“Dad!” Mike yelled.
“I don’t know if I like you either, Mr. Gardner.” Karen bored holes in Sawyer’s head with her stare.
“Maybe we should just go.” Mike set his beer down and stood.
“Oh, screw that!” Zach jumped up. “Dad, you’re out of line. You know Karen has a point or you wouldn’t be so pissed.” He placed a hand on Mike’s arm. “If you wanna stay with me, you can.”
“Over my dead body.” His mom stood by the kitchen door and glared at their father.
Rena and Tracey were standing by his mom with wide eyes and dropped jaws.
Janice pointed what looked like a potato peeler at Mike. “Michael Gardner, you sit back down. You and Karen aren’t going anywhere.” She swung the peeler at her husband. “Sawyer, a word, please!” She exited the room by route of the stairs and expected their dad to follow.
Zach couldn’t remember the last time his mother forced his father from the room to talk. Had to be when he and Mike were kids.
Sawyer grumbled and followed Janice up the stairs.
Everyone in the room turned to Karen.
“You have some serious balls, Karen,” Rena said.
Mike started to laugh. The sound became infectious, and eventually Joe followed and Zach found a smile on his face, too.
Karen shrugged. “What? He doesn’t intimidate me. I’m the daughter-in-law; someone’s bound to hate me.”
“You could make him shit bricks, maybe, but not hate you.”
“Mike’s right.” Zach patted his brother on the back. “Damn it’s good to have you back.”
Mike picked up his beer. “Well, if you don’t see me again for ten years, you’ll know why.”
“Don’t say that.” Rena waved her finger in Mike’s general direction. “He’s not the only person here who missed you. Dad just doesn’t know how to tell you.”
Zach noticed Mike and Karen exchange glances. Both of them seemed reserved, making him question what Mike had told her to expect.
“Does Dad still keep the whiskey locked up?” Mike asked.
Karen tossed her tired limbs on the double bed and dropped her arm over her eyes. “That was painful.”
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Sawyer Gardner had perfected the silent treatment and used it most of the night. He eyed her at every turn and challenged Michael as if they were bitter enemies on a field of battle.
“I now know why you left. Was he always so…mean?”
Michael shook his head. “Seems he reserves that side of ugly for me. And only since I moved away.”
Karen removed her arm from her eyes and watched him walk around the small room as he pulled his shirt from his pants and unbuttoned it. “I think Rena said it perfectly. He doesn’t know how to tell you what he’s feeling.”
“He told me exactly how he feels. He doesn’t respect my work, thinks us getting married the way we did is a joke, isn’t happy we didn’t visit sooner.” He sat on the edge of the bed and kicked off his shoes.
“You know what I think it is?”
“What?”
“I think he’s pissed you don’t live in Hilton and that you’re not working hard to please him.” Yet something told Karen that Michael was actually trying to please his father or at least earn his respect by being successful in his chosen field of work. What would it take for Sawyer to be proud of his son for what and who he was?
“I don’t miss him. I missed everyone else. Hannah’s practically a woman and I missed most of her growing up.”
Karen sat up and laid a hand on his back. “No one realistically expects their children to stay close to home their whole life. Don’t kick yourself.”
He stood, grabbed his suitcase, and placed it on the one chair in the room before opening it. “I’d just like it to get easier with him.”
“You told me it would take a couple of days for him to warm up.”
“I don’t remember him being this cold.”
The last thing Karen wanted was for Michael’s relationship with his family to grow worse because of their visit. “If he doesn’t thaw in a couple days, we’ll make our excuses and leave.”
He grabbed his toothbrush and pointed at her. “Deal.”
“What time is Zach coming by in the morning?” Zach wanted to show Michael the latest build he was working on in the neighboring town. In truth, Karen thought Zach wanted to get Michael out of the house early so he didn’t have to butt heads with their father again.
“Seven thirty.”
She rolled off her side of the bed and mimicked Michael in the search for her overnight bag and pajamas. “Wake me when you get in the shower. I think I’ll take advantage of the country air and run in the mornings. Might help ease the stress of the day.”
He glanced at the small bed they’d be sharing. “I don’t think you’ll have to worry about me waking you. That’s the same mattress I slept in when I lived here.”
Karen gave the bed a push with the palms of her hands. There wasn’t a firm spring left, guaranteeing they’d feel each and every movement the other made all night.
It was going to be a very long ten days if Sawyer did actually thaw.
Sleeping beside Michael was much like sleeping beside a girlfriend at a teenage slumber party. Karen held no shame in tugging the covers back over her when he rolled over with them clutched in his hands, or pushing on his shoulder to tell him his quiet snores were waking her up.
Karen gave up on sleep just after six thirty and slid from the room to dress in a casual pair of running shorts and slim-fitting top in the communal bathroom. After brushing her teeth and pulling her hair into a sloppy ponytail, she exited the bathroom and found Judy waiting outside the bathroom door.
“G’morning,” Karen said with a shy smile. When was the last time she’d had someone at home waiting to use the bathroom? She couldn’t remember.
Judy gave her a quick once-over. “Going for a jog?”
Karen nodded. “Thought I’d take advantage of the fresh air.”
Judy’s plump lips, which were a slight departure from the other members of the Gardner clan, crept into a smile. She had pale brown eyes, which stood in an exotic contrast to her dark hair. Karen was reminded again that the entire family was really beautiful.
“Mind if I join you?” she asked.
“You’re a runner?”
“Not sure if you can say what I’m doing is running. I’m just trying to keep my butt from taking on any more than it did my freshman year.”
“Aren’t you going into your senior year?” Karen would swear that Michael had told her that Judy had just turned twenty-two. Or maybe Zach had told her that.
“I am. But the freshmen fifteen have to be removed every summer.”
She remembered those days, where school, studying, and the ability to drink beer legally for the first time kept on those extra pounds.
“Meet you downstairs in five?” Karen asked.
“You’re on.”
After a five-minute stretch, they both took off in a slow jog, one where they could carry on a conversation without too much effort. The morning was still cool, but Karen could tell the day was going to be one where the heat snuck up on you in no time.
“Do you jog a lot at home?” Judy asked.
“I try. The road to Michael’s home isn’t the safest one for foot travel. I have a friend in Malibu and we get together a couple times a week. Sometimes I get the kids from the club to run with me after school. What about you?”
Judy had placed a trendy hat on her head and had her hair sticking out the back of it. She glanced under the brim and gave Karen a strange look, making her realize that she once again referred to Michael’s house as his house and not theirs. Luckily, Judy didn’t say anything about it.
“Last year, in the dorms, we had a runner’s club. Seems like it only really stuck for a few weeks then everyone found an excuse to sleep late.”
“Well, if it makes you feel any better, it doesn’t look lik
e you need to lose fifteen pounds.” It didn’t. She seemed to have a little fullness around her face, weight that might be considered baby weight, but Karen couldn’t know for sure if it was new or not since she’d just met Michael’s middle sister.
“I’ve always had a few more pounds than I’d like. Wish I’d gotten more of Hannah’s height.”
Hannah took after their father. She was at least five nine and might even gain another inch or two. Karen could understand Judy’s admiration for her baby sister. Hannah could easily walk the runway and model just about anything. Her long legs and slender frame would fit right in with Michael’s world.
“There are advantages to being shorter than your sister,” Karen told her.
“Oh, yeah…what?”
They rounded the corner of the neighborhood and met with houses on one side of the street and grazing fields on the other. A scattering of cows was off in the distance, but not enough to fill the air with the scent of manure, which was a blessing for the homeowners.
“Your dates are almost always taller than you. You can wear heels and not look like you’re from a world of Amazonian women, and you can buy jeans off the rack and never worry they’ll be long enough.”
Judy spat out a breath of air. “You’ve given this some thought.”
Karen waved a hand between the two of them. “I’m not much taller than you, sister. And I’ve had a few more years to get used to the advantages of my height.”
“How old are you?”
“Twenty-seven.” Her muscles were finally starting to warm up. “Wanna pick up the pace or are you good?”
“I can kick it a little more.”
They did.
“What are you studying?”
“I started as a business major.” Something wistful in Judy’s tone had Karen turning to look at her.
“What’s your major now?”
“Business.” Now Judy sounded depressed and Karen was confused.
“But it’s not what you want.”
Judy passed her a quick look and even quicker smile. “No, no…I can work with a business major.”
Karen could tell this wasn’t something Judy was going to come right out and talk about, not without a little nudge.
“What are your electives?”
“My electives?” Judy appeared lost in thought.
“Yeah, you know…the classes that have nothing to do with business but you have to obtain in order to leave college well rounded?”
“Oh, those. Design,” she said without hesitation.
“Home design, fashion…graphic?”
“Architectural design, actually.”
Karen hadn’t seen that coming, but the gates were open now, and Judy was excited to talk about her passion.
“I’m fascinated with the crafting of buildings. How the designers make decisions about design based on the materials used. Homes that are built into the landscape, others that are there to contrast it. Have you been to the Disney concert hall?”
They’d picked up their pace even more as Judy talked. “No.”
“Seriously? You live right there.” She sighed. “It’s amazing.”
“Have you been?”
She shook her head. “No. When we were in LA for Michael’s premiere, I hadn’t been exposed to architecture. I thought my dad built houses, then Zach…I never thought there was much more to building a home or business other than two-by-fours and concrete.” She took a few deep breaths and continued. “Growing up in Hilton where the tallest building is the movie theater, and the only thing close to architectural design concepts is when the football team religiously toilet papers the current quarterback’s home the night before the first game, doesn’t leave much for the imagination.”
Karen giggled. “I didn’t think TPing anyone’s home could be considered design.”
“The sheer enormity of the effort is worthy of a spot in a magazine,” Judy teased.
They pushed past the houses and beyond Main Street.
“Why aren’t you studying architecture?”
Judy glanced at Karen like she was crazy. “What will I do with that degree in Hilton?”
“Who says you have to stay in Hilton?” Yet even as the words left Karen’s lips, she knew the answer. Sawyer.
“W-well…I just…”
She’d obviously frazzled the girl with her questions. “College is supposed to open your mind to the possibilities of life. Not shut you into a pigeonhole of what someone else wants it to be for you.” Sawyer was just going to love Karen for this advice. But she’d be remiss if she didn’t offer it. “It’s your life, Judy. You get one shot at it. Don’t let anyone tell you how to live it.”
They ran in silence for a while, which was just as well since they started up a slight incline and Karen was breathing a lot faster than when they started out.
After a few more blocks she asked, “So, do we have a destination or are we going to run back to California?”
Judy laughed. “No. I run to Beacon’s barn and then turn around. It’s about four miles round trip.”
Karen usually managed three, but four wasn’t undoable. “I don’t think one car has passed us.”
“Traffic here is when two cars pass at the light.”
“It’s quiet. I’m not sure I could live here.”
“My mom swears it’s the best place to raise kids.”
Karen slid her a glance. “Was it a great place to grow up?”
“Yeah. I can’t complain. It’s nice to come home and visit.”
Karen heard an unspoken but. “But?”
“I’m not ready to settle down and raise kids.”
“Of course not. You’re not even out of college yet.”
“But my dad expects me to come home and help with his business when I’m done.”
The more Karen heard about Sawyer Gardner, the more she disliked the man. Talk about mapping out your children’s futures without letting them have any say.
“Let me guess…the thought terrifies you.”
She huffed out a strangled laugh. “More like strangles me.”
“You should talk to your brother. Life is much more fulfilling when you’re living it for yourself than for someone else.”
Judy stared at her now; her tight lips were in a thin line. “You’re deep.”
“Naw…I’m as shallow as they come,” she teased.
Judy slowed her pace and turned around. Karen glanced at the empty fields and followed. “I thought we were going to Beacon’s barn?”
She waved a hand in the air. “Oh, Beacon’s barn burned down over ten years ago.”
“So why do you still call it Beacon’s barn if it doesn’t exist anymore?”
“It’s a small town, Karen. Every street, every burned-down barn, every inch of this town is married to some memory from the past that no one ever forgets. The bench outside the sheriff’s station is the bench where Millie Daniels told her daddy that she was pregnant right before she jumped on a bus and never came back. Everyone calls it Millie’s bench.”
“Poor Millie Daniels. How long ago was that?”
“Six years ago.” Judy ran for a while without talking. They both ran a little slower and talking became less difficult. “There’s a lamppost where Steven Ratchet was caught puking his guts out after an all-night binge.”
“That’s an unusual occurrence? Seems small towns are magnets for underage drinking just like anywhere else.”
“Steven was from a long line of Mormon families. Drinking alcohol is right up there with having premarital sex in the eyes of the church. Poor Steven didn’t have a chance to hide his indiscretion in this town.”
“Puking in public is hard to hide.”
“Especially when half the town is Mormon and the other half is quick to point out who the ‘good Mormons’ are and who the ‘bad ones’ are.”
Karen wiped her forehead with her arm. It was starting to warm up as they crossed over Main Street a second time. “What do you mean good
versus bad?”
Judy grinned. “How can you tell a good Mormon from a bad Mormon?”
“This sounds like a joke.”
“You ask them if they drink their caffeine hot or cold. They don’t drink caffeine, or at least, they’re taught not to. Bad Mormons drink coffee, and the good ones drink soda. Most of the kids I grew up with didn’t give a crap and drank what they want. Steven bucked his family most of his life. Left town the day he hit eighteen.”
Karen frowned. “Where did he go?”
“I think he went to Vegas.”
Karen couldn’t help but cringe. An eighteen-year-old in Vegas was wrong on many levels.
“Oh, don’t worry…he came home. Just took him a few years. He has a wife and three kids now.”
That made Karen feel better.
“That’s what’s kind of crazy about this town. Seems a lot of kids run off only to come back when they have a family of their own.”
Karen thought of Michael and how that would never be him.
They turned onto the Gardners’ street just as Zach was pulling out of the driveway with Michael in the passenger seat.
Karen ignored the sweat that was running down the soft T-shirt and the way some of her hair had fallen out of its binding when the two pulled up alongside them and rolled down the window. “Enjoy your run?” Michael asked. He was dressed more casually than Karen could remember. He wore an old T-shirt she’d never seen before, and when she glanced inside the car, she noticed faded jeans. She leaned against the car and peeked inside. Zach gave a wave and then quickly diverted his eyes to his sister.
“Hardly know what to do with the fresh air.”
He laughed. “Call if you need anything.”
Judy looped her arm in Karen’s as if they were old friends. After the run, she had to admit she knew Michael and Zach’s sister a whole lot better. “We’ll take care of her, Mikey. We’re taking her to Petra’s today, then showing her off in town.”
“You are?” Karen sent a puzzled look to Judy.
“Yeah, we have to get you ready for the parade.”
The smile on Karen’s face slipped. “The parade?”
Judy shifted her face to Michael. “You didn’t tell her?”
Michael squirmed in his seat. “You and Mom can give her the details. We’re late…right Zach?”
The Weekday Brides 04 - Single by Saturday Page 8
