Mississippi Heat, page 10
“It’s a lot,” Lacey said with a sigh. “Quite a bit more than I anticipated.”
“It’s not too bad. It’ll take time to get this list knocked out, but nothing that can’t be handled. I’ll sit down with Dad when we’re both back and we’ll get you an estimate. Probably by tomorrow afternoon, at the latest.”
“Oh, wow. That’s fast. Thanks.”
For a moment, awkward silence hung in the air as both of them searched for something to say.
“This is weird, right?” Her sudden question caught him off guard.
“Weird?” Brooks let out a bark of a laugh. “Yeah, you could say that. I mean, we haven’t seen each other since…” His voice drifted off as he remembered the last time he’d been in the same space as Lacey.
“Jo’s memorial,” she finished, her voice quiet.
“Yeah.” Brooks took off his ball cap to run a hand over his close-cropped hair. Tugging the hat back into place, he stared off into the distance. “Then, the next thing I knew, you were gone.”
“I know.” Fanning herself, Lacey followed his stare. “Listen, the day is heating up, so what do you say we catch up over a cold drink? I’ve got some sodas in my cooler.”
“Sure. Thanks.”
Brooks sat on the top step of the porch and set his clipboard aside. Cocoa, tongue lolling, came to sit beside him.
“Very odd, being here again,” he told the dog. “Very odd.”
“Sorry, my kitchen doesn’t run to glasses just yet. Mine are packed and the ones in the cabinet are dirty.” She passed him a can of soda, set hers on the rail, and proceeded to rinse a small bowl out with the bottle of water she held. After a couple of rinses, she set the bowl down and filled it with the remaining water. When Cocoa came over to inspect it, Lacey just gave her a pat on the back and took her seat next to Brooks while the dog drank.
“Thanks for that,” he said, pointing to the dog before holding up the can. “And for this.”
“No problem on either count.” She popped the tab on her own can, waited until the hiss died down, and sipped. Holding the can in both hands between her knees, she seemed to study the overgrown lawn. “I did leave town pretty quickly,” she began, picking up the earlier conversation. “But I needed to be here for the memorial. Once it was done, I knew it was time for me to go.”
“Where did you go? It was too early for fall classes.”
“Yes, but I wanted to get settled. Plus, Mom and Dad wanted to make sure everything was… safe.” She shrugged. “So, we went up early, rented my apartment. Got my stuff moved in. And while Mom and I puttered with where everything would go in my new place, my dad briefed the college and the local police on my situation.”
“Must’ve felt like you were under a microscope.”
“A little. But once classes started and I got into something of a routine, it got better. Plus, it was nice to know I had people looking out for me.”
“Lacey Fuller, college student.” Now Brooks grinned at her.
“Lacey Wilde, college student,” she corrected.
“You got married in college?” His grin vanished as his gut twisted at the thought.
“What? No.” Her eyes, wide and wild, met his. “Are you crazy?”
“Depends on who you ask.” Giving his head a quick shake, Brooks sipped his soda. “What was with the name change?”
“I did it just before I turned eighteen. Something my parents and I discussed not long after my abduction.” Now Lacey studied the top of the soda can in her hands. “It was my choice, but my parents went along with it. I felt that if my name was different, the guy who took me would have a harder time finding me. I’d never announced my college choice publicly, so that added another layer of difficulty.” Turning her head, she finally looked at Brooks. “It was the only way I could have a semblance of a life that didn’t include looking over my shoulder every minute.”
“I get it.”
“Nobody else knows, outside of the court records and my parents. I’d like to keep it that way.”
“Your secret is safe with me.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Sipping again, he looked over to where his dog now lay, snoring lightly, under the porch swing. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“How come you never reached out to me? I mean, I know things were awkward after--”
“--you kissed me?”
“Well, yeah. But I thought we were okay, even after that.”
“Honestly, I really don’t know.” Her ponytail swayed as she turned to look at him. “Maybe because it was awkward. I’d crushed on you, hard, and then wham! You kissed me.” Another shrug. “But then I was off to college, and I figured you were, too. And the chances of a long-distance thing working with us, even without what we’d been through.” She held up a hand, curved her fingers to meet her thumb to make a circle. “Next to zero. It was a really bad time in our lives, for both of us, Brooks. And we were so young." She could quite hold back a sigh. "I guess I figured I’d take the kiss and leave things on that high note, so I didn’t end up hurt over a relationship that didn’t work out."
“I guess I can see that.” His grin flashed again. “You gotta admit, it was a helluva kiss.”
“Yeah.” Now her lips curved. “It was.”
They sat for a moment, each of them lost in their own version of the memory, when Brooks's phone let out a little chirp. Pulling it from his pocket, he checked the display.
“I hate to cut this short, but I have another appointment I have to get to.” Gathering up his clipboard, he stood. “I’ll be in touch about the estimate, okay?”
“Sure.” She rose, stood to lean against the porch rail as he jogged down the short set of steps.
“Hey, Lace?”
“Yeah?”
“You look better than ever.” With a wink, he called to his dog, climbed into his truck, and drove away.
9
Since his afternoon, as well as his father’s, had been eaten up by appointments and other work, the first chance Brooks had to sit down and go over estimates was at his mother’s kitchen table later that evening.
He tried not to bring work home and knew Jeremiah Harding-Jerry to friends and family-was the same way, but sometimes it just couldn’t be helped.
Such as now as Brooks sat opposite his father at the scarred wooden table that had been in the dining area of his childhood home for years. Each man had his own stack of paperwork, divided by client, that they went through methodically.
“Onto the next,” Jerry announced as he set the last of his stack aside. “What have you got for me?”
“I finished work on the Stanley projects today.” Taking a paper from the top of his pile, Brooks sipped his tea as he looked over the details. “They are thrilled with the work and are paid in full.”
“Which thrills me.” Jerry toasted with his own glass.
“They're already making noises about some new projects, so I expect to hear from them again within the next few months.” Brooks took up a new set of papers, noted the name. “We, uh, picked up a new client today.”
“Did we now?” Interest piqued, Jerry’s eyebrows raised. “And who might that be?”
“A lovely young woman by the name of Lacey Fuller.” Brooks nearly hesitated over the last name but caught himself in time.
“Lacey?” Surprise in her voice, Georgia Harding turned from the stove where she’d been working on the evening meal. “Lacey’s back in town?”
“Just got back today,” Brooks confirmed. “Seems like her parents have turned the house over to her.”
“They’re having the time of their lives in that RV.” Georgia shook her head as she smiled. “Never would’ve guessed it. And I never would’ve guessed Lacey would come back home.” She laid a hand to her heart. “I’ll have to give her some time to settle in, but I’d like to go see her.”
“She’s got some work to do on the house before she’s ready for company, Ma.”
“Pftt.” Georgia dismissed her son’s statement with a wave of a hand. “I don’t care what the house looks like and, in any case, the front porch works just fine for me. I’ll give her a day or two, then I’ll drop by with an easy dinner for her.”
“I’m sure she’d appreciate it, honey.” As Jerry spoke, he sent a warning look across the table to his son.
“Yeah, Mom.” Brooks agreed, taking the hint. “I’m sure she’d be glad to see you.”
“Well, that’s settled then.” Wiping her hands on the kitchen towel she held, she tossed it onto the counter. “I think while dinner finishes up, I’ll go call Caroline. I know she must be over the moon at the thought of her baby being home again.” Without another word, Georgia sailed out of the room.
“Those two will gab for the next half hour.” Jerry shook his head as he focused on the papers Brooks still held. “So, what is it Lacey’s needing done?”
“Quite a bit, actually.” Brooks ran down the list, along with suggested materials or additional repairs. “It looks like whoever they had looking after the place gave minimal effort, then just gave up entirely.”
“Shouldn't be too bad, though. Right?”
“A lot of it is cosmetic, but some of it needs to be fixed for safety. The porch steps, for instance, are just about rotted through. I can prioritize what needs to be done and work my way down the list from there. I figure if I can go ahead and get all the materials at once, since several of the projects need a lot of the same stuff, I can keep some of the materials costs down.”
“Makes sense to me. But we’ll do an overall materials cost and a breakdown by project, just in case she decides to do a little bit at a time.”
The two men worked together to go down the list Brooks had made. They were so engrossed in the work, the numbers, that they didn’t hear Georgia come into the room and leave again.
“That’s a decent chunk of change in cost difference,” Brooks noted when they were finished.
“Material costs keep rising,” Jerry said with a sigh as he went to the refrigerator to refill his glass. “Makes it hard for people to justify hiring out for things.”
“Not when they screw it up and have to call us anyway.” Laughing, Brooks simply said, “the Watsons.”
“Ah, but it’s people like the Watsons who keep us in business.” Jerry gave his own chuckle as he settled back onto his chair at the table. “Lacey’s always had a good head on her shoulders. She’ll see the value of taking care of all the materials at once.”
“Hope so.” His head down, Brooks began to fill out the estimate sheet he’d take back to Lacey. “Is this number right?” He asked his father, pointing to the scribble Jerry had made while calculating.
“Yep. Checked it twice.” Jerry watched his son continue to work. “Let me ask you something, Brooks.”
“Sure.” Brooks's tone was distracted as he filled numbers into the blanks on the paper.
“If the opportunity arises, are you gonna ask that girl out?”
“Huh?” Confusion lit in the younger man’s eyes as he pulled his focus from his work. “What?”
“You heard me. If you get the chance, are you going to ask Lacey out on a date?”
“What are you talking about?” Brooks carefully set his pen aside as he looked at his father in bewilderment. “She literally just got back into town today. What makes you think I’d want to ask her out?”
“Boy, I know you've been half in love with that girl since you were eighteen years old, if not younger.”
“And what would make you think something like that?”
“I’ve got eyes, don’t I?” Jerry raised an eyebrow as Brooks just stared. “You don’t think I noticed how you’d pick at her when she was here visiting your sister?” The older man’s expression went mischievous. “And besides, her daddy told me you had her in a lip lock not long before you both left town.”
“Dear Lord.” Brooks scrubbed a hand over his face. “Sheriff Fuller knew? All this time? And never said anything to me?”
“He said it would be fun to see you squirm. I see now he was right.” Jerry let out a full-throated laugh at the baleful look his son sent him. “Relax. He was glad that if it was anyone, it was you.”
“But still.” Brooks gave an exaggerated shiver. “The man packed a gun.”
“True, but his baby girl is all grown up now. Maybe you should consider giving it a shot. No pun intended.” Still smirking, Jerry lifted his glass to drink. “You’re not getting any younger, you know. And your mama wants grandchildren someday, while she’s still young enough to enjoy them.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Brooks laughed, grinning at his mother’s quizzical expression when she came back into the room. “I’ll think about it.”
“Good. Now let’s knock out the rest of this paperwork. Dinner smells good and I’m starving.”
It was strange, and yet oddly comforting, to wake up in her childhood bedroom. Not much had changed. Lacey's bed was still in the same place, as was her dresser and desk. There were still remnants of her teenage obsessions marking the room. Band posters on the walls, track trophies and medals on the shelves of her bookcase, and, stuck into the sides of the mirror, photos of Lacey, Jo, and Claire.
The sight of the three of them, so young, so innocent, so together, had caught her off guard when she’d first come into the room. She’d been loaded down with a laundry basket of odds and ends under one arm while pulling her suitcase along with her free hand. At the sight of the photos, she’d nearly dropped the whole load. Once she had recovered enough to place everything carefully on the floor, she’d simply sat at her desk and stared at the photos of her friends.
They’d been such a huge part of her life, a part of her. She missed them every day, their absence still leaving a deep, aching void within her. One of the hardest parts of them being gone was not knowing where they’d ended up or what they’d endured before-and after-they got there.
Lacey had been able to keep thoughts like these at bay when she’d been living in Tennessee, but now that she was home again, the flood gates seemed to have opened. Claire and Jo had spent so much time in this house that there was hardly a room in it that didn’t hold some memory of them.
Including the room where she now lay in the bed, staring at her ceiling. This room held the most memories of them all. Getting ready for track meets or dances, the late-night study sessions, and the frequent sleepovers.
These walls held the memories and secrets they’d all shared with each other. Good thing they couldn’t talk.
Prying herself from the full-size bed-and God, she’d forgotten how small the mattress was-she went about her morning routine. Bathroom, throwing on her running gear, stretching. Except today she wouldn’t be running the pretty tree lined sidewalks of her old neighborhood. No, she was back where she’d first discovered her love of running. The dirt and gravel backroads or, if she had the whim, the sidewalks of Main Street.
Lacey wasn’t quite ready to run in town just yet, since she was enjoying her solitude and privacy far too much.
Jogging downstairs, she checked that she had her key, her phone, and earbuds. Doubled checked that she had the small can of pepper spray she still carried with her habitually. After making sure everything was tucked securely into her pockets, she locked the door behind her and started down the driveway.
Another oddity, running these familiar paths alone. She’d always run them with Jo or Claire, oftentimes both. And now, she realized, this was the first time she’d run them since either of them disappeared.
The thought had her breath catching as she patted the pocket holding the spray. Comforted by the slight bulge at her hip, she picked up the pace.
After her abduction, Lacey’s dad had laid the law down against her going anywhere on her own, including running. And he’d stuck to it. But the truth of the matter was that she’d lost the love for running during that dark time. She’d even skipped out on the state meet, because she knew that not only was she not in top shape, but that her heart just wasn’t in it.
It hadn’t been until the spring semester of her freshman year that she’d worked up the motivation to start running again. And, because she’d promised her parents she wouldn’t run alone, had approached the coach for the school’s cross country and track teams. After she’d explained who she was and that she was just looking for a group to run with, she’d been accepted to join their practices. Once the coach had seen her in action and, he’d confessed, looked discreetly into her old high school track records, he’d done everything he could to convince her to join the track team. She’d declined, but to show her appreciation for letting her tag along with his team, Lacey had helped with the training of some of the athletes. She'd given them tips on how to better their time, and worked with them on strength training. Not to mention she ran with them to give them the competitive boost and cheered them on at meets.
It was the closest she dared to becoming part of the team, as the last thing she wanted was her picture in the paper. But the feeling of being part of the team, to be surrounded by those who shared her passion, had helped her to heal.
And still, it had taken a long time for her to be comfortable with running alone. The first few times she had tried running in the park, she'd ended up on the side of the path, doubled over in the throes of a panic attack. She'd felt as if she was being stalked, being chased, like prey. Deciding it would be better to ease into it, Lacey had stuck to the treadmill at the gym. But it wasn't the same. She needed the feel of the air on her skin, needed the light and scenery as she ran.
Plus, she had been determined to not let the monster in the shadows take from her something else she loved.
Rounding the curve, Lacey pushed herself up the hill and wondered when it had gotten so steep. Huffing a little, she pushed herself to the top, where she jogged in place while she contemplated her next move. Should she take the fork to the right, run the mile or so to the dead end, then come back? Or should she just turn around now and head for home?
