“Here’s all we have left,” he told them. “If you do decide to lay it, you’ll want to be sure to lay down several inches of compost or top soil first. That way, you’ll give it a fighting chance.”
“Okay,” John said crisply. “We’ll take it all, and hope we have enough,” he muttered under his breath. He turned to the store clerk. “Where can I pay?”
Maggie discreetly tugged at his arm. “I’m paying,” she whispered.
“No, I’ll put it on my credit card,” he told her. “That way, it’s likely we’ll have the cash in hand when the bill comes due.”
“I can use my credit card,” she told him, but hated the idea of using it. Besides, she had a limit of only three hundred dollars—at her own request. She kept the card on hand for emergencies only. He seemed to read her reticence about using the card.
“Really, Maggie, it’s fine. We’ll use mine and be careful to hang on to all the receipts.”
She met his gaze, saw in his eyes he really wanted to help, and out of necessity, gave a resigned sigh. She really was at his mercy. She had no idea how much the sod would cost. What if it exceeded the limit on her card?
It was a moot point when the clerk led them to a register and rang them up. John hurriedly paid and then turned to Maggie. “I’ll get the truck so we can get loaded up.” To the clerk, he asked, “Where should I bring my truck?”
The clerk told them, and Maggie noted John seemed distracted all of a sudden. “We forgot the top soil,” he said.
The clerk shook his head. “I’m sorry. I should have remembered. Shall I grab several bags?”
Maggie quickly asked how much it cost, and to her relief, she knew she could cover it with funds in her checking account. “I’ve got it,” she told John, before he could pull out his credit card.
It appeared he might argue, but he nodded. “I’ll get the truck and pull up while you arrange to have the top soil brought over,” he told her.
“Okay. I’ll see you in a bit,” she said.
Rickey, who had been uncharacteristically quiet, asked, “Can I go with John, Mama?”
“If he doesn’t mind…”
“Not a problem,” John said, reaching for Rickey’s hand as if it was the most natural thing in the world to do. The two strode off, as Maggie saw to the top soil.
***
As the men hurried toward the store’s exit, they turned down an aisle and Rickey abruptly crashed into a woman, as she stepped back to admire a piece of yard décor. The little boy tumbled backward, and had John not been holding him, he would have hit the floor hard.
John stopped and looked down at Rickey with concern and alarm. The woman had really hit him hard. He saw the little boy was trying not to cry, but that he was clutching his head.
Instinctively, he reached for him and swung him into his arms. He gently removed his hand from his head and saw that a spot on the right side of his forehead was already bruising. “Are you all right?” he asked, his protective instincts flaring as he turned to see who had collided with the boy.
Kim!
His ex watched him, as if he were a space alien. “What are you doing here?” she demanded, and then her eyes widened alarmingly. “Are you … following me?”
“Of course not,” he said, dismissing her as he turned his attention back to Rickey. He noticed the knot on his forehead had grown and that it was turning a deeper purple. He felt a surge of anger toward Kim, but tamped it down, lest Rickey see him lose his temper.
Instead, he talked soothingly to him. “After we load up the truck, we’ll get you some ice, and…” He arched his brows. “How ‘bout an ice cream cone?”
Rickey perked up. “Strawberry?”
John could see he was struggling not to cry, and his heart tugged. He pulled the little boy against him and stroked his back. “Anything you want,” he promised.
The woman gave him a look of contempt. “Anything he wants?” she spat. “I certainly never heard those words from you.”
He bit back a retort, shook his head, and strode off. Rickey was holding on to him tightly, his little body plied against him. John didn’t want the little boy upset further should he witness an altercation between him and Kim.
John knew that the blow to his head had to hurt, and he was angry it had happened. Kim should have been more careful, but then, he had to concede, she hadn’t meant to collide with the little boy. But just the same, old hurts came to the forefront, making it difficult for him to forgive her.
When Rickey pulled back and looked into his eyes and smiled, however, he forgot all about Kim, until he said adamantly, “That lady is mean.”
John gave a burst of chagrined laughter. “You don’t know the half of it, buddy.”
***
Back in John’s truck, Maggie gently probed Rickey’s forehead. “You, my dear, have a goose egg,” she said with a sympathetic smile.
John sighed. “I’m so sorry,” he said, for the umpteenth time. “It shouldn’t have happened.”
“It wasn’t your fault,” she assured him. “It wasn’t anybody’s fault. These things happen.” She gently tousled her son’s dark hair. “It isn’t this one’s first head injury, and won’t be his last.”
“Just the same…”
“I’m all right, John,” Rickey said, watching him eagerly, pointedly. “Did you remember you said we could get some…?”
John laughed. “Ice cream,” he remembered, and Rickey nodded, as if relieved.
“Ice cream?” Maggie said. “But it’s cold outside.”
“It’s never too cold for ice cream,” John scoffed.
“John is getting me ice cream because that mean lady ran into me,” Rickey explained.
“Honey, I’m sure she isn’t mean,” Maggie said. “It was simply an accident.”
“Oh, yes she is mean,” he insisted, giving John a conspiratorial look. “You don’t know that half of it,” he added, nodding his head up and down.
Maggie glanced at John, her face registering confusion.
“Ice cream!” he said, pointing ahead at a popular ice cream place, and relieved for the distraction. “Rickey wants strawberry. How about you, Maggie? What sounds good?”
“Nothing for me,” she said, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw that she continued watching him through what could only be deemed suspicious eyes. But he couldn’t bring himself to tell her that Ricky had been injured by his ex-wife.
He pulled into the drive-through, placed their order, and then sat back to wait. He raised his right arm and rested it along the back of the bench seat, and began drumming nervously with his fingers. Maggie turned in her seat and stared at his hand, as if trying to read the reasons behind the nervous gesture.
He noticed. “Oh, sorry.” He pulled his arm back and took a deep breath. He knew he was behaving strangely, but seeing Kim for the second time in a week’s time had unnerved him.
He was relieved when they pulled forward in the drive-through and were promptly given their cones. He offered Maggie a taste of his before having a bite himself, but she declined.
Rickey dove into his cone, obviously a huge fan of strawberry ice cream. “Strawberry is my favorite,” he gushed, and turned to his mother. “John said I could have any kind I wanted.” He furrowed his brow, as if remembering something. “That mean lady said John never got her any kind of ice cream she wanted.” He narrowed his lids. “I don’t blame him. I wouldn’t give her any ice cream either.”
John promptly choked on his brownie fudge ice cream.
***
Back at Maggie’s house, she sent Rickey up to wash his hands and face, and to change out of his shirt. He’d dropped most of his strawberry ice cream on the front of it.
While he was gone, it gave Maggie an opportunity to study John, who still seemed out of sorts as he sat on the sofa in the family room. She joined him there.
“All right,” she said finally. “Do you want to fill me in?”
“On what?” he asked.
“Discombobulated?”
“Yes. And I think you need an ear, and maybe even a shoulder.”
He chuckled at that. “Yeah, probably,” he admitted, with a self-deprecating laugh.
“Do you want to talk?” she asked softly. “Really. I’m happy to listen.”
He turned and searched her face. Her eyes were wide, radiating kindness. She nodded, urging him to talk to her.
She could see he was on the verge, but abruptly pulled back. He shook his head. “That’s okay. I’m fine.”
She nodded. She wouldn’t push. If he wanted to talk to her, he would. She really didn’t know him well enough to push him to do anything.
“I need to get outside and start laying that sod,” he said, yawning.
She shook her head. “Nope. Not today. I’ll do it tomorrow.”
“What time should I plan on coming by?” he asked.
She laughed. “You’re not. You’re going to enjoy your day off. You’ve done enough for Rickey and me.”
He eased back on the sofa and watched her. She shifted under his scrutiny, wondering what was going through his mind. To her surprise, he reached across the distance separating them and took her hand. He gave it a squeeze. “I want to help. I really do.”
“Have you always been a glutton for punishment?” she asked, searching his face this time.
His lips tugged into a smile. “Nope. But I’m coming by anyway. I can’t wait to see what might turn up in your yard during the light of day.”
Chapter Nine
Maggie had just put Rickey to bed, when her phone rang. She hurried to pick it up, and carried the cordless phone from the kitchen and into the family room, where she dropped onto the couch. She tucked her legs under her, checked the caller ID on the phone, and answered the call.
“Hello, Gloria,” she said, smiling.
“I’ll never get used to this new fangled technology,” Gloria uttered. “What’s the fun of knowing who’s on the end of the phone line? Don’t you like the element of surprise?”
“Not really,” she admitted honestly. “Anyway, what can I do for you? By the way, how’s your weekend going?”
“Good,” she answered. “But hey, I was wondering if I could stop by with those presents tomorrow. The grandkids are coming soon, and if I don’t stow them safely away…”
“The grandkids or the presents?” she teased.
“You know what I mean,” Gloria said with mock frustration. “Although I have wanted to stow those kids away a time or two…”
“Oh, you have not,” Maggie countered. “You love those kids.”
“Of course, I do. But there are times a break is welcome. Anyway… If you could hide the gifts in your spare bedroom…”
“I’ll have to be sure Rickey doesn’t dive in and do some snooping if he happens to find them.”
“They’re dolls. He wouldn’t be interested.”
“Probably not.”
“I am bringing his gifts too,” Gloria informed.
“Oh, Gloria, you shouldn’t have gotten him anything. You have so many of your own family to buy for.”
“Oh, pashaw,” she said. “I love that little kid. He’s become like a grandchild to me.”
“And he loves you like a grandmother.”
“Which is precisely why I’m going to spoil him rotten.” She gave an impish grin.
Maggie knew it wouldn’t do any good to argue with her friend, since she wouldn’t be deterred. Gloria knew cash was tight for Maggie, and she couldn’t help herself—she just had to do for others.
“What time are you coming?”
“What works for you?”
“Anytime, actually. We’ll be here. John is coming over…”
“Do tell,” Gloria cut in suggestively.
“Hey, don’t even go there,” Maggie warned, and then laughed. “Oh, I forgot. You don’t know. Rickey and I had another visitor last night.”
Gloria gasped. “The camel again!”
“Nope. This time it was a donkey.”
“This is getting weird,” Gloria murmured.
“Yes, it is, isn’t it?” Maggie agreed.
“So … why is the hunky cop showing up?”
“He’s going to help me lay sod.”
“What? It’s almost winter time. And you have grass, don’t you? Or, have my eyes been playing tricks on me?”
“I had grass, and still do have some, but the biggest part of it is ruined, thanks to the donkey.”
“I’d sue the donkey.”
“Yeah, I’ll have to try that.”
“Really, though. Where’s the owner of these wayward beasts? He should be the one laying sod.”
Maggie sighed. “Unwilling to do much for me right now. He told me—via John—to do the repairs and to keep the receipts.”
“Easy for him to say,” Gloria said drolly.
“Yeah. If an elephant shows up, I’m calling Homeland Security.”
“If memory serves, elephants aren’t customarily part of nativity scenes.”
“Oh, yes, you’re right. Thank God.”
“Have you driven by that live nativity scene yet?” Gloria asked. “If not, you might want to. It might behoove you to know what’s coming next.”
Maggie chuckled. “Yeah, that’s probably a good idea. Maybe Rickey and I will drive by tomorrow.”
“Wait for me. I’ll go with you.”
“Okay. See you tomorrow. Bring fudge.”
“Don’t I always?”
Later, as Maggie slipped between the covers of her bed, she revisited the last couple weeks in her thoughts. Who knew her life could be turned upside down by a couple escaped animals? And who knew a handsome cop with a Knight in Shining Armor complex would come to her rescue?
She had to admit, since moving to her new town, she had met some wonderful people. She and Gloria, despite their age difference, had become fast friends—even best friends. She knew she was lucky to find people she could rely on and she thanked God for them every day.
She had been apprehensive about the move initially, worried about uprooting Rickey and taking him away from the people and places he knew. But an inner voice had told her it was time to make a move.
She had to wonder, what was that inner voice trying to tell her now?
***
John rose early, having had a surprisingly restful night’s sleep. He hadn’t slept well for the past several months. He wondered what had prompted his good night’s rest, but knew he shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth.
When his phone rang as he was stepping out of his shower, his brows furrowed. Who would be calling this early?
Work.
It was the only explanation for an early morning call. He hesitated before crossing the room to answer. He’d promised Maggie he’d help lay sod today, and he hated to let her down. But he couldn’t let down his sergeant either.
He answered the phone. “Hello.”
To his surprise and horror, Kim was on the line. Her voice was icy cold when she spoke. “I don’t know what game you’re playing at, John, but…”
He was taken aback. She hadn’t called him at his place in months—not since she’d threatened to take him for everything he was worth back when they were haggling over the value of the house and their shared possessions. They’d worked out an agreement in which she was to pay him half the value of the equity in their home. Since they’d made a sizeable down payment on the new construction originally, and had been paying the mortgage for years since, he was entitled to a tidy amount of cash.
Unfortunately, Kim had conveniently enlisted a friend to determine the “market” value of the home
and the friend had devalued it to the tune of thousands of dollars. He’d fought her, of course, but she hadn’t made things easy—ranting and railing at every turn.
“John, are you going to answer me? What are you playing at?”
“What are you talking about?” he asked tiredly.
“You know very well what you’re doing,” she said.
“Kim, I don’t have a clue what you’re referring to, and I have to go now.” He was about to hang up when he heard a sudden uncharacteristic, pleading tone in her voice.
“Wait! Listen, please. The truth is…” He thought he heard a catch in her voice. “I miss you too, Johnny.”
He felt as if he’d been clubbed on the head. It was the last thing he’d expected her to say. But the truth was, he could honestly say, he didn’t return the sentiment. He no longer missed her, having realized of late that he never really had. What he had missed was the ‘idea’ of her and the many plans he’d had for a future together. He missed what could have been, should have been, rather than what was. In retrospect, he’d come to see that they just hadn’t been well-matched.
When he didn’t respond, she gave a sad, brittle laugh. “I know. You don’t believe me. I behaved terribly and I know it.” She was silent for a moment, apparently gathering her thoughts. “I made a mistake, John. I know it now.”
“A mistake?”
“Yes.”
“I … don’t know what you want me to say,” he admitted. He suspected he knew where this was leading, but then, Kim was unpredictable on a good day.
“Tell me you miss me too.” She gave a laugh, this time confident and perhaps a little smug. “I know you do. John, really. Stalking me? If I didn’t know you so well, I might even be a little … alarmed. Though I suppose, on some level, it is kind of flattering…”
“Stalking you?” he said loudly. “Kim, I haven’t been stalking you or anyone.”
“John…” She gave a low chuckle. “Don’t you see? I understand now—why you didn’t fight me on the divorce. I wasn’t the only one to strayed, was I? But I can forgive you.” She laughed easily. “Actually, your having a child…well, while admittedly shocking…will actually make things … easier for us. Don’t you see?”
The Happiest Season Page 8
