by JM Dragon
“Really? I didn’t know that, or rather think that, but perhaps on reflection it might be true.” Melissa looked down at her hands.
“Would you like to see the cottage?” Kris decided the subject had gone as far as it was going and the mood in the room had become solemn.
Melissa smiled. “I most certainly would, but shouldn’t we wait for Claire?”
“Claire will be there, talking to Buddy if she can find him. Let’s go.” Kris stood.
“Buddy, she has another friend? My goodness, what magic has been woven here in so few weeks?”
Kris laughed. “Buddy is a little different.”
“Ah, and isn’t that the truth of this magical property? Right, I’m looking forward to this immensely. The old place needed reinvigorating.”
Kris nodded and opened the door for Melissa, and they set off toward the cottage.
†
Claire sat down heavily beside the tree Buddy lived in, or used to according to Kris. “Damn, why did you have to desert me too? I need to talk.”
She leaned her head against the bark, its rough texture imprinting into her skull. She didn’t care. Her mind was a whirl of whys. Why now? Why did her mother come here? Why did Grams let her? Why did her mother think leaving Father was important to her?
Why can’t I just fall in love and have life be happy for once?
Then the what-ifs flooded through her like a tsunami, washing away the whys. What if Father causes trouble? What if I don’t have any money left? What do I do without a home? The wave came crashing around her. What will Kris think of me as simply me, without money?
Kris. Damn, I ignored her and she didn’t deserve that. What if she decides we aren’t a good fit anymore? Love is fragile and can change with the snap of the fingers. Look what happened with Racheal.
Reality began to surface at the thought of Racheal. I didn’t love her. Not like I do Kris. I’d lay my life down for Kris. A mischievous thought prevailed regarding Racheal—I would buy her body armor instead of laying down my life if she were in trouble.
“Buddy, I hope you and your lady friend are happy, and the in-laws don’t step in to cause trouble. One of us should be free of that crap.” She sighed.
Glancing down at her weak arm, she used her left hand to trace the scars on her face. “I’m worthless in the beauty department these days, and now it looks like I’m going to be penniless. Father never liked me from the day I was born. I’m pretty sure of that. He will be glad Mother left him. It will mean he can marry some bimbo who will give him the son he wanted. Bastard.”
She looked up at the sky. It was light blue with only a few wispy, white clouds. The thought of Kris last night on the beach invaded her. Life took on a lighter tone. “Heaven, yes, heaven.”
A chirp above her head distracted her, and she turned to look in that direction. Sure enough Buddy sat on his favorite branch, looking down at her.
She scrambled up, felt in her pocket, and balled her fist. “I’m sorry, Buddy, no cookies today. I thought you’d left me.” Claire grinned. Suddenly the appearance of this innocent creature had righted her world, at least in part. Then she remembered the secret package Kris had kept from her a few days ago.
“Wait there, Buddy, I’ll be back. Your second-best buddy might just have stashed something away for you. Please wait.”
Looking back a couple of times to make sure Buddy was still there, she entered the cottage as quickly as she could after fishing out the key.
“Where did you put them, Kris?” She rushed over to the storage cupboards on the far wall, and the first one was empty. The second had basic kitchen cutlery, plates, and the third—bingo. She opened the first brown package, and Yes! It contained treats for Buddy. Clutching the bag, she retreated as speedily as possible out of the room and back to the tree.
“Here you go, Buddy.” She ripped open the bag and sprinkled the wild bird food mix on the ground around the tree trunk. She was about to move to a discreet distance so he could feed without fear when he flew down and ate as she stood there.
A lump formed in her throat.
“What’s this, Buddy? Saying good-bye and having a feast.” The bird switched his head to one side as if he understood what she said. He flapped his wings, ate more, and then flew back to his branch.
Claire looked at him, and she had the distinct feeling that he willed her to stay with him for a while, but then that would be ridiculous. “I’ll be back later, Buddy, if you have the time. Just remember if I stay there might be a cat to contend with.”
The sound of footsteps crunching the gravel on the path leading to the cottage alerted her to visitors.
†
Accompanied by Melissa, who was a foot behind her, Kris headed to the opening of the path, which showed a full view of the cottage. She heard Claire’s voice and stopped, causing Melissa to cannon into her.
“Something wrong?”
With a huge grin, Kris turned to the older woman. “No, absolutely the opposite. I know we shouldn’t listen, but….”
Melissa frowned.
“Buddy came back, don’t you see?” Kris sucked in a breath. Thank you, Buddy.
“Not really, dear. Who exactly is this Buddy?”
Claire left the tree to go inside the cottage.
“Watch this, Melissa. Buddy is a bird, he’s very beautiful, and she loves him.”
“Really, she always said they were vermin. I’m surprised.” Melissa peered over the bush and watched. A few minutes later she gasped. “She really does like the bird. I’m flabbergasted. You have worked wonders, my dear.”
Kris didn’t know what to make of that comment. “Claire and Buddy had nothing to do with me. I’m a cat person, remember.”
Melissa looked like she was about to cry, and Kris smiled.
“I think we’re seeing the real Claire here, don’t you? She’s perhaps someone who got lost over the years but has found her way back.”
“Yes, my dear. She was such a helpful and thoughtful child. Thank you.”
Kris shook her head. “It wasn’t anything to do with me. This is all down to Claire.”
“Of course it is. Shall we speak with her and see the cottage?”
“Sure.” Kris stamped hard on the ground.
“What are you doing?”
Kris chuckled. “Well, we don’t want her to know we’ve been watching, right? I’ve done this a few times.”
Melissa stared at her and then smiled. “Lead on, my dear.”
Kris grinned as they headed out of the foliage.
†
“Hey, you could have scared me,” Claire stated, then winked at Grams and gave Kris a smile. “I’m glad you left the other one behind. She would have been a perpetual thorn in the side.”
“Claire, don’t talk about your mother like that.”
Kris walked over to Claire and took her hand instinctively. “Your grandmother is right, Claire.”
The softly spoken words and the warmth of Kris’s hand calmed her. She could clear up that issue later. “Yes, sorry. Still, Grams, what do you think? Kris has done a wonderful job.”
Claire watched Grams closely, and Grams smiled and winked at her, then gazed at the building. With hands on slim hips, she whistled softly.
“My, you are very talented. You did all this without any help?” Melissa turned to Kris.
Kris shook her head. “I don’t think Claire is chopped liver. She worked hard too. See the painted ornate part of the railing and the railing itself? Claire did that. She’s painted a lot of the interior rooms too.”
Claire heard the pride Kris had in her work, and her heart swelled. Damn, I love this woman.
“She certainly isn’t. It’s beautiful work, darling, thank you.” Melissa hugged Claire and kissed her on the cheek.
“Well, I had an expert supervisor.” Claire chuckled. “Grams, I want to tell you something.”
Melissa raised a hand slightly. “You can tell me after you’ve talked with your mother
. As much as it might pain you to do so, she deserves at least a hearing. In fact, I insist. Is that a problem?”
Claire frowned. “No, no, I can do that.” She glanced at Kris, who appeared pensive. “Maybe I’ll go do that now.”
“Absolutely not. You both can show me everything you’ve done first.”
Kris excitedly began telling Grams about the renovation.
Claire held back a moment before joining them on the deck and looked up at the tree. Buddy was gone.
Chapter Thirty-One
Kris scrubbed a carrot for dinner, worried over Claire’s meeting with her mother. It wouldn’t have been as stressful if Melissa hadn’t insisted on sitting in on the conversation. That was an hour ago.
“That carrot must be the cleanest in the world,” Shirley gently said.
Kris turned to the housekeeper and shrugged. “My attention was elsewhere.”
“I know, and you can’t do anything about what’s said in that room. It’s a family conversation. I found with Ricky it was best to remain out of direct family matters in the early days.”
Shirley busied herself with a colander filled with potatoes.
Kris pondered that.
“You know as well as I do it’s a hopeless case, don’t you? You don’t have to save my feelings. I think I knew from the start when I fell in love with her that I was hardly the person she would stay with. Heck, I don’t have a job, I live in a small rented apartment in an, at times, dubious neighborhood, and I’m hardly a glamour girl.” Kris threw the carrot into the pan and dropped the brush she was using.
Shirley placed the potatoes in the pan and switched on the heat. “My girl, if you think like that, how can you possibly expect the relationship to work? You’ve pretty much given her up. I didn’t give up, and although I didn’t have a lot of time with Ricky, I savored every single day. You should do the same. She asked you to marry her. That must mean something.” Shirley shook her head and opened the oven to check on the roast beef.
Kris felt deflated at her words. Shirley is right, but these are different times. Monogamy isn’t Claire’s strong point. She’s already admitted that. How can I think she will change for me? I guess I just have to believe, as hard as that feels right now. “Yes, you are right. I’m just nervous.”
“Tell me about it. The first time I met my mother-in-law…my, she was a dragon but had a warm heart. All she was interested in was if her boy was going to be loved and looked after. I guess I must have won her over.” Shirley chuckled.
Kris smiled. “Shirley, if things go well, will you be my family at the wedding?”
Shirley squared her shoulders and Kris was unsure of the outcome. When the older woman turned, her eyes were brimming with tears, and she briefly wiped her apron over her face.
“I would love to, Kris, thank you.” Shirley took off the apron and found another, much to Kris’s amusement. A few tears wouldn’t harm anything.
“Right, let’s make those Jackson women a meal that will knock their socks off, and for desert…we have—” Shirley winked “—mille-feuille.”
“Oh Shirley, you are a darling.” Kris walked around the bench and hugged her hard. “Thank you.”
Shirley huffed away the emotion. “Right, let’s set the table in the main dining room. Tonight we can all eat in style.”
†
The light in the dining room was dim as everyone sat around the table. Melissa was at the head, flanked by Anna and Claire. Shirley sat next to Claire, and Kris next to Anna.
Claire frowned at the arrangement but held her tongue. She watched as Kris wrapped her hands in the linen napkin. It looked like a nervous reaction.
Anna turned to Kris. “Did you take my bag to my room?”
There was a wave of silence, and Claire’s hackles rose.
“Actually no, Claire did.”
Anna’s nostrils flared. “You made my daughter a servant? Mother, that’s an outrage. Not to mention that she’s disabled.”
Grams, bless her, held her laughter at the outdated and absurd comment.
“I’m far from disabled, Mother, and Kris isn’t a servant. I’m not sure we’ve had them in the U.S. for decades. Are you living in a different century?”
“Don’t be silly, darling. I’m doing nothing of the sort. What is for dinner this evening, Mrs. Rank?”
The lack of respect that money sometimes bestowed on people was evident in how her mother spoke. For years, she hadn’t understood it. Now, oh yeah now, she did. Kris was worth a hundred times more than her mother. She would think this even if she hadn’t fallen for Kris.
“Beef Wellington, roast potatoes, and seasonal vegetables.”
“Well, that’s at least decent. I don’t want a dessert. I am, however, partial to a decent wine. What do we have with dinner tonight?”
Shirley began to rise from her seat.
“Leave that to me, Shirley.” Claire stood and left the room.
“Look, Mother, she’s a servant here. Isn’t this what we pay these people for? This is your entire fault.”
Melissa closed her eyes, shaking her head. “Do you know how outdated you sound, Anna? I brought you up better than that. It’s just as well you’ve left Carl since his archaic views were influencing you so terribly.”
Anna glared at Melissa, who simply gave her a sweet smile.
“Ignore my disrespectful daughter. She’s going through a hard time, not that it makes what she said right.”
“Mrs. Tremont is correct; you do pay me for the work. Claire is being kind.” Shirley looked down at her hands, twisting them together. “Perhaps I’ll go and check on her.”
Kris stood. “I’ll do it, Shirley. Excuse me, please.”
Melissa smiled warmly and nodded.
Kris left the room.
“Well, that leaves the three of us. What do you think of the cottage, Shirley?”
“Oh, they have done a marvelous job. To be honest, it’s just as I remember it when I lived there. My Ricky would have been happy.”
Anna sniffed the air and began tapping her fingers on the table.
“You know, if you are bored you can go out to dinner. Take the Chrysler.” Melissa shook her head, watching Anna’s expression turn from boredom to interest, then a sour look entered the fray.
“I can’t have a drink if I drive, and I need one, more than one. Thanks anyway.”
The words sounded grudging and Melissa wondered when her only child had become so self-centered. She and Graham had spoiled her, that was normal with an only child, but this petulant disrespect for others wasn’t something they had tolerated or taught their child. Well, she’s going to change if she lives with me for any length of time. Melissa turned back to Shirley. “Have you seen Tony and Samantha recently? How is the baby-making going?”
Shirley smiled. “I saw them last night, actually, and it’s good news and bad, from my point of view anyway.”
Melissa knitted her eyebrows. “How so?”
“They have been given the opportunity to take part in a fertility program in Alabama, and the prospects are so much better than what they can afford here. They’ve asked me to go with them. Tony can support us for the length of the program. I can’t go, of course. I have responsibilities here.”
“Oh, Shirley, of course you must go. They are family, and you can always come back if that’s what you want.” Melissa gave her a sympathetic smile. “Don’t worry, I will find a temporary replacement.”
Shirley’s beaming smile was enough for Melissa to know this was exactly what the woman wanted to hear.
†
“Damn, damn, damn!”
The words greeted Kris as she opened the door to the cellar and smiled. Obviously Claire wasn’t happy about something. She quickly descended the six steps and saw Claire in the farthest corner, one bottle of wine under her arm and one in her hand, as she stared at the largest wine rack in front of her.
“Need any help?”
Claire turned and grinned. “K
ris, you are an angel. How did you know I needed you?”
The words were innocuous enough, but Kris warmed all over. “To be honest I didn’t. Shirley was going to come and help, but I decided to rob her of that pleasure.” The words were out before she realized. “Oh, I didn’t mean that the company was bad or anything….” Her cheeks stung with heat.
Claire laughed. “Yes, I know. Even though they’re my family, I still volunteered.”
Kris rolled her eyes. “How can I help?” She moved to within inches of Claire, who winked at her.
“A kiss right now would be wonderful.”
Kris closed the gap and kissed Claire soundly. Their lips were like heat-seeking missiles, and when they made contact it was an explosion of senses. They remained like that for as long as they could support the kiss without coming up for air.
“Wow.”
“Wow is right. I nearly dropped the wine. You have a remarkable talent for having me lose all sense of reality when we kiss.” Claire’s voice was hoarse.
“I hope that’s good.”
“Good isn’t the right word. Perfect is.”
Kris stared at Claire, catching her eyes. ‘Perfect,’ she said ‘perfect.’ How can I possibly think we won’t work out?
“I love you,” Kris said.
The three words echoed in the cellar, and they both smiled.
“I love you too. Any chance we can skip dinner and take this to a private place?”
Kris shook her head. “Claire, it’s your family. I think tonight they need you there. If you don’t want to stay for your mother, certainly your grandmother could do with the support.” At Claire’s downtrodden expression, she said, “There is always after dinner.”
Claire pouted. It reminded Kris of Anna’s pout, but the twinkle in Claire’s eyes made the expression so much less demanding.
