Chapter 9: Thursday, August 5, 2010

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Jake knocked on the door to the Motel 6 at 8:30 on the dot. Emily opened the door a crack to see who it was. He had read as he approached the room that they were awake though not yet dressed to face the day.

“Jake!” Emily squealed. She threw open the door and launched herself at him. She jumped into his arms and wrapped her legs around him.

“Emily, you’re not dressed,” Lizzie snapped.

Jake had to admit that there were a whole lot of Emily’s legs showing. She slid back down to the ground, grabbed Jake’s arm, and dragged him into their room. Jake held her tightly for a minute and then peeled her off of him. She was dressed in a t-shirt and panties. Jake bent down to Emily and gave her a quick kiss.

“You look beautiful, Emily. I’ve missed you.”

Then he turned to Lizzie. She was dressed the same as Emily, but she filled out her nightclothes. Her hair was still mussed, but somehow, it made her look sexier. He couldn’t make himself ignore how her breasts swayed gently with her movements. She was a little embarrassed to be caught in her sleepwear. She was even more embarrassed and more than a little confused to be so pleased to see him.

“Even straight from bed, you look lovely, Lizzie,” Jake said.

“We’ve been up forever,” Emily said. “We just don’t have any place to be yet.”

“Well, you do now,” Jake said. “There’s this great local diner nearby. They serve biscuits as big as your head. Come with me and we’ll have breakfast. And chat.”

“Look at us, Jake,” Lizzie said. “We’re not dressed.”

“I’m going to step out and give you a chance to get ready. Tell me how long to wait until I return.”

Lizzie hesitated.

“C’mon, Mom. We’ve got to eat anyway, and I want to see Jake.”

“I don’t—” Lizzie began.

“There’s no polite way out of this, Lizzie” Jake said. “You and I need to talk. In my family, we don’t let things just hang on. We talk them out. It’s better for everybody.”

“What things?”

“The issues that have been hanging on since I last saw you in Chicago.”

Lizzie looked over at Emily. She was uncomfortable with having her feelings for Jake dragged out into the open in front of her daughter.

“It will work out,” Jake said. “I promise. Now how long do you need?”

“Half an hour?” Lizzie said looking at Emily who nodded.

“It’s 8:35,” Jake said. “I’ll be back at 9:15.”

Jake let himself out and went to his car. The day was already heating up and the sunlight shining into the car made it stifling. He turned the car on and let the air conditioner run.

Jake turned on the radio and listened to music. Poor Lizzie. She was drawn to him. She was drawn to the camaraderie she felt with the rest of his family. She was torn and confused. Well, Jake didn’t plan to make things any easier for her.

He gave them an extra couple of minutes because they weren’t quite ready and then knocked on their door. Emily emerged looking happy to see him. Lizzie followed her out, closing the door behind her. She looked pensive.

Jake drove them over to the diner. He compelled the hostess to seat them away from the occupied tables.

“I’ve really missed hanging around with you all,” Jake said while they examined their menus. “The biscuits and sausage gravy are great. I’d drive here from Iowa just for that.”

“And then they’d have to drive you back in a hearse,” Lizzie said. “Do they have anything a bit healthier?”

“Is your mom always so serious?” Jake asked Emily.

“You have no idea.”

“Oh, I have some idea. For instance, it’s obvious that she’s uncomfortable being around us. Or maybe it’s just around me.”

“Why would you say that?” Lizzie said, blushing.

“You really expect me to believe you’re more comfortable in a cheap motel than at our place? And why did I have to nearly drag you to breakfast. I figure it’s because of the way we left things in Chicago.”

The waitress came by to take their order. They waited for her to leave before they began to talk again.

“How did you leave things in Chicago, Mom?” Emily asked.

“I told her how much I thought of her and then I kissed her,” Jake said.

“Jake!” Lizzie hissed.

“Your mom’s very confused, Emily. She likes me a lot, and she knows that I also find her very interesting and attractive. But that makes her feel guilty because of my age. She can’t figure out what to do.”

Lizzie slunk down in her seat.

“She must have decided something, Jake. She moved down here to live near you guys.”

“Yes, but I think that in her mind that’s the most she can do without coming out and admitting how she really feels. And that’s fine with me. At least she’s close to us now. We’ll be able to talk this through.”

“Jake, do you have to embarrass me like this?”

“Apparently. I haven’t been having much luck getting you to talk to me like a mature woman. I should probably also mention that I told Boris that you and I are attracted to each other.”

Lizzie flushed a bright red. “Oh, my God. He’ll never talk to me again.”

“No, that won’t happen,” Jake said. “He’s rather fond of you. In fact, he was a bit miffed with me for pushing myself on you, but I think he’s past that now.”

“What’s he going to think about me?”

“I don’t think it’s going to change the way he feels about you, but if you’re worried about it, we can all three get together and talk it out.”

“I can’t, Jake. I couldn’t face Boris and talk about this.”

“So you’d rather live in limbo, not knowing how you stand with him? I don’t know that you’re being rational about this, Lizzie.”

“Of course I’m not being rational,” she snapped. “I’m being emotional. This is an emotional topic.”

“Yes, of course, you’re right,” Jake said gently. “And I’m sorry for having pushed you, but I think it’s crucial to your happiness, and I know it is to mine. I won’t let us be miserable because you’re unwilling to face the issues. I’m way too fond of you to let that happen.”

“What are you, Jake? How do you know to push my buttons like this?”

“You know what I am, Lizzie. I told you within three minutes of when I met you. I’m someone who understands people. And I understand you well enough to know this is a big source of unhappiness for you. I also know you and Boris well enough to be pretty sure that we three can work this out in very short order if we just confront it.”

The waitress brought their breakfasts.

“So you’re getting together with Boris and Jake, Mom?” Emily asked when they were alone again.

Lizzie dropped her face into her hands.

“That’s one possibility, Emily,” Jake said. “But there are others, too. Give your mom a little space on this until it gets settled. This is hard for her. I only brought it up like this to make sure that she wouldn’t leave it unresolved.” He smiled over at Emily. “Now that we have the hard part out of the way, let’s talk about other things. Have you decided where you’re going to live?”

“We’ve looked at some apartments,” Emily said.

“They’re a lot more expensive here than they were in Iowa,” Lizzie said.

“How much did you pay in Cedar Rapids?”

“Five fifty.”

“Where have you been looking?”

“Around here in the suburbs.”

“That’s your problem. You should be looking further out. Try near the lake, out by where we live. The farther from the city you get, the better the prices. You might even be able to afford to rent a house.”

“C’mon, Jake,” Lizzie said. “Properties by the lake have got to be really expensive.”

“You couldn’t get a place on the lakefront but you’d do just fine a little inland. Look, there’s a nice place not far from the Harrison’s that has a ‘For Rent’ sign out front. Let’s take a look at it after breakfast and see how much they want for it.”

“You can’t just drop in,” Lizzie said. “You have to call ahead.”

“Right you are. Hold on a second.”

Jake pulled out his cell phone and placed a call.

“Hey, Brenda. It’s Jake ... Yes, there is something you can do for me. There’s a house for rent on the road to the Harrisons, a couple of miles before you get there. I need you to drive over there, get the telephone number off the sign, and make an appointment for the Broadmans to look at it ... Just as soon as possible ... Get Maureen to help Annabelle with lunch. Call me back on my cell as soon as you’ve set it up ... Thanks. You’re the best.”

Jake hung up.

“Let’s see how that works out,” Jake said, reaching for another biscuit. “I think the schools near the lake are better, too. What are your thoughts about a job, Lizzie?”

“I drove a forklift in a warehouse in Cedar Rapids. The money wasn’t bad.”

“But you’re so bright, Lizzie. And that’s no kind of career.”

“I married right out of high school. I’ve got a high school diploma but no college. That really limits what I can do.”

“Why not go back to school now? Lizzie doesn’t need you at home like she did when she was a baby.”

“Because that takes a lot of money. I’d have to pay tuition as well as support Emily and myself. It can’t be done.”

“What about help from your ex-husband?”

“He’s not even making his child support payments.”

“Have you got some money left over from your settlement with Tommy Cox?”

“Yes, but I couldn’t live for even a year on that, especially not with tuition.”

“What if money were no problem? Would you go to college in that case?”

“I’d jump at it. But it’s not possible so it’s not worth thinking about.”

“Lizzie, darlin’, money is not really a problem.”

She looked at him sharply. “No, Jake. No. I’m off balance as things are. I won’t become dependent on you financially. I need to be free to make the decisions that are best for Emily and me.”

“You know that I would do this for you with no strings, Lizzie, but I’ll respect your wishes. What you may not know is that there are organizations that help someone in your position. I met this girl where Alice works. Her name is Amber. She’s young, about 20, and a single mother. She found this scholarship program that takes care of all her educational expenses and gives her money on top of that to live on.”

“Is that for real? It sounds too good to be true.”

“Amber seems happy with it. She said that the only requirements were that she had to get approval for her course of study ahead of time and she had to show them her grades to prove that she was making progress. I can probably find out who gave her the scholarship.”

“I don’t know, Jake. I’ve pretty much given up on going to college. I don’t know if I want to get my hopes up.”

“Let me see what I can find out.” Jake pulled his phone out again and called home. “Hey, Annabelle. It’s Jake. Can I talk to Leanne?”

Jake waited until Leanne got on the phone.

“Hi, Jake. Is anything wrong?”

“No, love. It’s all good. It’s just that I am sitting here with Lizzie talking about the possibility of her going to college instead of looking for a job. She likes the idea but she doesn’t really have the money to do it. It occurred to me that maybe there’s a way to make it work out.”

“You mean with you paying for it?”

“No, she doesn’t want to take money from me. She doesn’t want to feel obligated. So I told her about that girl we met at Diana’s. The one who got the scholarship that also took care of her living expenses, too. Her name was Amber. Do you remember her?”

“What’s going on, Jake? Of course, I remember her, and I remember that you’re paying her tuition and giving her that stipend.”

“Right, a stipend. That’s what it’s called. Lizzie’s in the same boat as Amber. She has someone to support and she’s currently unemployed. If they made that offer to Amber then they might do the same for Lizzie. After all, Lizzie’s twice as smart and ten times nicer. Do you think you could find out from Amber where she got that scholarship?”

“Give me a second here. You’re with Lizzie pretending you don’t know about Amber’s scholarship, but you want me to find out about it. You’re trying to scam her, aren’t you? You want to give her the money without her knowing it’s from you.”

“Exactly. If we can get the number of the people who handle the scholarship, Lizzie can find out if she qualifies.”

“Let me think. You have Brenda pretending to be the scholarship administrator.” There was a pause. “Oh, I get it. Lizzie won’t recognize Brenda’s voice. You want her to call Lizzie. Once she collects Lizzie’s information, Brenda can then tell her that she is qualified for the scholarship and start sending her the stipend. But that’s a problem, Jake. Brenda sends Amber checks signed by you on your personal checking account.”

“I’m sure the scholarship people can work around that.”

“We might want to go ahead and get a post office box and a dedicated checking account. That way we can fool Lizzie. Heck, we can use this fictitious scholarship organization in the future whenever you decide to give away a college education.”

“Good thinking. Meanwhile, Lizzie’s here with me. If you can get a hold of them, would you get them to call my cell phone? That way Lizzie can find out if she qualifies.”

“Jan’s here having a cup of coffee. She’s been to college. I’ll have her spend some time with Brenda getting the story straight so that she can fool Lizzie. The only problem is that Brenda just left a couple of minutes ago.”

“That’s okay. Have them call us anytime in the next few hours. Lizzie, Emily and I are going to go house hunting and then probably come by the lake house for lunch.”

“If Lizzie finds out she’s going to be pissed.”

“I hope that doesn’t happen, but you’re right. It would be a problem. Do you think it won’t work?”

“No, we can pull it off. It’s certainly worth a try. This would be a good thing for Lizzie. You need to distance yourself from the con now. Don’t give her any reason to suspect that you’re involved.”

“Sure. I’ll do that. We’ll be waiting for a phone call.”

Jake hung up.

“So, what’s up?” Lizzie asked. “Did she say it wouldn’t work out?”

“No, she was talking about whether she could get a hold of the scholarship office. Leanne said she would get the contact information and ask someone to call and let us know if you are eligible.”

Jake’s phone rang. It was Brenda.

“The rental agent will be there at 11:00 to show you the house.”

“You’re a marvel. Leanne was just wondering where you were. Would you give her a call?”

“Yes, Jake, if you’d like.”

“You did good with the house, Brenda. I’ll talk to you later.”

Jake checked the clock. He had time to eat another biscuit before they had to go.

“It’s gorgeous,” Lizzie whispered to Jake. “The yard is huge and I can see the lake from the living room. How can it only be $525 a month?”

Jake stifled a smile. The rent was $1,525 a month but Jake had installed a compulsion in the leasing agent so that she kept saying $525 without realizing it.

“Things are just cheaper in the country. Maybe we can do better if we look farther out.”

“Are you crazy? I’ll never get a deal like this anywhere else.”

“Then you better jump on it.”

“Right,” she said and turned to the agent. “We’ll take it. Our furniture is arriving tomorrow. Can we move in then?”

“You’ll need to pay the first and last month rents with a certified check and sign the lease first.”

“That’s a problem. My money is in a bank in Cedar Rapids and I’ve only got personal checks.”

“Those are details I can help with,” Jake said to the agent. “Our lawyer will have his runner pick up the lease, look it over, and get it signed and returned to your office with a certified check by the end of the day.” He turned to Lizzie. “You can write a personal check to reimburse me.”

“That will work,” the agent said. “I can have the lease ready for Ms. Broadman’s signature by one this afternoon.”

The agent let Jake and the Broadmans out of the house, got in her own car, and drove away. Jake let Lizzie and Emily into his car. As soon as Jake took his place in the driver’s seat Lizzie shrieked at the top of her voice.

“This will be the nicest place I’ve ever lived in,” she said and beamed at Jake. “Thank you for suggesting we look here.”

“You’re welcome. It makes me happy that you’ve found a place you like.”