Kids are Chancey

by Kay Dew Shostak

  “Are they rebuilding the funeral home?” Jackson asks as he comes through the front door late Thursday evening. Then he stops, pauses, and curses. “Air still isn’t fixed?”

  I’m stretched out on the couch with a fan blowing on me. “Nope. Aren’t you regretting coming home a day early now?” Lack of a permit put a halt on the project he was working on south of Atlanta, so he called it quits for the weekend and headed home at the end of the workday. Tomorrow he’s working from home, then will head back down to the jobsite, permits (hopefully) in place, Monday morning.

  He drops his suitcase and briefcase and leans over the back of the couch to kiss me. “You look awfully comfortable.” He pulls at the neckline of my sleeveless gown and takes a peek.

  “Stop, we have guests, well, a guest,” I say with a laugh as I grab at his hand. He folds his arms on the couch back and lays his forehead on them for a moment. “What’s the excuse with the air now?”

  “Excuse? Earl needs an excuse? I don’t think so, he just says, ‘It’s not done. Should be soon.’” I ruffle Jackson’s hair, and he looks up to smile at me. I sigh and smile back. “Maybe he’ll give you better answers. I’ve tried, some, to act like I know what he’s talking about, but I really believe he and FM just think I’m cute for trying.”

  He stands up and grins. “Well, you are awfully cute. That short hair makes your neck look sexy. Why don’t you come help me unpack?” He waggles his eyebrows at me as he picks up his suitcase.

  I get up from the couch. “Want some water? I’ll bring it up. What did you say about the funeral home?”

  “There’s a new building there. Not as big, though. No signs saying what it is. Are the kids home?”

  He’s already at the top of the stairs, so I wait until I’m almost at the top to answer him. “No. Savannah is staying at Jenna’s and Angie’s until the air is fixed, and Bryan and the guys are all at John’s house. Our only guest is Gertie, but we have folks coming in tomorrow. I’m wondering if I should call them and tell them we don’t have air. All week I’ve been counting our blessings that the air didn’t go out on the weekend. I had no idea it could possibly still be out this weekend. It’s ridiculous.”

  Closing the bedroom door behind me, I watch my husband sit on the bed to take off his shoes. He looks tired. Traveling wears him out, but I don’t think it’s as tiring for him as sitting behind a desk in an office all day. I climb on the bed and move behind him to massage his shoulders. I’m still mystified where my resentment of him went. Only a few weeks back I couldn’t work up any compassion for him at all. For anything. Now, I not only can’t work up any resentment, I can’t imagine why I would want to. Marriage is weird.

  “Mmm, that feels good. Don’t get me too relaxed.” He lays back, and I snuggle up to him. We lay there for a minute, and then he raises up on the arm I’m not pinning. “If I’m going to be this hot, let’s do something to make it worthwhile. Then we can take a shower to cool down.”

  I busy myself unbuttoning his shirt while he kisses my sexy neck. Giggling, I compliment him, saying, “You always know how to make lemonade out of lemons.”

  He growls and laughs. “I do love lemonade!”

  “What in the world is going on down here?” I yell as I stomp down the stairs. Early morning light fills the house, but it’s very early morning light. Jackson is right behind me. I tried to not wake him up, but the loudest shouts from downstairs happened right as I opened the bedroom door so he sprung up from the bed and followed me out the door.

  “Laney? What’s going on?”

  She meets me at the bottom of the stairs.

  “I’m just lighting a fire under Earl. Threatening him with bodily harm if this place isn’t cool by 3 pm today. I sent Terry up here again yesterday, and Earl ran him off. I don’t know who Earl Shurbett thinks he is. I’m the manager of this establishment. Who I hire, stays hired!”

  “But do you have to do it so loudly? And so early?” Jackson pleads from above me on the stairs.

  “Oh, hey, Jackson. Didn’t know you were home. Sorry. We woke y’all?”

  Earl comes out of the kitchen to join the discussion, Pop-Tart in hand. “I didn’t wake nobody. You’re the one doing the yelling. Hey Carolina, you’re out of cinnamon Pop-Tarts. I don’t eat them chocolate ones. Too much like a dessert.”

  Jackson is still standing on the stairs behind me. His mouth is hanging open as he stares at our air conditioning expert.

  “And you must be Mr. Jessup. Good to meet you. Shoot, if I’da known you was driving up last night from south of the city, I’da had you pick up the part we need in McDonough. D’ya come through McDonough? FM says you been working down near Bainbridge. Shoot, you’re probably working on that train line down there, Georgia Southern or something, aren’t you? My brother-in-law worked on that line for years. He’s kind of a train nut, too. I should tell him to come stay here sometime. So, guess we could have you pick up the part in McDonough when you go back next week. Save ya a delivery charge.” He finishes his soliloquy about the same time he finishes his Pop-Tart, so he turns back into the kitchen.

  Jackson still hasn’t closed his mouth and now his eyes are squinched up. “What is he talking about?”

  “See?” Laney says with a wave of her hands and nod of her head.

  I mimic her in every way. I nod my head, wave my hands, and say, “See?”

  Jackson takes a deep breath. “Yeah, I see. Thanks, Laney.” He pats me on my back as he moves past me down the stairs. “Me and Earl are going to have a talk.”

  In the kitchen he opens the back door and holds it open as he says, “Mr. Shurbett, Earl, can we have a word outside?”

  As soon as they leave the kitchen, Laney and I dash in to look out the window. I mean, make coffee.

  When Jackson comes back in, the coffee is done. I pour him a cup, so he can join me and Laney.

  “Thanks,” he says, then he takes a sip as he sits down at the kitchen table with us. “We’ll have a new unit tomorrow.”

  “Praise the Lord!” Laney exclaims. “Some men like Earl are going to have to be dragged into the modern age. His wife rules the roost at their house, maybe that’s why he won’t listen to a woman on the job.”

  Jackson grins and shakes his head. “I thought you were exaggerating, but he’s a handful. Didn’t want to listen to me, either. But, finally, I called our old AC company from down in Atlanta. When he saw I was seriously going to have them do the job, he suddenly had a quote for a whole new system. Kept saying he was trying to ‘save us a buck’ and I appreciate that, but enough is enough.” He grimaces at me. “So, no air today and one more night.”

  Laney stands up and takes her cup to the sink. “We’ll just give our guests tonight a break on the cost, and the wine and cheese will be outside. By that time the back deck should be in the shade, right? It might be a tad crowded.”

  “Oh, yeah, those ladies I went to lunch with up in Laurel Cove?” I say with a look at Jackson. He nods, and I continue. “Well, I invited them for this afternoon.”

  “That’s a great idea. Sounds like folks who could really advertise for us.” He also stands and then leans to kiss me on top of my head. “I’m going to try and get some work done this morning, and then I can help get ready.”

  He leaves the kitchen, whistling. We can hear him whistling all the way up the stairs. Laney pulls her hair back and bundles it into a clip she pulls from her pocket. She smirks at me. “See how much easier life is with a bit of sex every now and then? I’ll be in the office making a grocery list for this afternoon. Holler if you need anything else handled.”

  I’m not sure what she thinks she handled. But if sex makes life easier, so does letting Laney think she’s right. And I’m all about easy.

  Chapter 9

  “Okay, I’m not complaining. Really. Just asking. Weren’t these wine and cheese things supposed to be just for our guests?” Jackson asks as we survey our deck and yard. “I understand about the ladies from Laurel Cove, but th
e rest of them?”

  “They all have some kind of connection with the B&B, if you think about it,” I say, pointing through the crowd. “Gertie is our guest, and I’m sure she invited Patty and Andy. Then Missus is kind of a partner here, so she brought FM and Peter. Peter probably mentioned it to Diego, and so Alex came with him and, oh yeah, you haven’t met Alex yet, have you? Oh, boy. You are not going to like who followed him here.”

  I give him a minute to realize it’s his daughter at Alex’s elbow. She’s not instantly recognizable because she looks so pleasant. So smiley and cute in another sundress from her grandmother, which she derided as too “froufrou and silly” as she pulled it from the box sent by Etta. It’s sky blue eyelet, off the shoulder, with a wide ruffle around the top. Her shoulders, neck, and a lot of her chest are bare. It’s not clingy at all but fluffs out to where it ends, at the beginning of a mile of leg. It’s actually not that short, but her legs are so long, it looks too short. And if I think it looks short, you can just imagine what her daddy is thinking.

  “Where are her pants?” Jackson asks. “Who did you say this guy is? Where did she even get a dress like that? It’s not her.”

  “His name is Alex, and he’s Diego’s nephew. He’s staying here this summer. And your mother sent her the dress.”

  “He’s staying here?” he practically yells.

  “No,” I hiss. “Not here, here. But in town. Jordan’s apartment.”

  “But she hates the dresses Mom sends.”

  “Until she decided being a Southern Belle was a good idea.”

  “Savannah a Southern Belle?” He shakes his head as he watches the two of them. Then a small “Oh” comes out. After a pause, he nods. “Oh, she likes him.”

  “Yeah. She likes him.” I walk away. There’s really nothing else to say.

  There are a lot of people here, from Laurel Cove, from town, and our guests for the weekend are fitting right in. It’s two men from Nebraska who were in Atlanta for work and used the opportunity to spend the weekend chasing trains up here in the mountains. They are both married, but one is a true flirt who finds all the women here better than a train on the bridge. He has a group around him laughing and talking. The other gentleman is chatting with Peter and Diego. Gertie is lecturing on Chancey history to another circle of people, and Missus is correcting her at the end of every sentence. Why can’t Missus just let her alone?

  “This is a great idea, Carolina,” Aggie Pierson says coming up the steps onto the deck. “You should charge money.” She turns around and waves her empty hand toward the river. “And what a great view. Thanks again for inviting us.”

  “You’re welcome. You were so nice to include me in on your Wednesday lunches. So how did you come to be in charge of that group? Have you lived in Laurel Cove long?”

  Aggie looks to be in her mid-fifties, and her blonde hair is shoulder-length and straight. Like with a straightener straight. She has on black capris and a teal sleeveless shirt. She has a big smile and, my favorite part, lots of laugh lines. Her face naturally rests happy. She is athletic-looking, not like she plays tennis or runs or anything specific, just muscular and strong.

  “Yeah, we have. Moved there fifteen years ago so our kids could go to Darien Academy. My husband worked from home, so it was a no-brainer for us. Plus, we love hiking and the lake activities. It’s home now.”

  “It sure is beautiful up there. I hope Susan and Griffin are as happy there as you are.” Of course Susan is here, and it’s interesting to watch her handle this meeting of her two worlds. Aggie follows my eyes to also watch Susan for a moment.

  “I hope they like it, too. However, we moved here from Colorado, so we didn’t have to figure out how to live both up on the mountain and down in town. Plus, with two kids in Darien, we were so immersed in the school activities.”

  “Where do your kids live now?”

  Aggie clears her throat and looks down as she says, “Both went to college back in Colorado and they live there now. Our daughter is expecting our first grandchild.”

  “Oh, we’re expecting our first grandchild, too!” I point to Anna, seated in a chair near the picnic table. “That’s Anna, our daughter-in-law.”

  “I think I met her. Seems she’s having a rough pregnancy?”

  “Yeah, she is.”

  Our conversation lags as we both look at Anna, who looks miserable. She’s washed out, sweaty, and deflated. FM is sitting with her. She has a glass of ice water and is in the shade, but that doesn’t appear to help. “Poor thing,” Aggie says.

  “Yeah, poor thing. She’s not due until December. When is your daughter due?”

  “October. A Halloween baby. Well, I think I should get the carpools started back up the mountain. Thanks again for inviting us and letting us tour the rooms. It’s charming.”

  “Any time.”

  “Oh, everyone is invited any Friday?” she asks.

  Laney hears her and steps into our conversation, a glass of sparkling cider in tow. “I think so. This is fun, and there is nothing like this in Chancey. I know Laurel Cove has little events like this all the time, right?”

  “Yes, and it really does create a nice community feel.”

  “Like Chancey needs any more community feeling,” I say with a smirk.

  Laney laughs and adds, “Okay, community feeling with wine. I should’ve said that.”

  Aggie and Laney toast each other, and Aggie says, “I can’t speak for the rest of the ladies, but I know I’ll be coming down to Chancey more.” She looks around and takes a deep breath. “This feels good. Now, to get all my ladies back home. Some of them are a little too enthralled with your Midwestern gentleman. He’s got a couple wrapped around his little finger, and,” she raises one blonde eyebrow, “those two have husbands at home!”

  She walks off toward the crowd around our newest guest, and Laney leans against the back of the house where we’re standing. “I’m exhausted, and we still have the gender reveal party tonight.”

  “Go sit down, or even better, go on home and get a little rest. We’ll take care of cleaning up.”

  “You sure? Thank goodness Mama is doing everything for tonight. I just have to show up. Y’all are coming, right?”

  “Absolutely. I’ve never been to your Mama’s house. I’m looking forward to it.” I lean closer to her and whisper, “And don’t worry, I’m wearing pink to throw everyone off.”

  Her eyes sparkle. “A boy. Still can’t believe it. It’ll be so different. So fun.” She pushes away from the wall. “Okay, I’m going home. I’ll see you tonight.” She steps toward the door and then looks back at me. “That Aggie? Did y’all talk much?”

  “Some. Why?”

  She shrugs. “Nothing really. I like her. Reminds me of when I met you. I just knew we’d be good together, you know?” She winks and then lumbers into the house.

  Sure, it’s warm outside at the end of June in Georgia. And it’s been warm all week inside our un-air-conditioned house. But a different warmth moves over me and through me.

  Is this what it feels like to belong?

  Chapter 10

  “My husband isn’t home.”

  The small woman at the door doesn’t say “hello.” She doesn’t smile. She’s barely opened the door and looks like she will close it if we give her the chance. That’s why I brought Laney.

  “Honey, we didn’t come to see your husband. Just to welcome you.” Laney shifts the bag of muffins into her other hand, and with the hand closest to the door, pushes it slightly. Like the wind blew it. “I’m Laney, and this is Carolina. She lives right up the hill, across the railroad tracks. You know, Crossings B&B?”

  Last night, the gender reveal party went off without a hitch. Incidentally, the only person there Laney hadn’t accidentally told that the baby was a boy, was Shaw. Hence, he was the only one not wearing fake-out pink. Anyway, Jackson and I saw lights on in Susan’s old house on our way home. So, here Laney and I are bright and early on Saturday morning taking a lo
ok. With muffins in hand, of course.

  My new neighbor swallows, sighs, then opens the door. “You can come in. We’re just getting unpacked.”

  “Oh, bless your heart, just for a minute,” Laney and I say at the same time as we step inside.

  There are a few boxes, but other than those, everything looks to be in place. Well, if this is everything. Sparse is the word that comes to mind. Sparse and cold. Susan’s warm wall paints, golds and greens and blues, are all gone. Every wall is covered in the same off-white. It smells new and fresh, but feels cold. The furniture is worn and brown. Brown fabric, brown wood. Brown.

  Laney walks farther in than I do, and she looks out the back window. “I see the garden is gone.” She falters a bit, but then swirls around and smiles. “But the lawn looks beautiful. Much easier to maintain.”

  “Kyle likes a clean place. He’s not one for a bunch of bushes and flowers. K.J., come say hello.”

  A boy of about five comes down the hallway. He has very short hair and bright eyes. He’s wearing shorts and a pair of cowboy boots, which makes me grin. “You look like my boys did when they were little. Cowboy boots all the time. Oh, and who are you?”

  Behind K.J. a little girl comes down the hall. The woman says, “That’s Katherine. She’s three, and Kevin, the baby, is taking a morning nap.”

  Laney is absentmindedly rubbing her belly. “Oh my, you sure have your hands full, um, wait. Maybe it’s just pregnancy has ruined my brain, but I don’t think I got your name.”

  “Kimmy. That’s why all the kids have “K” names, you know since me and Kyle both start with a K.” She smiles, but her lips don’t part and she’s still standing with her hand on the door knob.

  She and both kids continue to stare at us, so I motion toward the bag Laney still holds. “We’ll just leave you the muffins. They’re from Ruby’s, down in town.”

  Kimmy nods yes, and then the back door opens. A girl opens the door. She looks to be in junior high. She has medium brown hair that just reaches the tops of her shoulders and the light-colored eyes like the rest of the family. She’s startled to see us, but Laney pretends she doesn’t see the hesitation and reaches out to shake the girl’s hand. “Hi there, I’m Laney. We just came over to welcome y’all to Chancey. What grade are you in? My girls are in high school.”