Chasing Hope

by Dana Wayne

Sky noted her daughter’s crestfallen look. “You can help me get things ready and take stuff over to Max’s.”

  “Okaaaay.”

  Her drawn-out reply made Sky smother a grin. On the heels of that thought came another. Maddie was so taken with Max, what would happened if their relationship fell through?

  Max put away the tools and wiped his hands with a shop rag. The list of chores Gail had wasn’t long but required time to finish. She had invited him to have dinner with her family and appeared delighted when he told her Sky was cooking at his house.

  The thought of a real Thanksgiving dinner, prepared by someone other than military cooks and shared by close friends instead of a battalion of strangers, made him anxious. Eyes closed, he took a deep breath and counted to ten. Please don’t let anything happen today to ruin this. Another deep breath brought with it the smell of wood smoke from someone’s chimney and the faint aroma of a spice he couldn’t name. And just like that, the encroaching anxiety disappeared, replaced by the desire to see Sky and listen to Maddie prattle on about whatever she wanted to prattle on about.

  He tried not to read too much into the whole affair; it was just a meal after all. But, at the same time, he wanted it to be the kind of holiday meal he had only dreamed about. He took in the grey and gloomy clouds overhead. God…I know we haven’t talked much…okay, never, but since I’ve never asked for anything, maybe you could see fit to give me today.

  He glanced at his watch. Eleven-thirty. He had time to freshen up.

  A gust of frigid air had him looking upward as the first pellets of sleet hit the ground. Jaw clamped tight, he frowned.

  Guess I got my answer.

  Sky stood in the middle of Max’s kitchen and mentally checked off the items yet to be completed. More than anything, she wanted this dinner to be perfect. Not just for Max, who she suspected needed it the most, but for all of them. Each one had a history of holidays and special occasions that went by with hardly a flicker. But not today.

  Today they would celebrate.

  Max opened the door, and a gust of cold air entered with him. “Sleet started.”

  His deep baritone held a note of sadness she hadn’t heard before. Had something happened? He didn’t look upset, only sad.

  Maddie skipped in from the living room. “Hi Max, wanna watch the parade with me?”

  He ruffled her hair as he walked by without looking at Sky. “Later. Need to clean up.”

  Maddie watched him walk out and turned to Sky. “Is Max all right?”

  “I’m sure he’s fine. How about we start setting the table?”

  Before they got the tablecloth down, a heavy knock said their other guest had arrived.

  Sky opened the back door and stood back as Big John walked in, a gift bag in one hand and a coloring book and box of crayons in the other.

  He handed the bag to Sky. “I thought a nice Merlot might go well with dinner.”

  “How sweet. Thank you, John.” She placed the bag on the counter. “Let me take your coat.”

  He handed Maddie the coloring book and crayons. “A little something for you, too, Miss Maddie.”

  “Thank you, Mr. John, I love to color.”

  He pulled off his gloves and stuffed them in the pockets of his heavy coat. “I really appreciate the invite, Miss Sky.”

  “My pleasure. Please, just Sky. And make yourself at home while I finish things up.”

  “Is there anything I can do?”

  “No, I’m good, thank you. Rolls need maybe another fifteen minutes to rise and twenty to cook, and we’re ready.”

  “Mr. John,” interjected Maddie, “Wanna watch the parade with me and Max when he’s done cleaning up?”

  He looked at Sky again. “Sure there’s nothing I can do to help?”

  “I’m sure. Y’all go watch the parade for about twenty minutes, then you can help me set the table.”

  “Hey, Max,” said John, “hope you don’t mind a freeloader today.”

  Max’s smile was genuine as he shook John’s hand, slightly alleviating Sky’s fear that something was wrong.

  “You know you’re welcome here anytime.”

  Maddie grabbed each man’s hand and pulled them toward the living room. “Mama said we can watch the parade till it’s time to set the table.”

  Sky’s heart did a little flip as she watched Maddie pull them from the kitchen, though neither man resisted.

  She had just put the rolls in the oven when John and Max reappeared with Maddie in tow.

  “We’re ready to set the table, Mama.”

  She pointed to the items stacked on the far counter. “Everything is there.”

  “I’ll show y’all how to do it,” said Maddie. “It’s not hard at all.”

  An unexpected ache jolted Sky’s heart as she watched them set the table. Maddie pointed out what had to go where and made sure each man carried out his assigned task. For so long, it was just the two of them. There were so many things to handle, like bills and Maddie’s health, so there was no time for anything else.

  Maybe I should have remarried or dated or something.

  It never occurred to Sky until today what a void her decisions had left for Maddie. She had no male influences in her life. No grandfather to dote on her, no father to fix her bike or shower her with fatherly praise.

  Sky barely remembered her own grandfather, who died when she was twelve, and never knew her mother’s parents. After her father died when she was ten, her grandfather filled that male role for only a couple of years before he, too, passed away. Then, it was just Sky and her mother.

  “No, Max,” Maddie admonished, “the knife goes on the outside.”

  He smiled and placed the utensil in its proper place. “How’s that, Tink?”

  “Good.”

  Sky turned away before anyone saw the tears that threatened to fall. She refused to let anything spoil today.

  “Table’s done.”

  Immersed in thought, Max’s voice coming from behind her left shoulder made her jump. The sudden movement caused her balance to shift, sending her stumbling backwards. “Oh!”

  “Sorry,” said Max as his hands circled her waist. “Didn’t mean to scare you.”

  “Mama scares real easy, Max,” laughed Maddie. “I sneak up on her all the time.”

  Sky turned and met his amused gaze. “It is never a good idea to scare the cook.”

  His hands remained on her waist a beat longer, then dropped away. “Sorry,” he repeated, though the smile in his eyes said he wasn’t.

  “What else can we do, Miss Sky?”

  Big John’s question sent her scrambling away from Max. “I think we’re about ready.”

  The table was too small to hold all the food, so Sky had borrowed a table from Gail to serve as a buffet. The next few minutes were spent arranging bowls and plates on it.

  “You will notice that there is not a single bite missing from that peach cobbler,” said Max.

  Sky laughed. “You showed amazing restraint, Mr. Logan.” She removed the rolls from the oven and brushed the tops with melted butter.

  “But I can’t resist this,” he whispered and grabbed one, eating half of it in one bite. “John, you gotta try these.” He plucked another out of the pan and tossed it to his friend.

  Both men were silent as they practically inhaled the yeasty concoction.

  “If the rest of the meal is as good as this roll,” muttered John, “I’ll be a happy camper.”

  Finally, everything was ready, and it was time to sit down at the table. Max pulled out her chair, and she sat, mumbling a shy, “Thank you.”

  John reached around and pulled out a chair for Maddie. “Miss Maddie.”

  “Thank you.”

  Once all were seated, Maddie looked at Max, then John. “Who wants to say grace?”

  Caught off guard, Sky was momentarily speechless.

  “I think it needs to be Mr. John since he is the oldest,” said Maddie.

  Without missing a bea
t, John beamed, “I’d be honored.

  “We have to hold hands,” instructed Maddie, “and bow our heads.”

  As the four of them held hands around the small table, John gave a short yet heartfelt blessing about friendship, love, and family that brought the sting of tears back.

  Max’s grip on her hand tightened, and she returned the pressure.

  With the final ‘amen,’ she looked around the table, and her heart swelled with happiness. The moment was so poignant, so special, it would remain embedded in her memory for a long time.

  The sense of foreboding that had followed Max inside the house earlier was gone, replaced by something he never thought he would experience. A holiday meal that felt like home.

  Until Sky and Maddie came along, John was the closest thing to family he had. They spent many an hour talking about things in general and nothing in particular. Perhaps because of their similar military service, or the fact they shared some bad experiences, explained why Max felt a closeness with him he hadn’t felt for anyone else.

  Until Sky and her daughter wormed their way into his heart.

  He didn’t understand how it happened. Didn’t try to. He would simply cherish it, every moment of it, for as long as it lasted.

  Because he knew that somehow, someway, it would stop. Happy endings weren’t meant for guys like him.

  But until that time came, he would cherish every normal, sappy, and joy-filled minute of it. Even if it meant being instructed on the proper way to set a table by a precocious seven-year-old. He bit his lip more than once when John would do something contrary to her instructions, only to act appropriately contrite when corrected. Max loved every minute of it.

  When Sky placed the perfectly roasted turkey in front of him with a flourish and handed him what he later learned were carving tools, he suffered a moment of panic. He had no idea what to do.

  “There is no right or wrong way to carve a turkey,” she said. “Just pick a spot and start.”

  “I like the white meat,” said Maddie. “You just slice it off right there.”

  Following her finger, he carefully sliced off a piece of meat and placed it on her plate.

  “Thank you, Max.”

  “You’re welcome, Tink.”

  The next few minutes were lost as plates were passed and food distributed.

  Max appreciated all the extras Sky had added. Flowers for the table and a decorative cloth with matching napkins. There weren’t any fancy glasses for the wine, but no one cared. Carefree conversation flowed through the room, along with the heady fragrance of spices, cooked meat, and other smells he didn’t try to categorize. For the first time in his life, Max enjoyed an honest-to-goodness Thanksgiving dinner with, if not family, good friends who were just as important.

  “I have to tell you, Miss Sky,” said John as he patted his rotund belly with one hand, “I have not had a meal this good in I can’t remember when.”

  “Thank you, John. I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

  “Enjoyed it? Darlin’, if I died this day, I’d already know what Heaven would be like.”

  Max liked the way she ducked her head at the extravagant compliment and the bright shade of pink that crept up her neck.

  “He’s right,” added Max. “You really outdid yourself on the meal.”

  Her smile made him feel like a superhero.

  “I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Both of you.”

  “I told you Mama was a good cook.”

  “Good is an understatement,” said Max. “I’m not sure I know of a word to adequately describe it.”

  Sky fanned her face with both hands. “Stop! You’re making me blush.”

  “I think I’m going to have to save dessert for later,” said John. “I don’t think I could eat another bite.”

  “Same here,” said Max. “Much as I want that cobbler, I’m too full to enjoy it right now.”

  “I have coffee ready to go,” said Sky. “We’ll have dessert at halftime.”

  John got up and began gathering up dishes.

  “No, I got this,” said Sky, “It’s almost kick-off time.”

  “You cooked. We’ll clean up.” He looked at the ravaged table, the mass of leftovers. “Just tell me what to do with stuff.”

  “How about this?” offered Sky. “We all clean up. That way you can tell me what you want to take home with you for later.”

  John’s booming laugh made his stomach shake. “I like that idea.”

  “You look like Santa Claus,” said Maddie. “You just need a solid white beard instead of a black and white one.”

  Everyone snickered as John did a pretty good imitation of the fat man’s signature ho-ho-ho.

  In record time, leftovers were stored, John had his to-go box, and the kitchen was once again set to rights.

  “I reckon I best be getting on home,” said John. “The sleet has let up for now, and I don’t want to get caught out if it starts up again.”

  “What about dessert?” asked Sky, “and the game?”

  “I’d appreciate some of that cobbler for later if you don’t mind.”

  Max helped Sky fix the dessert and add it to John’s haul as the loveable giant put on his coat, then with only a brief hesitation, his normally reticent friend bent down and grabbed Sky in a gentle hug.

  “You don’t know how much today meant to me,” he whispered. “Thank you for including me.”

  “Can I have a hug to, Santa? I mean, Mr. John?”

  Maddie’s gleeful question brought a smile to the big man’s face. “Absolutely.”

  The goodbye process took longer than Max expected. To his way of thinking, you say goodbye, and you leave. Evidently, that wasn’t the case here. He counted no less than six goodbyes before John actually walked out the door.

  A huge yawn from Maddie got Max’s attention. “Sleepy, Tink?”

  “Yes, sir. But I don’t wanna go home yet. Do I have to, Mama? Can’t we stay and watch the game with Max?”

  “You want to stay and watch a football game?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  The look on Sky’s face said she didn’t believe her daughter’s assertion.

  “How about I make a pallet on the floor for you,” offered Max. “You can watch the game till you get sleepy, then take a nap.”

  Immediately, Maddie’s face lit up with a huge smile. “Thanks.” She grabbed his hand and headed toward the living room.

  Sky’s laugh followed him to the door. “I’ll bring us some coffee.”

  A short time later, Max sat with Sky curled up beside him, the game all but forgotten as Maddie lay curled up on her pallet, fast asleep. “Today was wonderful,” he said. “And having John here, well, that made it even more special.”

  “He’s a good man. I like him.”

  “He likes you, too. And Maddie. Not many folks are on that list.”

  “I know.”

  No time like the present. He placed his cup on the coffee table, paused, then placed his arm on the back of the couch, bringing Sky closer.

  His heart rate spiked when she put her cup next to his and snuggled against him.

  “This is nice,” she murmured.

  “It is.”

  She looked away, then back to him, those mesmerizing eyes full of something he couldn’t name.

  “How is it that I feel as if I’ve known you forever when it’s only been a short while?”

  Surprised to hear her speak his own thoughts, he nodded. “I know. I feel the same way.”

  Her smile was timid as she nestled against him, and a comfortable silence ensued.

  Afraid to allow the hope blooming inside to grow unchecked, Max mentally ticked off all the reasons a relationship with Sky was a bad idea. But each and every item on his very long list withered like grass in the desert when she looked at him.

  “I probably should go before it starts sleeting again.”

  “You’ll have to wake Maddie.”

  “I wouldn’t want to do that.”
/>   “Me neither.”

  “…Max.”

  His name, whispered so softly as to be almost inaudible, was an entreaty he couldn’t refuse. He glanced down at Maddie, then leaned over and brushed his lips against hers, once, twice.

  She sighed and leaned into the kiss, opening her mouth to his exploration.

  It wasn’t a sexual kiss so much as a deep, soul-melding one that went on forever.

  When at last she pulled away and rested her head in the bend of his shoulder, Max knew real happiness and contentment. A lifetime of emotions held in check came rushing out, making his breath catch and his heart flutter. He looked at the sleeping child and the woman in his arms and closed his eyes.

  Thank you. For today. For this.

  Max wasn’t brave enough or naïve enough to believe it would last. But he found something he wasn’t accustomed to.

  Hope.

  Max glanced around the empty store and quickly decided to place a call to Dr. Bellamy. He wasn’t surprised when the man answered on the first ring. “I just wanted to let you know things went great yesterday.”

  Max couldn’t keep from grinning as he talked. There was so little in his past to smile about, but perhaps there would be in the future.

  “Since I didn’t hear from you, I hoped that was a good sign.”

  “I didn’t want to bother you on the holiday since it was all good.”

  “I’m happy for you, Max.”

  “Thanks. I appreciate all that you’ve done for me, Doc. If not for you…” Choked with emotion, he couldn’t finish the statement.

  “You’re a strong man, Max. Stronger than you think. You would have found a way to work it out on your own, if necessary.”

  Thoughts of the hell John went through alone made Max cringe inside, and he silently vowed to always be there for his friend. “Maybe. I’m just glad I didn’t have to.”

  “So, do you want to come in next week and catch up?”

  Max almost refused. Things were going well right now, and confidence in his ability to handle events grew. But another session couldn’t hurt. “Sure. I’m off on Wednesday.”

  They set the appointment, and Max ended the call as a customer walked in. He didn’t bother to hide his dislike as Cade Jackson strolled toward him.