“I love you,” I tell her. My voice is raspy, and I’m close to letting go.
“I love you forever, baby,” she says as she falls, and I follow.
*
“Baby.” I hear softly. My eyes open, and I see my wife. “Merry Christmas.” She smiles like a kid, and my heart melts. I look over at the clock.
“It’s awful early, girl.”
“Or late, whichever way you wanna look at it.”
I smile and roll over on my back, stretching as she climbs on top of me.
“Whoa,” she says. “Someone happy to see me, or is that just morning—”
“I’m always happy to see you,” I cut her off, and she leans down and kisses my nose.
“Up you get, husband.” She jumps off of me and walks to the bedroom door. “I’ve got a few gifts under that kissing tree that have your name on them,” she says before she disappears out of the bedroom.
I sigh and look out the window. It’s frosted, and I see a heart has been drawn on it. “Crazy woman,” I say, getting up and sliding my pajama bottoms up over my briefs. I walk to the bathroom and brush my teeth, smelling coffee and bacon as I do.
*
“What do you think?” she asks me as I look at my new wallet.
“I love it,” I say, standing up.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m going to get my old one, so I can switch it out.”
I hear her laugh as I run up the steps. Walking into our room, I grab my wallet from yesterday’s jeans and walk back down the steps. Tossing my new wallet onto the table, I unload my old one.
“It’s seen better days, hasn’t it?” I ask her.
“For sure.”
“Do you like your necklace?” I ask her. It’s not much. It’s small and dainty, and I got it at the pawnshop, but it’s new to Sara.
“I’ll probably never take it off,” she says, holding on to the small heart pendant. I lean over and steal a kiss.
“I’ve got somewhere I gotta go,” I say after switching my cards and old photo booth pictures of us from one wallet to another.
“Where?” she asks, like really? “Everything is closed.”
“Just sit tight, okay? I’ll be back.” I kiss her nose and run back up the stairs to change clothes.
*
Ten minutes later and some serious questioning from my wife, I’m in Old Blue and headed over to Leigh and Mark’s place. I pull into their driveway and put the truck in park. I see Leigh open the door, and in her hand she holds a leash, and connected to that leash is a brown-haired dog named Bear. He’s the color of a grizzly and has kind, dark eyes. I step out of the truck.
“Merry Christmas,” Leigh says.
“To you, too. Hey, Bear,” I say. His tail wags, and Leigh gives me his leash as I lean down and pet him.
“Good morning.” I hear and look up to see Mark on the porch with a cup of coffee.
“Morning. Santa bring you everything you wanted?” I ask.
He laughs. “I can’t complain.”
I nod. “Well, I better get back. Sara asked me twenty questions about where I was going.”
“Tell her Merry Christmas for us,” Leigh says.
“Will do.” I open the door and let Bear go first. He jumps right in, and I give Leigh and Mark a wave as I drive off.
“All right, Bear, I’m taking you to meet your new mom. Now, let me go ahead and tell you a thing or two about her. She’s got a big heart, loves hard, and has the prettiest smile you’ll ever see. Her curls sometimes bounce when she moves, and when she laughs it’s real. She’s going to love you hard, and you might help bring more of those pretty smiles she has. For that, I’m going to owe you. I’ll make sure to give you a treat every time. Deal?” He barks and nearly scares the shit out of me. I laugh at myself as I turn onto our road and head to our house.
I park the truck and see Sara come out the front door, barefoot, with her long gray sweater wrapped around her tightly. She squints her eyes and bites her lip. I open the truck door and step out. “Woman, your feet are going to freeze!”
“What do you have in that truck?” she asks on a grin.
“Come on out, boy,” I say. Bear jumps down, and I hear Sara suck in air.
“Oh my God! Cash!” she says, running over to us. She leans down and rubs his face while he licks her.
“Come on, Sara. Your feet,” I say. She hurries back inside, and we follow.
“Cash, you got Bear!’
“I got Bear.”
“Aw, Bear. I’m so glad to have you.” She smiles big, and he seems crazy happy.
*
Happy New Year hats sit on tables surrounding Banner’s small-town bar while silver and black decorations hang from the ceiling. Champagne glasses are lined up at the end of the bar, and a local band plays on the stage. Sara’s in a long black flowy skirt with a sparkly silver top that shows her stomach if she moves the wrong way. She says it’s supposed to do that.
“You got one for me over there?” Mark yells to Banner, causing my attention to turn away from my wife’s showing skin. He walks in with an arm draped over Leigh’s shoulders. Banner smiles and grabs a beer from the cooler.
“You know I do, man.” He places it on the bar, and Mark grabs it up.
“I’m starving,” Leigh says. “I’m grabbing a few chips from the table over here. Mark didn’t cook for me because he got off work late.”
Sara laughs. “I’m coming with. Be back, baby,” she says as she hops off the barstool and I see her sparkly top rise up again. Looking past her, I notice Ben walk in along with his date. Some girl he met around Christmas. He nods my way as she walks off to the restroom.
“You two a thing now?” I ask.
He shrugs. “I like her.” He turns to Banner. “Hey, can I get two of those, Banner?”
“Sure thing,” Banner says, reaching for two more bottles.
“How much longer we got?” Ben asks. I look at my watch.
“About fifty minutes. You guys are late for the party.”
“You know girls, man. They take forever,” he says, chucking his beer down. “You can go ahead and start me a tab, Banner.”
“Will do,” the bar owner says, placing Ben another bottle down. His girl walks out of the restroom and over to us.
“Boys, this is Shelby.”
“Shelby, this is Mark, You’ve met Cash and the chief and his wife Anne.”
“Hey,” she says quietly with a small smile.
I nod, and Mark speaks, “What are you doing hanging out with this kid?” He grins.
“You aren’t that much older than me,” Ben says.
“Boy, I’m a good ten years older than you.”
“No way. I didn’t think you were that old.”
“Hey, don’t be calling me old now,” Mark says, taking a sip of his beer. I grin, and Ben smiles down at Shelby. Maci walks out of the restroom, casting her eyes at me. I give a small wave, but then realize she isn’t looking at me. I turn around and see she is looking at Banner. I look back at her as she heads over to the girls. Wonder what’s up with that? I take a sip of my beer and look over at the chief. He’s been nursing his for almost a whole hour, and that’s not like him.
“You feeling okay, boss?” I ask.
“Yeah, just a little indigestion, is all,” he answers, rubbing his chest.
“He’s got bad acid reflux,” Anne says. “He ran out of his prescription this morning, and the doctor is closed. His arthritis is also acting up.”
“Now don’t be telling them all my problems, Anne.”
“I will because he asked,” she says, taking a sip of her drink.
I chuckle. “You getting too old for the party scene, chief?”
“Son, I’ve been too old for it. I wish that damn clock would hurry up so I can get my ass to bed.”
“Don’t rush time, Drew. It already goes by too quickly,” Anne says.
*
“You line it up with the ball, baby. Just l
ike this,” I say. Holding my wife from behind, I guide her pool stick, aiming it right where she needs to hit. “If you hit that spot right there, it’ll go in that pocket,” I say, pointing to the left corner.
“Okay,” she says, smiling back at me. She pulls the stick back slightly and nails the cue ball, hitting the solid right where I told her. The ball spins and goes into the left corner pocket. She squeals and wraps her arms around my neck. “I did it, Cash.”
“Yep,” I say as she pulls back. “I’m grabbing a beer. Want one?”
“Please. I’m going to go sit with the girls for a bit.”
I nod as I walk off to the bar.
*
Sara
Grabbing the party hat off the table, I place it onto my head and slide the thin band under my chin as I scoot in beside Maci. “So, what’s up with those googly eyes at Banner lately?” I finally call my friend out as I wiggle my brows.
She laughs.
“Yeah, I noticed that, too,” Leigh says, grabbing an olive from her fancy martini she had Banner make for her.
“I don’t know what you two are talking about.” But Maci blushes.
“You’re blushing!” Leigh calls her out.
“I’m a redhead. We blush a lot.”
“Nope, not true. My cousin is a redhead, and you can’t get her to blush a bit.”
“That’s got to be a lie,” Maci says.
“I’ve never seen her do it. Anyway, you’re trying to change the subject. What’s up with you and the bearded bar owner?” Leigh takes a sip of her drink and casts her eyes to me.
“Come on, Maci. Tell us something here.”
Maci sighs. “Fine. I think he’s cute, okay?”
Leigh gulps. “You think he’s cute? Duh, he is cute, girl. Tell us something else! Why does he keep looking at you like he wants to pull on your ponytail and slap your ass?”
I burst out laughing. “Good God, Leigh.”
“Too much?” Leigh asks, grinning from ear to ear.
“Both of you stop it.” Maci is fire engine red.
I stop laughing. “Come on, Maci. We’re just playing. We’re happy for you. So, you’re not talking to Lucas anymore?” I ask, serious.
“I was never talking to him. He wrote me, remember?”
“Yeah, but you told me you were confused back before Thanksgiving.”
“Well, that was then and this is now. I’m no longer confused. In fact, I sent him the divorce papers again, and I told him it was over last week.”
“Really?” I ask.
“Yes.”
“Oh, Maci, I’m so sorry you had to go through all that bullshit,” Leigh says, grabbing Maci’s hand from across the table. “I know you did love him.”
“Yes, I did love him with my whole heart, but it’s done now. I’m moving on.” She turns to face me. “Like you said, he treated me like crap, and you don’t treat people you love like that. That is not love. I thought really hard about it.” She looks over at the bar. “I thought so hard about it, actually on Thanksgiving, I came here and got cry-in-my-beer piss drunk.”
Leigh laughs. “You did not.”
“I did. Banner had to get me home.” She chuckles a little. “It was embarrassing, but it happened, and the next day—minus the hangover—I felt really good about life again.”
I give her a half-smile. “So that’s why you didn’t come to Thanksgiving.”
She winces. “I’m sorry. I was just having a rough day.”
“No, I’m sorry you were dealing with all that alone.”
“She wasn’t alone, Sara. Didn’t you hear? The girl said she was here, with Banner!” Leigh winks, and I roll my eyes.
“You know what I mean. Does Banner not have any family?” I ask.
“He only has his dad, but I don’t know too much else about him besides that.”
“You plan on finding out, though, right?” Leigh asks.
“I hope so,” Maci says, biting her bottom lip.
“We just want you to be happy, Maci, and if the bearded bar owner does it for you, then go kiss him when the hand strikes twelve,” I say, smiling.
“I second that,” Leigh says, lifting her glass into the air. She lifts it too high, and half of it spills out onto her hand and the table.
“Dammit, now I’m going to have to beg your boyfriend to fix me another,” she says, sliding out of the booth.
“He isn’t my boyfriend,” Maci counters.
“Small technicality,” Leigh says with a dismissive wave of her hand.
“He isn’t!’ Maci yells to her.
*
I grab my husband and take him out on the dance floor. He twirls me around and wraps me in his arms as we sway to the music from the band.
“Are you having fun?” he asks me.
“Yes.” I glance over to see Maci talking to Banner, and I smile because I’m so glad my friend has chosen to move on with her life. Leigh and Mark dance beside us, and Anne got the chief up to dance, too. The music stops, and I turn to look.
“All right, everyone, the countdown begins!”
“Ten, nine, eight, seven, six…” we all say together. “Five, four, three, two, one! HAPPY NEW YEAR!”
Cash grabs my face and kisses me. I’m smiling, so he kisses my teeth before I can close my lips and kiss him back. I laugh when he pulls his lips away.
“I love you, baby. Here’s to a great new year,” he whispers into my ear.
Chapter Twenty-One
Cash
Icicles hanging from the town’s trees start to melt as the snow also disappears. The sun shines bright in the vast blue sky and dries up the wet ground. The cold wind dies down and becomes warmer as winter finally fades to an end. Birds chirp happily from their nests as springtime flowers bloom. The days grow longer and the weather hotter. The boys and I play baseball again, and Sara has put back on her green floppy hat and got her nails dirty from digging in her garden. She and I visit the amusement park more, stuffing ourselves with cotton candy and greasy pizza. My amusement park buddy and Maci hosted another book fair at the library, and Leigh got some more pets adopted. Bear loves naps on the porch and his new home. We go for walks in the field, and he sleeps at the end of our bed.
The wife and I are sitting out on the porch swing sipping on lemonade she made earlier. It’s cold and goes down well. The windows are up throughout the house, releasing baby blue paint fumes. She tosses the ball out into the yard, and Bear jumps up to go fetch it.
“Go get it, boy,” Sara says. Bear grabs it in his mouth and runs back to us, dropping it back down in front of Sara. She picks it up and makes a face. “Eww, Bear, your drool is all over it!” He turns his head to the side, like he is trying to figure out what she’s complaining about. Drool hater tosses it again, and Bear happily takes off. I take a sip of my lemonade and kick off the porch, letting the swing rock. Our dog drops the ball again, and Sara groans. “My arm is tired, boy. Cash, you throw it. It’ll go farther.” I drain the rest of my drink and stand, scooping the ball up before placing my jar onto the porch rail.
“Fetch, Bear,” I say as I lean back and toss the ball across the yard. Bear barks and takes off. “That’ll keep him busy for a minute,” I say, looking down at Sara.
She smiles. “He’s a good dog.”
“He is a good dog,” I agree.
*
I step onto the porch and stretch my legs. Sweat covers my brow from my morning run, and I wipe it before I head inside. I pass by Bear sleeping on the floor, and I hear him jump up and follow me up the stairs as I go to take a shower.
After my shower, I step over Bear and wrap a towel around my waist. After brushing my teeth and walking out to get my uniform on, I see Sara making the bed and humming to herself.
“What are you humming, baby?”
“‘Lying Eyes’ by the Eagles,” she says, throwing the comforter up and smiling at me.
“Good song.”
She nods in agreement, and I get dressed.
“You ready?” I ask my wife.
“Yeah,” she answers, sliding her flats on and standing.
“Got a busy day at the library?” I ask as we head down the stairs. Bear follows us.
“Yeah, we have a lot of books to put up from the book fair we had. A library from the city donated a ton of almost brand new books.”
“That’s good,” I tell her as I grab the keys to Old Blue.
“Yep.” She leans down and kisses Bear’s head, and I pat his back before we head out the door.
*
After I drop Sara off, I walk into the office and grab a cup of the finest coffee in town as Anne comes walking in from the back.
“Good morning,” she says, but her usual chipper tone is not there.
“Morning, everything okay?”
“Ahh, Drew isn’t feeling well today. I think he’s getting a bug. You might have to take over for a bit. I’m sending him home,” she says, taking off her reading glasses and pinching the bridge of her nose.
“Anything I can do to help? Want me to give him a lift?”
“Nah, I don’t need you getting sick, too. I’ll drive him. I told him to stay in bed. Old man never listens to me.”
“I hear you yapping,” the chief says as he walks over to us. He coughs and wipes his brow.
“You okay, chief?”
“Been better, son. I’m going to let Anne take me home. You keep an eye on things for me.”
“Will do.” I nod, taking a sip of my coffee. I look over when Ben walks in.
“Morning,” he says with a rough voice. His hair is extra wild today, and he looks like he tied one too many on last night. He walks over to the coffeepot.
“What’s with you?” I ask.
“I stayed up too late last night with some of my buddies from high school. I can’t hang anymore.”
I laugh.
“You shouldn’t be staying up late knowing you have work in the morning,” Anne says.
“Yes, ma’am,” Ben agrees. “Chief, you okay?” he asks as he pours sugar into his cup.
Chasing Fireflies Page 15
