“Did he say anything about the kiss?” She hadn’t wanted to upset her father any more than he already was because of the hurricane.
“He didn’t, but Ruth did. She thought the kiss was sweet and fifteen years in coming.”
“Oh, that’s probably not good. How did Dad respond?”
“He didn’t. Not even one of his snorts.”
“Really? Interesting. He isn’t one for public display of affection.”
Maggie put her hand on the door but didn’t open it yet. “I caught him holding Ruth’s hand.”
“You did? Dad?”
“Yup. Thought I was hallucinating.” With a smile on her face, Maggie entered the house.
“Where’s Brady?” Kim asked as she followed.
“He went home with a friend to spend the night.”
Kim crossed the game room toward the hallway, turning off lights as she went. “I think I’ll check on Dad. I didn’t get much chance tonight to talk with him. I want to make sure he’s still okay about the renovations starting on Monday.”
“Sure,” Maggie said with a grin. “I know the truth. You want to gauge his real reaction to what happened on the stage.”
In the corridor, Kim stopped and whirled toward her cousin behind her, the sweep of her hoop skirt nearly knocking over a small table. She shot her a conspiratorial smile. “I won’t sleep a wink until I do.”
As though she were the lady of the manor, Maggie strolled past her toward their room. “Quit fretting about it. You have to lead your own life, not worry about others.”
“I don’t. I—”
The look—both eyebrows raised—Maggie shot her before disappearing into the bedroom spoke volumes to Kim. Admittedly, Kim cared what her father thought. She owed him. He’d tried to fill in for Scott with Anna, to be there when Anna needed a father figure.
When Kim knocked on his door, she waited until he called out for her to come in. Still dressed in his Mad Hatter costume, minus the tall black hat, he sat in his chair, staring at the blank TV screen with a far-off expression on his face.
“Dad, are you all right?”
He slowly turned his head toward her. “I’m fine. Just thinking.”
Kim took the chair at the desk. “About what?” she whispered, not sure she wanted to know.
“What do you think about Ruth? We’ve been friends for years but…” His voice fading, he looked away, biting his lower lip.
“I like her a lot. She will be a great mayor.”
“I mean as…” He opened his mouth, but no more words came out.
“What, Dad?”
He waved his hand in the air. “Nothing important. Working with her, I’m getting to know a different side of her.”
“And you like what you see?”
His gaze zoomed in on her. “Yes. She has such passion about Hope and its people. It’s refreshing. She makes me forget.”
“Who? Mom?”
“No, the hurricane and its aftermath.” He twisted his hands together. “What do you think your mother would feel if I—if I asked Ruth out after the mayor’s race?”
“Why are you waiting?”
He lifted his shoulders in a shrug. “I don’t know. It might complicate the campaign.”
Kim stood. “Well, as far as Mom is concerned, I know she would want you to be happy. If that makes you happy, then you should go for it.”
Her father picked up the remote and clicked on the TV. “I just might do that.” When she didn’t leave right away, he asked, “Did you need me for something?”
When she’d walked in, she’d been sure her father would make a few comments about what had happened on the stage. Now that he hadn’t, she brought up another reason for being there. “Zane wants to start Monday. We talked about that a few days ago. Is that still okay with you?”
“Yes. The quicker I can get this house back in order, the quicker I can get my life back in order. I’ll be at Ruth’s a good part of the day. In fact, I’ll have you drop me off on the way to school and pick me up when you get through. If my plans change, I’ll call you at school.”
“Since I’ll be going up to school tomorrow and Sunday afternoon to get my room in order, I won’t stay extra long on Monday. I’ll let Zane know they can start any time after seven-thirty.”
“Fine,” her dad murmured, already lost in the show he’d found to watch.
Kim let herself out of the room and paused in the hallway. She’d gotten a glimpse of the man her father used to be before the hurricane—calmer, more in control. She wanted that man back for good.
* * *
Kim stood with Zane’s father in the entrance to her old bedroom before the storm, the odor of paint hanging in the air. “Mr. Davidson, I can’t thank you enough for the work you’ve done on my room. After the hurricane, I wasn’t even sure if we would be able to use this area again. Naomi did a number on it.”
“Call me Tom. After all, we’ve been painting together. I think that calls for first names, don’t ya?” He backed away from caulking the tall window that overlooked the back of the property.
In the past couple of weeks as Tom had worked on her bedroom, their relationship had changed, especially when she came home from school and helped him any way she could from holding something in place to painting the room over the past few nights. She glanced at her outfit she was wearing. “One day I’m going to get the hang of it and not end up with so much paint on me.”
He wheeled around toward her. “I’d say those clothes are heading for the trash.”
“That’s why I wore really old pants and shirt. They should have been in the trash, anyway.”
“Once I paint the windowsill and clear all my things out of here, your room will be ready for you to move back in.”
“Today?”
He nodded. “And your dad’s room will be finished by the first of the week.”
Joy flowed through her, lifting her spirits. “Thank you, Tom. This means so much to us.”
Zane’s dad ducked his head and squatted by his toolbox. “Just part of the job,” he mumbled.
“Your work is beautiful. I didn’t think the crown molding or these hardwood floors could be restored.”
He straightened. “I’ll be starting on the last three rooms after I finish your dad’s.” His gaze fell on something behind her.
Kim whirled around and nearly collided with Zane. Seeing him reminded her of their appointment for the neighborhood sweeps. She’d gotten so preoccupied by the painting, she’d lost track of time. “I’m late, aren’t I?”
“Yup. I’m here to pick you up, and I don’t think you’ll want to go around the neighborhoods with—” he brushed his fingers along the left side of her head “—a streak of green paint in your hair. It matches your clothes, but since you’ll be seeing some of your kids’ parents, you might want to wash it out and change.”
“If you want, you can go ahead, and I’ll meet up with you when I get ready.”
“Nah. I’ll wait for you. There’s no set time we have to do this today. I need to check with Dad about his schedule, anyway.”
Kim rushed toward the bedroom she was using and gathered her clothes. Then she headed toward the bathroom for a shower. Fifteen minutes later, she presented herself at the entrance of her renovated bedroom. “I’m ready.”
Zane finished helping his dad fold the drop cloth, then made his way to Kim. Over his shoulder he said to his dad, “I’ll be able to help you on Monday. My other projects are coming along nicely. Also, I’m pulling Beau to work with you.”
“Whatever you can spare,” Tom said as he continued to clean up the mess.
Kim descended the staircase to the first floor. “I’ll get to move into my own bedroom tonight. I feel like celebrating.”
Opening the front door, Zane stood back and let her go out onto the veranda. “After we do our neighborhood sweep, I’ll spring for ice cream at Sweet Tooth.”
Memories of all the times they had gone to Sweet Tooth to celeb
rate something special inundated Kim. A warning went up: you’re getting in over your head. Say no. Instead, she replied, “I’m already thinking about a double scoop of Pecan Clusters.”
“Why does that not surprise me?”
“Because my tastes have not changed. Caramel and nuts are a must in my ice cream.”
Zane reached for his passenger door on his truck. “My favorite is still Chocolate Supreme.”
“If we continue to talk about this, I’m going to have to stop on the way there and back. That wouldn’t do. I’ve worked hard to keep the pounds off.”
“And all that hard work has paid off,” Zane said, giving her a wink and starting the engine. As he drove, he told her, “Cody heard back from the national headquarters about my proposition concerning building and repairing houses in disaster areas.” He turned onto another street and didn’t say anything.
“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 today, this hits the spot.”
Kim picked up a napkin and leaned toward him, swiping it across his mouth. “Chocolate.”
Love Runs Deep (New Beginnings Book 7) Page 13