by Linda Apple
She paced back and forth in front of me throwing her hands in the air and slapping them down to her sides. The air was blue with her profanities. Finally, she exhausted her encyclopedia of cuss words and disappeared into the kitchen. This time she returned with the bottle.
“I need another glass. Hold out yours.” While she poured, images of a redheaded Tinker Bell throwing a temper tantrum came to my mind and I got tickled. “Hold still, Avalee. You are going to make me spill this on my new rug.” But I couldn’t quit snickering. She eyed me. “What?”
“You.” My giggles broke free.
The corners of her mouth began to twitch. “Me? Why?”
“Your Tinker Bell tantrum. My ears are on fire. Why, sailors would bow at your feet crying, “We are not worthy.”
Her mirth ignited and we both enjoyed the cleansing tears of laughter. When we finally caught our breath, she held up her goblet. “She’s still a witch.”
I clinked my glass against hers. “Yep. She is.”
A cozy silence, best known by close friends, settled between us. After a while I asked, “So what do I do?”
“About the wicked witch of the south?”
“No, Ty.”
“Marry him, of course.”
“That’s what I want more than anything, but am I being selfish?”
Lexi took my glass and sniffed it. “Did you drop something in here? You are talking like a crazy person.”
“No, Lex. I’m being serious. Think of what this will do to his family—his kids. Every holiday or family gathering I will be the gorilla in the room making everyone uncomfortable.” I sipped my wine and another disturbing thought came to me. “What if his kids hate me?” Another sip, then a gulp. “Oh, Lexi. That would be awful.”
“Oh stop with the what if’s, Ava.”
“But…”
Lexi took my shoulders in her strong grip. “What if a frog didn’t jump? He wouldn’t bump his butt.” She let go and fell back against the cushion. “But a frog’s gotta jump to get to where he’s going. He figured it out. Y’all will, too.”
“I suppose.”
“Now quit borrowing trouble. You are exhausted, that’s what. Wanna sleep over?”
“No, I’d better go home.”
“Come on. I’ll walk you halfway.” Lexi stuck her feet in slippers and wrapped a crocheted comforter around her shoulders. When we stepped outside the cold air nearly took my breath. Lexi’s, too, by the sound of her gasp. Fog speech balloons floated from our mouths as we talked along the way. At the halfway point we hugged and then headed in opposite directions. I felt better. A lot better.
Chapter Three
Living in someone’s shadow makes you invisible.
~Tyler Jackson
Ty pounded his pillow trying to make it comfortable enough to at least doze off. But the evening’s fiasco still had him burning inside, making sleep impossible. Poor Avalee. She didn’t deserve his mother’s bitter attack. Emma’s words still played in his mind and it was all he could do to keep from calling her and finishing what she had started. She’d opened old wounds. Not just Avalee’s but his, too.
What had happened to his mother’s mind when Marc died? It was like she’d mentally snapped and never recovered. Then, by some cruel genetic joke, he grew into the spitting image of his brother. And that’s all it took for his mother to make it her goal to morph him into Marc. What was she thinking? That this would bring back her lost son? Even worse, if he did step into Marc’s empty shoes and became like him, would she not miss Ty? Did she even know him?
The truth of that thought perturbed him. Neither his mother or father really knew him. When Marc died and they became a family of three, the days, weeks, months, and years were shrouded with mourning. His parents wanted him back. To hell with Tyler.
This wasn’t the first time she’d caused such drama, but up until tonight it had been for his eyes and ears alone. When he was in college, she discouraged him from dating because it interfered with his studies. “Wait until you have a profession. When you are a doctor you will be able to afford a wife and a family.”
The problem? He never wanted to be in the medical profession. He wasn’t sure what he wanted to do until he got behind the camera. That was when his mind came out of hibernation. Photography was sunlight, fresh air, and nourishment for his soul.
His parents simply refused to understand he couldn’t be and never wanted to be like Marc. Especially after Avalee told him the circumstances surrounding their break-up. Frankly, Marc didn’t deserve her. He never did. The urge to drive to his parent’s home and tell them just what kind of son they had raised had him out of the bed, keys in hand, and almost to the door. He stopped. It wouldn’t do any good. They’d just say she was lying. Impossible situation.
Ty tossed the keys on the counter and braced himself against it. Man, didn’t anyone care he’d found the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life loving?
He planned on taking Avalee to Oxford to meet his kids and tell them about the engagement, but the night’s events changed his mind. Instead, he decided to go by himself to see if they were decent about his news. If they were, he would surprise Avalee by taking her to meet them. If they were as unfiltered, rude, and antagonistic as his mother had been, he would have to think of some way to soften their disapproval when he spoke with Ava.
Gracie, his ex, would be cool with it. She never liked his mother and for good reason. He had met Gracie at the community college and they dated for over a year. Oddly enough, in a way, history had repeated itself. Gracie told him she was pregnant. But unlike his brother, he manned up and married her. They kept the reason for the elopement a secret. But when his mother eyed Gracie’s expanding girth, she understood and blamed Gracie for distracting her son and blamed her for his leaving college and taking the job of a common photographer to support his family.
After ten years, it became evident that he and Gracie would not grow old together. Between his mother’s interference, low pay, and a certain blues crooner Gracie had met in a bar, the marriage fell apart. She walked out of his life and into the arms of Bo, big time musician in the small town of Moonlight. A legend in his own mind. Gracie was convinced he’d be famous one day. So they married and she worked day and night to fund his imminent discovery. Dreams of being in the spotlight by Bo’s side blinded her to the truth—he was a small town boy who stayed drunk during the day and sang at night. Finally she’d had enough and left him, too. Gracie had hinted that she wanted to get back together, saying how good it would be for the kids. But fool him once…. She wound up marrying a professor at the University of Mississippi and as far as he knew, she was happy.
Ty straightened, placed his palms on the small of his back, and stretched. Maybe a hot shower would relax him and help him sleep. He lumbered to the bathroom and turned the shower lever. He drummed his fingers as he waited for the water to turn hot. A plan. He needed a plan. He’d call his kids in the morning and see what their schedules looked like. Maybe take them out to eat.
Steam finally drifted from the stall and he stepped in. The pulsating jets of water felt good against his skin. Soon, he was in a better frame of mind. He had good kids. Open minded and fair. He turned the lever to off and reached for a towel. They would understand. Right? At least he hoped to God they would.
****
While waiting for his kids to arrive at the Pizza Factory, Ty rehearsed different approaches in telling them about his engagement to Avalee. First he’d say she returned from New York to help her mother and they were reacquainted. Maybe he should tell them he’d known her all his life. On the other hand, telling this bit of knowledge might lead to the fact he was in sixth grade while she was in college. The age difference might sound a little weird to them. Perhaps he should just say they met and he knew she was the one, pure and simple. If they wanted more information—and he hoped to high heaven they didn’t—he’d answer honestly. Skye would be the one who’d question him. She prided herself on getting t
o the heart of any story, and she did it well, which is why she chose to study journalism.
Glen, on the other hand, was a laid back, whateves, kind of guy. He studied music and music business at the community college in Senatobia. Ty wasn’t exactly sure what music business was, but his son was a talented musician and he trusted Glen’s choices.
A jingle at the door alerted Ty of their arrival. He waved them over to the table and stood to hug them. Before they could take a seat Skye started in with questions.
“Wow. Dad.” She crossed her arms on the table and leaned forward causing her wavy brown hair to swing over her shoulders. “This is a surprise. You never come in the middle of the week. What gives?” Her green-eyes drilled him like the talk show hosts who made their guests cry.
“Gee, Skye, it’s good to see you, too.” Sometimes her approach just nettled him.
“Hey, Sis. Back off a little.” Glen leaned back and tossed his head sweeping the bangs off his forehead. His hair looked as if it had grown six inches since Thanksgiving. “It’s Christmas Eve. Chill.”
Glen’s mellow demeanor always had a relaxing effect on Ty. Everything about his son spoke ‘calm’ from his easy smile to how he draped his lanky frame on any place he sat. Thank goodness he was water to Skye’s fire.
“But we are all going to be together at Grandmother’s the day after Christmas, so why are we meeting today? Obviously Dad has something to tell us in private and it is too important to tell in an email or over the phone. She tilted her head. “Sooo?”
His daughter’s astuteness amazed him. Before he could begin a cute little waitress with dark hair and coffee-brown eyes bopped up to their table. Pinned to her well-endowed chest was a nametag printed with the name Regina. She zeroed in on Glen. Ty shook his head. His boy was a chip off the old block—a chick magnet.
“Evening everyone, I’m Regina. How are y’all tonight?” Without waiting for an answer, she went on. “Have you made up your minds about what you’d like, or do you still need time?”
Glen waggled his eyebrows. “I’ll have the usual.”
Regina grinned and color rose up in her cheeks.
Skye eyed her brother. “The usual?” She rolled her eyes. “I’ll have the Thibideaux and a diet coke.
“One andouille sausage with swiss po-boy and one dc coming up. White or wheat?”
“Wheat.”
After a quick glance at Glen, Regina turned to Ty. “And you sir?”
“The Peter Tosh on white.” Ty put down his menu. “What do you have on draft?”
She named off the beers all the while watching Glen.
“I’ll have a Bud Light.”
“Got it. One Jamaican jerk chicken and swiss on white and one why bother.”
“Funny.” Ty handed her the menu.
“Just sayin’.” She winked and bounced off.
“So,” Ty gave his most sarcastic smile. “You come here pretty often, eh?”
The dimples Ty had passed on to Glen deepened. “Hey, what can I say? The atmosphere is great.”
“So. Dad.” Skye fell back into birddogging. “What’s up?”
Well, it was now or never. “I’ve met someone.”
Glen beamed at his dad. “About time old man. That’s great.”
For the tiniest second, Skye was struck speechless. “Met someone? Who? Is it serious?”
Good thing Regina brought their drinks. It gave him time to gather his thoughts. When she left, Ty drew in a deep breath and let it go. “Her name is Avalee Preston and I guess you could say it is serious.” Letting that sink in, Ty cleared his throat. “I’ve asked her to marry me.”
“What? Wait. Did you say…” Skye lowered her brow and turned her head to the side as if to hear him better. “Marry?”
“Hey, Dad. That’s awesome.” Thank goodness for Glen. “Is she cute?”
“She’s beautiful.”
Skye held up her hands. “Hold on. Wasn’t your brother engaged to an Avalee? The one Grandmother says is responsible for his death?”
Mother strikes again. Ty picked up his beer and took a long swallow to keep from snapping.
Her frown deepened. “Grandmother said for all practical purposes, she killed your brother.”
Glen sat up. “Hey now, Sis, rein it in. Not good.”
Fury raced through Ty, but he bit back his words. Hadn’t he raised her better than that? He wanted to pound the table with his fist, but he restrained himself and instead shot a stern stare at his outspoken daughter.
She must have gotten the message, because she closed her mouth and sat back, arms folded across her chest. “I’m just repeating what grandmother said. Geeze.”
When he could trust his voice, he spoke in quiet, measured, words. “I don’t know what my mother has told you, but it isn’t true. She knows nothing of what happened. Everything she believes about that day, she has conjured in her bitter-soaked mind. Avalee is a professional woman. Beautiful, loving, and kind. I’ve waited all my life for someone like her, and I plan to spend the rest of my life making her happy. Got it?”
He didn’t normally take that tone with his daughter. However, it produced the desired result. She didn’t say another word. She just nodded.
Regina brought their orders, but her smile faded. The weighted emotion must have been evident. She set their food in front of them and hurried away, then returned with fresh drinks. Even another Bud for Ty. “On the house, sir. You look like you could use it.”
Ty managed a smile. “Thanks.”
They ate in silence for a while, until Skye laid her fingers on her father’s arm. “I’m sorry, Daddy. I know Grandmother can be a little overbearing.”
A little? He wanted to break into a litany of what he thought about his mother, but held back. “Thanks, hon.”
A thought came to him as he bit into his spicy jerk chicken sandwich. Since his daughter wanted to be a journalist, he’d do a little name-dropping. He set his sandwich down. “Have you ever heard of a man named Nathan Wolfe?”
“Who hasn’t? He is a journalism god.”
“Really now. Didn’t know that. But I do know he’s a good friend of Avalee’s.”
Skye’s eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. “Shut up. Are you freakin’ kidding me? Nathan Wolfe? The Nathan Wolfe? Can I meet him? Will he be at your wedding?” She fanned her face with her hands. “Oh my gosh. Nathan Wolfe? I can’t believe it.”
Bingo.
Ty noticed Glen had one bite of his muffuletta left. No wonder he’d been so quiet. Noshing for him had always been serious business. After pushing the last of his sandwich in his mouth, he looked up. “Who’s Nathan Wolfe?”
Skye’s voice went up a few octaves. “He’s the best news journalist ever.” She fanned herself again.
“Hey. Baby. Settle down and eat before your food is completely cold. I’m sure Avalee will be happy to introduce you to him.” He couldn’t resist having a little fun now. “He was in Moonlight a couple of weeks ago.”
She seized Ty’s arm. “No way. No way. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh.” Her heart-shaped face turned angelic and earnest. “Daddy, when can I meet him?” Wow. What a transformation. Within minutes, his daughter had turned from hard-nosed journalist to a child sprinkled with pixie dust.
“Not sure. He does have a thing going with one of Avalee’s friends, so I’m sure he will be in town sometime.” He finished the last of his beer. “So, enough about me. What’s going on in your lives?”
“You mean,” Skye wiggled her fingers Glen’s way, “besides cute waitresses?”
“Oh, stop.” Glen tossed the crumpled up paper from his straw at her. “Why not tell Dad about your Mr. NFL wannabe?”
A brilliant smile broke across her face. “Oh, Dad. You will love him. His name is Duff.”
“Duff, huh?” Bad enough his daughter was dating a football player, but Duff?
“Yes. It’s Scottish. Anyway, we’ve been going together for a couple months now.”
“Well, don’
t let this Duff guy distract you from your studies. I’d rather you not get serious with anyone until you graduate.”
As if a bolt of lightning shot through his brain, he realized he’d just turned into his mother, using the same logic with his daughter as his mother had used with him and with Marc. Both sons had ignored her.
Skye arched her eyebrow. “You know who you sound like don’t you?”
He lifted both hands in surrender. “Yeah, I know.” Time to own up. “And to shock you even more, she was partially right. If Marc had listened to her, he might be alive today. Then again, he also liked to party hard and drove while drunk, so his death may have been inevitable. And for the record, it wasn’t your mother who distracted me. It was my art teacher who introduced photography to me.”
“Nice try, Dad,” Skye smirked. Glen and I both know why you married Mom. Grandmother told us.”
Yep, Emma Jackson had no filter at all. “You were not a distraction, hon. You were an unexpected bonus. If I had that part of my life to do over, I wouldn’t change a thing because two of my most amazing achievements came from that union.”
“Do you ever miss Mom?” Skye’s expression begged him to say yes.
Okay, diplomacy needed stat. Ty thought a moment. “I guess you could say I miss what we could have been. But I’m happy she found her professor, and that he has been a great stepfather to both of you. So, you see? It all worked out.”
Regina bounced over holding out the check. “Y’all done? How about dessert? Gotta have something sweet.”
Ty took the check. “No, we’re good.” He pulled out his billfold, handed her enough money to cover the bill plus a generous tip. “And thanks for the free why bother.”
“My pleasure, sir.”
Skye propped her arm on the table, rested her face in her palm, and glanced up at Regina. “My brother would probably like something sweet, after you get off that is.”
