by Lyn Cote
While Annie masking-taped the large front windows, standing on an old ladder that came with the store, Patience began washing down the walls with a sponge mop and Claire started cleaning the small kitchen area in the back room.
Jack began sweeping the floor in the main room and tried hard not to keep looking at Annie. What is going on with me? He couldn’t figure out why, but—after all the years they’d worked together—it was as though an invisible thread now connected him to Annie. She couldn’t make the slightest move without his being aware of it.
Thoughts of Dr. Collins and Dick Witte kept rolling around in Jack’s mind. He’d verified that both of them had the knowledge of computers to qualify as suspects. But he hadn’t connected either with what had happened at Hope—yet.
“Annie,” Patience asked over her shoulder, “what’s the latest on Melissa and Troy?”
Jack listened intently, his concern for the two little guys bobbing up inside.
Claire spoke up before Annie replied. “Earlier this week Troy called me to ask about the separate maintenance papers he was served with. What’s that all about?”
Annie turned on the ladder to face them. “Melissa has agreed to put that on hold,” Annie replied, “as long as she can visit the twins in the evenings and on weekends when she’s free.”
Jack didn’t like the worry in Annie’s voice. Why couldn’t Melissa just settle things with her husband? On the other hand, Troy hadn’t acted like a reasonable man the other night. Why did this happen—people who said they loved one another suddenly turning against one another? He pushed away unhappy memories of his parent’s breakup.
“I just don’t get this,” Claire said from the back room. “When Troy called me, he didn’t even sound like himself.”
“It’s been pretty tense,” Patience agreed, swabbing the wall with long strokes.
“I tried to talk to Melissa and she was...angry,” Claire added. “I’ve never seen her act like that either.”
“Divorce brings out the worst in people,” Jack muttered.
“Hello!” A voice from the front door greeted them.
Jack turned...to see his mom and Mike Petrov walk in together.
“We came to give you a hand.” Sandy beamed.
Jack frowned at Mike, who was resting his hand on Mom’s shoulder. And then he told his face to relax. Why did it bother him so to see a nice guy show interest in his mom?
He studied the screen and tried not to feel... stupid. That guy Lasater knew his stuff, all right. For a minute, he thought about just quitting, just letting that computer nerd win. The feeling didn’t last long. His pride smarted. I’m not stupid. I did it before, I can do it now. I can get through this. I can. I’ll just take it step by step. I don’t have to hurry. Nobody’s timing me.
Chapter 9
In the week since Jack and Annie and company had finished refurbishing the storefront, he’d let his concern over his mother and Mike Petrov and their relationship simmer. At least a hundred times, he’d told himself not to pry into his mother’s personal business. She and Mike might just becoming friends—and that was good, right? He didn’t want his mom hurt, but with her progressive disability, how could she avoid it? What man would want her in a wheelchair? It wasn’t right, but that’s how the world thought. I don’t want her to get hurt again.
Today, before work on a bright, unusually warm morning for late June, he drove to his mom’s house and got out of the car, ready to find out what was going on. He’d use tact but he needed to find out.
“Hi, Jack!” Mr. Pulaski, sporting his favorite straw gardening hat, greeted him over the fence.
Jack paused, realizing how grateful he was that Mr. Pulaski was his mom’s neighbor. Jack could always count on the retired cop to keep an eye on his mom. “Hi, how’re you?”
“Great.” Mr. Pulaski motioned toward Jack’s mother’s backyard. “Your mom’s carpenter is doing wonderful work. He’s already got the slab poured and he’s getting the frame up.”
Jack followed the neighbor’s gesture and saw that his mother’s addition was indeed taking shape. A cement foundation and wooden frame now connected the house and garage. But the progress aggravated rather than pleased him. Why had she hired someone who might end up hurting her?
“I like that guy,” Mr. Pulaski went on. “He’s a good worker and your mom’s smiling and laughing all the time when he’s here.”
Not the least reassured, Jack felt his jaw tighten.
“It’s about time your mother found someone who appreciates her. Your father didn’t know what he had till he left. But that’s ancient history. It’s just that I’m happy for Sandy. And she says that Mike’s been alone for a lotta years, too.”
Jack held his tongue, but it was a challenge. He didn’t want to think badly of Mike, but based on Jack’s experience, his mother could only be hurt when the job ended and Mike left the scene. Jack merely nodded. “See you, Mr. Pulaski.”
Mr. Pulaski turned back to weeding his flower bed.
Jack strode inside the back door. “Mom! It’s me, Jack.”
His mom, dressed in faded jeans and a rumpled T-shirt, entered the kitchen with only a slight halt in her gait. “Jack, how nice. I didn’t expect to see you today.”
Why was she dressed in her yard-work clothes? He shrugged. “Just stopped by to say hi and then I’m off to the office.”
She hugged him tight once and then turned to the counter. “You’ve been busy and so have I. Did you see how far we’ve gotten out back?”
He nodded and sat down at the table.
His mother silently offered him a cup of morning coffee, and he tried to come up with a way to broach the subject: Uh, Mom, what is it with you and Mike Petrov? No, too blunt. Mom, you seem to be spending a lot of time with Mike Petrov... Instead, he blurted out, “Did you know Dad’s engaged again?” He cringed inside. That was the last thing he’d wanted to say.
“Yes,” his mom replied, pouring two cups of coffee, “I’ve met her.”
“You’ve met her?” Jack stared at his mother. “Why?”
“Cliff told me about her and they dropped by...oh, several months ago, on their way to some fund-raiser or something. She seemed very nice.”
“What is she, a blonde with plenty of cleavage?” Jack couldn’t hold back the sarcasm.
“Jack!” Sandy scolded. “I don’t like your tone.”
He did a slow burn. Why did his mother always take his dad’s side? He dourly sipped his hot coffee.
Sandy sat down across from him. She touched his hand. “Jack, when your father left me for someone else, he made a mistake and he paid for it. Let it go.”
You mean you paid for it. But Jack made no reply.
“And for your information—” Sandy pulled her hand away and sat back in her chair “—Gloria is a widow about my age and has one grandchild.” Jack’s mouth dropped open.
“You’re kidding.”
Sandy shook her head no.
Jack digested this new information. “He wants me to meet her.”
“You should.”
Jack didn’t like the grumpy feeling that was taking him over, but he didn’t seem to be able to control it. So go ahead and ask. “What’s with you and Mike?”
His mother paused in the act of lifting her mug to her lips. She stared at him.
His grumpiness increased and he felt his neck warm around his collar.
“Mike,” his mom said in a slow, even tone, “is a very good man. I enjoy his company and find him attractive. And the rest is none of your business. I never ask about whom you are seeing—”
“Are you seeing him?” Jack knew he shouldn’t ask this, but he couldn’t keep his mouth shut. He’d done that for weeks already.
“But,” his mom continued as though she hadn’t heard his question, “I think I should ask, when are you going to start looking for a wife?”
“A wife?” What?
“Yes, when are you going to break out of your preoccupation with
computer viruses and look around for a wife? Am I going to have to wait until I’m in my sixties before I become a grandmother?” she challenged him over the rim of her cup. “Remember he who finds a wife finds a good thing,” she paraphrased the scripture.
Why were women always trying to match everyone up? He wasn’t a match—period. Then he remembered kissing Annie and realized that he’d been wanting to repeat that very interesting experiment. His neck became warmer. He took a bracing sip of coffee. “I don’t think about marriage.” He’d never said these words, but hadn’t he always felt that way? Uncertainty coiled its way through his midsection. “I don’t think I’d be a good husband, or father, for that matter.”
“You’re great with Melissa’s twins. You’d be an excellent father—”
The back door opened. “Hi, Sandy, it’s me. Ready to start work?” Mike in work clothes walked into the kitchen.
Jack glared at his mother.
In return, Sandy smiled at him and whispered, “I love you, but mind your own business.”
In the freshly redecorated storefront office, Annie had been wondering what had kept Jack from coming in early as usual. Now she looked up from behind her desk as Jack walked—make that stalked—in. What was up with Jack? She was used to his preoccupation and not greeting her when his mind was busy with some puzzle, but this was not that.
She didn’t know what was wrong, but she did know now that she would have to build up to her announcement, prepare him. She followed him to his desk at the rear. I just know he’s forgotten. Maybe I shouldn’t go. If things weren’t so “different,” so up in the air this year...
Jack parked himself at his computer and tapped its keys hard enough to break the keyboard.
From a few feet in front of him, Annie stared at his bent head. The summer sun had begun highlighting the auburn in his hair. He needed a haircut and the hair at his nape was curling up, enticing her to smooth it down. She folded her hands together instead. “What’s up?”
“Nothing.” He didn’t even glance her way.
“Did the hacker break in again?”
Now he looked up, his handsome faced twisted into a disgruntled frown. “No. Why would you ask that?”
She walked forward and sat down in the chair by his desk—entering dangerous territory, dangerous since she might reveal her too-keen fascination with this maddening man. “Well, something’s got your socks in a wad—what?”
Moving his jaw as if chewing angry words, very tough gristly ones, he stared at her. “Nothing.” He forced out this single word at last “Where’s Patience?” He motioned toward the desk nearest the front door. “Why isn’t she at her desk?”
Annie glanced around, proud again of what they’d done with the place. Two coats of white on the walls and a new finish on the seasoned hardwood floor, and the place gleamed. “She’s at a teacher’s job fair downtown.”
Undeterred by this ploy, Annie eyed him. If the man spent half as much time trying to communicate with other humans as he did trying to avoid it... “Did something happen?”
“Your father—” he began.
The quaint little bell on the door, left over from the hardware store, jingled. Annie glanced around and saw Troy’s great-grandmother, whom the twins called Staramama, barreling in.
Uncertain, Annie rose, “moths” with feathery wings fluttering in her stomach. “Good morning. What brings you here today?”
Very plump, with white hair like spun sugar and dressed in navy polyester pants and flowered blouse, Staramama drew herself up to her full height, five feet and no inches. She shook a gnarled finger with several rings on it in Annie’s face. “You gotta talk to that sister of yours. She’s making Troy unhappy. And what about those twins, those sweet little boys?”
Annie tried not to take offense. “I’m sure Melissa and Troy will work things—”
“My grandson works hard every day to provide a nice home for Melissa and the boys. Did she ever have to work one day outside her own house? No, she did not. What’s wrong with her?”
Annie held back a retort After all, Staramama must be ninety years old and had immigrated to America as a child after World War II. She didn’t understand women working outside the home.
The gnarled and ringed finger shook in Annie’s face again. “Now, tell your sister she better get home and tend to business—her business—or she’ll find herself in the middle of a mess she didn’t count on. She made vows in a church to my grandson and she shouldn’t break them.”
That hit Annie and ignited. “Melissa’s not breaking her vows.” Annie held on to her temper. “She and Troy can work this out if everyone would just let them—”
“That sister of yours should be happy. What does she need a degree for? My Troy didn’t need one.”
Annie gritted her teeth. “If Troy didn’t want Melissa, the girl...the woman she is...he should have married someone else. Melissa won scholarships and was the valedictorian of her class—”
“That’s all in the past!”
“Melissa has a wonderful mind and she deserves to follow her dream and go to college,” Annie insisted.
Suddenly, Jack was beside her. “I don’t want to be rude, but maybe your grandson better decide on whether he wants Melissa and his family back or not. He was acting like a jerk the other night. Why don’t you tell him to grow up?”
Pink with anger, Staramama responded sharply with something in Slovenian, her native tongue, and left, banging the door behind her.
Silence.
“Don’t let it upset you, Annie.” Jack touched her shoulder.
She couldn’t help herself, her hand drifted upward and covered his. And his sympathetic voice nearly caused her to let tears of frustration flow, but she forced them down. She stood so close to him, so near yet still unattainable. The kiss they’d shared flitted through her mind again. I have to get away! But I can’t break away. Why do things keep drawing us together, closer and closer? No answers came to her. Every occurrence in the past few weeks had conspired to push than together in spite of her plans.
And now, they’d been interrupted by Staramama’s visit. Annie drew in a deep, fortifying breath. She might as well broach the subject on her mind and get it over with. “I hate to bring this up, but my vacation starts Friday.”
“Your vacation?” He stared at her, his hand slid from her shoulder.
She turned to face him. Jack, I don’t want to leave you. But I have to. At least I’ll have a week away. Maybe something will intervene... “Yes—” she tried to soften the blow “—but I’m not going to take a full two weeks like I usually do.”
“Two weeks?” He sounded like her vacation and its length were totally new concepts.
Jack, you’ll drive me insane. Then, why did she want to lean closer and press her cheek against his and have him hold her? “Just one week with the two weekends on each side. You know I go north to a cabin my family rents in Wisconsin every June.”
“You do?” Jack sounded clueless. He studied her and then added, “That’s right. You do.”
She couldn’t help sighing. She’d been right. Leave it to Jack to completely forget her annual vacation. And she couldn’t even blame it on all the uproar and changes they’d faced. Her need for a vacation from work and the idea that she took one yearly had always baffled him. He only took time out when his mother planned something and he went along.
But unfortunately, this year’s wasn’t the usual fun family time she always looked forward to, either. “Troy and Melissa have refused to go this year,” she explained, her chin dipping low. “But my dad persuaded them that the twins shouldn’t do without their vacation just because their parents are at loggerheads,” Annie explained, very aware of how close Jack stayed.
“Oh.” Jack didn’t move or say another word. They stood just inches from one another. She sensed Jack hesitate. Then he moved closer to her and took her arms in his hands.
She waited. What was he going to say?
Jack took a
deep breath, preparing to broach the subject of his mother and her dad. “Annie, I stopped to see my mom earlier and—” His phone rang. With a sound of disgust, he snatched it out of his pocket. “Jack here,” he snarled.
“Jack,” his mother said, “I meant to let you know earlier that I’m going to be off on vacation next week.”
“You are?” Was the whole state leaving on vacation? “Where are you going, Mom?”
“To a cabin on a lake in Wisconsin—”
“Annie just told me—” he was not liking the suspicion that had just come to him “—that she would be gone next week at a place there.” I’m wrong, right? I always get what’s going on with people wrong. Why should I be right this time?
“Well.” His mother drew in breath. “As a matter of fact, I’m accompanying Annie and her dad. I’m going along to help out with the twins. I can’t run after them, but I can help with the cooking—”
“What?” He glared at Annie. He hadn’t wanted to be right.
“Now, Jack, don’t be...don’t be negative. I’m really looking forward to it.” His mom sounded cautious about telling him this.
But he doubted he could get her to change her mind. “If you’re going, I’m going, too,” he blurted out resolve hardening in him.
“Jack, don’t be silly,” his mom objected. “If you and Annie are away at the same time, who will take care of LIT?”
“The Hope job is done. I have a few smaller projects on board now, but I can still work, while Annie’s cousin and friend we hired as clerical take care of the customers. If Troy and Melissa are staying home, then you and I can take their places at the cabin.” He hung up.
Annie studied him as though measuring him. And she was frowning.
Jack shoved his hands into his pockets. “I’m going on vacation, too.”
“You are?” Annie asked, looking nonplussed. “Where?”
“To that blasted cabin your father rents on a lake in Wisconsin.”
