Low Country Christmas

by Lee Tobin McClain

  “Thanks, maybe I will.” Norma reached out and gave Rita a half hug. “You know I love you, kiddo, right? If I mess with you, it’s for your own good.”

  “Yeah, because you know it all.” But she hugged Norma back.

  The tap-tap-tap at the door broke into their lovefest. Norma went to the door, and Rita couldn’t resist looking over her shoulder to see who was there. Maybe it was Cash.

  But instead, it was the Silver Fox, whose name was actually Stephen. Norma spoke with him at the entrance. When the exchange got longer, Rita cleared her throat, and Norma looked back at her. “Invite the man in!” she said in a stage whisper.

  “That would be...much appreciated,” Stephen said.

  “Fine, come in.” Norma held open the door and beckoned him toward the kitchen. “I suppose you want a blueberry muffin, too.”

  Rita stared at her friend. Norma was a tough cookie who didn’t put up with nonsense, but she wasn’t usually this ungracious.

  She soon understood the reason, at least the superficial one: this was a conversation about Christmas decorations, and the rules that governed them, in this complex. “I’d be happy to cover the cost,” he said. “I just thought it would look better if we coordinated my outdoor display with yours, since we’re next-door neighbors.”

  Norma cackled. “You just don’t want me to do something tacky,” she said.

  Color suffused Stephen’s face. Looking at him, Rita wasn’t sure whether he had really not wanted Norma to decorate, or whether he was looking for an excuse to come by. She couldn’t get over the notion that he was drawn to Norma, although two more different people could hardly be imagined.

  She also thought that Norma’s testy attitude might have everything to do with her own feeling of attraction for Stephen. She was so insistent that she didn’t want to get involved with a man again, but Rita knew for sure that was mostly fear talking—fear of what a man would think of her mastectomy scars.

  “If you’re too busy, I can do the decorating,” he said, sounding uncomfortable. “I didn’t think you worked.”

  Norma looked at him with head tilted to one side, frowning. Then she looked at Rita. “When does the gig at the women’s center start?”

  Score one for me and the Silver Fox, Rita thought. “I think it starts the last week of November. Are you in?”

  “I’m in.”

  But as she let herself out, leaving Norma and Stephen to their bickering, she had to wonder. Norma was growing, albeit against her will. But what about Rita? Was she growing, or stagnating? Maybe she was the one who was rotting.

  Her ringing phone offered relief from her thoughts. She pulled out her phone, but the caller was unknown.

  She clicked on the call, and to her surprise, it was Holly. “Hey, you know how you offered to help out?” she asked. In the background was a baby crying and a dog barking.

  “Whatever you need,” Rita said promptly. “Where are you?”

  “I’m taking home the worst-behaved dog in the history of dogs,” Holly said. “And I’m afraid his owner’s going to put him out on the street. Any interest in adopting him?”

  A dog. She hadn’t thought about a pet, not lately, but she was surprisingly intrigued. “Doubtful, but I’m willing to meet him,” she said, and immediately, inexplicably, felt a whole lot better.

  * * *

  HOLLY LOOKED AROUND at the low-hanging Spanish moss and overarching oak trees that made the road they were traveling seem more like a dark tunnel, the sunny day more like twilight. “I’m not sure this is a good idea,” she said.

  Cash looked over at her from the driver’s seat. They were in the SUV again, due, Cash had said, to the rutted road that led to Ma Dixie’s place.

  Ma Dixie. Even the name sounded completely obscure to Holly, like a character in a TV show about the South.

  “It won’t be bad. It’s not her big Friday-night supper. It’s just...” He trailed off, looking embarrassed or maybe shy.

  That roused her curiosity. “It’s just what?”

  “I want Ma to meet Penny and vice versa.”

  Holly tilted her head to one side, studying him. “Was she your foster mom?” She hadn’t gotten that impression.

  “Not exactly, but kind of.” He navigated around an especially big dip in the dirt road. “She was Sean’s foster mom, but she made me and Liam feel welcome. When we were kids, and after we’d grown up, too.”

  She nodded, looking out at the deep shadows of the bayou. “Screws you up, doesn’t it? Not having a regular mom.”

  He looked at her sharply. “You and Tiff?”

  “We had a mom, just not... Not someone who wanted to be a mom.”

  “Ouch.” He looked thoughtful. “Rita, she wanted to be our mom, I guess. She just couldn’t. The right was taken away from her.”

  “You don’t hold that against her, do you?”

  “I shouldn’t. I try not to.”

  Sudden anxiety squeezed her stomach. “Do you think Penny will blame Tiff, when she grows up? That she wasn’t here?”

  “Let alone blame me for all the mistakes I’m likely to make.” Cash heaved a sigh as they turned down an even narrower road. There, in a clearing, was a rustic-looking cabin on stilts. A porch wrapped around it, and a green lawn sloped down to a narrow, muddy river.

  Cash was lifting Penny out of the car before Holly could grab her purse and climb down from the passenger side. He shouldered the diaper bag and waved off her offer to carry it. “This way,” he said, then went up the porch steps and pounded on the door. “Ma! Pudge! You’ve got company!”

  After a few seconds with no answer, he pounded again, then led the way around the house to the back door. But there was no response there, either.

  “Did you call?” she asked.

  He shook his head. “No. They’re always here.” His voice sounded bleak, and she caught a fleeting glimpse of the lonely, forsaken teen he must have been at one time. But he shook it off almost instantly. “Let’s hang out on the porch for a few, at least. Get Penny used to the marsh air.”

  They sat on an old-fashioned glider, shoulder-to-shoulder, knee-to-knee. Cash held Penny, who looked at everything, wide-eyed, and let out a shriek of excitement when a blue jay landed on the porch railing and cawed at them.

  Holly drew in deep breaths and tried to focus on the scent of the flowers growing around the porch rather than on the warmth of Cash’s leg beside hers.

  She couldn’t help the way her breathing quickened, though, and when their fingers brushed as he passed her a packet of crackers to open for Penny, she sucked in a breath. She’d never been one to get all keyed up about a man. She’d always shrugged it off when a girlfriend talked about how hot and sexy a particular guy was.

  Now, all of a sudden, she got it.

  The overly loud sound of a car with muffler problems broke the mood. Good.

  A big old sedan pulled up directly in front of the house. An enormous man opened the passenger door and started out, then looked back at a sharply spoken word from the driver. A moment later, a woman who must be Ma Dixie bustled around the car and braced herself.

  “Okay, on three,” she said.

  “Wait, Ma!” Cash thrust Penny into Holly’s arms and hurried down the porch steps. He spoke to the woman and then stepped in front of her to help the man hoist himself out of the car. Cash walked slowly to the porch, the man clinging to his arm, breathing hard. The steps, only four of them, were a challenge, but with Cash’s help the man made it up, and they both disappeared into the house.

  When Holly realized that Ma Dixie was collecting bags from the back seat, she shifted Penny to one hip and went down to the car. “I’m Cash’s friend, Holly,” she said. “Let me help you with that.”

  “Thank you, honey. I’m Ma, but I expect you know that. And the big one’s my man, Pudge.” She waved a hand towar
d the house.

  Between the two of them, they got several bags of what smelled like barbeque into the house. In the kitchen, Ma directed her to put the bags on the counter and then gestured toward the table. “Have a seat. Would you like some sweet tea?”

  “Yes, thank you.” Holly wanted to offer to get them drinks herself, because the other woman looked tired. But Holly was the guest and she didn’t know if Ma would welcome the assistance or be offended by the offer.

  Ma brought ice-filled glasses and a pitcher to the table. “If you could pour, I’d surely appreciate it,” she said, holding out her arms for Penny. “And who’s this little lady?”

  “Her name’s Penny,” Holly said as she poured tea. She didn’t know how much Cash had told Ma. “She’s a year old.”

  “Such a pretty little peanut,” she said. “Yours?”

  Holly opened her mouth and then closed it again. Was Penny hers? Yes, in every way that mattered, she decided, and nodded her head.

  She was pretty sure Ma had caught the hesitation, but she didn’t push it. “I’m right glad the two of you showed up today,” she said. “I told Pudge we’d better get enough barbeque to feed a few more mouths than just ours.”

  Cash came in, followed by Pudge, and they poured more tea and settled down around the table. “First he’s eaten all day,” Ma Dixie said, nodding at Pudge.

  “Why’s that?” Cash asked.

  Ma and Pudge exchanged glances. “Some medical tests. Nothing to worry about.”

  “What kind of tests?” Cash crossed his forearms on the table and looked from Ma to Pudge.

  “Like she said, nothing to worry about.” Pudge smiled at Penny, his broad face creasing. “What’s more interesting is this little lady.” He looked at Cash. “Anything you want to tell us?”

  “Pudge, mind your manners. He’ll tell us in his own good time.”

  “That she’s his?”

  Ma slapped his hand. “Just for that, I’m serving you last,” she said and then stood to dish up barbequed ribs onto four plates. “Cash, if you could dip out the potato salad and string beans, I’d be obliged.”

  Cash did as instructed, a sheepish look on his face. Once they’d prayed over the food and started to dig in—and man, was it good—Cash put down his fork and looked from Pudge to Ma and back again. “It’s true. She’s my child. I only just learned about her myself. Now the question is, how did you find out?”

  “Your doings are news in this town.” Ma smiled at Cash, then at Holly. “We’re glad to welcome you and Penny to the family.”

  Holly’s chest tugged with a mixture of longing and apprehension. She didn’t belong to any family, not really. Didn’t know how to be in a family.

  “Holly’s raising Penny, but her sister, Tiff, is the one who...was Penny’s biological mother.” Cash looked a little embarrassed, but determined, as if he wanted to set the record straight.

  Was that to save Holly’s reputation, or because he didn’t want to be associated with her romantically?

  “So I heard,” Pudge said, smiling at Holly. “Good for you, taking in your sister’s child. You’ll fit right in here in Safe Haven.”

  “You know,” Ma said, “I could take care of this little one. Babysit, I mean.”

  The offer startled Holly so much that she didn’t know what to say. What kind of place was Safe Haven, that a stranger would offer to take care of your kid?

  Cash wiped his mouth and looked at Holly. “She did it for Anna, when she moved to town with her twins and needed day care for them. In fact,” he added, turning to Ma, “I’m surprised you don’t have any foster kids here now.”

  “Oh, well, we will again soon. I hope.” She glanced at Pudge. “Which is why it’s the perfect time for me to take care of little Penny, here. I miss having a little one around.”

  Near panic rose in Holly. She didn’t even know this woman; she wasn’t about to become obligated to her, or to trust her with precious Penny. “It’s a lovely offer,” she said, “but I’ve got it covered for now.”

  Cash frowned. “You’re carrying Penny around while you walk dogs. It’s got to be exhausting to you and her both.”

  “Cash was telling me about your business,” Pudge said. “Good idea, that. Around here, at least out in the country, people have tended to leave their dogs tied up outside while they’re at work. Or else they’re cooped up in the house all day.”

  Holly’s shoulders relaxed. “That’s what I like about my job,” she said. “It’s a chance to spring the pups out of jail and give them some attention and fun and exercise.”

  “I could connect you with some of my clients,” Pudge said. “And I hope you’re walking Liam’s dog, Rio. He’s full of beans.”

  “Yes, Rio was one of my first clients.” Cash’s doing, she suspected. Holly smiled to think of the big Lab-rottweiler mix. “And he is a handful, but he’s a great dog. I’m glad I can help Liam and Yasmin out. They’re pretty busy, it seems.”

  “Still,” Ma said, “it must be tough to walk dogs with a baby strapped on.”

  “You should really think about Ma’s offer,” Cash said.

  Holly’s ease with the group around the table dissolved, and she pushed away her plate. “We’re fine,” she said, only keeping her voice level with effort.

  Just because she was receiving child support from Cash, did she have to dive into his family as if she’d known them all her life?

  She glanced at the wall clock and wondered how long until they could leave this overly friendly, threatening place.

  CHAPTER SIX

  SATURDAY AFTERNOON, Cash pulled away from the pediatric developmentalist’s office with Penny in her car seat in back and Holly white-faced beside him. He felt like going back to his luxury condo, blasting his state-of-the-art flat-screen TV with some mindless sports show and downing a six-pack.

  But he was a father now. And even though his impulses showed what he was made of, he was trying to be better than that.

  They cruised along the highway at a fair clip. Holly didn’t seem inclined to talk, and Penny was sucking on a bottle; she’d actually napped during their long wait at the doctor’s office.

  It gave Cash the chance to think about what the doctor had said. Cash had known Penny most likely had some developmental delays, but he’d figured a few therapy sessions would take care of it.

  It looked like things might be a little more serious.

  What got to him was that the doctor had spoken to him and Holly as if they were Penny’s mother and father, as if they both had equal responsibility for Penny’s care. Technically, that was true. In fact, just looking at the facts of the case, Cash should have more responsibility, because Holly was only Penny’s aunt, while Cash was her father.

  Sean’s words came back to haunt him: You’ve got to figure out if Holly is even fit to parent that child. If she’s not...you need to take over.

  Everyone seemed to think Cash should jump in and take charge of Penny’s care, but they didn’t know what he knew: that deep inside, he was the one who was unfit.

  Still, he knew what Sean meant. If Holly wasn’t doing right by Penny, then Cash had to figure out another plan. He’d had that in mind when he’d latched onto the idea of Ma Dixie helping out with Penny, but Holly had shot that down.

  It gave Cash a worried feeling. Holly was great in a lot of ways, but she didn’t seem aware of the concept that it takes a village. She wanted to do everything on her own, but particularly since Penny had special needs, that just wasn’t going to work.

  He came out of his thoughts enough to realize that they were close to the Sea Pine Cottages, managed and lived in by Sean and his family. “Mind if we stop and see my brother for a few?” he asked.

  Holly looked over at him with a wide-eyed, deer-in-the-headlights expression.

  “Not for long,” he said. “But it’
s right on the way, and the doctor said the more stimulation—”

  “It’s fine, we can stop there,” she interrupted. She didn’t give an audible sigh, but she definitely implied it.

  He opened his mouth to needle her about her attitude and then closed it. Just didn’t have the heart.

  Penny had delays that could be serious, and needed further evaluation. They already knew that she was underweight with a small head circumference. Physical signs of the neglect she’d experienced on Tiff’s watch, and Cash wanted to shake the woman. To shake Holly, too, because she’d let it happen.

  But when it came down to it, he’d let it happen by not following up with Tiff, checking in, making sure.

  And inadequate as his efforts were bound to be, he had to do his best to make up for it. Stimulation, affection, talking. Doing things together with Holly so that Penny could get to know them both, feel secure in them being her family, which would help a lot with the grief she was experiencing.

  He turned into the Sea Pine Cottages and Holly did let out a sigh.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, although he knew.

  “Nothing. Well, it’s just that...you have a lot of family.”

  “You’re about the only person in the universe who’d say that. For a long time, it was just me and my two brothers.”

  “Being on your own isn’t so bad.” She sounded defensive. “Families can cause a lot of grief.”

  “Is family so awful to you?”

  “That’s not what I meant,” she snapped. “Why would you say that?”

  “Because of how you acted back at Ma’s the other night. Refusing to even consider her offer of babysitting.”

  A wail, thin and reedy, rose from the back seat and quickly gathered steam.

  “Sorry.” Cash blew out a sigh of his own as he pulled into the sandy driveway in front of his brother’s amped-up beach cottage. “I’ve upset her now.” Bad father, bad father.

  “She just isn’t used to people arguing,” Holly said. She got out of the car and beat him to the back seat, pulling Penny out and cuddling her close, burying her face in the baby’s neck.