Low Country Christmas

by Lee Tobin McClain

  “That, and making foolish decisions,” Norma said. “You ought to hear what your girlfriend-slash-employee is thinking about doing.”

  Thinking about Taffy made all Rita’s complicated emotions fall away. “You’ve got to see this dog I’m gonna get,” she said, pulling up the photos she’d snapped on her phone. “She’s absolutely adorable. She’s going to be a handful, but I think I can help her calm down. I just really connected with her.”

  “You’re getting a dog?” Jimmy sounded surprised.

  “Yeah, I think so.” She looked at him. His smile had vanished, replaced by a tight little frown she’d never seen before. “What’s wrong? Don’t you like them?” When she thought about it, Jimmy had never paid much attention to Rio, Liam’s dog.

  He shrugged. “I’m not a fan.” Then he got very busy wiping the counter and busing a table, things that as the manager, he didn’t need to do, especially when a couple of his employees were standing around idle.

  She slid down a couple of stools and tugged at his sleeve. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

  He tilted his head to one side and looked at her. “Did you ever think that I might want to have some say in whether you got a dog?”

  She looked at him blankly. “No. Honestly, I didn’t.”

  “Really?” He scrubbed at a nonexistent spot on the counter.

  “Really. Why would you have a say in whether I get a pet? It’s not like we live together.”

  “No, but we might someday, right?” He leaned back against the counter then, not looking at her. “Rita, a dog’s going to live ten or more years. It’s going to be a big part of your life, take a lot of your attention. I’d rather you’d consulted me before you made a commitment.”

  “I... Really, Jimmy? You’re jealous of me giving attention to a dog?”

  “That’s not what I meant and you know it. Just think about how you’d feel if I, oh, decided to move to a different town or take up a time-consuming hobby. It would affect you, right? So I should talk to you about it before I decided.”

  She drew in a breath and let it out in a sigh. “I guess I see what you mean. But, Jimmy, I just feel so drawn to this dog, so excited about it. Do you really want to kill that in me?”

  His forehead wrinkled as he looked down at her. “We’re not going to solve this right now, and I have work to do.” He turned and headed back into the kitchen.

  Norma and Cash had been talking desultorily and probably eavesdropping, she guessed from the expressions on their faces as she slid back down to them. “That didn’t go too well,” she said glumly.

  “Sorry, kiddo,” Norma said, patting her shoulder. “For the record, he doesn’t have a say and you don’t have to consult him. Not until he puts a ring on your finger or signs a lease with you.”

  “Yeah. But I don’t necessarily want to have this little sweetie be a constant source of friction between us.” She bit her lip as she stared down at the photo of the little dog.

  “Let me see,” Cash said. He seemed to be attempting to reach out to her, and even with her concern about Jimmy, she appreciated it. She held out the phone to him so he could see the picture.

  He took it, studied it, then raised his eyes to meet hers. “You know why you like it, right?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You don’t know, do you?” he said, looking from her to the dog’s photo and back again. “Wow.”

  “What is it?”

  “This dog looks almost exactly like the dog we had—the dog we left behind when we came to Safe Haven.”

  Rita stared at the dog’s picture as her heart started a deep, steady pounding.

  “I’ve got to go. See you ladies.” Cash put a twenty—way too much for his meal plus tip—on the counter and walked out.

  “Do you remember anything about the dog?” Norma asked after they’d watched Cash get into his fancy car and zoom away.

  Slowly, she shook her head. “No, I don’t,” she said. “But I want to find out about it. And I definitely want to get this new dog. I need to get it. No matter what Jimmy says.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  HOLLY TOOK ONE look at the adults in the parenting class, talking and laughing as if they’d known each other all their lives—which they probably had—and felt a strong urge to turn around and leave. She didn’t do well with groups like this, full of people who’d always belonged.

  It was Wednesday, four days after their warm and lovely Saturday afternoon with Cash’s brother’s family. There, she’d felt welcome from the start.

  In fact, having Cash at her side at the pediatric developmentalist had been an incredible comfort. She knew she couldn’t handle Penny’s special needs alone.

  So the fact that he’d texted her the last couple of mornings to check on Penny, and had stopped by last night to see if they needed anything... Well, she’d welcomed it. He was the only one who cared about Penny’s minuscule changes and adorable antics as much as she did.

  It turned out she didn’t want Cash just for his money; she wanted his co-parenting, too. Needed it.

  A disconcerting thought.

  Being here at the parenting class was disconcerting in a different way. It took her back.

  That sound of talking, laughing voices, growing quieter as she, the new kid, walked in, was familiar from her eight school changes during her growing-up years. Mostly, that uncomfortable new-kid feeling passed when you were an adult; you met people one-on-one. But this parenting class was school. Back to school, again.

  Cash shifted Penny to his other arm—he always insisted on carrying her, so Holly just carried the diaper bag—and looked over at Holly. “Are you ready?”

  Their eyes met and held. “I’m not sure,” she admitted.

  “Should we turn around and run away?” He quirked a smile at her, and those clear blue eyes seemed to read her reluctance and understand it. The spark that passed between them lifted her spirits. She wasn’t going to do anything about it, but she had to admit that walking into a gathering with a hot guy like Cash was...comforting.

  “We’d better not run away,” she said. “We have to be grown-ups.”

  “Really?” He gave her a mock sulky look and she laughed.

  They edged quietly through the door of the big, shabby multipurpose room at the women’s center, housed inside a church and filled with that dusty old-church smell. There were about fifteen adults here, mostly couples, most holding babies of a year or younger, although there was also a toddler with Down syndrome who looked to be two or three.

  They stowed their things on a table heaped with coats, purses and diaper bags. “Come on,” Cash said, and urged her toward the little crowd with a hand on her elbow.

  He was instantly noticed.

  “Cash!”

  “Hey, O’Dwyer!”

  “Long time no see!”

  It rapidly became clear that Cash was a minor celebrity in this area. People looked at Holly and Penny with open curiosity.

  Why hadn’t she thought of the fact that he’d have to explain Penny to all his friends? Given that, she was pretty impressed that he’d suggested doing parenting class. He wasn’t ashamed of Penny, wasn’t trying to hide her existence.

  “Okay, everyone, let’s get started.” Norma, Rita’s friend, stood at the front of the room wearing a colorful caftan-style shirt and jeans tucked into high boots. She looked cool and stylish.

  In fact, most of the women looked stylish, when Holly stopped to notice. And here she was, dressed in her standard black T-shirt and jeans. She hadn’t thought of dressing up for a parenting class—hadn’t had time.

  Oh, well. It wasn’t like she was expecting to fit in here or anything.

  As soon as she had the thought, she scolded herself. This wasn’t about her—it was about Penny and helping her build a life here.

  “Seems like a l
ot of you know each other,” Norma said, “but I’m at a disadvantage since I moved here not that long ago. So if you don’t mind, I’d like everyone to introduce yourselves. And your kids, too.”

  That was nice. Holly tried hard to remember everyone’s name, laughed when the little girl with Down syndrome corrected her mother, insisting that she was “four half.” When it was Holly’s turn she floundered a little, wondering what to say about Penny and Cash. She settled for explaining that she’d recently moved here and that she was Penny’s aunt and guardian.

  She wondered what Cash would say, but just as he opened his mouth to speak, Liam and Yasmin came rushing in, Liam holding the toddler they were fostering, Gino. “Sorry to be late,” Yasmin said to the group at large. “We had issues.”

  It was a nice distraction from people’s speculative looks at her and Cash. Liam and Yasmin felt like friends, especially when they came immediately over to the empty chairs next to Holly. Gino was crying, loudly, so it took a few minutes before he quieted down and class could get going again.

  But then Norma came right back to it. “Cash, we didn’t get to hear from you,” she said.

  “I’m this little sweetheart’s papa,” he said easily. “I don’t have custody, but I’m going to do my best to help. I have a lot to learn.”

  And with that, Holly could see, he charmed all the women in the audience.

  Once the introductions were over, Norma talked a little about what they’d be doing in the class. Today was a short lecture about the various developmental delays and ways to stimulate babies and children who’d gotten off to a rough start. “It’s not possible to do it alone,” she emphasized. “Our kids need socialization, seeing other families, new experiences and opportunities to interact. And we, as parents and caregivers, need support, too, and I hope this class will be a place where we can give that to each other. So to finish up...” She paused and looked around. “I need to do a drumroll here. We have a whole tray of Jean Carol’s cinnamon rolls, and we’re going to have a social hour. Try to get the names and contact information for at least two other families to set up playdates or get-togethers with.”

  The group broke up and people moved toward the cinnamon rolls as if drawn by a magnet, and Holly turned to Yasmin. “Is it cheating to have one of my playdates with you?” she asked.

  “Nope. That would be lovely.” Yasmin looked around, clearly checking to make sure that Gino was okay in Liam’s arms, and then turned back to Holly. “It’s a lot, coming into a small Southern town from outside, huh?”

  “Yeah. It is.” But Holly forced herself to get up and mingle with a few of the other parents. Most were kind and welcoming. And curious. “Why’d you move to Safe Haven?” one woman asked. “Why not to Atlanta, where Cash normally lives?”

  She overcame her usual sense of privacy and explained that it had been a desire of Tiff’s. The comment served as a reminder, though, that Cash didn’t normally live here and that his stay in Safe Haven was temporary. He had a business empire to manage.

  “Don’t you have people back in New York?” someone else asked.

  “Not really,” she admitted, and the pity on the other woman’s face hurt.

  Another couple came over and introduced themselves, then politely inquired about Holly’s work as a dog walker. “If you’re running a small business here in town, you should think about joining the SHSBA.”

  “She doesn’t know what that is, hon,” the wife said, rolling her eyes but with a smile on her face. “It’s the Safe Haven Small Business Association, and Ronald is obsessed with it. We run a fruit stand out on the edge of town and we’re trying to build it up into a little store.”

  “That’s nice,” Holly said.

  “We share ideas and work together,” Ronald explained. “It’s tough to go it alone.”

  No, mister, alone is the only safe way to go. “I appreciate the offer,” she said, “but I’m pretty busy right now.”

  “We meet for breakfast every two weeks. Not that time-consuming.”

  “Thanks. We’ll see.”

  “Ronald,” the wife said, “she doesn’t want to join. Let it go.” Her eyes on Holly had gone cool.

  Cash seemed to detect that she needed help. He came over and put a light arm around her, basically protecting her from the others. Where his arm touched her neck and shoulders, a tingling sensation danced. It made Holly really, really happy and really, really nervous.

  She was having the strangest feeling that she wanted the little artificial family she’d formed with Cash for tonight to become real, a permanent thing. Which couldn’t happen. For one, Cash wasn’t sticking around Safe Haven. Also, he was an important businessman with women chasing him wherever he went in the world. Experienced, sophisticated women. Not practically penniless dog walkers who forgot to wear makeup and jewelry.

  Letting herself have these soft feelings for him put her at risk of being just like her mother. Getting involved in impossible relationships, falling hard, neglecting her duties as a parent.

  Holly couldn’t take the risk of getting closer to Cash. And she didn’t need to have them thought of as a couple among the small-town gossips, not when it was never going to be that way for them.

  She shrugged out from under his arm and frowned at him. “Do you mind?”

  Hurt flashed across his face so quickly she wasn’t sure she’d really seen it. “Sorry.”

  The small-business couple had seen the interaction. Of course, they didn’t look askance at Cash; they looked askance at her.

  She blew out a sigh. This was so complicated. She didn’t care for herself if she was liked or ostracized in Safe Haven—at least, she didn’t care much—but for Penny’s sake, she didn’t want to be that weird mom. She knew from experience what it was like to be from the oddball family in town.

  Figuring out how to walk the right line between encouraging Cash to be an involved father and discouraging herself from falling for him wouldn’t be easy.

  * * *

  THE DAY AFTER the parenting class, Cash walked into the car dealership to get his SUV inspected. It was something he usually had his assistant do, or had when he’d been in Atlanta. But he had time now, and it felt important to do it right away when a child’s safety was riding on it.

  In the waiting room, the TV blared a morning talk show, and the grease smell from the service department contrasted with the new vinyl smell from the showroom. Ads for tires and stain-prevention treatments for upholstery decorated the walls. Out on the sales floor, balloons and Christmas decorations drew the eye to the new cars, and Cash was tempted to take a look, but he resisted. Giving in to that temptation was the reason he owned three vehicles.

  Without the distraction of car-shopping, though, he was left with his thoughts about Holly. She’d pushed him away pretty decisively at the parenting class, and it was clear that she could settle into the community and take care of the baby herself.

  All she needed was his money. All she wanted was his money, a common refrain in his life.

  Trying to shake off his depressing thoughts, he poured himself a cup of bad coffee and picked up a Motor Trend magazine. Then he heard a familiar voice talking to the cashier. A minute later, Pudge LeFrost came in and settled heavily onto the waiting-room couch.

  They greeted each other, two customers who couldn’t be more different. Cash was getting his late-model expensive SUV inspected, and Pudge was trying to keep his ancient pickup running. Cash was dressed casually, for him, but his sweater was cashmere and his shoes Italian leather. Pudge wore overalls and work boots.

  Despite their differences, there were few men Cash liked and respected more than Pudge.

  “Any more doctor visits?” he asked, because Pudge didn’t look so good. Maybe it was just the fluorescent lights; he usually saw Pudge outside, training dogs or playing his ukulele or fishing.

  “Nothing to speak
of.” Pudge waved a meaty hand. “How you doing? How’s fatherhood treating you?”

  Cash shrugged. “Okay for a guy who doesn’t have a clue what he’s doing.”

  Pudge didn’t try to protest; he knew all about Cash’s background, his lack of a role model. He just nodded, and they sat for a few, listening to the talk show and the Christmas music playing over the speakers. Absently, Cash watched the salesmen schmoozing, showing off cars to the few customers there on a weekday morning.

  “You looking for joint custody of that baby?” Pudge asked finally.

  Cash shook his head, because he wasn’t. Not unless Holly proved to be an unfit mother, which seemed less and less likely to him. “I’m gonna see if I can get once-a-month visitation, as soon as we’re past this initial phase. Probably after Christmas.”

  “Once a month isn’t much for a baby,” Pudge said mildly. “They grow fast, change fast.”

  “Might be best for her.” Cash shrugged. Penny didn’t need him, not really.

  Pudge frowned and picked at a spot of dirt on his overalls. “Just don’t live in a way that gives you regrets.”

  There was something about how he said it. “Voice of experience?”

  Pudge rubbed at his chest and stared unseeingly into the car showroom. “Ever wonder why Ma and I didn’t get married?”

  They all had; he’d discussed it a time or two with Liam and Sean. “We figured it’s your preference not to, is all.”

  “Nope. I’d marry her in a minute.” Pudge shook his head back and forth, letting a sigh out through pursed lips. “Problem is, I’m already married.”

  “What?” Cash stared at the older man. He’d seen a lot, knew that fidelity in marriage wasn’t everyone’s approach, but he’d never have pegged Pudge for a cheater.

  “I know what you’re thinking.” Pudge sighed. “My wife wants nothing to do with me, hasn’t for years. I let her dictate that, and the result is I have no relationship with my kids, either.”

  “You have children?” Cash stared. He’d spent a lot of time at Pudge and Ma’s place, a lot of holidays, a lot of long, after-dinner conversations that bounced from topic to topic. But this was the first he’d heard of Pudge having kids.