by Terry Keys
“And?” she said, her voice muffled beneath the pillow.
“I admit I was pretty scatterbrained that day.” I paused to gather my thoughts. “That doesn’t excuse your behavior, but I could have handled it better, and I admit that. Furthermore, I should have at least given you the chance to tell your side of the story. I’m sorry. I was wrong about that. You want to tell me your version of what went down the other day?”
“No. When I wanted to talk, you didn’t want to hear it. Now I don’t want to talk.”
“Okay, Hilary, fair enough. Stacy is supposed to be coming over today to stay the weekend with us. She’s supposed to call me before she comes to make sure everything is still a go.”
“Do whatever you want, Dad.”
“Hil, I don’t want it to be this way. All I’m asking is that you give it a chance. A real chance.”
Hilary finally moved the pillow from her face.
“She hates me, Dad. And I don’t know . . . there’s just something about the way she looks at me sometimes. I can’t put a finger on it, but it gives me the creeps.”
“She doesn’t hate you. She actually admires you. She’s told me as much.” I smiled. “She thinks you’re a smart and talented girl. Please give this a chance. For me.”
I got up, waiting to see if my daughter would respond. Nothing.
“I’m going down to cook some breakfast. I love you, kiddo.”
I went downstairs, prepared breakfast, and held my breath to see if Hilary would come down to join Karen and me at the table. I was pleased when I heard her footsteps on the stairs.
Just as the three of us settled at the table, the doorbell rang.
“I’ll get it,” Karen shouted, scrambling from her chair to race to the front door.
She opened the door and there stood Stacy, bags in both hands, obviously prepared for her weekend stay.
“Good morning, everyone!” Stacy called out.
I almost spit out my orange juice. She was supposed to call, I thought. Pushy little thing, she was.
“Stacy?” I sputtered. “I thought you were going to call.”
“Oh, I just thought I’d surprise everyone.”
“Well, you accomplished that goal,” Hilary muttered under her breath.
Hilary turned to me.
“You should tell your girlfriend not everyone likes surprises. I’m going to my room. I’m not hungry anymore.”
I sighed and got up to greet Stacy, whose eyes were fixed on Hilary’s retreating back.
“She thinks we’re moving too fast,” I explained. “She’s just going to need a little more time, Stacy. She’ll be okay.”
I leaned down to give Stacy a peck on the cheek. Then I took her bags to my bedroom. I hadn’t even reached the door when Karen started in on Coach Stacy. I strained to overhear their conversation.
“I like you, and I like you and daddy hanging out, but I’d rather you and Hil not fight,” Karen said.
“I know, sweetie and I’m sorry,” Stacy said. “I should have butted out the other day. It really wasn’t any of my business. Do you forgive me?”
I returned to the kitchen in time to see my teary-eyed daughter give Stacy a big hug.
“Aww. You okay, Karen?” Stacy smiled.
“Yes, I’m okay,” she said, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. “I just want a mommy so bad sometimes. I miss my mommy. And yes, I forgive you, but you need to apologize to Hilary, too.”
I raised my eyebrows. Out of the mouths of babes . . . A sense of failure washed over me, followed by sadness for my girls. I cleared my throat to let the ladies know I’d reentered the room.
“Karen, you okay, baby?” I said.
“Yeah, I’ll be fine, Dad,” she grinned.
“Great! Now how about you help me get this kitchen cleaned up?”
We’d barely cleared the table when the doorbell rang. I frowned. We weren’t expecting any more company this morning.
When I opened the front door, no one was there. I glanced down to find a certified package wrapped in brown butcher paper. The words Open Immediately—Perishable were printed across the top in bold, red letters.
I frowned, examining the box as I nudged the door closed with my foot. The package was addressed to me, but it had no return address except for a street, Sycamore, and a local zip code. I was surprised the package had made it through with such sparse return address information.
No sooner had I closed the door when I heard voices outside. I peeked out again to find my in-laws, Tom and Grace, standing there.
“Tom, Grace, what a surprise,” I said, startled. Then I grew nervous.
It had been a few months since their last visit. Why had they decided to show up unannounced the weekend Stacy was supposed to stay with us? What next?
I offered to take their bags and placed the package on the entryway table, temporarily forgotten as I invited them in.
“I hope we’re not intruding, David,” Grace said as she handed me her bag.
“Hello, David,” Tom said, casting a wary glance in Stacy’s direction. “I told her we should have called first.”
“Granny!” Karen yelled in excitement, running into the entryway for a hug.
“No problem. Tom, Grace . . . uh, this is my . . . friend, Stacy.”
It was not how I had planned to introduce Stacy to the family. I didn’t need anyone’s approval, but I still felt a strong sense of uneasiness. I was sure they would, too. I thought I’d waited more than long enough to start dating. But now I was questioning myself, and I felt sure Tom and Grace were doing the same.
Miranda’s parents continued to stare at Stacy unapologetically. I cleared my throat. Deep down, I’m sure they both knew the girls and I would eventually move on, but I could tell the shock was affecting them. I got the feeling neither of them really fancied Stacy. Still, that would have been true no matter what woman was trying to fill their Miranda’s shoes, I’m sure.
Hilary heard all the chatter downstairs and peeked out to see what was going on. When she saw her grandparents, she ran down to greet them.
“Boy, am I sure glad to see you,” Hilary muttered as she hugged her grandmother.
Hilary didn’t waste any time and quickly dragged her grandmother upstairs to her room.
“Grace,” Tom called after her. “I think we should get a hotel room for the next few days.”
“Don’t be silly.” I jumped in, though I didn’t want to. They had been so good to me and the girls. I had no problems with them at all, but the timing was bad this trip—really bad.
42
Tom and I left the ladies at the house and went to the store to pick up what we needed for a barbeque later. I wondered what kind of trouble Hilary might create while I was gone. She had apparently lost all fondness for Stacy, and I was sure Grace didn’t care for her too much either.
“So where’d you meet this Stacy, David?” Tom wasted no time asking once we were in the garage.
We climbed into the truck. I didn’t answer until we were on the road, headed toward the store. I didn’t think it prudent to mention I’d first met her at Miranda’s memorial service.
“She was Karen’s softball coach. She’s a really nice girl.” I needed to make the point right away. “I’m not trying to replace Miranda, Tom. She’s the mother of my children and always will be. I’ll never be able to replace her.” I sighed. “But at some point . . .”
“At some point what, David? At some point you’ll have to move on? Forget about Miranda? Start a new life?”
I glanced at my former father-in-law. His face was red with anger, and I saw pain in his eyes. I knew I was the cause of his discomfort. I waited a few seconds before I spoke up and considered my words carefully.
“Tom, we all lost someone dear to us. I won’t sit here and pretend I know what it feels like to lose a child because I don’t. But I do know what it feels like to lose your best friend and wife. It hurts like hell. It hurts every day. Stacy allows me to be my
self again. I feel more alive when I can share time with an adult companion. I’m sure you can appreciate that.”
“Let’s just drop it, David,” he said, staring out the window. “How have the girls been?”
“They’re doing okay. Karen is as sweet as ever, and Hilary is . . . well . . . still Hilary. If she changed at this point, I’d have to seriously consider admitting her somewhere.”
We rode the rest of the way in silence. The brief conversation had left me questioning myself again. When we arrived at the meat market, we picked up ribs, charcoal, and a tub of potato salad. It wasn’t until we got back in the truck that Tom spoke again.
“Just take it slow, David. You’re still a young man. No need to rush.”
I nodded, but Tom continued before I could reply.
“And make sure she loves my granddaughters as much as she loves you. Do you know much about her? Her past and so forth?”
Tom spoke softly, and his words sounded sincere, not angry as before.
“Not sure what you mean about her past,” I said. “I mean, we all have a past. I know she’s a small town girl, a college grad, a nurse, and she was a foster child.” I glanced at him. “How’s that for starters? Oh, and she’s an ex-softball player, hence the coaching.”
“Any run-ins with the law?”
“Really, Tom? The law?” I shrugged and shook my head. “Hell, I dunno. I didn’t run a criminal background check on her, if that’s what you’re asking. For what it’s worth, I didn’t run one on Miranda either.”
As quickly as the words spewed out of my mouth, I wanted to yank them back in. Tom shot me a go-to-hell look I felt all the way to my bones.
“It’d just be nice to know more about someone who could potentially be spending lots of time with my grandkids,” he snapped.
“I’m a pretty good judge of character, Tom,” I said, trying to keep the peace. “She’s just a normal girl, as far as I can tell. I am a detective, you know, and a pretty good one.”
Back at the house, Hilary had taken her grandmother up to her room and told her all about her mix-up with Stacy.
“So all you did was give him a little peck, and she acted all crazy? And that’s it, Hilary?”
“Yeah, I swear to it, Grandma. And Dad wouldn’t even let me tell my side of the story.”
“Well, dear, your dad is a good man and a good father. I don’t want to get in the middle of how he decided to handle this.” She frowned. “And it’s not that I don’t believe you, because I do. It just wouldn’t be fair to your dad.”
“I understand. I just don’t want that cow moving in with us and marrying Dad.”
“Moving in? Marriage? What are you talking about, Hilary? How long have they been dating?”
“Well, she said she knows Dad’s the one,” Hilary said, rolling her eyes. “And she claims she loves me and Karen and wants to be a part of our family. I think Dad is lonely, and I really liked her at first. I mean, I even pushed Dad to go out with her in the beginning, because he wasn’t sure. Boy, do I regret that now.”
“You’re young, Hilary, but this can be an important life lesson for you. Sometimes you get something you really wanted, only to find out it’s not what you needed after all. I love you.”
Hilary knew her grandmother was right. She had really wanted her dad and Stacy to start dating, but now that it had become a reality, she second-guessed the idea. Too bad the wheels had already been put into motion.
I walked into the house with Tom not far behind and saw my mother-in-law standing at the bottom of the staircase.
“Good conversation I just had with Hilary there, David,” Grace said, cutting her eyes in Stacy’s direction.
“Well, that’s good, I think,” I replied, though I had an inkling the conversation hadn’t been good at all.
I took the meat I’d just bought into the kitchen. To my surprise, Hilary walked in behind me and made a beeline for the spice cabinet.
“What’s up, Hilary?”
“I’m going to season the meat and get it ready for the grill. That okay with you, Dad?” Her unexpected smile blinded me.
“Uh . . . yeah, I guess.”
Her mood change took me by surprise, but I quickly recovered. “I mean, that’s a good idea. Thanks. I’ll go out and get the pit ready then.”
What exactly had my mother-in-law said to her upstairs? Maybe she should drop in more often, I thought. As I passed through the living room, I wondered if I should invite Tom out to help me with the preparations. After glancing at the awkward stares between Tom, Grace, and Stacy, I opted for it.
“Tom, wanna grab a couple cold ones and help me tackle the pit?”
Tom looked a bit dumbfounded but appeared to welcome the idea. I headed outside, Tom not far behind.
“Nice day,” Tom said as he stepped outside with two frosty longnecks.
I nodded as I scraped the grill. “Yeah, it’s a gorgeous day.”
“Nice grill you got there, David.”
“Yeah, well, it hit my pocketbook pretty darn good, too. The salesman did his job, I guess. Maybe if I was in a cooking contest somewhere I would use all these bells and whistles, but I hardly cook on this ol’ girl at all.”
I finished cleaning the grill, and then the two of us sat around making small talk for a while. We stuck to work and politics and steered clear of personal stuff. I enjoyed our talk; in fact, it was probably the longest, most normal conversation the two of us had ever had.
Just as I was thinking I should go inside to see how the ladies were doing, Hilary walked out carrying a tray loaded with seasoned meat.
“Wow! Good job, Hil,” I said. “It looks great, and I bet it’ll taste even better.”
Tom and I grilled the ribs while the ladies prepared side dishes to go with the meal. I thought maybe things might turn out okay after all.
We all sat down at the dining room table, which Hilary had set, and I blessed the meal. As we ate, everyone was on their best behavior. The conversation was civil, and, surprisingly, no one threw any barbs.
“Hilary, have you decided on a college major yet or where you want to go to college?” Tom asked.
“Not sure on either,” she said. “I mean, I want to go, I think. Just haven’t been putting much thought into it lately.”
“Ever thought about nursing?” Stacy asked. “It’s a great career with a high demand and pretty good pay.”
“Not really,” Hilary replied. “Like I said, I really haven’t thought about any of it in too much detail.”
“Well, there are classes you can take now, while you’re in high school, to get a head start on college. If you’d like, I’ll help you look at some of them,” Stacy said.
Hilary stared at her a moment, then frowned and glanced around at the table. She caught my eye. I looked at her as if to say answer the woman.
“Yeah, maybe,” she finally muttered.
“David, I think Grace and I are going to go into town and catch a show,” Tom said as they finished eating. “The food was great. You ladies did an excellent job on the sides.”
Tom and Grace excused themselves from the table and soon left the house. David, Stacy, Hilary and Karen stared at each other in silence, a blanket of uncertainty threatening to smother them.
43
David, can I talk to you for a minute?” Stacy said as she moved her chair back from the table.
I nodded and we stepped into the kitchen. With the door closed, Stacy spoke quietly. “David, I want to take the girls out shopping and maybe get our nails done or something. I want to show them I’m just as dedicated to them as I am to you.”
She reached down to touch me seductively. I instantly backed up.
“Whoa,” I said. “As much as I’d love to, that’s out of the question. I’m not sure about taking the girls out either. I mean . . .”
“David, trust me. The girls and I need some bonding time. We have to build a relationship. They have to be able to trust me.”
“I’m
just not sure about Hilary right now.”
“David, relax,” she said, smiling. “Trust me on this. It’ll be fine.”
Stacy leaned in to give me a kiss.
“You’ll have the house all to yourself. We’ll be fine.”
She left me standing there wanting more. I followed her back into the dining room.
“Girls, I had to beg, but your dad finally gave in to the three of us going into town to do some shopping.”
I stood back and waited to see their response.
“Really?” Hilary said with a confused frown. “You want to take us shopping? Why?”
“Of course I do.” Stacy grinned. “Why not? Go get ready so we can get out of here before he changes his mind.”
Moving slowly, as if in disbelief, Hilary trudged up the stairs to her room, Karen dancing along ahead of her. Stacy looked over her shoulder at me. I was still concerned, but perhaps it would work out.
“See? I told you it would be fine,” she said.
“Well, you haven’t returned in one piece yet, so let’s reserve the verdict until later.” I grinned back at her.
What a turn of events. I had gone from a house full of people—in-laws, two kids, and a soon-to-be-live-in-girlfriend—to just me in under two hours. I sighed, shaking my head. I glanced at the dining room table, which still needed to be cleared, and knew the kitchen was a mess as well. I’d keep busy.
As I stacked the plates and headed to the kitchen, I spotted the package I’d left on the table in the entryway. I’d forgotten all about it in the hustle and bustle following Tom and Grace’s arrival. I tried to recall if I’d ordered anything recently. Perhaps Hilary had. I set the dishes in the sink, grabbed the package from the table, and sat down on the couch to open it. It was lightweight, about the size of a cell phone box. I frowned. If Hilary had ordered a new phone without asking me first, she’d be in trouble. As I ripped open the box, a Ziploc baggie tumbled out. I opened it and removed the Bubble Wrap inside. As I unrolled it, something pale and familiar-looking tumbled onto the couch beside me. It called to me, taunted me to touch it. My heart pounded, and my stomach rolled as a cold sweat enveloped me. I sat in frozen horror, transfixed by what rested on the cushion beside me.
