Seaglass (12 page)

“Hey boys.” Knox said warmly as he twin nephews practically tackled him in the doorway. He was greeted with shouts and giggles and then the feeling of both of them pulling him in separate directions begging for him to play.

“Taylor. Trevor.” Kayla barked from behind them with a stern voice. “What have I said about attacking people when they walk in the door?”

Both boys released their death grip on their uncle.

“Let Uncle Knox come into the kitchen for a few minutes and talk to me. Then he can tackle you.”

Knox laughed as the boys whooped and hollered as they ran through the house and out the back door into the yard.

“Where’s everybody else?” Knox asked as he settled into the cushioned chair at the breakfast table.

“Sky’s next door playing and Ted’s working late.”

He could’ve sworn he heard an extra bite of hardness to her voice. “Everything okay?”

“Fine.”

Yep, there was definitely something going on there. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” She said as she came around and sat down with him. “Here. Beer.” She tapped the back of his hand with a cold bottle. He looked at it and could discern from the color that it was a dark.

“Guinness?”

“Oh. Yeah.” She said absently. “I think he’s having an affair.”

Knox put the bottle down slowly. “What makes you think that?”

“I checked his phone log. He’s been calling the same number a lot.”

“Maybe it’s a—“

“It’s not a client.” She finished his thought. “He calls her at strange hours.”

“How do you know it’s a ‘her’?”

“I called the number from a payphone.” Her voice cracked.

“Shit.”

“I need to see a lawyer.”

“Don’t you think you should talk to him first? Maybe counselling?”

“I don’t know.”

Knox was about to say something, when his nephews came barreling back in. “Uncle Knox! Can you play now?” They shouted in unison.

Knox laughed as he stood up. “I’m ready boys. What’ll it be?”

“Hide and Seek!” Came the chorus from the twin six year olds.

“Great.” He smirked and turned to Kayla. “I’ll wear ‘um out for you. Which one is wearing the Ironman mask?

“Trevor. Taylor’s Captain America. I can’t wait for Halloween to be over. They won’t take those costumes off!”

Alright. I’m going in. Wish me luck.” He laughed as Kayla shook her head in mock disapproval.

xXx

Later that night, after all three of his sister’s children were tucked into their beds asleep, Knox finally crept down the hallway, willing it not to squeak. He loved them dearly, but he was bone-tired. He had no idea how Kayla handled them every single day.

Now, safely at the bottom of the stairs, he paused and listened.

“Kay?” He called softly.

“Here.” She replied in a semi-whisper. “On the porch.”

Knox turned and followed the path to the front door and out onto the wide front porch. It was dark now and the little bit of light spilling out from inside the house was not enough to guide him.

“I need a little help.” He said.

Kayla was up in a heartbeat, taking his hand and guiding him to the wicker chair opposite the one she’d been occupying.

“I opened a bottle of red. Would you like some?” She tried to inject casualness into her voice.

“Sure.” He answered and listening to the sound of her pouring.

“Here.” She touched the glass to the back of his hand.

She waited for him to speak, but in typical ‘Knox’ fashion, he was being tight lipped. Finally, she dove in.

“When are you going?”

“Going where?”

“Don’t be dense. To the institute.”

Knox exhaled; long and slow. He didn’t want to talk about this. Talking about it made it real. But he couldn’t hide from it either and if there was one safe person in the world with whom he could let down his guard, it was his sister.

“Next week.”

“Next week?” she squeaked in surprise. “I didn’t realize you’d already set everything up.”

“Yeah, well I decided to stop acting like a child and grab the bull by the horns. That, and the fact that I keep tripping over shit.”

“Have you told Maddie?”

“No.”

“Knox—“

“She’s got enough on her plate, Kay.”

“I’m pretty sure she’d want to know!”

“I don’t want her rushing back to Colorado just to watch me leave.”

“Fair enough, but I still think you should tell her.”

“I will.”

“When?”

“Stop. I’ll deal with it.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s okay.” He said as he sipped his wine. A comfortable silence fell over them.

“I’m glad you’re here.” She finally spoke.

Knox could hear the melancholy note in her voice. “You’re tough, Kay. You’ll get through this and I’m here for you.”

“I know.” She answered voice now full of emotion. “Same goes for you, ya know.”

He swirled his wine in his glass. Kayla watched him carefully and could practically see the thoughts swimming around his head.

“Knox?”

He looked up and into the blurry image of his sister.

“You should tell her. It’ll hurt her if you don’t.”

“I will.”

“Why are you waiting?” She asked gently.

He shrugged. “I don’t know.”

She nodded, knowing that for now, that was as far as she could push him.

xXx

The next morning, Knox rose from the guest bedroom at his sister’s house and listened to the cacophony of sounds that came with getting three children up and ready for school. He tiredly scrubbed his face, mentally preparing himself for the barrage of attention he’d receive from his niece and nephews. He had his hand on the doorknob when he chickened out and decided a nice, long hot shower should be the first order of business and maybe by the time he was done, they’d be all but out the door.

He stood under the spray and let Kayla’s advice play back in his mind. He knew he needed to talk to Maddie about…stuff. He cursed at himself. He still couldn’t even admit it, even when he was the only one in the room. What a coward. Well, he’d better get over it, he thought. He was leaving next week for six months to live in Littleton, at the Colorado Center for the Blind.

Knox told himself he was giving Maddie space to deal with her family and everything back East, but the truth was, he was avoiding facing this…telling her the truth. Now, he shut the water off with a hard snap and dried himself off quickly. He was disgusted and embarrassed by his actions.

He threw on yesterday’s clothes and emerged from the bedroom.

“We’re almost ready to go. If you want breakfast, grab it quick and get in the car.”

“Yes ma’am.” He smiled at his sister. He dodged a swinging backpack and a fairy wand on his way to the kitchen where Kayla had left a plate of muffins and a travel mug of coffee on the counter for him. Bless her, he thought as he took a long swig, hoping to wake himself up fully.

“Knox! Let’s move it!” He heard her call from the front porch. He stepped outside into a blissfully bright morning that meant a little extra visual clarity for him. He quickly descended the steps and jumped into the passenger seat of her SUV before she sped off to drop her brood at their various schools.

“Uncle Knox?” Taylor called from the backseat.

“Yeah?” He said around a huge bite of his muffin.

“You said you’d help me build a birdhouse.” Taylor said as he slumped against the window.

“I will.”

“But mom said you’re leaving…” he trailed off.

Knox shot a look at his sister who only returned his glare with her own.

“I am, but I’ll be back. Don’t worry.”

“But, will you still be able to build it?”

Knox was undone by the sad tone in his nephew’s voice. Obviously Kayla had given them the scoop on where he was going and why.

“Yeah, bud. I’ll still be able to build it, but I think the point was for you to do it.”

“I can do it.” He piped up.

“Uncle Knox?” Knox rubbed his forehead to try and stave off the increasing pounding.

“Yeah, Trev?”

“You said you’d practice my times tables with me.”

Knox smiled. “I will.”

“When?”

“I don’t know…maybe we can do it over the phone.”

“Yeah? Can we Face Time?”

“I guess.”

Knox slumped down in his seat, relieved to have the inquisition over, at least temporarily. As he waited in the car for his sister to drop off the kids, he rubbed his temples in a useless attempt to stop the banging inside his skull.

“What’s wrong?” Kayla asked as she climbed back into the car and pulled away from the curb.

“Nothin’.” He turned to look out the passenger window.

“You know why your head hurts, right?”

“Yes, Dr. Freud.” He mumbled.

“Sorry.” She answered, but without any actual remorse in her voice. Knox decided to keep quiet for the rest of the ride, lest she convince him to call Maddie right here, right now.

Finally, she pulled into his driveway and cut the engine. He climbed out quickly.

“Knox!” She shouted through the open driver’s window. He stopped and turned.

“Just...”

Knox was undone by the hesitancy in his sister’s usually bossy voice. “Just tell her I love her and miss her, okay?”

Kayla didn’t wait for an answer as she backed out of his driveway and roared away. He’d been pissed at her a second ago, but she had a way of reminding him her heart was as big as she was small…and it seemed they’d all been touched by Madeline Roberts.

Knox stalked inside and proceeded to pace for a good half an hour before finally grabbing his phone and calling Madeline. Kayla was right; he did need to tell her. After all, he’d be gone for a long time and she deserved to hear it from him. He wasn’t going to presume that she’d wait for him or rush home…or anything. In fact, he’d assumed, in his pessimistic half of his brain, that this would probably be the end of things between them. She was in New York dealing with…whatever she was dealing with. Maddie had been seriously close-mouthed ever since they’d parted ways at the airport and that had left him feeling uneasy. And now this. It was much more likely they’d separate than stay together.

Now that he’d worked that out, he finally had the guts to push the ‘call’ button on his phone.

He breathed deeply with each ring and waited. Finally, after the fourth ring, her voicemail picked up.

‘
You’ve reached Madeline Roberts. Please leave a message.’

“Hey Maddie. It’s Knox. Listen, I need to talk to you. I’m sorry to do this while you’re in New York, but…um, I wanted to talk to you about something. It’s important. Anyway, call me when you can.”

He hung up and walked directly out to his workshop and uncovered the dresser he’d started for her so long ago. It was already completely stripped and sanded, but he’d been working on a decorative rose and vine pattern than ran across the top and down the front leg. He wanted to finish it before he left.

xXx

A rapid knocking on her door startled her and redirected her attention from the window where she’d been gazing and letting her mind wander. The door swung open and revealed the presence of her father and brother standing together. Instantly, her pulse jumped.

“Hard at work?” Her brother, Peter, asked in his usual sarcastic tone.

Madeline only lifted an eyebrow in response.

“Madeline, sulking in your room all day won’t bring your mother back.” Her father said.

Madeline rose from the elegantly appointed sitting area and crossed arms over her chest. “I’m fine.”

“Good.” Her father retorted. “Your mother’s will was specific that we all participate in my campaign. It was her final wish and I intend to see that it is honored. I hope you’ll find it in your heart to put off your plans to return to…” he pretended to search his memory, “Colorado, was it?”

“Yes. Colorado.”

“We are a family, Madeline.” Her father replied, attempting for a sincere tone of voice that, instead of the desired effect, made her skin crawl.

Madeline studied her father in his perfectly tailored suit. Appearances had always been everything to him. He kept up a punishing regimen of physical exercise to maintain a healthy physique and spent time and money to make sure his face and hair matched the rest of him. Her thoughts immediately turned to Ed Barrows, with his snow-white hair and crinkly blue eyes. She didn’t think Ed spent much time worrying about such things. No, his mind was almost always focused on his children. He loved them in a way that baffled her sometimes. She hadn’t known such a thing existed.

“I can stay a little while longer, but then I need to get back.”

“To what?” Peter sneered.

“That,” she felt the steel in her voice, “is none of your business.”

“Enough.” Her father quietly commanded. “I’ll see both of you at dinner.”

Madeline watched him wrinkle his nose in disgust. Peter, of course, followed their father close behind. He was a little minion and Madeline wondered if Peter even knew that their father hated him too.

Madeline grabbed a coat and headed down the stairs and out the front hall. She needed to walk. She looked down at her outfit as she crossed the large marble foyer. She was still dressed in a matching cardigan sweater set and black slacks with matching pumps. Well, it would have to do for now.

As she pulled open the heavy front door, she yearned for her boots, jeans and fleece jacket and the open air of Colorado.

The paved path that weaved through the meticulously maintained garden was no substitute for the wildness of Touchstone, but it would have to do. Madeline wandered to the very edges of her parents’ property and leaned against a wrought iron fence that separated their perfectly manicured lawn from their neighbors.

She wanted to go back to Knox and to her life in Touchstone, but ever since her mother died, her father had been…different. Not good, exactly, but not the same as when she was a child. They’d brokered some sort of peace between them and right now, it hung in the air like a fine spider’s web. She was afraid that if she left now, whatever progress they’d made might snap that fragile line forever.