A Carol for Kent

by Hallee Bridgeman

  At the mention of Henry’s name, Bobby’s eyes darkened a little bit. Carol noticed. “You know Henry’s like my brother, don’t you? I’ve known him since I was fifteen.”

  “Being like a brother and being a brother are two different things.”

  Carol suddenly felt oddly flattered. “Bobby, are you jealous of Henry?”

  Bobby shrugged. “I don’t think I’m jealous of you and Henry anymore than I envy how close his relationship is with you and Lisa. But, I’ll get over it.”

  “Yeah, well, you ought to.” She turned her head so that she could see the television again.

  “I have to go to Atlanta this weekend,” he said a short time later.

  “Why?”

  “Melody was booked to sing the National Anthem at this Braves game over a year ago, but she obviously can’t. I told them I’d do it. Thought I’d take Lisa if that’s okay.”

  Carol stretched. “Who will watch her while you sing?”

  “John Suarez,” Bobby met her surprised look, but kept his expression blank. “He said he’d be free.”

  Carol thought how strange it would be to be home without Lisa. “I think that’s a good idea. She’d have a lot of fun.”

  “Come with us,” he suggested.

  Carol shook her head. “I think it would be good for you and Lisa to have time alone, and I know it will be good for me to have an opportunity to focus on just work.”

  Bobby frowned and started to say something, but Carol held up her hand, listening to the baby monitor she’d pulled out of the closet. The other end was in her room where Lisa was, and she could hear Lisa groaning while she got out of bed. Carol jumped up off the couch and ran upstairs, reaching her just as she made it to the bathroom.

  Once Lisa unburdened herself of the ice chips she’d swallowed an hour before, Carol helped her rinse out her mouth, then helped her get back into the bed. She wet a washcloth with some cold water and wiped her daughter’s face, then sat next to her until she fell back asleep. She kissed her forehead, which felt hot, and hoped that she’d be able to hold down some medication soon. It wouldn’t do any good to try to give her anything right now.

  “Should you call Henry?” Bobby asked from the doorway with a worried look on his face.

  “It’s just a stomach ‘flu, Bobby. She’ll live.” Carol went back into her bathroom and rinsed out the washcloth, hanging it up to have on hand for the next time. She walked back down the stairs and found Bobby standing at the window, staring out. “By tomorrow morning, she’ll be weak, but able to hold down water. By tomorrow afternoon, she’ll probably be able to eat some toast,” she said coming up behind him.

  “I don’t like seeing her sick,” he said.

  Carol put a hand on his back and rubbed him through his shirt. “Neither do I, but she’s a kid. Kid’s get sick.”

  “Do you have to go to work tomorrow?”

  “I’ve already arranged to work from home. I didn’t think you were ready to deal with this.”

  Bobby laughed. “I don’t think I am, either.” He pulled her close and hugged her to him. “You’re an amazing woman, Carol Mabry. I love you.”

  She put her arms around him and laid her head on his chest, feeling secure and at peace. “I love you, too, Bobby. I think I always have.”

  CHAPTER 25

  Personal Journal Entry

  May 8

  When I went home he was waiting for me. He won’t leave me alone. He flew into a rage. I couldn’t get him to calm down for such a long time. He bellowed and yelled. I thought the neighbors might call the cops.

  When he finally ran out of energy, he just stewed, seething and so very, very angry. For the rest of the night he just taunted me, whispering her name over and over again, promising to kill her and make me watch.

  I want to warn her. I want her to listen to me. Can’t she see? Can’t she see I don’t want to have to let her die? Why won’t she listen to me? If she would just look into my eyes and really listen, she would understand.

  She can’t be the next one. I won’t allow it. I love her! I never should have given in to his demands this time. He was once my ally, my partner. I relied on his strength and his decisiveness. Now he’s just my nemesis. I’ll hold out as long as possible, but he’ll eventually force me to do what he wants. I’ll no longer be in control. I dread that day as if it were already upon me.

  Tuesday, May 8th

  SHE felt exhausted. Her entire body ached. If her little girl had to rush to the bathroom one more time and put her young body through that again, Carol knew she would end up in tears over her daughter’s suffering.

  Finally, though, Lisa fell soundly asleep. Some color had even returned to her cheeks; not much, but some color. It was after three o’clock in the morning. As Carol adjusted the covers on her bed that seemed to swallow Lisa whole, she felt thankful that her daughter’s breathing sounded steady and deep, and that she was no longer whimpering in her sleep. She turned her morning alarm off, then crawled into bed next to Lisa.

  The stomach ‘flu stunk, and she was thankful that she only had one child. She didn’t know how women did this with three or four children while it moved through the house, one child at a time.

  She must have dozed because the next time she opened her eyes, Bobby sat in the chair next to the bed writing something on a pad of paper. “Hi,” she whispered, sitting up.

  His eyes looked distracted at first when he looked up at the sound of her voice, but they cleared and he gave her a quick smile. “I didn’t mean to wake you. I was just getting some lyrics down on paper.”

  “I don’t think you woke me. I think I was only out for a few minutes.” She stretched and decided she wanted a cup of tea.

  “Can’t you sleep?” she asked as she stood. She’d made up a bed in one of the guest rooms for him a few hours ago.

  “I had to write down this song. It’s been nagging at me.” He followed her downstairs and into the kitchen and watched her open and shut cupboards. “What are you looking for?” he asked.

  “Tea. I think I have some left, but I can’t remember where I put it.”

  “Don’t you keep it in that container?” he asked, pointing to a set on her counter.

  “No, I mean herbal tea. Aria likes to drink it so I keep it around, but it’s been a few months since she was here last and I can’t remember what I did with it.” She pushed aside a box of macaroni and spotted the box. “Aha, there it is.” She filled the kettle with water and pulled down a mug. “Do you want some?” she asked.

  Bobby gave a small chuckle. “You’re dead set on destroying my image, aren’t you? Violins and herbal tea. What is it, a nice chamomile? Or perhaps rosehip.”

  “Wow. You know your herbal teas. Does that mean you want some?” she asked with a smile.

  He smiled at her teasing tone. “No thanks. I’m fine. Tea should have ice in it just like grits should have cheese in them.”

  Carol moved around the kitchen, making her tea, feeling the tension slip away. Soon she would be just tired, then maybe she would be able to sleep. She sat at the table, and Bobby pushed his pad and pen away.

  “When Lisa and I went riding on Saturday, we saw my mother briefly. She had a message for you,” he said after a few minutes of quiet.

  Carol grimaced. “I’m not sure I want to hear it,” she said.

  He kicked back in his chair. “It basically boiled down to the fact that she’s been a harridan where you’re concerned all these years, and wanted to let you know you’ve done a good job.”

  She stopped with the cup halfway to her mouth, processing the information, then she shrugged. “I guess when you’re at your lowest, you start looking for all the friends you can find.”

  “Ouch,” he said. “Has it been that bad?”

  Carol raised an eyebrow. “You mean, all the years I spent raising our daughter on my own without her father when at any moment they could have changed that?”

  He tilted his head and stared at her. “Point
taken, counselor. She did not mention that, just the other.”

  “See? She still doesn’t think she did anything wrong. She will say they thought it was for the best until her last breath, and that’s inexcusable.”

  “It would seem I’m not the only one who needs to work on forgiveness.”

  She took another sip of her tea. “I’ve done a lot of healing over the last few weeks, and having you here with me is a major catalyst for that. But right now I’m suffering from the morning after nursing a sick child all night, so I’m feeling a bit catty. I’m sorry you heard me do that.”

  Bobby took her hand and kissed it. “Why don’t you go upstairs and try to rest a while. Take the bed you made me. I’ll stay up and listen for her.”

  She started to decline, but then yawned so hard she was surprised she didn’t unhinge her jaw. “I think that might be a good idea,” she said.

  “HEY sweetie. Let’s move you downstairs to the couch and let me change my bed,” Carol suggested. Lisa was propped up on pillows watching television, but still looked a little worse for wear. She managed to hold down the ginger ale she’d sipped at for the last hour, and Carol thought that they had made some progress.

  She helped Lisa to stand and take off her nightgown, then put on a new one. The two made a slow journey down to the living room where Carol already had sheets and a blanket made up for her on the couch.

  “Where’s daddy?” Lisa asked as soon as she was settled in. She could barely keep her eyes open, clearly done-in by the movement through the house. Carol moved the coffee table to within her reach and set the glass of soda on it.

  “He ran out to handle some errands. If you take a nap, he’ll probably be back by the time you wake up.”

  Lisa gave a half nod, then immediately fell asleep. Carol went back upstairs and stripped the bed. She’d only slept about three hours, and wanted to get as much done as she could before she lost her second wind.

  She got her bed and Lisa’s bed changed, then went down to the basement to put the bedding in the washing machine. She finished putting in the first load of linens, added detergent, then went back upstairs just as the doorbell rang.

  She checked on Lisa on her way to the door to make sure that she was still asleep, then opened the door for Rhonda.

  “I brought you the files you called me about,” Rhonda said without any preliminary greetings as she handed over several manila envelopes.

  Carol stepped outside and gestured at the porch. “You don’t want to go in there. I don’t want you catching this bug. It’s a killer.”

  Rhonda sat in a chair. “Is she real sick, then?”

  Carol nodded while she glanced over the files. “She’s getting better now, but we had a pretty rough night.” She looked up at her. “Do you want something to drink, Rhonda? I bleached everything so no worries.”

  “No, thanks. I need to get back to work, and you look like you’ve done enough fetching for at least a day.”

  “Thanks for bringing these by. I don’t think anyone else would have understood my organization system.”

  Wednesday, May 9th

  CAROL walked into the coffee shop and spotted Mitch and Jack at a small table. Smiling, she walked up to them and set the pink bag on the center of the table.

  Mitch looked up at her and spotted the bag. “What’s this?”

  “Blueberry filled doughnuts, your favorite,” she said, pulling out a chair, “from Frank’s.”

  “And this means –”

  “This means that I appreciate your honesty, but the hearts floating in my eyes aren’t impeding my ability to see anything.” She looked at Jack. “I got you a chocolate éclair,” she said.

  “Are you apologizing to me, too?”

  “No. I’m just not rude.”

  Jack laughed and opened the bag.

  Mitch took a sip of his coffee and wiped his mouth with a paper napkin. “Lisa better?”

  “Yes. We made it through the bout.” Carol fielded an incoming text before slipping the phone back into her purse. “I’ve been looking at that security camera footage from our guy buying the hair dye.”

  “Yeah?” Mitch asked around a mouth full of blueberry filling and fried dough.

  “Yeah. Something’s wrong.”

  Jack smirked. “You mean other than the ridiculous camera angle and the lack of face shots?”

  “Right. Something other than. Just not sure what.”

  Mitch smiled half a smile. “So it feels wrong.”

  Carol barked a short laugh. “Exactly. I’ve watched it a dozen times and I can’t put my finger on it. Something about the way he moves.”

  CHAPTER 26

  “SO daddy said I get to ride in his plane and everything,” Lisa said while she and Carol picked up her room. “And, I get to spend the night at Melody Montgomery’s house! I can’t wait.”

  “It will be lots of fun, I’m sure.” Carol put the last doll on the shelf. “Okay. Hop in bed. You have to go back to school tomorrow.”

  “But I want to wait for daddy to come kiss me good-night,” Lisa said with a whine.

  “He isn’t always going to be able to be around to kiss you good-night, Lisa. He’s next door working. Get in bed. He’ll probably come over to check on you later.”

  She tucked Lisa in, kissed her good-night, then turned out the light and walked downstairs. She didn’t feel like working, so she grabbed a glass of tea and went out onto her porch. It wasn’t quite dark yet, so she sat in a chair and watched her neighborhood slowly settle in for the night. She could faintly hear the sound of Bobby’s piano next door, and leaned back in her chair and listened to him tap out a new song. Every so often, there would be a long pause, then the same refrain was repeated, with a little more added to it. He’d been over there for about two hours now, and she wondered how long this process normally took him.

  “Hi Carol,” Lori Bradford said, stepping onto the porch, startling her.

  “Oh, hi Lori,” she said, sitting up. “What brings you out?”

  “Amy’s getting in some quality time with her father, and I felt good, so I thought I’d go for a walk.”

  “How long is he in town for?” Lori’s husband was a corporate lawyer, but his clients spanned the globe, and he was rarely in town for more than two or three days at a time.

  “A whole week, barring some unforeseen crisis. Then he’s taking his vacation as soon as school lets out. He says he’ll have the entire month of June off. I’m not going to know what to do with him being around for so long.”

  “I have a feeling my marriage will be the same way,” Carol said.

  “Think you’ll stay here?”

  She shrugged. “I want to, but we haven’t talked about it yet. Since he hasn’t said anything to the contrary, probably.”

  “Well, that type of relationship isn’t easy, but once you get into the swing of it you get used to it. I’ll take having Houston sometimes rather than never.” She put her hand over her mouth and laughed. “I can’t believe one of my best friends is marrying Bobby Kent! It’s just so unreal.”

  Carol smiled. “He’s just Bobby to me. Always has been.”

  “I’m going to have to work on not swooning every time he’s around.”

  She heard the front door across the yard open and shut. “Yeah, well, consider this practice. Here he comes,” Carol said with a grin.

  Lori looked panicked, as if she was about to bolt, but she moved too slowly. “Hello ladies,” Bobby greeted, ambling onto the porch and leaning against the rail. He looked at Carol. “Afraid I lost track of time. She already in bed?”

  “She’s worn out from the last couple of days. She went down before eight.”

  “Well,” Lori said, standing, “I have my own to get down. I’ll head on home.”

  Bobby said, “You’re Amy’s mom. Bradford, right?”

  Lori’s eyes widened. “Yes. Lori.”

  Bobby straightened. “I’ll walk you, Lori. It’s already dark.”

  Lori
gripped her hands nervously. “No, really, I’ll be fine.”

  “It’s no trouble at all. I’ll walk you, at least to your street.” He gestured with his hand, and Lori gave Carol a look of nervousness as she walked by. Carol just smiled and waved good-bye. She watched them until they were shadows that blended in with the night, then a few minutes later, a single shadow came from the night and slowly became a form walking back toward her.

  Bobby stepped back up onto the porch and sat in the chair that Lori vacated, crossing his ankles. “We need to have her over as much as possible,” he said.

  “Why?” Carol asked, studying his profile.

  “Because she still sees a superstar, and she needs to see Bobby or else you’ll lose a friend. Lisa might, too.”

  His voice held a touch of impatience that confused her. “Does that bother you?”

  He uncrossed his ankles, sat forward, put his elbows on his knees, and laced his fingers. “I’ve never given it much thought. I’ve never had reason to give it much thought, but now I do, and the more I see your friends and church members stutter or flush or bat their eyes, the more uncomfortable I get. I expect it from fans, but not from peers. With fans I can be larger than life. With peers they should be part of my life.”

  She didn’t respond right away. Instead, she took the time she needed to form her answer. “You are a superstar, Bobby. And you’ve created an image for yourself of this hunky cowboy. It worked. You sold songs. It’s going to happen wherever you go and whatever you do, but with the people who matter, it will slowly fade until you’re just Bobby.”

  She reached over and took his hand. “If it really bothers you, to the point that you can’t take it anymore, then quit. You don’t need the money. You’re just doing it now because you love it. But if it becomes something you’re warring with, you can just as easily go back to working your dad’s ranch.”