In my entire life, I’ve never had a more creative, heartfelt welcome. Smiling, I start across the room, but she puts a finger to her lips and tiptoes back through the open door.
“What’s she up to?” Hitchcock says.
“I think she’s playing a trick on her brother.”
He heaves an impatient sigh, eager to be off. Maybe he has pressing business to take care of, like shaking down Conrad and Shirley for more financial information. Or, perhaps he has a dead animal in need of skinning.
“You can leave if you want. I’ll be fine,” I tell him.
“After I introduce you to Anna.”
Their footfalls preceding them, Kimber appears, her eyes dancing with mischief. She pops through the door, tugging a blindfolded Gunner behind her. Gunner is not a happy camper. In fact he’s complaining bitterly.
“This is dumb. Why are you doing this?”
“’Cause I told you, it’s a surprise, a good surprise. Remember, you like surprises, Gunner.”
As Kimber drags her brother across the room, a tall, spare woman appears in the doorway. She’s unsmiling and dressed in running shoes and jeans, topped off with a long-sleeved black tee. The black tee is in stark contrast to her fair hair and pale skin, completely devoid of makeup. Strangely, it gives the appearance of a disembodied head floating above her body. Her hair is pulled back tightly and secured at the back of her neck, resulting in an instant face-lift and perpetual look of surprise.
Hitchcock clears his throat and is about to make the introduction when Kimber succeeds in dragging her brother over to us.
She snatches the blindfold from his eyes. “See? I told you it was a good surprise.”
To his credit, Gunner tries to work up some excitement for his sister’s benefit. He gives me a tremulous smile, ducks his head and whispers, “Hi, Mel.”
I’m shocked at his appearance. While Kimber appears thinner, Gunner is absolutely gaunt. His eyes are red-rimmed, his posture defeated. It breaks my heart.
I crouch down and pull the twins into my embrace, rocking them back and forth. “I’m so glad to see you guys.”
“Anna,” Hitchcock repeats, his tone a bit sharper. “This is Melanie Sullivan. As I told you before, she’d like to spend some time with the twins. Chad will be here to fetch her shortly.”
Anna’s face doesn’t change expression. She simply nods.
I rise and walk to Anna, Gunner and Kimber clinging to my hands. “Nice to meet you Anna. I’d like to take the kids outside.”
Her gaze on the floor, she nods again.
My stomach growls and I check the time on the big school clock. Twelve twenty. “Hey, Kimber and Gunner, it’s lunch time. Have you eaten yet?”
Gunner makes a face.
Kimber says, “Anna made us a sandwich with some weird green stuff in it.”
“No beans,” Gunner mutters.
I make another attempt to get a response from Anna. “Okey, dokey, then, we’ll be right outside.”
She pivots and disappears through the door, leaving me to wonder if she is capable of speech. Hitchcock follows her. Would I love to know what their conversation is about? Yes, indeedy. I suspect it might involve yours truly.
The kids and I go to the picnic table. I can hardly wait to reveal the contents of the booty I’ve brought along. After speaking to my mother, she sent a huge box of kid things, not only from my childhood, but also from her friends who have male-type offspring. Her note said,
“Hi, my darling girl,
After our conversation, I can tell these kids have a special place in your heart. It sounds like they could use a little fun in their lives. I hope the items in this box will bring them joy.
Always,
Your loving mother,
Sandra”
The twins’ attention is riveted on me as I pull out a blond GI Joe doll and set it on the table. Gunner’s eyes widen in surprise. My old Barbie doll with long, flowing brown hair is next. Kimber is uncharacteristically speechless.
I hold Joe in my left hand, Barbie in my left. I walk Joe over to Barbie and lower my voice. “Hey there, Barbie. You’re hot. Want to go for a ride in my jeep?”
Kimber giggles.
Gunner leans forward and says, “He has a jeep?”
I dig around in the backpack and place the jeep on the table. Still speaking in my GI Joe voice, I say, “Well, duh. Of course I have a jeep. How else could I take an awesome chick like you for a ride?” I position Joe in the driver’s seat and bring Barbie to life, who says, “Hey, Joe, I like your cool ride. Let’s go.” I place Barbie in the jeep with Joe and push it around the table making car noises I learned from Kendra’s son, Aaron. “Varooom, varoom, varoom!”
Gunner is instantly engaged. He reaches for the jeep. I give the vehicle to him and he takes Barbie on a wild ride with hairpin turns and screeching brakes.
Kimber joins in the fun, speaking for Barbie. “Slow down, buddy, you’re messing up my hair.”
While the kids are playing, I pull out a pink Barbie scooter with a puppy riding in back, plus a bunch of lethal looking miniature weapons for Joe, along with outfit changes for both dolls. Then, I add the educational stuff. Sticker books, ABC and counting books, plus Barbie and GI Joe coloring books. When they see the new stuff, both kids stop and look up at me with those amazing blue eyes.
Kimber says, “Is this for us?”
Gunner runs to me and raises his arms. I pick him up and hold him tight, shocked at the frailness of his little body. “Of course it’s for you. My next question is, who’s hungry?”
The twins each raise a hand and chorus, “Me, me!”
I dig around in the grocery bag, pull out a bag of corn chips and a jar of bean dip. “I think a certain somebody will like this.”
Gunner’s eyes light up and he digs in. Kimber wrinkles up her nose.
“No worries,” I say. “I brought cheese dip too.”
I’m not sure if the kids have ever had junk food in their lives, but in my humble opinion, it’s about time. When Chad comes to pick me up, every bit of the food is gone and they are licking their fingers.
Before I leave, I pull them close for a hug and whisper, “You need to start eating more. Please.”
Kimber says, “Anna’s nice but we don’t like her food. She says it’s healthy, but it tastes icky.”
Gunner says, “When are you coming back?”
“As fast as I can. I love you guys.”
Gunner pulls me close and whispers in my ear. “I love you too.”
When I try to leave, Kimber clings to my legs and starts to cry. “Don’t leave, Mel. Blossom Bunny misses you.”
“I’m sorry, Sweetheart, I have to. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
I tell Chad to take me to Hitchcock.
“He might be busy.”
I give him my death stare. “I’ll take my chances.”
He lifts his hands in surrender. “Whatever you say, lady.”
I march into the sacred testosterone-laden community hall and stand outside the meeting room. I hear voices inside, my cue to pound on the door. It flies open. Hitchcock is glaring down at me. I glare right back.
“We need to talk about the twins,” I say, a little too loudly.
He glances over his shoulder and pulls the door shut. “I’m in a meeting.”
“Wonderful,” I say. “You go right back to your oh-so-important meeting while Kimber and Gunner starve to death.”
He puts a finger to his lips and goes, “Shhh.”
“Don’t shush me,” I say. “Did you take a good look at those kids? They’re not only grieving for their dad, they’re not eating whatever it is Anna is serving up.”
His brows draw together. “Anna is very healthy. She eats a vegan diet.”
“Which Gunner and Kimber don’t like. Give the kids some meat, for Pete’s sake.”
“I’ll talk to Anna.”
I back off a little. “Thank you. By the way, who has legal custody of the twi
ns?”
He gives me his sneery smile. “New Dawn, of course. All the children here are in the custody of New Dawn. It’s part of the deal.”
“When can I come again?”
“Remember, I’m calling the shots.”
“Fine, but if I don’t hear from you by next week, expect a visit from Children’s Services.”
He claps a hand on my shoulder. I shake it off.
He says, “I’m sure we can work something out.”
I burn with anger all the way home.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
The next week passes slowly as I wait and worry. I take extra shifts at work and collapse, exhausted, into a deep, dreamless sleep each night. Ziggy isn’t speaking to me. I can live with that. No calls from Mick. It’s over. I can live with that too. Billy drops by the pub every night, looking hopeful. Kendra knows I’m in a funk and calls every day to cheer me up.
Six days after I threaten Hitchcock, he knocks on my door. I look through the peephole and see Anna standing next to him. Hitchcock’s SUV is parked next to the curb. Hoping the kids are with them, I check it out. They’re not. I ask, “Who’s watching the kids?”
Two spots of red appear high on Anna’s cheekbones.
Hitchcock says, “They’re being looked after. Can we come in?”
I’m interested in getting a good look into Anna’s soul and lead them into the living room. Anna watches as Hitchcock selects a straight back chair before she sits on the couch, as far away from him as she can get in my small space. I leave one cushion between us and join her on the couch.
Hitchcock says, “Anna has something to say to you.”
She’s perched, ramrod straight on the edge of the sofa. Robotically, she turns toward me, hands clasped together. Her gaze is fixed on a point lower than my chin. When she speaks, her voice is pitched low and totally without inflection. “Apparently, I haven’t been feeding the twins properly.”
She pauses and briefly looks into my eyes. I have very little time to evaluate what I see in her soul, but my gut tells me she’s far from happy. It makes me wonder if Hitchcock has warned her not to make eye contact. Is there something in her soul he doesn’t want me to see? Once again, I’d like to slap his smug face. It’s obvious he’s paid no attention to the twins since Jake died, and now he’s found a scapegoat.
I nod, encouraging her to continue.
“I eat a plant-based diet and the kids aren’t used to it. Jake rarely gave them vegetables and fruit, so I thought I was doing something good for them. I did notice they weren’t eating much, but chalked it up to their loss.”
She glances over at Hitchcock who has not taken his piercing gaze from her. I get the impression he’s written the script for Anna and there’s more to come.
She continues in the same flat tone. “Since your visit, I’ve added some lean meat and protein powder to their diet. I think they’re eating more now.”
I can’t resist saying, “A little junk food wouldn’t hurt.”
She looks deeply into my eyes. “We pretty much eat what we grow and harvest at New Dawn, plus the meat provided by our hunters.”
“No problem, I’ll provide the junk food.”
Her soul is a dull shade of blue, as if natural human emotions have been frozen or put on permanent hold in exchange for rigid self-control. I’d seen it before, usually when someone experiences a loss and tries to stuff it away instead of dealing with it. It makes me wonder what brought her to New Dawn. She turns away from me, her posture still stiff and forbidding. Apparently the recital is over and it’s my turn to talk.
“Thanks for letting me know. Tell the kids I’ll be there as soon as I can.” I shoot a look at Hitchcock. “I’d be there every day if I could.”
He stands and shrugs his shoulders like I’m a pesky fly annoying him. “I’ll be in touch. Let’s go, Anna.”
There are so many things I want to say to him, a multitude of angry words stored up and bursting to get out. Not to mention, scurrilous insults to hurl. But, to do so would likely get me banned from New Dawn for life. Hitchcock bested me once again, cleverly deflecting my threat to report him to Children’s’ Services by forcing Anna to take the blame.
And then, there’s Anna. Cold, emotionless Anna, the twins’ primary caregiver. Does she tuck them in at night? Wipe away their tears? Give them hugs? I seriously doubt it.
Still fuming, I arrive at work and see Cowboy Jim seated at the bar.
His eyes light up when he sees me. “Hey there, sweet cheeks. Ready for another dance lesson?”
“Welcome back. We haven’t seen you for a while.”
Since our first lesson, Cowboy has been conspicuously absent from Nick’s.
He removes his hat and holds it over his heart. “Grandma Edie wanted her ashes scattered in Texas, so I took a little road trip.”
At that precise moment, all of my worries, anger and angst over the New Dawn situation coalesce into a great big fiery ball, and I hatch a beautiful, purely evil plan. Evil, but amusing.
“Is Ziggy here?” I ask Nick.
“Yeah, pouting in the kitchen.”
I place a hand on Cowboy’s arm. “As much as I enjoyed dancing with you, I have a lot going on now. Stay right where you are. I’m bringing you a new dance partner.”
Cowboy says, “Okay with me.”
Nick grins and gives me a thumbs-up. “I’ll get the tunes ready.”
I dash into the kitchen where Ziggy is folding dishcloths and wrap my fingers around her arm. “You have a new assignment. Come with me.”
She tries to pull away.
I tighten my grip. “Don’t mess with me today.”
She wails, “Why are you always so mean to me?”
“It’s your lucky day.” I pull her through the swinging doors. “You’re going to have fun, so quit your damn whining.”
I march her over to Cowboy Jim who slides off his stool and gives her a courtly bow. “Afternoon, little lady. I hear you’re my new dance partner. Let’s get started.”
Ziggy leans close and whispers, “I’ll get you for this, Mel.”
I beam at her. “You’re welcome. Have fun.”
I prep for the dinner crowd, wiping off tables and making sure they all have the proper set-up of condiments along with napkins, salt and pepper shakers and placemats. All the while, I keep a close eye on Ziggy, hoping she won’t fake an injury and head for the door. Nick stays close by and watches her as well.
Cowboy isn’t put off by her crappy attitude. He kids and cajoles her. When he insists on knowing her full name, he repeats, “Zelda. It’s a beautiful name and that’s what I’m going to call you.”
After she loosens up, he shows her the proper dance position and guides her through the Texas Two Step. Although her face is bright red with embarrassment/self consciousness/anger at Mel (choose one) it soon becomes obvious she’s getting with the program. She’s a quick learner and masters the two-step faster than I did. Cowboy moves on to the waltz and soon they’re spinning across the floor like old pros. Do I see a glimmer of a smile on Ziggy’s face?
Billy comes through the door while “Waltz Across Texas” is playing. He walks to me, extends his right hand and says, “Miss, may I have this dance?”
I blink in surprise. “You know how to waltz?”
“Are you kidding? Prepare to be amazed.” He pulls me into his arms, presses my body close to his and says, “Hang on, baby.”
Billy is a gifted athlete and oozes self-confidence. I shouldn’t be surprised he’s a good dancer, but I am. Athletic ability does not always translate to a sense of rhythm, but Billy picks up the one-two-three tempo of the waltz immediately. I’ll never know if he was blowing smoke or really knew how to waltz before this moment in time. At some point, I don’t care because I’m having fun, floating across the floor like Cinderella at the ball.
When the song ends, I’m laughing and gasping for breath. The music stops, but he doesn’t let me go.
“Guess you won’t
doubt me again.”
I look up at him. “You and I never danced, you know, before.”
He whispers, “Unless you count the horizontal mambo.”
My face warms up at the memory. “I mean, we never danced fully clothed.”
“Maybe we should do it again. Dance fully clothed. Can we start with dinner? It’s why I stopped by. I want to take you to dinner at a nice place.”
I decide not to make it easy for him. “You mean other than here?”
He glances over at Nick. “The food’s good here, but I want to take you to a place with white tablecloths, candles, snobby waiters and overpriced food. How about it? Has the red light turned to amber yet?”
“It’s getting there. Can you give me another week? I’ve got stuff to take care of.”
I look in his eyes and see disappointment float across his soul in a fleeting dark gray cloud.
He drops a chaste kiss on my forehead. “Sure, you’re worth waiting for.”
Chapter Thirty
On Sunday, Hitchcock calls to tell me he’ll need my services twice in the following week. My feelings are complex. I resent being at his beck and call, but grateful for an opportunity to see the twins. To maintain a bit of self-respect, I push the boundaries and negotiate the day and time. After a slight hesitation, he agrees. I know he’s large and in charge, but tough titties, if he wants to use my unique abilities, he’ll have to learn the art of give and take.
“Tuesday morning works for me,” I tell him. “We’re breaking in a new waitress who will take over my lunch assignment, so I don’t have to be at work until four. Friday is my day off. I’ll be working late Thursday night and I’d like to catch up on my sleep. How about mid afternoon? The kids will be done with school and I’ll be able to spend more time with them. Also, before the interview, you and I need to talk privately about what you expect from me. I’m not sure you’re aware of my limitations.” I hold the phone away from my ear as he heaves an exasperated sigh.
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