Weather the Storm: Episode 7 (Rising Storm)

by Lisa Mondello

  Bryce tapped the blotter on his desk. “I have an appointment in the afternoon.”

  “You’ll have to change it.”

  He glanced up at his wife. Tara had never been a demanding woman. She knew the importance of his job as a pastor. But the expression on her face told him she was serious. And he knew she was right. He should be there. But he wasn’t sure he could face it. Tara was stronger. She could handle the meeting. Later, when he’d had more time...

  “I have a full schedule tomorrow, Tara. Can’t we deal with all of this when school starts?”

  Her agitation grew right before his eyes. “You’re going to have to fit us in your schedule, Bryce.”

  The tone of Tara’s voice startled him. She knew his time was always filled with meetings, prayer for people who’d lost someone or something. His congregation depended on him for counsel and he took that responsibility seriously.

  “Tara?”

  “Change it. I mean it. You move your schedule around all the time for other people. You miss dinner with your family to go counsel people in crisis. You…I know your position in the church is important. But we’re important too. Whoever it is you’re seeing tomorrow can rearrange their schedule for you this time.”

  Guilt washed through him. He loved his wife. But he couldn’t do it. He just wasn’t ready. “Tara, you of all people should know what a difficult time this is for the people of Storm. Jacob Salt was a fine young man known to this entire community. People in this town are hurting.”

  “Look around, Bryce. People in this house are hurting too.”

  She turned and left the office, leaving him staring at a void that she used to fill.

  Chapter Two

  Her stomach was starting to stick out. Ginny Moreno looked into the full-length mirror in the room she stayed in at the Salt house and groaned. It was only going to get bigger. Her body was going to distort into this huge ball before Little Bit arrived.

  She touched her stomach and wanted to cry. Not for the baby. No, she was already falling for this little person who was growing inside her. She wanted to cry for Jacob.

  She wanted so badly to talk to him. Somehow, he would say something to her that would make sense out of all the craziness surrounding her right now. She longed to have him tease her and tell her she was being ridiculous for worrying so much. But he wasn’t here and he never would be again.

  There were times Ginny’s heart felt so heavy from hurting when she thought of Jacob. But being with Logan made life easier these days. No one understood what she was feeling the way he did. They didn’t even have to talk about anything but music and movies. But he knew. He’d give her a look and Ginny knew he understood. They were both broken inside by different things. But once you’re broken, it’s hard to imagine anyone else knowing exactly how you feel.

  Of course, all the members of the Salt family were broken, too. That’s what made her situation so strange. They wanted to believe that this baby was a miracle. That it was somehow going to bring Jacob back. It wasn’t. Maybe it would bring a part of him back. But Jacob was gone. And that part of the baby that she prayed was really Jacob’s would only be that. Just a part of him.

  Her stomach rumbled. It was too soon for her to feel the baby moving, so she knew it was just from hunger. Logan wanted to have a picnic on the square today but there was so much work being done to get ready for the Founders’ Day festivities that the area would be crawling with people.

  She liked being alone with Logan. Too many people in this town talked about things that were none of their business. The biggest being Celeste, although Ginny knew Celeste’s talk had more to do with her worry over the baby.

  Guilt stabbed at her. Oh, how she wanted this to be Jacob’s baby. It was so much easier than the alternative.

  She’d been MIA from the Salt house a lot lately. It didn’t really bother Travis. He practically lived at the pharmacy, although Ginny couldn’t imagine why. How could a pharmacy in Storm¸ Texas, be that busy? But Ginny knew that her being gone so much bothered Celeste.

  Sucking in a deep breath as she tried to zip her denim shorts, she decided she’d go downstairs and have breakfast with the family and ease Celeste a little. Except her jeans wouldn’t zip. Her stomach lurched. Had she really gained that much weight already? Dr. Rush told her she wasn’t too concerned when she’d initially lost some weight after Jacob died. But that was weeks ago.

  Hearing activity in the hallway meant that people were awake and heading downstairs. Ginny quickly shrugged out of her denim shorts and searched her drawers for a bigger pair of pants. It was hot as hell this time of the year, but wearing yoga pants with a T-shirt was better than spending the day pulling at her waist because her shorts were too tight.

  Just as she finished pulling her yoga pants up, she heard a bing from her phone. She glanced at it, then felt giddy when she saw it was from Logan.

  Meet me at the Bluebonnet Cafe for breakfast?

  She wished.

  Can’t this morning. Are we still on for the picnic on the square tomorrow?

  She pressed the send button and waited with the phone in her hand. A knock on the door rattled her for just a moment while she waited.

  “Ginny?”

  It was Celeste.

  “I’ll be down in a minute.”

  The bing on her phone sounded so she glanced at it quickly to read the message.

  You bet. You bring a blanket and I’ll bring the food.

  She couldn’t wait. Ginny loved being with Logan. He didn’t push her. But sometimes, when he held her and kissed her, she wanted more. Would he be grossed out having sex with a girl who was pregnant? He said he cared about the baby. It wasn’t his, but it could be if their relationship continued to progress the way she hoped it would.

  A knock sounded on the door again.

  “I’m coming now,” she called out.

  She could start the day with breakfast with the Salts. She’d endure Celeste wanting to talk about Jacob’s baby and colors to decorate the nursery. Ginny didn’t know how long she’d be living in this house, but until she left, she’d do her best to do right by Jacob. She owed him that.

  And tomorrow, she’d be with Logan. And just being with him meant tomorrow would be a very good day.

  * * * *

  Tara sat in a small chair at a half moon table meant for five-year-olds. She glanced at the empty doorway and fought to keep her anger in check. It would do no good to be angry with Bryce for not showing up when she was here to discuss her son. As their father, he should be here. But he hadn’t been “here” since Danny had been diagnosed as autistic.

  “Should we wait a few more minutes?” Sara Jane Salt sat in a chair on the other side of the table. She had paperwork spread out in front of her. Some were notes scribbled in her handwriting. Some were typewritten. All of it had to do with Danny.

  “He must have been held up. I know he’s been very busy since Jacob…. I’m sorry.”

  Sara Jane bit her lip and then smiled. “That’s okay. Life goes on as it should.”

  “How are you holding up?”

  “As well as can be expected. I keep meaning to stop by the church and thank Pastor Douglas for the beautiful sermon he gave at Jacob’s funeral. My parents were very pleased.” Sara Jane, the oldest of the Salts’ three children, was still reeling from the death of her brother.

  “You should do it. I know Bryce would love to see how you’re doing.”

  Sara Jane smiled weakly and then cleared her throat. “Well, since Pastor Douglas is not here, we should get started. I know it’s odd to schedule a parent/teacher conference when school is out,” Sara Jane said. “But we really feel that Danny would benefit from getting started now.”

  “We? I thought you were going to be Danny’s special education teacher?”

  “I am. But for children with special needs, we work as a team. The principal, the counselor, Danny’s regular teacher, you guys, and me. That way everyone is using the same strategies to he
lp him thrive. He needs consistency. We feel that if he starts learning some of these strategies now, it will make his transition to kindergarten easier.”

  “I suppose that makes sense. He’s just so young.”

  “Some children start when they’re as young as two or three. A few children will be attending half days to get reinforcement for the upcoming year, so he won’t be alone. But unlike them, Danny has never been to any formal school or preschool. As you may have learned from his doctor, children with autism can have a difficult time in social environments and adjusting to change. It’s very hard for them.”

  “I’ve been doing a lot of reading, but we only just found out and...”

  “I’m not criticizing. It’s just that having Danny’s primary playmates be his sister, uncles, and cousins makes it harder for him to learn how to interact in unfamiliar surroundings.”

  “How did you know…. Wait. You said the principal is on the team? That means my mom, doesn’t it?”

  “Yes. She was there when we discussed Danny’s education plan.”

  * * * *

  After the meeting at the school, Tara parked her minivan in front of the dry cleaners on Main Street at five minutes before six. She always took Bryce’s clothes to Mrs. Falcon because Tara could never get a nice enough crease in his shirts and pants. Bryce saw so many people on a weekly basis during church that she didn’t want him to worry if his vestments were properly cleaned and pressed.

  When they’d first been married, Tara had enjoyed doing it for Bryce. It was her job as a minister’s wife to not only sing and play the piano at church, but to make sure her husband was handsome and dressed properly as he stood at the pulpit.

  Once she had Carol and Danny, it became harder to keep up even with normal laundry for the household, never mind washing and ironing Bryce’s vestments. She’d even stopped playing the piano during church services because she needed to sit with Danny to make sure he didn’t act out.

  Mrs. Falcon, a woman in her sixties who’d been baptized, married and held the funeral for two of her three husbands at the Lutheran church, was a Christian woman who took pride in knowing she was doing something small for the church, even if it was something that was just part of her daily job. With so much on her plate, Tara was only too happy to hand over the duties.

  Tara ran through the door to the dry cleaners.

  “You just made it, Tara. I was about to close up,” Mrs. Falcon said. She already had Bryce’s dry cleaning in her hand.

  “I hope I’m not keeping you.”

  “No, I saw you pull up. The square is coming alive. You gals are doing a good job this year.”

  Tara handed her a twenty-dollar bill. “Thank you. We’ve been busy. We have some new booths this year.”

  “Are you going to have the rummage sale again?” she said, handing Tara the dry cleaning. She rang up the sale on her register and made change from the twenty Tara had given her.

  “We’re going to be discussing that tomorrow at the festival planning meeting. Joanne Alvarez is on the planning committee with me. If you have anything to donate, just call Joanne and she should be able to tell you who we decided is collecting donations.”

  “Oh, I’ll just stop next door to Pushing Up Daisies and see if I can catch her before she leaves. Nothing to drop off today?”

  “I forgot to put it in the car before I went out for errands. I’ll drop it by tomorrow.”

  “Sounds good. You tell Pastor Douglas I said hello.”

  “I will. See you tomorrow.”

  Tara walked out of the shop and slid open the back door of the van so she could hang the newly pressed garments. The storefronts were now locking up as most of the businesses in Storm closed at six o’clock during the week, but down the street, Murphy’s Pub was starting to fill up. They’d be open until well after midnight.

  As she slid the door closed again, she glanced over at the dark windows of Prost Pharmacy and saw Bryce’s sister, Kristin, walking in the front door.

  Pushing Up Daisies was closed, along with the dry cleaners. But Kristin’s car was still parked in the side lot. Come to think of it, Tara had seen Kristin at Prost’s just yesterday when she was inspecting the work Patrick Murphy had done on the gazebo in the square. She’d have to remember to ask Bryce if something was wrong with Kristin. They were sisters-in-law, but, although they got along, they’d never had that close relationship that some sisters-in-law developed.

  She turned the key in the ignition, then drove to the corner of Main Street and Pecan, then waited for the signal to turn from red to green so she could head home. Her brother was driving the kids home in a little while and she needed to get dinner started or bedtime would get pushed too late.

  As she drove past the pharmacy, Kristin walked out the door. She held no bag in her hand indicating she’d purchased anything. Travis Salt locked the front door and disappeared inside as Kristin walked back toward Pushing Up Daisies.

  Odd. But Tara had no time to wonder about it.

  Chapter Three

  Tucker had been early dropping the kids off at home. Now Tara rushed to make dinner, half wishing she’d just let Tucker take Carol and Danny out for pizza like he’d offered. But Tara liked family time around the dinner table with Bryce. Recently, he’d been coming home late every evening and she knew Danny and Carol missed him, so she wanted to make sure tonight would be a treat.

  She hurried to put sliced pieces of celery into the ceramic bowl they’d picked up at an Indian reservation years ago when they’d been traveling. Next, she pulled two of the largest carrots out of the bag, placed them on the cutting board, and peeled them.

  Before she cut them, she walked to the sink and turned the hot water on, then rinsed the carrots, a red pepper, and a cucumber she’d picked up at the farmer’s market. She’d pulled some radishes out of her own garden this morning, and although Danny would hate them, she knew Bryce loved radishes in his salad. The radishes were still small and she’d picked them too early. But Tara didn’t mind them that way, especially when she topped them with the sweet vinaigrette her grandmother had taught her how to make when she was a child.

  If only relationships were that easy to make palatable. Add a little sugar and spice and everything will be nice again.

  “Mom!”

  Tara dropped the colander of vegetables into the sink and rushed to the family room.

  “What is it?”

  “I’m not playing with Danny ever again!”

  “What’s wrong?” Tara glanced around the living room. Her heart filled with panic when she didn’t see Danny. “Where is your brother? Did he go upstairs?”

  Carol stomped her foot. Normally Tara would have reprimanded her daughter for acting out that way, but there was a more important issue at hand. “I did what you told me to do. I played the stupid game with Danny. But he wasn’t winning so he threw the board off the table and left it for me to clean up. He’s a bad loser.”

  Tears were filling Carol’s eyes. Tara knew just how difficult things were becoming with Danny and his outbursts. But Carol’s own frustration had been growing leaps in the past year. Coddling her and ignoring the stomping foot would only send a mixed signal.

  “Danny has to learn how to behave properly just as you do. But it’s harder for him. I understand you’re upset with him, but stomping your feet is not a very polite thing to do.”

  Carol’s shoulder’s sagged, something Tara hated seeing in her daughter. The once vibrant and happy little girl who used to chatter away about everything was suddenly withdrawn.

  “You always take his side,” she said, her bottom lip trembling just enough to break Tara’s heart and fill her with guilt that had become all too familiar lately.

  “There are no sides, Carol,” she said gently, listening for sounds that might indicate Danny had gone to his room. “We all have to do the right thing. It would be wrong if I stomped my foot, too. Why don’t we find Danny and have him help clean up the game so you don’t have to do
it?”

  “He ran out the door,” Carol said in a small voice, as if she were waiting to be reprimanded.

  Tara’s stomach lurched. “Which door?” she asked with a calm she didn’t feel.

  “The front door. I called you but you weren’t listening to me.” Carol cowered as if she needed to defend not going after her brother. Carol was just a little girl. She was supposed to play and discover and learn just like all kids. Not keep a constant watch over her brother to make sure he didn’t wander off. After all, they were in the safety of their home. If she couldn’t be safe here, where could she feel safe?

  Tara forced a smile. “Why don’t you wash your hands so you can help me with dinner while I go find Danny?”

  Carol’s smile was immediate and transformed her from the frustrated child to the one that Tara missed seeing. This was a special treat.

  “Can I peel the carrots?”

  Tara’s stomach fell just a notch. “The carrots are already peeled, but you can help with something else fun.” She needed to get outside to find Danny. But Carol was her child, too, and lately she was suffering. Just in a different way.

  When Carol turned and darted to the bathroom, Tara raced to the front door. Hopefully, Danny had just gone to the church to find Bryce. This running off was new. Something he’d only just started. But at least until yesterday, he hadn’t gone too far. Once she’d found him asleep on the pews, and then of course on the square when Patrick had found him. They were going to have to do something to make sure he couldn’t get out.

  She ran down the steps and across the lawn quickly toward the church. It wasn’t until she’d stumbled after feeling a pebble dig into the soft skin of her heel that she realized she hadn’t even bothered to put her shoes on.

  “Danny?” she called out.

  She ran around the Texas sage hedge, searching for his little feet. There was a two-foot section of the hedge that was bald and open from over-pruning. Danny always called it a cave every time they walked by it on the way to Sunday services. He wanted to crawl inside and look at all the people going into the church. But she never wanted Danny to sit in the front pew all dirty from crawling around. Bryce had always said that their family represented the community and they needed to conduct themselves in a manner that set an example for the rest of the congregation.