“And the other reason?”
She looked down and dusted something nonexistent off her pristine coat. “As I’m sure you’ve heard, your father lost his bid for reelection to the Senate. But his name is in the running to be a vice presidential candidate in a few years.”
“Vice President. Wow. So I guess he needs his daughter by his side for that good family values image.”
Clearing her throat, she nodded slightly.
I pushed off the desk. “I’m sorry you wasted your time coming here. I have no desire, nor do I have any intention, of ever being a part of your lives again. Do you remember what you said to me the day I left?”
Her eyes closed again.
“You told me, as I was walking out the door, that you no longer had a daughter. That, as far asyouwere concerned, I was dead.”
“I didn’t mean that, Vivianne.”
“Let me give you some parting words, Emily. The day I walked out of your house, I lost the only two family members I’d ever known and loved. The only two people whosejobwas to love me. To care for me. To show me what family meant. Without strings attached. Vivianne Pennington died that day, and she isnevercoming back. As far as I’m concerned, my mother and father are Nellie and Gus Wilde.”
A look of hurt crossed her face. Or maybe it was anger…but I hoped it was hurt. Then she’d know just the tiniest fraction of what I’d felt the day she’d kicked me out of her home.
I walked back around my desk and sat.
Opening a notebook, I started to write. “If you’ll excuse me, Mrs. Pennington. I have work to do. And I’m sure you have more important places to be than River Falls Elementary.”
She stood there for another moment before slowly turning and walking to the door. She stopped, and I closed my eyes as I willed her to keep moving.
When she started to speak, I looked at her. Her voice sounded…defeated.
“I know you won’t believe this, but I’m going to say it anyway. The biggest mistake of my life was listening to your father when it came to raising you. I wanted to love you and spoil you the moment I held you in my arms. He told me I was silly and sentimental. That you’d be raised the wayhewas. I loved your father, and I was terrified he’d wake up one day and realize he’d married a nobody…so I did what he wanted me to do.”
Turning, she looked at me, and I nearly gasped when I saw a tear rolling down her cheek.
“I will regret for the rest of my life that I didn’t take you and leave when I should have. I will regret not loving you the way you deserved to be loved. I thought your father was the love of my life. But it turned out you were, Vivianne.”
I sat unmoving. Too afraid to even breathe.
She lifted her chin and smiled slightly. “I know you’ll be a better mother. You’ll give that baby you’re carrying the greatest gift of all. Love. And Vivianne…I’m sorry about your first child. If you ever want to know who adopted her, I have the information.”
Tears stung at the back of my eyes, but I refused to cry in front of her.
When it was clear I wasn’t going to say anything, Emily Pennington turned and walked away.
I leaned back in my chair and placed my hands on my stomach. I waited for the tears to fall, but they never did. So I packed up my things, put on my coat, and headed to Main Street.
I parked down the block from River Falls Sporting Goods. A light snow was falling, so I grabbed my hat and gloves. Slipping them on, I got out and walked the short distance. The store had been open for less than a month, and things were still a bit hectic. When I walked in, I took my hat and gloves off and smiled.
It was packed with people. River Falls wasn’t a large town, but with a ski resort only a few minutes away in Martindale, I knew most of these people had to be tourists.
“Hi, Vivianne!”
I turned to see Janet Miller, the owner of Main Street Gifts, walking toward me.
“Janet, Merry Christmas.”
She smiled. “Merry Christmas, darling. Can you believe this?” she asked as she spun around and waved a hand. “All these people in here? I heard a lot of them are from Martindale. Just in the few weeks it’s been open, my sales have doubled! It’s bringing in folks from all around River Falls, and while they’re here, they’re shopping Main Street! It’s been the best thing for our sleepy little town.”
I returned her smile and simply nodded. Janet was one of just a few residents who’d objected when they heard about the sporting goods store, swearing it would pull business away from the other stores on Main Street. It was clearly doing no such thing.
“I’m glad to hear that, Janet. If you’ll excuse me, I need to find Ladd.”
