My Unfair Godmother

by Janette Rallison

  He didn’t let me finish. “You what?”

  “It worked out well,” I said. “At least I think it did. I’m not really sure yet.”

  He let out a groan and put his hand over his eyes. “Tansy, Chrissy made a mess of your wishes. Haven’t you had enough near-death experiences?”

  I didn’t answer. We were in the family room, and I could see a police car pulling up in front of the house.

  “What deal did you make?” he asked.

  I still didn’t answer. How could I tell him what I’d done and why I did it when he was glaring at me?

  “You said it was my wish,” he said. “How am I involved? What’s going to happen?”

  The doorbell rang. The police were here. Hudson turned to me, waiting for my answer.

  This might be it, I realized—the reason Hudson and I didn’t get together in the future. He was mad at me for interfering in his life, for making changes without consulting him.

  “I changed the past,” I said.

  “Right. You gave Robin Hood The Change Enchantment.”

  “No, I mean, your past.”

  He gave me a puzzled look. “What? My past in the Middle Ages?”

  There was a knock at the door, and then a man’s voice called, “Hudson?”

  Hudson turned away from me. “That’s my dad. I’ve got to let him in.”

  He walked to the door and as soon as he opened it, his father stepped inside. He was tall, like Hudson, with streaks of gray coloring his hair. His features were sharp, imposing even, but his eyes softened when he saw his son. “Hudson,” he called with relief and gave him a hug. “You’re all right? Everyone is okay?”

  Hudson nodded.

  His father kept his hand on Hudson’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, son. We’ll get the men that did this.”

  Well, the police chief was probably going to be disappointed in that regard.

  Hudson’s father kept patting his shoulder as though he didn’t want to let go. “I’ve never seen your mom so worried. We were calling people half the night looking for you.”

  “Mom?” Hudson repeated.

  “I already called her. She’s on her way.”

  Hudson turned to me, but he didn’t speak.

  “That past,” I said.

  Hudson paled and then flushed. He turned back to his dad. “Mom is coming?” He didn’t sound like he believed it.

  Mr. Gardner smiled wearily. “I know, I know. Neither of us will get a word in edgewise about the robbery until she’s had her say, but I couldn’t let her keep worrying about you.”

  Hudson gazed through the living room window, where a car had screeched to a stop in front of the house.

  “There she is now,” the police chief said.

  Hudson walked to the door slower than I expected. I think he was in shock. He opened the door as she reached the front step. Without a word, he threw his arms around her.

  She had plenty to say, but I didn’t hear what. It was all murmured into his chest. After a minute, the two walked back into the house. She held on to his arm with one hand and brushed tears from her face with her other. “I just knew something bad had happened to you. I was so afraid I’d never see you again. You can’t imagine.”

  His eyes didn’t leave her. “Yes, I can.”

  “Oh, of course you can.” She turned and hugged him again. “I’m so sorry for what you’ve been through.”

  He blinked and hugged her back, burying his face into her hair. He was trembling. When he looked up, I saw the gratitude in his eyes.

  I smiled. He was happy, for now at least. I hoped he remembered this moment when he found out he had no real memories of the last year.

  Sandra, Nick, and my dad came into the room. “Are the police here?” Dad asked.

  Mrs. Gardner stepped toward them. “Are you folks all right?”

  “Yes,” Sandra said, and then stopped suddenly when she saw who was speaking. Sandra drew in a gasp, her head tilted back in astonishment, and she fainted. She would have hit the floor if Nick hadn’t caught her. He eased her down to the ground and fanned her face with his hand.

  Mrs. Gardner pressed her lips together and motioned to her husband. “Dear, you’d better call the paramedics.”

  “No, no, we’re fine,” Dad stuttered, but he was looking strangely at Mrs. Gardner too. I had forgotten that Dad and Sandra knew Mrs. Gardner and knew she had died a year ago. Still staring at her, Dad said, “We’re all fine … I think.” He strode over to the window and looked out as though checking to see if the rest of the world was the same.

  “Hmmm,” Mrs. Gardner said, watching him. To her husband she mouthed, “Make the call.”

  While he did, the rest of us congregated around Sandra. Dad came over, although he kept a good distance away from Mrs. Gardner. She knelt down by Sandra, took her hand, and tapped it gently. “Can you hear me?”

  “It’s probably delayed shock,” Nick said. “I’m sure she’ll be fine.”

  Sandra blinked open her eyes, took in Mrs. Gardner, and let out a startled scream.

  “It’s okay,” I told Sandra. “I can explain everything”—I glanced at Mrs. Gardner—“at a later time.”

  Sandra’s gaze ricocheted between Mrs. Gardner and me, and at last she seemed to understand. She let out several quick breaths. “You traded …,” she gasped out, “… for Hudson.”

  “Right,” I said.

  When Mrs. Gardner looked at me questioningly, I shrugged and whispered, “It’s the shock. I’m humoring her.”

  My dad’s eyes widened and he said, “Oh—ooooh!” And I knew he understood too.

  Sandra took a few more deep breaths and pulled herself to a sitting position. She put her free hand on her chest. “I’m fine now,” she said weakly.

  “Good.” Mrs. Gardner looked Sandra over carefully before she let go of her hand. “Don’t try to get up yet. If you need anything, have one of your children …” Her gaze narrowed in on my face. Then her mouth opened in surprise. “You’re Tansy, aren’t you?” To Sandra she said, “I didn’t know Tansy was your daughter.”

  “You’ve met?” Sandra asked.

  “Yes, last year …” And then, as though she just realized it, she added, “I think you were wearing that same dress.”

  I forced a smile. “Weird coincidence.”

  Her gaze fell to Stetson. “And who is this darling baby?”

  “My nephew,” Sandra said quickly.

  “Well, isn’t he the cutest thing.” Mrs. Gardner bent down for a closer look. “He reminds me of Hudson when he was a baby.”

  Another weird coincidence I was not going to comment on.

  Hudson apparently didn’t want to comment either. He went and talked with his father, repeating the story of what the bandits had done.

  Over the next few minutes, more police officers came, along with paramedics. I was glad the golden heart was gone because I wasn’t sure how I would have explained it to the guy who listened to my heart and lungs with his stethoscope. We were examined and questioned while the police roamed around taking pictures for their report. As they were packing up to go, Mrs. Gardner came over to talk to Sandra again.

  “I feel so awful that you lost so much,” she said. “What can I do to help?”

  “We didn’t lose anything that can’t be replaced.” Sandra glanced around the nearly empty room. “And on the bright side, it just got a lot easier to pack for our move.”

  Mrs. Gardner’s eyebrows dipped. “What move?” Before Sandra could answer, Mrs. Gardner put a consoling hand on Sandra’s shoulder. “You’re not going to let this robbery make you move, are you? Rock Canyon is still a safe city, and the library needs you. Don’t tell me I went through all that work to keep the branch open for nothing.”

  “All that work …,” Sandra repeated.

  “I had to practically browbeat the mayor,” Mrs. Gardner said.

  “The branch is staying open?” Sandra asked.

  Mrs. Gardner pursed her lips and cocke
d her head. “The paramedics checked you out, right?”

  Sandra let out a happy gasp. “That’s wonderful … I mean about the branch. I mean, of course we won’t move. Thank you so much for working to keep it open.”

  “Well, we all do our part to help the community,” Mrs. Gardner said, still eyeing her as though she might faint again.

  I smiled. I hadn’t needed gold to save Dad’s and Sandra’s jobs after all. I’d only needed Mrs. Gardner.

  Hudson left not long after that. His mother looped her arm possessively through his and said, “I don’t know about you, but I need to go home and sleep.”

  He hesitated, said, “Just a second,” and walked over to me. He took one of Stetson’s hands in his and whispered, “See you in a while, kid.” Then Hudson smiled at me. “I’ll call you later.”

  Mrs. Gardner had strolled over to us. “Speaking of calling girls”—she took his arm again and they turned toward the door—“your girlfriend texted me twice last night and once this morning asking about you. You’d better call her.”

  Over his shoulder, Hudson shot me an alarmed look.

  I shrugged. What else could I do? Everything had changed for him, and now he had to figure out what was going on in his new life. I just hoped there was room for me.

  Chapter 25

  One of Sandra’s friends brought over clothes for us. They were guys’ shorts and T-shirts, but it felt great to take showers and change into something clean. My parents got rental cars and went shopping. It took several trips to get the basics: food, clothes, mattresses, bedding, baby things. I got a short nap, but spent most of the day cleaning up the house and taking care of Stetson.

  I picked up the scattered books and stacked most of them against the family room wall. The rest I took to my bedroom. It was about time I got caught up on my reading.

  Nick looked up information on the Internet about Robin Hood—he was still a folklore hero. Then he looked up King John—he married a thirteen-year-old girl not long after we left. Which was utterly creepy.

  Reading out loud, Nick said, “ ‘In 1216, while retreating from a French invasion, the baggage train that carried King John’s treasures, including the crown jewels, was lost in a marshy area by an unexpected incoming tide. This dealt John a terrible blow, which affected his health and state of mind.’ ”

  “His state of mind?” I repeated. “The only state in his mind seceded from that union a long time ago.”

  “ ‘King John died soon after that. His reign has traditionally been characterized as one of the most disastrous in English history.’ ”

  Well, historians got some things right.

  Nick nodded thoughtfully. “His treasure sank, and he died a broken man. There’s a moral in that.”

  “Yep,” I said. “Keep your wealth in lighter stuff like stocks and bonds.”

  I spent a lot of time walking Stetson around or giving him objects that he would gum for a few minutes and then toss across the room. Chrissy still hadn’t come to get him. I knew what that meant. Or at least thought I did. It was possible that Chrissy was out getting another pedicure. She’d never been a punctual fairy godmother.

  By the time we finished dinner that night, I was convinced she wasn’t coming. Not only did Hudson and I have no future, but now I had to be a teenage mother. How was I going to explain that to people—especially to oh, say, my mother and sister?

  I was so discouraged that I went to my room, put Stetson on a baby blanket on the floor, and lay down beside him. I stroked his forehead, willing him to sleep so I could too. If I slept, I wouldn’t cry.

  I heard the doorbell ring, but didn’t think much of it. Some of Sandra and Dad’s friends had been dropping things off—old dressers, extra chairs—all day.

  I waited to hear Dad’s voice greeting whoever had come. Instead I heard Hudson’s voice in my doorway. “I wonder why Chrissy hasn’t sent Stetson home yet.”

  I didn’t answer. I didn’t want to tell Hudson about that part of my bargain.

  He walked into the room. He wore a pair of faded blue jeans and a form-fitting T-shirt that showed off his broad shoulders. His hair was clean and shiny. I had forgotten how good he looked in this century. I couldn’t take my eyes off him.

  “I brought you something.” Hudson held out a jar of water containing the Gilead. It was suspended in the water by a framework of popsicle sticks over the opening. He walked past me and set it on my windowsill. “I cut off the end of the stem and put root starter on it. I don’t know if it will work, but if it does we can plant it.”

  “Do you think it will be magical here too?”

  He shrugged. “I hope so. It would be nice to have something that could fix things. Illness, broken bones—I wonder if it works on computers.”

  I only wanted to fix one thing right now.

  Stetson gurgled in a very unsleepy way when he saw Hudson, and then flung his teething ring across the blanket. I picked up another toy and handed it to him. “So how are things at home now that your mom is back?”

  Hudson turned and leaned against my windowsill. “You say that so casually, like she was gone on a business trip.” He tilted his head, examining me. “What did you give to Chrissy in exchange for changing my past?”

  “The gold enchantment.”

  “You gave up your luxury apartment in New York?”

  “Well, Stetson needs a yard to run around in … cacti to climb … whatever it is you do in hick towns.”

  I had expected Hudson to smile, but he didn’t. His expression stayed serious. “I don’t know how to thank you, Tansy. I can’t ever make it up to you.”

  He’d said the same thing about his mother’s death—that no matter what he did, he couldn’t make it up to his father.

  “You don’t have to make it up to me,” I said. “I just want you to be happy.” I looked at him more closely. “You are happy, aren’t you?”

  “Yeah.” He smiled then, a warm and easy grin that I hadn’t seen very often. “After we got home, I talked to my mom for three hours straight. I couldn’t stop. She fell asleep on the couch while I was talking. And even after that, I sat there watching her to make sure she didn’t disappear.”

  “That’s sweet.”

  “It didn’t take her long to figure out that I can’t remember a lot of things—like who my girlfriend is and that I’m on some student-body committee that’s planning the homecoming dance. And I’m a linebacker this year …” He ran a hand through his hair. “I’ve got games soon, and I don’t know any of the plays.”

  “You could tell people that one of the bandits hit your head and say it’s amnesia.”

  “I wish I had thought of that at the beginning. Mom thinks it’s post-traumatic stress disorder. She’s got me scheduled for a doctor tomorrow.”

  “Well, you’ve got your excuse then.”

  Hudson left the windowsill and walked the length of my room. His smile vanished. “While my mom was sleeping, I checked my e-mails, text messages, that sort of stuff—so I’d know a little bit about what I did over the year.”

  I waited for him to say more. He didn’t. He paced back the other way.

  “So who’s your girlfriend?” I asked.

  He gave a short laugh and looked at the ceiling. “I’m embarrassed to tell you.”

  “Why? Is she an idiot or something?”

  “Yeah, pretty much.” He paused, then said, “Donna Hatch.”

  “Oh.” I didn’t know much about her except she was a cheerleader and beautiful and had an entourage following her around in the hallways.

  “You know, in my real last year, she never talked to me after I dropped out of football. She didn’t even tell me she was sorry about my mom or try to reach out to me—and now she’s my girlfriend.”

  “Apparently the person you would have been had no taste.”

  He kept pacing. “It seems like everything I did and said over the last year was stupid and shallow. The girl I dated before Donna—I dumped her in an e-mail. Wha
t kind of jerk does that?”

  “You wouldn’t. I mean you wouldn’t now.” I sat up straighter. “Wait a minute, did you come here in person to dump me?”

  He stopped walking and turned to me. “No, I’m not dumping you. I’m two-timing Donna until I can dump her later tonight.” He ran his hand through his hair again and went back to pacing. “See, I really am a jerk. I just didn’t realize it until all this happened and I got a good look at myself.”

  I stood up, took hold of his hand, and made him sit down beside me so he would stop pacing. “You’re not a jerk. You’re someone who has learned a lot over the last year. That’s not a bad thing, is it? You don’t have to be that other person. You can keep what you’ve learned.”

  He squeezed my hand. “I’m keeping you. I know that much.” He leaned toward me and brushed a strand of hair away from my face. “Speaking of two-timing, I’ll have to show you some of the messages you and I sent to each other. They were downright flirty.”

  That made me smile. “You and I sent flirty messages to each other?”

  “Yeah, apparently I started going over to your house to see Nick a lot after you moved in. And you were pretty nice to me, considering you’re still dating Bo.”

  I stopped smiling. “I’m what?”

  “The library isn’t closing. He never took you to vandalize city hall.”

  I tilted my head back and groaned. “What am I going to tell him when I break up with him? I’m dumping him because I know if we ever did vandalize a building, he’d leave me to face the cops alone?”

  “You’ll think of something.” Hudson leaned closer and gave me a look that sent shivers racing down my back. “I’ll help you come up with some reasons right now.”

  Before I could build on that sentiment, a frenzy of sparklers went off in the middle of the room. Chrissy stepped out of them, smiling happily. She wore a tight floral dress, a Hawaiian lei, and a pair of green sunglasses. “I’ve been celebrating our success by throwing a luau.” She moved her sunglasses to the top of her head. “I see you’ve been celebrating by … sitting on the carpet. How nice.”