Besides Pearl, there were two people in the restaurant. One, an elderly man with a nervous look, was getting up to leave. He slunk out with his meal unfinished and his cash on the table. The other, a woman, was standing in the middle of the room, surrounded by empty tables. Emma recognized her at once. Although she’d only seen her from a distance, there could be no mistaking Lillian, the matriarch of the Swenson clan.
Emma walked back to stand next to Pearl, as if in support. She wondered if Boone had shown his mother the school photo she’d given him, but to her relief, Lillian only glanced at her, with no sign of recognition.
“All right, Lillian,” Pearl said. “I’ll call Marlena, but only if you’ll sit down and be still. Would you like some coffee? Maybe a doughnut or some pie, on the house?”
Lillian sank onto a chair with a weary sigh. Dressed in jeans, boots, and a man’s lumberjack-style coat, she was a portly woman, but powerfully built, as if she’d spent a lifetime doing heavy work. Her thin, gray hair was pulled into a knot at the back of her head.
“I’ll take some black coffee and a slice of your apple pie with ice cream,” she said. At a nod from Pearl, Emma scurried off to get her what she’d asked for.
Moments later, when Emma came out of the kitchen, Pearl was still on the portable landline phone. Bending close, she placed the cof
fee and pie, along with a napkin and utensils, on the table. “Here you are,” she said, getting her first good look at the woman.
Weathered by wind, sun, and time, Lillian’s creased face told a story of hard work, rough living, and disappointment. Her husband had either died or run off. Of the three children she’d raised alone, one son was weak in his mind, the other son was a lying sociopath, and her daughter had cut all ties to the family. Now the one child who’d stayed with her, maybe even loved her, was in jail for an awful crime he hadn’t committed.
Looking into Lillian’s bloodshot blue eyes, Emma caught a glint of tears.
I’m sorry, she wanted to say. This is all my fault. But she knew that would only make matters worse.
Without thanking her, Lillian took a forkful of pie and shoveled it into her mouth. Her hands were chapped and callused, another testament to the rough life she’d led.
Pearl was still on the phone. Placing her hand over the receiver, she turned to Lillian. “Marlena’s not coming. She says that you’re no longer family to her, and your problems are none of her business.”
Lillian rose to her feet, upsetting the coffee cup. “Give me the damn phone!” She snatched it out of Pearl’s hands. “Listen, you ungrateful little bitch, your brother Ezra’s in jail for something he didn’t do! They think he murdered a woman, out at Boone’s trailer. You’re still our blood. If that means anything to you—”
She went silent. The phone dropped to the table as she stared.
David had just walked into the restaurant.
CHAPTER 15
Pearl picked up the phone. “Marlena, you might want to get down here,” she said, and hung up.
David glanced from Lillian to Pearl as if to ask, What’s going on here? From the stories she’d heard, Emma guessed that the boy hadn’t seen his mother’s family since he was small. He didn’t appear to recognize the woman standing at the table, staring at him.
Lillian spoke. “I know you. Ain’t you Marlena and John’s boy? David. Ain’t that your name?”
David still looked puzzled, but he was a polite young man. “Yes,” he said. “But my parents aren’t married anymore. They’re—”
“Don’t you know me, boy?” she demanded. “I’m your grandma!”
Emma had moved to a spot near the front door to intercept any customers who might walk in on the drama. From where she stood, she could see the emotions warring in David’s young face as he tried to make sense of what he’d just been told. She saw surprise, then denial, then at least a measure of acceptance.
“Well?” At least Lillian wasn’t holding out her arms for a hug. “Don’t you remember me at all? Hell, boy, when you was born, I was the one who delivered you. I was the first one to hold you. You was the cutest little black-haired thing. When I gave you to your dad, he was shaking so hard I was afraid he was gonna drop you. You don’t remember me at all?”
David shook his head. “I was pretty little back then.”
“And your mother never told you about me?”
“Mom never talked about you much. So I don’t really feel like I know you.” He managed a smile. “But maybe we can start over from here.”
He held out his hand. Lillian seized it, clasping it hard. It wasn’t a hug, but it was something, at least.
Emma felt a surge of emotion. Well played, David, she thought. John would be proud of you.
Moments later, a familiar black Escalade screeched to a halt outside. Marlena flung herself out of the driver’s seat and strode into the restaurant. “You, David, into the car,” she said. “Now.”
David stood his ground. “Sorry, Mom, but I can’t leave. I’m at work.”