They ate in silence. Mostly her mother ate. When her mother finished she placed her fork on her plate with a loud ping. Stacey jumped.
“Okay, spill.”
Stacey fingered the bracelet Jean and Lizzy had given her. She rarely took it off. “I’ve been working for this doctor. He has two small girls.”
“Aw, I suspected as much. This is about a man. He’s gotten to you. I was wondering when you would finally let it happen.”
Cody had gotten to her. Enough so that her entire world had tilted. She didn’t know how to right it. “We got close, had an argument and then it was time for me to leave.”
Her mother watched her closely. “There’s more to it than that.”
Her mom had always been able to read her expressions. Stacey hadn’t realized that until this moment. She had believed her mother was oblivious to her and her feelings. Now she questioned whether or not she’d given her mother enough credit. “Do you mind if I ask you something?”
Her mother got up and poured them more tea then sat again. “What do you want to know?”
“Why couldn’t you hold a marriage together?”
Her mother flinched then put her elbows on the table, holding the warm tea mug between her hands. “I don’t know. Maybe because I was always searching for something from some man that he wasn’t able to give me.” She shrugged. “Or it might be that I can’t open up enough to really let someone in. That I’m afraid they might see the real me and not like it. I know I’ve hurt you with my failed marriages. Your father, then your stepfather. I could see you missed him terribly. I hated myself for making you go through that.”
“So your answer was to take me away from my friends as well by moving to Miami?” Some of Stacey’s spirit had returned.
“That wasn’t my best decision. I was running from the bill collectors.”
Stacey had had no idea. She had to give her mom some sympathy there.
“I can’t change what happened but what I can tell you is that if you ever find a man that you believe you can give your heart and soul to, and you know he can do the same to you, then grasp him and hold on for all your life. That’s a precious thing that I’ve never had and wish desperately I could find. Don’t let my abysmal track record spoil your happiness.”
“It’s still not too late for you.” Stacey reached over and put her hand over her mother’s. This type of heart-to-heart they had never had. Suddenly she felt sorry for her mother. Stacey had shared more with Cody in a few weeks than her mother had found in her lifetime with her various partners.
“Maybe not. The question is, have you found someone you could settle down with? Tell me about this doctor.”
Stacey shared with her mother all about Cody and Jean and Lizzy, and Maple Island. The memories of their times together returned sweet and clear. Stacey finished with, “We had a huge fight. I had to leave and I won’t see them again. I have a job in Ethiopia.”
Her mother gave her a thoughtful look. “Do you love Cody?”
How like her mother to cut straight to the point. Stacey’s eyes didn’t waver as she answered, “With all my heart.”
“Then do something about it.”
“He offered me a job but said nothing about how he felt. I’m obligated to go to Ethiopia. After our fight I’m not sure he even wants to speak to me, let alone be willing to wait for me to come back.”
“Then you need to decide if he’s worth fighting for. Can you live without him? Probably. Will you be happy, though?” She shrugged.
Her mother still searched for what Stacey was confident she had already found with Cody. He and the girls had captured her heart. She would meet her obligation in Ethiopia until they could find a replacement for her. Then she would make arrangements to return to Maple Island. She intended to find out if Cody loved her as well.
* * *
Cody was coming out of surgery when Alex stopped him. “Do you have a sec?”
After their conversation two weeks earlier, Cody had taken hold of his emotions and stuffed them away in an effort to get his life back into line. He had called the agency that Stacey worked for and had been told that she was no longer employed by them. She had left no forwarding address. She had just disappeared. No, it was more like he had let her go.
Now he was only surviving because of the girls. Each day he hoped that Stacey might write and he would have a lead to what village she was working in in Ethiopia. It had been a month since she had left and every day he was disappointed when he looked through the mail. Somehow he had to find a way to contact her.
“Since you’re not taking any interest in hiring a new clinical nurse and I’m worried about overworking the nurses we have, I’ve taken the liberty of having a staffing service set up a few interviews for you. The first one comes in today at three.” With that, Alex walked away.