1105 Yakima Street - Debbie Macomber [114]
“No. You said Kate would be here.”
“She will be…” Lori told him. “Unless she recognizes your car and decides to leave.”
Bellamy’s gaze shot directly to Linc. “She doesn’t know I’m coming?”
Linc shook his head. “We figured it would be best not to tell her.”
Leonard walked over to the window and gazed out. “She had divorce papers served to me on Friday.”
“I know,” Lori said.
“She refuses to talk to me and then she has the gall to send a clerk from some Seattle law office to serve me with papers.”
“Aren’t you grateful for the chance to talk to Mom?”
“Damn straight I am. I’ll give her a piece of my mind. We’ve been married all these years and she can’t talk to me? Her own husband?”
“Daddy,” Lori interjected sweetly. “I don’t think it’ll do much good to yell at Mom.”
“I’m not yelling,” he shouted.
Lori winced and Linc moved to her side. He’d learned a valuable lesson about his father-in-law this past week. Bellamy barked loudly but rarely bit. However, when he did bite, he bit hard. Linc had the teeth marks to prove it.
“Mom doesn’t like it when you yell.”
“Apparently your mother finds more than the tone of my voice objectionable,” Leonard said, lowering his voice.
“Can I get you a cup of coffee?” Linc asked.
“You don’t have anything stronger?”
“No, Daddy, we don’t, especially this early in the afternoon.”
“Then I’ll take the coffee.” He sat down on the sofa and let his hands fall between his parted knees. “When should we expect your mother?” He glanced at his watch as he asked.
“Any minute,” Linc said from the kitchen. Ever the optimist he poured four cups. No sooner had he finished than the doorbell rang again.
Lori answered it this time. Linc remained in the kitchen and watched as Bellamy got to his feet.
Kate stepped inside, stopping abruptly when she saw her husband. “I didn’t realize there’d be other guests,” she said coldly. She stiffened as if to prepare for a confrontation. “I wondered if that was your car out there, but I didn’t think it could be. I can’t believe my own daughter would set me up like this.”
Lori looked anxious but Leonard ignored the comment. “Hello, Kate.”
Linc sighed with relief. At least Leonard wasn’t yelling.
She gave a curt nod. “Lenny.”
Linc suspected Kate was the only woman in the world who could address Bellamy as “Lenny.” He carried the coffee into the living room and handed Leonard and Kate each a mug before returning for the other two. Both declined cream or sugar.
Earlier he’d brought two kitchen chairs into the small living room so there’d be four places to sit. Linc and Lori sat down on the chairs, leaving Kate and Leonard no choice but to take the sofa. They sat as far away from each other as possible.
“Would anyone like a cookie?” Lori asked, hopping to her feet a moment later and picking up the plate.
Kate shook her head.
“None for me.” Leonard held up his hand, palm out.
Lori sat down as though disappointed. She turned to Linc, her eyes pleading with him to say or do something to ease the tension in the room.
“I’d like to propose a toast,” Linc said.
The two older people regarded him skeptically.
“To marriage.” Linc didn’t wait for anyone to chime in, but raised the mug to his lips.
They each took a small sip. Linc noticed that Kate clung tightly to the mug handle and focused all her attention on her coffee. Leonard, on the other hand, kept staring at his wife as if he couldn’t stop himself.
“I didn’t know if you were aware of the fact that I went to see Leonard this week,” Linc said to his mother-in-law.
“No,” Kate told him. “Lori didn’t say anything about it.”
“I would have, Mom, but anytime I mentioned Dad you said you didn’t want to hear his name again.”
“I didn’t and I don’t,” she snapped.
Rather than allow the two women to get sidetracked, Linc continued. “We had a nice, long chat. Isn’t that right, Leonard?”
“We, uh, did,” Bellamy said.
“What I found interesting was the story of your courtship.” Linc paused and waited for some reaction. “Kate had talked about a few things, but Leonard filled in the blanks.”