Southern Sunshine

by Natasha Madison

  "That’s the plan." I look over at the weeds in the flower bed, and I want to tell her no. I’ve been trying to work on this fucking flower bed for the past five days. The first day, I walked into the barn with a pot and a spoon, holding my breath with Sofia behind me, and didn’t find one fucking tool. The next day, I attempted to go into the “tool shed,” and the door fell off in my hand, which made Sofia laugh like crazy. But also found no fucking tools. On the third day, I just gave up and decided that maybe it wasn’t meant to be. Except I had this guilt the whole time, and yesterday, I finally gave up and went to buy what I needed. Six hundred dollars later, I now have tools to fix the flower bed and a lawn mower.

  The sound of rocks crunching in the driveway makes me look up with a little bit of fear. It’s been five days since Reed’s visit, and I need to get out of here before more questions arise, and Reed puts two and two together. Casey came to see me the day after and said they were interested in buying the farm. I thought it would be the end of it, but he needed to make sure the house had no other liens. I thought it was going to be a one-day thing. I forgot that the South has their own time. Luckily for me, I still have vacation time from work, so I took an additional two weeks, but I need to get out of here. I’m testing fate by staying here. The white truck stops right behind my truck, and Sofia comes skipping over. “It’s the horse man,” she says, pointing at Billy as he gets out of the truck.

  "I’ve been called worse,” he says, laughing and waiting at the front of his truck while Charlotte gets out of the passenger side. I’m surprised to see them here since it’s Sunday, and they usually, or at least they did, have their Sunday barbecue. It was something the town looked forward to. Even I used to enjoy them when we went. "How are you doing?" He looks over at me and then Sofia.

  "Momma is making the flower bed pretty,” she says, coming over to him. “She said bad words."

  "Sofia." I call her name while Charlotte and Billy laugh. "It’s been a challenge." I look over at the flower bed and then back at them. “I may have sworn a couple of times," I tell them so they can know without knowing that I’m taking good care of her. "But …" I shrug.

  "What are you doing?" Charlotte asks while Sofia comes over and stands with them. Her hip is cocked to the side as she watches me.

  "I thought I would clean up the flower bed," I start to say, lifting the shears that I have in my hand.

  "Those look new," Billy says, and I nod. “Did you buy those?"

  "Yeah, I couldn’t find Pops’ tools,” I say sadly. “I looked everywhere."

  "The door fell on Mom’s head," Sofia interjects, and I glare at her. "She said a big bad word over and over again."

  "Well, that settles it, then," Charlotte says, looking at Sofia, and I take a step down, thinking she is going to take her away from me. That they found out the truth and will take her from me. “How would you like to come to a barbecue?" she asks Sofia, who jumps up and down.

  "And go on a horse." She gasps out as if you just told her that Santa Claus was coming, she looks over at me now.

  "Momma, horses,” she says, and my heart goes to my throat. "Can we go?"

  "We aren’t taking no for an answer," Charlotte says. “So if you aren’t there, I’m sending Billy back to get you," she tells me, and I know she isn’t playing.

  "I don’t know. It’s a family thing," I try to tell them. “We could maybe come tomorrow,” I say, without adding when no one else is there.

  "Nonsense,” she says. “You are family." Little did she know just how close to the truth she was, at least for one of us.

  "I can stay if you like," Billy says. “Take care of the flower bed while you get ready."

  "No," I almost shout out. “Absolutely not. After what you did already for Sofia and me by buying this house," I say, blinking away tears. “Please just let me."

  He nods his head at me and then looks at Charlotte. “We should go." Then he looks at Sofia. “See you soon, sunshine."

  "Sofia." She thinks he forgot her name.

  He laughs, squatting down in front of her. “But every time I see you, you are like a ray of sunshine." He taps her nose and then gets up. “Noon,” he says, turning and holding Charlotte's hand as he walks her to the truck.

  "I’m a sunshine," Sofia says, and I look back at her. This is it, I think to myself. I have two choices. I can pack up and leave or go to the barbecue and pray that Reed doesn’t put two and two together. "Let’s go, Momma," Sofia says, walking up the steps to the door. “We’ve got to take a bath.” The decision is already made.

  "We have to make something to bring to the barbecue,” I say while she is in the bath. “You never go to someone’s house without bringing food,” I say. "It’s a no-no."

  She gets out, and I worry about what to dress her in. My stomach is a mess. My heart is beating so irrationally I hope I’m not having a heart attack. She picks out her pink shorts with a white T-shirt and gray sweater. I slip on my blue jeans and a white and blue button-down linen shirt. We both decide to leave our hair down.

  I run downstairs while she plays on her iPad. Grabbing a straw basket, I put a checkered white and red dish towel on the bottom and fill it with the fresh loaves of bread I made today. I look over and see that it’s already past noon. We walk out of the house after a little bit of an argument over her green Rubber boots. In the end, I didn’t have the energy to fight with her.

  The whole drive there, I think of maybe warning her, telling her not to talk to anyone. I play the scenarios in my head over and over again. The best thing is he doesn’t figure it out; the worst is he gets it. I park on the street and get Sofia out. “We remember our manners,” I say, grabbing the straw basket, and she just nods her head. I stop walking when I see Amelia waddling right in front of me. She turns and sees me, and her whole face lights up. "Oh my goodness,” I say when we get close enough, and she gives me a big hug. Amelia was the one who gave me my first ever job and made sure I got all the shifts I needed during the summer to save up for school.

  "Hazel,” she says, smiling. “And who is this beautiful girl?" She looks over at Sofia.

  "This is my daughter, Sofia,” I say, and Sofia smiles at her.

  "I heard you were back in town, and I was hoping I would get to see you," Amelia says. “I’m sorry about Pops,” she says sadly, and I nod. We turn to walk to the house where Asher is waiting for her. Asher smiles over at her and says something to her, but I don’t know what else is said because the sound of my pounding heart is so loud in my ears.

  Walking in with them is a little bit better than walking in on my own. Charlotte sees me and claps her hands, making all the women she is sitting with look over. My heart stops when I see Reed’s mother, Olivia. She is and always will be the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. She gets up with Charlotte and Savannah, and they walk to me. "You came,” she says, and I smile at her.

  "I didn’t think I had a choice," I answer her honestly.

  "Momma made her special bread," Sofia says, putting her hand on the basket. “It’s hot."

  "Aren’t you the cutest thing ever," Olivia says, rubbing her hand on her head, and just that touch makes the lump in my throat even bigger than before and tears sting in my eyes. “I heard that someone is waiting for you, and he has a horse."

  "The horse man,” she says, making everyone laugh again, but all I can do is look at her surrounded by her family.

  "Do you mind if I take her to see Billy?" Charlotte asks, and I don’t have time to say anything because Sofia walks over to her and grabs her hand.

  "I guess that answers that," Olivia says, and she walks with Charlotte over to the barn.

  "She’ll be fine," Savannah says to me. “It can be overwhelming." I smile at her.

  "Where can I put the bread?" I ask, and she motions with her head to follow her. I take one look back over at Sofia and see that she is talking up a storm.

  We walk over to the table, and I place the bread on it and open the towel that was on top o
f it. “Oh my goodness, what kind of bread is this?" Savannah asks.

  "It’s cranberry orange and white chocolate,” I say, and she grabs a piece.

  Her eyes go so big I think they are going to come out of her head. “This is …" She takes another bite. “The best thing I’ve had in my life." She grabs another piece.

  "Are you a pastry chef?" she asks, and I laugh.

  "I’m a CPA,” I say. “Baking is my side stress reliever."

  "Well, if you ever give up numbers,” she says, grabbing another piece. “I suggest baking."

  I laugh now. “I used to do it in college,” I say, “after Sofia was born to make extra income." I shrug. “Now it’s just for fun."

  "Well, if you ever want to be really crazy, you can bake me a dozen of these before you go, and I’ll buy them from you."

  "That’s not even the best one,” I say. “My blueberry lemon scones." I point at her. “Now those."

  "When do you think you’ll be making those?" she asks, and I shrug.

  "Hopefully, everything is cleared up this week, and I can get back to real life,” I say. “But I’ll make you some tomorrow."

  She holds up her hand. “Pinky promise." I shake my head and pinky promise with her. Kallie, Reed’s aunt, comes over, and we catch up for a bit. By the time I look at my watch, two hours have already passed.

  "I’m going to go and check on Sofia," I tell them, and they smile at me. I turn, walking back into the yard. There are kids everywhere. I look over to the side and see Sofia being chased by a boy her age and laughing the whole time. They run over to the fenced area, and she follows him in getting up on the bottom part to look over.

  I’m making my way over to her when I see him walking from the other side of the property. He smiles and waves at a couple of people. "Maybe he won’t see her,” I say softly to myself. Even though I’m moving, I can’t seem to get to her fast enough. It’s almost as if my feet are stuck to the grass.

  He stops when the little boy next to her calls him over, and I know it’s only a matter of time before the box I closed all those years ago is opened.

  Chapter 13

  Reed

  I can hear the kids screaming as soon as I walk out of the woods and get closer and closer to my grandparents. I’m shocked so many people are still there. I thought for sure it would be dying down, but instead, it’s like more people have arrived. I see Gabriel on the side as he chases another kid. I spot Amelia sitting down in a chair, her stomach even bigger than it was last week. I see a couple of teenagers off to the side, and it brings me back to all those years ago with Christopher. I smirk. Back then, I thought I was the shit.

  I shake my head, stopping at the barn, and look around to see if I can find my grandfather. "Where were you?" Harlow says, walking out of the barn and looking at me. She has JB on her hip. “Go see Uncle Reed,” she says. He refuses to come to me by hiding his hand under him, making it hard to grab him, and Harlow laughs. “It’s okay. He’ll get to know you. He’s used to you being in a phone." She laughs at her joke. "Quinn got here an hour ago."

  "Did he?" I ask. “I actually went home and showered."

  "I think he smells like shit all the time,” she says, looking at JB and rubbing her nose to his. “See you later. I’m going to hand this boy off to someone else. I need some sleep,” she says, walking away from me.

  I stand here looking around, my gaze roaming everywhere, knowing exactly who I’m searching for. I look toward the house, and I see her standing there laughing with Amelia and Chelsea. Hazel, the whole reason I’m here two hours later than I should have been, stands looking toward the fence.

  "Uncle Reed." I hear my name being called and look over to see Tucker. "Uncle Reed." He holds the top of the fence with one hand while he waves with his other. He is standing on the bottom of the log, looking into the fenced area. Some of the horses are walking around. He looks over to a little girl beside him and tells her something. One look at her, and I know she’s Hazel’s girl. She looks at him as if he’s telling her his biggest secret. She wears green Rubber boots, and her brown hair has little curls at the bottom.

  I walk over to them, and they both get down from the log. “That’s my uncle Reed," Tucker says, pointing over at me.

  "Hey," I say, looking at them both but my eyes are on Sofia’s. “What are you two up to?" I look at Tucker, and then my eyes go back to look at Sofia. She pushes the hair away from her face, and I see that her eyes are exactly like Hazel’s.

  "Sofia wants to ride the horse again," Tucker says. “But she said she doesn’t have one."

  "Well," I say, squatting down in front of her. “I have a horse." Her mouth opens, and her eyes go big. “Want to come ride on my horse?"

  "Yes." She claps her hands together and jumps up and down. I swear it’s like looking into a mirror, and I’m seeing Hazel from when she was young.

  "Come with me,” I say. She slips her hand into mine, and I can swear something in me sparks to life. “You coming, Tucker?" I ask, and he shakes his head.

  "I’m going to eat,” he says, turning now and running to the table where there is food.

  We walk into the barn, and I go to my stall. “Is this your horse?" she looks up at me and asks.

  "Yeah, my granddad gave it to me,” I say. “Stay here,” I say, opening the gate. Turning, I see her standing there with her hands on her hips and her head cocked to one side. I laugh, thinking I’ve seen that look before. I grab the horse by the reins and walk him out, going over to get my saddle. "We have to get the saddle on him,” I say.

  "So you don’t hurt her?" she asks softly. “I don’t want to hurt her."

  I walk over to her and squat down. “It doesn’t hurt her, sweetheart. I’m going to put you on the horse and then get on behind you."

  I pick her up, and she opens her legs, sitting on the horse. "Hold on right here,” I say, and she nods her head, grabbing the rein in her little hand.

  I walk with the horse outside and see that Quinn is there with his daughter. “See them." I point at Quinn. “I’m going to get on like him."

  "Okay,” she says. I put my foot in the stirrup and sit on the horse behind her. She leans forward to whisper in the horse’s ear. “It’s okay." I put my arms around her, holding her in. She leans into my chest, and I smell the strawberry in her shampoo.

  I move the horse toward Quinn. “Want to go to the trail?" I ask, and he nods his head. I look over at Hazel and see her standing there looking at us.

  I motion with my head, and she just nods but doesn’t say anything. Her eyes are on both of us. "So what’s your name?" I ask as we follow Quinn as we go through the little trail that Ethan made when he had Gabriel.

  "Sofia,” she says proudly. “Sofia Bernadette."

  "That’s the perfect name,” I say. “I used to be friends with your mom."

  "You work at the office, too?" she asks, and I laugh, shaking my head.

  "No," I say to her. “When she was little,” I say.

  "Did you know Pops?" she asks, looking up at me.

  "Yeah, he was the best,” I say.

  "He had a tractor," she tells me. “It doesn’t work."

  "Did you ever ride on the tractor?" I ask, and she shakes her head.

  "No, because it’s broken," she tells me matter-of-factly. “And now Momma said it’s ready for the junkyard. I have a picture in my bedroom at my house."

  "Do you?" I ask, and she nods.

  "It’s in my room. Not the one here." Her voice has to be the sweetest voice I’ve ever heard. "Now I sleep in Mommy’s bed."

  "I used to throw rocks at her window,” I say, and she looks up at me. “Not big rocks. Ones just so she could come and talk to me.”

  “Why didn’t you use the phone?” she asks, and I laugh.

  "I don’t know." She looks ahead. “You want to go fast?" I ask. Her eyes light up, and she tries not to smile, making me laugh. She is very much her mother’s daughter, and I wonder if she knows her father, my chest ge
tting a little twinge. "Okay,” I say, putting an arm around her stomach and holding the reins in my free hand. I get the horse to trot just a touch faster, causing her hair to fly everywhere.

  But the sound of her laughter is everything, and she holds on as tight as she can. "Faster, Uncle Reed,” she says, and I laugh because she is copying Tucker. We finally get back to the barn, and she looks up. “That was so much fun,” she says, looking over at Tucker who stands in the barn with Mayson.

  "I’m going to get down first,” I say, and she nods while I get down. I look up, holding out my arm, and she reaches for me, and I put her down.

  "Thank you, Uncle Reed,” she says, and Tucker comes over.

  "It was my pleasure,” I say, and she looks at Tucker.

  "Did you see me?" she asks. “He went fast."

  "My dad can go fast also," Tucker says, and I shake my head. I look over as I take off the saddle from the horse.

  "Not as fast as Reed,” she says, and he turns, running back to Mayson to ask him if he is faster than me.

  I look over at Sofia, who stands there with her hip cocked. “Sofia,” I call her name, and she looks over at me. I can’t even try not to laugh at her. “Today was fun."

  She nods her head at me. “I’m going to see my mom." She starts to run, then stops and turns back. “Thank you, Reed,” she says, and when I smile at her, she smirks back at me. My whole body goes stiff, and everything in me screams. I’m about to take a step toward her when my grandfather comes to me.

  "Hey," he says, and I look over at him and then look back over to see Hazel taking Sofia in her arms. "Did you finish?"

  "Um, yeah," I say, my head spinning at this point. Did I just imagine it?

  "Did you do both?" he asks, and I turn back and look at him with a confused look on my face. "Did you do the flower bed in the front and the back?"

  "Yeah," I tell him. Before coming to the barbecue, my grandfather called and summoned me to his house. I thought I was coming to help set up for the barbecue. What I wasn’t prepared for was my father and Quinn waiting for me. I got in the truck without asking questions, but as soon as we pulled up to Hazel’s, I was informed we needed to fix the flower bed. "Nothing left in the front."