“I’ll see what I can do,” I promised, wishing I could cross my fingers behind my back like I did when I was a child to cancel out the lie.
“Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.”
James
Dad studied me a moment longer than was necessary. “How are you feeling? You’re looking better than the last time I saw you.”
“Thanks, Dad,” I told him. “I’m feeling better.” Aside from the surgery setback, and then the Sophie setback, and then the ‘seeing Sophie in the arms of another man’ setback, I was feeling better. I had a goal and a plan. Circumstances had changed the timing and details of the plan, but I was plowing through with it undeterred. Slightly undeterred. With my resolve firmly in place, I’d felt more comfortable in my own skin the past two days than I’d felt since before Nicole. We pounded each other’s backs in a man hug and I leaned in to plant a kiss on my mom’s soft cheek.
“Good to see you, my boy,” she said and patted my cheek. “Have you heard from your sister?”
“She texted right as I got here. They are running late, but they are on their way.”
“And how are you, Andy?” my mom asked, giving him a hug.
“I’m great, Aunt Caroline. Thanks for letting me invade your turkey celebration.”
“You know you are welcome any time,” she told him. Then, “Max has got the game on in the other room. Make yourself comfortable. As soon as Kaley’s family gets here, we’ll eat.”
“You don’t need to tell me twice,” he responded, making his way to the family room.
“Hey, Mom. Need any help?” I asked.
She turned from the oven with a start. “James. I thought you went in to watch the game.”
“Nah. Andy and Dad don’t need my commentary.”
“They won’t even hear it over all the yelling they do at the officials,” she agreed. “I don’t even know why they watch those games. Seems like a lot of high blood pressure and heart attack risk over a silly sport.”
I laughed. “It never has made much sense to you, has it?”
“No. And I don’t feel bad about that either. Some things in life aren’t worth the energy it takes to understand them.” She gave me a pointed look. “But some things are.”
“Yes. Some things are,” I said meaningfully and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
“James?” she started, but turned at the sound of the front door opening and little feet racing their direction. “My boys!” she exclaimed. “Come and give your grammy a hug.” Over their heads, she mouthed. “We aren’t finished.” I smiled in acknowledgement and took the pies from my sister’s hands. The boys scattered from the room to parts of the house unknown.
“What aren’t you finished with?” Kaley asked, lowering a dish of sweet potatoes onto the stove.
“Typical nosey Kaley,” I commented, setting the pies on the counter.
“How else can I make sure you don’t screw up your life?”
“I think things are looking up,” I told her. “Need help bringing anything else in?” She sidestepped my swat as I brushed past her on my way out of the room.
“Probably,” she said, rushing toward me, attempting to swat me back. “Mark is most likely holed up in front of the big screen, already comatose. The tryptophan from an entire Thanksgiving turkey can’t even do what a football game can.”
“Hurry up, you two. The other food will get cold,” my mom called after us.
“You talked to Sophie lately?” I asked Kaley as we stepped out of the house. I needed to know how much damage control was ahead of me. If Kaley could give me a clue, I’d appreciate the help.
She glanced my way. “Not for a few days. Have you?”
“Kind of.”
“Why do you say it like that?” she asked, reaching into the car and pulling out a pan of rolls, which she handed to me and ducked back in for the next pan.
“She came into the hospital.”
“She mentioned she may do that.” Her muffled voice reached me outside the car. “To see Ms. Gina and all.”
“A little heads up would have been nice,” I chided. “And she wasn’t there to see Ms. Gina.”
Kaley straightened, pan in hand, but didn’t move to go back into the house. “Who else would she be there to see?”
“How about Zeke?” I couldn’t help my accusatory tone. Kaley could have at least thrown a warning my way about Sophie and Zeke.
Her eyes widened. Whether from the name or the tone, I didn’t know. Maybe both.
“Zeke?” she asked with a laugh. “Why would she be there to see Zeke?” So she really didn’t know about them.
“I was hoping you could tell me,” I admitted. No accusations this time, only something close to defeat. If Kaley didn’t know, how was I to know how to move forward? With no one on the inside, I was clueless as to how to make this work.
“She’s never mentioned Zeke. At all.” She shrugged. “I mean...I guess it’s possible. She probably doesn’t tell me everything. But her and Zeke? I can’t see it.”
That’s how I felt too. Even if I wasn’t trying to nose my way back into the picture, she and Zeke weren’t right for each other. We moved toward the house, side by side, identical pans of aromatic rolls in our hands.
“Tell me why you think she and Zeke are together,” Kaley prodded.
I was almost finished with the watered down version of the hospital fiasco when she balanced her pan in one hand and reached to punch me in the shoulder with the other.
“Hey!” I cried. “She’s seeing Zeke and you’re hitting me? What’s the matter with you?” I asked, rubbing my arm.
“What’s the matter with you?” she practically yelled. “Why were you still seeing Sara? Why was she at the hospital for a date? How do you think Sophie feels seeing you together? And you’re worried about Zeke? You are such an idiot,” she muttered.
I closed my eyes and groaned. When she put it that way...From Kaley’s perspective, and Sophie’s, it looked really bad.
Landon and Eli ran over to us with wide, interested eyes. “Why are you mad at Uncle James, Momma?” Eli asked.
“Because your Uncle James is an idiot.”
“Hey,” I yelped. “Don’t tell them that.” Even if it was true.
“It’s better that they know now. Lowers expectations, thereby reducing disappointment in years to come,” she explained and hit me again.
“Ow,” I yelped again. “Knock it off.”
“Kids,” my mother bit out, walking into the room and pinning her steely gaze on us. “Not in front of the younger children.”
Kaley immediately looked repentant. “I’m sorry, Mom. Sorry, boys.”
“We don’t call names, Mom,” Landon reminded her.
I coughed and covered my grin with my free hand while Kaley hung her head. “I know. I’m sorry.”
“Now give each other a nice hug,” Eli instructed.
Kaley and I eyed each other. I couldn’t fight the grin any longer. “Ahh, come ’ere, Sis,” I said with my cheesiest smile, arms open wide, and a pan still in one hand.
“Don’t be so smug,” she muttered under her breath. “You’re not off the hook yet.”
“And smile,” Landon encouraged, making me smile even bigger.
The murderous look in Kaley’s eyes belied her smile through gritted teeth. She squeezed my middle but pinched me on the back when I flexed my bicep around her neck, momentarily cutting off her air supply.
“That’s enough,” my mother warned. “Boys, go get washed up to eat.” She gave us an ‘I’m so disappointed in you; especially because it’s Thanksgiving’ look as she turned toward the kitchen while the boys trampled through the house to the bathroom.
“I saw that.” She paused, her back to us. Kaley jumped and quickly pulled her tongue back into her mouth.
I laughed and pointed at Kaley. “You got in trouble,” I whispered.
She rolled her eyes at my juvenile behavior. As if hers had been any better. “How does she do that
?” she asked, kicking my butt all the way into the kitchen.
“Did you tell everyone about your visitor at the hospital yesterday?” Andy asked around a mouthful of pie. I swallowed my bite of warm dutch apple pie ala mode and glared at him. His grin told me he had been biding his time until the absolute perfect moment to bring this up. It’s probably the only reason he accepted the dinner invitation, considering his family was having a gathering also.
“Oh, really?” my mom smiled, picking up her napkin and wiping her mouth before raising her glass to her lips. “A visitor? Who was it?” She lowered her glass to the table and watched me expectantly. Everyone else had paused, forks in the air. I might as well get it over with.
With another glare at Andy, I ignored my sister’s worried look and said, “Sophie.”
Well, if that didn’t just sound the death knell over the holiday. Even my nephews were silent. And that’s difficult for them.
“Sophie?” my mother cleared her throat and asked as if she hadn’t heard me correctly.
“Yup,” Andy laughed, rubbing his hands together. “It gets better, though.”
“Oh, Andy, would you s-h-u-t-u-p!” Kaley barked. I looked at Kaley with a grin while a surprised Andy and my nephews tried to figure out what she had spelled. “You, of all people, should be trying to help him out with this. You have to live with him, after all. Do you like getting his left overs?”
Andy shrugged. “I’m not proud. I’ve recently added Sara to the menu.”
Kaley rolled her eyes and groaned in disgust.
“What kind of food is a Sara?” Landon asked, perplexed. “Mom’s never made anything called that for us for dinner before.”
“Be grateful,” my dad said, wiping pumpkin pie from his lower lip and smiling. “Though you may like it when you’re older.”
“Daaad,” Kaley complained.
“Oh, come on, Kaley girl. I’m only speaking the truth. What’s the harm in that?” He dug back into his pie.
Kaley looked to Mark for help, but he only shrugged and forked another huge bite of pie into his mouth. Another game was starting soon and he didn’t want to miss kick off.
Meanwhile, my nephews had put Kaley’s letters together and were whispering to each other that mommy had said a bad word. I’m sure they were wondering, as I was, where all the crazy had come from. Welcome to Thanksgiving Day with my family. Part of me wanted to laugh til Kaley shot milk out her nose while Andy choked on his pie and died.
“Alright, everyone,” my mother interrupted, her fork raised in the air for quiet. “James, would you like to tell us anything?” I knew she was dying to know why I hadn’t told her about Sophie let alone invited her to our dysfunctional holiday meal.
“She’s here to spend Thanksgiving with her brother and his family.” I shrugged and took another bite of pie.
“That’s all you’re going to say about it?” my mother asked. I could hear her disappointment and knew I wasn’t going to get off so easy. “What did you say to her? How is she? How long is she staying?” she wanted to know.
“We didn’t talk much,” I admitted. Andy snorted at the understatement and I shot him a look. “She’s only here for another day or two so there won’t be time to bring her by.” As if I would have anyway. For all I knew, she was spending Thanksgiving with Zeke. Ugh. That thought was like a punch to the gut.
“Well, that’s too bad,” my mother sighed. “I really liked her.”
“Leave him alone, Carol,” my dad said. “It’s their decision.”
I smiled my gratitude to my father. While his sudden support was unexpected, it was not unappreciated.
“Go ahead and relax, Mom. James is going to help me with the dishes,” Kaley informed us after the last crumb had been licked from our pie plates. She didn’t even have the courtesy to acknowledge the annoyed look I threw her way.
“The only reason I’m letting you get away with telling me what to do,” I told her after the others had left the room, “is because I need your help.”
“With what?” she asked, her eyes shining with excitement.
“First of all, I need you to help me think of a place to dump Andy’s body. He can’t get away with the stunt he pulled at dinner tonight. I know you want to off him as bad as I do.”
“Is that all?” Her excitement dimmed somewhat. “True as that may be, you’re on your own. I have a husband and two kids to think about.”
“How is that any more important than the work I do at the hospital?”
She ignored my question. “You said ‘first’. What’s the second thing you need help with?”
“I need you to call Sophie and ask what time her plane leaves tomorrow.”
“That’s more like it,” Kaley said, clapping her hands together.
“Why? Because it won’t get you in trouble with the law? Where’s the familial loyalty? Blood is thicker than water and all that?”
“There are limits to my devotion. Sorry.” She patted my cheek, not sounding sorry at all. “Why do you need said info from Sophie? And can I be involved?”
“Because and no.”
“Oh, come on, James. I’m helping. You have to tell me why,” she begged.
I grinned. “I’m making my move tomorrow, so I need to catch her before she leaves.”
Kaley squealed and took a spin around the kitchen. “You’re asking her to marry you?”
“Shhhh,” I hissed. “What? No. There’s no way we are at that point yet. There’s this little problem called Zeke. Remember him? Not to mention Sophie and I haven’t spoken to each other in two months.”
“Oh, yeah.” Her disappointment was thick and weighty. “Add to that the other problem named Sara.”
“Oh, yeah,” I sighed. “Forgot about that.” Both of us were silent, caught up in our individual thoughts. “See? Marriage is so far in the future I can’t even see it.”
“Bummer.”
“I’m just hoping the Sara thing isn’t as serious as you think.”
“She’s a woman, James. Trust me. It’s that serious.”
“That’s why I need you to call her about her flight. I’m not sure she’d take my call.”
We both leaned our elbows on the counter, chins in hand. Her discouragement threatened to drag me under. Then her face lit up.
“You said ‘yet’.”
“Yet?”
“Yes. You said you aren’t at that point yet. That means there is hope you will be some day. I can work with that.” She fished her phone out of her back pocket. “I’m on it. You’ll have your answer in twenty five minutes tops.” She shooed me out of the kitchen as she scrolled through her contacts looking for Sophie’s number.
“Twenty-five? Time is of the essence, Kaley bug. And what about the dishes?” I protested.
“After,” she whispered, making a shooing motion with her hand. “Now go.”
I paced the dining room with the hope that I could catch even a little of Kaley’s conversation with the beautiful Texan who had taken my heart with her back to San Antonio. Unfortunately, the whispered, one-sided murmurs coming from the kitchen weren’t very informative. Just when I thought I’d go crazy or pull all my hair out, Kaley finished the call.
“Well?” I asked.
“It’s not great, but it’s not hopeless either. Though I do have to say you’ve got your work cut out for yourself.”
I groaned and fell into the nearest dining room chair. “What did she say?”
“She was pretty close-lipped about the hospital. But I got the feeling that was only because she didn’t want to cry about it anymore.”
“Ahh, man.” I put a hand to my forehead and rubbed.
“Yeah. But I found out she and her parents are leaving for the airport a little after six tomorrow night.”
I stood from the chair. “Perfect. That means I can go straight from work and catch her before they leave. That should give me enough time.” My relief gushed out in a big exhale. “Thanks, Kaley.” I gave her a qui
ck hug. “I’m gonna head.”
“Already? Don’t you want to talk about what you are going to say to her?”
“No. I’m good. Thanks for your help.”
“You’ll let me know how it goes, right?”
“Uh, yeah. Sure.”
“You better. And I’ll be thinking where we can dump Andy’s body.
Chapter 10
Sophie
“There’s someone here to see you, Soph,” Trevor called up the stairs to me. I frowned and shoved the last pair of shoes in my suitcase and looked at my watch. Who could be here to see me? I wondered. Everyone I know is here already.
“Okay,” I called down. “Coming.” I zipped my suitcase, turned off the bedroom light, and made my way down the stairs to the living room. “Mom,” I said as I walked into the room, “what time do you want to leave for the air…”
I stopped short when I saw who was waiting for me there. It wasn’t my mother.
“James. What are you doing here?” I asked in a tone bordering on astonishment.
“It’s great to see you again too, Sophie,” James responded.
“I’m a little surprised, is all.” I frowned and crossed my arms over my chest, my posture rigid. “I thought we’d said all there was to say weeks ago.” And from the looks of things in the NICU, he’d moved on to his next fling and wasn’t really missing me. “Did you come here for something specific?” I asked when he remained silent. “Because I’ve got a few more things to do before we leave for the airport.”
“You’ve got the cold shoulder thing down,” he said in amusement.
Wrong way to start this conversation. I gritted my teeth and attempted a smile. I’m sure it looked feral. “I can’t even come up with a response to that outrageous statement except to say that you’ve got nerve. What do you want, James? I can’t possibly guess the reason you are here considering you rejected me so decidedly two months ago and have obviously set land speed records in moving on.” Suddenly I felt tired and defeated.
“I deserve that,” he said.
The Heart of the Matter Page 11
