Starlight On Willow Lake

“Tell me more about your mother’s accident,” she said. “How did you get word?”

“I was at work—a Thursday just after the closing bell of the stock market. It was last summer, so that meant it was winter where they were, in New Zealand. My brother, Adam, called. Mom and Dad were on a ski trip to their favorite place. They’re both— They were both expert skiers. But something went wrong that day. There was an avalanche. Dad died on the mountain. Mom survived, probably thanks to an airbag device in her jacket. There was a scramble to get to her. Adam and I landed just before she went into surgery, then Ivy a few hours later.”

Faith could too easily picture the frantic journey. He’d just been going about his business, when the news had dropped on him like a bomb. “I’m sorry. It must have been like a nightmare.” Without thinking, she reached out and gave his shoulder a squeeze. She felt his muscles contract under her hand and quickly took it away. “Sorry,” she said. “It’s the nurse in me. It’s a very hands-on profession.”

“I don’t mind, Faith.” He rested his elbows on his knees, steepled his fingers together and stared into the darkness. “Yeah, it was surreal, especially at first. We didn’t tell our mom that Dad was dead, but she knew. They were prepping her for surgery. And she just said something like, ‘He’s gone, isn’t he?’”

“Oh, my gosh. What an awful time for your family.”

“I told her yes. She didn’t go into hysterics or anything. I kind of expected her to, because she was completely... I mean, Dad was pretty much her whole world.”

“I’m sorry. He must’ve been wonderful.”

“She thought so.”

Faith was bemused by that statement. But you didn’t.

“The emergency treatment was top-notch as far as we can tell. She was given a drug—a kind of steroid in the ER—methyl...”

“Methylprednisolone?”

“I think that’s it.”

“It can reduce the damage to nerve cells if it’s given right away.”

“That was the idea. There were a lot of meetings and consultations. Surgeons and specialists. Decisions to be made. It was crazy, the way the world changed in a split second. The most important thing was to get Mom stable enough to travel, and then settled in a place where she could figure out her new, completely unexpected life. Of the three of us, Adam is the most settled. He wanted her in Avalon.”

“It’s lovely here. She’s lucky you all rallied around to help.”

“Yeah, just don’t tell her she’s lucky, or you’ll get an earful. Since she moved here, she’s been getting all the treatment that’s available. You have the list, right?”

She nodded. Mrs. Bellamy was getting physical therapy, which included muscle movement, respiratory exercise, massage, electrical stimulation of nerves by neural prosthetic device—anything that would keep her as healthy as possible. “I haven’t seen all her medical history, but it sounds as if everyone’s working toward the goal for her to regain as much function as possible.” She paused. “What about emotional support?”

“She has a shrink.”

“That’s her support?” Faith sensed that Mason didn’t seem too eager to stick around for his mom. Faith missed her mother every day. It was hard to relate to a guy who kept his distance like this. “So do you come up on the weekends?”

“Not very often. Do you think I need to?”

She hesitated, determined not to judge. “That’s up to you.”

“My mom’s got an entire staff, and now she has you. I don’t think she needs me hanging around, too.”

She took a moment to digest that. Coming in cold to a family situation was always challenging, because she had to scramble to figure things out. She had the impression that Mason loved his mother, was devoted to her, even. But he was holding himself back, and she hadn’t yet figured out why.

“Anyway,” he said, “I’m glad you’re on board to help her.”

“I’ll make it my daily mission.”

“Good. Thanks. So are your girls settling in?”

“Sleeping soundly. Ruby’s already in love with the place. And Cara... She likes it as well as a teenager can like any place. I’m just relieved to have a roof over their heads.” She glanced over at him but couldn’t see his face in the darkness.

She finished the whiskey, enjoying the sleepy warmth it imparted. “I should get to bed. I’ve got to get up early with the girls. Their school buses don’t come out this far, so they will have to hike a half a mile to make the first pickup on the route.”

“They don’t have to take the bus,” he said. “Donno can drive them.”

A driver? “That’s not necessary.”

“But totally doable.”

She pictured her girls getting into the shiny black SUV and being chauffeured like foreign dignitaries to their schools. “I don’t think—”

“Donno is on call whether he’s driving or not. You might as well use his service.”

It would mean the girls could sleep in an extra forty minutes. “All right,” she said. “I’m sure they would love it.”

“Good. I want you to be comfortable here. I want this to work, Mrs. McCallum.”

“So do I. And please call me Faith.”

“Okay. Faith it is. But only if you call me Mason.” They both stood to go inside.

She was surprised to feel so comfortable around a guy like this. He was obviously crazy rich, like Bruce Wayne in the Batman series, the kind of guy who took it for granted that a staff of servants and workers would look after things. Yet for no reason she could fathom, she felt completely at ease in his company.

“What’s a good time to go to the hospital for the blood tests?” she asked him.

“Early is better for me. I was planning to get an early start to the city,” he said. “Regina needs to get back to the city for work. So do I, for that matter.”

“Yes, of course,” she said, feeling like an idiot for forgetting the perfect girlfriend. “Thanks again for the whiskey. Good night, Mason.”

“Good night, Faith.” He hesitated. “It’s good to have you here. Really. I hope you enjoy the peace and quiet of Willow Lake.”

* * *

In the morning Faith waited for Mason in the foyer, wanting to get the hospital visit over with before Mrs. Bellamy was up for the day. Regina appeared, heels clicking, Chanel briefcase in hand, smartphone held to her ear as she spoke about some kind of marketing strategy. She looked so polished and stylish that Faith wondered if they were on hidden camera. How did some women do that? How did they get every hair and stroke of makeup in place?

Faith shuffled her feet and fished out her wallet, checking to see that she had her ID, her ACA card, a tiny amount of cash.

“Sorry,” Regina said, ending her call but keeping her attention on the phone screen. “My business day starts early.”

“Oh. Um, I see.” Faith offered a smile.

“I need to be on that early train.” Regina thumbed through several screens.

One of the browser windows showed a display of wedding gowns. Faith saw it scroll by.

Regina tapped her foot. “Punctuality is not Donno’s strong suit. Maybe it’s a cultural thing. We have a different understanding of time than they do in Bali.” With an audible sigh, she put her phone away and offered Faith a brief smile. “Anyway, I’m glad you’re here to help out. What was your name again?”