“Did you finish your sandwich?” Maggie said mock-sternly.
“Almost done,” he said, and hurried to pick up the peanut butter sandwich. He wolfed down the remaining bites and then washed it down with apple juice. “Done!” He hurried outside and the women heard what sounded like a soft tapping on the siding.
“Oh, I hope he doesn’t damage the siding more,” Maggie said.
“Sounds like he’s showing real restraint with that hammer,” Gloria observed.
“Arrrggghhh,” Maggie said with a wince, as she hurried to poke her head out the back door. “Honey, please don’t pound on the back of the house with that hammer.”
“I’m done anyway.” He pointed to the damaged areas. “A lot of this needs to be replaced,” he said, attempting to deepen his voice.
“You’re right. Why don’t you come inside and you can discuss it when Officer … er, John, gets back.”
“Okay, Mama.”
He stepped into the house. “Officer John and I have a lot of work to do out there,” he informed Gloria seriously. She nodded gravely in reply, and then slapped her thighs with her hands and slipped off the stool.
“It’s about time I got moving. Thank you for lunch,” she said.
“And thank you for all the goodies,” Maggie said.
“We never did taste that fudge that Gloria brought us,” Rickey reminded them.
Maggie dug through the package and pulled out a plate of fudge. She pulled back the plastic wrap and passed her son a piece. He stuffed it into his mouth.
“De-li-cious,” he enthused. “Can I have another?”
“May I have another?”
“You haven’t even had one yet, Mama,” he said, giving her an odd look.
She chuckled. “I was pointing out to you that when you ask for something, you need to say may, rather than can.”
“Oh. May I?”
“Just one more,” she told him, wagging a warning finger at him before escorting Gloria to the door.
Once there, her friend watched her speculatively. “I like Officer John,” she observed. “He seems like a good man.”
Maggie inhaled deeply and gave a neither-here-nor-there shrug.
“Yeah, you just keep on pretending you don’t notice his dark good looks… His bulging biceps… His long lashes over those soulful brown eyes…”
“See you Monday!” Maggie said, giving her friend a frustrated glance as she gently shoved her out of the house.
“See you Monday,” Gloria parroted, and chuckled all the way to her car.
Chapter Four
John searched through his tiny apartment, struggling to remember where he’d stowed his tool box. He finally remembered he’d shoved it to the back of his bedroom closet. He hadn’t anticipated doing any home repair living in the apartment complex, and kept a small tool kit in his truck in the unlikely event it broke down.
He tugged the large box out of the closet and headed out of the apartment. It was actually a relief to have somewhere to go. He spent the majority of his days off from work holed up in his apartment, watching television or napping.
Maybe that’s why he didn’t sleep a full eight hours at night. He spent so much time napping, he didn’t require it. Maybe he was depressed…
He considered the possibility. Maybe on some level he might be, he acknowledged, though a part of him had to concede that Kim had done him a favor by dumping him. Time and distance from her had shown him they were mismatched from the get-go.
He cocked his head in contemplation. No, he wasn’t depressed, but he was bored. Maybe it was time to consider getting out of the apartment and into a home of his own. Only, he didn’t want to make a mistake by rushing into something. Particularly since he was alone, and really didn’t require a lot of space.
He decided to leave making the big decisions for later. He had a job to do now, and was actually glad for it. Knowing he was about to help out Maggie and her son gave him something to do, but would also enable him to get his mind off of his own troubles. He found he was actually looking forward to spending time with them, despite the reason for it.
By the time he arrived in Maggie’s neighborhood, however, he was beginning to think he’d been hasty in offering to help. Maybe she didn’t want his help. It wasn’t as if he’d given her much of a choice. He heaved a sigh. Maybe he should have left well enough alone.
But when he pulled up to her house, and spotted Rickey peering out a front window, and then breaking into a huge smile when he saw him drive up, he cast the worries aside. He was simply doing a good deed—helping someone in distress.
He climbed out of his truck, and then rounded the bed. He pulled the tool box out and strode up the path to the front door. Rickey pulled it open. “Hi!” He held up a hammer for John’s inspection. “I have a hammer too!”
“I see that,” he said. “It looks like a good one.”
“Are we starting now?” Rickey asked eagerly.
“I think we need to have a look first,” John told him. “And then we’ll do some measurements, so we’ll know how much lap siding we need to buy, and then we’ll head to the home improvement store…”
“We!” Ricky cried. “I get to go with you?!” He abruptly spun around and ran into the family room, where Maggie was sitting with a cup of coffee. “Mama! I get to go to the store with Officer John!”
John stepped into the room, his face registering concern. He hadn’t meant to invite Rickey to the store, but the little boy had apparently read an invitation in his words. He didn’t want Maggie thinking he’d stepped outside the bounds when it came to her child. They had really just met him. Frankly, he wouldn’t trust a stranger with his child—if indeed he had one.
Maggie appeared to read his discomfiture. “Honey, I think John would probably like to go to the store by himself.” She met his gaze over the top of Rickey’s head. “Oh, shoot, I’m going to need to go by a cash machine, to pay for the materials…”
“Mama, I want to go,” Rickey said sadly, his shoulders drooping.
John hated disappointing the little boy. Who knew a trip to a home improvement store could make a kid light up like a Christmas tree? He gave Maggie a hesitant look. “Maybe we could all go together?”
She appeared uncertain, but relented with a smile. It was actually only fair she go too. It wasn’t appropriate to expect John to go to the store to pick up materials he needed to fix her house. “Are you sure you don’t mind all this?” she asked, searching his face for any sign they were imposing on his time.
“Not at all,” he assured her. “Let me just step outside for a minute and I’ll do some measurements, so we’ll know how much siding we need.”
She glanced at her son’s eager face and then back to John. “Okay, and thank you. Rickey, get your coat while I turn everything off in the house.”
She hurried to shut down the lights, and to assure Pocomo was happy on his doggie bed on the sofa in the family room. Suddenly, she realized that Pocomo hadn’t barked crazily when John had entered the house. That was so odd. The little dog always howled when a stranger entered the house, or even stepped on the property. Obviously, the dog liked him, which became apparent when he left his place on the couch and trotted over to John, who had just stepped back inside. Pocomo raised himself up on hind legs and patted John’s pant legs with his front paw. John smiled and scooped up the puppy.
“Pocomo likes you!” Rickey cried, surprised. “He usually doesn’t like anybody until he gets to know them.” He patted the little Chihuahua on his head. “You probably know John saved us from the camel—huh, Pocomo?”
“Well, I don’t know about that,” John said, smiling.
“Pocomo wants to go too, Mama!” Rickey said, and to John said, “He loves going for rides.”
John met Maggie’s eyes and gave a shrug. “It’s fine with me. He’s so little, it isn’t as if it’ll be a problem to carry him around the store.”
He could read the concern in Maggie’s eyes. He
could see she feared they were imposing on him, but he couldn’t very well tell her he was actually eager to spend time with them. He hadn’t spent much time around people, other than coworkers, for some time.
Maggie appeared to relent, though he could still read in her eyes that she was worried.
“Yay! We all get to go, Pocomo,” Rickey said eagerly, as he took the tiny dog from John and ran out the front door and to the truck.
Maggie glanced outside. “Hopefully he won’t run into the street,” she muttered.
“I’ll go with him,” John said.
“Thank you. I’ll be just a minute.”
She hurried to assure the house was buckled down and then locked the front door behind her. She found Rickey was already in John’s truck. “Oh, I’m sorry,” she said, frowning. “I should have remembered that Rickey needs a booster seat.”
“I should have remembered too,” John said. As a cop, he was well aware that children were required to be in a booster seat until they reached a certain height and weight.
“I’ll be right back,” Maggie said. She hurried over to the garage door and to the keypad beside it. She tapped in her password and the door rose with a groan. She dashed inside and returned a few seconds later with Rickey’s booster seat.
Soon he was settled in the truck between John and Maggie. “I can see everything from here,” he said eagerly. “Mama, can we get a truck?”
Maggie laughed. “Not likely,” she told him honestly.
“Maybe when you’re older, you can get one,” John said.
Rickey beamed. “Yeah, maybe when I’m older.”
John started the ignition and drove away from the neighborhood. The home improvement store wasn’t more than a few miles away and he pulled into the lot. He climbed out of the truck and noted that Maggie, being petite, was having difficulty climbing out of the truck.
She made a rueful face when he rounded the hood and joined her beside the open passenger door. He raised a hand to her and she took it. He helped her down, careful not to release her hand until she was steady on her feet.
Rickey scrambled over and he lifted him out of the truck. Pocomo toddled over and he scooped up the obviously excited Chihuahua. The little dog promptly settled into his arms for the trip inside the store.
Rickey bounced with enthusiasm as John closed and locked the truck door. “John, can we look at the tools too? I think I need a bigger hammer.”
John glanced at Maggie and chuckled. “If it’s all right with your mom.”
“Honey, we’ll see,” she said, smoothing a hand over her son’s tousled hair. “We can’t keep John too long. I’m sure he didn’t bank on spending the day with us today.” She sent him a hesitant glance, but he only smiled in return. If he was feeling put out, he wasn’t showing it. Maybe he was simply a Good Samaritan who helped others while on the job and in his personal life too.
When it appeared Rickey was going to dash away from them, Maggie hurriedly called him back. “Son,” she said sternly, “remember your parking lot rules.”
“Sorry, Mama,” he murmured and dashed back to them. She reached for his hand, since her rules dictated that he always hold her hand while in a parking lot or crossing the street. To her surprise, he reached for John’s hand instead.
John readily accepted the little boy’s hand, and held it as they crossed the parking lot and entered the store. Rickey continued holding onto John and chattered eagerly about tools.
“Where are we going first?” he asked, his eyes glittering with excitement.
“We’re going to pick out the siding first,” John told him patiently.
“What kind are we getting?”
“We’re going to buy the same lap siding that’s on your house,” he told him. “That way, we can easily match it up.”
“And then we’ll have to paint it, huh?”
John nodded with approval. “That’s right.” He sent a look at Maggie and smiled. She returned his smile, impressed by his level of patience with her son. Rickey could be a handful at only five, since he was forever asking questions. If John was bothered, she couldn’t tell.
They quickly located the siding, which was a standard variety wood. John glanced around. “I should have gotten a cart,” he mused, looking around. “I’ll be right back.”
Rickey chased after him and took his hand again. “I’m going with you.”
John glanced back at Maggie, who nodded her permission. Clearly Rickey was enamored with John, who was one of few males in his life at present. Rickey adored both of his granddads, but unfortunately, neither lived nearby. It was apparent he was craving attention from a male, and was enjoying the opportunity to spend time with John.
Maggie felt a pang when she saw Rickey trotting happily beside John, his eager face upturned and animated with conversation. That should be Shane, she thought, holding his son’s hand as they walked together through the store. It should have been Shane watching his little boy grow up.
Unfortunately no amount of wishing could change that Shane was gone.
***
John smiled down at the little boy currently clutching his hand. Rickey hadn’t stopped talking since they’d left Maggie briefly to locate a cart. The little fellow was intrigued by nearly every item they passed, from tools to roofing materials to painting supplies.
He fired question after question, prompting John to stop on several occasions to give a brief tutorial on an item when he was able. Rickey listened intently to his explanations of items and how they worked, his little face tipped, his eyes narrowed, and his mouth set in a serious line. John found he actually enjoyed the little guy’s interest in all things home improvement.
“You know,” he said, “you may grow up to be a carpenter, or maybe a contractor of some type.”
Rickey shook his head. “I’m going to be a police officer,” he said resolutely.
John came to a stop. “You are?”
“Yeah. I’m going to be a policeman so I can help people like you do.”
Oddly, John felt his heart swelling with pride. He wasn’t certain why, or even if it was appropriate to feel proud that the little boy had been affected by meeting him, but he felt the emotion none the less. “Well, I know you’ll make a great police officer when you grow up,” he said.
Rickey nodded solemnly. “I will.”
“We’d better get that cart and get back to your mom,” John told him, still smiling. “She’s going to think we got lost.”
“Yeah. She worries a lot,” Rickey mused, and then pointed in the directions of the carts. “We need the big kind, huh?”
“Yes, we do,” John said. He retrieved one of the carts meant for carrying lumber supplies, and pushed it back to Rickey, who stood waiting patiently. They started back to Maggie, when someone inadvertently stepped into their path. John pulled the cart to a stop.
A man and a woman were intently studying light fixtures and didn’t realize they’d blocked their way, until the woman happened to glance over. “Oh, sorry,” she murmured. Her eyes suddenly widened in recognition. “John?”
He hadn’t paid much attention to the couple, but suddenly froze in surprise. The woman was his ex, Kim. He briefly lost the power of speech, but finally managed a nod.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
He was taken aback. It wasn’t any of her business.
“I mean…” She gave a slight, condescending smile. “It’s not as if you have to worry about home repair or improvement, living in that tiny…”
“Let’s go, Rickey,” he said brusquely.
The little boy seemed to sense something was amiss. He gave the woman an assessing glance, and for reasons he couldn’t fathom, he found he didn’t like her. Not one bit. He sensed John was … upset? Hurt? His new friend’s manner had definitely shifted.
“Yeah, let’s go,” he repeated, in John’s same brusque tone. John gave him a quick look, and sure enough, noted the little boy was watching his ex with a hostile express
ion on his little face.
The woman suddenly realized that Rickey and John were together. Her eyes widened in surprise and she gasped. “Is he…?” She shook her head, but couldn’t miss the resemblance between her ex and the little boy. “Oh, I mean, of course not. That’s not … possible. Or… is … it?” she queried suspiciously.
Her husband, Alex, stood by, unspeaking, but giving John a speculative glance.
John understood the implication of his ex’s words, but chose not to respond. Besides, how dare she even suspect he’d been unfaithful or dishonest in their relationship, when he had been anything but? Had she forgotten it was her who had cheated on him?
He began pushing the cart away from the couple. He could feel them staring at him and Rickey as they walked away.
He slowed some when he felt a small hand on his arm. “I didn’t like them,” Rickey whispered to him, and then gave an apologetic glance. “Sorry.”
“You have nothing to apologize for,” John assured him, smiling at the earnest little boy. Suddenly, his smile widened, lighting his whole face. For the past year, he’d been devastated by the loss of his wife. It had torn him up that his dreams for a future with her had gone up in smoke. He’d been alone for months now, isolating himself and feeling sorry for himself. He’d felt as if he had no one on his side.
He hadn’t confided in friends about the pain he was feeling, nor had he told his parents or siblings. He’d always been close-mouthed and stalwart, but he suddenly realized his stubborn resolve to handle his own problems had only served to isolate him and intensify the pain.
For whatever reason, having the little boy in his corner, even for a brief moment, had given him a glimpse of what his future could still hold. He wasn’t old by any means. Thirty-four was relatively young by most standards. His life wasn’t over because his wife had betrayed him.
He had to concede he wasn’t ready to dive into a relationship and would probably remain cautious about any quick moves, but seeing Kim with her new husband had shown him that he had given her far too much power over him—his emotions and his life. From the smug look on her face, he garnered that she recognized she still held sway over him and he resolved here and now to stop allowing her to. She had chosen to end their marriage. She had called the shots. No more. She no longer had power over him in any way, shape, or form. Now, if only he could stick to that resolution.
The Happiest Season Page 4
