“You’ve heard from her? It’s been years. What kind of trouble?”
“For starters, she’s in a coma.” Becky Lee could feel the tears starting to pool in her eyes. She dashed them away. There was too much to do. Too much to sort out.
“Oh, Bec. I’m so sorry. What happened? Where is she? You haven’t heard from her in so long. How did you find out?”
Beck Lee held up a hand. “One thing at a time.” She sank onto a chair across from Jenny, glad to have someone to talk to. “Her brother-in-law came to town to tell me. His brother—her husband—was killed in the accident.”
“Oh, no. I’m so sorry.” Jenny’s eyes narrowed. “Wait, she was married?”
“Yes, and there’s more. Theresa Jean has a son. Scotty. He’s here, too. And… well, they are kind of in hiding.”
“I don’t get it.”
“It’s all confusing, but her brother-in-law is here and I’m going to help him with Scotty. Give Theresa Jean time to heal and, hopefully, come out of her coma. But for now, we’re not telling anyone he’s my nephew.”
Jenny put down her glass of tea. “You’ve lost me.”
Becky Lee told her the whole story while Jenny listened intently.
“I’m so sorry all this happened to your sister. And you can’t even go see her? That is tough.”
“It is. I want to go see her so badly and talk to her. Try to get her to come around. But Cal—that’s her brother-in-law’s name—says it’s too dangerous. But to answer your question about the lasagna—which you asked ages ago—I’m having Cal and Scotty for dinner tonight. I want to get to know my nephew.”
“Is there anything I can do?”
“I don’t think so. Well, yes, can you tell Izzy what’s going on? There’s no use pretending I can keep a secret from you two. But make sure you don’t tell anyone else. It’s safer if people don’t know I’m Scotty’s aunt. For now.”
Jenny stood up, pulled Becky Lee to her feet, and gave her a long, I’m-here-for-you hug.
“I’ll keep Theresa Jean in my thoughts. I hope she recovers quickly.”
“Thanks. I do, too. I feel so helpless. Cal doesn’t want me to tell Pops or my other siblings, either. That’s what Theresa Jean asked, so that’s what I’ll do for now. I can’t believe all this happened without me knowing a thing. She got married. Had a son. Now she’s a widow. I just…” Becky Lee grabbed a tea towel off the table, carefully folded it, and set it back down. “It will all be okay. It will. I’m going to help her now by watching her son. Help take care of him. But when she gets better? All this will change. She is not going to drift so far out of my life ever again.”
“You’ll have time with her soon. I know you will. Keep the faith, Bec.”
Becky Lee forced a weak smile. “Yes, it will work out. Soon. She’ll get better. She’s a fighter.”
“You call me if you need anything. Call at any time, day or night.” Jenny headed toward the door.
“Thanks for coming by. I guess I didn’t realize how much I needed to talk to someone. You always seem to know when I need you.”
“That’s what friends are for. I’ll check in with you tomorrow.”
“Thanks, Jenny.” Becky Lee closed the door behind her friend and leaned against it. Her mind was a whirlwind of thoughts. She pushed away from the door and headed resolutely to the kitchen with firm steps. She’d feed Cal and Scotty, get to know the boy, and help Cal as much as she could.
~ * ~
Becky Lee had just enough time to finish preparing dinner, set the table, and change into a sundress and sandals. When she heard the knock at the front door, she glanced in the mirror in the hallway for a moment, then laughed at herself. It wasn’t like this was a date. Why was she fussing so? She was nervous about hitting it off well with Scotty, though.
She crossed the front room and swung the door wide. “Come in.”
Cal stepped inside, his large frame blocking the doorway momentarily. Scotty hung close to his side.
“I thought we might have some sweet tea or lemonade on the back patio while dinner finishes cooking. How does that sound?”
“I like lemonade,” Scotty piped up.
Becky Lee stared at the boy for a moment, searching for signs of Theresa Jean in him, memorizing his face, wanting to reach out and hug him and tell him everything would be okay, wanting to tell him she was his aunt. But instead, she just smiled. “I made fresh squeezed lemonade. Follow me.” She led them through the house to the kitchen and out onto the back patio overlooking her gardens.