Chapter 58

She and Harley were going along in silence when somebody called his name. “Over here.”

Jennalee looked at a picnic table where a dark-haired guy stood to beckon them his way. It was Troy.

They headed toward the table where others sat, Jennalee’s mind stuck on Troy being the gay one. And Carl, she saw as they got closer. And who else? Anita. Vaughn’s Anita.

“Anita?” she said to Harley as they closed in.

“She’s Troy’s mom. Looks like they brought her out for some fun. Good idea. She could use a break from Vaughn.”

Anita looked a different person than the one who’d made such scenes earlier. Her hair was nicely styled, her makeup good, and she was smiling. Jennalee decided this change was due to Vaughn’s absence.

“You remember Lee,” Harley said by way of introductions. “Lee, you met Troy and Carl, and of course, the lovely Anita. Hello, Anita. I’m glad you came out for the show. Always a good one.”

“Harley, you’re so sweet,” said Anita. “Lee, please sit down.” She patted the bench beside her, so Jennalee sat.

“Are you here with your parents, Harley?” Anita asked.

“Didn’t you hear the motorcycles, Mom?” Troy asked. “They rode in about an hour ago. You can always tell when the Laidlaws arrive.”

“I keep telling Troy we should get a bike,” Carl said, “but he won’t have it.”

“You’d kill yourself,” Troy said, nudging his partner. They were lightly dressed, in tees and shorts.

“We loved your playing at brunch,” Carl said. “Especially that fast stuff during the fight. What was that?”

“Chopin ?tudes. He’s my favorite composer and the one I played, the one that sort of gallops, is called The Horseman. I chose that due to all the action.”

Both men laughed and Troy said, “You fit right in.”

A veritable feast sat upon the table, and Harley and Jennalee were invited to eat all they wanted. “We had McDonald’s,” Harley said, “but that salad looks good.”

“Help yourself.”

“Where’d you get all this?” Jennalee asked.

“We picked it up at Steerman’s, that big restaurant in town,” Troy said. “We do it every year, order a meal and they pack it up for us, even though they technically don’t do takeout. The Southerland way. Grease the wheel and it shall turn.”

“Oh, Troy,” said Anita, chuckling as she gave him a light slap on the arm.

Harley dished up a plate of salad and, without asking, did one for Jennalee. “After all that beef, we need greens.”

“This dressing is incredible,” Jennalee couldn’t help saying. “And these veggies, I’m in heaven.”

“Steerman’s never fails,” offered Troy.

As she ate, Jennalee enjoyed listening to family exchanges, picking up bits about Harley’s competitions and plans. It became apparent this part of this branch of the family was a nice part. Anita, in welcoming surroundings, seemed to blossom, and Troy made every effort toward warmth, as did Carl. Vaughn seemed the sole exception. It was too bad that, at the end of the day Anita had to return to him.

Finishing her salad, Jennalee sipped a Coke and looked around. “Does Noel Sutherland bring his kids?” she asked the party.

After a moment’s silence, Anita answered. “Poor Noel.”

“Poor Noel?” Troy cut in. “It’s poor Phyllis and the kids, having to live with that jerk.”

“He’s a troubled man,” Anita said. “I think he’s gotten lost in the family somehow, eaten up by it, and you know that’s entirely possible. Look at me.” She held out an arm. “You can’t see the bite marks but they’re there.”

“Mother, please,” said Troy.

“Last year Noel brought his boys to the fireworks and they had a good time, or I think they did, until he found fault with something, I don’t know, the people nearby or some such. Made a scene, then gathered up the family and left before the show started. Phyllis came by our table and I remember her look was so sad. And tired, of course. She just said he’s upset and hurried after. A man who drives his family toward some kind of unattainable perfection is bound to be unhappy.”

As she spoke, Jennalee couldn’t help but think of the screaming woman who was taken into police custody the day before. Where was she? And wasn’t she caught in the same trap as Noel? As maybe all of them were? Except the Laidlaws, of course.

As talk deepened on family, Harley rose. “Thanks for the food and the company, but Lee and I are going to walk around before the show, stake out a good spot. Have fun.”

“Take some water,” Carl said, handing them a bottle.