by Melissa Haag
While I put Michelle’s room together, Jim started on the boys’ room. Winifred pitched in and got to work on the kitchen and living room. I’d just left Michelle’s room when I heard her and the boys on the steps.
“Get in here and help me,” Jim said. “How can one bed have so many parts?”
He was looking down at the instruction for the bunks. Both dressers were assembled and in place.
The boys came running into the room.
“Can I help?” Aden asked, hunkering down next to Jim.
“Yep. You hold these.” Jim put some screws into Aden’s small hand. “You might have to help me with the directions, too.”
I looked up as Michelle glanced in the room. She studied it for a moment, a sad smile on her lips, then she turned and stepped toward her bedroom.
I ruffled Liam’s hair and followed Michelle. She stood in the doorway, taking it all in for a moment before walking to her bed and lightly touching the comforter. I eyed the space, noting everything. It had taken some time to pick out just the right things. After watching her and asking her about her favorite color, I’d settled for natural shades of brown, green, and blue, hoping it would remind her of being outside. I never wanted her to feel caged here.
The scent of her worry caught my attention, and I stepped into the room. She turned to look back at me.
“You worry too much,” I said. The need to take her worry and ease her fears rode me hard. If only I knew how.
She smiled slightly and touched the comforter again.
“Thank you for this.”
I nodded and was about to ask why she was worried when Liam called out.
“Emmitt, can we work on my bed?”
“I’ll be back,” I said and turned to help Liam.
Before I could get Liam situated, Michelle left her room and started moving stuff over from the old place. It didn’t take her long. As soon as she put the last of Aden’s shorts into his dresser, Winifred called for Michelle’s help in the kitchen.
The day Winifred had gone rummaging, she’d managed to pick up boxes of houseware items. All of it needed to be washed, dried, and put away. Once we finished, the apartment would be a fully equipped home. Finishing would take a while, though. Liam and Aden loved helping, but holding screws wasn’t enough. They wanted to use the hammer and the screwdrivers. They wanted to help lift anything that needed lifting. By the time we finished, Jim’ stomach was making noises.
“We need some food after all this work,” he said to Aden. “But we’ll have to be quiet about it.”
Aden nodded in agreement, looking very serious. Jim brushed his hands on his shorts then casually left the room. Aden copied every move.
“Do you think they’ll get in trouble?” Liam asked, looking up at me.
“Nah. Nana knows growing boys need food. She’ll let us get away with a snack before dinner.”
Liam nodded and reached for my hand.
* * * *
I lifted Aden and carried him up the stairs. Liam followed slowly behind me. The sun hadn’t quite set yet, but both boys were exhausted. After leaving the apartment, we’d eaten our snack, played, made dinner together, and played some more, and now they were ready to crash in their new bunks.
“Do you think Mimi and Nana are done cleaning yet?” Liam asked.
“Yep. I think so, little man.”
“Good. I don’t want to clean,” Aden said, his head on my shoulder.
I laughed and set him down when we reached the top. Michelle and Winifred were still inside. Everything was neat, and the place smelled faintly like cleaners.
Michelle looked at her brothers with worry.
“They’re just tired. We played hard today.”
“I forgot about dinner.”
“Don’t worry. Jim and Aden didn’t. We all ate downstairs.”
“Thank you. Nana, I better get these two to bed. I can finish the rest on my own.”
“Have a good night, dear. Enjoy your new home.”
Michelle nodded as her stomach growled.
Didn’t you stop to eat? I asked Winifred as I followed her out the door.
No. Time slipped by us.
While Winifred went downstairs, I went into my apartment. It still smelled like Michelle and the boys. I breathed deeply. Her scent wrapped around me, and for the first time in weeks I felt myself relax a little.
Checking the freezer, I found she hadn’t taken any of the food with her. I shook my head, took out a package of chicken breasts, and started thawing them in the microwave.
While I cooked, I listened to Michelle get her brothers ready for bed. Despite their exhaustion, they still had enough energy to fight over who would get the top bunk. I grinned as I turned the meat.
By the time I had two potatoes microwaved and a side of green beans hot, Michelle was in her new kitchen, checking the cupboards. I plated everything, set two spots at the island, and cut off a chunk of cooked meat, skewering it on a fork before going to the door. As soon as she entered the hall, I opened my door all the way and lifted the fork.
“Thought I might see you yet tonight.”
She smiled at me and took the fork, hungrily eating the bite.
“Mmm...” She closed her eyes as she chewed.
Why did that sound have me staring at her neck? Probably because I still wanted to know how she tasted.
“I didn’t think you could hear through closed doors,” she said after she swallowed.
“I can if I’m close enough. Just across the hall from a closed door, I can hear things like footsteps.” I stood aside so she could enter. “Will you eat with me?”
She nodded, and when she passed me, I could smell the familiar sweetness I was coming to crave.
“What do you think of your new place?” I asked, motioning for her to sit.
“I love it. Thank you.” She blushed and focused on her food.
“It was no problem. I liked working on it.” Man, why did conversation have to be so hard? “So, Michelle who is nineteen and likes the color blue, what else can I learn about you?”
She finished chewing before answering.
“There’s not much to know. I mean, before Blake, I remember playing softball and hanging out with friends. But that’s not who I am now.”
“Who are you now?”
“I don’t know who I am. But when I figure it out, I’ll tell you.”
I thought about what she said.
“We’ll figure it out together.”
* * * *
Over the course of the next few days I observed Michelle, trying to figure out what motivated her, what she liked and didn’t like. She excelled at cooking and liked honest praise for her efforts. She liked spending time with her brothers and doing activities with them. She didn’t like bugs, much to Aden’s displeasure. She didn’t like Jim’s singing, but was too polite and amused to say anything. But the biggest epiphany was her desire to be a normal girl.
We were on the porch watching the boys run through the sprinkler. Winifred had just returned from a rummage sale with some fashion magazines from the prior year. When she set them on the porch while unloading the rest of the things from her car, Michelle had picked one up and started thumbing through it.
She’d pause every now and again to study an ad. I began to notice a pattern. Ads with everyday girls caught her eye.
She needs to know what it’s like to be a normal nineteen-year-old, I sent to Winifred as I carried a bag of men’s clothes into her apartment. Most likely that clothing would find its way up to the Compound.
And do you know what it’s like to be a normal nineteen-year-old girl? Winifred’s amusement was clear over our link.
I have some ideas. But I’ll need your help.
You will always have my help.
I waited until Jim was home and Michelle had taken the kids upstairs for the night before discussing what I wanted to do.
“I want to take her on a real date.”
Jim made a pained
sound.
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea, Emmitt.”
“Why not?”
“Every time she leaves this place to ‘go out’ she comes back drunk. That girl has a drinking problem.”
Winifred stood, walked over to Jim, and smacked him on the back of the head. Just as calmly, she sat back down. Jim was grinning from ear to ear.
“What did you have in mind, Emmitt?” she asked.
“A nice dinner at that fancy place just outside of town.”
“She’ll need nicer clothes than what she has here.”
“I know. I want you to take her shopping on Saturday. A girls’ day. Back on base, the women would get together to have their hair done and go for lunch. The point was to get out and just be with the girls.”
“You hung out with Army wives?” Jim asked.
“Don’t be slow,” Winifred said.
“I didn’t hang out with them, but I observed. I don’t want Michelle to cut her hair, but I’d like for her to relax.”
“And you think shopping will do that?”
“Alone? No. I’m hoping, with you along keeping her safe, she might.”
“What about taking her to get her nails done?” Jim said. “Girls like that.”
Winifred was quiet for a moment.
“Yes. I think it would be good for her to get away for a little bit. While I’m out, I’ll get us all cell phones. Her obsession with the tablet made me realize we are behind on adapting technologies.”
“I don’t need one,” Jim said. “It’s a waste of pack money.”
“I’m stapling yours to your ear so I can reach you at any time.”
The snarl behind Winifred’s words had me discreetly covering my mouth so she wouldn’t see my grin. It still annoyed her that he took Michelle and then wouldn’t say where.
“I’ll talk to Michelle in the morning,” I said, standing.
* * * *
As soon as the boys raced down the stairs the next morning, I opened my door and caught Michelle in the hallway.
“Morning,” I said, taking in her tank top and shorts. She looked good just as she was. What would she look like all dressed up?
“We’d like to give you a surprise tomorrow but need you to leave with Nana for at least three hours.”
Her smiled faded. “Leave?”
“Jim and I will stay with Liam and Aden.”
She looked at the floor for a moment. “I need to think about it. Okay?”
I nodded and watched her walk away.
She’s going to say no, I sent to Winifred.
Think of a way to help her say yes.
While still thinking of how to accomplish that, I heard Aden start begging to play in the sprinkler instead of coloring at Winifred’s place. It didn’t take Michelle and Winifred long to cave. The kids were the answer.
I waited until Michelle went inside to make lunch before conferring with both boys by the swing set.
“I want to do something nice for your sister. Something really special. But, in order to do it, I have to convince her to leave you two here with me and Jim so she’ll go with Winifred.”
“What do you want to do for her?” Liam asked suspiciously.
“Girl stuff.”
Aden cocked his head to look at me. “And we get to stay here with you and Jim?”
“Yep.”
“Can we have cake?”
“I think we can manage that.”
Aden looked at Liam and gave him an eager nod. Liam didn’t look convinced.
“We’re not forcing her to go, just giving her the chance to choose.”
Once I convinced the boys that we wouldn’t be forcing Michelle to do anything she didn’t want to, I had them on my side. Together we started plotting our approach. As soon as Michelle was up the next morning, the boys would come over to my place for breakfast, and we would let Michelle decide if she wanted to go with Winifred or not. From there, the boys came up with some plans of their own.
After Jim came home, Aden and Liam shared their ideas with him. Tomorrow would be a “boy day”—breakfast followed by cake and a hike through the woods to find cool bugs and other wildlife. The boys were so excited that, when Michelle called them in for the night, they went racing up the stairs without a whine of protest.
It didn’t take long for them to quiet down and fall asleep. I sat on the couch in my apartment, listening to Michelle move around. Tomorrow she’d buy a dress. And, if everything went well, next week we’d go on our first date.
* * * *
I was at my door as soon as I heard movement across the hall. Breakfast was started and all I needed were the boys to back me up. I couldn’t wait for date night. Michelle might think she didn’t know herself, but I knew she did. She just didn’t trust herself. Especially when it came to what she wanted. Me.
At the sound of footsteps in the hall, I opened the door. It wasn’t Liam or Aden, but Michelle.
Her pulse accelerated. At first I thought I’d startled her. Then, her gaze dropped to my shirt and stayed there for several long seconds. I fought not to grin as she struggled to meet my eyes.
“How did you sleep?” she asked.
“Fine. The bed still smells like you.”
As I expected, she blushed and her scent sweetened. Everyone wanted me to move slowly with Michelle, but she was giving me all the physical signals to pick up the pace.
She hesitated in the hall, as if wanting to say something but unsure how to say it. From her apartment, I heard the boys and grinned. They were up and hurrying to get dressed. Liam appeared behind Michelle first.
“Want some breakfast, buddy?” I asked.
“Yep,” Liam said before turning to look behind him. “Hurry up, Aden.”
Aden ran down the hallway from their bedroom as he pulled a shirt over his head.
“What are you up to, Liam?” Michelle asked.
“Nana Wini said if it was okay with you, we could spend the day with Jim and Emmitt so you could go do girl stuff with her.” He looked up at her pleadingly. “Can we?”
She looked at me with worry. “Emmitt...”
I could hear the “no” coming.
“They’ll be safe,” I said, stepping close and speaking softly. “Everything’s been quiet, and you’ve left them before.”
“I know. But that wasn’t right.”
I ducked down a little to catch her gaze. “Do you trust us?”
Her expression softened. “Just three hours?”
I knew I’d won and stepped back to allow Liam and Aden to run into the apartment.
“You’re going to want something on your feet before you go down to Winifred’s.” Humans had silly rules about shopping barefoot.
* * * *
Jim and I fed the boys breakfast, then cake, before helping them with their shoes so we could go on our wildlife trek. It was cooler in the trees than in the yard, and both boys enjoyed the freedom of running. Their wonder over every rock, twig, and creature we pointed out reminded me of the confinement in which they’d lived before coming here.
When our time was up, we made our way back to the house and played in the yard.
“Can we do that again tomorrow?” Liam asked me.
“Any time you want.”
Jim pushed them both on the swings while I made a stack of sandwiches. We sat in the shade of the porch and ate. Jim stole my sandwich twice and had Aden laughing so hard the little man’s face turned red. It was such a good day that it made my stomach hurt. I needed to know they’d stay here forever. That we’d always be able to keep them safe and make them laugh. I needed Michelle to say yes to just one date.
I took everything back upstairs and was washing the dishes when I heard Winifred’s car turn onto the driveway. Excitement coursed through me.
Did Michelle have a good time?
She enjoyed herself but had frequent bouts of worry, which I expected. After what she’s been through, trusting her brothers with anyone had to be hard.
I wiped my hands and was just moving toward the door when I heard Michelle on the porch with Jim.
“Hold on. You can’t sneak in without showing me,” he said.
“What are you doing?” I asked, knowing he’d hear me. Silently, I started down the stairs.
“Very nice. Now the dress,” he said.
“How did you know?” Michelle sounded amused. I wasn’t.
“Jim, you’ve ticked Nana off way too often recently for her to intervene when I start kicking your tail,” I said when I hit the second landing.
“Emmitt told me his contribution to your day. It’s why I thought you’d want your nails done. Better hurry, I hear him coming.”
“I don’t know if anyone will get to see me in this dress,” she said, worrying me.
“Day’s not done yet,” he said.
“We’ll see. Thank you for the lovely day.”
I was on the last flight of stairs and saw them as she stepped forward and hugged Jim tightly. And the ass returned the hug, giving me a thumbs-up behind her back.
I couldn’t stay silent anymore.
“You keep that up, and he’ll be treating you to spa days with Nana Wini every week.”
She released him and turned toward me. “Thank you for the dress,” she said.
Jim moved away from us and headed out to the boys, who were still regaling Nana about what they’d done.
“You’re welcome. Just don’t let Jim see it before I do.”
I didn’t miss that she made no move to hug me.
“I think it might stay in the bag for a while.”
“I hope not. I was wondering if you’d consider going to dinner with me.” Her scent changed with her panic. She probably didn’t want to leave her brothers again.
“Next Saturday,” I said, hoping it would help calm her.
“A date?” she asked, doubtfully.
“If you’re not too busy.”
She shrugged and smiled slightly. “I’ll see what I can do.”
She moved past me, carrying her things inside.
“You coming back outside or going to research again?”
