“No, but he’ll change his mind…”
“When has he ever changed his mind, Mike?”
There is a long moment of silence.
“Never,” he admits softly. He sighs and nods. “Never. You’re right.” His eyes glitter as he looks at me. “I love you, Sylvia. I don’t care what my father thinks or says.”
“I don’t want to make you choose,” I say.
“Then don’t,” he says as if it’s that simple.
“Tell me that you believe me about the letters. Tell me that you know your father lied to you about them.”
Mike frowns and rubs the back of his neck with one hand. He’s staring out the windshield at the lake, but the important thing is that he doesn’t speak.
I’ve made him choose and it’s done. I could tell him all the rest, but what’s the point? His father lied to him, but Mike believes him.
I can’t think of a thing to say to make this right and my own confession sticks in my throat. I do love him. In a way, I love him more because of his determination to defend people and believe in them, even when they don’t deserve it.
But I can’t be with him if he has one crumb of doubt that I’m the one telling the truth about something this important.
After a long moment, Mike starts the truck again. We drive back to Empire in silence and I don’t move when he stops outside the trailer.
“I’m sorry,” I say but Mike shakes his head.
“Don’t be.” He gets out to come around and open my door.
I don’t get a kiss, which tells me everything I need to know. I stand, arms folded around myself, oblivious to the rain as I watch the taillights of the truck disappear.
Patrick Cavendish has won.
Funny how it doesn’t feel like a triumph to have saved Sierra from his venom.
37
MIKE
Ihave to believe that things will come right in time, but I am disappointed.
More than disappointed.
Did my dad lie to me? Given his recent comments about Sylvia, it’s clear he disapproves of me being with her. And Sylvia’s right, he doesn’t change his mind easily about anything.
I just can’t believe he’d be so controlling. That he’d lie to my face. That he’d actively meddle in my life and do so foryears. He’s tough. He’s convinced of his own view. He demands a lot, but this seems too much even for him. The man is all about principle and honour and duty.
On the other hand, I believe Sylvia.
They can’t both be telling the truth.
I appreciate her view that we can’t go forward without sorting this out first. It’s a roadblock I have to remove.
Too bad I don’t know how to do it.
I tell myself that things will slow down after Luke’s concert. Sylvia and I can go for a walk and a long talk. We’ll get to thebottom of it all then. She’s not leaving town and neither am I. We will resolve this.
It’s not as if I have nothing else to do in the meantime.
There are tomatoes, as always, and the little greenhouse to coax along. And if it’s summer, then Elke will be in town. That fact is as reliable as the sun rising in the east.
