Not being very big or having eaten much lately, the beers soon did their work in her and she could feel the buzz. Around ten-thirty, Wayne came out to her and told her he was going to bed.
"Have to be at the office at seven in the morning."
Joanna nodded. "I'll be in in a few too. Just gotta finish this one." She held the beer up. It was half empty.
Wayne looked at the empty cans on the wooden porch, then nodded as well. "All right. Just make sure you turn off the lights in the hallway before you go to sleep."
"Will do," she said.
Wayne seemed to hesitate for a second like he wanted to say something, then decided not to and left her. The screen door slammed behind him.
Joanna stayed in her seat and finished the beer, then decided to open another one. A tear escaped the corner of her eye and she wiped it away.
"What am I supposed to do?" she said towards the sky. "Run an inn? I don't know nothing about running no inn. I’m a singer, for cryin' out loud. I play my guitar. I sing. I can't run no stinkin' inn."
Joanna sighed and sipped her beer again. She felt so lost. Fact was, she hadn't sung a tune since Jack died and she was terrified she never would. That she couldn't sing or write songs anymore.
Was that just the end of it then?
"Bookkeeping. I don't know the first thing about bookkeeping. How am I supposed to run an inn without knowing anything about bookkeeping? And cooking? These people will need food."
She had grabbed the chance when she realized the inn was all she had left. At first, she had thought about selling it, making some money and living off of that, but then what? What was she supposed to do when the money was gone? Ellie Mae needed to eat. She needed clothes. Besides, since she couldn't sing or write songs anymore, she wouldn't be able to make any money doing that. How were they going to survive?
She had decided they had to take the inn. Make it work. How? She didn't know. Hadn't the faintest idea. She had sold the car back in Savannah when they decided to leave. She had two thousand dollars - well one thousand eight hundred now after buying tickets and food the past couple of days - to spend on fixing up the inn and making it work. It was hardly enough.
You could always ask Mom and Dad.
The very thought made her want to throw up. Literally. It made her nauseous. Just the thought of seeing them again. Why would they ever want to help her out?
How about Josh?
She hadn't spoken to her brother in ten years. He hadn't exactly tried to keep in touch with her either. Probably never cared about her.
The thought of her family made her finish her beer and open another. She belched and felt miserable. Of all the tricks God had played on her, this was by far the worst. To force her to come back to this town and face the people she loathed the most in the world. It was simply too much to ask.
But she knew it was inevitable. Ridge Manor was a very small town. She would bump into them. At this point, it was only a matter of time.
Chapter Fourteen
Ridge Manor, Florida
It was hard for Joanna to fall asleep. Not that that was a new thing. She hadn't been sleeping much at all since she lost Jack. It was only natural but still bothered her immensely. The hours she lay awake at night were so painfully long and she feared them every night. She had hoped that the beers would help her, that they would knock her out and put her into a few hours of deep sleep. But they didn't. Instead, she was wide awake in this strange dark house, trying not to think about Jack and, instead, wondering what was on the other side of that window, behind the plywood.
She had wondered about it while sitting on the porch too, and at one point she actually walked around the house to try and get into the yard. But a large fence had blocked her way in and, even if she jumped, she couldn't look over it. It didn't seem very dangerous, though. A big palm tree was standing right behind the fence, close to the house, and that looked very normal.
What does he have out there? Animals? Gators?
What on earth could be so dangerous that he had to close off the house so you couldn't even look into it? It made no sense to Joanna and she concluded Wayne had gone nuts. That would explain why Lydia had left him and maybe taken that kid of theirs with her.
Go to sleep, Joanna.
Joanna listened to the sounds, trying hard to keep her eyes closed. She liked to hear her daughter's deep breathing. It was soothing and made her feel safe. She knew she was still alive.
After Jacks' death, Joanna had been terrified of losing Ellie Mae too and the girl had hardly been allowed to leave the apartment. She kept her close and feared the day she had to go back to school, which was soon, in about four weeks or so. Joanna reminded herself that registration day was a week before school started on August 10. She had called and asked the school before they left Savannah. That was another thing Joanna wasn't looking forward to. Her daughter going to the very same school she had been at when she was a child. Same as both her mother and father.
Joanna had wanted a different life for her daughter. A very different life. She wanted her to live in a big city where people didn't all know each other, where you could always just move schools or move to another part of town if you screwed up. Not be the subject of condemning looks and remarks behind your back.
What the heck am I doing back here?
Joanna sighed and rubbed her eyes. Maybe she should sell the inn after all. Maybe fix it up a little, then sell it? There was nothing for her here. Nothing but terrible memories.
You don't have to decide now. Not at this moment. Go to sleep.
Joanna tried to take her mind off her situation and thought about a happy memory of her, Jack, and Ellie Mae at the beach, back some five years ago. She smiled at the memory and finally dozed off.
It only lasted a few minutes. A loud ringing sound woke her up. She gasped and looked at her clock. It was a quarter past midnight. The ringing sound was still going. It sounded like a phone. A very loud phone.
Who the heck calls at this time of night?
The ringing seemed to come from right on the other side of the wall where Wayne's office was. It was very insistent and annoying. But, luckily, it didn't last long. Soon, it stopped and was replaced by Wayne's muffled speaking.
Joanna closed her eyes again while the chatting continued on the other side of the wall.
The guy is the sheriff, it's not that odd that people call him in the middle of the night. It must be an emergency. That's just it, an emergency.
But it didn't sound much like an emergency and, once he hung up, Joanna didn't hear Wayne leave or any sirens blaring.
Chapter Fifteen
Ridge Manor, Florida
Josh Pattison stared at his wife. Their daughter, Marley, was still twirling in the living room, wearing her ballet skirt, as she had all morning.
"Excuse me?" he said. Not that he hadn't heard what Irene had told him; he simply refused to believe it.
"Your sister is back in town. I heard it from Shannon just now when I went to get the paper."
"You're kidding, right? Please tell me it's April Fool’s Day or something. It's a prank, right?"
Irene shook her head at him. She poured him some more coffee. He continued to stare at her. He certainly wasn't in the mood for joking today. Not today. Well, not any day if it was about his sister. It simply wasn't funny. It was horrendous. The very thought of her here in this town was.
"Shannon said Nick and Tim were asked to help her out yesterday. Apparently, she’s taking over the old inn and some animal died in there and had to be removed. Doug was there too. And Sheriff Wayne. She's staying with him or something."
"What? It's the strangest thing I have ever heard. She's staying at Wayne's? I…I …it's a lot to process right now."
Josh grabbed his coffee and gulped it down. Could it really be? Could Joanna really be in town? Why would she come here? What would their parents say? And why now? Of all the times she could have chosen to come back, she decided on now? Right n
ow, when their parents were out of town for the first time in years.
"She sure knows how to pick her timing," he mumbled, finishing his cup. He reached it out for Irene to fill it again.
Irene gave him a suspicious look, like she wasn't sure he could handle more caffeine at this point, but then budged and poured him another cup.
"So, you're saying I might run into my sister when I go into town?" he asked. "My sister? Whom I haven't seen in ten years?"
"Uh-huh. And she has her daughter with her."
Josh almost choked on the coffee. So many times, he had thought about that child, wondering if it was a boy or a girl, worrying that Joanna wouldn't be able to take proper care of it.
His mind was tumbling helplessly. Half a smile spread across his face. "So, it's a girl, huh?"
Irene nodded. "That's the word on the street."
Josh shook his head, thinking of how terribly his parents had handled Joanna's sudden disappearance out of their lives. For so many years, he had cursed her for ruining everything, for just taking off like that and never looking back. Why hadn't she looked back at least just once? Why hadn't she checked back on him? Called him? Sent a letter? Let him know that she cared? She left him here to deal with those old stubborn, completely heartbroken parents who had no idea how to express their sadness to one another. Instead, they just moped around or yelled at Josh or each other over different things, never addressing the real issue.
He had sworn he was never going to forgive her and it wasn't going to happen now.
Josh put the cup down and got up from the barstool. He walked towards the door without a word to his wife.
"You don't want something to eat? I made pancakes," Irene said.
Josh heard the disappointment in her voice and stopped. His heart sank. He never could stand it when he disappointed people, especially not people that he loved.
"Oh, no. I am sorry," he said and sat back down. "I didn't mean to…"
"It's okay, Josh. You're in a hurry. I get it."
"No. No. You’ve made pancakes and I'll eat them. Of course, I will."
She served him a stack and he ate, even though he had no appetite. He smiled and pretended to enjoy it.
"So, what do you say to Marley having that sleepover?" Irene said.
Josh stopped in the middle of chewing. He wasn't fond of the idea of Marley sleeping over at Jasmine's house. He didn't like her parents very much. But the girl really wanted to go and he didn't want to upset her.
"I guess it's okay."
"Really?" Irene said. "I was more leaning towards saying no."
"Then we say no," Josh said, chewing.
Irene sighed and put the dish down she was wiping. "Josh. You just said yes."
"Well, that was before you told me you didn't want her to go."
"But is that how you really feel about it?"
"Yes, of course."
She sighed again. It was an unpleasant sigh. Josh could feel his heart rate go up as he sensed a confrontation coming closer. He wanted to avoid an argument. At all costs. Irene had that look on her face that made him very uncomfortable. She was getting ready for a fight. He wasn't going to take the bait. He had gotten quite good at not doing that, at maneuvering his way around getting into an argument.
"Just say how you really feel, Josh. Take a stand, will you?"
"I just want you to be happy. You and Marley. That's all," he said, grabbed his briefcase, and put on his shoes.
Irene growled. "I’m sick of you never taking a stand on anything. Just say what you mean, Josh! I don't want to be the one making all the decisions around here. Please, just say what you want."
"I really want to go. I have that meeting, remember?"
Irene grunted something, but Josh didn't listen. He didn't want to. Today was an important day. Today, Josh was having a meeting with the owner of HD Supply, trying to secure them as his clients, covering their need for insurance. It would be his biggest account to date. Today, of all days, Josh had to stay focused and couldn't think about anything else.
"Josh?" Irene said as he was almost out the door. She had calmed down. He could see it in her eyes. It made him more at ease.
"Yes?"
"Your mom called yesterday. From the Bahamas."
"Okay? What did she want?"
Irene chuckled. "Who knows? I think she just missed us. They're not used to being away from us. She wanted to know how Marley's recital went."
Josh felt his heart pound in his chest. In a week, they were going to be back here. If Joanna was still in town by then, they were heading for a major disaster. One you couldn't cover with any type of insurance.
Chapter Sixteen
Ridge Manor, Florida
"So, what you're saying is that the building is not suitable for habitation?"
Joanna looked at the inspector next to her. She could hear Ellie Mae playing in the inn's backyard. She had been out there all day while the cleaners finished up and while Joanna had shown the inspector around. His grunts and mumbling weren't too encouraging.
"It needs work, is what I say," he said not looking up from his pad. "Especially if you want permission to have people stay there. I can't grant you that permission the way that it is. The floors upstairs alone are a hazard, not to mention the stairs and the ceiling in the kitchen. It all needs to be fixed before anyone lives here. It’s all in my report, here."
He handed her the papers, then grabbed his briefcase and took off his helmet. She had to hand him the one he had lent her. She had to wear it, he said, if she was to walk around the place with him.
"If you get right on it and, with the right people, it shouldn't be more than two to three months. See you again then," he said, nodded, and walked away. She watched him walk towards his car and then turned to look at the old building.
Joanna felt like screaming. She couldn't believe this. She had thought she could just come down here and clean the place up a little, then open the inn and start making some money.
Of course, it wasn't that easy. She should have known that from the get-go. Nothing in her life was ever that easy.
Joanna had tears, angry tears, in her eyes, but refused to let them go. She bit her lip to fight them, while she could hear Ellie Mae laughing. How that kid was able to play like that for hours, just on her own, was just a miracle to Joanna. That girl was nothing but a miracle. Without her, she wouldn't have…
Joanna heard steps behind her and turned to look. It was Wayne. He was holding a couple of sandwiches in his hands.
"I thought you might be hungry?"
"Why are you so sweet to me?" she asked.
Their eyes locked for a second. She tried to smile and not let him sense she was devastated. It was a thing life had taught her. Nothing good ever came out of being vulnerable.
Yet, he saw straight through her.
"Bad news?"
She chuckled nervously. No one usually saw through her façade. It had been through many years of perfecting.
"Yeah, how did you know?"
He shrugged. "I sensed it, I guess. Here. Have a brisket sandwich. It'll help. Miss Trudy made them. Doesn't get much better than these. "
She nodded. She remembered Miss Trudy's brisket sandwiches. They were the best. She grabbed the one he handed her.
"I would invite you inside, but…"
"No law against sitting on the stairs," he said.
"Sure isn't," she said and they sat down. She called Ellie Mae and the girl arrived, grass and leaves in her hair, dirt on her cheeks, but all smiles.
"I love it here, Mommy. I loooove it. Can we stay forever and ever?"
Joanna forced another smile, a big mouthful of sandwich in her mouth, fighting to not let the girl know that, as of now, staying was the least of the things on Joanna's mind.
Chapter Seventeen
Ridge Manor, Florida
He was rushing to lunch when he saw her. The meeting with the CEO of HD Supply, Inc. had gone well. They were ready to close the
deal and Josh was in a great mood. He wouldn't say he had completely forgotten about his sister and the fact that she was back in town, but he had pushed it back in his mind, not letting it disturb him or distract him in any way.
And that was when he saw her. On his way to the Smokehouse Grill for lunch, looking forward to Miss Trudy's juicy brisket sandwich. He was driving down Treiman Boulevard, texting on his phone, when he spotted her. She was sitting on the stairs of the old inn. She wasn't alone. Sheriff Wayne was sitting with her and so was a little girl.
Josh gasped and sped up, not knowing what else to do. He sped past them, covering his face with his hand, praying that she didn't see him. The Smokehouse Grill was located half a mile down the street on the corner of Treiman and Dogwood Drive, and he parked in the parking lot. Josh didn't leave the car. He sat in it for a few seconds, heart pounding in his chest, simply trying to gather his thoughts and calm himself down.
It was her. She really is back. Oh, dear God, how are Mom and Dad going to react? What am I to say to her?
The girl was cute, though. Looked so much like Joanna when she was a child. Josh felt mushy at the memories. He didn't like the feeling and tried to shake it. No, he was angry with Joanna. So angry, there would be no forgiveness for what she had done. Running away and keeping her daughter from the family. Never letting them know she was okay, never even calling to tell them she was still alive. Oh, the hours their mother had spent walking the floors of their living room, worrying at night, crying, trying to keep it silent so no one would hear. But he did. Josh heard it. He had been nineteen at the time Joanna ran away. He was about to leave the house and move away for UCF in Orlando, but how could he? His parents broke down completely. Who was going to take care of them? So, he had stayed and gone to community college instead. His dad had immersed himself in work and hardly spoken to anyone, secretly blaming Josh's mother for everything. Every day, Josh had wished he had grabbed Joanna by the neck and told her to stay put, told her what the right thing was to do. This was no way to treat your family. So many times he had gone over the speech in his mind at night when lying awake, listening to his mother's sobs from the living room, wondering if the carpet would be worn down from all the walking back and forth.