October Twilight (A Year in Paradise Book 10)

by Hildred Billings

  “More vegetables for you.” Sally deposited a bowl of freshly cut vegetables next to the grill, which smoked with flavorful promises – as long as Candace didn’t get ahead of herself with throwing every seasoning she found onto the meat. Last time she did that, my stomach was upset for a week. “How’s the meat coming along?”

  “Hot dogs are about ready. Burgers are right behind them. How about the fries?”

  “If by fries you mean tater tots, yes, they’re in the oven.”

  “Tater tots, huh?”

  “You heard the kids in the store. As soon as I pulled the bag of frozen fries out of the freezer, they were yelling about tater tots.”

  “I mean, to be fair, tater tots are pretty great.”

  Sally contained the eyeroll threatening to pop her eyeballs out of their sockets. “I’m starving. Looking forward to this mess.”

  “Speaking of mess, has Tucker calmed down after that phone call earlier?”

  There was another thing Sally didn’t want to think about. Her oldest was now embroiled in the arson investigation, thanks to his confession to his mother about what he had seen online. While he wasn’t in trouble, he was young and sensitive enough that a brief interrogation over the phone, was enough to send him up to his room for a few hours. So happened that the last phone call came while he was playing Frisbee with the twins. Candace had intercepted the call, demanding why the Portland detectives were calling on a federal holiday. She was brusquely informed that not everyone is allowed to take holidays off. Like that meant anything!

  Since then, Tucker sequestered himself in his room and asked to be left alone. With the early dinner nearing its completion, Sally was inclined to go upstairs and ask him to come down and help her set the table. It may be nice looking outside, but like hell we’re eating out there! Too cold! Instead, she opened all the blinds and curtains in the living room, inviting what was left of the afternoon sunlight into her house.

  “Haven’t seen him.” Sally nudged her wife. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of it.”

  “I feel bad for the kid, you know.” Candace shook her head. She made room for the raw vegetables on the grill and threw some asparagus – that only she and Sally would eat – in with the meat. “He did the right thing, and now he must feel like he’s being punished for it.”

  Sally rubbed the small of her wife’s back. “He did the right thing because he’s got such a strong role model in you. He knows how to tell the truth and when to speak up. He idolizes you.”

  Candace blushed. She’d probably pass it off as the smoke touching her cheeks. “People always say he likes to walk like me. Though, I kinda hope he doesn’t want to be a cop one day.”

  “He’ll definitely be helping people, regardless of what he does. By the way, is it true that the investigation has been handed over to Multnomah County?”

  “Right now it’s a joint investigation, since most of their targets started around here. That’s all I can really say about it.” Candace snorted. “Yeah, right. Give it another month. By Christmas, the Portland and Gresham folks will be breathing down our necks to hand over everything we have.”

  Sally assured her that wouldn’t happen, although she knew better. Many of the crimes committed by the minors (and few adults) happened around Paradise Valley, yes. but there were also arsons in the Willamette and Rogue River Valleys that were attributed to the online group promoting arson in the Pacific Northwest. The FBI would get involved sooner rather than later. Maybe then I’ll have Candy back… Sally knew that was a selfish thought. Candace had one of the most important jobs in the community. Because of her, those kids had been caught before they lit the city hall on fire! Because of her actions, she was having her own commendation dinner at the American Legion Hall shortly after Thanksgiving. Mayor Rath had personally come down the street to tell Candace the news. “It’s the least we can do,” Karen had said.

  Honestly, Sally could think of a few other things the local government could have done besides a commendation, but she wouldn’t say anything. She would be happy enough to put this all behind them and go back to being a family.

  She talked Tucker into coming downstairs and setting the table. The baby was already in her highchair, and the twins finished their latest round of whatever video game they played. Sally had placed the plates down on the table when Candace entered with a stack of cooked meats and vegetables.

  Chaos ruled over dinner, but Sally didn’t mind. Her children were loud, their utensils clanging against plates and minor ice water spills blotching the white tablecloth. Candace’s already booming voice had to reach new heights to be heard over her own children. A hot dog bun flew across the table and landed on the windowsill, much to the delight of Daisy, who clapped her hands and exclaimed something that sounded like, “Again! Again!” Gage, who had snuck the TV remote to the table, turned it on with full volume, scaring the food out of Sally’s mouth. Yet before she had the chance to take the remote away from him, Candace gave him one stern look and held out her hand in parental anticipation.

  Sally lost count of the number of tater tots that ended up on the dining room floor. She didn’t know how many times Candace asked their children to settle down and eat their dinners. Nor did Sally know how long it took them to make it through their courses and start thinking about bath time.

  She got up to change Daisy’s diaper. Candace held up her hand and said she would do it. While she didn’t offer to also do the dishes, having Candace take over children duty allowed Sally enough time to gather up the dirty plates and wash them in peace. Without having to worry about who went into the tub first and who needed a diaper change, she didn’t have to also rush through her other chores. Why, she could stand in front of the sink and enjoy the sunset!

  Imagine that!

  “Baby’s changed and in her crib,” Candace announced forty-five minutes later. “Tucker’s reading a book on the couch, and the twins are in the bath. Don’t worry about them. I’ll check in later to make sure they haven’t given the floor a bath as well. How are the dishes? You finish them? Oh, I better go put the grill away. Hey, when I get back, let’s have some popcorn for dessert and watch some TV. Have we cracked open that DVD of ‘Toy Story 4’ yet?”

  Sally could hardly believe her ears. She only had to do one chore? Candace was offering to do more?

  I knew she always wanted to be more active around the house, but… Sally couldn’t remember the last time she got a bit of a break. It had to have been… June? Maybe June. Back before the fires started and Candace sold her soul to the investigation that frustrated her more than anything else.

  This is what I’ve always envisioned… Her family sitting together around the dinner table and enjoying a movie before the kids had to go to bed. Laughing and cuddling and simply living in the moment. Watching the kids yawn and finally pass out in chairs and on the carpet. One by one they went up to their rooms to get some extra sleep before school the next day. As for Sally? She stayed put on the couch, picking popcorn out from between the cushions and preparing to take the dirty bowl to the couch. Yet before she could get up, Candace appeared and asked if they should watch something more suited for adults.

  Sally also fell asleep on the couch, with her head propped up on Candace’s shoulder and a blanket flung over her body. She didn’t remember going to bed. For all she knew, Candace had carried her. It wouldn’t be the first time – but certainly the first time in a good, long while.

  Sally woke up the next day more refreshed than ever, and convinced that the best of their marriage was still to come.

  THE END

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  NOVEMBER RAINS

  (A Year In Paradise #11)

  Frankie Delacour has everything she could possibly want in life: a steady business, a supportive family, and all the pistachios she can eat at home.

  All right, so she doesn’t have a girlfriend, let alone a wife. She swears she can live without one.

  But one of her online friends is talking more and more about finally meeting in real life. In fact, Elaine Hadley has been wanting to meet for years, but Frankie can’t bring herself to consent.

  She hasn’t told Elaine a few things. Such as who she actually is.

  Some things are left best on the internet. Like the endless possibilities of a girlfriend maybe, someday.

  NOVEMBER 10th

  Hildred Billings is a Japanese and Religious Studies graduate who has spent her entire life knowing she would write for a living someday. She has lived in Japan a total of four times in four different locations, from the heights of the Japanese alps to the hectic Tokyo suburbs, with a life in Shikoku somewhere in there too. When she’s not writing, however, she spends most of her time talking about Asian pop music, cats, and bad 80’s fantasy movies with anyone who will listen…or not.

  Her writing centers around themes of redemption, sexuality, and death, sometimes all at once. Although she enjoys writing in the genre of fantasy the most, she strives to show as much reality as possible through her characters and situations, since she’s a furious realist herself.

  Currently, Hildred lives in Oregon with her girlfriend and dreams of a cat.

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