The Christmas Clock and A Song For My Mother - Kat Martin Page 0,13
sat forward, eyes wide. “Good lord, what happened?”
“He hates me, that’s what happened. He was polite but I could feel the anger pouring out of him in waves.”
“You broke his heart, Syl. It’s hard to get over something like that.” Mary was taller and more slender than Syl, with dark hair and hazel eyes. Until she got married to Denny Webster six years ago and had two kids, Mary had always been shy.
“He blames me for the years he spent in prison—and I don’t blame him. If I’d been honest, maybe he never would have wound up in there.”
“You thought you were doing him a favor. You were trying to keep him from ruining his life.”
Syl let out a bitter laugh. “And look what a great job I did.” She picked up her icy glass but didn't take a sip. “It took me a while—years, in fact—but eventually, I realized not telling Joe the truth was as much of a betrayal as the awful lies I told. The choice I made was exactly the wrong one.”
Mary drank a little of her soda. “At the time, we thought you were doing what was right. I think we both believed you were going to die, Syl.”
“I know.”
“You've been cancer-free for six years. You've come back to where you belong. You've got to tell him, Syl.”
She glanced away. “I know. I should have done it years ago but I...”
“But you what?”
“I thought he had probably moved on with his life and it was better to let the past just stay in the past.
Mary sighed. “I guess it's always better to deal with something than ignore it.” She fiddled with the frost on the side of her glass. “What do you think he'll do when you tell him?”
Syl shook her head. “I have no idea. What I don't think he'll do is forgive me. I think he'll go right on hating me just like he does now.”
“But surely if—”
“I lied to him, Mary. I betrayed his trust. I'm probably the reason Joe never got married. He probably believes all women are like me, that a man doesn't dare trust one. If he does, she'll lie to him and break his heart.”
Mary set her glass down on the table. “You're both adults now. Whatever happens, you owe it to yourself as much as Joe.”
Syl sighed. “I'm still trying to work up my courage.”
Mary got up from the sofa, walked over to Sylvia's, phone and picked it up. “Well, there's no time like the present.”
“I don't even know his number.”
“It's Saturday. Sometimes they keep the shop open till noon. Maybe he's there.”
Syl shook her head. “I can't. Not yet. Soon, though. I promise.”
“Don't wait too long.”
“I've waited eight years, Mary. That's already way too long.”
5
Summer was slipping away; Doris had offered to take Teddy to get what he needed for school but Lottie couldn't remember if they had already gone shopping or not. Her memory was fading every day.
Lottie was frightened.
Terrified.
At least she was when she remembered.
She glanced up from her musings to discover she was standing on the sidewalk in front of Tremont's Antiques. She was by herself, so Teddy must be working at his afternoon job. She remembered she had wanted to get out of the house and had decided to go for a walk. She didn't remember the trip downtown but she was sure she could find her way home.
She turned to look in the window and saw the old hand-painted, gingerbread Victorian shelf clock. The clock never failed to remind her of her mother and the years when she was a little girl. No matter what thoughts slipped away from her, the clock always seemed to center her, to carry her back to a warm time in her past and bring her a kind of peace.
She stared at the clock, watched the little brass pendulum swinging back and forth. A horn honked in the street, startling her for a moment, and she turned away from the window.
Lottie frowned. She was standing on Main Street in the middle of the afternoon. She had no idea how she had gotten there or why she might have come.
A little trickle of fear slipped through her. She told herself not to be frightened. She knew the way home.
Making her way to the corner, she turned and headed in that direction. She wondered if Teddy was home by now, knew that if he was, Doris would keep an eye on him until she got back.