Rise and Shine (Shine On Series, Book 2) (13 page)

“Sounds like a fair trade to me,” Emmie answered.

Walter headed outside to check on something to do with the farm while the three of them cleaned the kitchen. Some little boys didn’t help in the kitchen but Max never minded helping Mae. But as Emmie watched him balance plates in his hands and move around the kitchen she noticed he was limping more noticeable than in the past. He tripped over a chair and Mae caught the dish right before it hit the ground. Max caught himself on a chair.

“Max, go check on Paw. See if he needs help bringing the horses into the barn,” Mae said to her grandson.

When he was out the door she stopped and looked up at Emmie. “You notice it too don’t ya? He’s having more trouble walking.”

“Yeah. He fell at my house yesterday. What’s happened?” she asked with genuine concern.

“I don’t know.” Mae rubbed her hands in her apron. “I can’t get Walter to own to it either. Doctor said it’s something to do with the muscles in his leg. It might be keeping it from growing right.”

Emmie nodded. If his legs weren’t growing at the same rate that might account for the extra limping. Her heart sank. “Well, what can we do?”

Mae sat down and rubbed her forehead. “Walter don’t want to talk about. He acts like if he don’t talk about it there’s nothing wrong with the boy.”

Mae dug deep in her apron pocket and pulled out a folded paper. On it was a name, Dr. Jonah T. Stone, and an address in Louisville. She handed it over to Emmie.

“Is this someone that can help him?” Emmie asked, trying to piece it all together.

Mae nodded. She looked like she wanted to say more but was afraid to ask.

“Have you written to the doctor?” Emmie asked, trying to get Mae to explain how she could help in this process.

Mae nodded again. The older woman’s eyes were set with deep wrinkles as she frowned. This time Emmie stayed quiet and waited for Mae to explain.

She whispered as she spoke. Which was odd because they were the only ones in the house. “I did. And he can see Max. He even called me on the phone. He seemed interested in Max and how he used his arms. He asked me lots of questions about the braces Walt made for his legs when he was a toddler and how we got him to walk. You know there were days back then Walt and I didn’t know…” Mae swallowed hard and finished, “we didn’t know what kinda life our boy would have.”

Emmie reached out and grabbed the older woman’s hand when she stopped speaking. Her lower lip trembled but she smiled. “But he’s done great hasn’t he? He walks. He even runs. You said he’s smart. God’s blessed us with that boy.” Mae pushed back against the tears. She was a proud woman.

“He is a smart boy. But Mae, you’re gonna take him to see this Dr. Stone aren’t ya? He’s interested in Max and thinks he might be able to help him.”

“No, child.” Mae frowned. “Turns out our trip to Dr. Stone won’t come cheap.”

“Is that why Walter won’t take him, the money?” Emmie asked, surprised.

Mae stood and plunged the pots in a pan of water. She didn’t want to face Emmie for that question. “I love my husband. Ornery as he is, he’s a good man. You know that. He acts like he don’t care. Gets snaky and grouchy. But ain’t ever met a man with a bigger heart. Also ain’t met a more prideful man. I said we could talk to the bank or maybe you could talk to your DeCarmilla friends, maybe we could get a bit of a loan. You know we would have paid it back.”

Mae still kept her back to Emmie while she spoke. Emmie had a sneaking suspicion it wasn’t only Walter’s pride that hurt to ask for money. “You want me to talk to Ava’s family?”

“No, child. Walter won’t hear no part of that.” She turned to face Emmie. “I shouldn’t be worrying you with this anyway. It’s just heavy on my heart and I know you care for that boy too. I’m sorry. Let’s have dessert. I got a cake made for tonight. You want some?”

“Mae you can’t drop this ball and just ask if I want dessert. Let me help you figure this out.” Emmie smiled at her friend. “Y’all have been taking care of me. What kind of friend would I be if I wouldn’t help you?”

Mae smiled. “I knew you’d help. I told Walter you’d feel just like me. You’d do anything for that boy but he said it was too much to ask.”

Emmie frowned. Mae had talked to Walter about needing Emmie? What did Mae have planned? Maybe she knew about Marco’s money. Emmie’s stomach turned. She wanted to mail that money back to him. But, she supposed it would be better to use it to help Max.

“What’s so expensive about this doctor Mae?” Emmie asked.

“Well, this doctor wants us to stay up there. He says he needs to observe Max in this hospital. Did you know there are other kids just like Max? He could see them other children that are like him everyday. Doctors and nurses, they would work with him. Doc even said something about there might be special shoes to help with the limping.” Mae’s voice sped up with each new detail she shared. She was so excited with the prospect of helping her grandson. “He said we’d need to stay up there at least a month, maybe two. So, it’s not just the doctor bills, it’s the living in another city too. We ain’t got no family there to stay with. I figure we’d need a few hundred. But dear Lord, who’s got money like that just laying around waiting to be spent?”

She could tell by Mae’s expression she didn’t expect that Emmie had that money folded in an envelope on her kitchen table at home. Emmie sighed. Never say never. Hadn’t she just told herself earlier today she wouldn’t be in debt to Marco? It looks like she would, for Max anyway. He was worth more than her pride. He needed that money more than she or Marco Del Grande did. Emmie swallowed hard and smiled at Mae. She’d never been in a position to help anyone like this before. It felt good.

“Mae, I’ve got that money. You can just have it. I don’t want it. I can go get it for you now if you want.” Emmie kept her voice quiet.

“Are you kidding with me, child? How on earth would you have that kinda cash just laying around?” Mae frowned.

“I found it. Well, Silas found it actually. Hidden in my house. It turns out it was sent to me by my…” Emmie paused before she said the word, “… father.”

Mae tilted her head taking in the information without speaking for a moment. A piece of her long grey bun came undone and fell to her shoulders. Emmie noticed she looked more haggard than usual. She finally nodded in understanding. “I’m assuming you ain’t talking about Ronnie.”

“No. I’m not.” Emmie looked down at her feet. “And I don’t want his money. He’s not a nice man. I don’t want to owe him anything. It’d be an honor to give you the money. Like some good came from all this.”

“Oh God… he works in such mysterious ways.” Mae’s hand shook as she covered her mouth. She stepped forward as tears sprang from her eyes and she put her dry, wrinkled hands on each side of Emmie’s face. “Bless you girl. Sweet, sweet girl.”

“What’s all this ruckus about?” Walter asked gruffly as he walked into the kitchen. Max and Spotty followed in his footsteps.

“Emmie’s got the money. We can take him to Louisville. It’s all gonna work out Walter.” Mae walked over to her husband.

Max didn’t share his grandmother’s excitement. He looked over at his paw in anticipation of his response.

“Mae what have you done,” Walter shouted. “I told you that you were not to mention it. That was too much to ask of the girl getting her all mixed up in that again.”

“No, wait. I didn’t. I didn’t ask her that. I never said a word, just like I promised.” Mae explained herself. “I just told her about the hospital and Dr. Stone. Emmie’s just got money she wants to get rid of. Money she don’t want.”

Wait. Get her mixed up, again? What was Walter talking about? What hadn’t Mae told her? She opened her mouth to ask what they were talking about but didn’t have the chance.

“She ain’t got money just laying around. She’s probably got money from them folks she’s been all wrapped up in. It’s trouble money Mae. It ain’t hers to be giving. Is that right Emmie? You offering us money you earned or money you’ve been given?” Walter frowned at her.

“Walter, what’s it matter where the money comes from?” Emmie asked. “It’s money I don’t want.”

“Yeah, well… nothing’s free girl. I’d think you’d have figured that out by now. Thank you kindly for the offer but we don’t want that money. I’ll not be in debt to that damn little rich boy,” Walter said.

Little rich boy? “Walter, it’s not from Silas. It’s from my father. My real one. And I want nothing to do with it.”

“Really, you got hundreds of dollars you want nothing to do with? Well I tell you something, that ain’t right. If you want nothing from the man it came from then neither do we.” He turned to walk into the den, pulling his pipe from his pocket.

“Walter Jones, have you lost your mind? That girl has the means to help Max and the heart to do it,” Mae shouted.

“Stop it,” Max said. “Stop fighting about me. I’m fine. I keep telling ya but you don’t listen. Just stop fighting.”

He grabbed Spotty’s fur and led the dog to the porch without another word. Max wasn’t a kid that acted out often. Emmie realized for the first time this was an argument that had been going on for a while. She also thought that Mae had probably been anxious to get her over here for dinner to bring it up. Emmie couldn’t blame her. She was looking for anyone to help get Max the help he needed.

Mae opened her mouth to speak but words failed her. Without another word she turned and headed into the kitchen. Emmie could hear her banging around pots and pans as she finished cleaning up dinner. She felt so awkward in the midst of the family argument but what could she do? She had to fight for Max. Emmie followed Walt into the den and sat on the couch across from him.

He spoke first, “Look Emmie. Your heart’s in the right spot. But you’re a smart girl. If you don’t want to be in debt to your father, neither do I.”

“Walter, I won’t tell him what I did with the money. For all he knows I spent it on the mortgage, or college, or shopping.”

“Can’t do it.”

“Can’t or Won’t?”

“Don’t you be pushing me on this, girl. I done made up my mind,” he answered, chewing on his pipe.

Emmie couldn’t believe he was being so pigheaded. “So, what were you and Mae talking about then? What did you not want to her ask or tell me about?”

Walter swore and stood from his rocking chair. It must be big to make the old man pace around the living room before he spoke. Emmie had a feeling she was about to hear more than she’d bargained for.

“You think I wanna see my boy limping around here? Picked on by other kids? This is about more than my pride. I’m not letting my boy be in debt to any of them. I don’t trust them. I can’t control you but I can be damn sure I don’t take their money for Max,” he said barely above a whisper.

“You know I don’t think you want to see him limping. And they are not all bad people…” She stood and met him in the center of the room. She kept her voice in a quiet rapport with his. “What was the other option Mae mentioned? The thing you don’t want me to know. Cause if the Del Grande money isn’t the answer, maybe that thing you don’t want to tell me is.”

“It’s not the answer. You can just trust me on that one,” he said a little louder.

“I have a feeling this is for me to decide.” She squared her shoulders.

Walter laughed. She was starting to look an awful lot like she did when she was in that cave a few months back. Like she had her mind made up about something she didn’t even know yet.

“I’m not telling you. There is no way in the world are you getting that outta me. So you can just march yourself back over to that couch.” He turned his back to her.

Emmie didn’t even know Mae had entered the room until she heard her voice. “You may not tell her… but I will. She’s a grown girl with a right to choose.”

“Mae, don’t you start,” Walter said to his wife seriously.

“That man James and Mr. Johnson showed up here a couple of weeks back. Said they sold your apple pie hand over fist. That was their exact words, hand over fist. They want you to make them more. Pay you a lot. They’ll pay Walt too.” Mae spoke quickly. It was like she was afraid if she didn’t speak fast enough the words would get lost on their way out of her mouth.

Walter shouted at Mae but Emmie had no idea what they were saying around her. She stood there taking in Mae’s words. This was it. The answer. She could take care of Max all on her own, without a dime of Marco’s money.

“How much?” she asked.

“It was four digits, girl. Enough to change my boy’s life. I know Walter’s right. It ain’t even right for me to ask you. Cause I got a feeling they weren’t talking about baking no pies… but I need help and I can’t see no other way out.”

“Alright.” Emmie cleared the space between she and Walter. “No arguments. We’re doing it.”

The old man closed his eyes and swallowed hard. He opened them slowly and looked from his wife to Emmie. “You ain’t got no idea what you two are playing at here.”

“Yes, I do. My grandson’s future. Our grandson’s future,” Mae answered.

Chapter Eighteen

W
alter had disappeared. She’d never seen him so angry that he just left. Mae assured her that he would come to terms with it all but Emmie had a sinking feeling in her gut. She didn’t like that Walt was so upset. Emmie’s heels sank into the mud as she cut through the fields on the way home. She lifted her dress as she was nearly ankle deep.