by Sharon Sala
And then he racked the pipes and she almost jumped out of her skin.
***
T. J. had turkey and dressing at Granny’s Kitchen, played poker in the back room of the Eight Ball with the Wilder brothers, and had struck out all the way around when it came to taking a bed partner home for the night.
Both of the waitresses he’d expected to see were off duty, and after driving by the Goodhope Bed and Breakfast and seeing the parking lot full of cars, he’d completely given up on the idea of contacting Rachel. He could always jack off, but he liked it better with a partner.
He was bored and cruising neighborhoods, because that’s what predators did, when he saw a tall, blond woman striding down the sidewalk a distance ahead.
Both the build and the stride were familiar, but it took him a few moments to place her as the woman from the pharmacy, the one who had ignored him.
“Bingo!” he said softly, and racked the pipes on his truck, which he liked to think of as his mechanical wolf whistle.
He knew she heard him, but when she didn’t break stride or look back, he frowned and did it again.
“Hey, blondie! I’m talking to you,” he muttered.
When she still didn’t stop, he rethought his options, tapped the brakes on his truck to slow down, then followed a half block behind her for the next three blocks, just to see what she would do next.
***
The dishes were done, the kitchen had been put back to rights, and the old friends were back in the living room.
Mike had already taken Honey home and returned, expecting to face LilyAnn and her bad attitude, only she wasn’t home. It made him uneasy, but he seemed to be the only one concerned. When he mentioned her absence, both women pooh-poohed the notion and that was that.
He watched the clock as time continued to pass, and when he heard a driver out in the street suddenly rack the pipes on a hot rod, he frowned. That sounded like the truck Gene Bissell’s nephew was driving around. He glanced up, expecting to see it go past the window at any moment. But it didn’t. When the pipes rattled again, he got up and moved to the window.
At that point, his heart sank. It was Gene Bissell’s nephew all right, but he was following LilyAnn in an obvious attempt to get her attention. The only positive in the whole blessed scene was that LilyAnn seemed to be ignoring him.
Then he saw her suddenly break stride and bolt across her neighbor’s yard and into hers. There was a moment when their gazes connected. He saw her frown at him and realized it probably appeared like he was spying on her. But before he could react, the driver sped past to cut her off and she quickly spun around.
Shocked by the abruptness of the move, he headed for the door. But by the time he got it open, LilyAnn was standing in the yard with her feet planted and a hand on her hip. It was high school revisited, and the nightmare of Randy Joe had just come back to haunt him all over again.
Rage, coupled with defeat, washed over him. He stepped back and slammed the door so hard the windows rattled.
His mother looked up, frowning.
“Good Lord, Michael, I thought I—”
He walked right past her, through the kitchen, and out the door without looking back. It had been years since he’d gone over the fence between their yards, and it wasn’t the smartest thing to do considering the remaining restrictions from his surgery, but he wasn’t in a sane frame of mind.
He vaulted the fence and went in through the kitchen door, slamming it just as hard. This was it. He was done. It was time to face the fact that she didn’t have a single brain in her head when it came to picking men.
***
LilyAnn was not happy. She’d wanted to look better to garner male attention, but not like this. The man didn’t even know who she was, and yet he was following her in a very threatening manner, like a wolf on the prowl. It bordered on stalking, which made her realize that anything she’d ever thought about entertaining his advances had been based on fantasies, not facts.
She was less than three houses from home and had lengthened her stride to just short of running. And still he followed. When she suddenly cut across her next-door neighbor’s yard to get to her porch, he raced past her and then parked at an angle against the curb. Before she knew it, he was out of the truck and waving her down.
“Hey! Hey, honey! Do you have a minute?”
She caught a glimpse of Mike’s face in the window: disapproving, even judging her. It pissed her off to no end. At that point, her good sense went into the house on its own and left LilyAnn standing out in the yard.
She turned on one heel to face her stalker instead of ignoring him and, as she did, heard her front door open, but she was so focused on taking the pervert down that it never occurred to her what Mike would do.
Suddenly, the door slammed behind her so hard that she expected to hear glass break. She turned to look, but the door was still on its hinges and the windows were whole. Her heart was pounding; her head felt like it was going to explode. She shouldn’t have downed that last bottle of hard lemonade, and she shouldn’t have stopped in the yard. Her mama had warned her not to talk to strangers. And this one was still talking.
“Hey, honey. Can we talk?”
She sighed. Why did she ever think she wanted to get a man’s attention? They were nothing but trouble. All of a sudden she heard another door slam and realized it was the back door at Mike’s house. Her eyes widened. He’d gone over the fence just so he wouldn’t have to look at her again? What had she done that was so wrong? He showed up with a girlfriend out of the blue, and that was okay, but this wasn’t?
Angry with men in general, she lit into Lachlan.
“Who are you, and what do you think you’re doing?”
T. J. blinked. “Uh, I’m T. J. Lachlan, Gene Bissell’s nephew, and I was just trying to say hello.”
“Well, I didn’t know that. I don’t know you. From my standpoint, a stranger is following me and just so you know… it felt like I was being stalked. You need to get in your truck and go away now because whatever you’re selling, I’m not interested.”
Now T. J. was pissed. Women didn’t talk to him like this. Ever.
“Look, lady, I was just—”
“Whatever your intent, it missed. You scared me, and I’m not interested. Go away.”
He took off his hat and flashed a grin.
“I’m sorry I frightened you. Can we start over?”
“No,” Lily said. “I’ve already told you to leave, and you’re still standing in my yard. I’ve got a lot of family in the house behind me. Do I need to get someone to come show you the way out of town?”
“You don’t need to do anything, bitch,” T. J. snapped. “I was just trying to be friendly.”
“Well, you have a strange way of showing it and it didn’t work. I want you to leave, and don’t ever talk to me again.”
She turned on her heel and strode into her house, and once more, the door at the Bronte house rattled on its hinges.
T. J. felt like he’d just had his nose shoved in the dirt, and he didn’t like it. It made him feel too much like he’d felt the night he’d come home from work and found Laverne’s goodbye note. He stomped back to his truck and laid rubber all the way to the end of the block.
Lily was still fuming when she turned and locked the door behind her.
“Who was the guy you were talking to?” Grace asked.
“Oh… Mr. Bissell’s nephew. He’s a creep. I thought I wanted to get back into the dating game, but I must have been out of my mind. Men are nuts! All of them! Nuts!”
The shock on their faces was evident. She shuddered as the adrenaline of all that rage and indignation began to crash.
“I’m so sorry for making a scene,” she said. “I wanted this day to be perfect. You’re all the family I have, and you mean the world to me.”
They gathered around her, patting and hugging her.
“Don’t be silly, Lilybug,” Grace said. “This day was perfect, and you di
dn’t ruin a thing.”
“But I did,” she said, as tears began rolling down her face. “Mike has a girlfriend, which means I just lost my best friend. He’s just as dead to me as Daddy and Randy Joe. The only difference this time is that I don’t have to bury him.”
Her shoulders slumped as she went to her bedroom and locked herself in. She didn’t want to talk to anyone about Mike. She didn’t want to hear his name or see his face. And, she hoped he and the redhead with the hundred-watt smile would be very happy—bless their hearts.
***
LilyAnn cried herself to sleep that night and, as a result, woke up the next morning with a headache of massive proportions. She washed some painkillers down with coffee and toast as her mom and Eddie were carrying their things out to the car.
Grace hated to leave when Lily was this upset, but she knew her presence wasn’t going to change the outcome. Either Mike and LilyAnn would figure it out, or they wouldn’t.
“Are you going to be all right?” Grace asked, as she hugged LilyAnn good-bye.
LilyAnn rolled her eyes. “Of course I’ll be all right. I have passed the stage of dwelling on my sorrows and accepted that life kicks you in the teeth now and then to remind you that you’re never in charge.”
Grace smiled. “You do have a way with words, honey.”
Eddie gave her a hug. “Hang in there, kiddo. Stay tough and don’t change whatever it is you’ve been doing, because you look amazing.”
“Thanks, Eddie. Y’all drive safe, okay? And tell your daughter I said congratulations.”
“We’ll do that,” he said, and headed out the door, leaving Grace and Lily alone.
Grace cupped her daughter’s face. “Yesterday was amazing. Thank you for such a wonderful dinner and for surprising me with Carol and Don’s presence. It was the best surprise ever.”
Lily shrugged. “I had nothing to do with their presence. I just invited them to dinner after they arrived in town.”
“However it happened, it was the best. Thank you. I love you. And call me if you just want to talk. I’m still your mama. I care what happens to you.”
Now Lily was struggling with tears. “I know. I’ll be fine. Go on now. Eddie’s waiting.”
Moments later, Grace was out the door.
Lily stood on the porch, waving as they drove away, and then the moment they were gone, went back inside to get her coat and car keys. It was time to go to work, and with a sky threatening rain, this wasn’t a day for walking.
***
Mike’s parents left the day after the doctor released him to drive. The silence in the house mirrored the emptiness he was feeling.
LilyAnn was confronted daily by T. J., who had turned into a real-life stalker. He never spoke, but the looks he gave her said volumes.
All of this and it was only the second week in December.
The next day Baby Jesus turned up missing from the manger at the Catholic church, which turned into the topic of conversation at The Curl Up and Dye.
Ruby started a pool that day for anyone who wanted to play. For a dollar, they were to guess how the Baby Jesus would be dressed when it showed back up, and the one closest to the truth got the money, which would then be given to Father Benton for the poor box.
Once word got around, people from all over town stopped by to add their selection to the pool. It was all in fun and all for a good cause, and the business was good for the shop.
Sue Beamon had just paid her dollar and guessed the baby would come back dressed as Honey Boo Boo, a little girl from a TV reality show.
Ruby thought it was a ridiculous choice considering Baby Jesus was a boy, not a girl, but Sue was oblivious. She thought Honey Boo Boo was cute, and that was the end of that.
When Patty June Clymer came in the shop for her appointment decked out in designer clothes straight from the designers’ own shops in Milan, the pool for Baby Jesus took a momentary lull.
Patty June was still sporting the black hair and the short, spiky style Ruby had given her after her husband’s betrayal. She looked ten years younger and a lot less uptight than she had when she left.
She sat down in Ruby’s styling chair for a trim and immediately began fielding questions about her trip to Italy.
“Were the men good-looking?” Vesta asked.
“Did you make friends with anyone while you were there?” Vera countered.
Patty June rolled her eyes. “I didn’t meet anyone I care to see again, and I cannot describe how pretty Italian men are. I mean it, y’all. Black curly hair, beautiful faces, sexy eyes, and they love the women. I wouldn’t trust one as far as I could throw him, but they sure are pretty to look at.”
Laughter ricocheted through the salon, and that’s what LilyAnn heard as she opened the door. She saw Patty June and sauntered to the back to say hello.
“Hey, Patty June. I heard you and your slide show were a big hit at the Rose Garden Club meeting. It’s good to see you again.”
Patty June’s eyes widened. “LilyAnn? My stars, girl! You look amazing!”
“Thanks,” Lily said.
Ruby’s eyes narrowed. She’d heard through the grapevine that Mike had a new girlfriend, which meant Mike had taken her advice on trying to make Lily jealous. What she didn’t know was if it was working. She eyed Lily closely but couldn’t tell anything. LilyAnn had crawled back into her old quiet self with that emotionless mask.
“Did you come to play the pool?” Ruby asked.
Lily nodded. “Here’s my dollar.”
“Go write your name up on the chart on the wall along with your guess. If you win, you get to present Father Benton with the money.”
“Cool idea, Sister,” Lily said.
She dropped her dollar in the money jar and wrote her name and guess on the chart, then walked out without looking back.
Mabel Jean was doing Rachel’s nails. “Hey! What did she write?”
Vera went over to look, then burst out laughing.
“Santa’s elf. That’s a good one.”
Patty June continued to regale them with stories of her trip, while Lily began the walk back to the pharmacy.
She was at the intersection as the light for traffic turned red, which gave her the right of way to cross. She was about to step off the curb when she heard T. J.’s truck and cringed. She kept remembering one of her grandma’s sayings about being careful of what you wish for.
Disgusted with him and the situation in general, she started across the crosswalk. As she did, he revved the engine and let the truck jump forward just enough to make her think he might run over her. She stopped in the middle of the crosswalk and flipped him off, then kept on going.
***
T. J. was livid. No matter what he did, she didn’t respond in the way he expected. It was her defiance and her lack of fear that continued to surprise him. His reaction to her continued rejection was visceral. He watched her hips swaying and her arms swinging and wished he had her flat on her back beneath him, begging for mercy.
Someone honked behind him. He jumped as he realized the light had turned green and accelerated too fast through the intersection just as a cop drove by. He cursed when he saw the cop do a quick U-turn and flip on his lights. On top of everything else, he was about to get a ticket. It was the bitch’s fault for putting him in such a foul mood.
***
Baby Jesus showed up in the manger the next day dressed as Yoda from Star Wars. The picture was on the front page of the local paper.
Myra Franklin from the flower shop, Pots and Posies, won the pool at The Curl Up and Dye because she guessed Darth Vader. Since her guess had been from the Star Wars cast, she was named the winner. That evening, she presented Father Benton with over two hundred dollars. A photographer from the local paper came and took their picture at the manger, with the Baby Jesus in his green robes and pointy ears lying between them.
It was a good ending to a weird week.
Chapter 12
The next week passed in a
flurry of Christmas shoppers and an outbreak of flu in Blessings, which made the pharmacy one of the busiest businesses on Main Street. Mr. Phillips had already hired two extra clerks for the holiday season, taking some of the pressure off LilyAnn and Mitchell, but since the weather was no longer conducive to walking to work, Lily wasn’t getting in enough exercise to continue her weight-loss program.
Her only option was to go back to the fitness center. It would be miserable for her, and she knew Mike would hate it, which is why she finally decided to do it. She didn’t understand why the jerk was mad at her when he should be concentrating on his girlfriend, and if her presence ticked him off, then so much the better. Once that decision had been made, she began using her lunch hour for workouts. Mike might hate her guts, but Stewart considered her a hero for saving Mike’s life and she’d happily settle for one smiling face.
Today, as she started to leave the pharmacy, the rain that had been threatening all morning began to come down. She backtracked to her locker for an umbrella, then made a run for it.
***
When Mike saw her come in, his heart told him to go talk to her, but his stubborn streak won as he went into his office and shut the door. He was still so mad he couldn’t look at her without wanting to shake her senseless.
Lily saw him bolt and ignored the spurt of pain as she approached the front counter.
Stewart had also seen her come in and was ready for her with a towel and a locker key.
“Hey there, LilyAnn. It’s sure coming down outside, isn’t it?”
She nodded and headed for the women’s lockers to change her clothes and shoes. A few minutes later she was on the treadmill listening to Alvin and the Chipmunks singing “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” on her iPod. It was far from inspiring, but it had the right rhythm for her workout. Her head was down, her back to the spa area, as she concentrated on her stride, so she missed seeing Honey Andrews at the counter writing a ticket for the massage she’d just given.
