Blue Moon Haven, page 8
She glanced down at her tennis shoes, still scuffed with grime from her sprint through the mud with Seth into his house during the storm a couple days ago. Quite frankly, given a choice between discussing Todd’s disruptive behavior or sloshing through mud again, she’d definitely choose the latter.
Though she had to admit, Todd had behaved exceptionally well since the night they’d rode out the storm at Seth’s house. He hadn’t argued too much when she’d piled him and Daisy in the car for another shopping trip on Saturday to acquire cleaning supplies, tools and a couple cheap new outdoor chairs to replace the dry rotted ones outside of the trailer. And he’d even sat quietly when Kelly had dragged him and Daisy out yet again on Sunday to a local clothing store to buy a couple new pairs of outfits and school supplies for both of them.
Last night, however, Kelly had heard Todd toss and turn every hour or so in the bedroom and get up several times to use the bathroom and take a drink of water. She’d tried not to pry, but sleeping on the sofa only five feet away from the kitchen sink, she really couldn’t ignore his sleepless night. When she’d asked what was bothering him, he’d simply shrugged and gone back to bed without comment.
“Todd had a little difficulty at his previous school,” she said. “Mainly with his teachers and fitting in with the other kids. He has a bit of a temper when other people can’t keep up with him.” She forced a laugh, her face heating as she glanced at the closed door of the principal’s office; Todd and Daisy sat waiting on the other side. “Like me. He and I are always butting heads because he’s always light-years ahead of me in an academic sense. But Todd means well—he always means well. He’s a great kid and he has a very strong sense of what’s right. He just doesn’t put much thought into whether or not what he does to set things right might offend others.”
Dr. Helm tapped her pen on the open file splayed across her desk. “It says here that he damaged school equipment at his prior school?”
Kelly laughed awkwardly again. “Oh, that. He, uh, he got a little mad about his teacher making a math error, so he threw his laptop out of the window. But it was okay in the end. I paid for a new LCD screen and scrubbed the mud off it. It had rained that morning, you see.”
Dr. Helm studied her silently.
Kelly smiled wider. So wide her cheeks ached.
“Do you do that often?” Dr. Helm asked.
“What?”
“Clean up Todd’s messes?” she clarified quietly.
Kelly’s smile fell. “Sometimes. I couldn’t help but do so after Laice—his mom—passed. He was very angry. Very sad. I didn’t quite know what to do.” Her chin quivered, an unexpected wave of emotion rolling through her, stinging her eyes and tightening her throat. She stared at the framed degree hanging on the wall over Dr. Helm’s right shoulder, blinked hard and drew in a deep breath. “I still don’t know what to do for him sometimes.”
Dr. Helm put down her pen, closed the file and smiled gently. “Ms. Jenkins, I don’t mean to imply that you’re not doing a good job as guardian. As a matter of fact, everything in this file and the conversations I’ve had with officials from his prior school indicate you’ve done an outstanding job caring for Todd and his sister after their mother’s death. Please don’t think I’m suggesting otherwise.”
“Oh, no. I didn’t think you were.” Kelly pushed her hair back and quickly wiped her eyes. “But I know that I fall short sometimes. Most times, actually. I’m nowhere near as good a parent to Todd and Daisy as Laice was.”
“Maybe not,” Dr. Helm said. “But as I didn’t know Todd and Daisy’s mother, I can only speak in regard to my impression of you. I see that you care very deeply for both Todd and Daisy and are critical of yourself as their caretaker. Both are traits that I find are usually displayed by loving parents.”
Kelly’s throat closed and she managed a smile. “Thank you. I . . . I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you saying that.”
“Please don’t worry about Todd and Daisy,” Dr. Helm said, standing and extending her hand. “We’ll take great care of them, and I’ll be sure Todd is enrolled in classes with patient, understanding teachers and that they’re given an in-depth explanation of his needs, both academic and social. We’re very happy to have you, Todd and Daisy join our community.”
Kelly stood and shook her hand eagerly. “Thank you, Dr. Helm.”
“You’re welcome.” She smiled as she escorted Kelly to the door. “And what will you do with your day, now that you’ll be child-free until three this afternoon? Will you begin work on Mrs. Larkin’s drive-in?” She paused by the door, smiling good-naturedly. “I hope you don’t mind my asking. Word travels fast in Blue Moon, and Tully Morris told me yesterday that you were her brother’s new neighbor.” She leaned in and whispered with excitement, “I would love to be at your grand opening. My twins are turning six this summer and I know they’d just love it, and my husband and I are hoping to schedule a date night for ourselves, too.”
Kelly smiled, feeling her spirits lift. Their meeting had gone better than expected and she was looking forward to viewing the films Mae Bell had left her. “When we have a grand-opening date, you’ll be the first I tell.”
Outside of the office, Dr. Helm welcomed Todd and Daisy to school and waited patiently while Kelly said goodbye.
“Are you coming back?” Daisy whispered in Kelly’s ear as she hugged her tightly.
“Of course.” Kelly lifted Daisy’s wrist and tapped her pink watch. “When you see three o’clock, I’ll be sitting right outside waiting to pick you up.”
Daisy smiled, though it was weak, took Dr. Helm’s hand and began walking down the hall toward class.
“Todd?” Kelly called, waiting for him to turn and face her. “Have a good day, okay?”
“Yeah, okay.” He didn’t look enthusiastic.
“I’ll miss you,” Kelly added, but he’d already stuffed his earbuds back in his ears and didn’t respond.
Oh, well. Maybe a long, intellectually challenging day at school would tire him out enough to be civil when she picked him up this afternoon. But for now, Kelly thought, rubbing her hands together, it was time to start on Mae Bell’s priority list.
And if she were being honest with herself, she was eager to get another look at that beautiful house Seth had built. The place had really surprised her because Seth didn’t seem to have an interest in (what had he called it? Oh, yeah . . .) homey-type things. That side of him had been as surprising as his gentle apology to Daisy.
Kelly ran her shaky palms over her jean shorts, shouted one last goodbye to Todd and Daisy as they rounded a corner out of view and headed to the parking lot. Her excitement about the next few hours had everything to do with getting another peek at that beautiful red roof and taking care of priority number one on Mae Bell’s list. It had absolutely nothing to do with her curiosity as to which Seth Morgan she’d run into today: The rude Neanderthal she’d first met? Or the kind, good-natured gentleman who’d offered a heartfelt apology to Daisy and protected her from the rain?
* * *
Seth inspected the leaves and twigs on one of the pecan trees in his orchard for black lesions indicative of pecan scab. He wrote notes on his notepad, tucked it and his pen in the back pocket of his jeans and walked to the next tree in the row. Patch followed him, as always, sniffing the grassy lawn as he padded along.
He glanced at the dirt driveway curving toward his house beyond the tree line, but there was no sign of Kelly’s car yet.
“Get ahold of yourself,” he muttered to himself as he examined the leaves of the next tree with trembling hands.
It was absolutely juvenile to be so nervous about having a guest. He’d entertained before. As a matter of fact, when he was married, he and Madeline had friends over almost every weekend to hang out, grill steaks and share a few laughs. That, of course, had changed to involve more couples and kids after Rachel had been born, but the house had always welcomed lively guests of some sort almost every other weekend.
That had all ended eight years ago when they’d lost Rachel. The more angry, regretful and grief-stricken Seth had become, the less frequently anyone had visited, leaving him free to wrap himself in a cloak of comforting silent isolation. In the end, even Madeline had been unable to endure his temper. She’d cried for hours the night she’d made the decision to leave him, had even apologized for considering it. Madeline, like Seth, had thought they would be together forever. That the vows they’d made had been unbreakable and that happy endings actually did come for good, honest people who worked hard.
But Seth couldn’t be that type of person. If he had been a good man deserving of a happy ending, Rachel wouldn’t have been taken from him, and Madeline wouldn’t have followed.
No, happy endings didn’t exist, and Seth was content with the current status quo of quiet predictability at his house. Which made his nervous, somewhat-eager anticipation of Kelly’s arrival all the more surprising to him.
Patch barked and sprinted off, kicking up blades of grass behind him.
“Patch!” Seth stopped inspecting the tree, returned his notepad to his back pocket and walked toward the driveway just as Kelly’s compact car rounded the curve.
Patch chased the car until it parked in front of Seth’s house; then the dog started jumping and barking at the driver’s-side door, his tongue lolling out of his mouth with giddy excitement.
“Back, Patch.” Seth strode quickly up to the car and tugged at Patch’s collar, his heart kicking anxiously in his chest at the sight of Kelly waving at him through the window.
Seth stepped back from the car and pulled Patch with him, stealing a moment to brush the dirt from the front of his T-shirt. “I’ve got him,” he called out to her through the window. “It’s safe to come out. Like I said the other day, the worst he’ll do is . . .”
Kelly opened the driver’s-side door, stepped out and smiled. She wore simple jean shorts and a cotton T-shirt, ordinary everyday clothing that shouldn’t draw attention, but the soft cling of the fabrics along her curves made her look welcoming . . . like a soft place to land after a hard day of work. And she’d left her hair loose today. The wavy strands framed her cute features, highlighting the soft curve of her cheekbones and the tempting pink shade of her mouth.
“. . . lick you to death.” Seth finished his sentence on an unconscious whisper.
She frowned. “What?”
Oh, Lord. Scorching heat coursed up his neck and flooded Seth’s face. He coughed and stood straighter, tugging Patch closer to his legs. “I said, you’re safe around Patch. The worst he’ll do is lick you to death.”
“Oh.” She smiled, the action drawing attention to her bright, even teeth. “Thanks again for letting me use your VCR.” She popped her trunk and hauled out a large wooden trunk. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.”
“Here, let me get that.” Seth released Patch and joined her at the car, relieving her of the wooden trunk. “Time to start Mae Bell’s movie marathon, huh?”
“Yep.” Smiling wider, she dropped to her haunches as Patch sprinted over and butted her shins. “Oh, so I get an actual hello this time?” She laughed as Patch rose on his back legs, propped his front paws on her shoulders and started licking her cheeks. “You were right. He’ll definitely lick you to death.” Still laughing, she patted Patch’s head, then stood. “Sorry, I don’t have any hot dogs today, buddy.” She held up a finger, then hauled a small cooler from the backseat of her car. “But I did bring my own lunch.”
Seth lifted the wooden trunk higher in his arms and shrugged his shoulders. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“I didn’t want to mooch off you.” She thought for a moment, and her smile turned self-conscious. “Well, any more than I already am, I guess.”
“And how did you know Patch likes hot dogs?”
“Oh, he paid me a visit the night we moved into the trailer. I was savoring the one and only hot dog Todd left me, but Patch seemed to want it more than me, so I handed it over.”
“Then I owe you one.”
“No worries,” she said, lifting her cooler. “I brought everything I need.”
Ten minutes later, Kelly had unloaded the VHS tapes and DVDs from the wooden trunk Seth had carried in for her, sorted them in piles according to the year they were made and sat in the middle of them on the floor, rubbing her hands with excitement. Patch lay by her side, stretching out on the hardwood floor and resting his chin on his paws.
“I don’t want to disappoint you,” Seth said as she pulled the first VHS tape out of its sleeve. “But that thing hasn’t been used in years. It may not even work properly.”
Kelly leaned close to the entertainment stand and powered up the VCR and DVD combination player. “Have faith.” She paused, glancing up at him from her seated position on the floor. “Do you believe in things happening for a reason?”
He shoved his hands in his pockets. “I don’t know. Maybe, maybe not.” His gaze moved beyond her, seeking out a framed picture that sat on an end table at one end of the sectional. An ache spread through him. “Sometimes I think things just happen for no reason.”
She remained silent, staring up at him, then said, “That could be. But I think there’s more to it than that. I mean, the kids and I had next to nothing a few days ago and now”—she laughed—“we live in a Royal Mansion on a piece of property where dreams come true every night. And then, here you are, our neighbor, offering us shelter from the storm and you just so happened to have a VCR, which we desperately needed.” She raised an eyebrow. “I just don’t think things like that happen unless there’s a reason. And having faith in that”—she slid the VHS tape into the player and looked up at the large HDTV expectantly—“I’m betting this thing’ll work.”
Sure enough, the VHS player whirred, the TV blinked on and the tape started playing.
“Woo-hoo!” Overjoyed, Kelly clapped her hands and started bouncing. “Look at that. We’re in business, honey bun. What’d I tell you?”
Seth smiled. “Honey bun?”
She stopped bouncing and her cheeks turned red. “It’s just an expression. Though . . .” A flirtatious gleam lit her eyes. “You do make honey.”
Despite the awkward exchange, Seth smiled.
“And . . .” Her blush deepened as her attention lingered on his mouth. “You have a nice smile.”
His smile widened at the hint of appreciation in her gaze. The woman had a silly excitement about life and those around her. An almost childlike, gleeful sense of humor, and he got the impression she’d never met a stranger and might strike up a conversation with anyone who’d be willing to listen. All of these traits were completely at odds with his staid, levelheaded, predictable existence. And yet, strangely . . . the sight of her lounging on his floor with Patch leaning against her struck him as familiar. As though she fit in right there where she sat in his living room and should’ve been there forever.
The odd thought was enough to startle him. “I’ll leave you to it.”
“But—”
He whistled for Patch to join him, more grateful than ever for the silence of the orchard.
CHAPTER 6
Four hours later, Kelly scribbled notes furiously in a notebook she’d brought with her as she stuffed a ham and cheese sandwich in her mouth with her other hand.
“’Bout through watching for the day?”
Startled, she shot upright on the sectional, her pen making a stray mark on the paper, and blinked her dry eyes up at Seth, who stood on the threshold of the living room. “Not yet.” She smiled apologetically. “I hope you don’t mind? I planned to stay until around two-thirty, when I have to go pick up Todd and Daisy from school. I’ve made it through three silent films, one from the year 1919, another from 1920 and the third from 1921, but I still have a looooong way to go.”
And that was an understatement. She took another bite of her sandwich and chewed furiously as she studied the piles of VHS tapes and DVDs on the floor of Seth’s living room. There was one more small stack of silent films ranging in date from 1922 to 1924, one stack of films that spanned the 1930s and 1940s and a various assortment of other films ranging from the 1950s to the 1980s. There were hours upon hours of viewing ahead of her; she’d barely made a dent today.
“You’re welcome to use the TV as long as you need,” Seth said, crossing the living room and walking into the adjacent kitchen. “I rarely watch it anyway.”
Kelly set her notebook aside and swiveled around on the sectional, propping her chin on her hands on the back of the seat and watching Seth’s movements. He opened the refrigerator, withdrew a pitcher of tea, grabbed a glass from an overhead cabinet and poured himself a generous serving over ice.
“You want one?” he asked over his shoulder.
“No, thanks. I brought some soda.” She pointed to the large island at his back, where she’d placed a plastic bag for him ten minutes ago, aware from his silent comings and goings the past few hours that he’d be in for a drink soon. “I made you a sandwich. It’s on the table there whenever you’re ready for it.”
The cushion beside her bounced, jostling her as Patch jumped onto the sectional and head-butted her ribs.
Smiling, she patted his head. “Don’t worry, I didn’t forget you.” She gestured toward a second plastic bag she’d placed on the island. “That bag with just the meat in it is for Patch. I wasn’t sure if he liked ham, but considering how much he likes hot dogs, I thought I’d save some for him just in case.”
Seth set his glass of sweet tea on the island and opened the plastic bag with his sandwich. He took a bite, chewed several times and a look of pleasure crossed his face. “Thank you. This is delicious.”
Kelly grinned. She’d spent extra time on his sandwich when she’d made one each for Todd and Daisy to take to school for lunch, stacking thick tomatoes, lots of lettuce, provolone cheese and slathering mayonnaise on both slices of bread. “I hoped you’d like it. It’s the way the kids and I like ours.”
