Later that afternoon, while walking back to the cabin behind Marty, Jess felt a heaviness pressing on her.  She'd intended to tell Marty she wasn't coming to the cabin anymore, but she'd failed.  The fact was, she cared too much about him to hurt him that badly.  But that meant she'd gone back on her word to Annie.  The mountain of lies she'd already told seemed nothing compared to this, and the guilt was eating her alive.

They reached the cabin, and while Marty put away the fishing pole and went to get a drink of water, Jess refolded the blanket and laid it across the back of one of the chairs, more for something to do.  When he came back into the living room, she looked at him.  His face was somber and more pale than usual, and he seemed tired, his shoulders slumping.  What they'd been through over the last forty-eight hours had taken its toll on him too.

"I gotta go," she said quietly.  "It's getting late and I don't want –."   She sighed unable to finish.  "Well, you know," she said with a shrug, turning to the door.

She heard his footsteps on the pine plank floor boards as he followed her and once outside, he walked beside her.  When they reached the edge of the clearing, she stopped and looked up into his brown eyes.  They seemed old beyond his fifteen years, and filled with a sad resignation.

"Are you sorry you changed your mind?" he asked, and then he swallowed and looked away.  "Because you can, you know, stay away.  I can handle it.  I just lost it for a minute.  I'm okay if you don't want to come back."  He was trying so hard to keep from crying again.  She could see it in his face, and it made her feel even more guilty.

"I'm not sorry I changed my mind, Marty," she replied.  He looked at her questioningly, but she didn't blame him.  Even she could hear the misery in her voice.  "I don't think I could have walked away anyway.  It was hurting me as much as you."

"Then why do you look so sad?" he pleaded, his eyes searching hers. 

"I made a promise to Annie, and I broke it," she said, trying to keep her emotions under control.  "She's like my mom.  I don't want to keep lying to her.  I love her."  She dropped her head, not wanting him to see the tears.  "I don't know what to do," she added miserably, wiping her eyes. 

"I don't know either," Marty said quietly.

There was silence as each of them were lost in their own thoughts, and then Jess lifted her head. 

"I really gotta go.  I'll see you at school tomorrow."

"Okay," he said dispiritedly, and Jess turned, heading into the trees.

Walking slowly, she dreaded facing Annie and having to tell the biggest lie of all.  She wracked her brain, trying to think of some way she could convince Annie to change her mind, but she knew it was useless.  When she reviewed everything Annie had said about why she shouldn't be alone with Marty, she knew Annie would never budge. 

When she let herself into the kitchen, Annie was shelling peas at the little table by the window.  "Hello!" she said cheerily, and stood, wiping her hands on her apron.

"Hi," Jess replied, setting the basket on the counter. 

"Did you have fun outside?" Annie asked, opening the dishcloth in the basket so she could empty it.

"Yes," Jess said, trying to smile convincingly.  Annie stopped what she was doing and looked at her more closely.

"You're still upset about that boy, aren't you?" she asked, her hazel eyes filled with concern.

"Yes," Jess replied, grateful she could at least be truthful about that.

"Come sit with me," Annie said, gently taking her hand and leading her to the table.  When they sat, Annie continued to hold her hand, a mound of pea pods on a sheet of newspaper between them.  

"You can still see him at school," she said encouragingly.  "You can still be friends."

"But that's not true!" Jess cried.  "Uncle Jonathon won't let me be friends with a boy like him.  And he's not the only one!" she continued, unable to hold back now that she'd started.  "I have another friend, a girl named Louise.  She's really nice, but I'm not allowed to talk about her either!  Doug told me not to because she's not rich!"  Annie slumped, suddenly looking sad.

"Jess, you have to remember.  Your uncle grew up a long time ago.  Things weren't the same back then as –."

"But my dad wasn't like that!" Jess insisted.  "He didn't care who my friends were – or what their dads did for a living."

"Your dad was different," Annie said gently.  "Billy was always more open and accepting, but he could afford to be."  Jess opened her mouth to respond, and then closed it, taken aback by what Annie had just said.

"What – what do you mean?"

"Your dad wasn't going to inherit the mine, Jess.  He could choose a different life.  Your uncle didn't have that choice." 

 "You mean he didn't want it?  He didn't want to run the mine?" she asked with surprise.

"I wouldn't say he didn't want it," Annie replied slowly.  "But it was expected from the moment he was born.  That's what I meant when I said he didn't have a choice."

As what Annie said sunk in, for the first time Jess began to see her uncle in an entirely new way.  What must it be like to be born with your whole life set out for you?  Jess couldn't imagine anything more horrible. She'd often been comforted by the knowledge that she could do whatever she wanted as soon as she was old enough, including moving away and getting out of her uncle's control.

"Your uncle has been expected to behave a certain way from the time he was little.  That's why it's hard for him to see things differently.  This is the only life he's ever known."

"Just like Doug," Jess said, as the realization came to her. 

"Just like Doug," Annie repeated.  "He's raising Doug like he was raised, preparing him to take over the mine when he grows up.  When you grow up, you'll be able to make your own choices, live any kind of life you want."

"Just like my dad." 

"That's right," Annie said, nodding solemnly.  "You have choices that Doug will never have."

Jess was stunned by the revelation.  For so long, she'd felt trapped and stifled in her uncle's home, but now she realized how free she was compared to Doug and her uncle.  Was that why her dad had been so happy, while Uncle Jonathon was always so disagreeable and angry? 

Then she remembered a conversation she'd had with Doug in the parking lot of the high school.  He'd come right out and said it wasn't always fun to have the responsibility of being a Blackwell, but he'd accepted it and felt grateful.  She didn't know how he could be that positive about it.  She knew if it were her who was destined to take over the mining business, she'd probably be just as disagreeable as her Uncle Jonathon.

But none of this changed the fact that she still had to live by her uncle's rules, at least for the next four years.  When she imagined a future of more lies and sneaking off to meet Marty, she couldn't bear it.

"Annie, I don't want to lie and keep secrets about my friends.  I feel like I'm hurting the people I care about – like you."  Annie looked dismayed, but Jess continued.  She wanted to come clean, at least as much as she could.  "If I'm honest and tell the truth, I'm going to lose them.  I don't know what's the right thing to do!"

Annie let go of her hand and leaned back in her chair, the sadness in her eyes letting Jess know she didn't know either.  She picked up one of the pea pods, and in the silence, she gently squeezed it, feeling for each hard pea while she thought about how four years seemed like a very long time. 

"You're right that it's not okay to tell lies," Annie said, and Jess slumped, hanging her head in shame.  Annie reached over, taking her hand again, and Jess looked up at her.  Annie's expression had softened, her eyes kinder.

"Being a good friend, no matter the other person's background, is an admirable quality.  You're so much like Billy in that way."  Her eyes became shiny and Jess felt the familiar ache in her chest come back.  Annie quickly wiped her eyes with her free hand and then sat straighter.

"You remember what we talked about yesterday, about how important it is to not do anything to bring shame on the family?" she asked firmly.

"I would never do it, Annie!" Jess insisted.  "I could never hurt you – or Doug!  I know how much the mine means to him and I would never do anything to hurt the business either!" 

"You're such a kind person, Jess," Annie said gently, her eyes glistening again.  "Your momma and daddy raised you well."  Then she became more serious.  "As long as you stick to your principles and always do what's right for yourself and the family, I think whatever you do away from the house should be your own personal business." 

Jess blinked.  It sounded as though Annie had just given her blessing for her to see Marty as long as she was careful. 

"Really?" Jess asked with wonder.

"Really."

Suddenly, the weight of guilt Jess had been carrying ever since she'd met Marty lifted away.  She got out her chair and went to Annie, giving her a tight hug.

"Thank you!  Thank you so much!" she said into her shoulder, smelling the familiar sweet scent of Shalimar.

"You're quite alright," Annie said, patting her back.  When Jess let go of her, she lifted her apron to wipe her eyes.  "Now are you going to just stand there, or are you going to help me shell these peas so I can get dinner on the table in time?" she asked, laughing through her tears.

Jess immediately took her spot at the table and began shelling peas, able to smile for the first time in days.  She was even more happy when Annie said she was planning a special dinner of hamburgers, mashed potatoes, and buttered peas for Jess and Doug, since Uncle Jonathon wasn't expected home until late that evening.  .

"You know what I think?" she added excitedly.  "We should eat here in the kitchen.  Won't that be fun?"

"Yeah!" Jess agreed.

"Maybe it will lift Doug's spirits.  He's been out of sorts the last couple of days," Annie said, taking the shelled peas to the stove and dumping them in a pot of boiling water.

"Oh?" Jess asked, suddenly remembering the last time she'd seen him, dejected with his head hanging just before she closed her bedroom door on him.

"I expect he's been missing his dad," Annie replied, bringing a bowl of potatoes to the table for them to peel.  "Your uncle has always taken him when he's gone out of town – but then it's usually been for business."

Jess kept her head down as she worked on a potato, the guilt creeping back.  She knew she was probably to blame for Doug feeling so low.  After he'd called Marty a piece of trash, she'd been so angry, she'd said the first thing that came into her head, You're just as mean as your father.  She regretted it now.  That was the first time she'd ever seen Doug be deliberately cruel to anyone, and even thought it wasn't right for him to have said that about Marty, he didn't deserve for her to portray him that harshly. 

Once the potatoes were in boiling water, Jess cleaned off the table while Annie prepared the hamburger meat.  When table was set and the last thing to cook was the hamburgers, Annie asked, "Do want to watch these to make sure they don't burn?  I'll go up and let Doug know it's almost time for dinner."

"I'll go," Jess offered, seizing the opportunity.

"Alright.  Tell him five minutes."

"Okay," Jess said, already heading to the butler's pantry, not wanting to waste what little time she had to be alone with Doug. 

She walked quickly down the hallway, and then ran up the stairs.  Doug's bedroom door was open a few inches and it was quiet.  She knocked on the door frame, not wanting to push the door open and invade his privacy.

"What is it?" she heard from the other side.

"It's me, Doug.  Can I come in?"  There was a moment of silence.

"Sure," he said finally, the tension in his voice letting her know he was still upset. 

Feeling even more guilty, she pushed the door open and stepped inside.  He was lying on his back on his bed, throwing a baseball towards the ceiling and catching it.  How long had he been doing that, she wondered.

"What do you want?" he asked, concentrating on throwing his ball.

"I want to talk to you about – about what I said," she said, approaching the bed.

"What about it?" he snapped, still throwing his ball.

"I'm sorry, Doug.  I shouldn't have said it."

"I'm not blind, you know," he said, catching the ball one last time and sitting up so he could face her, his blue eyes hard and angry.  "I know you don't like my dad.  A lot of people hate him, and I know why.  He's tough on people – but it's because he expects them to do better!"  He looked at her challengingly, waiting for her to respond.

"It's – okay to expect people to do better," Jess said gently, choosing her words carefully.  "But you don't have to make people hate you to get them to do what you want."  He stared at her for a moment, and then his entire body seemed to fold in on itself. 

"I don't want people to hate me!" he said, his voice filled with anguish.

"People don't hate you," Jess insisted, coming closer to him.  "You're not like that, Doug."

"How do you know?" he implored.

"Because I know you.  You're a good guy.  A lot of people like you – and you've been there for me when I needed you."  He searched her eyes, as if he wasn't sure she was telling the truth.

"You really think that?" he asked finally.

"Yes!"  He let out a breath, his body relaxing, but his eyes still held a hint of sadness.  "We need to go downstairs.  Annie is probably waiting for us by now.  I was supposed to come get you for dinner."

"Yeah, okay," he said quietly, not looking at her as he stood.  "Tell her I'll be down in a minute?"

"Okay," she said reluctantly, and turned to leave.  She hated leaving him when it was obvious he was still filled with so much doubt. 

"Oh, I forgot," she said, turning as she passed the doorway.  "We're eating in the kitchen tonight."

"Yeah, sure," he said with his head down, closing the door.

Walking down the stairs, her heart broke for him.  She knew how much Doug loved and admired his dad.  It had to hurt him to realize how wrong it was for his dad to treat people the way he did.  She wasn't surprised he was worried he might turn out the same way, but she couldn't imagine Doug ever being as cruel as his father.  It just wasn't in him.  In the year she'd lived with him, Doug had stepped into the big brother role, defending her over and over.  In spite of his father's influence, he'd turned out to be a good person.  She just wished he could see it. 

When she entered the kitchen, Annie was placing the last of the food on the table. 

"Where's Doug?"

"He said he'd just be a minute."

"How did he seem?" Annie asked with concern.

"Sad," Jess said simply.

"Poor guy," Annie said with a sigh.  "He'll be better once his dad gets back.  You know, I have some biscuits left over from breakfast the other day.  If you whip some cream after dinner, I can slice strawberries and we'll have strawberry shortcake for dessert.  That ought to cheer him up."

"Okay," Jess said, trying to sound cheerful, but she knew Doug's problems were bigger than strawberry shortcake could ever solve.

****

What do you think about the new information you've learned about Uncle Jonathon?  Does it make the way he behaves make more sense?  And what about Doug?  I don't know about you, but my heart really breaks for him.  Do you think things between him and Jess will change?  Last but certainly not least, did Annie really give her blessing for Jess to sneak off to meet with Marty, or did Jess just use what she said as an excuse?  I can't wait to hear what you have to say!

The picture at the end is our very own Annie, played by Joan Lorring.  But feel free to picture her in your own way.  The video is Don't You Know by the fabulous Della Reese.

Thank you so much for continuing to read!  If you enjoyed it, please consider voting for it. 

Dedicated to @TheOrangutan a tremendous Wattpad member and writer, and fellow ambassador.  One of my very favorite people on here.  :)