Page 111 of Bad Seed

“Harley’s parents are coming to visit,” Brendan said.

“Bring them up for a meal,” Shirley said.

Harley rolled her eyes. “I’m not subjecting any of you to that. I’m not speaking to my father at the moment, and I don’t even know if he’ll come, because he’ll have to apologize to me first, and after about three hours, Mother becomes intolerable.”

“She speaks the truth. I’ve spoken to her father once over the phone and to her mother a couple of times. They are unique, and they made the most perfect daughter, for which I will be eternally grateful, but they’re a handful on a good day.”

“You’re the best judge of that,” Shirley said. “But I have survived far worse than people who’ve forgotten to be happy. So never feel uneasy about someone hurting my feelings, okay? Your comfort is what matters. And none of that ‘ma’am’ business. I’m Shirley, or Mom, or Grandma. Take your pick.”

“I choose Grandma,” Ava said.

“We all know that,” Wiley said, then hugged her until she giggled.

Shirley was in her element with her family at the table, and supper wasn’t over yet. “Who wants dessert?” she asked, and saw everybody raise a hand.

“I’ll help,” Brendan said.

“Aaron and I will clear the plates,” Dani said, and pointed at Harley. “Stay seated, honey. Tonight, you’re the guest. Next trip up, you’ll just be one of the crowd.”

Harley sat, and watched, and knew in her heart she’d found her people.

***

A short while after the meal was over and everything cleaned up and put away, the family began to separate.

Ava had fallen asleep on the living room sofa, and Wiley and Linette began gathering up their things.

“Brendan, you did good. Harley, honey, you’ve got more grit than you have a right to. Glad you’re going to be part of our family. Mom, thank you for the great meal, but it’s time we got this baby girl in bed,” Wiley said.

“I’ll get the door,” Linette said as Wiley swaddled Ava in her little coat, then picked her up and carried her to the car, with Linette beside him.

Aaron and Dani were the next to leave, with hugs all around, and soon afterward, Sean and Amalie retired to their rooms.

Shirley still had something to show Harley, and something she wanted to say to both of them. “The two of you…get your coats and come out to the back porch with me.”

Brendan went to get them, and once they were on, Shirley led them out the back door and then walked to the edge of the porch, took a deep breath, and looked up at the vastness of the star-studded sky.

“Harley, what do you see?” she asked.

“I have never seen such beauty, or felt so small and transient,” Harley said.

Brendan put his arm around Harley’s shoulders and pulled her close.

Shirley nodded, but kept looking up. “For as long as I can remember, this was my world. And then I grew up and left it to follow a man I thought I loved. That decision nearly destroyed us. I used to dream of coming home because I knew I’d be safe here. But coming home would have also meant bringing trouble with me, and we don’t bring trouble to this place. Sometimes it finds us here, but it’s not of our making. The saddest part of our homecoming was that it took the deaths of three people to make it happen. The two people my ex-husband murdered freed us of his reign of terror, and the death of my mother gave us sanctuary.”

She sighed and slipped her hand beneath Harley’s elbow. “You are a wise and courageous woman, and I’m so very happy for you and Brendan. You don’t need my advice. You don’t need my guidance. But if you want it,I will give Brendan and you five acres of this land to put your own roots in this land. It will always be yours, but it can never be sold out of the family. That’s how the land works on Pope Mountain. And if you don’t want this kind of life, it won’t hurt my feelings. It’s not for everyone, but for the people who need it, it’s where we thrive.”

Brendan was stunned. From the first moment they’d come to live in this house, he never wanted to leave, and yet he had. Like Shirley, coming home to Jubilee had settled his soul.

Harley reached for Brendan’s hand. She didn’t know what he was thinking, but she felt the depth of this gift all the way to her soul. “A place to call home,” she mumbled, unaware she’d even said it aloud.

Shirley smiled. “Yes, sweet child, a place to call home.”

Tears were thick in Brendan’s voice. “Oh my God… Mom… I don’t know what to say. I never saw this coming, and I don’t know how Harley would feel about living up—”

“Like she just won the lottery,” Harley said.

Shirley nodded. “Then it’s yours. You come back tomorrow…before you both go back to work. We’ll take the ATV and drive the property until you find the spot. I’ll have five acres surveyed, and then the rest is up to the both of you. And there’s no hurry about anything. Only that you’ll know it’s there and you’ll know it’s yours.”

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