Going Home (Dale Series)

by Arianna Hart

  “Just make sure the gate is locked or he’ll be down the street before you know it,” Mary Ellen called after them. “I love my boys. But I really hope this one’s a girl. I need to even the odds a little. Come keep me company while I fold some laundry. It’s my greatest wish that I will one day have an empty hamper, an empty sink and an hour to myself.”

  “How do you do it? I mean, take care of the boys and work at the store and keep the house clean too. Aren’t you exhausted?”

  “Always. But it’s a balancing act. I love being home with the boys, but if I didn’t get into the store for a while, I’d go stark raving mad. Going to work gives my brain a little exercise and gives me a chance to feel like I’m actually accomplishing something.”

  “How can you say that? I’m amazed at how much you accomplish in an hour.”

  “You’re so good for my ego. I know I keep a good house. My mother wouldn’t have had it any other way. But it doesn’t end. There’s no finish line. When I’m done with this load of laundry, there’ll be another waiting. The dishes are done, but the sink will be full before you know it. It’s like being on a hamster wheel—you run and run and run but don’t get anywhere.”

  “Work can be like that too.”

  “Don’t I know it? But that’s the point. Going in to work gives me a sense of satisfaction and makes me realize how much I love being home with my boys. Spending all morning with the boys makes me appreciate having a few hours to myself to work on the books at the store. See? It all balances out.”

  “I guess it does. And you still have the energy to make fantastic dinners and breakfasts for your family.”

  “Only since you’ve been here. I’ll admit, half the time we have spaghetti and jarred sauce or grilled cheese if Bill works late. If I made meals like this all the time, I’d have no energy left to seduce my husband.”

  “I must be getting used to you, because that didn’t even faze me.”

  “Hey, it’s all part of the balance. And it’s fun.”

  “Amen to that, sister.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Nadya was doing the lunch dishes as Mary Ellen put Hunter down for his nap and Bill played quietly with Billy in the den. Mary Ellen was going into the store for a few hours, and Nadya hadn’t decided if she wanted to join her or hide out in the house. It might be a little awkward staying with Bill knowing how much he wanted to sway her to his point of view. But it would be even more uncomfortable facing a parade of people coming in to gawk at her in the store.

  She was still debating which would be worse when the phone rang. Bill hustled over to answer it before it woke up Hunter. How bad could it be at the store? And she might be able to see J.T. there too.

  Oh God, what was she, in high school again? If she wanted to see J.T. she could just call him, for heaven’s sake.

  Mary Ellen came into the kitchen holding her purse and paused when she saw Bill on the phone. It wasn’t long before he said, “I’ll see what I can do.” And hung up.

  “What’s going on?” Mary Ellen asked.

  “That was work. Someone told the press that the owner of the land had been found and a deal was on the table. The environmentalists are causing a ruckus at the gate. They’re calling in the police, but they need all the full timers to go in as well.”

  “But I have to go into work. Rosa has a wedding in Canton tonight—I can’t just tell her to stay late.”

  “Can you call the sitter?”

  “Don’t bother, I’m right here,” Nadya said, stepping into the discussion. “I’ll watch the boys.”

  “Really? Thanks,” Bill said before he ran down the hall to their bedroom.

  “I don’t know, Nad. You’ve never had to watch two little boys for any length of time before. They can be a handful. I’d take them with me, but I really want Hunter to get a nap. He’s a nightmare if he skips it.”

  “I want to do it. Honest. Billy and I will play together while Hunter naps, and you’ll be home shortly after that anyway. It’ll be fine.”

  “If you’re sure. I’ll have Bill drop me off at the store so you’ll have the van if something comes up. In fact, why don’t you just plan on picking me up when Hunter wakes up?”

  “Sounds like a plan. Don’t worry, Billy and I will have a great time.”

  Mary Ellen continued to look skeptical but went to tell Bill the plan. It took her another five minutes to write down all the emergency numbers. By then Bill was waiting impatiently by the door.

  “You’ll be five miles away, not in Africa. Let’s go,” Bill called out.

  “I’m coming, just cool your britches.” Mary Ellen gave Billy a kiss goodbye then climbed into the truck.

  Nadya waved goodbye and shut the door quietly. “Alone at last.” She followed Billy into the den where he went immediately to the DVD rack. “Do you like Thomas the Train?” he asked, innocence just shining off him.

  “Billy, my love, have you ever heard the phrase, you can’t kid a kidder?”

  “No.” He looked confused.

  “I know your mama only lets you watch TV when she’s making dinner.”

  “Oh.” His little face fell and he turned to put the DVD back.

  “But your mama’s not here right now, is she? Show me how to work this,” she said as she inserted the disc.

  It took a few false tries, but eventually they got the movie going. Billy crawled up on the couch right next to Nadya. His little body snuggled into her and she stroked his baby-fine hair. Every atom of her being was content, and even the inane chatter of the movie didn’t bother her.

  “Can you stay here forever, Auntie Nad?” Billy asked.

  “Not forever, but for a while. I have a home in New York. Maybe someday you can come visit me up there.” Although, where she’d find room for a family of five in her miniscule apartment was anyone’s guess.

  “Do you have Thomas the Train up there?”

  “I’m not sure, but I bet I could find something you’d like.”

  He seemed to think about it a minute. “Okay,” he said and settled back against her.

  She must have dozed off or gone into a mini-coma because it seemed like only seconds had passed before Hunter was calling for his mama over the baby monitor.

  “I’ll show you what to do. He’ll need his diaper changed, and he’ll want a sippy cup of water,” Billy said.

  Oh boy, she’d forgotten about the diaper. She’d never changed one in her life. But she was a well-educated woman, she could figure this out.

  She didn’t have to worry about taking the diaper off Hunter, he’d already taken care of that. He stood in his crib holding onto the rails buck naked. She watched in horror as he peed a stream onto the wall, all over the bedding and directly at her when she cried out his name in horror.

  “Oh dear.”

  “Babies,” Billy said.

  Nadya waited until Hunter was done—which seemed to take a very long time—and scooped him out of the crib. There was a changing table with wipes and diapers nearby, so she put him on that. As she bent over to get a diaper out of the bag, he stood and lunged towards her.

  “’ti Nad! ‘ti Nad!”

  She caught him before he could topple off the changing table and decided maybe they should do this on the floor. “Yes, it’s Auntie Nad. And she needs to get you dressed, so why don’t you work with me here?”

  His giggle didn’t reassure her.

  It took three diapers, countless false starts and losing a fistful of hair before she finally got him into a diaper. She’d worked up a sweat, and he wasn’t even dressed.

  “You need to put him in a T-shirt with the snaps on the bottom so he doesn’t pull his diaper off,” Billy offered.

  “Good idea.” The one he’d worn to take his nap was soaked from his fountain imitation, so she held him in one arm while she searched for another outfit. Now she knew why Mary Ellen had so many of these in the wash. Hunter must go through three or four a day.

  Billy stood to the side and of
fered advice, but was little help in getting Hunter dressed. Finally, Nadya got the toddler into shorts and put sandals on his chubby little feet. It had taken her close to half an hour, and she felt like she’d wrestled a bear.

  “The shorts are on backwards. The Tomahawk is supposed to go in front,” Billy said.

  “We’ll start a new trend. He’s dressed. Let’s get you to your mama at the store.” No wonder Mary Ellen had been so worried.

  Getting the two boys into their car seats was another adventure, and Nadya still wasn’t sure she did it right. She drove five miles below the speed limit, terrified if she got into an accident the boys would die. By the time she parked in front of the store, she’d practically bitten a hole through her lip with nervousness.

  …

  Opal pulled in to the spot next to her before she could get out of the van. “Oh, hey, Nadya. I thought it was Mary Ellen. What are you doing with the boys?”

  “Bill got called into work, and I volunteered to babysit so Mary Ellen could come into the store. Let me tell you, moms should get hazard pay. I swear it takes an engineering degree just to figure out how to get them in these car seats. I’ve negotiated contracts worth millions and haven’t broken a sweat, but half an hour with a toddler and I’m worn out.”

  Opal laughed and snapped open a baby stroller with one hand while holding Tanner and a diaper bag with the other.

  “Ugh, you make it look so easy.”

  “It just takes getting used to, that’s all.” She strapped her son into the stroller and hung the bag over the handle. “Are you going to the church auction? I hear they’re offering a day with Officer McBride again.” She winked at her. “I betcha he’d love it if you were the top bidder.”

  “I doubt it. I’m sure he’s ready to move on to something a little more…refined,” Pansy Campbell said from behind them. She was carrying a clipboard, had a walkie-talkie and was dressed in a baby-blue pencil skirt and matching sleeveless blouse.

  Nadya felt dowdy by comparison in her walking shorts and T-shirt. Then she remembered getting dressed under J.T.’s hot gaze and knew no matter how refined Pansy was, J.T. wasn’t interested.

  “Seems to me if he’d wanted some refinement, he’s had five years to get it,” Nadya replied, checking the back seat of the van to make sure the boys were safe.

  “I was a married woman, and unlike some people, I don’t whore myself out.”

  “That’s not what I heard,” Opal said, stepping forward. “Mrs. Cooper told the whole book club how you tried to barge into J.T.’s apartment wearing nothing but some fancy underwear and high heels and he was having none of it. And I’m pretty sure that was before you were divorced. She said if it hadn’t been so funny watching you fume in front of his locked door in nothing but your drawers, she’d be right angry because after that he moved out to the cabin and she lost a tenant.”

  “That’s a filthy lie and you know it.” Although Pansy couldn’t hide the stain of embarrassment creeping up her cheeks.

  “Maybe. I wasn’t there. But I was there yesterday when J.T. planted a smacker on Nadya at the playground, and he didn’t look like he was thinking about moving on any time soon.”

  “Whore.” Pansy shot Nadya a look so filled with fury she was chilled to the very core. Memories of the day at the cabin flashed in her brain and snapped her spine straight.

  “You know something, Pansy, I may have had to put up with your crap when I lived here, but I don’t live in Dale anymore.” She stepped into Pansy’s personal space. “I got out and made something of myself. My accomplishments came from using my brain. Can you say the same?”

  “Hardly.” Opal snorted. “Hell, the only reason she got voted Prom Queen was because she slept with the entire cross-country team.”

  “I don’t have to stand here and take this from the likes of you two.”

  She stormed off toward the town square and Nadya felt weak with victory.

  “Boy, howdy, is she going to rip someone a new one. Glad I’m not on the auction committee,” Opal said.

  “This isn’t going to get you into trouble, is it? I know how vicious Pansy can be.”

  “There’s no love lost between us. She tried to seduce my husband when she was recovering from her first divorce. She hasn’t quite figured out that she’s not the belle of the ball anymore. Mostly we just ignore her.”

  “But won’t she turn her friends against you?” God, Nadya would hate for that to happen.

  “She’ll probably talk a bunch of dirt, but Lydia and Daisy use my little sister as a babysitter, and they aren’t going to risk losing out on a night off because Pansy got herself in a snit. Don’t you worry about us. I’d be more worried about what Hunter is doing with that pen.”

  “Pen? What pen?”

  Nadya looked in the van, and Billy was looking at the pictures in a book while Hunter had drawn all over his legs and face with a blue pen.

  “Oh my God! Mary Ellen is going to kill me. Thanks for the backup. I’ve got to go.” Nadya climbed into the back seat and started wiping Hunter down with the baby wipes.

  When she got the worst of it cleaned off him, she gathered the diaper bag and extricated him from the car seat. She’d be glad to hand him off to Mary Ellen as soon as possible.

  The store had a dozen or so people milling about. Some were at the deli and a few were by the refrigerators where the soda pop was stocked. Every eye faced them when Nadya walked through the door.

  “There’re my boys!” Mary Ellen scooted out from behind the counter and gave Billy a hug and a kiss before taking Hunter. “Did you have a good nap?”

  “Yup. But apparently, he likes to sleep in the nude. I put the clothes and sheets in the washer.”

  Mary Ellen snickered when she took in Hunter’s outfit. “Like trying to wrestle a greased pig, isn’t it?”

  “Pretty much. I can’t believe you do this every day.”

  “It gets easier with practice.”

  “So I hear. I don’t believe you.”

  “Mama, we watched Thomas the Train. Both movies.” Billy jumped up and down.

  “Hey! That was our little secret.”

  “No TV tonight then. Unless Auntie Nad wants to babysit again.”

  “I think J.T. and I have plans. Oh look, he’s calling now.” Nadya clutched her phone like it was a life saver.

  Mary Ellen laughed loudly as she took the boys behind the counter with her. Nadya stepped out of the store and onto the sidewalk, but there was a lot of foot traffic. Probably everyone heading to the auction, she thought. She waited for a woman with a double stroller to pass then stepped off the sidewalk into the alley between the store and the post office.

  “Saved by the bell,” she said as she answered the phone.

  “What do you mean?” J.T.’s voice sounded faint.

  “Never mind, what’s up? Where are you? The connection is terrible.”

  “I’m at the state forest. Someone got the protesters riled up and they’re blocking traffic. If they don’t settle down soon, we’re going to have to call the state police in for backup. I have a feeling I’ll be late tonight.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll hang with Mary Ellen. I’m at the store now.”

  “I’ll call or text when I’m on my way.”

  “Sounds good. Be careful.”

  “Always.”

  As they hung up, Nadya had another stab of unease. Who could have told the press about the developer’s deal?

  Before she could consider it further something slammed into her, knocking her to the ground. All the air whooshed out of her as a huge hand pressed her face into the asphalt and her arm was twisted behind her back.

  “Get out of town. No one wants your kind here.” The gravelly voice sent chills down her spine. It was at least a minute before she got enough air in her lungs to move. Getting up was difficult. Her hands shook and her knees wobbled. Blood dripped down her cheek and her shins. Tears leaked from the corners of her eyes as she made her way out of th
e alley.

  Fearfully, she searched the sidewalk and street, but there was no one to be seen. Whoever had attacked her had disappeared fast. She almost cried in relief when she made it inside the store.

  “What happened to you?” Mary Ellen shouted, setting Hunter crying and calling the attention of every person in the store to her.

  Nadya fought the tears back, not wanting to cause a scene or scare the boys. “I…fell,” she said, looking meaningfully at Billy.

  “Oh. Billy, honey, can you get the first-aid kit out of my office? It’s in the bottom drawer of my desk.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  As soon as Billy went down the hall, Mary Ellen rushed over and put her in the chair behind the counter. They were blocked from sight by a display of lip balm, but it wasn’t exactly private. “Who helped you fall? If it was that Pansy Campbell again, I swear I’ll go after her with a baseball bat.”

  “It was a man. A big man. His hand was as big as my face.”

  “Did you get a look at him?” she asked as she dabbed at Nadya’s face with a tissue. “What happened?”

  “I was talking to J.T., and as soon as I hung up the phone someone slammed into me and I hit the ground. Knocked the wind right out of me. He shoved my face into the asphalt and told me to get out of town, that no one wanted my kind here.” Her voice wavered on the last sentence and tears threatened again. God, she hated feeling this weak. It was just like when Branson Taylor had rammed her against the wall, only this time no one had tried to rape her. Her heart raced, and she was afraid she’d hyperventilate and pass out.

  “Auntie Nad? Here’s Boo Boo Bunny. He makes the owies go away.” Billy handed her a blue terry-cloth bunny with an ice pack inside.

  “Thank you, sweetie. This will make my knee feel a lot better.” She tried to pull herself together.

  “You can hold onto it when Mama sprays the stuff on your cut. She says it doesn’t hurt, but it does.”

  “Okay.”

  Mary Ellen sprayed, dabbed and bandaged Nadya’s cuts, all the while muttering under her breath. As soon as Billy wandered off to look at the candy bars, she whipped out her phone and started texting furiously.