by Natalie Ann
“Oh, I’d say we did,” Kristen said. “Just in a different way.”
Her mother smirked at them both, then said, “Any time. And I mean it. Chloe kept this old lady entertained.”
“You’re not old,” Chloe said. “And you’re smarter than you think. Did you know Mary had the answers to almost all my questions?”
Kristen laughed. “Oh, she always has answers, but the real question is if they were the right answers.”
Landon looked over and saw Mary smiling. Great, now he’d have to find out what Chloe might have learned, but when she yawned again, he figured it was best to get her home and into bed.
“Why don’t we go now and I’ll drop Kristen off at home, then we’ll get you right in bed. You can take a shower in the morning if you want.”
“Okay, night, Mary.”
“Night, sweetie. I’ll see you on Thursday for Thanksgiving dinner.”
The three of them went out to Landon’s SUV where he’d grabbed it before they came here. Now he was going back to Kristen’s to drop her off. He’d said he could get Chloe alone, but Kristen insisted on coming too and he was glad she had. Anything to spend more time with her.
Kristen leaned over and gave him a kiss before she climbed out, then said to Chloe, “See you on Thursday. Happy Birthday tomorrow. I hope you have fun in class with your friends and your donuts.”
“I will. Thank you.”
Landon drove away and pulled into the garage at his house, then carried the kitten in, and opened up the carrier. The cat ran out and took off, Chloe chasing after him. He hoped to hell they both didn’t get a second wind.
But twenty minutes later they were both snuggled up in bed and the house was quiet.
He used that time to throw a load of laundry in and unwind watching some TV. As long of a weekend as it was, he just wasn’t ready for bed yet.
It seemed Kristen wasn’t either when she sent him a text. Rather than reply, he called her. He wasn’t one for texting back and forth. Call him old, but he’d rather talk if he could.
“I thought you’d be in bed by now,” she said when she answered, sending him a little laugh that told him she was joking.
“No. I’m doing laundry and watching some football.”
“Laundry? You’ll be up at least another two hours at this point.”
“Close to it, but I realized I was low on towels when I went to the studio yesterday and didn’t have time. Not a big deal. It’s not like I sleep much anymore even when I am in bed.”
“Why’s that?”
“Just a lot on my mind now more than before.”
“Is Chloe in bed?”
“Her and Ace. They were out within minutes. I put the TV on for thirty minutes, but when I went to get some towels out of her laundry basket she was sound asleep. I’m sure your mother wore her out.”
“I’m sure she did. I’ll find out how late they were up if you want.”
“No worries. Like your mother said, it’s part of a sleepover. I’m sure Chloe has never experienced anything like that before and honestly it’s probably best she did it with someone who I knew would be responsible with her.”
Kristen laughed. “That’s a funny statement, but I get what you are saying. As out there as my mom is, she is harmless and she is a mother. She does know right and wrong. And if Chloe had a bellyache she’d take care of it.”
“Exactly. I wasn’t all that worried. I also got thinking that maybe Chloe needs that time with a woman. Time where I’m not questioning everything that happened like I don’t trust her. I want her to feel like she can come to me if she wants to, but knows she has someone else she can go to she trusts too.”
“That’s smart, Landon. She and I talk and I don’t tell you everything, but I would if it was important. I think that’s a good move. She needs that in her life right now more than you realize.”
“I will ask though, does she ever talk about Jennifer?”
“Not really. I’ve tried a few times, but she doesn’t say much. What about with you?”
“Just here and there. When I bring it up.”
“I did tell her to try to think of the fun things. She does have some sad memories of her mother. Memories like hearing her mother cry about money or yell at her for needing things. I know those things don’t come as a shock to you.”
He sighed. “No. They don’t.”
“But she is getting there. Maybe you could bring up stuff about when Jennifer was younger. Anything funny or cute. She might like to hear that. How she was as a kid. I mean you were living in the house with her when she was Chloe’s age.”
“I didn’t think of that. I was older and we didn’t spend a lot of time together, but I could try to talk about her more.”
“I think Chloe would enjoy that.”
“I wish I had things from when we were kids, but I don’t. No pictures, nothing that Jennifer made or did. My mother would have it all and I’ve only talked to her twice.”
“I can’t understand your mother and her reasons for what she does or says. Her daughter is gone. You’d think she’d be grieving, not carrying a grudge.”
“Carrying grudges is what my mother does best.”
“Have you grieved at all for Jennifer? I guess I should have asked before now, but with everything else going on in your life, it just never seems the time to bring it up. How are you doing?”
“I’m okay. Like I said, I hadn’t talked to her in over ten years. My memories in that house weren’t that wonderful. But she was still my half sister and we lived together at one point. We shared holidays together and dinners, we watched TV. Things like that. I can’t say we played a lot. Maybe when she was younger, I’d watch her now and again, but not often.”
“Older brothers normally watched their younger siblings. How come you didn’t?”
“My mother always said I wouldn’t know what to do. That I was a boy and they were clueless when it came to kids.”
Which was probably another reason why she threw it in his face he wouldn’t know how to care for Chloe. That he’d have no idea what he was doing.
His mother was wrong though, like she normally was. He was doing just fine on his own. He knew that now.
“Sounds like your mother was misinformed about a lot of things in life.”
“She was. She is. And she’s better off not in Chloe’s life, but if she wants to get to know her granddaughter, I don’t think it’s wise to say no. Not when I’m really the only family she has.”
“What about Chloe’s grandfather? Jennifer’s father? Have you talked to him, do you think he’d want to get to know Chloe?”
“I have no idea where Joe even is. I’d have to ask my mother and I doubt she’d tell me if she knew. I supposed I could try to find him myself and reach out. Just another thing to think about.”
“I’m sure he’d want to know that his daughter isn’t alive.”
“I don’t know, Kristen.”
“Why? Did they not have a good relationship either?”
“When my mother and Joe divorced, Joe left the area. I guess the best way to describe him was a deadbeat dad. He never paid support and he never saw Jennifer again.”
“Oh, so no lost love there either?”
“No. I have no clue if Jennifer would have tried to reach out to him for money at some point, but I doubt it. She’d have to know how to find him and that would have come from my mom, who I’m sure wouldn’t have been helpful in the least.”
“It sounds like your mother was bitter over Joe and took it out on Jennifer, don’t you think?”
“Probably. I was out of the house at that point. I think that is when the fighting really started with my mother and Jennifer. Maybe I should have paid more attention, but I was just so happy to be gone.”
“Don’t blame yourself. I’m sure no one else is.”
“I guess I can’t change any of it now. I can only try to make it right with Chloe.” At least that was what he was trying to tell himself now.
“That’s the best attitude to have.” She yawned on the other end. “I’m pretty tired, but I wanted to tell you I had a great time this weekend. Thanks again for it.”
“Don’t thank me. I think I needed it as much as you. And now I’ve got this image in my mind with handcuffs and I’m trying to figure out when I can find more time for us.”
She laughed. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out. Until then it will give us something to look forward to.”
“Night, Kristen.”
“Night, Landon.”
He hung up the phone and went to go change the towels from the washer to the dryer, then grabbed the bag of chips to snack on while he waited.
This week he was going to try to think about Jennifer some more and come up with anything he could to share with Chloe. Kristen was right, Chloe should hear some of the good things about her mother. No child should have to have bad memories of their parents.
Not like he had.
Only Surface
Two days later, Kristen was at work rearranging some of the pieces on a chart on the computer. With Black Friday coming this week, they expected to be busy with a sale and she was organizing how they’d want stuff displayed. Everyone was coming in early on Friday to get it done and since Olivia was eight months pregnant, they were all trying to take the load off of her for the time being.
Kristen looked up when she heard the bell chime, noticed that two of the staff working were with customers and there were others just walking around browsing that she’d already told to let her know if they had any questions.
When she saw who walked in the door though, she wished she was busy with someone else.
He made eye contact with her and walked her way. “Steve,” she said. “What can I help you with?” She wasn’t buying the coincidence that he was coming in here to shop. He’d always been a cheap bastard when it came to anything other than his cars.
“I was hoping you’d be here,” he said.
“How did you know I worked here?”
She hadn’t talked to him in almost two years since they’d split. Not a pretty split on either of their ends. Hers for cursing and swearing that she’d had enough of his immature ways and his for calling her a selfish bitch.
“I’ve asked around. Guess you stepped up in the world. You always had expensive taste.”
“On a beer budget you used to say to me.” She was wondering what this could be about. “Now why would you be asking about me? We didn’t leave on the best of terms by any means.”
“I’ve missed you,” he said suddenly.
“I don’t believe that. It’s taken you two years to miss me?”
She looked him over now. He was the same as before. Still wearing jeans and a nice shirt. His sales job was casual, but he was good at it. It was one of the things she liked about him. He could talk to just about anyone or converse about anything.
It seemed they’d had so much in common when they’d been set up on a blind date by one of her past friends. But the more she got to know him, the more she realized it was only surface.
“I guess I didn’t realize what a good thing I had until it was gone.”
“Again, two years,” she said and wondered why she was even talking to him. She had Landon now. Talk about a good thing.
“I just had all these dreams of racing. It was something my father and I did and it meant so much to him and I just wanted to honor that when he passed.”
She knew all about that and why he spent so much time doing it. A hobby his father had with him. She accepted it to a point. But not when it took up every free moment of his life.
Not when he’d get to the track and become a whole different person.
Long gone was the smooth-talking salesman, replaced by a mean SOB who when he didn’t get his way cursed and swore. Even fought.
She’d lost track of the number of times he’d get out of his car when he’d spun out and start throwing his helmet at oncoming cars as they slowly passed by.
Or when he charged other drivers to get physically violent with them when the races were over.
He was like a child that threw temper tantrums and was never going to grow up.
Other women at that track found it sexy when their men did that. She was embarrassed and it was just another thing that they fought over.
“You’ve said that before. I’ve told you you had a poor way of honoring your father with your behavior. Even your mother sided with me on it.”
He looked away. “Don’t remind me. She was ticked off when we split too. I guess she was right again.”
“About what?” she asked.
“She told me I’d never find someone else as good as you.”
Kristen crossed her arms in front of her chest. “So that is why you’re here? Because it’s been two years and no one will put up with you and you think I’m going to take you back?”
Talk about getting ready to want to charge someone. What an asshole.
“No.” She lifted her eyebrow at him. “Maybe.”
“Sorry, Steve. First off, I’m with someone. Second of all, even if I weren’t, I wouldn’t take you back. Maybe a few months after we split I would have considered it if I’d seen that you’d changed. If you gave any indication that you wanted what I did. But you never did.”
“I’m not racing anymore though. That is what all our problems stemmed from.”
He wasn’t listening to her, just like he didn’t back then. “No. We had a lot of problems and racing was just part of it. Your friends couldn’t stand me and you sided with them over me. I believe they all thought I was a stuck-up bitch who thought I was better than you. At least those were the words you threw in my face when we were fighting.”
“Those were my racing buddies. I don’t see them anymore.”
“Listen, Steve. I find this whole conversation amusing. As I just said, I’m in a relationship and have been for five months. I’m not interested in rekindling anything with you now nor would I if I were single.”
“You don’t mean that.”
“I do. That ship has sailed. Or the car finished the race. Maybe you’ll understand that analogy better.”
His face started to get red. “You’re making a mistake turning me down. You wanted me before. You wanted a commitment so bad out of me that you put the pressure on our relationship. You’re the one that caused all our problems.”
She actually felt her blood pressure start to rise. “You’re going to blame me?” She stopped herself. She wasn’t going to be baited again and this was getting out of hand. “If you aren’t here to buy something, then you’re just wasting both of our time. Now please, don’t contact me again.”
He stared at her hard, like he was going to argue. His personality was changing in front of her, like it had before. Start out nice, get on her good side, then twist things around, and they’d start fighting. It was like he loved when they fought.
“Fine. I’ll leave,” he said, then turned and walked away.
Good riddance to him. She took a few deep breaths and made her way over to some customers that looked like they needed assistance. She hated to be pushy, but she didn’t want someone to think she was ignoring them either.
Besides, she needed to take her mind off of that confrontation. No one had ever been able to work her up in life as much as Steve and she wondered why she spent a year of her time with him.
It was in the past, thank God.
Warm His Heart
Landon was sitting in his living room watching football while Mary and Kristen were in the kitchen checking on Thanksgiving dinner.
He’d gotten up and gone into work, then got out at four. Kristen had spent the night so she could stay with Chloe and get dinner started, with Mary coming over and helping out.
When he’d gotten home and opened the front door, he was hit with the scent of turkey and all the trimmings cooking. There were even two pies on the counter that Mary had baked and brought over.
Snacks were ready for hi
m to dive into, which he had no problem doing.
Chloe’s laughter filled his house along with Mary’s and Kristen’s while they moved around cooking.
He’d never had a childhood holiday like this that he could remember.
Sure, they celebrated, and even when times were good when he was younger, there wasn’t that much laughter.
Maybe in his father’s house when he spent time there. His father’s second marriage was happier. He was still married and having some other kids in the house back then made it a bit more fun, even if they were older than him.
But he never got to spend much time at his father’s for holidays because his mother always laid the law down and his father didn’t have it in him to fight with her. He supposed he didn’t blame him.
It was funny when he looked back now. His father never shoved his stepmother around. They didn’t fight much that he knew of either.
Maybe it was just his mother that brought out the worst in everyone.
But here he was building some memories that he could take with him. Memories of a family he’d never had. Of a holiday he hadn’t either.
Since he’d been single, he usually worked all the holidays. Often taking shifts for other men that had a family to be home with.
Why be alone, he always thought. It wasn’t as if he had any family around and he’d always felt awkward when he was invited over to a buddy’s house.
But this year, he wasn’t volunteering to take anyone’s shift because, not only did he have Chloe at home, but he had Kristen too. So he worked his normal shift, then left.
“I’ve got more snacks for you, Uncle Landon.”
He turned his head to see Chloe standing there with a plate in her hands. It was filled with some stuffed bread that had been warming up. “Thanks,” he said, reaching for it. “I could have come out and got it.”
“That’s okay. Kristen said no men in the kitchen.”
He laughed. “That works for me. Want to watch some football with me? Or do they have you working in there too like a little slave?”
Chloe giggled and it was just one more thing to warm his heart on this chilly Upstate New York day. “I can watch some football with you. They said they’ve got everything under control and were going to come out soon. The turkey should be done in about an hour.”