Milk Money

by Cecelia Dowdy

  He gazed at her with his warm, dark eyes. “You’re probably right. You seem to know your dad pretty well. He may have been contacting a Realtor for a different reason.”

  A horrible thought occurred to her. “Do you think my stepmother wants to sell, and she just hasn’t told me?” The thought sickened her. When her plate of jambalaya arrived, Emily pushed it away, her appetite gone.

  Frank massaged her fingers. “Are you sure you’re okay?” She didn’t answer his question, finding comfort in his touch. Reluctantly she pulled her hand away.

  “You didn’t answer my question, Frank.”

  He sampled his shrimp before responding. “Emily, I honestly don’t know. Maybe you should call your stepmom tonight and try and talk to her about all of this.”

  “Yeah, I just might do that.” She stared at her food, suddenly wanting to go home and place the call in private. Frank continued to eat, and Emily prayed before she sampled her meal. When they finished, Emily requested a take-out box for her leftovers.

  Afterward they walked around Harborplace before they returned to Frank’s car. He drove her home and cut off the ignition when they arrived at her farm. “Do you mind if we sit on your porch?”

  The thought of sitting with Frank on the porch on a star-filled night made her feel warm and cozy. “No, I don’t mind at all.” They walked to the porch and sat on the swing.

  As they gently swayed, Frank spoke. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  She nodded. “I’m okay. I just don’t know what kinds of things my stepmother is hiding.” She looked at him. “I also don’t like what you told me about my dad. I feel like I’m being lied to.”

  He sighed. “Emily …”

  She shook her head. “I guess you’ll be back next week to continue working in my dad’s office?”

  “Yes, I’ll be back next week. I’m not sure what time, though, because I have some meetings to attend.” Crickets chirped in the hot summer air. Emily’s stomach flipped when Frank held her hand. Sparks of warmth shot up her arm, and she couldn’t gather the courage to pull her hand away. “Can I ask you something?”

  She looked at him. “What?”

  “I really had a good time tonight. I also enjoyed having dinner with you when we went to Michael’s Pizza.”

  She smiled, her belly curling with warmth. “Yeah, I had a good time, too.”

  “I wondered if you wanted to get together again sometime next week. Maybe we can go to a movie or something.” He squeezed her hand. “I like spending time with you, and I want to get to know you better.”

  She pulled her hand away. “I’ll be honest with you. I like spending time with you, too, but there are things about you that bother me.”

  “What kinds of things?”

  “Well, for starters, when we went to Michael’s Pizza, I noticed the liquor bottles in your car.”

  He grunted. “I saw you frown when you saw the alcohol, but I didn’t give it much thought.”

  The swing rocked as she gathered her thoughts. “Do you drink every day?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why? When did you start doing this?”

  He threw his hands up in the air, frowning. “Why is it such a big deal? Why are you asking me these questions?”

  “You just asked about us going out. These are things I need to know about somebody before I agree to a date.”

  He sighed. “When something heavy is on my mind, I drink to forget. I’ve been doing this for about a year now. I’ve had problems with it before that, but I was able to quit eventually.”

  “What’s on your mind?”

  “It’s kind of complicated. My parents did some awful things, and I can’t let my anger go.”

  “Frank, you really need to forgive your parents for what they’ve done. If their actions are causing you to drink, then you need to do something else to deal with your pain.”

  “I’m almost afraid to ask what you would do if you were me.”

  “Are you a Christian?”

  “I believe in God.”

  She shook her head, looking at him. “I didn’t ask if you believed in God. I asked if you’re a Christian.”

  “I’ve noticed that a lot of people say they are Christians, but it doesn’t necessarily mean the same thing to everybody.”

  She sensed he was avoiding her question, so she decided to be more direct. “When I use the term Christian, I’m referring to somebody who has accepted Christ as their Savior and who trusts Him completely. Can you honestly tell me you’ve done this?”

  When he remained silent, she continued. “Do you go to church regularly?”

  “No, I don’t.”

  “Do you consider yourself to be a Christian?”

  He hesitated before responding. “Not really.”

  She looked away, stunned upon hearing this news. Her attraction to Frank was deep, deeper than she imagined possible given the circumstances. She loved spending time with him and wished something could develop between them. However, she knew even if this was what she wanted, she had to follow the Lord’s Word and not get involved with a non-Christian. She clenched her hands together, taking a deep breath before speaking. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for us to spend time together socially anymore.”

  “Why?” Exasperation tinged his voice.

  “If I’m going to spend time with somebody, I want to make sure he’s a Christian. My belief in God is the one thing that’s constant and keeps me centered in this crazy world.”

  “We can still date and get to know each other better. You can’t deny that we’re attracted to each other.”

  Their attraction was so strong that it was a bit scary. Emily didn’t know what she’d do with herself if she continued to see Frank and then fall for him. “Have you thought about getting help for your problem?”

  “What problem?”

  “Your heavy drinking problem. There’s an alcoholic support group at my church—”

  “I’m not an alcoholic.”

  “You don’t get drunk?” He didn’t respond. “Your eyes were red this morning, and you said you didn’t feel well. Were you sick, or were you hungover?”

  His lips settled into a grim line, and he stared out into the cornfield. Another concern struck her. “Do you ever drive after you drink?”

  He shook his head. “No. I only drink after I get home for the night.” She was surprised when he abruptly changed the subject. “Are you seeing anybody right now?”

  “No.”

  “When was the last time you were in a serious relationship?”

  She knitted her brow. “Why are you asking me this?”

  He shrugged. “I’m just curious. I like you, and I want to know more about you.”

  She sighed, not wanting to talk about Jamal, but decided to humor Frank’s curiosity. “I was engaged once.”

  His long-lashed eyes widened, and he encouraged her to continue.

  “I met Jamal in grad school.”

  “You went to grad school?”

  She nodded. “I have a master’s degree in agriculture. Both Jamal and I graduated a little over a year ago from the University of Maryland.”

  “Well, what happened? Why aren’t the two of you married?”

  “I thought we both wanted the same things. I felt he made some wrong assumptions about me, and he just couldn’t accept me for the way I was.”

  He gazed at the cornfield in the distance. “What kind of assumptions did he make?”

  The negative memories washed over her. “Well, for starters, he didn’t know I wanted to continue farming.”

  “Whoa. I’ve only known you for a few days, and even I can see how much you love farming. What were you all going to do?”

  She gave him a puzzled look. “What do you mean?”

  “Well, did you expect him to move into the house with you and your parents?”

  She shook her head. “No, nothing like that. Since I thought we were planning to stay in the Baltimore County area, I was goi
ng to continue working for my dad. I’d planned on commuting to the farm from our new home.”

  “I still don’t understand what the problem was. Besides, you were getting your degree in agriculture. Isn’t that a clue that you’d want to stay in the farming business?”

  Emily chuckled, recalling her aborted engagement. “Well, sometimes Jamal was pretty clueless.”

  “What did he want you to do?”

  “He found a good job with an engineering firm, but it was located in Texas, so we’d have to move. He said once we were married and settled into our new lives in Texas, he didn’t want me to work.”

  “What?”

  Emily nodded. “He wanted me to be a stay-at-home wife and have kids and be a family woman.” She shrugged. “Again, I just assumed he knew what I wanted. I would love to have my own family, but I wanted to be a farmer, too. Since he wanted me to give up my profession, he obviously didn’t know me very well.”

  “Is that the only reason you broke up?”

  “Isn’t that enough?”

  He shrugged. “I guess, but I was wondering if anything else happened between you two.”

  She continued to think about her former fiancé. “Well, he said he was a Christian, and I thought he loved the Lord like I did.”

  He frowned. “What made you think that he didn’t love God?”

  She gathered her thoughts. “We were attracted to each other. We were very attracted to each other. When our engagement was official, he started pressuring me to make love to him. I told him I wanted to wait until after we were married, but he wouldn’t let it go. We argued about it constantly, and we also argued about my continuing to farm after the wedding.” She frowned. “It got to the point where I dreaded his phone calls and visits until I finally gave him his ring back. I started to feel like a prop.”

  “A prop?”

  She nodded. “Yeah. I felt like an actress or something.”

  “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “Well, after I met him, we didn’t date for very long before we were engaged. Everything was so rushed that I felt like we didn’t get to know each other very much. I sensed he was desperate to get married and have a family, and I was there, dating him. We were attracted, so he asked me to marry him.” She sighed. “I don’t think we were really in love. I felt like an actress, playing the role of his fiancée, without his knowing me as a person.”

  A warm breeze blew, tickling her cheek. When Frank took her hand, the warmth enveloped her fingers. “If you felt that way, why did you get engaged?”

  “Initially I wasn’t honest with myself. I made excuses for our arguments and his behavior. Soon I got tired of making excuses, and I was just honest with myself. I sensed the Lord was telling me that Jamal wasn’t the right man to spend my life with.”

  She mentally sighed when Frank seemed to be content with her answer. They silently rocked in the swing, holding hands, his leg jiggling.

  Headlights of a car turning into her driveway shined on them, and Frank dropped her hand. Kelly and Christine soon strolled toward the porch.

  Frank frowned, staring at the women. “Who are they?”

  five

  Emily touched Frank’s arm. “That’s Kelly and Christine, my friends.”

  Kelly clutched a white grocery bag, and Christine held a box of Cinnabon rolls. “Hi,” Kelly greeted. “Christine and I didn’t realize you’d have company tonight,” she said, looking at Frank.

  Emily gestured toward Frank. “He’s not company. This is Franklin Reese; he’s our new accountant.”

  Kelly raised one perfectly arched eyebrow, and Emily sensed she was assessing Frank’s physical attributes. She stuck out her hand. “Nice to meet you. I’m Kelly, and this is Christine.”

  Once Kelly shook Frank’s hand, Christine did the same. “Hi, ladies.”

  She looked at Frank before gesturing toward the house. “I guess I’ll see you on Monday?”

  Frank stood, causing the swing to rock. “Yes, I’ll be here on Monday.” He exited the porch and waved to the women before he got into his car and drove away.

  Kelly placed her hands on her hips, and Christine stood behind her. “He stood me up! This is the last time I accept a date with that loser!” said Kelly.

  They stepped into the house, and Emily turned on the kitchen light. She saw how much time Kelly had taken to prepare for her date. Her black hair was swept into an elegant bun, and she wore a new pantsuit. Expensive perfume wafted through the room as Kelly tossed her grocery sack on the scarred kitchen table and Christine placed the Cinnabon box beside it. Kelly pulled out two small ice cream cartons. “I got ice cream for both of us.”

  Christine pointed to her treat. “And I brought cinnamon rolls for myself.” She rolled her eyes at Kelly. “She had the nerve to interrupt my lazy Saturday night.” She gazed at Emily. “I was going to spend this evening lounging around in my silk pajamas and reading a book and eating my cinnamon rolls with a cup of coffee.” She looked at Kelly. “Then she appeared on my doorstep, distraught that Martin had stood her up, and she insisted we come to visit you so both of us could cheer her up in person. She stopped for ice cream on the way.”

  Emily sat, placing her head in her hand. “I’m not hungry now. I’m glad you brought me ice cream, but I can’t eat another bite.” She pointed to her take-out container. “Frank and I ate at the Cheesecake Factory.”

  Kelly popped the ice cream carton open and fished a spoon from a drawer. “The Cheesecake Factory?” She sat, giving Emily a hard look. “Since when do you go out to The Cheesecake Factory with your business associates?” She grabbed Emily’s arm. “I thought you said Frank wouldn’t be a good prospect because of his drinking.”

  Christine sat beside Kelly, taking a bite of her roll before speaking. “His drinking?”

  Emily explained that she saw liquor bottles in Frank’s car. “We were talking about his drinking earlier tonight.”

  Christine spoke. “Oh, I’m sorry, Emily. If we’d known, we wouldn’t have stopped by.”

  “I’m glad you guys came by. Frank didn’t want to talk about it anyway.”

  “He wouldn’t talk about his drinking problem?”

  Emily shook her head. “He got upset when I asked him about it. I feel like he’s denying he has a problem.”

  “What kind of problems could he be having that would cause him to drink so much?” asked Christine.

  “I’m not sure. He mentioned that it had to do with his parents, but he didn’t give many details.”

  “Do you mind if I make myself some coffee to go with my rolls?” asked Christine.

  Emily stood, wanting to do something busy. “I’ll do it.” Fresh coffee soon dripped into the pot. When it was finished perking, she asked Kelly if she wanted some coffee, but she declined, so Emily poured two cups and removed the milk from the refrigerator and carried it to the table. She placed the sugar container beside the milk, and Emily and Christine sipped their coffee.

  Kelly placed a large chunk of ice cream into her mouth. “Mmm. This is the best remedy for a broken heart.”

  Emily scoffed. “You only went out with Martin once. You haven’t even known him long enough to have a broken heart!”

  Kelly rolled her eyes, sampling another bite of ice cream. “Whatever. I thought he had great potential.”

  “After only one date?” Christine interjected.

  “But last week’s date was great!” She dropped her spoon on the table and modeled her recently manicured nails. “See, I even got my nails done.” The red, oval-shaped nails matched her outfit, and Emily could hear Kelly’s disappointment. “I’ve wasted my whole day getting ready for Martin, only to be disappointed.”

  “Did you call him?” Emily asked.

  Kelly raised her eyebrows, scowling at Emily. “Of course not. If I call him, he’ll see how anxious I am.”

  Christine spoke. “Maybe you should call him anyway. Something might have happened. What if he was in an accident or something?�
��

  Kelly widened her eyes. “Do you think something could have happened to him?”

  “It’s hard to say,” Emily said. “Why don’t you call him, and if he doesn’t answer, you could leave him a message.”

  Kelly pulled her cell phone out of her purse and pressed a few buttons. She spoke into the receiver, leaving Martin a message. She snapped her phone shut. “Hopefully he’ll call me back tonight or tomorrow.”

  Christine spoke. “I wanted you all to see my new purse.”

  Emily fingered the expensive handbag, and Kelly rolled her eyes. “You know you can’t afford that, Christine. If you want my advice—”

  “Which I don’t.”

  Kelly pursed her lips. “Whatever. But don’t come crying to me to borrow money when you can’t pay your bills. If you want to do what’s good for you, you’d take that purse back to the store tomorrow.”

  Emily had learned a long time ago that you couldn’t reason with Christine. She decided to tell them about the discussion she’d had earlier with Frank. “You’ll never believe what Frank told me tonight.” She glanced at the clock. “I wanted to call Mom and talk to her about it, but I’m sure she’s in bed now.” She told them what Frank said about the files he’d found on her father’s computer, implying he may have been planning to sell their farm shortly before his death.

  “Whoa!” Kelly interjected. “That’s deep. Do you think your stepmom knew about this?”

  Emily shrugged. “I don’t know. I sense she might be trying to protect me from something….” She thought about it for a few minutes. “It makes my head spin when I think about it too much. My father is the last person who would sell this place. He always said he would farm until he died.” She covered her lips when tears came to her eyes. “And he did farm until he died.” Her mouth quivered, and she went to the sink and got a glass of water. A few tears spilled onto her cheeks, and Kelly and Christine were beside her in seconds, hugging her. “I miss Daddy so much, guys. It hurts so bad.”

  Christine squeezed her friend’s shoulder. “I wish there was something I could do for you. With the Lord’s help, it won’t hurt so much after a while.” Emily breathed deeply and wiped her eyes. Kelly handed her tissues, and Emily dried her eyes and drank her water.