In For a Pound

by Joselyn Vaughn

  He simply replied, “Doctor gave me a good report. Penny checks on me a couple times a day since Joshua left. I think she’s trying to worm out why he left.” He left off the ‘too’. He waited a moment as if expecting Sidney to confirm or deny his theory.

  Sidney squirmed in the silence. Buck’s gaze was unrelenting as if he knew something about her conversation with Joshua and the mess she’d created.

  “I was shocked he left. I had no idea those were his plans.”

  Buck chewed another mouthful of food while he watched the first player in the lineup swing at a fastball. She’d watched enough baseball with Buck to know conversation didn’t happen while his team faced the pitcher.

  Perhaps he hadn’t heard her, but she didn’t want to repeat her statement. If he ignored it, she could pretend she hadn’t said it. Talking to Buck had been a bad idea. She should have strangled her courage and asked Penny for Joshua’s cell number. Or she could ask Buck. Joshua’s number was probably in the emergency numbers on the fridge. She should mosey in there and scribble it down.

  He turned back to her as the struck-out batter stalked to the dugout. “I think you are the only reason he left.”

  Sidney swallowed her lasagna into her lungs instead of her stomach. The tomato sauce singed her airway. She coughed until her eyes watered. The ache that rocked in her gut all day exploded. Every part of her body burned with guilt.

  Buck watched her half choke to death, then he nodded and returned to the game. Sidney washed the burning out of her throat with her glass of water. Buck appeared thoroughly engrossed in baseball. He wouldn’t drop a bomb and leave the conversation, would he?

  A commercial signaled the end of the inning, and she figured she could hold Buck’s attention for two minutes. “What did you mean by Joshua leaving because of me?”

  Buck shrugged. “He got all bent out of shape when I mentioned you were both single and should have a go at it.”

  If she had been flushed before, she would swear she’d been catapulted into the sun. She fanned her cheeks with her napkin. Buck didn’t seem to notice. What was he talking about?

  Joshua had talked with Buck about her? That meant he cared, right? Or was he complaining to his dad about the girl who couldn’t make up her mind? Or that because of her, Missy had gifted him with dog poo and his truck smelled like vomit? Could she find any marks in her favor? With such a stellar showing, no wonder he’d burned rubber out of Pine Bottom.

  “So I was wondering,” she said slowly, like she formed the idea as she spoke. “Do you think he’d be willing to be my partner in the last canoe race?”

  Buck finished his lasagna before he answered, “I can almost guarantee it.”

  The answer was nonchalant, like he had been thinking about it for a while and was waiting for her to ask. She latched onto the hope. A second chance. Who cared about the race if Joshua came back to town and to her? They could start over. The burning in her throat was quenched by the thrill of a second chance.

  “I’ll need his help to beat Colin and Missy. Can you believe they tried to bribe me to stay out of the race?” The words tripped off her tongue in a giddy fashion. Defeating them would be as easy as cinnamon apple pie with ice cream on top.

  “There were rumors going around the cancer center that the Rough Diamond outfit was a sham. They might be in some hot water if all the money people invested isn’t where it’s supposed to be. I’m sure if they’re trying to keep you out of the race, Joshua will help you out.”

  Sidney only heard the last part, but Sidney couldn’t help squeeing to herself. It wasn’t Joshua’s promise, but Buck had to know his own son. If he thought Joshua would do the race, then he also expected Joshua to forgive her for not knowing her own heart. They could start over. Her spirits buoyed. By the end of the game, she could have hit a grand slam.

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Joshua scooped spaghetti from the warming pan and nodded in appreciation to the volunteer manning the food lines. The cafeteria was packed with the hundred or so people who had sought refuge at the school. The Disaster Rebound team had quickly organized the high school into a temporary shelter with cots, food, and a temporary first aid station. If things continued to go smoothly, they could transition the people to more permanent housing before school started in a week.

  He wandered through the cafeteria tables, munching on a piece of garlic bread, until he found an empty seat. A family of four occupied the other seats at the table. Given what they had probably been through in the last few days, they seemed remarkably calm and relaxed. The kids, hardly more than preschoolers, made jokes about their peas.

  Experience told him the children would hardly remember this event if their parents were able to get back on their feet quickly. His job was to make sure they recovered.

  He asked if the seat was available, and when they gestured for him to sit, he did.

  “How are things going?” he asked as he mashed the sauce into his noodles.

  “We’re doing all right. The last few days have been a bit surreal,” the father said. “But the kids seem to be doing okay.” He looked over at the kids flicking peas across the table, and the corners of his mouth pulled up.

  “We’re thankful to be together.” The mother grabbed her husband’s hand and squeezed. Their eyes met, and Joshua recognized the connection they shared.

  Joshua couldn’t count how many times he’d heard that sentiment, especially at tornado sites where the disaster was as instantaneous as it was horrific. Until his dad’s cancer, he hadn’t been able to connect with the emotion. Before meeting Sidney, he had thought, sure, they are thankful they are together, it’s all they have left. And so often he’d seen relationships break down as the stresses of claims adjusters, rebuilding, and sorting out what was left took its toll. His gut told him this family meant it. They could survive anything as long as they were together.

  He pictured Sidney in the mother’s role, remaining calm as she gave the children a sense of home even though their house had crumbled. Could he be the dad in this scenario? Could he protect and support a family of his own? Would Sidney give him a chance? Because he couldn’t imagine it with anyone else.

  The bite of spaghetti on his tongue devolved to a mealy paste as he contemplated his chances of that ever happening.

  The mother curtailed the flying peas with a pointed glare and said, “We appreciate all the help Disaster Rebound has provided. We’re hoping to get back to our house later today. The volunteer said we’ll be able to recover a few things, but they want an inspector with us to make sure what’s left of our house is stable enough to enter. Hopefully, we can get some clothes for the kids.” She reached out and smoothed her daughter’s curls. “They’ve been wearing the same stuff since the storm.”

  Joshua’s gaze swung to the kids. Hair combed, faces and hands clean except for the fresh smear of red sauce around their mouths. But now he saw the stains on their sleeves from several meals. “There should be a truck of clothes. New socks and underwear, but some donated clothing too. It was supposed to arrive this morning.”

  “We must have missed it.” She looked at her husband, and he shook his head. “We got pillows, blankets, and hygiene kits this morning, but nobody said anything about clothes.”

  Joshua pushed his half-eaten meal away and yanked his phone off his belt. “Let me find out where it is.” He called his assistant, Melody, who was in charge of personal care supplies, rather than run all over the school searching for her. “Where is the clothing truck?”

  He heard shuffling of paper over the phone. “Was one supposed to be sent?”

  “I ordered one with the initial disbursement of supplies. Clothing, blankets, pillows, food, etc.”

  “We got the blankets, pillows, the bottled water, and the mobile computer lab, but I don’t see an order record for any clothing.”

  Joshua mentally cursed. Maybe the boxes had been mislabeled. He excused himself to the family, dumped his half-eaten lunch in the garbage,
and headed toward the parking lot of the school. He caught up with Melody outside. She had a clipboard propped against her ribs, and she flipped viciously through the pages. “Here is the truck with blankets and pillows.” She ushered him to a tractor trailer at the end of the line.

  Joshua scrambled into the open back and shifted through the boxes. Over half the trucks contents had been distributed. Melody climbed up and started pushing boxes to the sides as well. “Pillows, pillows, pillows,” she said as she shoved the boxes around.

  “Same here. We’re equipped for a world record pillow fight, but we have preschoolers wearing three-day-old underwear.” He ran his hand over his hair. Who at HQ would have filled the truck with pillows instead of clothes? Dolores would have caught an order mistake and called to confirm.

  He pulled out his wallet and withdrew some cash. “Take this, and get some clothes for the family in the cafeteria. At least for the kids.”

  Melody took the money and jumped out of the truck. “I’ll be back in half an hour.”

  Then he remembered, Dolores had retired. She took care of this stuff. The person who replaced her hadn’t figured out how things needed to be distributed. He slumped onto one of the boxes of pillows. He was supposed to be doing that job. No one replaced Dolores because he had run away instead.

  Because of Sidney.

  He grabbed a pillow out of the box and gave it a good punch. Because she didn’t love him the way he loved her. He hadn’t had the courage to contact Aunt Penny or his dad to see if Sidney had said anything. He feared learning she would reject him again. He wished he could say his own heart was indifferent, so he wouldn’t fear the pain. His thoughts lingered on Sidney and explained, but not absolved, his inattention to his job and the people who depended on his competence.

  His phone rang. He snatched it from his belt and answered without checking the display. Because he was thinking of her, he expected to hear Sidney’s voice. Because he wanted her to call him back to Pine Bottom and say she changed her mind. Because he couldn’t hope for that. It’d take months, at least, for her to recover, to be ready for a new relationship. She might not even remember him by then.

  But he’d never forget her.

  Instead of Sidney, he heard his dad’s voice without a hint of static. “Where’d you disappear to?”

  “I’m helping with a tornado cleanup.” He stuffed the pillow back into the container and wandered to the rear gate of the semi.

  “Convenient.”

  He’d agree. The sarcasm in his father’s tone implied he was recovering quickly. One thing Joshua could scratch off his list of things to feel guilty about.

  Joshua would take any excuse that kept him out of Pine Bottom for a few weeks. He needed the time to sort out his head and his heart and put the latter back in the box he’d kept it in. “What do you need? I’m in the middle of trying to find some clothes.”

  “You’re naked?”

  “No. I’ve got a family who hasn’t been able to find what’s left of their belongings, and they need some clean duds.”

  “I won’t hold you up then. I had a quick question.”

  Ah, the signal for what-I’m-going-to-ask-doesn’t-have-an-easy-answer.

  “Are you coming back for Labor Day weekend?”

  A week. Could he sort out his head in seven days? The emergency shelter would be clearing up by then. They’d have the families like the one in the cafeteria into more permanent housing. His job here might not be done, but it would certainly be wrapping up. “I’m not sure.”

  He wouldn’t be ready to go back to Pine Bottom. No way would Sidney be out of his system. Another disaster, he could find one. That sounded bad. He could find something to keep him out of Pine Bottom. Maybe he’d pick up his dad, and they could go on a recuperation road trip or something.

  “I was thinking of the canoe race finals and how everyone will be there.” His dad said it as if the thought had simply wandered across his mind. With the emphasis he put on everyone, Joshua knew his dad meant Sidney. And he expected Joshua to show too. Probably pictured Joshua breaking out of the crowd, sprinting down the beach, and sweeping Sidney off her feet in a big, romantic kiss.

  Joshua liked the idea.

  He had seven days to convince himself not to do it. Seven days to convince himself to not rip his heart out and toss it on the beach to be trampled in the sand.

  “Are you going?” Joshua asked.

  “Well, sure. Penny wouldn’t let me sit home even if I wanted to. She’s on this big kick about getting out and meeting people. Says I can’t watch baseball all the time.”

  “I’ll see what happens.” He kicked himself for being lured into his dad’s trap, but he couldn’t stop the next question. “Did Sidney find a partner for the race yet?”

  His dad’s voice was all innocence when he replied, “Last I heard, she was still looking. Why do you ask?”

  Self-torture? “No reason. Just curious.”

  “You know what they say about curiosity.”

  “Yeah, the last time I checked, I wasn’t feline.”

  His dad snorted. “I was thinking about volunteering myself.”

  It took a beat for the image to sink in. He imagined the strenuous rowing and his dad’s weakened condition. The combination wasn’t good: keeling over in the middle of the lake as Sidney paddled furiously to shore. Joshua couldn’t put Sidney in that situation. He’d have to offer to be her partner again if his dad made good on his threat.

  His dad wouldn’t really volunteer; he was saying that to get Joshua to step up. In any other circumstance, Joshua would—he’d already offered—but with his heart on the line, he was reluctant to make the gesture a second time.

  “Dad, you aren’t ready for strenuous exercise.”

  “Sidney has to have a partner. That Missy has been trying to bribe her to stay out of the race.” The way his dad said Missy’s name, Joshua expected him to spit on the floor afterward.

  “Why would she do that? If Sidney doesn’t have a partner, Missy and Zach are home-free, provided they don’t get caught cheating.” Joshua scratched at a loose piece of tape on a box of pillows. Why did the mention of Missy make him want to run back to Pine Bottom and defend Sidney?

  No wonder they could have a world record pillow fight against the preschoolers’ moldy underwear. His head was not on his job. His head was where his heart was, and that was in Pine Bottom with Sidney. He jumped out of the truck.

  “Boy, you are out of the loop. I thought Penny told you. Missy and Colin have teamed up. Sidney needs you.”

  Joshua winced as the knife plunged into his back. Having an ex-boyfriend and an archenemy team up against Sidney wasn’t fair. She couldn’t hand them the victory. The dastardly duo didn’t deserve to have a clear shot at the win. They needed to sweat it every step of the way.

  Protecting and supporting Sidney against them could be worth the risk to his own traitorous heart. Funny thing, his heart wasn’t opposed to the plan. It stretched grasping fingers toward the temptation. He could use supporting Sidney as an excuse to return to Pine Bottom and to see if anything had changed between them. He liked the idea. Too much. He was already considering whether he needed to pack up the travel trailer or not. Better focus on what needed to be done here and weigh his options later. “I’ll think about it. I better get these people some clothes.”

  His dad hung up, and Joshua clipped his phone back to his belt. He scrubbed his hand over his hair and paced the length of the pillow-stuffed truck. His concern for Sidney affected how he did his job. He should have been aware of the shipment mistake and corrected it. But he couldn’t stop thinking about her, even though she had made it clear where they stood. He sighed. He had to do something. He couldn’t function like this.

  He couldn’t function without her.

  Leaving Pine Bottom had been a mistake. He was needed at Disaster Rebound headquarters, but could he man up and return to Pine Bottom, knowing there was more at stake than the winnings? His heart che
ered for him to go. His head told him he had to fix the mess he’d made here first.

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Sidney swiped the sweat off her forehead. Labor Day wasn’t supposed to be this hot. Her sunscreen had washed away a half an hour ago. She couldn’t put more on, or her hands would be too greasy to grip the paddle. If they hadn’t moved the race to the morning because of the heat, half the racers would have passed out with heat stroke.

  Even with the altered time, the park surrounding the beach was packed with onlookers. Canopies covered the first aid station and a few picnic tables, providing some much needed shade. The parking lot had overflowed, and cars lined the roads in either direction. With the heat, people were probably desperate for the canoe race to be over, so they could have their own refreshing dunk in the lake.

  The field for this race had shrunk. On the other end of the beach was the woman who had brought the bikini into her shop. Her bikini now stretched tightly across her bum and dug into her hips. She waved encouragingly. Sidney didn’t envy her discomfort.

  Only a dozen canoes filled the beach. Instead of several heats of racers, there would only be one. The humidity had deterred those not still in the running for the prize money and the trip.

  Where was Joshua? This really couldn’t be happening to her again. Her canoe was lined up on the beach. She was in her swimsuit — the cute bikini — because — she was such an idiot — because Buck said he would convince Joshua to come. Why had Sidney trusted him? The better question was why had she assumed that Buck could work magic and get Joshua to show up? She’d refused Joshua’s offer to help at the bungalow. She should have called him herself. Make sure he understood what she had been thinking, now that she herself did. Now she stood in front of the entire population of Pine Bottom in a bikini her mom barely approved of. Alone. Again.

  She paced the length of her canoe and surveyed the lake. A few boats motored around the course, checking the placement of buoys and guides. The circuit hadn’t changed since the last race, two laps around the lake, then a mad dash up the beach to the finish. She swiveled in the sand to scan the crowd again. She wished, wished, wished Joshua would burst through the crowd and not leave her standing here looking ridiculous. It was humiliating.