Hometown Healing

by Jennifer Slattery

  “On second thought...” Mrs. Tappen rested her chin on twined fingers. “I’ve got some steaks thawing at home. I’d hate for them to go bad. Jed, think you could throw them on the grill for us?”

  He looked at Paige with a crooked smile that caused her breath to catch. “You know I can’t turn down a slab of beef.”

  “Well then, it’s a plan.” Mrs. Tappen hiked her purse higher up on her shoulder. “See you soon, sugar.” With a wave, she traipsed out with Jed at her side, looking way too handsome in his boots, faded jeans and gray T-shirt that stretched tautly across his broad shoulders.

  Paige waited until the two were out of earshot to ask Mom, “Why do you do that?”

  “Do what, dear?”

  “Share your entire life with the world.”

  “Judith is practically family. We talk about stuff like that all of the time. Why, she just had dentures put in herself not long ago.”

  “Tell your friends what you want, but please be careful what you say in front of mine.”

  Mom’s eyes lit up. “So you and Jed have become friendly with one another again?”

  “That ship sailed a long time ago.” Though, truth be told, with every crooked grin he threw her way, her resolve was beginning to crumble.

  Chapter Six

  Jed plunked the last steak, which was dusted in Grandma’s special spice mix, on the grill. Juices dripped and sizzled on the charcoal beneath, filling the air with the scent of mesquite-seasoned beef.

  Thanks to a gentle breeze and overcast sky, the temperatures had dropped enough to make outdoor eating pleasant. Seemed all of the neighborhood children felt the same, based on the giggles drifting toward him.

  Through the sliding glass door, he watched the ladies assemble a batch of coleslaw while Ava clanged a spoon against a pan lid a few feet away.

  Paige stood at the breakfast counter, chopping a head of cabbage with her head down, intent on her task, and her auburn hair falling forward in soft waves. Every once in a while, she’d glance up, catch his eye, then quickly avert her gaze.

  Like she used to do when they were studying, back when their friendship had first started to grow into something else.

  The sliding glass door screeched open, halting his memory.

  “Smells good.” Grandma stepped onto the back porch, carrying a bowl of fruit, which she placed on the metal table.

  Ava followed not far behind her, sucking on a wooden spoon.

  “Careful, little one.” He picked her up before she could fall and injure herself. He placed Ava on his knee and bounced her while making clopping noises. Her laughter warmed his heart.

  Grandma smiled. “Sure is nice having you both around. It’s like old times.”

  “I’m not sure Paige would agree with you on that one.”

  “Give her time. She’s got some things to work out. Emotions she thought she’d left behind, but slapped her smack in the face when she came home.”

  “Like what? Daddy issues?” The way her old man had walked out on her—that had to have cut pretty deeply. Jed never could understand how a father could leave his family like that. Abandon his daughters with little more than a casual goodbye, as if he were heading to the grocery or something.

  “That, her divorce, getting laid off from work. Girl probably feels defeated and depleted.”

  The door behind her opened again.

  Paige emerged, carrying the coleslaw, and her mama followed closely behind with a pitcher of sweet tea. He made eye contact and offered a smile. A flicker of light brightened her eyes, like he’d caught her off guard and the old Paige had peeked through. But then her guarded expression returned.

  Ava clamored for her mom.

  Jed handed her over and stood. “Can I help with anything?”

  “You kids sit.” Grandma appeared by her side. “Marilyn and I will take care of the rest. Isn’t that right?”

  Marilyn nodded. “I’d like to chat with you about a few things anyway.”

  Something told him those two were scheming about something. But that only proved how much he and Grandma needed Paige for the theater. If she was as good of a writer as he remembered—she once wrote a satirical piece that made starchy Mrs. Carmen smile—then she just might be what they needed to turn their place around.

  And if she agreed to take the job? Then the real battle would start, because based on the way his pulse accelerated whenever she looked his way, he’d be fighting to keep his emotions in check. Something he for sure needed to do. If things didn’t work out between them, she’d end up more hurt than she already was and Grandma would be out of a writer.

  Not to mention how a breakup might affect Paige’s sweet little girl. The way she always peered up at him with those big blue eyes, which were so like her mama’s, suggested she’d attached herself to him right quick.

  He grabbed an empty glass Marilyn had set on the table and filled it with sweet tea. He caught Paige’s eye. “Glad you could come.”

  Ava started to squirm.

  Paige set her down and then watched her scamper toward a cluster of dandelions. “I never could turn down your grandma’s cooking.”

  “Smart woman. Bet you can’t find gravy like hers in Chicago.”

  “That may be true, but we’ve got the best pizza. And gyros.” She straightened her fork on her napkin. “I’m so sorry about your grandfather. How’s your grandmother holding up?”

  “Okay, I guess. I think maybe she’s figured out a new normal.”

  “That has to be hard. They were together for a long time.”

  “High school sweethearts.” Like he and Paige had been.

  She must’ve been thinking the same thing, because she looked away and cleared her throat. “So, what’s new with you? How’re your parents?”

  He frowned. Back to chitchat. Then again, that was probably safer. Drudging up the past wouldn’t do either of them any good.

  * * *

  Paige eyed Ava, who was sitting on the lawn, pulling up grass by the handfuls, looking perfectly at home. Mrs. Tappen had that effect on people. Normally. But today, not for Paige.

  Mom and Mrs. Tappen sure were taking their time bringing the rest of the food out. She should’ve insisted on helping them. In the kitchen. Away from Jed. She knew talking to him would be awkward. Painful. She had half a mind to join Ava on the grass, and yet here she sat.

  Like a desperate teenager in need of attention. Hoping...for what, exactly? That Jed would show an interest in her again? Apologize for cheating on her and convince her they should try again?

  It’d been fourteen years. Why the intense reaction, the ache whenever he looked her way?

  Because he’d been a great friend once. Could they start over, keep things platonic? Anything more would only lead to another heartbreak, and she’d had enough of that to last a lifetime.

  The screen door opened again, and Mrs. Tappen emerged, carrying a plate of homemade cookies. “I’d say no dessert till after supper—” she set the treats in front of Paige “—but I know you’ve been hankering for these since you left Texas.”

  Paige smiled. “That I have.”

  Mom joined them, carrying a large bowl filled with green salad. “I’m waiting for another batch of your freshly baked parmesan-basil bread.”

  “Guess we’ll have to do this again, then.” Mrs. Tappen nudged Jed with her elbow. “Let’s say grace.” She extended her hands, taking Paige’s in her own, and they bowed their heads while Ava chattered and chirped beside them. “Father, thank You for good friends. No, strike that. Family. Don’t take biological blood to bond folks, not when we’ve got Your Son. Soothe whatever feelings we may have and help us to hold tight to what we got. ’Cause not everyone’s so lucky. Amen.”

  Tears pricked Paige’s eyes.

  Mrs. Tappen passed her a container of steak sauce. “So, tell
us about life in Chicago. What was it like writing for that fancy fashion magazine?”

  “It was fun.” And stressful, especially once the higher-ups started talking numbers and budget cuts, but Paige’s love for writing made it all worth it.

  “She did real well.” Mom set her fork down. “Got free clothes, had an expense account.”

  “Really?” Mrs. Tappen reached for her glass. “Good for you.”

  Ava dropped her sippy cup and started to whine.

  Jed grabbed it, handed it over and bopped her on the nose. “I always said you had a way with words.” His gaze held Paige’s.

  His encouragement had meant the world to her. Gave her the courage to even consider a career in writing. She was grateful for that, or at least she had been. Sitting here, jobless, with a slew of rejected queries clogging her in-box, she wondered if he’d only been telling her what he thought she had wanted to hear.

  What if she didn’t have what it took to make it financially as a writer?

  “Their loss.” Mom patted her hand. “I’m sure going to miss you when you head back north. Hopefully I’ll be feeling better by then, so you and your sister won’t worry about me so much.”

  “Oh?” Mrs. Tappen straightened. “You’re leaving us already?”

  “I need to find employment first.” She chuckled, then covered with a cough. The last thing she wanted to do was bring the conversation back to the job offer. Luckily Ava had grown restless, allowing Paige to occupy herself with motherly duties. She fished through her diaper bag and pulled out some scrap paper and chunky crayons.

  “Ever consider putting down roots in Sage Creek?” Jed’s deep brown eyes intensified, as if asking her to stay.

  For a moment she was tempted to give in. But then common sense took over. “I love Chicago. The museums, food, the shopping.”

  “All that’s good, but what about nature?” Mrs. Tappen pulled a sprig of grapes from the bowl. “So much concrete... Isn’t right. Kids need fields to run in and trees to climb. All this fresh, clean air would do you both a world of good. I know how much you always loved the outdoors.”

  Paige gazed at the grove of trees encasing Mrs. Tappen’s backyard. A memory of spending a lazy afternoon in the corner hammock, rocking in the shade with a book, came to mind. Her eyes had grown heavy. They’d started to droop when Jed had snuck up on her and pushed her out. She’d tumbled into the soft grass to find him standing over her with his eyes twinkling, as if he’d pulled the best prank ever.

  “Remember when we tricked Andrew into cow tipping?” He gave a crooked smile.

  Her laugh escaped. “He was so gullible.”

  “Oh?” Mrs. Tappen crossed her arms, but the curve of her lips was belying any attempts to look stern. “I don’t think I heard about this one.”

  Mom frowned. “Please tell me he didn’t go through with it. Those poor cows!”

  Jed’s eyes danced with mirth. “You know that’s an urban myth, right? No one can tip a cow, unless maybe they bring some fellas with them.”

  With her napkin, Mom wiped a glob of dressing from her chin. “Why’s that?”

  “First off, they don’t sleep standing up. Not to mention they’re skittish things. Someone comes at them, and they run in the other direction—even faster when a kid starts running.”

  “Then hollering.” Paige shook her head as images from that night replayed in her mind like a movie reel. “You’d think Andrew would’ve figured that out. That he would’ve given up chase and called it a night.”

  “Too stubborn,” Jed said. “And a might hungry. I wagered a pizza, remember?”

  She did, along with everything that had followed. “Andrew never did catch his cow.”

  “Nope, though not for lack of trying. Think he chased down every one he saw, darting all over the place.”

  “Till he tripped and fell facedown in...gunk.”

  Mom wrinkled her nose. “I’m sure he was none too pleased about that.”

  Jed chuckled. “Not exactly. He stomped off, leaving Paige and I falling over laughing.” His expression sobered, and his gaze fixed on hers.

  As if he were remembering—the full moon. Just the two of them, standing under the stars.

  Him turning serious as he had tugged on his earlobe and stepped closer.

  Their first kiss, and the beginning of the end.

  She shook the memory aside. That was a long time ago. So much had changed since then. They had changed.

  Their lives had taken completely different turns. He belonged here, hanging out with his cowboy friends and attending church picnics. She belonged in Chicago, or New York or maybe even Denver, pursuing a thriving writing career.

  First step: finding a way to get to that writers’ conference.

  Seemed taking the screen-writing job was her best option. Plus it’d help Mrs. Tappen out. They might even let Paige work from home. Then she could spend more time with Ava and keep an eye on her mom, as well as keep an eye out for job leads.

  “Tell me more about this renovation project the two of you hatched up.” Mom motioned between Jed and his grandmother with her fork, which had a piece of lettuce dangling from the tongs. “I’m trying to picture it.”

  “Think Bonanza.” Jed pushed his sweet tea forward a bit. “Or like what you see in those old Western movies and TV shows. Wood sidewalks, wood everywhere, actually. Rustic furniture made from branches. Chandeliers made from mason jars.”

  “Won’t be cheap, though.” Mrs. Tappen ran her nail along the edge of the table.

  Ava slid down from the table, and Paige started to stand.

  “I’ve got her.” Jed followed her to her diaper bag and sat beside her as she started pulling one item out after another. He stacked them up like blocks. She soon joined in until they had a lopsided tower of diapers, baby wipes and board books.

  “Right now furniture seems to be our biggest expense.” He handed Ava a plastic cell phone, and she pretended to dial. “We can do most everything else real cheap, but chairs and tables...” He let out a low whistle. “I’d say forget ’em, but the place would look odd with what we’ve got now.”

  “We’ll figure something out.” The lines stretched across Mrs. Tappen’s forehead, and her voice faltered softly.

  Jed placed a hand on her shoulder. “’Course we will.” His eyes radiated love.

  Paige hated seeing Mrs. Tappen look so worried. The poor woman had already lost her husband. She couldn’t lose the business they’d built together, too. Not if Paige could help it.

  She folded her napkin in half, and then folded it in half again. “Do you remember Noah Williams? He graduated a few years ahead of us? Well, he would’ve, if he hadn’t dropped out.”

  Jed opened a board book and stood it on its end. “Vaguely. Wasn’t he that kid that always kept to himself?”

  She nodded. “He runs a homeless ministry now. Teaches them to build furniture by using wood from trees native to Texas. His stuff’s pretty reasonable.”

  Mrs. Tappen slapped a hand on the table. “Now, lookie there! Isn’t God good? We’ve been fretting about something He already had a solution for, like always.”

  Jed looked at Paige for a long moment. Long enough to accelerate her pulse. “Think he’d let me pop by, take a look at what he’s got?”

  “I don’t see why not.”

  “How about I watch Ava and you two go together?” Mom nudged Paige. “That way you can put a good word in.”

  “I don’t know—”

  “That’s a great idea!” Mrs. Tappen clapped her hands. “Girl, I could just hug you! Now all we need is a talented scriptwriter, and we’re set. Tell us if you know of one, you hear?” She winked.

  Paige had a feeling Mrs. Tappen wouldn’t let up until she conceded. Then again, considering all that the woman had done for her over the years, helping her out see
med the least Paige could do.

  But what about Jed? Could she maintain a working relationship with him when memories from the past made her long for more?

  Chapter Seven

  The next afternoon, Paige bided her time entertaining Ava and tidying Mom’s house while she waited for Mrs. Tappen to return from Bible study. Then, afterward, for Jed’s truck to leave her driveway.

  “What’re you looking for?” Mom, newly awakened from her nap, stretched in the recliner.

  Paige moved away from the living room window. “Nothing. Just...” She sighed and plopped onto the floor beside Ava to help her fit shapes through the sorting box Mrs. Tappen had given her. One of a handful of gifts dropped by since Paige had arrived.

  The doorbell rang. Paige looked at her mom. “Expecting someone?”

  Mom grinned and grabbed her purse from the floor beside her. “Probably the Carter twins selling cookies or popcorn or something.”

  “You don’t have money for a bunch of overpriced junk food.”

  “When it helps the neighbor girls with their fund-raising, I certainly do.”

  Paige sighed and shook her head. She understood—and appreciated—her mother’s tender heart, but couldn’t ignore the growing stack of bills on the kitchen counter. Especially considering Paige no longer had the means to help.

  She opened the door to find a handful of Trinity Faith women she vaguely remembered from her youth group days standing on the stoop. The tallest of the four held a basket shaped like a bassinet and filled with random toddler items.

  Paige looked from one beaming face to the next. “Hello.”

  “Paige!” A lady with short gray hair and thick purple glasses rushed forward and enveloped her in a hug. “So good to have you back in Sage Creek! How’ve you been? It feels I haven’t seen you in ages.”

  So long, in fact, Paige couldn’t remember exactly how she knew the lady—other than from church.

  “Why, I remember the first day you walked into my Sunday-school class, wide-eyed, wearing your hair pulled in those cute French braids you always used to wear it in.”