For Sale By Owner

by Marlene Bateman

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Jared slammed the door as he came into the house, making Corey jump. When his son glanced up in alarm from the kitchen table, Jared asked, “Done with your homework?”

  “Almost. I only have to finish my math. Zach helped me with the first ones, and I only have six more to do.”

  “Where is Zach?”

  “In the front room.”

  Zach was hunched over a book, long hair dangling in his eyes. He glanced up, dog-eared his page, and stood, wiping the hair out of his eyes. Jared paid Zach well for babysitting since the high-school junior had a knack for getting Corey to do his chores and his homework.

  After Zach left, Jared returned to the kitchen and put some hamburger on to fry. As it began to sizzle, he pulled an onion and two potatoes from a bin in the pantry.

  Jared took out a knife and slammed the drawer shut with a bang. He peeled the onion under cold water—the way his wife had taught him—then fished out a cutting board and began chopping. He scraped the bits of onion into the pan with the hamburger and started on the potatoes. The loud thwack, thwack of the knife on the wooden cutting board was satisfying. When a piece of potato fell to the floor, Jared grabbed it and threw it forcefully in the garbage.

  “What’s the matter?” Corey asked.

  “Nothing’s the matter. Why?”

  “You look mad. And you keep banging things.”

  Jared caught himself. He had to stop this—he was alarming his son. He got angry so seldom he hardly knew how to deal with these volcanic emotions bubbling inside him. Jared put the potatoes on to cook, then sat beside his son. “I’m sorry. You’re right. I am upset.”

  “Why?”

  Jared hated to cast a shadow on his son’s dreams, but it was probably better for him to hear it now rather than later. “There’s been something I’ve been meaning to tell you. I haven’t because I kept hoping things would work out, but now it doesn’t seem like they will. We’re probably not going to sell our home in time to buy the house we wanted.”

  It took a minute for Corey to digest this. “We’re not going to move to that house?”

  “Right.” His muscles quivered; anger thrummed behind his temples.

  “Is Sara’s mom going to buy it?”

  “Yes. Some people were interested in our house, but Kenzie talked them out of it.” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he wanted to take them back. He was being unfair. Carlos and Tracy were only one couple out of many who had seen the house over the past months. But still—

  Part of his anger was because he’d been so attracted to Kenzie. There had been something in her voice and in those eyes that he’d gotten caught up in. Then she’d played her dirty trick, and now because of her, he wasn’t going to get the house he’d counted on buying.

  Corey looked stricken. “I thought you bought the house.”

  “I put an offer on it, but we had to sell this house by December 24 in order to have enough money to buy it. There’s a couple who are coming to see it tomorrow, but that’s our last chance because our time is almost up.” Jared could almost see the wheels going round in his son’s brain. He got up to stir the hamburger before it burned to a crisp. The can opener whirred as he opened a can of cream of mushroom soup.

  “Why don’t we pray about it?” Corey asked.

  Turning, Jared was about to say it was too late, then caught the trusting expression on his son’s face. “Sure. Just give me a minute.” He stirred the soup into the hamburger, turned the burners on low, and sat across from Corey. “Do you want to say it? And remember to thank Heavenly Father for our blessings, and ask that if we can’t have that house to help us find one that will be good for us.”

  Pushing his math book aside, Corey planted his elbows on the table and clasped his hands together tightly. “Dear Heavenly Father, we’re grateful for our blessings. Will Thou bless us to sell this house so we can buy the one we want? Before the deadline is up? We really like that house. And will You—uh, Thou—bless Sara and her mom to find a house? In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.”

  When his son glanced up, Jared almost needed sunglasses to protect his eyes from Corey’s radiant expression. “You forgot to ask God to help us find another house.”

  “I don’t want another house.”

  His feelings exactly. Still, he wanted to protect his son from disappointment. “Remember, sometimes God tells us no.”

  “You have to believe, Dad.”

  Getting up, Jared went to drain the potatoes. “Like in the magic book?”

  “Yeah. Sara’s grandma believes in magic.”

  She probably believed in fairies too. “Say, if your math is done, why don’t you clear the table and set it while I finish up.”

  While stirring the potatoes into the hamburger mixture, Jared had an idea. “You know what we need?”

  Corey perked up. “A dog!”

  Jared hid his grin. “No, we need a distraction—something to take our minds off the house. What if I invite Pam and her daughter over to watch a movie?”

  “What movie?”

  “I don’t know. We’ll find something at Redbox.” He called Pam as Corey set out plates and utensils. She answered on the second ring.

  “Jared!” Pam’s voice was full of pleasure.

  “I know it’s kind of late notice, but, well, do you want to come over and watch a movie?”

  “Tonight?”

  “Yeah. I know it’s kind of last minute.”

  “I’d love to!”

  “Great. I’ll pick out a movie that the kids will like. What kind of movies does Kaity like?”

  “Oh, well. Just about anything.” The tiniest bit of enthusiasm disappeared from her voice. But it didn’t take long for her to rally. “We’ll stop and get some ice cream.”

  “That’d be great!” But as soon as Jared hung up, he began having second thoughts. The tiny bit of a letdown in Pam’s voice when she realized they weren’t going to be alone finally penetrated. He’d been content to let things drift even though Pam seemed to expect something more. She sought out chances to talk with him, and her eyes sparkled each time he asked her out. He shouldn’t have called—it wasn’t right to string her along. Jared hadn’t wanted anything more than a friend to spend the evening with, but the deed was done.

  When Pam and Kaity arrived, Jared had made popcorn, and later they dished up bowls of ice cream. The evening was enjoyable enough, but guilt made his stomach jump whenever Pam’s hand sought and held his. Jared enjoyed the movie, and when it was over, he and Pam carried the bowls into the kitchen while Corey and Kaity talked in the front room.

  “Thanks for coming over,” Jared said as he rinsed the bowls. “Corey and I needed something to take our minds off the house.” He’d told her at work that it didn’t appear like he was going to be able to sell his house.

  She smiled warmly. “Glad I could help.”

  Lest she make more of the evening than he intended, Jared added, “Thanks for being a friend.”

  Pam leaned against the counter. “A friend? I thought we were a little more than that.”

  Oh, great. Now he’d opened up a can of worms. During the past year, Pam had made it plain that she liked him. The only trouble was that the feelings weren’t there for him. Oh, he liked her well enough, but his feelings didn’t come close to those he’d had for Robin. And they didn’t compare to how he’d begun feeling toward Kenzie. He stopped himself right there. No, he had not fallen for Kenzie, not when she’d acted so low-down—

  “Hello! Earth to Jared!” Pam said lightly.

  “Sorry, Pam. Guess I’ve got a lot of things on my mind.” Jared looked at her. Maybe he should try a little harder to make a go of it with her. He really did enjoy being with her. She was fun and good company. Then he sighed inwardly. If he had to talk himself into a relationship, something was wrong.

  “I know you’re upset about the house. It must be very disappointing.”

  It was. “I guess I’ll have to
start looking again. I should have asked for more time to sell my house, but I didn’t think there would be any problem.” Then a big one had come up—Kenzie. Jared looked at Pam. The time had come to be straight. He reached out and took her hand, making Pam smile. But as Jared searched for words, her smile faded until there was nothing left of it. Her eyes became guarded, and she seemed to brace herself. “It was really nice of you to come over—as a friend.”

  For long moments they gazed into each other’s eyes. Then Pam bit her lip. “Is it Kenzie Forsberg?”

  “What? No!” Jared’s voice was loud and emphatic. “Absolutely not.”

  One of Pam’s eyebrows raised. “Methinks thou dost protest too much.” She gave a little shrug. “It’s okay. I think I realized a long time ago we weren’t going anywhere—though I still hoped.”

  “You’ve got to have a lot of men interested in you.”

  “A few,” Pam admitted without conceit. “I’ve turned a lot of them down, but now I think I’ll start saying yes.”

  Squeezing her hand, Jared said sincerely, “You’re going to make them very happy.”

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Keeping Sara entertained while her leg remained elevated was proving tricky. It was impossible to play board games, and Sara soon tired of reading. Watching movies helped pass the time, and since it meant her daughter watched more than usual, Kenzie consoled herself that today was the last day she had to have her ankle above her head.

  After breakfast, Kenzie helped Sara with some homework then handed her Poppy the Penguin and put in a movie—The Muppet Christmas Carol. As the opening credits rolled, Kenzie went to sit in a chair by her mother, who was crocheting.

  Holding her crochet hook with one hand, Elaine used the other to spread the nearly finished afghan over her lap. “What do you think?”

  “It’s lovely,” Kenzie said admiringly. Her mother had used a ripple pattern, choosing soft-blue and steel-blue yarn with white in between. “Mandy’s going to love it.”

  “It always takes me longer to make an afghan than I think. For a while, I was beginning to worry if I could have it done by Christmas, but I’m nearly there.” With an air of contentment, Elaine set to work again, her crochet hook darting in and out. Without raising her head, she said, “We haven’t had much time to talk—seems like you’re always gone.”

  A small stab of guilt hit Kenzie. It was true—she had been gone a lot. “Things have been so hectic—sorry.”

  “No need to be sorry,” Elaine said mildly. “I know you’ve been worried about getting Tom’s house. It was nice of him to say he’d sell it to you if the sale to Jared fell through.” She glanced up. “Jared hasn’t sold his house, has he?”

  “Not yet.” Kenzie’s voice was low.

  “So you’ll get the house then—just like you wanted.”

  Her mother’s words echoed and clanged in Kenzie’s mind. Just like she wanted. Buying Tom’s house had been what she’d wanted—and yet now that she was so close, sadness washed over her like a long, slow wave of ebb tide.

  “You’re not exactly turning cartwheels,” her mother remarked.

  “I feel sorry for Jared. He wanted Tom’s house too.”

  “I know. He mentioned it a few days before you came.” Elaine glanced up. “Your father and I stopped by his café and had a sandwich one day. Jared came over and talked with us about the house. He was so excited and full of plans. He said it’s always been a dream of his to live in Lake Forest.” Elaine bent to concentrate on a cluster stitch and missed seeing Kenzie’s stricken face. The hook flashed in and out as she went on, “Jared’s pretty taken with you. I noticed how he looked at you when we went to the school play. Goodness! I’ve never seen him talk so much. Jared’s always been a touch shy, you see. When we had lunch at the café, he couldn’t take his eyes off you.”

  She glanced up momentarily. “And wasn’t he thoughtful when Sara got hurt? You’d have thought she was his own daughter the way he took such good care of her. Jared likes you—that’s for sure. And I can tell you feel the same way—you always look so happy when he’s around!” Her mother wore a serene expression as if there was nothing peculiar about two people being at odds yet still liking each other. Still, Kenzie had no idea she’d been so transparent.

  “A mother can always tell when her daughter is in love,” Elaine said complacently.

  There was no sense denying it. “But now Jared thinks I’m awful.”

  Elaine’s hook stopped. “Why? What happened?”

  Glancing over to be sure Sara was totally engrossed watching Scrooge visit his childhood school as Rizzo the Rat and Gonzo the Great looked on, Kenzie told her mother about her visit with Tracy Perez.

  “I said a lot more than I should have,” Kenzie admitted. “Tracy was so friendly, and we just clicked. I kept rambling on and on—telling her things that could influence her not to buy Jared’s house. Somehow, I couldn’t seem to stop myself. I kept thinking about my friend’s terrible experience and told her all about it. So it’s my fault that she and her husband decided not to see Jared’s house a second time.”

  “Well, you didn’t go there to talk her out of seeing Jared’s house, and you never mentioned it specifically.”

  “No, but I did talk up the other houses and tell her she ought to get three bedrooms. But I didn’t know at the time that Jared’s only had two. I also told her to get a house with a garage.”

  “Did you know Jared’s house didn’t have one?”

  “No. I only saw his house on Tom’s computer for a few seconds. But still—why did I talk so much about the problems of restoring an older home when I knew Jared’s home was old?” Grimacing, Kenzie moaned, “I’m a terrible person.”

  “Stop it. You didn’t set out to stop the Perezes from buying Jared’s house.”

  “But I feel so guilty.” The disappointment in Jared’s face haunted her still. Kenzie bit her lip, knowing she had hurt him deeply.

  “That’s because you’ve got a good heart. You may have gone overboard, and as much as I hate to admit it, it does sounds like you took advantage of the situation—but not to the degree that you ought to be tarred and feathered.” Elaine reached the end of the row, snipped the light-blue yarn, then tied it off. “So now that you realize you could have done things better, I’m sure you will next time. You simply got carried away. You have a tendency to act first, think second. You’re a lot like your father in a way—only he tends to talk first, engage brain second.”

  The comparison rankled. Kenzie didn’t like being compared to her father.

  Elaine began a new row with the steel-blue yarn. “Did you apologize to Jared?”

  “Yeah, but I think I’d have to be sentenced to the guillotine before he’d forgive me.”

  “Give him time. He really does like you.”

  They sat in silence for a time. Then Kenzie said quietly, “I found out something the other day. Remember that boy I used to play with when I was a kid—Tyrone?”

  Her mother looked up with interest. “Of course. He was such a sweet boy. I thought of him when you set out your reindeer. You two could hardly bear to be separated. I hardly saw you those two summers.”

  “He’s moved to Lake Forest.”

  “Really? Good heavens!” Her mother blinked. “Have you talked with him?”

  Kenzie nodded. “He doesn’t remember me though.”

  “Oh, that’s impossible! You two were the best of friends.” Elaine’s blue eyes were astonished.

  “I didn’t tell him who I was. He only knew me as Izzy, but I stopped going by that nickname in high school. I found out who he was a couple of days ago. He changed his name too. Now he goes by Jared Rawlins.”

  The afghan fell to Elaine’s lap, and her eyes were astonished. “Jared? Our Jared? But how?”

  “I don’t know, but when we were little, he said he hated his name and wanted to change it when he grew up. I guess he did.”

  “Are you sure it’s him?”

  Ke
nzie explained about the skates in the window, the inscription, and Jared telling Scott that the skates were his.

  “Oh my.” Elaine relapsed into silence for a minute. “It’s hard to take in. Jared is Tyrone. You know, I always did like Tyrone. He was such a nice boy, and now he’s grown into a nice man.”

  “But you hardly ever saw him. How do you know he was a nice boy?”

  “I got to know him a little when we had that picnic. And again when we all went to the carnival. And I saw him a few other times.” Elaine smiled impishly. “I didn’t tell you at the time, but when you started going every day to meet this boy, I got a little worried. You two were always so busy playing that he never came to the house, and well, I wanted to make sure everything was all right. That’s why I suggested we have a picnic, so I could spend some time with him.”

  “Is that why you invited his mother?”

  “Yes, I wanted to meet her too.” Elaine paused to reminisce. “As I recall, we had a very good time. And after we ate and you two went off to play, his mother and I had a nice, long talk. Turns out she wanted to meet me as much as I wanted to meet her. It was a comfort to both of us.”

  “Is that why you and Dad took us to the carnival—to keep an eye on us?” Kenzie sounded peeved.

  “We thought it would be fun for all of us to go together,” Elaine replied blandly. “We had a good time, didn’t we? Watching the sea lion show, eating Navajo tacos, and going on rides. And as I recall, a few weeks later we took you two for hamburgers—in fact, we did that a couple times.”

  Tyrone’s mother had also invited them on outings, Kenzie remembered, treating them to tacos or ice cream and taking them to the movies a couple of times on Saturday afternoons.

  “A nice boy,” her mother repeated, chaining four and flipping the afghan over. “Imagine. Tyrone is Jared. I wish I’d recognized him, but after twenty-six years or so, what’s to recognize? All I remember is a little boy with long hair. And he wouldn’t recognize me either. My hair’s gray now and short. And I’ve put on a few pounds. I hardly recognize myself! Besides, I only saw him a handful of times each summer. Still, I’m surprised Jared didn’t remember our last name and put two and two together.”