A Man of Honor

by Cynthia Thomason

  “Just call her and ask,” Alicia prompted. “You’re never grumpy when Brooke is here.”

  “I’m not grumpy,” Jeremy said, forcing himself to smile. A lot of good it did, though.

  “Give me your phone,” Cody said. “I’ll call her. She won’t be mad if I call her.”

  Jeremy stared at his son. “What makes you think she’d be mad if I called her?”

  “Just ’cause you’ve been so grumpy, I guess.”

  Jeremy took the board game from the kitchen pantry and opened the box. “One more grumpy from either one of you and I’m going to watch the Hallmark Channel with Marta.”

  Thankfully, the threat worked. He didn’t know what he would do if the kids kept accusing him of being in a foul mood, especially since he knew it was true. Doggone it, he missed Brooke. He missed talking to her, listening to her, watching her run the station in a way that he never could but made him respect her. He missed seeing her as she opened a door when he knocked. He missed kissing her, holding her, touching her and hearing her sweet sighs.

  He’d sealed the job deal with the New York station, so he was committed, but maybe there was a way to salvage what he and Brooke had. Other people made long-distance relationships work. Other people learned to respect the work ethics of their partners even if it seemed impossible. Other couples learned to forgive and start over where they left off. Other partners managed to trust again.

  “Come on, Dad,” Cody said. “What color do you want to be?”

  The answer came naturally. “I’ll be blue,” he said. He put his token on the starting place and decided that beginning the very next day he was going to think of a way back to Brooke. He had to try. But how he would do it was the biggest puzzle he’d ever faced. He wasn’t good at mending relationships. He’d been a part of only one serious love affair, and he hadn’t been clever enough to get Lynette to marry him. Maybe help would come from somewhere.

  * * *

  JEREMY FLEW TO New York City on Sunday. For two days he toured the studio, met some production people, had meetings with directors, producers and other athletes who would be his cohosts for a few hours during each football game. He signed contracts, was taken to lunch at the best restaurants. Maybe his personal life was a mess, but when he caught a plane on Wednesday morning, he was certain he’d made the right career decision. Now to do something about that personal problem.

  As he drove home from the Charleston airport, he thought of everything he had to do. At the top of his list was talking to his children about making a move to New York. They wouldn’t want to do it. They loved their home and the Lowcountry. They claimed they didn’t miss snow at all. But, heck they would learn to adjust to New York and apartment living. Lots of kids did. Maybe Cody couldn’t get that dog right away...

  Jeremy’s thoughts were interrupted by his cell phone. Not recognizing the number on his dash screen, he considered not answering, but did, anyway. Maybe it wouldn’t be a telemarketer. People could get cell numbers so many ways these days.

  “Hello.”

  “Is this Jeremy Crockett?”

  A woman’s voice. Soft and kind of sweet, not chirpy, clipped and impersonal like someone who wanted him to buy a time-share. “Yes, this is Jeremy.”

  “My name is Camryn Bolden. You know my sister...”

  He almost ran off the road. Had something happened to Brooke? “I know who you are,” he said. “You’re Brooke’s twin sister.” Now please tell me she’s all right before I can’t breathe.

  “Yes, that’s right.”

  “Is she...? I mean nothing happened...?” He sounded like a blithering old fool.

  “Oh, no. Not at all. She’s fine. In fact a bit over the moon because of your help in locating our half brother, Edward.”

  He let his chest expand with a normal breath. “That was nothing. I knew finding him was important to her.”

  “She’s flying to Miami on Saturday and renting a car to drive to the Keys.”

  “I thought she might make plans to go down pretty quickly.”

  Camryn sighed. Jeremy waited.

  “Look, I don’t know how to say this,” Camryn said. “I mean your life is none of my business. But Brooke’s is. I worry about her, and I’m worried now.”

  “Why? Are you concerned that Edward might be a danger to Brooke? I assumed you both would go to Florida since this is a family matter.”

  Camryn explained in detail why she couldn’t accompany her sister. “I even asked her to postpone the trip, but, well, you know my sister.”

  Yes, he did. Knew her. Loved her. Missed her. Loved her. How effortlessly that phrase had popped into his head. “I don’t like the idea of her going by herself,” Jeremy said.

  “Neither do I. That’s why I’m calling you today. I know you and my sister have had a falling-out, but I also know how grateful she is for what you did. And I know she trusts you.”

  “What exactly are you asking, Camryn?”

  “I thought maybe you would go with her. I realize it’s short notice.”

  Yes, it was. But Jeremy had just completed everything he absolutely had to do to start his new job, and football season was still a couple of months away. But go with her? He had no way of knowing for certain, but he was quite sure that Brooke hadn’t instigated this plan. He also knew that Marta had no plans for the weekend, so he could leave the kids for a couple of days.

  Before he could organize his thoughts into a logical progression, his heart started pounding. Just a few days ago he had been pondering ways he might approach Brooke and see if they could work out their differences. He’d even hoped that help would come in one form or another to guide him. Camryn Bolden...perhaps that help had just dialed his phone number.

  “Jeremy? Are you still there?”

  “Yes. I’m sorry, Camryn. I was just thinking.”

  “This is a lot to ask. I’ve tried to come up with someone else that might go with her, but her friends all have jobs and commitments. And frankly, I don’t think Brooke would appreciate their input on this matter. She’s rather independent.”

  Jeremy smiled. “She is that.”

  “But as I said, she trusts you. If you need some time to think about this, you can take a day or two, but flight arrangements have to be made. I might be able to pay for your ticket...”

  Jeremy recalled Brooke telling him that her sister was happy but far from wealthy. The woman raised chickens and sold eggs. “That won’t be necessary,” he said. “Have you mentioned this plan to Brooke?”

  “Are you kidding? She would have told me to mind my own business. And maybe she’s right.”

  No, she’s not right. Sometimes a well-meaning friend, or sister, can turn problems into solutions.

  “I’ll do it,” Jeremy said. “But don’t tell Brooke. Just text me the flight details. I’ll book the same time and meet her at the airport. Like you say, she’s independent. Let’s not give her time to object.”

  “Oh, Jeremy, thank you.” Camryn’s voice was breathless with relief. “If you ever need a favor. If you have a pet that needs medical attention, my husband is a vet.”

  Maybe Cody would get that dog after all.

  “Or if you need eggs...” She started laughing, and Jeremy’s heart clenched. She sounded so much like her sister.

  “Don’t worry, Camryn. I’m sure you’ll hear from Brooke soon after we land in Miami.” I hope she’s thanking you and not reminding you not to interfere again.

  Jeremy disconnected. He was almost at Hidden Oaks. The first thing he was going to do when he got home was cancel the appointment he’d made with a Realtor. If everything went according to plan, he wouldn’t be selling his house after all. But living arrangements were only one of the obstacles he and Brooke faced.

  “One step at a time, Crockett,” he said to himself. “You have to convince Brooke that a life togethe
r isn’t just an impossible dream.” For the first time in days, Jeremy felt the stirrings of hope. Being with Brooke was suddenly more than a dream. It was the life he wanted. The life he could have if he could just convince her.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  BROOKE PUT THE last of her clothes in the suitcase and snapped the lid shut. She had two hours before her eleven o’clock flight, plenty of time to order an Uber driver, check in at the airport and go through security. She didn’t want too much time to spare before the flight, too much time to think.

  She certainly hadn’t tied up all the loose ends before making this plane reservation. She knew her brother’s name—Edward Smith. She knew the name of the marina where he might be living and working. She knew the name of the judge who had supposedly rescued him from a troubled life. She didn’t know if the judge’s efforts succeeded. She didn’t know for certain what Edward did for a living. She didn’t even know if he would be in the Keys when she arrived. Everything she was doing today was based on a dream, and she’d learned lately that dreams, unfulfilled ones, often left a person alone and wanting.

  The driver dropped Brooke off at the airport at 9:45 a.m. She rolled her suitcase behind her to the security line. She hadn’t packed much, not knowing if she would stay a few days or catch the next flight back to Charleston. When she cleared security and approached her gate, she was tense. Nerves tingled in all her extremities. She almost felt nauseous, so she sat in a chair in the waiting area, drew several deep breaths and took out her phone.

  I’m here, she texted her sister. The plane is at the runway so we should be boarding.

  Her fingers stopped dancing across the keyboard. Her heart stopped beating for a frightening few seconds. She blinked. It couldn’t be. Jeremy was walking toward her after leaving a concession shop with snacks in his hand.

  She couldn’t look away. She was frightened of looking too closely for fear he would shimmer and disappear like a mirage.

  He stopped in front of her. “Want some gum?” He unwrapped the package. “I understand it’s good for popping ears when we take off.”

  “We?” she repeated. “Jeremy, what are you doing here?”

  He took the seat next to her. “I’m going to Florida to see a guy about renting a boat.”

  “Jeremy, stop teasing me. I can’t take it.” Her eyes flooded with tears, and she wasn’t sure why they’d begun to fall. Except that Jeremy looked so wonderful in a yellow denim shirt and blue jeans, expensive sneakers on his feet and gum in his hand. She’d never seen a more beautiful sight.

  “Okay, I’ll stop,” he said. “I’m going with you, Brooke. We’re going to meet Edward together. I’ll be there for support, and I promise to let you do the talking.”

  “You’re going with me? Have you thought this through?” She prayed that he had, every last detail.

  “Sure I did. I’ve got nothing to do the next couple of days. Marta’s with the kids. I’m free as a bird.” He lifted her hand, brought it to his lips for a warm kiss. His face grew serious. “And, besides, I don’t want you to be alone.”

  “Jeremy, I’ve suddenly never felt less alone in my life than I do right now.”

  “Good, because I don’t want to think of you alone just for this trip. I don’t want you to be alone ever. Almost as much as I don’t want to be alone another day.”

  As her mind processed his words, her heart soared. “What are you saying?”

  “I’ve got to spell it out?”

  She smiled. “Some of us deal in facts, Crockett. We can’t work with assumptions.”

  His grin was sweet and promising and honest and hopeful. And suddenly Brooke believed anything was possible with this best of all men.

  “Okay then, Miss News Producer. I’m suggesting that we work out our problems, eliminate the obstacles and pledge to stay together for every wonderful day we can grab between trips from New York to Charleston.”

  “You’ve taken the job in New York?”

  “I did.”

  “So you’re proposing a long-distance relationship?”

  “I am. I realize it didn’t work out for me before, but I believe in us, Brooke. I hope you do, too. Enough that you’ll give this a shot.”

  “I want to. But Jeremy, what about...?”

  “Your job? You should keep it as long as you like. Do it however you want. I’ll continue to be as proud of you as I am today.”

  He’d read her mind and answered perfectly. “And what about...?”

  “My kids? The two who have decided that I’m a much better man and father and much less grumpy when you’re around? Those kids? I’m hoping you’ll come home to Hidden Oaks after work most nights and see that they do their homework and take showers and go to bed. Marta will be there if you need help. And if it becomes too much...”

  She’d already begun shaking her head. “No, it won’t. I love Cody and Alicia.”

  “I believe you,” he said. “But all kids are unpredictable beings, mine included. If you need a break, you can escape to your condo by the Battery for a sleepover. Or go to that chicken farm your sister owns. Or anywhere you want as long as you come back.”

  Brooke had always admired her sister for knowing what she wanted and settling for nothing less. A fine man, a family, a flock of cooperative chickens. But Brooke had never realized how her goals could be so much like Camryn’s. Well, maybe not the chicken part. But the rest sounded like heaven.

  “Jeremy,” she said, taking both his hands, “I will always come back.”

  “Good. Then let’s go find us a best man. I hear there might be one waiting in the Keys.”

  She placed her hands gently on each side of his face and kissed him soundly. She hardly heard the flight attendant announce that boarding had begun.

  * * *

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  A Child’s Gift

  by Linda Warren

  CHAPTER ONE

  JERICHO JOHNSON WASN’T a complicated guy; the simple life suited him just fine.

  Like this morning, driving in the early dawn with the morning dew glistening off his windshield, the beam of his headlights piercing the wall of darkness as he drove into Horseshoe, Texas. Simple. Quiet. Perfect.

  A two-story limestone courthouse, over a century old, stood as sentinel over the two-thousand-plus citizens. Large gnarled oaks gave it a bygone-days presence. At the top was a Gothic-like clock tower that never had the correct time. Most people in Horseshoe set their watches by it, making them a little off. Time-wise.

  At this hour there wasn’t much going on in the small town, but the lights were on in the diner and in the bakery. He pulled in at the bakery.

  It was Tuesday morning. No fanfare. No balloons. No confetti. Just plain ol’ Tuesday—his favorite day of the week. For about two years now he’d been picking up kolaches for the guys at Rebel Ranch every Tuesday morning. That was his excuse to see Anamarie Wiznowski. He liked Anamarie more than he wanted to admit, but nothing could come of their relationship.
Her parents, especially her mother, would never allow her to date an ex-con.

  When people turned away from him or avoided speaking to him, he felt sure those words were branded on his forehead. He was a loner and he wore a stone-like expression, as some people called it. He tried not to care what people thought of him, but each snub cut a little deeper on the inside. Until he met Anamarie, he’d kept to himself.

  He tapped on the glass door and Anamarie hurried from the back. It was mid-May and the tepid south wind nipped at his clothes as the hint of summer whistled through the trees. She opened the door and he lost all train of thought at the smile on her pretty face. A hairnet covered her hair and a big apron adorned the front of her jeans and blouse. She’d never looked lovelier to him. Her blue eyes sparkled as bright as the morning dew. He never grew tired of looking at her.

  Unlocking the door, she said, “Good morning—come on in. Your coffee’s ready. I’ll be with you in a minute.”

  Jericho removed his hat and stepped into the bakery with its black-and-white-checkered floor, breathing in the heavenly scent of fresh-baked kolaches. He never tired of that, either. In an hour or so the place would be swarming with eager customers. He glanced toward the kitchen and asked, “Are you by yourself this morning?” Usually there were a couple of ladies in the back, but this morning he didn’t see anyone.

  “Yes. Can you believe it?” she shouted from the kitchen. “Margie didn’t show up so I guess that means she and Bubba had a big fight. Judy had a flat tire, but she’ll be here soon.”

  Bubba was Anamarie’s brother and he and Margie had an on-and-off-again relationship. Bubba owned the gas station and a wrecker service and he also helped the sheriff every now and then. He was well known around the town, and was a friend of the Rebel family. And of Jericho’s.

  After hooking his hat on an ornate wrought-iron hat rack made by Anamarie’s father, he eased his tall frame into a chair at one of the small red tables in the eating area. Anamarie returned with two steaming cups of coffee and a plate of fresh kolaches. The hairnet and apron were gone and her smile lit up his cold heart. Besides the Rebel family, she was the only one in town who hadn’t snubbed him. Her blond hair was pulled back into a topknot and several strands were loose around her face. At forty, she had this idea in her head that she was overweight and she didn’t think of herself as attractive. He’d told her before that she was just the right size. And she was to him. Time and time again she mentioned the weight thing. He couldn’t convince her otherwise.