Trust Our Tomorrows

by Carrie Carr

  "As long as you don't make me be the bad guy, this time. Don't let those little sad eyes sway you, honey."

  Lex laughed as she looked into Amanda's eyes, which gave her the same sweet look that she could never say no to. "What can I say? I'm a sucker for any of my girls." She flinched as Amanda poked her in the stomach. "Watch it."

  "Want to go upstairs and relax? I think the girls will be occupied for a while." Amanda stood and tugged Lex to her feet.

  "Relax, huh?" Lex swatted Amanda's rear. "I've got an even better idea."

  Amanda giggled. "I like the sound of that."

  THE FOLLOWING MORNING, Amanda and Ellie sat at the kitchen table, relaxing after the whirlwind of getting two girls off to school. Lex had drawn the short straw, and was the one who ended up taking them to the bus. Amanda had Eddie in the seat that Hubert had brought, feeding him his morning bottle.

  Ellie sipped at her coffee. "I appreciate you going with me this morning. There's only three places that I want to look at, so it shouldn't take too long."

  "I don't mind at all. I need to stop at the hardware store at some point today, anyway."

  "That's all the girls could talk about this morning, getting their 'new' rooms. You and Lex are brave."

  Amanda laughed as she took the empty bottle from Eddie and lifted him into her arms. "Not really. That's why I'm only getting a few paint samples for them to choose from. Otherwise, I shudder at the thought of what they'd pick out."

  "Yeah, I loved the look on your face when Lorrie kept going on and on about black or silver walls."

  "I don't know where she gets some of these things from. I can understand Melanie's obsession with purple, since it's not far off from the hot pink she favored last year. But black? I'm hoping that Lorrie will settle for a nice, sedate gray, or maybe a subdued blue."

  Ellie held out her hands, happy when Amanda passed Eddie to her. "Hey, handsome. Looks like you're outnumbered in this house." She grinned at Amanda. "Do you think he's going to survive being the only guy around here?"

  "Please. You know how Lex is. She's more of a guy than most men. I've never seen someone so afraid of dresses and frills." Amanda refilled both their coffee cups. "And don't even get me started on how involved she gets watching football or baseball."

  "Oh, yeah. She's really intense when the Cowboys are playing. I'd forgotten all about that." Ellie cradled Eddie and made faces at him, which made him smile. "You are just the cutest little guy I've ever seen."

  The back door slammed and Lex came into the kitchen, rubbing her hands together. "Damn, it's chilly out there." She sat beside Amanda and gratefully accepted the warm coffee mug her wife handed her. "Thanks."

  Amanda flicked a finger at Lex's denim sleeve. "Did you forget your coat?"

  "Uh, no. I didn't see any sense in wearing it since I was going to stay in the truck. But Melanie dropped her folder before getting on the bus, and I had to get out and chase down her papers." Lex sipped at the hot brew and sighed happily.

  "Why wasn't her folder in her backpack?"

  Lex shrugged. "Hell if I know. It was in her backpack when we left the house. Guess it's a good thing I didn't wear my pajamas to take the girls to the bus."

  "That would have been a sight." Ellie laughed. She looked at the clock on the stove. "Amanda? I think we'd better get ready to leave. My first appointment is at eight-thirty."

  "All right." Amanda stood, took her coffee mug to the sink and rinsed it out. "Who's driving?"

  Ellie handed Eddie to Lex and followed Amanda to the sink. "We can take mine, since it's parked behind you. I'll run get my coat from upstairs."

  Once Ellie left the kitchen, Amanda stopped beside Lex. "What do you have planned for the day?"

  "I'm going to call over to the bunkhouse and see if the guys will help move stuff out of the spare room. Maybe we can get it painted in the next couple of days, so we can get Melanie settled."

  Amanda ran her fingers through Lex's hair. "You're not going to be lifting anything heavy, are you?"

  "Only this little guy. He's going to help me supervise." Lex was pleasantly surprised when her answer garnered her a kiss.

  "Thank you."

  Lex grinned as Amanda backed away. "After a kiss like that, and you're thanking me? Wow. I must be better than I thought."

  "You are such a brat." Amanda fluffed Lex's hair and placed a soft kiss on Eddie's head. "Don't let your momma get into too much trouble while I'm gone, Eddie. She needs constant supervision." She squeaked when Lex swatted her on the rear. "Watch it. Remember, paybacks."

  "I'm looking forward to it."

  Ellie poked her head into the kitchen. "Are you two still at it?"

  "Aren't we always?" Lex quipped.

  Amanda shook a finger at her wife. "Behave." She turned to Ellie, who was grinning. "I don't want to hear it out of you, either."

  "I didn't say anything." Ellie waved at Lex. "See you later, cuz."

  Lex waited until the back door closed before she stood. "You've got great timing, little man. Why didn't you dirty your diaper while Ellie was holding you, hmm?" She laughed as he grunted. "You don't have to fill it up all at once, you know," she said, as she carried him upstairs. "Save some for your mommy."

  By the time they hit the top of the stairs, Lex was trying not to gag. "Good lord, son. What on earth did your mommy feed you this morning? Did she add something extra stinky to your formula?"

  Eddie grinned at her when she placed him on the changing table. He started to kick his feet while Lex tried to unsnap the one-piece sleeper.

  "Settle down, little guy. If you keep wriggling around, it's gonna get real messy around here." She got the sleeper tucked out of the way and opened the diaper. "Holy hell! That's nasty." Lex tried not to breathe too much while she removed the soiled diaper. She wrapped it up and placed it in the diaper genie with one hand, while the other held Eddie on the table.

  Lex finished cleaning Eddie and was about to slip on a fresh diaper, when she was almost hit by a spray. "Whoa!" She quickly covered him with the diaper and laughed. "I never had to worry about that with the girls," she said, while he smiled. "Don't look so proud. You missed me."

  In short order, Lex had him diapered and dressed in a fresh sleeper. She placed him in his crib and turned on the mobile over his head. "Give me a minute to wash my hands, and I'll be right back."

  When Lex returned to the bedroom, she peeked into the crib and saw Eddie fast asleep. "I can't believe what a good baby you are, considering who your father is. Guess some genes are recessive." She turned on the baby monitor and took the satellite handset with her as she went downstairs to her office.

  Chapter Fifteen

  ELLLIE PARKED IN front of a faded, two-story condo and turned off the car. The grass in the front yard was sparse, with muddy patches fighting for dominance with knee-high weeds. She turned to Amanda. "Are you brave enough to get out of the car?"

  "I'm game, if you are." Amanda turned her head to check out the rest of the neighborhood. The house they were in front of could be called the nicest on the block. "Listen, we still have one more place to check out, and it's in Somerville. Why don't we give this one a pass? I don't think I want to see you living in an area like this, especially alone."

  "You've got a point. Besides, I think I've realized why Parkdale has such a nice, fancy hospital."

  Amanda held onto the dash when Ellie wheeled away from the house. "Please, enlighten me. Why does Parkdale have such a nice hospital?"

  "Because it makes a ton of money from all the knifings and gunshot wounds." She took the road that led to Somerville. "Not to mention drug overdoses."

  "Is it really that bad there?"

  Ellie sighed. "Not the wing I'm on, thankfully. But I had to get a patient from the ER the other night, and it was like a war zone."

  "Maybe you should keep trying to get a job in Somerville. I know there are several good doctors' offices, and the hospital." When Ellie didn't say anything, Amanda tried another tactic
. "We really like having you at the house. Have you talked to Rodney? Maybe he knows someone--"

  "No. I don't want to take advantage of your family. And just because I'm looking for a new place to live, doesn't mean you won't see me anymore. I promise."

  Amanda nodded. "Okay. Not to change the subject or anything, but I think I've got a buyer for your old house."

  "Really? That's great. At this point, I was going to start renting it out so it wouldn't stay vacant."

  "I don't think that'll be a problem. This family has one child and another on the way. They're living in a two-bedroom, one bath place at the moment, but they need more room."

  Ellie drummed the steering wheel with her fingers. "I don't even know how much to sell it for. To tell you the truth, I don't think I care."

  "That's why you have me. I can get you fair market value, and I can guarantee they'll take very good care of the house."

  "Yeah? That's good. I know that Grandpa wouldn't want it to sit empty." Ellie cleared her throat and fought off the urge to cry. "I got a letter last week from Nancy. She's enjoying living with her daughter and playing with her grandkids." Her grandfather's housekeeper had promised to keep in touch, and was good about keeping her word.

  Amanda touched Ellie's arm. "Travis would be very proud of you, Ellie. I know it hasn't been easy."

  "Easy?" Ellie snorted. "He was the first person in my life who accepted me for exactly who I was. Even my step-dad, who's a great guy, didn't always know what to do with me." She wiped at her face, where a few tears had fallen. "Why can't I get past this?"

  "Pull the car over, Ellie. Let's talk."

  At the next row of mailboxes, Ellie parked the silver Corolla behind them. She left the engine running, but unbuckled her seatbelt so she could turn and face Amanda. "You and Lex seem to have moved along a lot easier. I don't think I even remember seeing Lex cry."

  "Oh, Ellie." Amanda unlocked her seatbelt and turned also. "We both cried almost every night for the first few weeks. It was extremely hard, especially when the girls kept asking what happened to their grandpa."

  Ellie began to cry in earnest. She covered her face with her hands and broke down into deep, racking sobs, while Amanda rubbed her back. After a few minutes, she accepted a tissue and noisily blew her nose. "Sorry."

  "Don't apologize. Everyone needs to let go at one time or another. I'm just glad I was here for you." Amanda continued to rub Ellie's back in a soothing motion. "Maybe we should skip the last place today."

  "No, I'm all right." Ellie wiped her eyes and mustered up a smile. "Thanks."

  Amanda moved her hand from Ellie's back to her forearm. "Are you sure?"

  Ellie nodded. "The last place is a condo on this side of Somerville. I'd like to at least know if it's livable."

  "What? You didn't like the thought of sharing with the rats and cockroaches in the first apartment? Or maybe the drug dealers and hookers at the second place?" Amanda started to giggle. "My, you certainly are picky, Ms. Gordon."

  "Yeah, well. I'm afraid the rats would eat too much, and the hookers would charge too much." Ellie flinched when Amanda lightly slapped her arm. "Do you abuse Lex like this?"

  "All the time." Amanda chortled. "She likes it."

  Ellie buckled her seatbelt and put the car in gear. "She would."

  Amanda laughed and clicked her seatbelt. "I'll be sure and mention that to her when I get home."

  "Uh, no. Don't do that. She'd kick my ass."

  "Oh, come on. Lex is a pussycat."

  When Ellie looked at Amanda in surprise, the car's tires hit the graveled shoulder of the road. "You've got to be kidding me. Are we talking about the same person?"

  "Pay attention to the road," Amanda said. "And for your information, Lex has mellowed quite a bit."

  "Uh-huh."

  Amanda started to say something more, when she saw the smirk on Ellie's face. "You rat." She was glad to see Ellie's mood improve. "Okay, smartass. About a mile after we enter town, turn left onto Austin, and then a right onto," she checked the paper that was in the top of her purse, "Mountain View."

  Ellie guided the car per Amanda's directions, and in no time they were parked in the driveway of a condo. The red brick exterior was complemented with tan woodwork, and the yard, while dormant, was well trimmed. Ellie peeked at the paper in Amanda's hands. "Are you sure this is the right address?"

  "Yes." Amanda opened her door. "Come on. Let's go check it out."

  WHILE HOLDING EDDIE in one hand, Lex opened the back door. "Come on in, guys." She stepped back and allowed Chet, Roy and a surprise guest inside. "Helen, hi. I wasn't expecting you."

  "I know, but once Martha told me about your little guy, I had to come see him for myself." Helen held out her hands. "May I?"

  "Sure." Lex passed Eddie to her. "Would you like to take him into the den? I'll bring you some coffee."

  Helen smiled as Eddie gurgled and waved his hands. "That sounds great. Thank you."

  Roy watched his wife walk down the hall. "That young'un sure takes after you, boss."

  "Yeah. I got lucky there. He could have taken after my dad's side of the family." Most of the Walters' were short, with ruddy complexions and muddy brown eyes. Lex and Hubert both favored their mother, for which Lex was eternally grateful. "So, you guys want some coffee, or do you want to start moving furniture?"

  Chet and Roy exchanged glances, and Chet shrugged. Roy took the lead. "Let's warm up with some coffee. It's not like we have that much to do around here today. We took care of the stock before we got here."

  "All right. You guys go on into the den and I'll bring in a tray." Lex gathered coffee mugs and the carafe, and carried the tray to the den. She grinned at how close the men sat to Helen, and almost laughed at the silly things they were saying to Eddie. "Chet, stop that. You're gonna make my son grow up sounding like an idiot."

  Chet looked up and blushed. "Aw, come on, Lex."

  She handed him the tray. "Make yourself useful and help pour." Lex sat beside Helen and stretched her legs out. "Looks like you've made a friend."

  "He's adorable, Lex. Usually babies this age are afraid of people they don't know."

  "Yeah, it's weird. Mel wouldn't let anyone but us hold her until she was almost six months old. I guess Eddie's just social."

  Helen shook her head. "From what Martha told me, I think it's more than that. It sounds like his mother didn't have much to do with him, so maybe he's just starved for attention."

  "He'll surely get more than enough of that around here," Roy chimed in. "From the way things are going, he won't be walking until he starts school."

  Helen shot him a dirty look, but didn't relinquish her hold on the baby. "Don't you have some furniture to move?"

  Lex laughed. "Does this mean you want a baby, Helen?" She almost choked on her laughter when Roy turned white.

  "Are you kidding? I have more than enough children at the bunkhouse." Helen kissed Eddie's head. "No, I think I'll just come by and spoil this little man."

  "Sounds good to me." Lex put her mug on the coffee table. "If you don't mind hanging onto him for a few minutes, I'll show these two what needs to be moved."

  "Take your time. We're doing just fine, aren't we, Eddie?"

  Both men grumbled, but dutifully followed Lex out of the den.

  AMANDA AND ELLIE exited the car at the same time. They started up the walk, which was shared by both sides of the condo. Ellie noticed that while the flowerbeds on the right were well-tended, the side they were looking at was bare. "Do you have a green thumb, Amanda?"

  "I have more of a brown thumb. My grandmother has always said I could kill a plastic fern." Amanda unlocked the door and opened it. The musty smell of a long-empty home assailed her senses. "Ugh."

  Ellie followed her inside and wrinkled her nose. "I don't care how cold it is outside, if I move in I'm opening every window for at least a week." She looked around the main room. "I like the size of the living room."

  "The carpet is in good shap
e, too." Amanda walked to the back of the room, which opened up into an eat-in kitchen. "New appliances."

  "Not like I'll be using them much."

  Amanda shook her finger at Ellie. "I know damned good and well you can cook, so don't try that line of bull on me." She passed through the kitchen and down a short hallway. "Wow. Two nice-sized bedrooms and a little nook where you can put a desk. The guest bathroom is a little small, though."

  "Desk? What would I want with a desk?" Ellie stepped around Amanda and looked around the master bedroom. "Ooh. Awesome size. And look, a walk-in closet." She turned in a circle. "If I put twin beds in the other room, can the girls come over and visit?"

  "Sure, if you're brave enough." Amanda opened a door on the far side of the room. "Wow. The master has a nice bathroom."

  Ellie peeked around her. "That's a huge shower, and a great tub on the other side of it."

  "I bet you could get at least two people in the tub, or shower," Amanda teased. She laughed when her comment got the expected result, and Ellie blushed. "Oh, come on. Don't tell me you didn't see that little rainbow flag sticker on the window next door."

  "Rainbow flag?"

  Amanda rolled her eyes as they returned to the living room. "You can't be that naïve."

  "I'm not. I just don't remember seeing any stickers."

  A knock on the door caused both women to look at each other. They were surprised when the door opened and a slender red-headed man stuck his head inside.

  "Hello, there. I hope I'm not disturbing you." He opened the door the rest of the way with a flourish. "Please tell me you're moving in. I'd love to have family as neighbors."

  Ellie looked at Amanda in confusion. "Family?"

  The man covered his chest with one hand. "Please forgive my manners. I live next door with my two roommates. My name is Richie Childress." He held out one hand to Amanda, palm down. "And you are?"