The Long Road to Love

by Mary Crawford

  “But you’re talented, interesting to listen to, and really smart. I think you will make a good teacher. I bet other people will think so too. As soon as I have the camera equipment set up, I think you should make a video telling people why they should take your class,” Ketki suggests.

  “I guess I have nothing to lose. Jett and his friends spent a lot of time and effort fixing this place up. The least I can do is put it to good use. If you need me, I’ll be in the restroom trying to make myself presentable and having a little mini-meltdown as I try not to have a panic attack.”

  “I am not worried. You’re just like Savannah and Shelby. You’ve been through much tougher stuff. When things get hard, you just buckle down and do what needs to be done.”

  I smile at my granddaughter. “I think that might be the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.”

  Ketki grins at me. “Thank you. I try. A lot of people say I’m just like you.”

  CHAPTER SIX

  REX

  JETT WIPES THE EXCESS ink off my tattoo as he finishes up the touch up work. “So, how are things going with Nancy?”

  “What do you mean? I finished up the job at her shop weeks ago. I showed you the pictures, remember?”

  “Yeah, you absolutely killed it on the woodworking. I just figured you’d use it as your excuse to start things, not end them,” Jett suggests with a shrug.

  I lift myself up off the tattoo table and tuck in my shirt. “You know, it is possible to be nice and not expect anything in return,” I respond with more than a hint of sarcasm.

  “True enough. Few people actually are,” he counters.

  “Bingo! You made my argument for me. That’s exactly why I should walk away. She expects to have to repay me,” I reply stubbornly.

  “You’ve been alone a long time Rex. I haven’t seen you this interested in someone in years. Do you really want to walk away?”

  I stuff my hands in my pocket. “Honestly? It’s the last thing I want to do. But … what’s done is done.”

  Jett reaches behind him and pulls his laptop off the counter. He brings his Facebook page up and shows me something in his feed. “What if I told you ‘done’ isn’t really done?”

  “What you mean?”

  Jett nods toward the page. “Nancy is holding a class. She’s broadcasting it all over the web. She’s nervous no one will show up, so she wants a few friendly faces there. You in?”

  “What kind of class?”

  “I don’t know, read the post, man! It’s some sort of Christmas message asking for support from her friends. She invited all of us. Diamond and Jade are totally jazzed. My daughter insists this class will help my tattoo work. I don’t know if she’s right — but Nancy is in a tight spot, so I figure it’s for a good cause. If you go, I won’t be the only dude in the class.”

  I shrug. “Works for me.”

  Jett laughs out loud. “For a guy with such strong moral principles, you sure caved mighty quick.”

  I sigh. “I don’t know what it is about the lovely Ms. Williams. I can’t seem to stop thinking about her. From the second I walked out of her store, I regretted my decision. Maybe this is my chance to have a do-over.”

  “Stranger things have been known to happen around here.”

  Her beauty takes my breath away for a moment as I walk into the classroom. I thought Nancy was pretty the first time I saw her, but that version of her was like a faded watercolor painting compared to the vivacious woman standing at the front of her store engaging with her students. Her eyes are sparkling, and her smile is wide as she laughs. Her granddaughter is busy clipping a microphone to her bright red shirt and straightening her black apron embellished with a jaunty candy cane.

  After Ketki has Nancy all hooked up, Ketki runs and turns on the lights and cameras. I watch with concern as Nancy takes a deep breath and swallows hard — but she pulls it together and turns and faces the class. “Welcome to Paint Your Art Out. My name is Nancy Williams. Tonight, I’ll be teaching you about the joy of tole painting and how you can use it to brighten up your holidays. Tole painting is great because you don’t have to have any special equipment and you can paint on almost anything. You can recycle old gardening equipment like watering cans and flowerpots, picture frames, doorknobs or Christmas ornaments, which is what we will be doing tonight. You can breathe new life into found objects and make them beautiful again. All it takes is a little elbow grease, creativity and run-of-the-mill acrylic paints and brushes.”

  Nancy looks out at the audience and shows us all a collection of brushes and a few tubes of acrylic paint. I can tell when her eyes meet mine because her smile falters and she frowns. She takes a few moments to collect herself and continues speaking. “Tole painting isn’t intended to be perfect. It’s meant to be a fun way to add color to the world around you.”

  Nancy’s eyes briefly meet mine once more. After that, she studiously ignores me. I can’t help but feel a little deflated. This is not at all how I envisioned this scenario in my head. I didn’t exactly expect a parade, but I thought she would at least be happy to see me. I guess I should have followed my first instincts and left her well enough alone. I suppose I better stick around and explain myself. Although honestly, I don’t know what to say exactly. I am not sure why I came tonight. The only answer I can come up with is that walking away from Nancy Williams isn’t an outcome I feel comfortable with. So, even if I make a fool out of myself, I want to get to know her.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  NANCY

  AFTER WHAT SEEMED LIKE forever, the class is finally over. I can’t tell you how it went or even what I said. My brain was on autopilot and it was like an out-of-body experience. The students seemed to respond okay, and they didn’t seem lost. Many of them painted cute designs on the balsa wood ornaments and they seemed thrilled with what they created. Even my granddaughter had nothing critical to say about my delivery and she seemed all smiles as she put away the equipment and left the shop with a few of her friends. Eventually after I’ve put away all the supplies and cleaned my shop within an inch of its life, I know I’ve run out of excuses. I need to deal with Rex Hudson.

  I could pretend I don’t know he’s standing quietly over by the cash register simply waiting for me to expend my frenetic energy like a child who’s had too much birthday cake. But the only person I’m fooling is me. I am hyper aware of every breath the man takes. It’s almost as if I can feel his presence on a molecular level. I gather my courage and ask, “Why are you here?”

  “You asked me to be,” Rex answers simply.

  My eyes widen. “I did?”

  “That’s the way I read it.” He shrugs. “I read your Christmas message. You said you needed the support of your friends to help make your class a success. I consider you my friend, so I came.”

  I’m so shocked, I have to remember to close my mouth.

  “What’s that look for?” Rex asks with a puzzled glance.

  “Oh, I don’t know,” I answer sarcastically. “Maybe it’s because you walked out of my store one day for a business meeting and I didn’t hear from you for weeks. I know you know where I work and where I live and even have my phone number because you sent me a text message. You know who my landlords are. You even know who my friends are. So why would I have any reason to believe you are my friend?”

  Rex physically recoils from my words. “Fair enough. You’re right. Walking out of your shop was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done — although I had a legitimate reason to leave. I don’t know if you’ve been watching the news, but one of my employees decided they weren’t getting paid enough and that they should receive extra compensation by skimming off money from the safe deposit boxes. The day I left your shop was the day we discovered the thefts.”

  I wince. “Maybe my ex-husband wasn’t so wrong about banks after all.” I quip.

  “From what I understand, your ex-husband was wrong about an awful lot of things — the intrinsic corruption of all bankers notwithstanding. The point
is we caught the theft and returned all the missing money. Actually, that’s a misstatement; it’s not really the point I was trying to make.”

  I raise my eyebrow as an unspoken challenge.

  Rex runs his hand through his hair and shifts his position against the wall. “Look, I’m not great at all this stuff. In case you haven’t noticed, I tend to stick my foot in my mouth a lot. What I meant to say is I fervently wish I hadn’t had to take off that day. I was enjoying my time with you. You are the most interesting person I’ve met in years. I wanted to come back and spend time with you.”

  “So, why didn’t you? I thought I had done something wrong,” I confess.

  “I didn’t want to be dishonest. I told you I worked on your shop as a gift. I didn’t want you to feel like I was expecting something in exchange for doing the work on your shop.”

  I’m silent for a few moments as his words sink in — but even as they do, they still don’t make much sense.

  “So, you let me think you hated me because you didn’t want me to think friendship was a two-way street?”

  “Well, when you put it in those terms, it doesn’t make much sense. It was much clearer in my head. I guess I was trying to do you a favor without you feeling like you had to pay me back.”

  I choke back a snort of laughter. “As if I could! The work you and Jett, together with all your friends, did in my shop would’ve cost me thousands of dollars. Rex, you guys made me custom furniture and a storage system. The cleanup work alone would’ve cost far more than I could ever afford — let alone pay back. It’s like you explained about your mom. Someday, I might be in a position where I get to pay it forward to someone else.”

  “I know you are the type of person who would do exactly that.”

  I blush a little before I add, “I have to tell you something else. I wanted you to come back and talk to me. I waited for you. It had nothing to do with the beautiful furniture and cabinetry you made for me.”

  Rex clears his throat nervously. “It didn’t?”

  I shake my head. “Nope. For the first time in years, I was having a conversation with a man who was listening attentively to every word I said and respecting my input. You didn’t belittle me or tell me I didn’t have the right to think my thoughts or disagree with you. It was astounding. I haven’t felt so empowered in a long time.”

  Rex hangs his head. “Now I feel even more terrible about the way I left and didn’t come back. Do you suppose there’s any way we can start over?”

  I grow pensive. “I don’t know. I’m afraid to make any snap judgments. Let me think about it for a bit. I still have your number in my phone. I’ll call you after I’ve processed it all. This whole day has been completely overwhelming.”

  “Mom, why do you look so upset? I thought the class was a huge success. Nearly everyone I spoke to said they wanted to sign up for more classes. The reviews I read online indicated everybody loved it.”

  I shrug. “It’s not really that. The class went better than I could’ve expected, I suppose. I don’t remember much. I was so nervous I couldn’t even feel my lips moving.”

  “Then what’s the problem?” Shelby asks.

  “I can’t figure out why Rex was there.” I blurt.

  “Rex?” she asks.

  “Rex Hudson, He’s the guy who built all the cabinetry and the ladders, so I can properly store inventory at the shop.”

  “Why wouldn’t he be? You invited all your friends. I saw the Facebook message.”

  “You sound like him! That’s exactly what he said.”

  Shelby raises an eyebrow. “What’s the problem? You’ve never been one to discriminate on gender. You encouraged Mark to take up painting to relieve his work stress.”

  “You’re right. It’s not because he’s a man — well, not exactly.” I throw my hands up in the air. “Or maybe it is. I don’t know what my problem is. Rex is such a handsome man. I guess I was afraid he would be like your dad and second-guess everything I did and call my work worthless. I didn’t want to let him mean a lot in my life. I suppose I was right to be cautious. I mean, the last time I saw Rex, he took a phone call and walked right out of my life.”

  “You had a good time when he was in your life, right? So… you wouldn’t object if he walked back into it, would you?” Shelby presses.

  I reach up and brush my bangs out of my eyes. “I have the best time when Rex is around,” I confess candidly. “Honestly, I don’t think I would mind a bit if he walked right through the front door.”

  Shelby smiles slyly. “Well, Mom, you have a proven strategy. It worked once, maybe it’ll work again. Send the man a Christmas message — a personal invitation to Christmas dinner would be perfect.”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  REX

  I HAVE TO BLINK, not once but twice, when Nancy’s name comes up on my Facebook page. Not only has she sent me a friend request, but this personal message seems to be an invitation to Christmas dinner at her house. I breathe a sigh of relief. When she didn’t call after the painting class, I thought I had blown my second chance too.

  I pull out my cell phone and call one of the classiest people I know. “Hey, Diamond, do you mind if I pick your brain about something?”

  “I guess not. Although I guess it depends on the subject matter,” she answers with a laugh.

  “I haven’t done this dating thing for a very long time and I don’t want to screw it up. I’ve been invited to Nancy’s house for Christmas dinner. What should I bring?”

  “Did your invitation specify anything?” Diamond asks.

  “No, that would be why I called you for guidance,” I tease.

  “I don’t think I would bring food. She probably has had her menu planned for a while. I don’t think you could go wrong with a houseplant though.”

  “Perfect. I noticed she had a lot of African violets.”

  “Well, there you go. If you really want to pull out the big guns and impress her, make sure you roll up your sleeves and help her with the dishes when dinner is over.”

  “I thought all gentlemen knew to step up,” I reply.

  “Only the smart ones.” Diamond chuckles. “Seriously, go and have a good time. Nancy needs a guy like you in her life. Merry Christmas, Rex. You need somebody like Nancy in your life too.”

  You would think age would make this dating thing a little easier. Instead, I think I’m more nervous than I was as a teenager. At least when I was younger, I didn’t understand what was at stake. I had an undeniable swagger I seem to be missing these days.

  I shift the potted plant into my other hand and brush some invisible lint off my jacket. I rock nervously on the balls of my feet as I stand on the front porch of the neatly-kept little mother-in-law-cottage and wait for the door to open.

  When it opens, I encounter a younger version of Nancy with pale blonde curly hair. “Oh … umm. Mom didn’t mention you were so handsome. Hi! I’m Savannah. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate what you did at Paint Your Art Out. I always had huge plans for my shop and then life got in the way. Even so, my dreams never even touched what you accomplished. It’s beautiful. Thank you so much for rescuing Mom.”

  “Honestly, it was my pleasure. I haven’t had a chance to work on a project like yours in years. It was fun to brush off my creative side for a while.”

  Savannah yells over her shoulder, “Mom! Your hunk is here.”

  It’s been years since I’ve blushed as red as a stop sign, but apparently, I’m still capable of that too.

  Ketki stares at her in amazement. “Wow — Aunt Savannah! Usually people say I talk before I think, but even I wouldn’t embarrass Grandma like that.”

  Nancy rushes to the door. Ignoring the drama between her daughter and granddaughter, she spies the flowers I’m awkwardly holding in my hands. “Oh, how lovely! You didn’t have to — but I’m glad you did. They’re beautiful. Come on in. We’re about to sit down for dinner. This is my daughter Savannah, and her husband Casey. The guy over there with da
rk hair is Shelby’s husband Mark, and Shelby is helping me in the kitchen. I think you’ve already met Ketki. She is Mark and Shelby’s daughter. If you’ll excuse me, I need to get the rest of the food ready. Dinner will be out shortly.”

  Mark comes over to shake my hand. “What did you think of my mother-in-law’s painting class? When she first turned me onto it, I was skeptical. But I’ve become a big fan. It’s a really relaxing hobby.”

  “I had a great time. Nancy’s a natural born teacher.”

  Casey comes over and shakes my hand. “You know, I’ve always thought the same thing. She makes beautiful jewelry boxes too. I’ve always told her she should teach beginning woodworking classes for women. It would be very empowering.”

  “That would be phenomenal. A lot of women I know are scared to use power tools. It would be great for them to see someone like Nancy being comfortable using them.”

  Mark catches Casey’s eye and nods. At my quizzical look Casey explains, “After all Nancy’s been through, she needs someone who believes in her and her abilities. Basically, she needs someone who is the ‘anti-George’. By all appearances, you seem to fit the bill perfectly.”

  Nancy comes back into the room carrying a large turkey on a platter. She studies our expressions. “From the looks on your faces, I’m not even sure if I want to know what you’ve been talking about.”

  Mark winks at his mother-in-law. “For now, I’m going to classify it as need to know. Right now, you don’t need to know, and we need to eat.” He leans over and kisses his mother-in-law on the cheek. “Trust me Nancy, we love you and would do nothing to hurt you.”

  I set my fork down after eating the last bite of my cranberry apple tart. “Nancy, this is the best food I’ve had in I can’t remember when. I have to eat in a lot of fancy restaurants as part of my job, but none of them compare to the quality of the food you served today. Thank you for inviting me for dinner.” I take the napkin off my lap and set it on the table. I stand up and collect the dirty dishes and stack them up to take them into the kitchen.