Yes.”
“Did you mean what you said about helping me?”
“Of course. What kind of friend would I be otherwise?”
“You're the best,” Jane said. A moment later Annie heard her snoring lightly.
In her room with the door closed, Annie sat down on the bed next to her dogs. “I don't know what to do,” she said miserably. “I can help Jane. I can be strong and tough where Elmo is concerned. At least I think I can. It's Parker that worries me. I don't know if I really and truly love him. I also have to send that money back if Jane moves into this house. That dumb, stupid thing I did years ago is going to haunt me for the rest of my life. If I confess now, Parker will never forgive me because he hates deception and secrets. If I thought for one second that Jane truly believed Elmo took the money, I'd fess up. She doesn't believe it. She was just letting off steam. I thought she had a really good marriage. I don't know what to do, guys.”
Rosie wiggled closer, trying to nudge Harry out of the way. Both shepherds pawed her arms and licked at her face. “It's okay. I'm just kind of out of it. The trip was long, Elmo's sick, Jane's in a funk, and then there's that other stuff staring at me. C'mere, you guys,” Annie said, rolling over to stretch out on the bed, the huge dogs trying to stretch out alongside her. She played with them until she was tired. “Okay, let's go for our last walk outside. No leashes. We stay in the courtyard, then it's bedtime for all of us. Let's go!”
They were twin streaks of black lightning the moment Annie opened her bedroom door. Panting and breathless, they waited at the kitchen door for their mistress to open it.
The air was clear and dark, the heavens star-spangled. A faint light from the second-floor landing shone downward, illuminating Tom sitting on one of the wooden benches under the old angel oak.
Tom held out a Budweiser to his sister. “This is nice out here, Annie. Do you spend much time here in the garden?”
“Sometimes. It doesn't feel like home for some reason. The house is big and beautiful, this garden with the tree is magnificent. I think I like it better than the house. I don't know what it is. It's simply a place, and I find that sad.”
“Maybe it's because you don't have anyone to share it with. You've been alone a long time, Annie. Now that you and Parker are together I'm so happy for you I could just bust. Is there anything you want to talk about?”
Annie could think of a hundred things. She shook her head. “Well, maybe one thing, Tom.” She told him about Jane.
“That rotten SOB.”
“Yeah, he's that all right. I told Jane she could come back and work for the company. I'm willing to share. She could help you, Tom. With Elmo . . . it might work,” she finished lamely.
“Look, sis, I know that Elmo's condition came out of left field to you as well as it did to me. I've come to depend on him and his good sense. No one can replace him. We both know that. This is just my opinion, and you can chop me off at the knees if you want, but I don't think you should just give anything to Jane. If she works for it, fine. If she has to work for her money, she might not be so quick to squander it next time. It was how I learned, thanks to you.”
“We'll work-it out in the morning. Jane's too proud to take. She'll want to work.”
“Tell me about Parker, Annie. Share a little. You looked so happy, so sparkly when you got off the plane. Now you look like you've been through the grinder.”
“Jet lag, no sleep, different water, it takes its toll. I think I'm happy. No, that's not true. I feel very confused where Parker is concerned. It's like he's got everything all mapped out. All these plans. It's almost as though . . . he knew this was going to happen. I don't know if I want to live on an island no matter how beautiful it is. Parker says we should look into decaf coffees. I don't think we can handle anything else, do you, Tom?”
“I'll run it by Elmo tomorrow. He loves it when we ask for advice. Listen, Annie, I didn't want to say anything in front of the others, but something happened a few days ago. Mona called me. I have no idea how she found me. I didn't ask, and she didn't say. She didn't even ask about the kids. Do you believe that?”
“Sure I believe that. Did she want more money?”
“No. She said some guy named Newman came to her house and started asking her a lot of questions. Personal questions. Like why did we get divorced. Why did she give up the kids. She told him it was none of his business. At least that's what she said she said. I believed her. She said he hinted that he knew what her bank balance was. If nothing else, Mona can smell trouble. She claims she just stared him down, and he finally left. She thought I should know. I sent her ten thousand dollars in cash through Federal Express. I know only a stupid person would do something like that. So I'm stupid and I did it. She got it just fine. Money talks, Annie, and money can buy silence. I went with the latter because I don't know where you got the money you gave me to buy off Mona, and I don't want to know. The businesses are cash cows, we all know that. If you ever get audited, you're going to have to be able to explain the missing hundred grand.
If
that jerk Newman manages to tap into Mona's old bank records, it could happen. She said she only deposited small amounts at a time. She's not stupid. Right now she's kind of scared, and she isn't sure why that is. What I'm trying to tell you is, she won't give up anything.”
Annie's heart thumped in her chest. It was coming apart, closing in on her. How long would it take for the noose to fall down around her neck? She swigged from the long-necked beer bottle, hoping she presented a picture of nonchalance. “I guess we'll worry about that when the time comes. I'm out on my feet, Tom. We can talk tomorrow. How long are you staying?”
“I'm heading home in the morning.”
“I might go to California with Jane to help her if she needs me. Do you think it will be okay to leave the dogs with Elmo?”
“He'd have a fit if you don't. It's business as usual where he's concerned. Don't let him see you cave in, Annie.”
“I'll try, Tom. God, what will we do without him?”
“I honest to God don't know, Annie. If Jane comes back, it might all work. Say good night, Gracie,” he said fondly.
“Okay. Good night, Gracie.”
Annie laughed all the way up the steps to the second floor, the shepherds bounding along ahead of her.
She stopped to peek in at Jane, who was sleeping soundly. She turned off the light and closed the door.
It was all going to work out. She had to believe that.
“Like they really get ice water in hell,” she muttered.
 
 
“It's a pretty house, Jane. I like your flower beds. They remind me of a rainbow,” Annie said as she stared at the sprawling ranch-style house with its multipaned windows.
“Daisy likes to weed the garden, then she picks me a bouquet. She hasn't done that for a long time now. I can't wait for you to see your godchild. She's gotten taller and seems to be all legs, and she has these wonderful, big dark eyes. She's too thin, though. Smart as a whip, her teachers say. Lately, her grades have gone down alarmingly. We might as well get to it, Annie.”
“Are you sure you're ready for this? It doesn't have to be today.” .
“Yes, it has to be today. I need your backbone. Having you here with me gives me the courage to do what I should have done two years ago. I just didn't have the guts.”
“Then let's pack up your stuff.”
“Kind of like that last day in Boston. Boy, we were hyped that day. We had the rest of our lives in front of us. Those checks from Elmo made all the difference in the world back then. God, I wish I could turn back the clock, Annie.”
“You can't unring the bell. What are you going to do about the house?” .
“Nothing. There's no equity left. Bob took it all out. Let him worry about it. I just want Daisy's and my things. It shouldn't take us long. There isn't that much.”
There isn't that much
. Annie wondered what that meant exactly. She found out soon enough. Jane's wardrobe was skimpy, her art supplies just as skimpy. Daisy's toys were old, battered, and worn. There was no sign of Barbie gear, a bicycle or scooter, or any of the things most little girls had. Her clothes were worn, mended, and faded.
“Jane, why didn't you tell me? You must know I would have helped you. I need to know why you lived like this.”
“You were so successful. I didn't want you to know. Shame is a terrible thing, Annie. How could I have been so wrong about Bob?”
“You were in love. That's as good an explanation as any I can come up with. I want to be sure that you're sure you don't want to try the counseling route.”
“Look at me, Annie. I lied to you. I did go. It didn't help. If anything, it just made me more miserable. I feel like I betrayed our friendship.”
I
.
“I kind of feel that way, too, but I think we can fix it. When are you going to tell Bob you're leaving?”
“I wasn't going to tell him. Old habits die real hard, Annie,. I was just going to take the easy way out and leave with Daisy. When he comes home, he'll figure it out. If anything, he'll probably be relieved.”
“What's wrong with face-to-face? If you don't face him down, this is going to hang over you for the rest of your life. If you and your daughter are going to start over, you need to do it with a clean slate. Call him up and ask him to come home. Wait till we're done packing, and the stuff is in the car. We'll pick up Daisy from the sitter's when we leave.”
“I don't know if I can do that, Annie. I'll break out into a sweat, my voice will crack, and he'll know I'm everything he says, I am.”
Annie's voice turned to steel. “And what does he say you are, Jane?”
“It doesn't matter, Annie. This is the end of the road. I'll do it.”
“Then we call all the utility companies to turn everything off and tell them to take your name off each one. I'm glad we stopped at the bank first and did the same thing. I'm also glad your Daisy Shop is back in my name. He won't have a claim to it. I know all about this stuff from Tom. He went through it with Mona. She called him and didn't even ask about the kids.” .
“Some people just aren't parent material, Annie. I found that out the hard way.”
“It's just so hard to believe parents can turn their backs on their own flesh and blood.”
“Shhhh. This is Jane Granger. Can I speak to my husband please? I don't really care if he's in a meeting or not, Miriam. Both of us know that isn't true, so just put me through. I wouldn't be calling if it wasn't important.” .
“Good,” Annie whispered.
“Bob, I need you to come home after work. I don't want to hear you have to work late. I gave up believing all those lies a long time ago. Fine, if you don't want to come home then I guess you aren't interested in the fact that Annie sold my Daisy Shop out from under me. Oh, you will be home. Make it early. Four-thirty is good for me.”

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