Page 80 of The Guest Cottage
Before they’d left, Pixie had sat in the back seat and nursed Andy while they chatted about potential for the business. When she’d finished, she’d changed the baby’s diaper, and now he was sleeping.
The drive was peaceful, the day had been productive, and Marlow decided to push forward. “Could I ask you something?”
Immediately, Pixie said, “You can ask me anything. Heck, you have the right to ask me anything.”
Getting her new friend over the idea that she was “less than” wouldn’t be easy, but Marlow was determined to make it happen. “No, I don’t. No one has the right to make personal demands of you. I have questions, and as your friend, I hope you don’t mind answering. Whether you do or not won’t change our friendship.”
“I don’t mind.”
That simple answer didn’t quite cover it, but for now, Marlow let it go. “Is Pixie your real name?” So her friend would understand, Marlow said, “I think it’s adorable, and it suits you, but it is unusual.”
The smile that bloomed on her face reassured Marlow, even before Pixie answered.
“My aunt helped to raise me. My legal name is Joanna, but Aunt Mary always called me Pixie because I’m small, and I guess it stuck.”
“What about your mother and father?”
The smile faded. “Mom lost custody of me when I was five, so Dad had me for a while. Then he got arrested, and Aunt Mary didn’t want me held by the state, so she stepped in.” She fiddled with her purse strap, peeked back at Andy, looked out the window.
“We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”
“It’s not that I don’t want to, but no one’s asked me about it before, so I just . . . never have.”
There it was again, the emphasis on how alone Pixie had always been. Of course, she’d been easy prey for Dylan. The girl had been starved for attention. “I’m sorry. I’m here, and I’m always willing to listen, okay?” More and more, this brave young woman stole her heart. Pixie had such a can-do spirit, and she was so quick to smile, to appreciate every scrap of kindness she got, Marlow couldn’t help but care about her.
Maybe that was how the town had felt about Cort’s mother, too. Marlow, however, wasn’t at all the same. That made her frown. Would the town embrace her anyway, or would people feel she didn’t need them?
She did, but maybe she hadn’t shown it enough. It was something to think about, but for now, she wanted only to encourage Pixie.
Quietly, Pixie said, “My mom was an addict. Dad drank too much, but it mostly wasn’t a problem.”
Until it was, Marlow assumed. “Why was he arrested?”
“He got in a bar fight and it was bad. He had a knife.”
Dear God. “Where were you?”
“Oh, I wasn’t with him! I was at our apartment.”
“How old were you?”
“Ten.” She went quiet again. “Dad had gotten in trouble once before, when he was drinking and got mad and threw his car keys.” At the side of her head, Pixie slid her fingers beneath the locks of her fair hair. “He didn’t mean for them to hit me, but they cut my scalp and I had to get stitches at the hospital. He told me not to tell anyone how it had happened, but since he was drunk, he didn’t realize how loud he was. The nurses heard him.”
Dear God. Appalled, Marlow said, “I am so damn sorry.”
“No, it was okay. Aunt Mary ended up with emergency custody, and that turned into permanent custody. She was awesome. She passed away when I was seventeen, but by then I already had a job and was able to live on my own.”
Marlow thought her emotions had taken a beating lately, and that the hard knocks had toughened her heart.
How wrong she’d been.
So often, in completely guileless ways, Pixie proved just how tender her heart remained. For this brave young woman and her endearing son, Marlow’s heart ached.
Compared to Pixie’s numerous trials, Marlow’s paltry difficulties hardly mattered. Realistically, she knew it didn’t work that way. Heartache was heartache, each unique and difficult for different people and their situations. You couldn’t compare problems or how they affected someone.
Knowing that, having a small understanding of Pixie’s struggles, Marlow reached out to pat her arm. “You know what? I was already impressed with you, and now I’m downright floored. You’re an incredible young lady.”
Pixie stared at her in bewilderment. “But I’m not! I’ve made a complete mess of my life.”
