“And?”
“We’re moving forward. They are very interested. In a few weeks, I’ll be flying to Nashville to meet with their whole board. In the meantime, I have to gather some info and send it to them.”
“Do you need any help?”
“Someone to type it all up. Susan can but she’s—”
“Consider me that person.”
“Are you sure? I wouldn’t impose, but I’d promised Susan a few days off after the school was completed.”
“I want to do this.” She angled toward him. “Have you seen the extra work your dad is doing?”
“Every morning he gets up excited to go to work. I think what he enjoys the most is restoring something old. This may be another area my company can expand into.”
“Just how big is your operation?”
“I have three full offices—New Orleans, Hope and Mobile. I’m thinking of opening one in Pensacola next year. I’ll probably wait until I see what happens with the foundation.”
“How do you keep it all straight?”
“Good people in my offices.”
“That was my father’s problem. He didn’t have good people working for him. Besides Scott, there were a couple of others that made some bad decisions, too.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” Kindness sculpted his features.
“You really mean that, even after what my dad did?”
He nodded. “It didn’t happen overnight. There were many years I was so angry at your dad that I think I would have punched him in the face if I’d met him on the street. Now you see why I didn’t come home.”
“I appreciate your restraint.”
Zane pulled up to the curb of the first street they had been assigned and parked. Locking gazes with her, he said, “There were other reasons I stayed away, but I did come back once.”
“When?”
“About a year after I left. I came back because I decided to fight for you.”
Surprise held her immobile. “I never saw you.”
“I know. I discovered you had recently gotten engaged to Scott Walters and were getting married a few months later.”
“But you should have said something.”
“Why? Would that have made a difference? Scott had your family’s stamp of approval. And I still didn’t feel real good about myself.”
“But you were—”
He placed two fingers over her mouth. “Don’t say anything. It doesn’t change what happened. You had made your choice, and frankly at the time I thought Scott would be just what you needed.”
She pulled away from his touch. “I love how everyone tries to run my life. First my father then you. And look how well his choice turned out for me.” Flinging the door open, she turned away and climbed from the cab. “Next time I would like someone to consult me before making decisions for me. I’ll take the right side of the street. You take the left.”
By the time she’d covered her side except for the last house of one of her students, her anger subsided to a dull throb behind her eyes. Grace Langley lived here with her father, a man too proud to ask for help. She knocked on the door of the small trailer parked in the driveway. Not much was left of their home except the foundation. The only thing that had been done was most of the debris had been cleared from the yard and the concrete foundation. Strangely the garage still stood. She rapped on the metal door again.
When she stepped away from the trailer, a tall, muscular man she’d only met once, on the first day of school, appeared from the garage. He stopped a few feet from her. “What do ya want?”
“I’m Kim Walters, Grace’s teacher.”
“Yeah, I know. Is something wrong at school? With Grace?”
Trying to ignore his glare, she forced a smile. “Grace is a delight.”
“Then good day.” He pivoted.
“Mr. Langley, I’m here about supporting Ruth Coleman for mayor.”
He peered over his shoulder, that glare firmly in place. “I don’t vote. Why bother? Nothing ever changes.”
“But, Mr. Langley, Ruth will have monthly meetings with the townspeople who—”
Laughter roared from the man. “That’s a good one. Where? City hall? How ya gonna fit everyone in there? Leave us alone. I have enough to deal with.”
He continued striding toward the garage and his daughter who stood in its doorway. Grace waved to her, but the second her father entered the garage, he shut the door, the sound reverberating through the air.
Zane came up to her. “I gather he won’t be voting for Ruth.”
“He won’t be voting for either candidate.” Kim marched toward the entrance he’d disappeared through.
Zane kept pace with her. “I don’t think he’ll listen to anything about the mayor’s race.”
“I totally agree. Now I am approaching him as Grace’s teacher.”
“I’m coming with you. He didn’t sound too hospitable.”
“Then don’t say anything.” Kim knocked on the garage door.
Grace opened it. “Hi, Mrs. Walters.”
“Who is it?” Mr. Langley shouted from the back.
“My teacher.” The little girl stepped to the side to let Kim into the building.
“What are you doing?” Mr. Langley came around a partition. “I thought I made myself clear. I am not voting.”
In the dim light in the garage with only one window on the side of it, Kim surveyed what had to be their living space—not the trailer parked in the driveway. She quickly skimmed over the bottle of whiskey sitting on a card table, probably where they ate. The overriding odor in the place was a musty scent she’d remembered permeating her downstairs after the water had receded. “I’m not here as a campaign worker now. I’m here as Grace’s teacher.”
“Snooping. Get out!”
“Daddy!” Grace said, tears crowding her voice.
The burly man swung his attention to his daughter. The glare that Kim had thought was permanently etched onto his face softened. “Sugar, we’ve got a lot to do. She told me ya were doing okay. That’s all I need to know.” When he looked again at Kim, the scowl returned. “Isn’t that right, lady?”
“Yes, Grace is a wonderful—”
The man charged toward the door and thrust it open. “Bye.”
Kim took a step toward Mr. Langley, but before she could take another, Zane clasped her hand, halting her progress, and said, “Thank you for your time.”
Kim shook off his hand and strode out of the garage, not stopping until she was near the trailer. Then she rounded on Zane. “What were you doing back there? Playing some macho male or something with me, not him. You thanked him for his time.”
“Being confrontational with Mr. Langley won’t get you what you want. That scene in there was played out several times in my childhood. I know you saw the bottle on the table and you couldn’t have missed the liquor on the man’s breath.”
“But what about Grace? I should report him or something.”
“To whom? He’s given her a roof over her head. She doesn’t appear to be abused. She wasn’t scared of her father. Have you ever seen any signs of abuse?”
“Well, no, but she wears the same clothes over and over.”
“Are they clean?”
“Yes. So is Grace.”
“It isn’t against the law to be poor.”
She settled her balled hands on her waist. “But he won’t accept any help, not even free lunches.” She gestured toward the trailer. “Why isn’t he using this to live in?”
“I can’t answer that. But there is a For Sale sign on the front of it.”
“There is?” She rounded the trailer and found the sign in red and white.
“I think they need money, and he’s selling what he can.”
“How did it survive the hurricane? Look what happened to his house. Probably the only reason his garage is still standing is because it was behind the house and set back some.”
“I don’t know. Maybe it wasn’t parked here. What does he do?”
“He’s a charter-boat captain. Business right now is lousy.”
“It’s gonna take a while for the tourist industry to make a comeback. So what’s the man doing for money?”
“Grace hasn’t said much about her dad, and he hasn’t come to any parent meetings. I met him at the first day of school. That’s all.” Throwing one last look at the garage, Kim started toward Zane’s truck at the other end of the block. “How did it go for you?”
“I got a lot of interest in Ruth for mayor. How about you?”
“Five yesses, two nos and Mr. Langley.”
“We’ve got six more streets to cover. Maybe we can turn things in Ruth’s favor.”
“Yes,” Kim mumbled as she got into the truck, her thoughts on Grace. The girl had always been upbeat with her classmates, but Kim had glimpsed a hint of sadness in her eyes tonight. She wished she had money to purchase the trailer. At one time, her family could have helped. Frustration bubbled in the pit of her stomach.
Chapter Eleven
Sitting across from Kim in a booth at Sweet Tooth, Zane took a lick of his Chocolate Supreme ice cream cone. “After all the walking we did this afternoon, this hits the spot.”
Kim picked up a napkin and leaned toward him, swiping it across his mouth. “Chocolate.”
Her gesture caused a chain reaction in him: increased pulse rate, a tightness in his chest, a rise in his body temperature. Just like when he’d been nineteen. He tried to shut down those physical responses. He didn’t live in the past, and he certainly didn’t want to repeat it. But more and more he found himself thinking about Kim, what she was thinking, doing.
“I know you were upset about Mr. Langley. How about the other parents you talked with? Did it go okay with them?”
“Yes. The kids were happy to see me outside of school, and it’s always easier to talk with the parents in an informal setting.” Her forehead scrunched. “But I wish there was something I could do for Grace and her father.”
“He reminds me of my father. He wouldn’t let anyone help him, either. He had to hit rock bottom before he accepted help seven months ago.” The vision of the For Sale sign on the trailer played across his mind, flashing in and out.
“Do you think Mr. Langley is an alcoholic?”
“All I can say is he has been drinking. That doesn’t necessarily mean he’s an alcoholic, but if he keeps turning to alcohol to blot out his problems, he will be. That’s how it started with my dad.”
“I don’t want Grace to go through what you went through.”
“Neither do I.” He popped the last bite of his cone into his mouth and chewed, trying to decide what to do, if anything.
“Do you know anyone looking for a boat captain?”
“Hmm. I’ll have to check around. When we get closer to summer, his business should pick up some. What if he moved his boat to one of the larger piers like in Gulfport or Biloxi?”
“I have the feeling the rent is high for a berth at those piers.”
Zane wiped his mouth with his napkin then balled it up. “I could use a smaller trailer for a certain work site. I’ll pay the man a visit and see what he’s asking for it. But first I’m gonna call a friend in New Orleans. He might be able to give him a job.”
“Doing what?”
“Ferrying boats. My friend owns the business where I bought my sailboat. Sometimes customers have to have someone take the boat they bought to another location. He might be able to use Mr. Langley. I’ll have to check out people he’s worked with. I can’t recommend someone who could hurt my friend’s business.”
“No, you can’t, but if you could help Mr. Langley, that would be great. He hasn’t accepted anything I suggested.”
“I have one advantage over you.”
“What?” She scooped up the last of her Pecan Clusters and slid the spoon into her mouth.
For a few seconds he sat there transfixed as she ate her ice cream, until he realized she was waiting for an answer. “I’m male. He may be one of those guys who doesn’t respond well to women. Do you know what happened to his wife?”
“All I know is that she died a few years back when Grace was in kindergarten. I talked to her teacher, and she said it was rough on Mr. Langley and Grace. The child didn’t come to school for a month.”
Zane’s past crept back into his thoughts. When his mother had left his dad and him, he’d refused to go to school for weeks. He kept waiting for his mom to come back home. She never did. “I’ll see what I can do.”
Kim smiled. “That means a lot to me. And if the fact that you are a man helps to reach Mr. Langley, that’s fine by me.”
Looking at the sparkle in her eyes made him think of staring at the blue Gulf water with the sun shining on its surface while he sailed. “I’ll let you know what happens. Are you ready? I know you can’t wait to get back home and move back into your bedroom.”
She scooted back her chair and rose. “Ice cream is about the only thing that can entice me to put that off for a while.” Cocking her head to one side, she pinned him beneath an assessing look. “Are you doing anything tonight?”
“I’m helping a…friend.”
“Oh.” She slung the strap of her purse over her shoulder and started for the exit.
He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing at the crestfallen expression on Kim’s face. As she walked out of the Sweet Tooth, he quickened his pace after her, catching up with her at the parking lot next to the building.
As his engine roared to life, he threw her a sideways glance. “You coming to church tomorrow?”
“Dad wants to, so, yes, I’ll be bringing him and Anna.”
Five minutes later, Zane stopped in the back of Bienville near the staircase to the upstairs gallery and switched off the engine, then put his hand on the door handle.
“You don’t have to walk me to my door. I’m sure you need to get moving if you’re going to help that friend.” She descended from the truck and strolled toward her home. When he followed, she glanced back with a question in her eyes. At the bottom step, she spun around, her hand clutching the railing. “I’m a big girl. I can find my own way to my house.”
“I know. But I have to come in if I’m going to help you move your furniture.”
“I’m the friend you’re going to help?”
He smiled when the realization dawned on her pretty face. “Of course. You don’t think I’ll let you do it by yourself. Even with Brady and Maggie, it will be hard. You’ve got some big pieces.” He backed away. “Unless you don’t want my help.”
“Yes. Yes. I’m not like Mr. Langley. I will accept help when I need it.”
“Really?”
She shot him a gaze full of mockery. “I accepted your help with the house, didn’t I?”
“Not until you demanded doing something for me in return.”
Square in the middle of the staircase, she blocked his path. “And what is your point?”
He laughed. “That you’re as stubborn as you were in high school. You might not be as extreme as Mr. Langley, but you do have trouble accepting help from others.”
She wheeled around and stomped up the steps to the gallery. At the back door, she thrust it open and entered.
Women! Zane blew out a long breath and went into the game room. Kim was talking to Maggie, who was making dinner.
“I got some good comments about Ruth running in the area I canvassed.” Maggie
put a casserole into the oven.
“I did, too. And I only had one person practically throw me off his property.” Kim washed her hands at the sink then began setting the table.
“Who?”
“Mr. Langley, the father of one of my students. He sees no reason to vote for mayor.”
“That’s a shame, but I encountered a few like that, too. They are struggling and have lost hope.” Maggie turned toward Zane. “Are you staying for dinner?”
Zane peered at Kim.
“Yes, he is. He’s helping me move my furniture back into my bedroom.”
“Good. I didn’t want to eat alone. Anna is eating at Polly’s. Brady is at a friend’s, too.”
“Where’s Dad?”
“He just called five minutes ago and said he’d be eating at Ruth’s tonight. I’d already started the Mexican chicken casserole so I decided to finish it, and we can have it again for leftovers.”
The spices and chicken smells oozed out of the oven and infused the room, reminding Zane that he’d forgotten to eat lunch again. A bagel and an ice-cream cone weren’t exactly a healthy diet. “As hungry as I am, you might not have any leftovers. Do you want to move some of the furniture now while the casserole is cooking?”
“Sounds like a plan to me.” Kim set the three glasses on the place mats on the table.
Maggie filled a kettle with water. “I’ll be a minute. I want to make the iced tea so it will be ready when we eat.”
At the entrance into the bedroom, Kim paused and sucked in a raspy breath. Zane came up behind her and whistled.
The empty room looked spotless, and Zane marveled at the difference from when Kim and he were there four hours before. “Dad did a great job.”
“He polished the hardwood floor. There’s not a speck of dust anywhere. He didn’t have to do that.”
Zane’s throat closed. He coughed to clear it. “That’s his way of apologizing.”
“For what?”
“For not telling you anything fifteen years ago—not where I went or why. He’s trying to right any wrongs he feels he’s made in the past.”
A Love Rekindled Page 14