After All These Years

by Sally John

  “No!” Lia’s voice resounded across the store. “I will not allow it!”

  Isabel slipped into the back room behind her and shut the door against the telephone cord. It was extended to its limit, allowing Lia only a short distance into the small area.

  “I don’t care!” Her face was red, her mouth a grim line. “No, you can’t!” she shouted and punched the disconnect button.

  “Lia?”

  Her friend’s eyes were large and she shook, speechless. She handed the phone to Isabel, pleading silently, and strode out through the alley door.

  Isabel carried the phone into the store and laid it on the counter. “Dot, will you hang this up, please?” Not waiting for a reply, she followed Lia outside.

  She was bracing herself, palms against the brick wall, head down.

  “Lia?” Isabel said again.

  Her shoulders heaved. She didn’t speak for a few moments. “That was Chloe’s dad. Nelson Greene.” She muttered something under her breath and then gulped a breath. “Oh, why can’t I handle this?”

  Isabel touched her back. “Handle what?”

  “He wants to see her. He has no right to see her!”

  Matter-of-fact sentiments came to mind. He is her biological father. Chloe may have a need to see him. You could work something out. Isabel rejected them. Now was not the time for reasonableness. She pulled Lia away from the wall and hugged her. “Take some deep breaths, hon. Dear Jesus,” she prayed, “comfort Lia. Take away the fears.”

  They held each other silently.

  “Amen. Lia, you’ve got customers in there. Only you can fill their prescriptions.”

  She nodded and wiped tears from her face. “Okay. Okay. I’m fine.”

  “I’ll keep praying today. We can talk later if you want.”

  Lia nodded again and gave her a thumbs-up sign. “Thank you.” Her face had gone from beet red to drained of all color.

  Isabel followed her back inside, pasting on a smile to hide her astonishment. Hatred wasn’t too strong of a word to describe what she had just seen on Lia’s face.

  Cal rang the doorbell of Brady’s log cabin house, thinking about the conversation he had just finished with Isabel. They still were still being careful with each other when it came to Tony. At least she hadn’t accused him this time of playing cop.

  What was it with women? Ever since he’d begun trying to take Jesus seriously, his relationships with them had gone haywire. He used to have female friends, some of whom he was attracted to in a romantic way and dated, though never one at a time. Now Tammy insisted on one at a time or forget her. And she pouted over his friendships with other women like Isabel and Lia, which made him feel guilty and off center when he talked with them.

  The door opened. Brady grinned. “Hey, bud, what are you doing ringing the bell? Come on in.”

  “You’ve got company.” He pointed a thumb over his shoulder toward cars he recognized as belonging to Tony Ward and Gina. “I need to talk to you privately. Only take two minutes.”

  “Brady,” Gina’s voice grew louder, “who is it?” She came into view. “Cal! Come meet my parents.” She pulled on his arm.

  Brady smiled. “Only take two minutes.”

  It was a sunny, early fall day. Everyone sat on the screened porch that overlooked a pond and rolling acres of huge oak and walnut trees. He and Tony greeted each other, and then Brady introduced him to Maggie and Reece Philips.

  “My best man,” he said.

  Cal felt a rush of gratitude, maybe even pride. Who needed women?

  Maggie and Reece were a striking couple in their mid-50s, California-tanned, and undoubtedly Gina’s parents. She resembled her dad with her athletic good looks, olive skin tone, and dark hair. Her smile and bright green eyes, though, were her mother’s.

  Cal declined iced tea and settled in for two minutes of small talk. “I heard you just got back from Italy.”

  Maggie laughed. “Don’t get me started. I’ve just met Tony, and even he must be weary of our stories. It was an incredible experience. Almost indescribable, but I keep trying. And this man, here,” she nodded toward her husband, “proposed to me while we were riding on a gondola.”

  They laughed as she held out her left hand for all to see a flashy diamond ring.

  Tony said, “It sounds as if there’s a Mr. Romance contest going between Reece and Brady.”

  Reece shook his head. “No way. He wins, hands down. He’s years ahead of me in that department.”

  “But, Dad,” Gina winked at Brady, “four weeks in Italy sounds like the ultimate honeymoon.”

  “Too bad Brady can’t afford it. He spends more on flowers for you in a week than I’ve spent in 30 years.” Reece turned to Tony. “So, you were telling us about Brady’s books, which you haven’t read yet.”

  Cal suppressed a grin and made his exit. Brady was in good hands. His friend followed him outside to his truck. They leaned against the hood, arms crossed.

  “Brade, we might have a problem. Ward was in Los Angeles at the end of August. I found a record of his ticket bought the day he left Valley Oaks.”

  He didn’t immediately respond. “Los Angeles is a big place.”

  “Isabel just told me about a conversation she had with Tony this weekend, about his sister.”

  “You already told me about her. Tragic story.”

  “But I didn’t know the circumstances. She went down there with some Christian rock group. Isabel said Ward got really bent out of shape talking about the musicians’ influence on his sister. Now even she’s concerned he has ulterior motives, and she likes the guy.”

  “Cal, you know firsthand I’m not perfect. I never pretended to be.”

  “The thing is, Brade, you look perfect. Man, you’ve always been the role model. Your one lapse into stupidity will get blown all out of proportion.”

  “Comes with the territory of being a public figure, bud. Territory I didn’t choose, by the way. If it makes me look more human to the entire world, then that’s for the best.”

  “I wasn’t thinking of the entire world.” They exchanged a knowing glance. “Did you tell her yet?”

  Brady pulled on his chin.

  Cal punched his arm. “She deserves to hear it from you. She shouldn’t have to read about it in some newspaper.”

  Much to his surprise, Tony was enjoying his visit with Gina’s parents. Not only were they from California, land of the fruits and nuts, they were Christians. Reece, evidently a Johnny-come-lately to the fold, had been challenging Tony’s beliefs nonstop, more so than Brady had. All this, and still he found them delightful. The source of Gina’s character was evident.

  He steered the conversation to his main reason for being there and finally got around to asking, “What about Nicole Frazell?”

  “Ancient history,” Brady replied.

  Gina’s brows went up.

  “I’m sorry. I assumed you knew.” Tony thought his tone sounded sincere considering he had assumed no such thing.

  Brady’s eyes narrowed.

  Gina said, “Oh, I know about her. My soon-to-be husband was engaged to her. I was just wondering what she has to do with this story.”

  Tony lifted a shoulder and studied the pad on his knee. “Anything to do with The Author piques my curiosity. She lives in California, right?”

  Brady answered, “Last I heard, which was years ago.”

  “Hmm. Years ago.” Do it, Ward! Go for the jugular! It’s your job! Do it, for pete’s sake! He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. An image of Isabel flashed through his mind, turning away from him. “So, uh, you and Gina must be open about your pasts?”

  Brady hesitated. “I don’t think we’ve dissected them day by day for each other, but yes, we’re fairly open.”

  “Uh, ‘fairly’ open. Meaning?”

  “Meaning what you’re hinting at.” His voice deepened. “I was engaged, Gina nearly was. We know what wasn’t right about those relationships. If she asks me anything concerning
it, I tell her, and vice versa. Not that it’s any of your business.”

  And does Gina know enough to ask you about stalking and assault and battery charges? Tony let a silent, awkward moment pass.

  Reece made a joke, Maggie talked of dinner plans, Gina excused herself.

  Tony allowed the subject to change. He had heard the hint of fear in Brady’s angry tone, seen the look of doubt in Gina’s lowered eyelids. He had…succeeded.

  He declined their dinner invitation. Revulsion toward himself squelched his appetite.

  Nineteen

  Lia slumped in her car outside the Community Center in the parking lot, waiting for Chloe to come out from her Monday evening gymnastics class. Set in the middle of a neighborhood of hundred-year-old homes, the Center was a modern structure housing gyms, an indoor pool, and various courts.

  Dusk had already fallen, though it wasn’t yet even seven o’clock. The days were shrinking…as was her budget, which she was wantonly ignoring tonight. She had squandered gas driving the car less than two blocks. As soon as Chloe appeared, they were driving four more blocks and buying a large pizza with the works. Lia felt exhausted in body and soul.

  A large figure approached along the sidewalk. It was Cal. He set his gym bag on the hood of her car and angled himself to peer through the windshield, his face a question mark.

  Lia sighed and motioned for him to get inside.

  He opened the passenger door and slid onto the seat, his teddy bear shoulders filling the interior of her car. He wore a short-sleeved sweatshirt and gym shorts, both damp with perspiration, as was his face and hair. “Hey, China Doll,” he puffed, slightly out of breath. “How you doing?”

  His soft tone snapped the fragile string of control she’d been holding onto most of the day. Not trusting her voice, she lifted a hand and rocked it back and forth, indicating so-so.

  “You look beat.”

  “Short night, long day,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

  Silence followed. It wasn’t exactly awkward. Despite last night’s fractious telephone conversation, she considered Cal a friend. After all, he had carried her over a threshold and bandaged her cut foot…he swept shattered glass and waited out the night, dozing in the recliner while she huddled in a corner of the couch…he had sat stocking-footed and watched the football game in her apartment.

  “Lia, I was out of line. Last night, I mean. On the telephone. I’m sorry.”

  She swallowed. “And I’m sorry for telling you not to cruise by on your night off. I really do appreciate your concern.”

  “Friends?”

  She gazed through the windshield. Youngsters straggled out through the Center’s double glass doors. “For Tammy’s sake, maybe it’s best that we’re not. You know, somebody’s going to see you sitting here, and she’ll hear about it. That’s not fair to her.”

  “My job is talking to people.”

  “You’re not in uniform, we’re alone in my car, and it’s nearly dark.”

  “So?”

  She straightened and looked at him. “Cal, it’s the appearance. What would you think if you heard that she were sitting with some guy like this?”

  “Nothing.” He locked his eyes with hers.

  “Because?”

  “No reason to think anything.”

  “You trust her, then. Or you don’t care enough.”

  He didn’t reply for a moment. “Or something. So why is it she doesn’t trust me?”

  Lia shrugged. “She’s insecure. She’s not sure you care about her.”

  “What do I do?”

  “Well, for starters, don’t have dinner at my apartment. Send her flowers. I don’t know, Cal. I’ve never been in love.”

  “Really?”

  She shrugged again.

  “I don’t think I have either,” he said.

  “Then why in the world do you let this woman lead you around as if you’ve got a ring in your nose?”

  “Hey, China Doll. That’s getting a little personal.”

  “That’s what friends are for.”

  “Thought we weren’t going to be friends.” He drummed his fingers on the dashboard. “I’m attracted to Tammy. She’s fun to be with.”

  “A Saturday night dinner you can count on.” It was a dig, but the conversation was turning into an uncomfortable counseling session.

  He narrowed his eyes to mere slits. “Don’t bake any more pies for me. That makes me feel guilty.”

  “Hadn’t planned on baking you any more, Deputy.” She returned his stare.

  After a moment, his face relaxed. A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Truce.”

  “I’ll think about it.”

  “While you think about it, we need to talk about something else. I heard you had a phone call at the store today.”

  Lia slumped back down in the seat. How many people had been in the shop? Isabel, Tony, Dot, a handful of customers getting prescriptions. All of Valley Oaks probably knew by now. “It was Nelson.”

  “Has he been calling?”

  “N-no.”

  “You don’t sound certain about that. Either he has or he hasn’t.”

  “There have been some hang-ups, but I don’t think they were him. He asked to see Chloe. I don’t want him to.”

  “What does she want?”

  “I haven’t asked her.”

  “I’ve dealt with a lot of child abuse cases. Strangest thing. Kids remain loyal to parents, even jerk dads. You might want to talk to her about it. Who knows? The guy hasn’t been in trouble. Maybe he sincerely wants a relationship with his daughter.”

  “It doesn’t seem possible after all these years. My dad has always been there for me. He adores my mother. He’s smart and giving and fair. I don’t know where or what I’d be without him. What’s yours like?”

  Cal was quiet for a moment. “He was a state patrolman. He died when I was 15. Heart attack. I worshiped him.”

  “I’m sorry, Cal. Is your mom around?”

  “She lives in Florida. I’m on my own. No brothers or sisters. So tell me about the hang-ups.”

  Lia was still digesting the information about his family life, imagining how painful his adolescence must have been with losing his dad. “Oh. The hang-ups. There’s nothing to tell. For three nights in a row, there have been calls on the store line leaving heavy breathing on the answering machine.”

  “What time?”

  “Friday, maybe 10:00 or 10:30, again at midnight. I went down and turned off the ringer. Same thing Saturday. The ringer was off, but the machine records the times it picks up. Last night there was just one, right before you called.”

  “Lia!” The way he said her name made it an interjection of pure annoyance. “Tell me this stuff when it happens, okay?”

  “I can handle it. It’s no big deal. There’s nothing you can do.”

  “I’ve got my suspicions. From now on, give me details so I can investigate.”

  “Okay, okay.”

  Chloe opened the back door and climbed in. “Hi, Aunt Lia. Hi, Cal.”

  Lia turned around. Her niece looked so cute in her leotard. “Hi, sweetpea. How was gymnastics?”

  “Great. I did two back handsprings in a row.”

  Cal whistled.

  Lia reached over the back of the seat and slapped a palm against Chloe’s. “Way to go, Chloe! Hey, I’m planning on dinner at the Pizza Parlor. Sound okay to you?”

  “Yea! Can Cal come?”

  In the deepening shadows, Lia wrinkled her nose at Cal, signaling that this was not a good idea. But then again, this dinner wouldn’t be at her apartment. “Can you?”

  “Monday night football.” The answer came swiftly. “Kind of a ritual with a few guys. And I need a shower. Thanks, though.”

  The little girl remained silent as Cal got out and said goodbye. Lia’s heart sank. He had let Chloe down again. Lia chalked up her own stab of disappointment to empathy over Chloe’s. Men!

  “Aunt Lia?”


  “Hmm?” She turned.

  Chloe was pinching her nose. “He did need a shower!”

  They laughed all the way to the restaurant.

  “Hey, Brady,” Cal whispered into the phone.

  “Cal? The game’s on!”

  “Quick question.” Cal carried the cordless phone into his backyard. No reason the guys in his living room needed to hear this. “How do I order flowers?”

  Brady burst out laughing.

  “I’m serious! You’re the expert.”

  The laughter got louder.

  “Come on.”

  Brady gulped for air. “Is this an emergency?”

  “Why would it be an emergency? They’re just for Tammy.”

  “For…?” He still chuckled.

  “For?” Cal raked his fingers through his hair. “I don’t know for what. Lia thought I should send some.”

  “Then it’s a ‘thinking about you’ sort of gift?”

  “Yeah, yeah. That’s it.”

  “Well, you could call Bev at home tonight if it were an emergency, like if you messed up in a major way. Did you forget her birthday?”

  Cal thought a moment. Her birthday was in March, wasn’t it? Or May. They’d only been dating since July. “No.”

  “Then call Bev’s shop in the morning. Tell her you want a bouquet of fresh flowers in a vase sent to Tammy’s school. Send them to her at work. You get a lot of mileage doing it that way because all her friends and coworkers notice. Anyway, just tell Bev what you want to spend.”

  “What’s it cost?”

  “Whatever you want to pay. Twenty-five won’t get you much, but a hundred probably isn’t necessary in this case.”

  “Twenty-five dollars for flowers?”

  “You’ve really never done this before?”

  Cal sighed.

  “Hold on a sec.” Brady’s voice was muffled, and then he laughed again. “Gina says don’t order the Hawaiian special. Where were we? Okay, choose an amount, then Bev will ask what sort of card you want.”

  “Card? This is getting too complicated.”

  “You can do it, big guy. Choose the ‘thinking of you’ card and ask her to sign it— How do you want to sign it? Love? I love you?”