Chapter Eleven
It was now late September, and Shanna had been painting non-stop. Every few weeks, she and Wes would head to the gallery together to drop everything off. The gallery had expanded into the empty store space beside them, since the clothing store had moved to a larger location one year earlier, so the gallery owner would take any artwork she had to offer, sight unseen.
When Wes arrived one day to pick her up, he had a worried look on his face, so she could tell that something was wrong.
“Shanna?” he said gruffly. “Your mother is in the hospital. They think she had a stroke. She’s not doing very well.”
Her face went pale as she dropped onto her seat in the cruiser.
“I’m sorry that you’re not going to be able to see her,” he muttered, sounding sympathetic, much to her surprise.
And then he dropped the subject as their day went on as usual.
The nearest intensive care hospital was all the way in Eau Claire, so there was no way she’d be able to get there, she realized.
The rest of her time in town was spent in a daze as she tried to accept the fact that her mom might not survive.
“I’m going to get you something to eat before we head back to the cabin,” Wes said, as they walked outside from the mall, and strolled along the street to the combination hamburger joint and drive in on the corner.
It was mid-morning, so the place wasn’t very busy yet. After having her go inside and sit in one of the booths, Wes ordered her food, bringing it back and watching to make sure she ate every bite of her hamburger as well as the chips that came with it.
He’d bought her a coke, so she quickly drew on the straw and finished it up.
“I’d better use the bathroom before we go back,” she said.
“Fine. Go ahead,” Wes replied, nodding toward the bathroom entrance.
A few minutes later, as Shanna washed her hands at the sink before leaving the restroom, someone familiar walked inside.
The woman looked at her oddly, and that’s when Shanna realized that she recognized her, although she was a few years older. Her name was Ashley Mitchum, a girl she’d gone to high school with.
Just when Ashley was about to say something, Shanna quickly headed out from the bathroom, hurrying toward Wes, who was waiting at the exit.
She’d better not say anything to Wes about Ashley possibly recognizing her. She doubted if Ashley remembered Shanna anyway.
When Wes coasted into the pier at the cabin another thirty minutes later, he hesitated. “Are you going to be alright?”
“Aren’t I always?” she answered dully.
Studying her, Wes nodded as she stepped out from the cruiser and began strolling back to the cabin with some of her groceries.
* * *
Another week later, Wes called Shanna, giving her the terrible news. Mom had passed away. The funeral that her sister Anya had arranged was happening today, and her mom was being buried in the cemetery beside Shanna’s grandparents since it had been arranged many years ago.
Surprisingly, Wes offered to take her to the cemetery later today when the service was over. Her sister might stay in town for a while, she realized. Someone had to go through Mom’s stuff and sell the house.
“I’d like that,” she replied, feeling even more helpless than she had years ago when she’d been handed over to Wes.
Why was he trying to be decent to her now, after everything he’d put her through? It was complicated for him, she supposed.
She wore her usual jeans and hooded sweatshirt with a wig over her head when Wes came to pick her up. She stepped into the passenger seat of his truck that he’d parked at the marina landing, where he usually docked his cruiser when they came to town. The cemetery was on the outskirts of Crystal Rock, so he’d decided to drive.
Wes drove along one of the cemetery roads, parking near the woods where her grandparents had both been buried—her grandfather first and her grandmother eight years later.
She walked up to the fresh mound of dirt, resting the flowers that Wes had picked up for her on top.
“I’m so sorry that I wasn’t there for you, Mom,” Shanna said softly.
Wes cleared his throat. “I think I’ll go wait in the truck. Take all the time you need.”
“Thank you,” she said.
Wes looked at her oddly again before heading back to his truck.
Shanna stood there several minutes, thinking about her mom, and whispering words about the past, telling her how much she’d loved her, even though she’d hadn’t appreciated her the way she should of.
Suddenly, she heard the sound of a branch breaking somewhere near the edge of the woods. And when she glanced over, a man was there, staring at her intently.
Recognizing him right away, she tried not to appear shocked since she knew Wes would be watching.
He definitely recognized her as well, but what was strange was the connection she felt when her eyes met his.
It was like she’d been struck by lightning, with that intensity in his gaze. She could feel it from the top of her head to the tips of her toes.
She couldn’t help thinking that he appeared to be greatly relieved.
He looked like he was ready to approach, but Shanna shook her head gently. It wouldn’t just put him in danger, but possibly Anya as well. Shanna was sure she was still here in town.
She held his gaze for one long moment before glancing back down at her mother’s grave.
“I love you, Mom,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry.”
Spinning on her heels, she walked back toward Wes’ truck.