by Irene Brand
The day seemed longer than usual, and it was a relief when she walked out of Eastside Elementary and picked up Samantha at the high school. Samantha’s book bag seemed well filled, and when she tossed it on the back seat of the car, Aimee asked, “Lots of homework tonight?”
“More like tons!”
So far, so good, Aimee thought. If Samantha was busy studying, she and Jacob could have some time together.
“I hoped we wouldn’t have any work. I wanted to watch the DVD Madison loaned me.”
“Maybe you’d better let me keep the DVD so you won’t be tempted to watch it.”
“Give me a break, Mom.”
The look on Samantha’s face wasn’t encouraging, and although she’d been thinking for two days about seeing Jacob, Aimee now wished he wouldn’t call. Was Jacob’s company worth added tension with Samantha?
The phone was ringing when they went inside, and thinking it might be Jacob, Aimee picked up the receiver before Samantha could reach it. She was right.
After greeting her, he said, “I’m free for tonight. Is it still all right to come over?”
“Yes, I think so.”
“I’ll be there about seven, and I’ll bring a pizza if you haven’t eaten. Cheese or pepperoni?” Jacob said eagerly.
“Whatever you pick would be great. See you then,” Aimee responded.
“Who was that?” Samantha demanded when Aimee put the phone back in its cradle.
“Jacob Mallory,” Aimee answered. “He’s stopping by tonight.”
“The one you went out with last week?” Samantha asked suspiciously.
“I only went to a meeting with him,” Aimee said. “I don’t consider that ‘going out.’”
A doubtful expression on her face, Samantha headed to her room. “Fine, then I’ll get busy with my homework.”
“Come up and meet Jacob when he gets here, please,” Aimee said.
“I will, okay?” Samantha answered, but she didn’t meet Aimee’s eyes before she left the family room.
Jacob’s pulse accelerated when he drove into the cul-de-sac where Aimee lived and parked in front of her home. Although he wasn’t sure there was room for romance in either of their lives, he had to admit he enjoyed Aimee’s company and could see no reason not to be friends. He was glad she had invited him to her home, for he wanted to meet Samantha. He sensed that his friendship with Aimee hinged on her daughter.
He knocked, and Aimee soon opened the door, took the pizza from his hands and invited him inside. Soft, classical music greeted him and seemed to set the mood for their evening. As they walked into a family room adjacent to the kitchen, he saw a formal dining room to the right. A hallway to the left apparently led to the bedrooms of the house.
Although the family room was large, the furniture grouped into small visiting areas made it comfortable and cozy. One section had several upholstered chairs arranged around a television. A desk was located in one corner. A lounge chair stood near a wide bay window, and Jacob’s attention was drawn to the small courtyard outside. Landscape stones formed several walkways around a wooden bench and several bird feeders.
“This is nice,” he commented as Aimee stood beside him.
“This is my favorite place in the whole house,” she said.
“I can see why,” Jacob agreed.
“I sit in the courtyard a lot during the summer.” She motioned to one of the other chairs. “Please, sit down. Can I bring you some coffee or a cold drink with your pizza?”
“Just ice water would be great.” He settled into the chair, and she put the pizza on plates, brought in their drinks and sat down across from him. “You have a comfortable home. I’ve forgotten how many years you said you’ve been here?”
“Since Samantha was a baby. The house was new when we moved in.”
“Hi, I’m Samantha,” Samantha said from the doorway. She held a DVD in her hand. “Is it all right if I hang out with you guys?”
Jacob stood and turned toward Samantha. Aimee sliced a quick glance toward her daughter, who stepped forward with an innocent expression on her face.
She extended her hand to him. “Glad to meet you, Mr. Mallory.” She sat down in a chair beside Aimee. “Mom said you were coming over. I’ve got a DVD to watch—thought I’d share it with you. And is that pizza? Mom, can I have a piece?”
Eyeing Samantha uneasily, Aimee said, “Have you finished your homework?”
“Yep. It didn’t take as much time as I thought it would.”
Aimee gave Samantha two slices of pizza and poured a glass of cola for her.
“I’m sure Jacob doesn’t want to watch the DVD,” Aimee said. “You can watch it tomorrow night.”
Jacob sensed a heightened tension in the room, and he said, “No, that’s fine. It looks like a Star Wars movie. I watched them a long time ago.”
“Great!” Samantha said, jumping up from her chair and inserting the DVD. “You can sit in this chair. It has a good view of the TV.” She pulled a chair between Jacob’s and Aimee’s and sat in it, holding the plate on her lap.
During the movie, Jacob and Samantha cheered at appropriate places, but Aimee seldom uttered a word. Had he made a mistake in agreeing to watch the DVD? The movie lasted two hours, and by the time it was over, Jacob was miserable, because he knew Aimee was not happy.
“Thanks for sharing the movie with me,” he said, standing when Samantha pushed the remote button and turned off the television. “It was, and still is, one of my favorites. But it’s a work—and school—night, and I should leave.”
Aimee stood, too. With a thin-lipped smile, she said, “Let me wrap up the extra pizza first for you to take with you.”
He followed her into the kitchen separated from the family room by a row of base cabinets. Samantha tagged along behind them and sat down at the table.
Jacob wandered around the kitchen while Aimee put the leftover slices in a plastic bag. He stopped beside a photo of a smiling young man on the wall.
“Your husband?” he asked quietly.
“Yes, taken the year he died,” she said slowly. “Steve and Samantha look a lot alike, don’t they?”
From the tension in the air, it was obvious that Samantha was determined to keep Aimee and him from having any time alone. He felt sorry for Aimee, who paid no attention to Samantha, although the girl continually cast speculative glances toward her mother.
Hesitating to make his departure too abruptly, he asked, “Samantha, how is the school year going for you?”
She shrugged. “Oh, my grades are average except in math, and that’s the pits. I’ve got to keep a C average to still be a cheerleader.”
Jacob glanced toward Aimee, but she didn’t meet his eyes.
“Do you have a certain profession in mind for when you go to college?”
“Uh, I’m only a freshman, so not yet,” Samantha said.
“I’d better go. I have to get up early tomorrow morning. Thanks for the movie and the company.”
Aimee accompanied him to the door, with Samantha dogging their steps.
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Mallory,” Samantha said.
He almost sighed at the frustration he was experiencing, knowing from the expression on Aimee’s face that she felt the same way. He said good-night and walked toward his car. He wondered how Aimee would handle the precocious Samantha. They hadn’t even gotten to plan any of the Fun in the Sun activities. At that thought, Jacob brightened. They’d just have to get together again—and soon.
Aimee abruptly closed the door behind Jacob and leaned against it. Samantha headed toward the stairway. “Past bedtime, Mom. See ya in the morning.”
“All right, honey. I love you.”
Samantha looked ashamed, and she came to Aimee and lifted her face for a good night kiss.
Although she was humiliated and angry about Samantha’s obvious efforts to keep her and Jacob apart, Aimee couldn’t deal with it tonight.
Samantha had been insolent tonight, and Aimee didn’t
know what to do. She needed to stop this rebellious attitude of Samantha’s without losing her daughter’s love and trust. It would take a lot of prayer and love to do that.
What must Jacob think of them? She probably would never know, for she doubted she would ever see Jacob again. She couldn’t blame him if he never called. She had looked forward to the evening more than she’d imagined, and it had been ruined. She got into her nightclothes and went to bed, shivering in spite of the warmth of the blankets. Succumbing to a luxury she hadn’t enjoyed for a long time, Aimee cried herself to sleep.
The ringing alarm awakened Aimee, and she covered her head with a pillow. She was dreaming of the day she’d learned she was pregnant and how happy Steve had been when she told him. If he had lived, would they still be happy now?
The snooze alarm reminded her that she was still in bed. She struggled to her feet and dressed for the day, wondering how she could possibly work for eight hours.
Samantha waited by the kitchen door when it was time to leave for school. “I fixed your juice and toast, Mom.”
“Thanks, sweetie. That was nice of you.”
Later, constantly thinking of the impending talk with Samantha, Aimee forced herself to do her work, and she smiled at any of the children who came to the office, but her heart was numb. Somehow she got through the day, and when she picked up Samantha, she managed to ask, “How was your day?” She wanted to act as if last night hadn’t happened, but she couldn’t. At this point, she felt more like a child than a mother.
She sensed Samantha’s covert glances in her direction, and finally she blurted out, “Mom, talk to me. What is it with you? I was just trying to be polite to company.”
Yeah, right. So Samantha knew exactly why her mother was angry. Aimee didn’t answer because it wouldn’t be safe to start an argument with Samantha while she was driving. When they arrived at home, Samantha huffed out of the car. Aimee followed her into the house and said roughly, “Sit down! I’m ready to talk now.”
Samantha slouched into a chair in the family room and looked at the ceiling. Aimee sat opposite her.
“Samantha, why?” Aimee bit her lips to stop their quivering. “Why did you embarrass me the way you did last night?”
“What did I do? I was just being polite to company,” Samantha said flippantly.
“You’re lying, and you know it. Also, I had a call from your math teacher today, and she told me you didn’t do your homework, although you told me you had. You went out of your way to see that Jacob and I didn’t spend one minute alone.”
“And why does that matter, Mom? What did you want to do with him? You said you weren’t dating him. You’re the one who lied!”
Aimee’s self-control almost gave way, and she trembled when she continued, “All of your life you’ve brought home any friend you wanted, and I’ve been really good to them. But when I invite a friend to the house, you act like someone I don’t even know.”
“Sorry about that.”
Aimee had been holding back tears all day, but she couldn’t control them any longer. Samantha stared at her in utter astonishment as tears overflowed her eyes and down her face. No wonder she was surprised. Aimee had been careful to be a happy mom for Samantha. She probably hadn’t seen her mother cry before.
Suspecting that she was probably overreacting, Aimee told her daughter they would talk more later, then went to her bedroom and closed the door. God, help me know what to do here. Help my feelings for Jacob not get in the way of being a good mom. Help me to show Samantha that there is room in my heart for friendships without taking anything away from her. Please heal our relationship, God, and give me wisdom like Solomon.
With a sigh, Aimee rolled over and went to sleep.
Jacob waited for two days before he called Aimee, hoping that Aimee would answer instead of her daughter.
“Aimee, this is Jacob. How are you?”
She sniffed audibly before saying in a cross voice, “Do you really want to know how I am, or are you just asking to open the conversation?”
Laughing, he said, “To be honest, I’d have to say both.”
“Well, first of all, I’m still mad,” Aimee snapped. “Mad at myself and mad at Samantha. I’m also embarrassed that she acted as if she thought she had to chaperone us. You probably don’t have a good opinion of me as a mother, but truly, I’ve never known her to be so disrespectful.”
“Has she ever had a reason to act that way?” he asked gently.
“I’ve never invited a male friend to the house before, if that’s what you mean.”
Jacob’s heart skipped a beat. After years of being alone, why had she invited him? Why him and not another man? He filed her comment in his mind to consider later.
“I shouldn’t have meddled into your private affairs,” he continued, “but that is what I meant. Samantha’s old enough to realize that you’re not only her mother, but also a woman as well. I hope you can talk to her and see whether she was just making trouble, or if some part of her is afraid she might lose you if you have other interests.”
“You might be right, but my mind is so muddled now I can’t deal with any psychology,” Aimee said. “I yelled at her, and I need to make peace with her, but it’s been too hectic this week to deal with the situation. Thanks for calling. I wouldn’t have blamed you if you’d never talked to me again.”
“I don’t know what else you could have done,” Jacob assured her. “You kept trying to catch her eye to warn her, but she carefully avoided looking at you.”
Surprised that he’d noticed this, Aimee replied, “I know. But I couldn’t embarrass her before a guest, even it she did act as if I’d never taught her anything.”
In a casual way, Jacob suggested, “It may be that Samantha hasn’t learned her lesson yet. If you want some free counseling advice, it might be best if you give yourself time to calm down before dealing with it.”
“I figure you’re right,” Aimee said. “I don’t know whether I’m feeling anger or disappointment or both, but I don’t want to lose control and say things I’ll regret. I’ll take your advice.”
“Actually, I felt a little responsible, too,” Jacob admitted, “as if I should have said something. But I didn’t want to interfere.”
“I appreciate that,” Aimee told him. “It was my responsibility, but I was so surprised at her behavior that I really didn’t know what to do.”
“Maybe the best thing is for us to go out when we want to be together, instead of staying at your home,” Jacob said. “Could we have dinner together and maybe take in a movie some evening? Or if you don’t want to leave Samantha alone at night, we could go out Sunday afternoon.”
Aimee deliberated a moment before she said, “Let’s plan on an evening. I seldom go out at night because I don’t have many outside interests. But when I have school functions, Samantha is fine on her own until I get home.”
“What night would work for you?” Jacob asked.
“Are you free next Monday?”
“Let me check my calendar.” He reached in his pocket and checked through his appointment book. “Yes, the night is free.”
“Then let’s plan on it. I’ll let you know if something comes up,” Aimee assured him.
“Are you still coming to church on Sunday?” he asked.
“I think so,” Aimee said. “And Samantha will be with me.”
“I’ll save you a seat. See you then.” Jacob laid aside the phone, thinking that it would feel like a long time until Monday and wondering again what he was getting himself into.
Would Aimee end up being the woman of his dreams, or was this all going to turn into another long nightmare like the one he’d experienced with his high school sweetheart?
Chapter Seven
Acting on Jacob’s advice, Aimee didn’t bring up the other evening again. She treated Samantha civilly, and slowly her anger cooled under the weight of Samantha’s concerned glances. It was her responsibility as a mother to discipline her daughter wi
thout losing control. Aimee loved Samantha dearly, and she hoped her daughter would get out of herself and apologize after a few days of witnessing her mother’s hurt.
The rest of the week, while she went about her normal routine, Jacob wasn’t far from her mind. How could she avoid thinking about him when he called every night? She could hardly wait for church Sunday and their night out Monday. She shopped on Saturday while Samantha was at Jennifer’s and bought a black silk dress with elbow-length sleeves. The gently flared long skirt flowed to her calves, and Aimee felt more feminine than she had for a long time.
Aimee hadn’t mentioned church to Samantha since she’d told her the week before that she expected Samantha to go with her. Hoping to avoid further conflict about it, she breathed a silent prayer of thanksgiving when, after they’d finished their dinner Saturday evening, Samantha asked, “Mom, what kind of clothes do I have to wear to church?”
“Any of your casual slacks and shirts will be appropriate,” Aimee assured her. “And several of the girls your age wear jeans.”
Surprise flitted across Samantha’s face. “You mean other girls go to church there?”
Smiling, Aimee said, “Of course. Several teenagers sing in the praise band. People of all ages worship there.”
“I figured I’d be the only kid there. What time do I have to be ready?”
Aimee told her and pulled Samantha into a tight hug. “I love you, honey.”
“I love you back,” Samantha said, and Aimee sensed that they were closer than they had been for several months. Was this a foreshadowing of the future when they would settle their differences as woman-to-woman, rather than as an adult to a child?
Erica stopped by to pick them up the next morning, which pleased Samantha because she and Erica were good friends. When they arrived at the church, Erica asked Samantha to help her take some groceries to the food pantry, so Aimee entered the foyer alone.
