Into Magnolia (Sandy Cove Series Book 3) Read online

  Amber did not get a chance to see Adam that night. Cecilia asked her to watch the kids while she ran out to the store. Although Adam offered to come over to her place, Amber didn’t think it would be a good idea. She wanted to remain in Cecilia’s favor since she was hoping to get another park day with Jack soon.

  As she sat watching television with the other two foster kids, she thought about her teacher, Ms. Baron and what a good mom she was.

  Her pregnancy was starting to give her morning sickness, and whenever she thought about it, Amber got really scared. She knew Adam would try to talk her into having an abortion, but that scared her almost as much as the idea of having a baby. She really needed to talk to someone, but who?

  I can’t think about this right now.

  She forced herself to concentrate on the show that blared from the television screen. She had plenty of time to decide what she was going to do. Plus, there was always the chance she’d have a miscarriage and wouldn’t have to do anything.

  Adam promised to meet her after school the following day. They were planning to tell Cecilia she needed to go to the library for a study group and wouldn’t be home until nine. That would give them lots of time to hang out at the beach.

  When school let out the next day, Amber stopped by her locker and got some cookies she’d brought from home. It seemed like eating helped settle her stomach, and she didn’t want to feel nauseous while she was with Adam. She knew he’d use every excuse, including that one, to try to convince her that an abortion was her best answer.

  As she exited the building to the front lawn of Magnolia Middle School, she noticed Adam standing on the sidewalk talking to a couple of boys. It looked like he gave them a bag and got an envelope back from them.

  “Adam!” she called, smiling as she waved to him. He nodded in her direction, said something to the boys, and then left them behind as he sauntered her way.

  “Hey,” he said, taking her backpack and slinging it over his shoulder.

  “Hey,” she replied with a grin. She reached over and took his hand as they walked over and got into his car.

  “What was that about?” she asked, gesturing toward the two boys, who were still standing together on the sidewalk.

  “Nothing.”

  “What was in the bag?”

  “Nothing,” he replied, an edge to his voice.

  “Okay. Whatever you say.” Amber tried not to sound upset, but it really bugged her when he shut her out of stuff.

  “So did you tell Cecilia about the library?” he asked, obviously trying to change the subject.

  “Yeah. She bought it. I think it helped that I watched the kids last night for her. I’m good until about nine.”

  “Cool. Wanna get a burger before we go to the beach?”

  Amber’s stomach was starting to bother her again. “Yeah, that sounds good.”

  Adam drove to the local fast food restaurant and shut off the car. “You stay here. I’ll go in and get them.”

  “Okay, no cheese on mine.”

  “No cheese. Got it.” He swung open his door and squeezed her hand before sliding out. “Be right back.”

  As he walked into the restaurant, Amber noticed the envelope on the floorboard. She picked it up and looked inside. It was full of money. Lots of money.

  “What’s all this?” she asked when he returned with the burgers.

  Adam cursed as he grabbed the envelope from her. “What are you doing snooping in my stuff?”

  Amber felt like she was going to cry. The last thing she wanted was Adam mad at her now. “Sorry,” she said, her voice quivering a little.

  Adam sighed, staring straight ahead out the windshield. “Just don’t mess with my stuff, okay?” he said in a much softer tone.

  “Okay.”

  They were both silent as he drove to the beach. Amber got the bag of burgers and her cookies from the seat, and Adam retrieved the blanket from the trunk. Then they walked down to the sand.

  After they sat down, Amber started nibbling on her burger, suddenly feeling sicker.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, watching her pick at the food.

  “I guess. My stomach is just a little upset.”

  “You sick?”

  “No, I think it’s just … you know.”

  “I thought that was just supposed to be in the morning.”

  “Me, too. Guess it can happen anytime. I’ll feel better after I finish eating.”

  Adam nodded and looked away. A few moments later, he said, “So I’ve been thinking about everything.”

  “Yeah?”

  “And I think we’re just too young for this, Amber. It’s not a good time for us to be thinking about having a baby. I mean, you aren’t even in high school yet, and I’ve still got two years to finish before I graduate.”

  Amber could feel her stomach ball up into a tight knot. She knew she’d cry if she said anything, and that would just upset him more.

  “So what do you think?”

  She looked out over the ocean and just nodded.

  “You agree, right?”

  Amber took a deep breath and tried to steady her stomach and her emotions. “Do we have to talk about this today?”

  “When did you want to talk about it?”

  “I don’t know. Just not today.” She turned away and brushed a tear from her eye, hoping he didn’t see it.

  “Are you still upset about the envelope?”

  “Should I be?” she asked.

  “No. I just needed to make a little quick cash, in case you need it. For…you know… for the procedure.”

  “So what were you doing, selling weed?”

  “I was just helping a friend make a delivery. He gives me half.”

  “Great.” She couldn’t keep the disdain from her voice. The last thing she needed was Adam getting busted for dealing.

  “Hey, I did it for you, Amber. I don’t have that kind of cash lying around. Do you?”

  She shook her head. “If you get busted, what happens then? What about me and the baby?”

  “It’s not a baby, yet, Amber. That’s the whole point. We can end this thing before it’s too late. I’ve got enough money now to pay the clinic. My brother’s been through this before with his girlfriend. He said it’s really easy. You just give them the cash, and they take care of everything. No one ever has to know. It only takes an hour or two.”

  Amber couldn’t speak. Clearly Adam had made up his mind. But she was far from deciding that abortion was the answer. “Maybe you should just take me home.”

  Adam stared at her. “You seem really upset about this. I thought it would be a relief to you to know that I took care of getting the money and everything.”

  “I’m just not ready to make that decision, Adam. Okay?”

  He sighed. “Okay. Whatever you say.” He reached over and turned her face toward his. “We’ll just forget about it for today.”

  Leaning down, he kissed her. She reached for him and they fell back into the sand, wrapped in each other’s arms, as they tried to forget the baby growing in her womb.

  “I’m just saying it went really well today,” Michelle said as she stirred the simmering sauce on the stove.

  “That’s great, honey,” Steve replied.

  “So what do you think?”

  “About what?”

  “About me doing it again, maybe on a regular basis for a while.”

  He put the mail aside and turned to look her in the eyes. “I’ve already told you what I think, Michelle. You need to be careful about getting too involved with this girl and her troubles. Besides, I don’t want your time with Maddie compromised.”

  “It really wasn’t like that, Steve. Amber and her brother just hung out on the other playground where I could see them. I spent my time with Maddie, not them.”

  “Let’s just think about it and discuss it more later.” He walked over and leaned forward to smell the sauce. “Yum. Smells great.”

  Michelle nodded. “Thanks
.”

  He wrapped his arms around her from behind and nuzzled into her neck. “If you want to set up one more time at the park with them, I’m fine with that. Just don’t make promises for the future.”

  Michelle brightened and turned to face him. “I promise I won’t make any long term commitments. We can take it one week at a time.”

  “Okay. That sounds good. But you’ve got to level with me if you see Maddie being affected by this.”

  “Of course. You know she’s my first priority.”

  “Speaking of which, I’ll go check on her and have her wash up for dinner.” Steve gave her a peck on the cheek and walked out to the family room where Maddie was watching cartoons and coloring.

  Thank you, Lord, Michelle whispered in her heart. Then she turned to serve up the dinner.

  “Honey, did Madison fall at the park today?” Steve called out from the bathroom, where he was helping their daughter get ready for her bath.

  Michelle walked to the doorway. “No, why?”

  “Look at this bruise on her back,” he said as he turned Maddie to show her.

  Michelle saw the large purple mark on the right side of her back. “Maddie, what happened, honey?” she asked as she knelt down beside her daughter to get a better look.

  Madison looked confused. “Nothing, Mommy.”

  Michelle and Steve looked at each other puzzled. Steve’s raised eyebrows communicated the same concern she was feeling.

  “Did you fall at school today?” he asked.

  “No.”

  “Did one of the kids hit you?”

  Madison shook her head. “Can I get into the bath now, Daddy?”

  Steve looked at Michelle, concern written across his face.

  Michelle turned to Maddie, “Sure, honey. Mommy will help you get in.” She made eye contact with Steve and mouthed, “Later.” There was no point alarming Madison, who clearly denied any known cause for the bruise.

  After she was settled into bed, they broached the subject. “So what do you think happened?” Steve asked.

  “I have no idea. It’s a strange place to get a bruise.”

  “Maybe you should ask Kelly about it tomorrow. She might have seen the kids roughhousing or something before you picked Maddie up for the park.”

  “Yeah. Good idea.” Michelle nodded. “I’ll ask her tomorrow.”

  Michelle pulled into the driveway of Ben and Kelly’s house the following afternoon, exhausted from a lengthy staff meeting. Continuous subtle pressure to teach to the annual state tests was now coming in the form of guest speakers who were invited to share “helpful tips.”

  Seasoned teachers challenged the administration on effective instructional practices as well as interrupting the speakers with pointed, but valid questions. To a shy, non-confrontational person like Michelle, the tension in the room was stressful enough without the added demands to employ strategies she also questioned privately.

  “Remember the kids,” Cassie had said after the meeting was over. “That’s why we are here. Not for the tests. Don’t let this stuff get to you. Just keep doing what you know is best. What these kids need is so much more than grammar and literature. They need your compassion and the connection you are building to their lives. Those are the things they will remember ten years from now, not how well you taught them the parts of speech.”

  Michelle nodded, a weary smile replacing her furrowed brow. “Thanks, I needed that. I always leave these meetings in knots, never feeling like I’m doing enough or doing it in the right way.”

  “That’s because you are a good teacher, Michelle. You care about the kids and about bringing learning to life for them. Don’t lose that.”

  Now as she approached the house, she tried to refocus her thoughts and energy on her role as a mom. The conversation with Steve from the night before had haunted her on and off all day. What was the big bruise on Maddie’s back? She hoped Kelly might have some simple explanation.

  “Hi, Michelle,” Ben greeted her as he opened the door. “Kelly’s in the kitchen with the kids.”

  “Okay, thanks.” She walked into the kitchen to find Maddie and Lucy coloring at the table as Kelly hunted for something in the refrigerator.

  “Hey,” she said.

  “Mommy!” Maddie exclaimed with a grin. “Come see my picture!”

  Kelly stood from a crouching position and closed the refrigerator door. “Hi, friend,” she said. “How was your day?”

  Michelle looked at her and rolled her eyes.

  “One of those, huh. Another staff meeting?”

  “Yep.”

  “Look at my picture, Mommy,” Madison chimed again. “I’m drawing it for Daddy. It’s a picture of us at the park. So he can see us playing.”

  Michelle leaned over and examined the drawing. “That’s great, honey. Who’s that?” she asked as she pointed to someone in the picture.

  “That’s Amber. See, she’s smiling. I think she likes me.” Maddie beamed.

  “I’m sure she does. She asks about you at school sometimes.”

  “Really?”

  “Really.”

  Kelly handed Michelle a cup of fresh brewed coffee. “You look like you could use a little pick-me-up.”

  Michelle smiled. “Thanks. Can I snag one of those cookies, too?” she asked, pointing to the fresh baked peanut butter treats on the counter.

  “Help yourself. Take some home, too. We don’t need all these,” Kelly said, digging into a drawer and pulling out a plastic zip bag.

  “Steve will love that. Peanut butter’s his favorite.”

  “Ben’s, too. That’s why I need to get rid of some of these. He’d eat the whole batch if I let him.”

  They both laughed. “Come on, honey. Time to go. Go get your backpack,” Michelle said. As Maddie and Lucy left the room, she turned back to Kelly. “I almost forgot. I need to ask you about something.”

  “What’s up?”

  “Last night, Steve showed me a bruise on Maddie’s back. I just wondered if anything happened here yesterday – like the kids roughhousing or something – that might have caused it.”

  “Not that I can recall. Did you ask Maddie about it?”

  “Yeah. She didn’t remember anything from school or from here.”

  “That’s weird. Kind of a strange place for a bruise.”

  “That’s what we thought.” Just then Madison returned with her backpack. “I’m ready, Mommy.”

  “Okay.” Michelle turned back to Kelly. “I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about, but I just wanted to check with you to see if you remembered anything.”

  “No. Sorry. If I think of something, I’ll call you.” Kelly followed them to the front door holding the bag of cookies in her hand. “Don’t forget these,” she said as they walked out the door.

  “Thanks. And thanks again for watching Madison.”

  “You know we love having her,” Kelly replied. “Tell Steve I said hi.”

  “Will do.”

  As they climbed into the car, Michelle wracked her brain about what she could fix for dinner. Seemed like some days never ended.

  “Did you talk to Kelly about Maddie’s bruise?” Steve asked after their daughter was in bed.

  “Yeah. She said she couldn’t think of anything that happened at her house.”

  Steve shook his head. “Do you think she’s okay?”

  “I don’t know. I’m kind of worried. She has two new bruises on the tops of her legs. I asked her about them, but she said the same thing. She can’t remember getting hurt at school.”

  “You don’t think she’s being bullied or anything, do you?” Steve asked.

  “No. I’m sure it’s nothing like that. She loves school.”

  “Yeah. You’re right.” Steve sunk down into the couch and rubbed his face with his hands. “Do you think you should call the doctor?”

  “I hate to make too big a deal out of this, but maybe that’s a good idea. I’ll see about getting her an appointment after school
one day this week.”

  “Okay. Let me know if you need me to take her,” he offered.

  “Thanks. I’ll try to work it around my meetings at school.” Michelle sighed and pushed away the stack of papers in front of her.

  “Why don’t you just relax tonight and forget about school.” Steve reached over and rubbed the back of her neck. “You seem so stressed lately.”

  Michelle leaned her head back into his massaging touch. She moaned softly as he worked on a knot that had been bothering her all day.

  “Hurt?”

  “A little. But don’t stop,” she replied, closing her eyes and willing the tight muscle to release its spasm.

  A little while later, the house was quiet as Steve looked over his notes for court and the dishwasher hummed in the background. Michelle flipped open her laptop and typed a search into the web browser: bruising in children. Multiple links appeared on the screen, some from medical sites and others from a variety of sources such as parenting magazines and blogs.

  Most article descriptions began with the assurance that childhood bruising was common and unavoidable. She was relieved to see that they seemed to be in agreement that most children bruise easily.

  Then a site caught her eye: Diseases that Cause Bruising in Children. She clicked on the link and began reading. Her brows furrowed as she scrolled through the article.

  “What are you reading, babe?” Steve asked, closing his briefcase.

  “An article about bruising in children.”

  He leaned over and looked at the computer screen. “Leukemia? Whoa.” He closed the laptop and turned her face toward his. “Let’s not go borrowing trouble here, honey. Just make the appointment with Dr. Gold, and see what he says before you go searching for answers on your own.”

  Michelle sat back and sighed. “Yeah. You’re right.” She put the laptop on the coffee table and leaned against him. “Do you think she’s okay, Steve?”

  “I think she’s fine.”

  But she could detect a worried tone in his voice.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Michelle was in the middle of passing out some vocabulary tests when the phone on her desk buzzed. “Katy, would you please get that for me?”