1022 Evergreen Place - Debbie Macomber [120]
“Let me give it more thought,” he said when he’d regained control of his emotions. What had happened had happened; they couldn’t go back and undo the past. Reviving these dead emotions could only hurt them.
Corrie sat down on the sofa and pressed her hands between her knees. When she spoke she lowered her head, her words barely audible. “I know what Gloria feels.”
“Tell me,” he urged, wanting to understand how she’d rationalized her silence all those years ago.
“She’s afraid.”
“Of what?” he challenged.
Corrie glanced up. “Rejection. Blame.”
“Blame?” Roy stared at her. “Why would I blame you? The responsibility for birth control should be shared.”
“It was more than that.”
“Explain it to me.”
“I…had an important decision to make and I wanted to make it myself, without pressure from you.”
Her reasoning irritated him. “Don’t you think that was rather selfish?”
“No.” Corrie would not back down. “I was young and immature,” she said. “I had all I could deal with already. I couldn’t handle you being in the center of the situation. Gloria feels the same way. Chad is out of her life. He, too, is involved with someone else. Gloria feels as I did—that she’d rather deal with this on her own.”
Hearing her so coldly cut out Chad, just as Corrie had eliminated him from the equation, made the decision easy for Roy. He came to his feet and stalked out of the house.
“Roy!” his wife called after him. “Don’t do this. Please…don’t do this,” she wailed.
Roy ignored her, climbed into his car and drove off. He couldn’t say he looked forward to meeting Chad Timmons. The task of informing the other man that he was about to become a father wouldn’t be pleasant.
He drove into Tacoma and parked at the hospital. His visit was brief. He left a message for Chad with the receptionist, asking the doctor to meet him at a tavern close to the hospital. Whether or not Chad decided to show up was his choice. If he didn’t arrive within half an hour of the end of his shift—which the receptionist had told him was 4:00 p.m.—Roy would take that to mean Chad wasn’t interested in talking to him. In that case, he wouldn’t pursue the issue. Corrie and Gloria would get their wish. But, by the same token, Roy would feel he’d done what he had to do.
He sat at a table in the darkened room and ordered a beer. He wasn’t much of a drinking man. Never had been, but there were occasions that seemed to call for it. This was one of them.
He’d drunk about half his beer when the door opened and Dr. Chad Timmons entered. They’d met briefly at the opening of the medical clinic, and Roy recognized him immediately. The younger man paused near the entrance and looked around.
Roy raised his chin just enough for Timmons to spot him.
Chad walked the length of the room and stood in front of him. “You wanted to speak to me?” he asked defensively.
Roy gestured toward the chair.
Chad ignored the silent invitation to join him. “What’s this about?”
“Sit down, son.”
With obvious reluctance he pulled out a chair and sat.
“You know my daughter,” Roy said without emotion.
“I know both your daughters,” Chad returned.
For a moment Roy had forgotten that at one time Linnette had been infatuated with Chad.
“Has something happened to Gloria?” Chad asked. A look of concern passed over his face.
Roy managed to disguise a smile. “That’s one way of putting it.” He caught the bartender’s eye, lifted his nearly empty glass and held up two fingers. A minute later, two pints were delivered to their table.
“I didn’t ask for this,” Chad said, still sounding defensive.
Roy resisted the urge to suggest he was going to need it. Instead, he offered the other man a few words of advice. “Don’t turn down a free beer.”
Chad cracked a smile.
“Would you mind if I told you a story about me?” Roy asked.
Chad motioned for him to proceed.
“Corrie and I were college sweethearts. I was playing for the football team and became a bit of a campus celebrity. I’m afraid I let that attention go to