early, so I finished early,” Noelle said as she took a seat and smiled at her mother. It was only then that she noticed the other woman seemed to be brushing away tears. “Mom? Are you all right.”
Her mother sighed. “I’m fine.” She sniffed. “Okay, I’m a little weepy, but it’s no big deal. Your father and I…” She swallowed. “We had a fight. We don’t do it very often, so we’re not good at it. Maybe we should take a class on the twenty-seven best ways to argue.”
Her attempt at humor fell flat. Noelle touched her arm. “We never hear you and Dad fight. You get crabby from time to time, but not real arguments. Is everything okay?”
“It’s fine. I told your father I’m tired of working in the church office. I want to do more. Meet other people. We’re so insulated.”
Noelle didn’t know what to say. Her mother loved working in the church office. At least that’s what she’d always said. For as long as Noelle could remember, her mother had talked about how lucky she was to work with great people and be part of a caring community.
“I thought it was what you wanted,” she said at last.
“Well, it’s not.” Fresh tears filled her mother’s eyes, then spilled down her cheeks. “Oh, I hate getting emotional. I need to do this. It’s important.”
“Why?” Noelle asked.
“Because…Because…” She drew in a breath, then shoved her hand into a pile of envelopes. “Because of these. Your father is so stubborn. He says the Lord will provide, and He does. Sort of. But there is also reality and helping one’s self. I’ve always had to be the practical one in the relationship and I don’t mind that. It’s just when he makes things more difficult…”
Noelle bit her lower lip, but didn’t say anything. Her mother had never talked to her like this before—as if she were an adult.
“There’s not enough money,” her mother said flatly. “There are too many bills. Your college hasn’t been very much and when you transfer to UC Riverside, we’ll be able to spring that, but Lily’s going to that private Christian university. Of course we’re delighted she was accepted and they will provide some financial aid, but still…Then there was her graduation car.”
A family tradition, Noelle thought, suddenly feeling guilty about the car she’d received the previous June when she’d graduated from high school.
“It adds up,” her mother said quietly.
Noelle looked at the stack of bills. The corner of one caught her eye. “Is this from the hospital?” she asked as she pulled that envelope from the pile. “From my accident?”
Her mother took the bill and tucked it under the others. “Don’t worry about it.”
Noelle stared at her. “But we have insurance.”
“It doesn’t cover everything. I’m making payments. Believe me, that’s the least of our financial problems.”
Noelle wasn’t so sure. “What about the physical therapy place? Are you still paying them?”
Her mother stood and crossed to the refrigerator. “What do you want for lunch? There’s some lunch meat. We could make sandwiches.”
Noelle felt her stomach tighten. She’d had no idea her parents were still paying for an accident that had happened nearly two years ago. How much had those bills been?
“Are you leaving your job in the church office to get a better-paying one?” she asked.
Her mother leaned against the counter. Jane had married at nineteen, given birth to her first daughter at twenty and had just turned forty the previous March. She looked much younger and strangers frequently expressed surprise that she could really have a daughter in college.
“The regular business not only pays more, the benefits will supplement the insurance we already have. I’ve been asking around and I have a couple of really good offers. I’m deciding which one to take. Unfortunately, your father sees this as some kind of defection.”
Noelle wasn’t so sure. “Maybe he’s just sad he can’t provide for his family the way he’d like.”
“That, too,” her mother admitted. “The male ego is a fragile organ.” She frowned. “But it’s not really an organ, is it? An instrument? An entity?” She gave a wry smile. “I don’t even know what the male ego is and yet it is currently dominating my life.”
“Daddy loves you. He wants you to be happy.”
“I am happy,” her mother said. “He’s the most wonderful man. I wouldn’t want to hurt him for anything. But we need to get a handle on the bills. Sometimes I think if there’s one more unexpected expense, I’m going to run screaming into the night.” She paused. “Is this too much, Noelle? I’m sorry. I probably shouldn’t be sharing this with you. It’s just lately you seem so grown-up and responsible. I feel as much like your friend as your mother.”
Noelle stood and crossed to her mother. “It’s fine,” she said. “I’m glad you can talk to me. Everyone needs to be able to talk to someone.”
They embraced. As her mother hugged her, Noelle fought tears of her own. Her secrets pressed upon her but she couldn’t say anything now. Her mom didn’t need one more thing to worry about.
“So—sandwiches?” her mother asked as she stepped back.
“Sounds great.”
They worked side by side, then sat down to have lunch. Noelle chatted about work and her friends and was careful not to say anything about being pregnant or the deal she’d made with Dev. Now that she understood the financial situation at home, there was no way she could add a baby to the mix. Not with Lily going off to college this fall and Summer graduating from high school next year. Her parents couldn’t possibly afford a baby and if Noelle tried to handle things on her own, they would only insist on helping.
She might not be happy about the deal Dev had offered, but right now it seemed the only way out.
“Thanks for meeting me on such short notice,” Dev said as he walked into the office of Andrew Hart, his attorney for the past ten years. Andrew had been Dev’s grandfather’s attorney for several years before that, ever since the elder Hart had passed away. A Hart lawyer had handled Hunter business since the company began, shortly after the end of the Second World War.
Andrew motioned to a leather sofa against the wall and walked to a wet bar in the corner. “What can I get you?” he asked.
“Nothing for me.”
“All right.” Andrew took the club chair across from the sofa. “What can I do for you?”
“I’m getting married.”
Dev said the words aloud, but he had trouble believing them. Married. This time yesterday the biggest social event on his agenda had been thinking it was time to start dating again. He’d been between women for a few months and was feeling a definite itch. But any scratching was about to go on a very long hold, he thought grimly. Everything in his life would change as soon as he married Noelle.
“Congratulations,”
