Seeking Vengeance

by McDonald, M. P.

  There was no way she'd get another moment of shut-eye. Not with a curious little girl in the house and a lake just a stone’s throw away. She swung her feet off the bed and sat on the edge for a moment, rubbing her eyes. Rising, she padded out to the kitchen to see what she could rummage up for breakfast. Sam was correct when he’d said the pantry was stocked, but most of the food was canned vegetables, soups, tuna, rice, and pasta. There wasn’t a Cheerio in sight. Shoot. Molly brushed her hair out of her eyes with one hand as she stared into the pantry as if by looking long enough, a box of cereal would magically appear. Sighing when that didn't work, she went back to the bedroom and rummaged through her suitcase for clean clothes. Kelsie bounced behind her, chattering as only she knew how, asking how long they were staying, if she could swim in the lake or roast marshmallows after dinner.

  “Kels, I need to wake up first, and you know to do that, I need to shower.” She unzipped Kelsie's bag and grabbed some clothes for her too. “Come on, hon. Why don't you get dressed and brush your teeth while I shower? Then we can go to the store—wherever it is—and buy some stuff for a big breakfast.”

  Always up for a trip to the store, Kelsie agreed and thirty minutes later, they were both ready to go. Only Molly had no idea where the nearest store might be. She needed some directions first. She stood outside Sam's room, hesitant to wake him, but there was nothing else she could do.

  Molly knocked, and waited. Nothing. She rapped again, harder this time. Nothing. She tried the doorknob and opened the door far enough to stick her head in. Sam lay sprawled on the bed, bare from the waist up, the covers draped over his hips. Heat rushed up her cheeks. “Sam?”

  He finally stirred and rose up on his elbows, the sheet dipping into dangerous territory. “Yeah?”

  There wasn't a shred of embarrassment on his face while Molly was sure hers radiated enough heat to boil a teapot.

  “I was just wondering where the closest store is? Kelsie's hungry, so I need to get something.”

  “Oh. Yeah.” He turned and swung his legs over the side of the bed, standing.

  Molly began to look away until she realized he was wearing sweatpants. Relief mixed with disappointment. She shook that last feeling off.

  “I'll get dressed and join you.”

  “Oh, no. That's okay. You must be exhausted. I just need you to point me in the right direction.”

  “Don't worry, I'm a pro at lack of sleep.” He scratched his flat, washboard stomach, drawing her eye there.

  He didn't appear to notice the direction of her gaze as he gave her a lopsided grin that shot straight to her heart. “There are some things I need to get anyway. I'll only be a few minutes.”

  Sam brushed past as he exited the room. His scent washed over her and now that she had exquisite memories to associate with it, she had to remind herself that she had slammed the door on any repeat performances.

  Flustered and confused, she tried to shake it off as she directed Kelsie to get her shoes on. Molly found a hairband in her purse and pulled her still damp curls into a ponytail. Finally feeling awake, she started making a mental list of what she should get, and wondered if Johnny had any requests.

  She knocked on Johnny's door then stuck her head in, not waiting for an invitation to open the door. “Hey, Johnny. We're all going to the store to get some groceries.”

  He waved an acknowledgment and rolled over.

  “Well, I guess you don't need anything.” Miffed at his lack of response, she shut the door harder than she intended.

  “Is something wrong?”

  Sam stood in the hallway, a towel around his waist. Molly averted her eyes. This was going to be a lot more difficult than she expected. “No, sorry about that. Just frustrated.” She shrugged and tried to grin. “Brothers”

  Sam's gaze moved from the top of her head and down her body. She suppressed a shiver at the intimate appraisal. As she watched him, a drop of water trickled from his hair in a winding trail down his throat, across his chest, to disappear into the terry cloth. Lucky drop. This was going to be agony. “Are you going to be long? Kelsie's starving.”

  She probably sounded like a shrew and embarrassed, she didn't wait for a reply, just exited the cabin to find out where Kelsie had disappeared. The land sloped unevenly to a sandy beach. The woods around the house looked thick with tangled undergrowth, and she didn't think her daughter would go there, not with a lake in view. Shielding her eyes, she spotted Kelsie skipping along the shore, a long stick in one hand. Every few skips, she'd stop to poke at something in the sand.

  “Kelsie!”

  The skipping ceased and Kelsie raced towards her, when she got close, she shouted, “Mommy! I found a shell!” She opened a palm to show Molly an ugly brown snail.

  “Oh, that's beautiful, hon, but we have to go to town to get some groceries and breakfast.”

  “Okay. Can we come back here? Can I go swimming later? Can I build a sandcastle?”

  Molly laughed at the rapid fire questions and tousled Kelsie's hair. “Sure, later this afternoon.”

  By the time they got back to the cabin, Sam was stepping onto the front deck. His hair was still damp, and he wore a black polo shirt. It wasn't one she'd bought, so it must have been one he had here. It looked good on him.

  “Ready to go?” Sam limped down the steps.

  “Yeah, I just have to grab my purse.” Molly gave Kelsie a gentle push towards the car. “Hop in and buckle up. I'll be right out.”

  Kelsie nodded, but turned back. “Are you coming too, Mr. Sam?”

  “Sure am, sweetheart.”

  Molly loved how Sam spoke to Kelsie, but worried about her daughter growing close to him. One of Kelsie’s favorite games to play with her stuffed animals was to have wedding ceremonies and create perfect little families. Molly grabbed her purse from the floor where she'd dropped it and hurried back to the car.

  Sam directed her to the main road, and she was grateful he'd come along. The road turned and wound through the forest, with other roads connecting and she was lost after the third turn. “Holy cow, Sam. How do you find your way around here?”

  He laughed. “I've been coming up here all my life.”

  “It's really beautiful.” Molly had lived in Wisconsin her whole life, but rarely ventured north of Madison. “You know, I don't think I've ever been this far north in the state before.” She slanted a grin at Sam. “Pretty sad, huh?”

  “Seriously? That is sad.”

  “Well, my mom and stepdad loved taking me places like Washington D.C., Williamsburg or a couple of times, Disney World.” She shrugged and tried to sound nonchalant when she continued, “When I went to live with my dad, well he wasn't big into vacations.”

  She felt Sam watching her and glanced at him. “What?”

  His eyebrows went up and he spread his hands. “Nothing. I'm just sorry you missed out.” He faced the front again and motioned at the canopy of trees. “I didn't realize how much I'd missed it. It's so…peaceful up here.”

  Molly had to agree. She glanced in the review mirror to see Kelsie with her nose pressed to the window. A pang of guilt poked her. How many times had she intended to take Kelsie away on vacation somewhere, but never did? Something always came up. Other than a couple of overnight trips to Chicago, Kelsie had been nowhere. No wonder she was so enthralled with her surroundings.

  It was a twenty-five minute drive to town, but with no traffic, it didn't seem to take that long. The town consisted of one main street anchored at one end by a church, and a small medical center, and at the other by a grocery store across from a handful of restaurants. “So, what's the best place?”

  Sam pointed at the second restaurant on the right. “I don't know about best, but they're fast, and I'm so hungry I could eat a bear.”

  “They have bears in there?” Kelsie sounded like she didn't know whether to be scared or excited at the prospect.

  Sam laughed. “No. That's just an expression.”

  Molly parked in front of t
he restaurant and took Kelsie's hand as she exited. Sam held the door for them to enter first, and Molly told herself not to get used to the treatment. In her real life, a guy was just as likely to scamper through a door she'd just opened rather than offer the simple courtesy. The diner wasn't fancy. It had plain white tables adorned with paper placemats, chrome salt and pepper holders and laminated menus crammed between the ketchup and mustard bottles. The scents of eggs, bacon, coffee and pancakes mingled and vied for dominance and made up for any lack of ambience the décor offered. Sam led them to the back of the diner and put a hand on a chair for Molly, sliding it out for her, and then he patted a chair for Kelsie. “Have a seat, m'lady.”

  Kelsie giggled and plopped onto the seat in a very un-ladylike manner. Molly couldn't help but grin, and when Sam sat opposite her, the corners of his eyes still held the hint of his smile. He handed her a menu and opened his.

  The waitress swept towards them, a full pot of coffee in one hand, a bottle of Tabasco sauce in the other. She deposited the sauce at the table across the aisle before rounding on them.

  “How are you folks this morning, eh?” She waited for Sam to turn his cup over before filling it, then turned a questioning eye to Molly. “Coffee?”

  “Please.” It would take more than strong coffee to erase her fatigue, but it was a start. The waitress had a slim figure and her quick movement had fooled Molly into thinking the woman was younger, but a closer look showed the waitress was probably in her late-fifties. Molly hoped she looked as good when she was that age. Right now, she felt about a hundred. She barely stifled a yawn as the waitress filled her cup with fragrant brew.

  “I'm Doreen, and I'll be back in a jiff to get your order.”

  Molly caught the surprised look on Sam's face when Doreen had said her name. “Is something wrong?”

  Sam shook his head. “No…” He lifted one shoulder in half-shrug. “The waitress was one of my mom's friends. I guess she didn't recognize me.”

  Molly pulled a pencil out of her purse and handed it to Kelsie, who had begun fidgeting. “Here hon, why don't you draw me a picture?” She turned her attention to Sam. “When was the last time you saw her?”

  “At the funerals.” His tone belied the calm expression he wore as he studied his menu.

  Her throat constricted for him. She cleared it and said, “Well, it's pretty busy in here. She probably didn't take a close look.”

  “Oh, I understand. I looked a lot different then. It's just that seeing her reminded me of all the summers I spent here.”

  “This town is so peaceful. I bet you have a ton of great memories.” After her parents had been killed, she found it helped to remember the good times. Not at first—it was too painful—but eventually. It took a while, but she found that the pain that came with the good memories gradually faded, leaving just the happy feelings.

  Sam grunted and took a sip of his coffee. Molly sighed and focused on the menu. She knew Kelsie would want pancakes and bacon with a glass of milk. For herself, she thought scrambled eggs sounded good, with hash browns. She could always steal a bite of Kelsie's pancake to quiet her sweet tooth.

  “You folks ready to order?”

  Molly went first, then Sam. When he finished, Doreen lowered her pad of paper and looked over her half-glasses. “Sammy? Is that you?”

  He nodded. “Yeah. How are you doing, Doreen?”

  “Come here and give me a hug.” She tucked her pad in the back pocket of her jeans. “How are you holding up? You look like you've lost weight.”

  Sam's face colored, but he stood and wrapped his arms around her. His eyes closed for a moment and when he opened them, Molly saw they were bright. He blinked and said, “I'm okay.” He patted his flat belly. “I'd gained weight for the undercover job, but always planned to drop it.” His voice became grim. “It was easier than I thought it would be.”

  Doreen snorted. “Yeah, well, grief will do that to you. When my William passed on, I lost twenty pounds.”

  Sam just nodded, but then must have remembered his manners. “Doreen, this is Molly and her daughter, Kelsie.”

  Doreen eyed Molly with reserve, but held out her hand. “Nice to meet you, Molly.”

  Molly returned the handshake. “Doreen.” Why was she sensing hostility from the older woman?

  Doreen leaned over Kelsie and exclaimed about the beautiful picture. Kelsie beamed and Molly chalked up the hostility to her imagination.

  When the food came, they were all too hungry to talk. Even Kelsie ate without her usual chatter. When the bill came, Molly reached for her purse hanging on the back of her chair, but Sam waved her off.

  When she started to protest, he said, “I’ll get it, Molly. I dragged you all the way up here and you wouldn't have this expense if it weren't for me.”

  It was on the tip of her tongue to remind him that her brother had instigated everything. Sure, he'd brought Sam to her door, but the Ravens would have been chasing him whether Sam had been at her house or not. She let the subject drop when Doreen approached and rested a hand on Sam's shoulder.

  “Sammy, are you staying long? I'm sure some of the old gang would love to see you. Victoria got back in town last week.” The woman leaned in as though telling a secret, but her voice was as loud as before when she said, “She and her husband split up, ya know.”

  Sam shrugged. “We haven't decided how long we'll be here, but tell Victoria I said hello and I'm sorry about her marriage. That's rough.” He held an arm out for Molly and Kelsie to precede him to the front of the diner.

  “I will. She'll be excited to see you again. She's been so upset that she couldn't make it to the funeral services.” Doreen followed them to the door.

  Molly turned at the words and saw Sam's eyes flicker with pain. Didn't Doreen realize how callous she sounded?

  She must have opened her mouth to say something because Sam gave a swift shake of his head. The last thing she wanted to do was add to his discomfort, so she snapped her mouth closed and herded Kelsie back towards the car.

  “We can leave the car parked here. The store is just across the street.”

  The store was tiny, not much bigger than a convenience store, but it still had all the usual departments, just on a smaller scale. Molly chose four apples, a bunch of bananas and a mango. Sam made a face when she asked if he wanted a mango too.

  “Sorry—too slimy for me.”

  She laughed and shook her head. “Oh, but they're so sweet and juicy.”

  His eyebrow rose and a speculative gleam came to his eyes. “Mmm…sounds…delicious.”

  Something about his tone made her face burn and she glanced away. “Kelsie, put the pineapple back. Sponge Bob doesn't really live in one.” Molly wouldn’t have minded buying the pineapple but Kelsie never actually ate the fruit because she didn’t like the texture.

  Sam chuckled. “Hey Kelsie, do you want to split a pint of strawberries with me?”

  Kelsie put the pineapple back and scampered around the shopping cart to stand beside Sam. “I love strawberries!”

  “Smart girl.” He put a pint in the cart and looked directly at Molly. “I wonder if these are sweet and juicy?”

  Certain her cheeks were flaming, Molly cleared her throat and hurried out of the produce section.

  They bought chicken and hamburger in the meat department, some staples, and Sam ran off and came back with two cartons of ice cream. One vanilla, the other Rocky Road. He held them up as if asking permission. She couldn't help laughing at his little boy expression. He tossed in graham crackers, marshmallows and chocolate bars. Molly covered them with a loaf of bread, not wanting Kelsie to see them just yet.

  Molly never would have considered grocery shopping a form of intimacy, but seeing what kind of cereal, bread and vegetables Sam chose told her things about the man. He had a sweet tooth, but also had a penchant for carrots and broccoli.

  They each carried a couple of bags and Kelsie had one bag light enough for her as they made their way back to th
e car.

  Just as they added the last bag to the trunk, a woman sauntered across the street towards them. “Sammy!”

  Sam turned and she caught a flash of annoyance in his expression before a polite smile replaced it. “How are you doing, Victoria?”

  The woman stepped right up to Sam and flung her arms around him. “Oh Sammy, I was so sorry to hear about the loss of your mother and your son. I cried for days when I heard.”

  Sam returned the hug but his posture remained stiff. “Thank-you.” He pulled her arms from around his neck and held her hands in front of him, like a politician on campaign tour. “I see you've spoken to your mother.”

  It didn't take a Rhodes Scholar to figure out that this woman was the recently divorced Victoria. She recognized a woman on the hunt when she saw one. Well, let her have him. It wasn't like Molly was looking for a man.

  Molly shepherded Kelsie into the car, reminding her to buckle up. Then she took a few steps to the back of the car and touched Sam's arm to get his attention. She felt the strange urge to lean into him as she held her hand out to Victoria. “Hello. I'm Molly.”

  Victoria glanced at Molly as though seeing her for the first time then slowly took Molly's hand a brief shake. “I'm Victoria.”

  “Pleased to meet you.” Flashing her teeth in what she hoped was a smile, Molly added, “We met your mother in the diner a little while ago. Lovely woman.”

  Sam's mouth quirked as if he were biting back a grin. It was all Molly could do to hold her own laughter in check.

  Victoria's eyes narrowed as she glanced between the two, but her teeth gleamed as she ran her hands under her hair, lifting it into a loose ponytail. “It sure is hot out here today. I think a swim would feel delicious, don't you?”

  Sam turned towards Molly and snapped his fingers. “Speaking of swimming, we need to stop by the gift shop and get a suit for Kelsie. Did you pack one for yourself?”

  Molly hadn't planned on swimming, but something in the other woman's eyes goaded her to answer, “No, I didn't, but Victoria is right. The water would feel wonderful this afternoon.” She smiled at Victoria. “But we'd better hurry before the ice cream melts.”