The Secret Pond

by Gerri Hill

  He nodded. “Yeah.” He said nothing else and returned to his game.

  “Well?”

  “Well, what?”

  God, he was so difficult sometimes. “What did she say about them?”

  He looked back at her. “They died,” he said, his voice quiet.

  “Her grandparents?”

  “Yes. All of them.”

  “All of them?”

  He nodded. “Her parents, her brother and sister. Their kids too. I used to wear her nephew’s swim trunks,” he said.

  “Did they…did they all live here?”

  “No.”

  He knew more, she could tell. But he was being guarded with his answers. Why? Protecting Lindsey? Protecting her privacy? No…he was too young to know anything about that. Yet…she could tell he was only giving her the minor details, nothing more.

  She walked closer and sat down beside him, nudging him over. “You’ve talked about it? About what happened?”

  He nodded. “She cried,” he said, his young voice only a whisper.

  “And…you told her about your dad?”

  He nodded again, then turned once more to his game.

  Well, if she wanted to know more, she’d obviously have to ask Lindsey. Of course, it wasn’t really any of her business. And apparently, if she’d told Jack about it…and cried while doing so, then Hannah certainly didn’t want to bring it up voluntarily. If the subject came up, if Lindsey felt like sharing, so be it. The same was true of her. Going over all of the horrid details of James’s death wasn’t something she wanted to do. She had finally gotten to the point where James—and his illness—wasn’t constantly on her mind. She wasn’t ready to rehash it all over again. No doubt, neither was Lindsey.

  She stood up, only then noticing that he already had on his new swim shorts and sandals. He was clearly ready to go see Lindsey. Even though she’d said she would wait until three, she decided to go ahead and call her now.

  * * *

  Lindsey averted her eyes when Hannah pulled off her tank top, surprised at her disappointment when she realized that she had indeed bought water shorts. There would be no bikini today. Then she mentally rolled her eyes. Jack’s mom, she reminded herself once again. This was Jack’s mom. This wasn’t some woman she’d met in Dallas—another lesbian—who might be interested in her. Oh hell…like she had something to offer someone anyway.

  Wasn’t that why Teri stopped coming around? Yeah, it was. Teri had tried to talk to her, had tried to console her, but Lindsey hadn’t been receptive to it. She and Teri were…well, they’d been dating for a while, but Teri had never met her family. That right there should have told her something. She had had little desire to introduce Teri to them and Teri had never pushed. After the accident, well, Teri had apparently grown tired of trying to reach her. Little by little, she’d simply stopped coming around, stopped calling. And at first, she hadn’t even missed her. She tilted her head slightly. Had she ever really missed her?

  When she heard a splash, she turned back around, finding Hannah in the river with Jack. They were both smiling which in turn made Lindsey smile. Hannah was attractive…cute. And she looked like a goddess in a bikini, she admitted. And she was also Jack’s mom—a very straight woman—and they were becoming friends. It would be nice to have a friend…an adult friend. When she’d moved out here that had been the least of her concerns. The friends she’d left behind in Dallas had stopped calling, had stopped trying to contact her, much like Teri had done. She simply hadn’t had the energy or desire to maintain those relationships.

  Now? Well, Jack had wormed his way into her heart and time spent with him was as satisfying as any relationship she’d left behind. And now Hannah? While Jack may have been a carbon copy of his father when it came to looks, his personality certainly seemed to be like his mother’s. Hannah was game for pretty much anything they’d suggested. A swift smile could light her face, much like Jack. Yet her eyes turned serious just as quickly…again, much like Jack.

  “You coming in?”

  The question was from Hannah, not Jack. Lindsey let her eyes drift over to meet hers, seeing the questions in them. She smiled and nodded.

  “Yeah…just lost in thought there for a minute,” she said truthfully.

  She took her shirt off and tossed it on the deck next to Hannah’s. She then took ahold of the rope and swung out into the river to join them. Jack was already getting out and hurrying back to the deck to take another swing on the rope. She swam over to Hannah who was holding her fanny floater, and she got in, resting her arms on the sides of it as her body was submerged.

  “Where did you get that? I kinda like it,” Hannah said.

  “Oh, I don’t even remember. Ordered it online a few years ago. But we’ve got two others,” she offered. “Well, not here.” No, they were at the pond, the pond that Hannah didn’t know existed. “I’ll bring one for you the next time, if you want.”

  “If it wouldn’t be too much trouble, I’d like to try it.”

  “Mom…watch!”

  Hannah, with her hands, moved her tube out of the way as Jack did a Tarzan yell and landed a few feet away, splashing them with water.

  Lindsey splashed him back, causing him to laugh. She turned back to Hannah. “You can try mine, if you’d like. I’ll take the tube.” She could tell Hannah was about to refuse, so she slipped out into the water and held on to Hannah’s tube. “I don’t mind. Give it a try.”

  “Okay.”

  Hannah rolled out of her tube and disappeared under water for a moment, coming up with a smile on her face. She placed her hand on it next to Lindsey’s, wiping the hair out of her eyes with her other hand.

  “The water feels great.”

  Lindsey nodded. “I’m glad you called when you did. Later in the afternoon, by five, this is all in the shade.”

  “See,” Jack said. “I told you.”

  Lindsey raised her eyebrows. “What?”

  “She wanted to wait,” he said. “She said—”

  “Jack,” Hannah said quickly. “Must you repeat everything I say?”

  He laughed. “It’s just Lindsey.”

  Lindsey looked at her. “You said what?”

  Hannah gave her a quick smile. “I don’t want us to become pests,” she said. “I told him if we were going to have dinner with you, we shouldn’t take up your whole afternoon too.”

  Lindsey pushed the fanny floater in Hannah’s direction. She took it and slipped onto the seat.

  “Oh, yeah…this is great,” she said with a grin. “No wonder you like it best.”

  “Yeah. I’ll bring another down here.”

  She climbed on top of the tube, but it wasn’t effortless like the fanny floater. She found Hannah and Jack watching her as she settled on top, her feet dangling in the water, as were her hands.

  “I don’t have a lot of things to occupy my time, so I was happy you called when you did,” she admitted. “I already had everything set up for dinner. I was just waiting around for your call anyway.”

  “What are we having?” Jack asked. “Burgers?”

  “Well, your mother and I are having steaks. You can have a burger if you’d like but I bought a small steak, in case you want that.”

  He tilted his head thoughtfully. “I don’t know yet. I’ll let you know.” He left his noodle behind and swam toward shore. “What will the dogs eat?” he called when he got to shore.

  “Whatever you don’t, I guess.” She looked at Hannah. “Steak is okay, right?”

  Hannah smiled and nodded. “Oh, yeah. I haven’t had a good steak since…well, since James was still able to cook.” Her smile faded completely. “More months than I can recall, really.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said automatically.

  Hannah waved her apology away. “I wouldn’t dare say this in front of Jack, but it was almost a relief when it was over with. James had been in so much pain, and there was nothing I could do for him. The last month had been…well, horrible really.�
�� She looked at Jack who was taking hold of the rope. “About two weeks before the end, when James was still somewhat coherent, he begged me to…to…well, we had morphine.”

  Hannah stopped talking and without thinking, Lindsey reached over and touched her hand. Hannah looked at her, meeting her gaze.

  “I wish I’d been strong enough to do it,” she said in a whisper as Jack landed in the water close to them.

  Lindsey said nothing as Jack swam over, holding on to her tube with his elbows. His eyes were sharp though, as he watched them.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Lindsey removed her hand from Hannah’s quickly. “Nothing, buddy,” she said. She splashed at him playfully. “You want to try something different?”

  “Sure. What?”

  She wiggled her eyebrows at him. “We both go off the rope at the same time.”

  “Oh…cool!”

  He was already swimming back to shore before she could even get out of the tube. After several long strokes, she almost caught up with him, but he felt her gaining and as soon as he touched bottom, he ran through the water laughing, causing Barney and Max to run into the water to meet him.

  Lindsey scooped him up in her arms, causing him to squeal with laughter. She put him right back down, then beat him to the deck by two steps.

  He was still laughing as he leaned against her, catching his breath. Both dogs were up on the deck with them. Lindsey paused to glance at Hannah, who was smiling at them. She grinned back, then took the rope with her hands, holding it higher than she normally did.

  “When we get over the water, you’ve got to let loose first or else I’ll land on top of you, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  She pulled the rope back, holding it high. His small hands grabbed above the last knot. She looked down at him.

  “Ready?”

  “Ready.”

  “One…two…three!” she yelled, taking a running start. She pushed off, feeling the weight of Jack on the rope, trying to get far enough out into the deep water. “Jump!”

  He let go and then she did too, landing several yards past him. When she surfaced, she glanced to the deck just in time. Both dogs, led by Max, jumped off the deck and splashed out into the river, swimming fast toward them. Jack was clapping as he bobbed in the water, then Hannah shoved his noodle toward him, just seconds before the dogs got there.

  “They did it! They did it!”

  She swam over to her tube, not getting in but using it as a float. Max swam near her, and she patted his head as he turned and headed back to shore.

  “Good dog.”

  “I can’t believe they did that,” Hannah said. “Not after their refusal yesterday.”

  “I guess they thought they were missing out on the fun.”

  “Can we do it again?” Jack asked.

  “You’ve started something now,” Hannah murmured with a smile.

  Lindsey arched an eyebrow. “You want to take a turn?”

  “No, no. I’ll watch.”

  The dogs were ready this time. They started running as soon as Lindsey did and she was afraid that either Jack would land on them or vice versa. Unwarranted fear, it turned out. Without them already in the water, the dogs did little more than fall off the deck. Jack landed well away from them and Lindsey followed.

  She finally climbed back inside her tube, signaling an end to the jumping. She eyed the cooler, wondering if Hannah would mind if she sent Jack over to get a beer. Hannah must have read her mind.

  “Yeah, a beer sounds good and I haven’t even done anything.” Hannah turned to Jack. “Would you be a sweetheart and get two beers for us from the cooler?”

  He grinned. “Only if I can have a Coke.”

  “I suppose you’ve earned it.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  To say Hannah loved the deck would be an understatement. It was a massive three-level affair with the second level being the cooking deck. Bench seats were built against the railings and several chairs were also placed about. The table—a table that could easily hold twelve people—was up on the main deck nearer the house. The third level was smaller, wrapping around the second. She wondered if it was used for anything other than a walkway. There were no chairs there.

  Large oaks shaded the area, blocking out the late afternoon sun. Jack was sitting in the shade, playing on his iPad. The dogs were lying near him, both asleep. Lindsey was still inside, showering and changing into dry clothes. Hannah had planned only to change, but Lindsey had offered her a shower as well and she’d accepted. Jack, however, had simply changed into dry shorts and a clean T-shirt, leaving his feet bare. When she’d gone back outside, he was already perched where he was now, having found his iPad in her bag.

  “Do you come over here much?” she asked him.

  He looked up and nodded. “Sometimes. I help her fill the bird feeders and the deer feeders.” He pointed between a couple of smaller oaks. “I haven’t seen them, but Lindsey says the deer come to eat right before dark.”

  Hannah followed his gaze, seeing the feeder up on a tripod. Bird feeders hung from the low branches of the trees, and she spotted several cardinals at them. It was a very inviting scene, and she wondered why she hadn’t thought to put up bird feeders at their house. Probably because she’d been trying so hard to turn the inside into their house, she hadn’t given the outside much thought, other than to make sure the grass was mowed. Lindsey, like them, had a very small yard as the natural landscape crept close to the house.

  She walked around to the other side of the deck, taking in the house itself. It appeared to be about the same size as theirs—three bedrooms—but this one looked like it had been remodeled recently as the interior was much more modern than their own. Through the windows, she saw movement and watched as Lindsey went back into the kitchen. She was in shorts and flip-flops now and instead of a tank top, which is what she usually wore whenever Hannah had seen her, she was wearing a dark T-shirt. Hannah walked back over toward Jack when she saw Lindsey coming back out.

  “Hannah?”

  “Over here,” she said.

  “You want wine?”

  “I would love some. Can I help with anything?”

  Lindsey nodded. “Sure. You can scrub the potatoes and get them in the oven. I’ve got a marinade chilling, and I need to get that on the steaks.” She looked over at Jack. “Did you decide what you want?”

  “I guess a steak. Mom can make me a burger anytime.”

  “Okay. Barney and Max get the burger then.”

  Hannah followed her inside to the kitchen. It, too, was large like her own. The appliances were new compared to the ancient ones she used.

  “Recently remodeled?”

  Lindsey nodded. “Four or five years ago, I guess. My grandmother was a big cook so she was lost without her kitchen for the few weeks it was torn apart.” She motioned out to the deck. “The grill got a lot of use during that time.”

  Hannah watched her for a moment, noting the shadow that crossed her face. Then Lindsey pushed it away and she smiled. “Potatoes are by the sink. Scrub brush should be in the second drawer.”

  Hannah found it and went about the business of washing and scrubbing the russets. They were huge, and she knew she’d never be able to eat the whole thing. She and Jack could probably share one. When Lindsey spoke, Hannah wondered if she could read her mind.

  “I know they’re big, but Max thinks it’s quite a treat to get my leftover potato. With Barney here too, I figured they wouldn’t go to waste.”

  “They get spoiled quickly, don’t they?”

  “I’ll say.”

  Lindsey placed a glass of wine next to her, a deep red. Hannah put the potato down and picked up the glass, swirling the liquid slowly before taking a sip. “Mmm. Very good,” she murmured. “Thank you.”

  It didn’t take long to wash the three potatoes. She wondered how Lindsey normally prepared them. Again, as if reading her mind…

  “I usually just stab them with a for
k and toss them in the oven,” Lindsey said. “But if you do something different…like put them in foil and add olive oil or something, feel free. I’m not picky in the least.”

  “Yes, I do them like that sometimes, but I actually like them better just baked on the rack.”

  So as Lindsey poured a delicious smelling marinade over three thick steaks—one only slightly smaller than the other two—she pierced the potatoes with a fork and set them on the rack before turning the oven on. Lindsey left the steaks on the counter, then topped off their wineglasses before leading the way back outside.

  “Jack says you feed the deer.”

  “Yeah. They’ll be out before too long. At first, they were pretty shy. I think it was because of Max. My grandparents didn’t have a dog. But after a while, they got used to us being out here and they came right up.” Lindsey pulled two chairs over to the side of the deck. “You can see them best from over here,” she said. “Jack? You want something to drink?”

  He looked at Hannah instead of Lindsey. “Can I have another Coke?” he asked hopefully.

  “I’ve got some juice,” Lindsey offered.

  He wrinkled up his nose, and Lindsey laughed, turning to her. “So a Coke?”

  “I guess.” She turned to him and winked. “Don’t get spoiled, mister.”

  He grinned and hurried into the house, presumably to get his Coke. Hannah turned to Lindsey, who had settled in the chair next to her.

  “I take it he’s familiar with your house?”

  “Well…he’s been here a few times,” Lindsey said vaguely.

  She reached over and touched her arm quickly. “I wasn’t asking because it upsets me,” she explained. “It’s just…well, I’ve got some catching up to do with you two.”

  Lindsey nodded. “Okay…well, then yeah, he’s been over here a handful of times.” She smiled. “He’s pretty handy with filling bird feeders.”

  “I saw some cardinals at yours,” she said. “I was just thinking that I need to put one up myself.”

  “Birdwatching…it was one of my grandmother’s passions,” Lindsey said, her eyes drawn to the feeders. “Along with gardening. I’m afraid I’ve neglected her vegetable garden, though. If I don’t do something with it this fall, I’ll definitely try to plant something in the spring.”