The Choice (54 page)

“Maybe he felt more like a little boy today.”

“Poor guy,” Sandy said. “I feel sorry for him.”

“Once a mother, always a mother,” Jessica replied. “Thirty-three years doesn't erase the slate. He's still the baby you didn't get to hold.”

“Jessica!”

“I'm sorry. All I meant is that your feelings are real. You wouldn't be the person you are if you didn't have a maternal response to what Dusty is going through.”

“What else did Lydia say?”

“Not much. She gave my first name and phone number to Dusty in case he wants to contact me.”

“Do you think he'll be able to find out where you live?” Sandy asked quickly. “That will lead him directly to me.”

“You knew there was a chance that would happen when we talked earlier today, didn't you?”

“Yes,” Sandy sighed. “I just wonder if he'll do any digging before he comes to Rutland tomorrow. He and Jeremy are scheduled to meet with the pregnant student.”

“Are you going to let Jeremy know what's happened?”

“I'll have to at some point,” Sandy said, “or maybe I won't.”

“What are you thinking?”

“I'm not sure.”

After the call ended, Sandy took out a sheet of paper and started writing down the things that were important to her. At the top of the list was taking care of Jeremy and his family. She wasn't sure what that meant except that she needed to do what she could to prevent anything bad from happening to him or them. Her feelings for Dusty, while real, were much weaker. Sandy didn't have the same intense desire to get to know Dusty that she felt for her younger son. If she had to make a choice, she would give up any possibility of future contact with Dusty to protect Jeremy.

A heaviness of heart she couldn't shake greeted her when she awoke the following morning. Her normal cheeriness toward Nelson was absent, and she stared blankly across the kitchen while she sat at the table drinking her morning coffee.

At school, Sandy felt distracted all day. If she'd been a student teacher being observed by one of her education professors, she wouldn't have received a recommendation for a teacher's license. She gave her students busywork so she wouldn't have to focus on delivering a lecture. All she could think about was Dusty coming to Rutland and the meeting with Maria and Jeremy. As sixth period was winding down, Sandy looked at her phone, which was sitting in the top of her purse. It showed an unread text message. It was from Jeremy:
Here at courthouse. Where is Maria?

Sandy quickly entered a reply that she'd notified Maria of the meeting and didn't know where she was.

Can you try to reach her? Dusty will be here at 4
.

As soon as her class was over, Sandy called Maria's cell phone. No one answered. Sandy left a message and then called Jeremy.

“Is she there yet?” Sandy asked.

“No, and Dusty will be getting here shortly. I need to prepare Maria first.”

Sandy hesitated. “I'd like to help, but the cheerleading squad meets for an hour and a half immediately after school.”

“What is Maria's address? Maybe I should try to track her down.”

“She lives in a trailer park. I'm not sure how the trailers are numbered, and she stays different places.”

“I don't want to waste this chance,” Jeremy said abruptly.

“I don't either,” Sandy replied quickly. “I'll try to find a substitute to cover for me and see if I can track down Maria. Call me if she shows up. I made it clear to her where to go and when she needed to be there.”

Sandy walked as fast as she could to see Kelli Bollinger. The Spanish teacher didn't know anything about cheerleaders, but she could be an adult presence in the gym during practice. Her room was empty, and the lights were out. Hoping John Bestwick would be there, Sandy continued to the gym. The basketball coach was rolling a rack of balls toward a storage area.

“Am I glad to see you,” Sandy said with relief.

“I feel the same way,” John replied.

“I hate asking you at the last minute, but can you cover cheerleading practice for me?” Sandy said.

“Yeah, I've watched the cheerleaders a lot from my spot on the bench. Just tell me what to do.”

Sandy smiled. “Huddle with Meredith and Candace as soon as they get here. They'll run the practice.”

“Done.”

“Thanks,” Sandy said. “I really appreciate it.”

John waved his hand toward the door. “Do what you need to do and don't worry about this place.”

As soon as she was in the hallway, Sandy phoned Jeremy again.

“Dusty just got here, but there's no sign of Maria.”

“I'm leaving the school. What do you want me to do?”

“Try to find her. If we don't get started in the next thirty minutes, we'll have to scrap everything.”

“I'll go to the trailer park and see if I can locate her.”

Sandy left the school and walked rapidly across the parking lot to her car. Her phone beeped. It was Maria.

“Where are you?” Sandy asked. “Jeremy is waiting for you at the courthouse.”

“I'm at Rosalita's trailer. It took longer than she thought at the dentist's office.”

“Can she bring you to the courthouse right now?”

“No, there's no one who can watch the little girls. The neighbor who was here while we went to the dentist had to go to her house.”

“Can't her oldest daughter babysit?”

“She doesn't feel well. She got a shot in her mouth and had three teeth filled.”

“Okay. Stay there, I'm on my way to get you. You're very late.”

“I don't want to go,” Maria said.

“That's not an option!” Sandy raised her voice. “I'm coming to get you!”

Maria didn't respond.

“And don't hang up on me!” Sandy warned.

Sandy looked at the phone. The call had been disconnected. She hit the Redial button and the call went to Maria's voice mail. Sandy wanted to throw the phone out the car window. She then called Jeremy and told him what had happened.

“What are you going to do?” she asked.

“Just a minute,” he said. “Let me ask Dusty.”

Sandy nervously shifted in her seat while she waited for the two men to talk.

“We'll go to her,” Jeremy said. “I think she'll come around when we're there in person.”

“I'm not sure that will work.”

“It's worth a try. Can you swing by the court house? If the meeting with Maria doesn't happen, Dusty can go back to Atlanta, and you and I can spend time getting ready for the hearing next week. If Maria doesn't want to come to court voluntarily, she can be forced to appear.”

Sandy drove as fast as she dared across the school parking lot and into the street. As she approached the courthouse building she saw Jeremy, Dusty, and a woman she assumed was the translator standing at the top of the steps. The two lawyers were both wearing tan slacks and blue sport coats. They could have been part of the same college fraternity. The sight of Jeremy and Dusty dressed alike and standing so close together sent chills down Sandy's spine. Jeremy motioned to her and came down the steps to her vehicle.

“Can I ride with you?” he asked. “Dusty is going to take his car. You can help us find out if Maria is going to cooperate, and we're going to leave the translator on standby. If we end up taking Maria's deposition, can we use Ben's conference room?”

“Probably, do you want me to call him?”

“No, let's talk to Maria first.”

“Okay.”

Jeremy settled back into the passenger seat.

“Things are never easy,” he said. “Why do you think Maria balked?”

“She didn't say, but I'm sure she's afraid. This is all so unknown and intimidating to her. I blew up when she told me she wasn't coming. That probably won't help when we get there.”

“I have a good rapport with her,” Jeremy said, turning around to look out the rear window of the car. “Dusty is behind us. Let's go.”

The trailer park was on the east side of town. Sandy stopped for a red light next to the veterinarian's office where she took Nelson.

“The more I get to know Dusty, the better I like him,” Jeremy said. “I've met a lot of lawyers like Dusty. He's ambitious and doesn't know what's really important in life. But I think he'll listen to me if I tell him about my faith.”

Sandy gripped the steering wheel tightly with her hands. The light turned green.

“I wouldn't expect you to be able to separate the lawyer from the man at this point,” Jeremy continued. “But you may get a chance to see him in a different light in the future.”

“I already do,” Sandy replied grimly.

“Good.” Jeremy nodded. “That's hard for someone in your position to do. What brought about the change?”

Sandy turned her head toward Jeremy for a moment.

“Do you really want to know?” she asked.

“Sure.”

“It started with a phone call I received yesterday afternoon from a good friend who knows you're my son.”

Sandy told Jeremy about Jessica's conversation with Lydia. When she glanced at his face, he appeared slightly pale.

“And this is legit?” he asked.

“Why in the world would his sister lie about it?”

“Yeah,” Jeremy admitted. “When are you going to tell him?”

“I don't know. He's only known that he's an adoptee for twenty-four hours. You've had a lifetime to adjust to that fact. Just promise that you won't say anything to him until we agree it's time to do so. I think it's my right as his birth mother to break the news to him.”

“Maybe, but only if you don't wait too long.”

“I'm not negotiating with you,” Sandy replied firmly. “Trust me. All I'm thinking about is you and your family.”

Jeremy had a puzzled look on his face.

“What does that have to do with telling Dusty who he is?”

Sandy didn't answer.

THIRTY-SEVEN

T
hey reached the intersection for Haggler Road.

“It's not far now,” Sandy said.

“Are you going to answer my question?” Jeremy asked. “Is there something you're not telling me?”

Sandy sighed. “You and Dusty may be twins, but as people you're from different planets.”

“That can happen even when siblings grow up together. It doesn't change the fact that we're brothers.”

“And you have to think about your family first. Before me, Dusty, anybody.”

“You're not making any sense.”

Sandy turned into the trailer park. “Right now you need to focus on Maria. We can talk later.”

“That's going to be a challenge after the bombshell you just dropped on me.”

Sandy glanced in the rearview mirror. Dusty was behind them. It hadn't rained recently, and the cars were kicking up dust. Sandy slowed down and stopped.

“This is Maria's trailer.”

“Let's check there first,” Jeremy said.

There were two battered pickup trucks parked in front of the trailer. Sandy squeezed between them. Jeremy got out and walked up to the door and knocked. No one came. He banged the flimsy door harder with the side of his fist. It remained shut. He reached down and grabbed the knob.

“No,” Sandy said under her breath as Jeremy tried to open the door.

It was locked, and he descended the steps. He went over to Dusty, who lowered the window of his car. Sandy couldn't hear what the two men said to each other. Jeremy returned.

“Where is Rosalita's trailer?” he asked.

“Down this row and to the left,” Sandy said as she pointed.

“We agreed to try one more place. If Maria isn't there, Dusty is going back to Atlanta.”

Sandy drove slowly between the trailers.

“It was odd talking to him just now,” Jeremy said. “It's not right that I know and he doesn't.”

“Jeremy, please—”

“Relax. I'm going to obey my mother. For now.”