Waking Up In Charleston

For sharing your family, he wanted to say, but he doubted she’d understand how much it meant to him. It was probably best if she didn’t even try.

“The pizza, of course.”

“Thank you for hauling that armoire in for me.”

Caleb looked into her eyes and couldn’t seem to tear his gaze away. There was a time in his life when he would have responded to the need that was so plain in her eyes, when he might have reached for her, kissed her thoroughly and left wanting more. Now he simply left.

No, he thought as he got into his car. It hadn’t been that simple. Even without the kiss, he still wanted more.

Mary Louise hadn’t heard a single word of Reverend Webb’s sermon. Instead, she’d been clutching the prayer book in her hands so tightly it had carved lines in the palms of her hands.

Beside her, Danny was staring straight ahead, his shoulders slumped, looking miserable. It made her heart ache, seeing him like that.

She knew what she had to do this afternoon after church. As much as it was going to hurt, as furious as her parents were going to be, she had to let Danny go. She loved him enough to do that. She wanted him to be everything he’d dreamed of becoming, a brilliant architect and historical preservationist. She couldn’t stand in the way of that. She couldn’t let one mistake change the course of both their lives.

She reached over and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. In less than an hour, they would be in Reverend Webb’s office and she would be giving Danny his freedom. She didn’t know what would happen to her after that, but she knew it was the right thing to do. If Danny wanted to be a part of his baby’s life, well, they’d find a way to make that work, even if it just about killed her to see him and know it was over between them.

The sermon ended, the collection plate was passed and then there was one last hymn and the recessional. It all went by in a blur. It all happened too fast.

Danny looked over at her. “You ready?”

Mary Louise nodded.

Instead of going out the front door where they’d have to speak to everyone, they slipped out a side door and went straight to Reverend Webb’s office. He came in right behind them and closed the door.

“Will your folks be joining us later?” he asked.

“We decided against asking them to come,” Mary Louise said. “We needed to make this decision on our own. Once we’ve talked it over with you, we’ll tell them what’s going on.”

“Don’t you think they might have been able to offer some sound advice?” Reverend Webb asked.

Mary Louise gave him a wry look. “You mean after they stopped yelling at us and calmed down?”

He laughed at that. “You might have a point, though I’m not sure you’re giving me much credit. I might have been able to keep the yelling to a minimum.”

“Not with my folks,” Mary Louise said, resigned to the explosion that lay ahead. “They’re going to have a hissy fit.”

“Mine, too,” Danny said bleakly. “Especially when they find out I’m going to be blowing off a college scholarship.”

“Then you’ve decided to move back here and get married?” the minister asked, his tone pretty even for a guy who’d been advocating against that.

Mary Louise shook her head. “Actually, that’s not what we’ve decided,” she said, proud that her voice hardly wavered at all. She met Danny’s startled gaze and held it. “I think getting married is a bad idea. It’s not what Danny wants, not now, anyway, and I don’t want to live with knowing that I ruined his chance to go for his dream.”

There was no mistaking the relief in Danny’s eyes, but he asked quietly, “Are you sure about this, Mary Louise? I’ve given it a lot of thought, too. We could make it work if we had to.”

If we had to. That grudging phrase told the whole story. “No, we couldn’t.” She avoided Danny’s gaze and faced Reverend Webb. “You see, I really did listen to what Mrs. O’Leary said the other day, and I saw how frazzled she was when the kids started acting up. I know we’d only have one baby, but even one would probably make a lot of noise. Danny would wind up being tired all the time and missing classes and stuff or failing tests. It’s not fair. Sooner or later, he would resent me and the baby. I get that now.”

“It’s not fair that you’ll have to cope with all that alone, either,” Reverend Webb said gently. “Is that what you’re suggesting? Do you still plan to keep the baby?”

Mary Louise nodded emphatically. “I want this baby. I won’t give it up, but this is my choice, not Danny’s.”

Reverend Webb turned to Danny. “This girl of yours is pretty amazing.”

Danny’s eyes glistened with tears. “I know that. And she shouldn’t be the only one making a sacrifice. We made this baby together.”

Mary Louise saw that a part of him wanted still to do the right thing and she loved him for it, but she couldn’t do this by half measures. “Danny, this is what I want. That’s the difference between you and me. You see what you’d be giving up and I see what I’m getting. It’s my decision to keep the baby and it’s my decision to let you go. We can decide later about custody and stuff. I’ll never keep you from the baby, but I won’t expect you to be a part of its life, either. That’s up to you.” She managed to get the words out without a single tear leaking out. She was proud of herself.

“I’ll make support payments,” Danny said, sitting taller. “That’s only right. It might not be much at first, but we can set it up so it’s more later, once I graduate and get a halfway decent job.” He looked toward Reverend Webb for support. “Is that fair?”

“I think so,” the minister said.

“And the baby?” Mary Louise asked, her heart thumping unsteadily. “Will you want to see the baby?”

Danny hesitated, his eyes filled with uncertainty. “I…I don’t know,” he whispered. “Can we decide that later?”

The last shred of hope inside Mary Louise died. Their baby still didn’t matter to him, not the way it did to her. “Sure,” she said stoically. “Later’s good.”

Maybe later her heart wouldn’t ache as if Danny had just stuck a knife into it.

5

Amanda’s backyard was crawling with people. Okay, there were only six adults besides herself, but the way the kids were scurrying around and getting in everyone’s way, it felt like more. Maggie had called Saturday morning and announced that she and Josh were coming by to help with the tree house construction and they were bringing Dinah and Cord, along with Josh’s mother, Nadine, and George Winslow.

“I take it Caleb recruited you all,” Amanda said.

“He mentioned it to Josh, who called Cord,” Maggie said. “I’m the one who decided the guys shouldn’t have all the fun. You, Dinah, Nadine and I can make curtains and stuff for Susie’s playhouse, which I gather is the next construction project. Something tells me these kids are going to be the envy of the whole neighborhood, if not most of Charleston. Our men must have had very deprived childhoods. They’re really getting into this. I haven’t seen Josh this excited about building something in ages.”

“And you’re not as into it as he is?” Amanda teased. “It sounds as if you’re already working on an interior-design plan for the playhouse.”

“It’s curtains,” Maggie protested. “I can whip those up with my eyes blindfolded.”

“I can’t get over the fact that you sew, too,” Amanda said, feeling instantly inadequate. Maggie seemed to possess all sorts of skills Amanda didn’t have. She’d even worked right alongside the men on the construction of Amanda’s house.

“In my world, little girls learned to paint and sew,” Maggie admitted. “Some of it took before I rebelled and learned how to use a hammer and saw. I much preferred playing with boys to doing sissy stuff with girls.”

“I’m in awe.” Amanda’s father hadn’t pushed her to learn any of the so-called feminine pursuits. He’d steered her toward his own interests. Instead of a little patent-leather purse, he’d given her a custom-made miniature briefcase. She’d had to beg for a doll, and then he’d managed to custom order one dressed in a designer business suit.

“I can barely hem the kids’ clothes, much less make something from scratch,” she told Maggie.

Maggie laughed. “Hey, don’t get the idea I’m on a par with a professional seamstress. The curtains will be frilly and they’ll do the job. They won’t be perfect.”

“Susie will love them no matter what,” Amanda said. “Now, what can I do for this gathering? It’s short notice, but I can whip up some hamburgers and potato salad for lunch.”

“Not necessary,” Maggie said. “Caleb said he’d have that covered. He’s going to be running late, so he’ll bring lunch for the whole crew with him. And Nadine said she’d make some lemonade and pick up sodas.”

A part of Amanda chafed at the generosity. It smacked of more charity. “I should be doing something,” she protested.

“Paper plates and napkins,” Maggie suggested. “Or maybe once the guys get there, you and Susie would like to meet Dinah and me at the fabric store. Susie might like to choose the material.”