CHAPTER Eleven:
Lauren sat down in the chair Grant offered her and crossed her legs.
“How are you doing?” He frowned. “Has Raymond been giving you more trouble?”
“No, no.” She shook her head. “I just stopped by for your help. I’ve tried calling Charlotte multiple times, and she won’t answer.” Her voice dropped as she glanced over at Willow who was standing in the waiting room counting raindrops on the window. “What if she’s abandoned Willow with me for good?”
“Let me see.” He typed something on his computer. “Your schedule is so full already, I don’t know how you’ve been managing everything.”
“I don’t know either.” Lauren tapped her fingers against the desk.
They were sitting in the Sheriff's office, which was usually manned by Mr. Stevens. But he was away for the day, so Grant had taken over while the other officer performed his rounds.
“Aha, here it is.” Grant grinned at the screen.
Lauren stood and walked around the desk, peering over his shoulder. Sure enough, a picture of Charlotte had popped up – with a phone number next to it.
“That’s the same number she gave me,” Lauren said, not sounding very hopeful.
“Well, maybe try calling from this phone.” He picked one up and handed it to her. “She won’t recognize the number.”
“It’s worth a try.” Lauren dialled the number and prayed for an answer. Don’t let her keep running, Lord.
“Hello?” Charlotte’s voice sounded from the other side of the line.
“This is Lauren!” She looked excited as she moved back to her seat and put the call on speaker phone.
“Oh. Hi. How is Willow?” She was nervous, it was evident from her tone of voice. “I’ve been meaning to return your calls, but things have just been so busy – with all my interviews and such.”
“She’s doing well, but I need to know when you’ll be back.” Lauren glanced back at the little girl again. “I can’t look after her forever, and you dumped her on me.”
“Of course, I completely understand. I’ve almost got a job lined up.” Charlotte sounded optimistic. Lauren didn’t believe her. “In a few more days, I will have a better estimate.”
She sighed and glanced at Grant.
“Press her for an answer,” he whispered.
They’d finally gotten ahold of her, and it all would’ve been pointless if they let her off the hook so easily.
“I want to know now.”
A siren wailed in the background.
“You know what? I’d love to chat, but I really have to go.”
“Wait!” Lauren grabbed the receiver and turned off speaker phone. “What is going on? Charlotte?”
Someone was yelling in the background, and the siren had grown louder. Lauren held the speaker away from her ear. The line buzzed, then went dead.
She grunted in frustration and leaned her head back.
“No luck?” he asked grimly.
“She certainly sounds busy. Not searching for jobs, if the siren in the background is any indication.” Lauren pinched the bridge of her nose. “It sounds like she’s getting arrested. Who knows what messed up, backwards things she is getting herself into now.”
“I’m sure she’ll come back.”
“Yeah. Well, she didn’t come back for me.”
The room fell silent. Grant returned the phone to its spot on the desk.
“Willow deserves a better mother.” He nodded towards the girl who had moved and was now topsy-turvy in an armchair. “Someone like you.”
Someone like me, but not me, thought Lauren. Maybe not even like her. After losing the girl and all.
If it was possible or rational, she might’ve considered helping the girl – long-term. After all, she knew that’s what her grandparents would have wanted. And she owed them a lot. But it didn’t make sense, and she couldn’t provide what Willow needed.
“I need to talk to you about the incident with Raymond.” Grant changed the topic.
“What’s wrong?”
“I want to press charges, make the boy face consequences for once in his life.”
“No.” Lauren grimaced. “Let’s not make this a big legal matter.”
She still thought of Claire’s threat. The only thing that would make the situation better was letting it go.
“They threatened to get me in trouble. I was off duty the other night and said I was the sheriff, when I’m not.” Grant sighed. “He did hit me, but I started it. It could rightly be called self-defence – though he deserved it.”
Lauren raised her eyebrows. “What does your dad say?”
“Well, he wasn’t happy.” Grant leaned back in his chair and swivelled back and forth as he spoke. “Says it’s complicated. Willow is technically in your care, since you didn’t report your mother leaving her with you. If I started a case, you could get in trouble. And Charlotte...”
“Do you think I should report her?”
He took a deep breath. “I can’t tell you what to do there. Willow would probably be taken into the custody of the state. That’s not an easy thing for a child.”
Lauren nodded. She would have to pray about it. As much as she disliked Charlotte, she didn’t want to take her child away from her.
hg
Charlotte rested her head against the steering wheel of her car and sighed.
She’d spent the night at Lacey’s house. The woman had been kind enough to offer her a place to stay while she was in the city – as long as she needed. She’d even driven Charlotte back to get her car. It had been impounded.
“I should probably call Lauren back.” She sat up straight and looked out the window at the cloudless blue sky that peered out from between skyscrapers.
Lauren probably thought she was in a big mess. Truth was, she had every right to assume. Charlotte was a big mess. But she wanted to fix it.
She had been avoiding all Lauren’s calls, but it wasn’t because she was planning on abandoning her daughter. She needed time before going back. If she returned with no job, no plan, and nothing to show for the time, Lauren would never see that she was trying to change.
There needed to be proof that she was able to look out for Willow, that she cared about her daughter.
She grabbed her phone. The number that Lauren had called from was unfamiliar, but he redialled it anyway. The line rang and rang.
“Silver-Bell Creek, Sherriff’s office, how may I help you?” A man’s voice boomed on the other side of the line.
Charlotte frowned and glanced at her phone. He repeated the question.
“Sorry. I must have gotten the wrong number.” She hung up.
Why would Lauren call from the police station? Was she there about Willow? Charlotte bit her lip. Hopefully, neither of the girls was in trouble. Or worse, trying to get her in trouble.
“Should I just call the home phone?” she wondered aloud.
No, Lauren was probably angry with her. Maybe she wouldn’t even answer. Probably she wouldn’t. At least Charlotte could say she’d tried to call back.
Now what?
Lacey had said she wanted to visit with her old friend before she headed out to her next job interview. Charlotte had snuck out in the morning before she’d woke up. She wasn’t sure why.
There was something different about the older woman, and she couldn’t quite wrap a finger around it. Their lives had taken drastic changes, and in opposite ways, it seemed. Lacey’s house was clean, her face was honest and open. She didn’t have secrets hidden behind her eyes anymore.
“Well, I might as well go back there,” Charlotte said to herself. “Don’t need anyone else mad at me.”
Maybe they’d hit it off, and it would be like old times again. Charlotte could always hope.
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