Emily watched on as Daniel gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white. He was gritting his teeth, looking tense, like an animal in the wild being hunted. She'd never seen such a look on his face before.
Chantelle, sitting placidly in the back seat, suddenly picked up on the change of emotion inside the truck. Her soft blue eyes turned fearful as she locked her gaze on Daniel's taut figure.
"Daddy, what's wrong?" she stammered.
Emily turned to look over at the child. "Nothing, sweetie," she said. "Daddy just has to speak to someone real quick, then we'll get you inside and fix some dinner."
Looking at the girl, Emily could tell she wasn't believing a word she said. She was far too astute for a six-year-old. Her damaging upbringing had clearly made her oversensitive to the cues around her.
"Wait here," Daniel mumbled as he flung open the door and stormed out across the drive.
Emily watched, feeling fearful herself, as the rake-thin woman on the porch steps turned to face her son. She had wiry, gray hair and a face filled with creases. Emily knew little about the woman Daniel called mom but she knew the woman had been young when she'd had Daniel. That she looked so old, Emily reasoned, must have been a result of the troubled life she had lived, the sort of life that Daniel was adamant must not be repeated with Chantelle and Sheila.
There were no pleasantries to observe. The pair met-mother and son-and immediately locked horns. Emily could see in the woman's hard, tough face an anger and resentment that should never exist between a mother and her child. She'd seen the look enough times in her own mom's face. She used to think it transformed her mom into Medusa, because she could turn Emily into stone with that look. Watching Daniel now at the end of a similar look made Emily feel cold with anguish.
Even from this distance, with the doors to the pickup truck shut, Emily could clearly hear every word the pair fired at each other.
"When were you going to tell me about her?" the woman was screaming. "A granddaughter! Were you planning on hiding it from me forever?"
"You have no right to see her," Daniel was yelling back. "She is my daughter. Mine. Not yours. I won't let you get your talons into her."
In the backseat of the pickup truck Chantelle began trembling. Seeing the fear in the little girl's eyes was enough to make Emily act.
"Come on, sweetie," she said. "Let's get inside."
She got out of the pickup truck and went around to Chantelle's door, opening it up and taking the child by the hand. Daniel and his mom's arguing grew louder as they approached the inn.
"Is that her?" the old woman stammered when she noticed Chantelle.
Daniel turned on the spot, anger flashing in his eyes as he saw Emily and Chantelle approaching.
"I told you to wait in the car," he hissed at Emily.
"I wanted to get Chantelle inside," she sternly whispered back. "Somewhere where your voices can't be heard."
It was too late to take it back now. Daniel's mom was upon the little girl. Chantelle cowered, clinging to Emily's legs. The stench of alcohol wafted in the air.
"No need to be scared," the woman said, speaking between her stained teeth and thin lips. "I'm your grandma, Cassie."
Emily realized that was the first time she'd heard Daniel's mom's name. He'd kept so much of his past hidden from her. All she knew was that his father had struggled with alcohol dependence. By the smell coming off Cassie, she did too.
"Chantelle's had a busy day at school," Emily said, stroking the girl's hair in a way she hoped would be reassuring, keeping her voice calmer than she felt. "She's quite tired. We're going to head inside for some food. I'll let you and Daniel catch up."
Emily attempted to head inside but Cassie stood and squared up to her. "And who are you?" she demanded.
Emily felt a stab of pain in her chest. Though she knew Daniel had very limited contact with his mom, she'd assumed that the woman would know of her existence at the very least. She and Daniel had been together for months. Was she not important enough to mention?
"I'm Emily," Emily replied, trying to keep her composure. "This is my property you're standing on." She said it like a threat, a warning to Cassie that if she were to make too much of a scene then Emily was well within her rights to call the police. "I look forward to a proper introduction at some point in the future. But for now, I'd like to get Chantelle inside and fed. Good-bye."
Though her heart was racing, Emily found the courage to shove past Cassie, guiding Chantelle alongside her into the inn. On the porch steps, she glanced over her shoulder and saw Daniel fuming, his jaw clenched with anger. Emily wondered whether it would have been better to drive Chantelle away in the pickup truck rather than subject her to such a scene. They were trying to provide the girl with stability, to teach her that the terror of her early years was behind her. Clearly they were failing.
Once inside, Emily tried to remain calm and bright for Chantelle.
"Shall we have peanut butter and jelly sandwiches?" she said.
Chantelle shrugged. She looked forlorn. Emily knelt down and took her by the shoulders.
"I'm sorry that you were scared," she said. "Your daddy and your grandma don't get along that well. Sometimes people find it hard to be friends, even if they're family."
Emily saw a flicker of understanding in Chantelle's eyes. She continued, relieved that she was able to communicate in a way that a six-year-old might understand, in a way that she could relate to her own life.
"Daddy doesn't want you to be scared ever. That's why he's telling your grandma to leave. He wants it to just be the three of us for now, until you're settled."
Chantelle nodded then and tipped her chin up confidently. Emily breathed a sigh of relief knowing she had calmed the young child.
"Can I play with Mogsy and Rain?" Chantelle asked.
"Yes, but only in the utility room, okay?" Emily replied. She didn't want Chantelle taking them outside where the sound of Daniel and Cassie's argument would carry.
She watched Chantelle skip away and out of sight. A moment later, the front door slammed. Emily hurried into the corridor and saw Daniel stomping in. Anger radiated from him like an electric current.
"Where is she?" he demanded.
"Chantelle?" Emily asked. "She's playing with the dogs."
Daniel went to move past her but Emily reached out and stopped him with a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I've spoken to her. I've calmed her down. The last thing she needs is you thundering in there, okay? She's fine. Trust me."
She felt Daniel's tense muscles begin to relax beneath her hand. But his breath was still ragged, his eyes wild and blazing. She may have calmed the little girl but she sensed that calming Daniel would be somewhat tougher.
"Has she gone?" Emily asked. "Your mom?"
Daniel nodded and swiped his hands through his hair. "I told her to give me some time to settle Chantelle and then we'd have some kind of event so that she could be introduced properly."
"She bought it?"
"She had no choice. There was no way I was letting her into this house."
Emily leaned against the wall and breathed deeply. The whole encounter had unsettled her greatly. It had never occurred to her that Chantelle's existence would drag the skeletons out of Daniel's closet. It had taken a long time for him to learn to trust her to the degree that he told her anything of his past. She hoped that the sudden appearance of his mother would not send him spiraling back into silence.
Sensing that Daniel had calmed down now, Emily took him by the hand. "Let's have some coffee."
She led him into the kitchen, feeling like a teacher leading a child. Once inside, the sounds of Chantelle playing happily with the dogs on the other side of the utility room door rang out.
Daniel sat heavily in one of the kitchen chairs. When Emily handed him his coffee, she noticed tears glittering in his eyes. She sat opposite.
"Do you want to talk about it?" she said softly.
"Not yet," Daniel replied.
Just then, Chantelle burst into the kitchen, her cheeks red with laughter, the dogs yapping at her heels. She had clearly already gotten over the scary encounter with Cassie outside. Emily marveled at her resilience.
"Look what I taught Mogsy to do!" Chantelle cried with excitement. She made a circle motion with her hand and Mogsy spun around. "See!" Chantelle exclaimed.
"That's great," Emily said, beaming. She looked over at Daniel. "See, Chantelle's having fun with the dogs just like I told you."
Daniel looked up and nodded. But his expression remained glum.
"That's awesome, sweetie," he said to Chantelle, reaching for the little girl. She went to him willingly and he pulled her into a fierce embrace.
Emily watched him with curiosity, wondering what traumas he was keeping secret, and whether he would ever tell her about his past.
