Chapter 5
Gemma sat in her office, totally drained. Yesterday had been exhausting. With worry over Harlan and being in constant company of Caleb, her nerves were shot. Sighing heavily, she stared out her office window blankly.
“Hey, there.”
Gemma swiveled her chair around. “Maisy. How nice to see you.”
“You, too.” Maisy crossed to the desk, adorable with her baby bump and the freckles on her cheeks that the sun had brought out. “Can I sit?”
“Of course.”
“I came over to see Harlan but he keeps falling back to sleep. So I stopped to see you.” Her gaze narrowed on Gemma’s face. “You look awful.”
Gemma touched her face. “I feel that way. Yesterday was a nightmare.”
“Caleb told me some of it. The added stress of being thrown together with my brother probably made things worse.”
“I’m sorry to say that’s true.” She felt emotion rising inside her and struggled to quell it.
“He said you have irreconcilable differe nces.”
“I don’t see it that way. He broke our relationship off. I’m afraid I can’t say more, Maise. It’s his story to tell.”
“Yeah. I know.” She sighed. “Grab your purse.”
“Why?”
“I’m springing you from here. We’ll go for a short walk then eat lunch. We won’t talk about Caleb.”
“I’m not sure I can put one foot in front of the other.”
Maisy stood. “You can try.”
On the ten-minute walk, the sun warmed her face and seemed to pour energy into her body. Combined with a soft wind, the day was perfect. When they arrived at Magnolia’s, she felt a bit better.
As the receptionist led them to a table, Maisy stopped short. Her face drained of color.
Gemma went into doctor mode. “Maisy, is something wrong with the baby?”
Her gaze swung to Gemma. She shook her head.
“Let’s sit.”
“No.”
Maisy took in a deep breath and marched over to an occupied booth. A lone woman sat on one side. She had soft brown hair with highlights and her features were perfectly arranged. Her understated gold necklace sparkled in the light.
“What the hell are you doing in town, Marlena?” Maisy asked, her voice rising.
The woman tilted her chin. “I came to see my husband .”
Gemma remembered Caleb’s comment. Marlena was my wife’s name .
Maisy plopped her hands on her hips. “You got that wrong, lady. You’re his ex.”
A smug smile crossed Marlena’s face. She reached over into a big purse and pulled out papers. She leafed through to a page. “Take a look, sugar.”
Maisy grabbed them. The header of the document read the State of New York Divorce Decree . Both Gemma and she peered down to the signatures. Caleb’s name was first. But the second line was glaringly blank.
“That’s right. Bless his heart. I never signed them. I’m still married to Caleb.”
* * *
In order to survive the after-effects of Harlan’s suicide attempt, Caleb threw himself into his practice. He’d had three two-hour sessions planned today and had just finished the first. He checked the clock. Nearly noon. He’d have some lunch.
He’d stood when Maisy burst in from the front door to the house. Caleb recoiled in surprise. Even more so when he saw his sister was with Gemma.
He steeled himself. “Maisy, Gemma. What are you doing here?”
Gemma stayed by the door while Maisy crossed to him and hugged him. She held on tight. “Something happened.”
His heart nose-dived to his stomach. “Is it Harlan?”
“No, no. He’s the same.”
He clasped her to him. “What’s wrong, honey?”
When she drew back, he saw her eyes were incredibly sad. “We have some bad news. When Gemma and I went to have lunch at Magnolia’s, we bumped into Marlena.”
He frowned. “Marlena’s here?”
“I’m afraid so.”
Caleb would be strong for Maisy. “No need to get this upset, Maise. That’s not the end of the world. I can deal with her.”
“There’s more, Caleb. When I confronted her, she showed us your divorce papers. Do you have your copy?”
“I filed it away unopened.”
“That explains it. The forms showed she didn’t sign them. Oh, Caleb, if that’s true, she is still your wife.”
Anger spurted through him. “Son of a bitch. Can’t that woman leave me alone?”
* * *
“You’re all good men. You’ve paid your debt to society.” Jackson smiled at the five boys seated in front of him in the small auditorium Pathways used for special occasions like this. They were dressed in navy blue gowns and mortar board hats.
Gemma scanned the group of people gathered here. Someone was in attendance for each of the boys: Bryce’s mother, Freddie Pecorino with Maisy, Louis Gomez’s abuela, Timmy O’Malley’s father and Quentin Wright’s dad. Gemma knew how much them showing up meant to the students.
Jackson continued, “But now, after today, the real test begins. What will you do with your life? All of us here at Pathways hope we’ve given you the tools you’ll need to make healthy choices once you leave us. You’ve been taught an extensive array of skills and had training in the areas you were interested in.”
The boys hung on each of his words.
“Please use them, guys…”
Gemma half listened to the rest of the speech. Her gaze landed on Caleb. He looked absolutely fine, which was a problem. Because he wasn’t fine. After the initial shock of finding out his wife had come to town, he’d asked Gemma to leave so he could talk to Maisy. The dismissal cut her to the core. She was still hurting over it today.
And worried. Marlena Shepherd had come back to claim her husband. Would Caleb forgive her cheating on him?
The irony of that was almost overwhelming.
An explosion rent the air.
The seats and the stage shook.
Scents of metal and wood burning stung her nose.
And then an eerie silence.
Which gave way to people standing, shouting, pointing to the back of the auditorium. Three rows of empty seats were gone, two more charred. Then it hit Gemma. A bomb had gone off. Dear God, this couldn’t be happening.
Jackson was still holding the mic. “Please, remain where you are for a moment. And listen to me.” His voice was calm but loud. “Check your rows and see if anyone’s hurt.”
A few seconds passed. Gemma crossed to Maisy. “Are you all right?”
“Uh-huh. A little shaken.”
Then Jackson said, “Call out if someone needs attention.”
No one.
He glanced to the left where Harry gave him the thumbs up. “My assistant called 911. We should move out of here. Like you would in a movie theater, proceed to the emergency exit on the left of the stage. Go to the gazebo. It’s a safe distance away from any building. Don’t panic. Get out of here safely.” He strode to the exit and waved the boys through. Diego and Annie accompanied them.
The rest of the adults left and some headed to their cars.
Gemma and Maisy stopped before they exited. Gemma said, “You have to leave, too, Jackson.”
“I won’t go without you,” Maisy stated.
“I’ll walk out with you. Now hurry.”
When Gemma reached the door, she turned around.
Caleb sat immobilized in his seat.
Oh, dear God, this had to conjure up his church getting bombed.
* * *
“Caleb, get up.”
The voice came out of the midst surrounding him. A sickening smell assaulted him. A familiar one.
He felt someone shake him. “Caleb!” Her voice rose. “Snap out of it.” She tapped his face a couple of times.
When he catapulted back to the present, he saw Gemma poised above him. “Gemma.”
“Let’s go. Everybody’s evacuated but us.”
“You have to get out.”
“I will, with you.”
“I have to check on Harlan first.”
“He was wheeled out from the Med Center and was sleeping in the cot. Jackson checked on him. The center’s being cleared first.”
Caleb stood and they slid from the row, held hands and hustled to the exit to the outside. The August sun nearly blinded them. When he shaded his eyes, he saw the gazebo about twenty feet away.
Through a bullhorn, Jackson called out firmly, “All the buildings have to be swept. We’ll wait at the gazebo until the cops do a thorough sweep. Sit at the picnic tables.”
When they walked under the covered roof, Maisy rushed to them. She threw her arms around Caleb. “Thank God you’re all right.”
“I’m fine. Where’s Freddie?”
“I sent him home with Mia.” Their nanny had come to the graduation with her and the boy.
“You two stay together,” Gemma told them. “I have to go help Jackson.”
“We will.” Maisy’s voice was calm. Assured. But her hand slipped to her stomach as if it could protect the child there.
Big brother mode came easily. “Let’s sit over here, Maise.” Caleb ushered her to a picnic bench where others were seated.
They took seats next to each other; she studied his face. “This hits close to home, pardon the pun.”
Caleb gave a small smile. “Yeah, at first. Now I feel I should be helping out.”
She reached over and grabbed his hands. “No, stay with me, please. For a little bit.”
“All right.”
Her faced showed lines of worry and fear. “How could this happen twice to you, Caleb?”
“I don’t know. The odds have to be astronomical. Mick Thomas is aware of my past, though, in case….”
“In case what?”
“In case this incident is connected to me, too. As I said the chance of me experiencing another bombing is highly unlikely.”
“But there’s no proof they were connected.”
Jackson walked back under the gazebo. His gaze landed on Maisy. She gave him a thumbs up. He nodded and crossed to the boys, who sat with their families and the teachers from Pathways.
In only a few minutes, the Westwood police arrived. Caleb noticed more cars followed. Police from neighboring towns had come to help search the big campus.
Jackson got up to talk to Captain Thomas, who then strode to the mic. “If I could have your attention please.”
The rumble of talk faded. “The bomb squads will be searching the auditorium area for more explosives. Other squads of officers will fan out across the campus. Fortunately, bomb squads from neighboring towns and especially from Syracuse, have come to our aid. Many have canine units. You should head to the parking lot. All buildings will be cordoned off for the rest of today and searched. Tomorrow, we’ll open everything but the auditorium.”
Jackson joined them after the chief finished. He kissed Maisy on the cheek. “I want you to go home. Caleb can take you.”
“Are you kidding? I’m not leaving until I know Pathways is safe. Until you’re safe.”
“Caleb?” Jackson said in frustration.
“I’ve never had much luck in making Maisy do something she doesn’t want to do. Best I can offer is to stay with her until you’re done here.”
Caleb could see the worry in his eyes. “I guess.”
Maisy tugged at his hand. “Be careful, honey.”
“Always. For you.” He squeezed Caleb’s shoulder, then strode away.
“He’s in for a long day.”
“Yeah. Pathways is his baby.” She arched her back.
“Bench seats are bad on your back. Tell you what? Let’s wait until things are underway, then I’ll take you home.” When she started to object, he said, “Please, sweetheart. You have to do what’s best for the little one. And for Jackson. He’ll worry about you if you stay here.”
“All right. But not yet.”
* * *
After Caleb drove Maisy home, he visited with Freddie for a bit, then left them safe and sound. On the way to his place, thoughts of Freddie and his role in their lives gave him an idea. He wondered how long it had been simmering in his mind. So he turned around and headed back to Pathways. By now, the cops had cleared the administration building and Jackson had probably gone to his office.
When he walked inside, Jackson looked up. “Hey.” His eyes widened. “Maisy okay?”
“Yeah, she sent me on my way. I got her settled with Freddie and the dog.”
Jackson had lines around his mouth and eyes; Caleb had never seen the man so depleted. “You look like I should drive you home.”
“Nah. I’m planning to leave in a few minutes.”
Caleb said, “Want to debrief for a bit?”
Jackson scrubbed his hands over his face. “I’m at a loss. I understand we’re controversial, but the community accepted Pathways a long time ago. Who hates us so much that they’d bomb us?”
“I know that feeling.”
“Hell, Caleb, I forgot for a bit that’s how you lost your church.”
He frowned. “Yeah. I hope there’s no connection to the church bombing, though. Unless somebody’s after me.”
“Don’t buy that trouble, buddy. That’s pretty far-fetched.”
Maisy had said the same thing.
“Maybe. In any case, I’m not buying it today. I came for something more important.”
“What it is?”
“It’s about Harlan.”
* * *
The buildings were cleared by suppertime and no more explosives were found. Gemma could barely put one foot in front of the other. She’d helped with the boys and their families, then they were sent home together. They’d return for graduation. All but Harlan. He’d been wheeled out of the med center while the police cleared it and now he was back inside. Gemma headed there.
She found him wide awake. His color was better and he seemed to have more energy.
He glanced over at the door. “Dr. Kendrick.” Even his voice was stronger now.
“Hey, there, young man. How are you feeling?”
“Weak.” He frowned, deeply. “Stupid.”
“Don’t go there, Harlan. You were sad, too sad to deal with life.”
“I don’t know what to do now.” He swept the room with his gaze. “I can’t stay here.”
“I think the plan is for you to do just that until we have a place for you.”
He closed his eyes. “I got nowhere to go.”
“Nonsense. Pathways will take care of you.”
He gave her a look so full of doubt and her heart sank.
A knock on the door. From a seat next to the bed, Gemma saw Caleb standing in the archway. “Hey, Harlan.” He gave Gemma a smile. “Hi.”
“Hello, Caleb.”
He took a chair on the opposite side of the bed. “Tell me how you’re feeling, Harlan.”
“Better physically.”
“I can see that. What about emotionally?”
Tears came to his eyes but he didn’t speak.
Gemma answered for him. “He thinks he has no place to go. I told him we wouldn’t abandon him.”
“Include me in that, buddy.”
“It’s no use. Nobody wants me.”
Caleb straightened his shoulders and lifted his chin. “I have an idea. And I got a chance to run it by Jackson. I want you to come home with me. I have a huge house and I’m all alone in it unless Freddie stays over.”
Gemma forced herself not to gasp.
Harlan’s face blanked.
“I’m saying that I want you to come to live with me for as long as you want to.”
Now tears clouded his eyes. “I don’t…I can’t…you’d really do that for me?”
“I would and I am. As a matter of fact, Jackson and I already packed your suitcase. It’s in my car.”
Gemma bit her lip. It was then that she realized she was in love with Caleb Shepherd.