Gloria and Faye commented on how nice my house looked, Rev. Koeln was happy to see I had a nativity scene, Glen looked around taking in my humble abode, commenting on my new window and Tiny said absolutely nothing.
Jay was the last to leave. And no, we didn’t kiss, but my hands were still basking in that after-sex glow.
Chapter 18
“I want to build a snowman.” Tulip had watched the children playing and delighted in seeing their tiny red noses and hands encased in mittens. Laughing joyfully, as only children can, she was eager to take part in the fun.
Of course Dutch, like all boys, wanted to take part in the snowball fight raging behind Tulip’s back. The children were using them as shields and Dutch relished the feel of being part of their fun.
“What are they doing lying down in the snow like that? Did they fall?” Tulip couldn’t understand what the children were doing now.
“I believe they’re making snow angels.” Dutch couldn’t help but smile as he watched the children flapping their arms as if they were birds, which made him want to frown. Birds flapped their wings and that was never a good thing. “You would make a perfect snow angel, Tulip. Because you are an angel.”
“You’re so sweet. Thank you, dear. And you could be the abominable snowman.” At least she thought he could, but then shuddered from fear. Tulip didn’t like monsters, even if they were snowy.
“Are you cold, flower?” Wishing he had a blanket to protect his love from the freezing temperatures.
“A little.” Hot chocolate would cure that. With marshmallows.
“We could kiss. I bet that would warm you right up.” Dutch stated knowingly, but at the same time he knew that wasn’t going to happen. His hands were frozen from the cold and he couldn’t remember where he’d left his gloves, preventing him from giving Tulip her bouquet.
~~~~~
Kelly had to work the late shift on New Year’s Eve and Jonas was still dating his new woman, who I’d yet to meet. So I spent the evening at home with Ruth, Mom, Bill and Tootsie. I knew I’d be safer that way. The last thing my reputation needed was to be seen whooping it up at the Shoe.
By now, most of the gossip about me had died down. There were other, more interesting people to talk about at this point. That and the fact that Jay and Britni were still dating saved me in the eyes of Holland. The window and card still had me freaked out though, and I found myself afraid in my home most nights.
School resumed, but got delayed twice and cancelled three times due to snow and ice. Basically, I was a lazy bum on those days. Slept late, read and napped. Could have, should have done school work, but snow days are like little gifts from God or free passes to do nothing.
I would have shoveled my driveway, but Bill usually beats me to it. No matter how hard I try to talk him out of it, he refuses to stop. One time I got up extra early, so I’d have it done before Bill, but he beat me to it and was just finishing up when I walked outside. He’d also cleaned off and warmed up my car. That was just after Mom moved out. Now I don’t bother arguing with him anymore.
Neighborhood kids were sledding down the hill on Haupt, when I’d cleaned off Ruth’s porch and sidewalk. Not that she was going anywhere, but it made her happy to think she might. I helped them build a snowman in Ruth’s yard. I supplied the scarf, Ruth didn’t have any carrots for a nose, but she did have a pickle. We thought it would be neat to do a Dutch and Tulip snow couple, but I’m not that good.
January was turning out to be just like December and donations were cancelled just like school. As I feared, financial hard times were upon us. Dad reminded me that getting a loan was a bad idea, but if something doesn’t happen soon, I’ll do it anyway.
I’d slept in yesterday since school was out and had stayed up late last night. Just like a baby, my days and nights were getting mixed up. So when Bill knocked on my door late Saturday morning, I had just stepped out of the shower and was drying my hair.
“Hey, Bill. What’s up?” I held the door open for him to come in, but needed him to hurry. All my warm air was escaping.
“Get your coat and meet me outside.” Maybe he wanted help cleaning off my car?
Hat, gloves, scarf and my winter coat on, I met Bill at my car and stood next to him in shock.
All the doors were wide open and through the layer of freshly fallen snow I could see that someone had poured oil all over the outside of my car. The snow that should have been covering my car hadn’t stuck and was lying in goopy piles around it.
“It gets worse.” Bill looked upset now and that scared me. Bill is always calm and cool.
The inside was filled with snow. Shovel marks in the driveway were clear evidence that someone had shoveled my car full of the white stuff.
“I don’t understand. Why would someone do this?” Of course we all know why.
“Junior should be here any minute and I called Jay.” Bill said, snow shovel in hand, waiting for the official okay before shoveling out my car.
“Why would you do that?” I asked, dubiously.
“I had to call Junior. He’s the law.”
“Not him. Jay,” I said, shaking my head.
“I don’t know, it just made sense. I thought you two were ….Nevermind.” Bill looked confused now.
When Junior arrived, he assessed the situation, which didn’t take much and Bill and I started cleaning out the inside. Whoever had done this had left behind a mess we hadn’t seen covered by the snow. Inside, the windows had been soaped and there was shaving cream on the seats and floor mats.
And the part that made me cry was finding the broken pieces of a Dutch and Tulip set. Red and white chunks of cement were scattered throughout the interior. Whipping my head around, I saw that my Dutch and Tulip were gone. Their tiny imprints barely visible where the snow had fallen.
Jay, dressed for the conditions in his coveralls and sock hat, shook his head and cursed when he saw me. That made me feel so much better. He didn’t say a word to me, just started helping Bill with the snow.
Tootsie came out to check on Bill and was shocked that such a thing had happened. I don’t know why, though. Nothing shocked me anymore.
I waved to Ruth, who was looking out her kitchen window watching us. She made the phone signal with her hand and held it to her ear. I nodded, hating this would worry her.
Junior asked me the standard questions, but like my window and the cards, he knew as much as I did. The snow that had fallen during the night was covering any tire tracks that might have given clues. Again, nothing to go on.
Junior scolded me for not locking my car doors. I guess I should have learned a lesson from the window thing, but honestly I never lock my car doors, usually leaving the keys in the ignition. I’d taken them out last time I drove, just in case the doors froze shut and I needed to get into school. All three men looked at me as only a man can when they think women know nothing about cars.
“Come on Lily. Let’s go.” These were the first words Jay had spoken to me.
“Go where?”
“My shop. We’ll clean your car where it’s warm and dry.” Jay ignored any remark I might have made, got in the driver’s seat, scooting it all the way back, and waited impatiently for me.
Three horn toots later, I was in the passenger seat of my own car, with a very angry driver.
“I’m sorry.” I felt like crying. Jay was acting so angry and it was directed at me. What a burden I am apparently. He continued to ignore me and when we were three blocks from my house, “Stop,” I demanded.
Jay slammed on the brakes looking around. “What?”
“Take me home.” Grumpy Lily. That was me.
“Why?”
“Because no one asked you to do this. It’s obvious you’ve got better things to do. Now please just take me home.” I said, even grumpier.
“You’re right. I do have better things to do, but so do you. If we work together, we can get this cleaned up in half the time.” Paying no attention to my demands to be
returned home, Jay continued driving. But he did listen when I asked him to drive by the park. I needed to see with my own eyes that Dutch and Tulip were unharmed and in one piece.
If I wasn’t so mad and upset, I’d probably be more excited right now. I was on my way to Jay’s house. A destination I’d only dreamt of, but the window, note and now this were spoiling the moment. What was next, I wondered.
“Told you so.” Jay smiled, trying to lighten both our moods.
“Told me what? That someone was going to vandalize my car. I must have forgotten that, but thanks for the warning.”
“That something like this would happen, but did you listen? No.” He sounded smug.
“Whatever.” His smug voice should have made me more mad. Instead I found it cute.
“You and I both know this is about Dutch and Tulip. Don’t try and play this one off like your window. Someone is trying to get you to stop.”
Wait a minute here! Aren’t guys supposed to shield and protect women from such talk? Keep things from them in order to protect them. Oh yeah. That’s only if you love the person you’re trying to protect. I guess you’re brutally honest with your friends.
Kelly always tells it to me straight. Jonas too. I’d known Jay my whole life, but never been close to him. He was the unattainable older guy. But now he saw me as a friend. I should be happy about that, but I think I preferred when he didn’t care enough to notice me. That didn’t hurt as much as being his friend.
Now that we were friends, I had way too much exposure. And exposure is never a good thing. It leads to cancer. Jay was like a growth that had taken root in my heart. To remove it would only make it spread or kill me.
Looking out the passenger window at the snow-covered fields, I realized exposure could not only kill a person, but break her heart as well.
~~~~~
Jay’s deluxe pole barn was really nice. Beige metal, with a green roof. His downstairs shop was heated and had a floor drain, so my car could drip dry. We spent hours washing it. Inside and out. The outside cleaned up pretty easy, the oil basically slipping away with a little added elbow grease. The inside was a different story. Using his shop vac, Jay sucked up all the melted snow and shaving cream, while I washed the windows.
Spending most of the afternoon confined in the tiny space with the larger than life Jay, I should have been ecstatic, but when he threw the pieces of my Dutch and Tulip in the trash, I felt pieces of my heart go as well.
This had been my second set in a year.
“Let’s take a break and get something to eat, then go to the Tractor dealership and get you a new set.” Jay said.
“Two sets I think.” At the rate I was going, I should keep a spare pair.
The upstairs living quarters was like stepping into an old lodge. The walls were lightly stained wood, matching the floors. Sparsely furnished and not decorated, I was glad to see that he kept it tidy, no dirty clothes lying around. There was a wood burner in the corner, above hung a deer head.
“It’s a twelve-pointer,” Jay informed me when he saw me looking at it, pride in his voice.
“Nice.” What else was I supposed to say? Most men in Dubois County hunt, so it’s not like I’d never seen a deer mounting before, but since I’d grown up without a man in the house, I don’t think of them as decorations.
“This is my ten-pointer, that’s my other ten-pointer and this is my nine,” he said, gesturing to the walls. “The best one’s in here though.” The smile on Jay’s was so big I couldn’t help but smile back.
I followed Jay to the only room in the place. Can’t find the right words to describe my current state of mind. You go on and think of some on your own, because at the moment I’m at a loss. I was now standing in Jay’s bedroom. Heaven on earth.
Jay nodded toward his bed, but I ignored the massive deer hanging above it. I think he said something about fourteen-points, but I was too busy looking at the bed to notice. It was made, which was nice. A very manly hunter green comforter, no throw pillows or frills to be found decorating the bed. Jay would be all the decoration needed in this, or any, room.
He slept in that bed. Laid his perfect body in that bed every night. He dreamt in that bed. There was no book on the nightstand, only a hunting magazine. No pictures, but there was a bottle of red nail polish.
Now my fantasies were shattered, just like my Dutch and Tulip.
Britni.It was obvious she was a frequent visitor. Seth too, from the trucks and Mouse Trap game I’d seen by the leather couch.
“You hungry?” Jay asked, not realizing that I was about to throw myself on his bed, hugging his pillow close to my heart.
Starving. I was absolutely famished, but not for food. “Sure.” I was here, why not torture myself some more? It’s not like I had plans for the day. I’d give myself a much needed mental break and pretend this was a date. That Jay had invited me over for lunch. We made grilled cheese sandwiches and ate sitting at the island in Jay’s tiny kitchenette. He doesn’t have a table, but I could picture mine here.
“This is really nice.” It was too, if you didn’t mind living in a barn. Which by the way I wouldn’t.
“Thanks. This is only temporary though. I’m gonna build in a few years.”
“A log cabin?” It made sense. It went with the whole “I kill animals” theme.
“No. Brick. Logs homes are a lot of upkeep.”
Looking out the window over the sink, I could see Jay had a great view. It went on for miles, or acres rather. You could see for miles though. Nothing but farmland, bordered with trees as far as the eye could see. Jay’s seven acres was on the edge of small woods that had once belonged to his grandparents.
The family farm had been split up and sold, but I knew Jonas owned a few acres out here as well. It would be a lovely spot for a home. The perfect peaceful setting to raise a family, although the closeness of the lake would worry me if I had small children. Lucy would likely be a daredevil and I’d have to keep a close eye on her around the lake.
Britni’s, I’m sure, thought about this already. She’s probably got house plans picked out, with a nice white picket fence for safety.
Their bedroom would have a beautiful view and she’d have an even better one waking up to Jay each day.
Chapter 19
“Will you be my Valentine?” Not only did Dutch want to give Tulip her flowers, but candy too. He just knew that she’d love chocolate. All the women who came through the park did and discussed it as if it saved their lives once a month.
“I’m always your Valentine sweetheart. Always have been. Always will be.” Dutch was so silly sometimes.
“I believe it’s customary for Valentines to kiss. Will you kiss me, Tulip?” This was it. Surely, Tulip would kiss him now.
“Okay.” Tulip smiled brightly and felt her heart racing as she anticipated her first kiss.
“Really?” Dutch was so excited. She was really going to kiss him. After all these years, he was going to kiss his girl. He felt faint.
“Yes, but first I want my flowers.”
“But…”
“No buts, young man. I want those flowers.” Tulip’s heart sank as she realized she wouldn’t be getting her flowers or her kiss.
But Cupid’s arrow had struck Dutch’s concrete heart hard and he found himself doing what he’d done for the past 50 years. Waiting for his kiss.
~~~~~
The committee met again in late January, but instead of planning anything, all we did was discuss the cards and what had happened to my car. The cards were a worry for everyone.
Glen was suddenly a nervous nelly. He was also worried that he might be the next target, since he was the council president. Rev. Koeln, too, didn’t seem comfortable. Faye and Gloria, like me, were scared, but what could we do, but move forward and pray nothing else happened. The only ones who didn’t seem concerned about themselves were Jay and Tiny. Both own guns.
The February meeting was postponed due to ice, but when we finally met a
week before Valentine’s Day, we were once again productive. Nothing untoward had occurred and exciting things were taking place. The restoration company made another visit, taking measurements and scheduling their arrival, but still short several thousand dollars the renovation wouldn’t be complete.
With the money raised and insurance Holland had enough to restore Dutch and Tulip, but they wouldn’t be painted. Only touched up. That wasn’t good enough for me. I was going to see this through.
The only thing I had left in the way of fundraising was Kupid’s Kids. I realize, especially as a teacher, that you should never spell words wrong like that, but it was cute and went with my theme.
Every year the Volunteer Fire Department holds a Valentine’s Ball. Months ago, I’d gotten the idea to open the school for the evening, so couples could attend free from their parental obligations. We wouldn’t make much money, but at this point every cent was vital to Dutch and Tulip’s bank account.
I was planning on using the money raised to help with the landscaping and painting the windmill, but that will have to wait. What good was a windmill if we lost Dutch and Tulip. Several high school students had volunteered to help, having as much luck in the world of love as me, and Ruth would have been heartbroken if I didn’t include her.
It surprised me when Britni had signed Seth up. I wouldn’t have thought she’d want me around her son, but maybe she’s a bigger person than I thought. Or Jay put her up to it. Or she wanted to rub my face in the fact that she had Jay, even though I swear I don’t—my money’s on the rubbing it in my face theory.
“Hi Miss Mein.” Seth was excited to see me, as his mom looked at me through narrowed eyes. He looked adorable in his khakis and brand name flannel shirt with boat shoes. Britni always dressed Seth like a little man. His look screamed Gap Kids.
“Hey Seth. Are you ready for some serious fun?” I asked, ruffling his hair. I don’t know why, I hate when people do that to me.
Seth jumped up and down. “Yes! What are we gonna do?” His little arms pumping, hands in fists. Like he was ready to tackle the serious fun coming his way.
“We’re going to play games, make Valentines, Ruth’s got stories, movies and we’re gonna make pizza.” I got in on Seth’s excitement and we high fived. “I’m so glad you’re here.” Maybe a little lie, but I wouldn’t hold Britni’s actions against her son.
A Holland Kiss Page 15
