Seeking Vengeance

by McDonald, M. P.

  Molly turned and resumed forming the hamburgers. “I told you. I can't get involved with someone right now. I have my daughter to think about.”

  “I understand—I really do, but just so you know, I would never in a million years do anything to hurt Kelsie.”

  Molly nodded. “I know you wouldn't mean to. I can see how good you are with her, but we have a life back home and the sooner we get back to it, the better. Before Kelsie gets too attached.”

  The ache in his chest caught him by surprise. For a little while, the pain he'd lived with for the last year had dampened, but it came back full-force at her statement. Without a word, he left the kitchen.

  * * *

  Molly bit her lip as Sam's footsteps retreated, telling herself that being honest with Sam was the right thing to do. The situation was too volatile. It was bad enough she and Kelsie had to leave their home, even if it was due to her brother and not Sam. She couldn't let her daughter become too attached to a man who would walk out of their lives when the situation changed.

  After the burgers were ready to be cooked, she opened a package of frozen corn and poured it into a pan, setting it on the stove ready to heat when the hamburgers were close to being done. Molly pulled the potato salad out of the fridge along with the makings for a tossed salad. There wasn't anything more to do right now and she admitted to herself that she was stalling. She didn't want to face Sam or make small talk with Victoria. Kelsie had gone out to the porch, not wanting to miss anything.

  Chin high, she took the platter of burgers, along with a clean one for the cooked meat, and headed out to Sam. The grill was on a cement apron at the side of the drive and she had to walk past Johnny and Victoria to reach it. She nodded and smiled, hoping it looked more genuine than it felt. Sam took the platter with a quiet thank you, his face impassive.

  She looked around, wondering what to do next. Johnny and Victoria were deep in conversation, Sam wasn't speaking to her, and Kelsie was playing with a couple of stuffed animals at the far end of the porch.

  With a sigh, she sat on the steps. It was too nice of an evening to sit cooped up inside the house. The hamburgers sizzled on the grill, and as the scent wafted past, her stomach growled. The hours on the beach had whet her appetite. Sam had changed out of his swimming trunks and wore a gray t-shirt and an old worn pair of jeans.

  “Hey, Sam?”

  He glanced over his shoulder. “Yes?”

  She winced at his impersonal tone, but she had it coming. “I should probably take a look at your wounds.”

  He didn't face her, just flipped a couple of burgers. “They're fine. I can take care of them.”

  “Oh. Okay. Well, let me know if you need any help.”

  “I won't.”

  Molly stared at his back for a minute before standing. It was probably better that he was angry with her. It would make it easier for them to stay away from each other. The reasoning didn't help ease the sting as she climbed the steps to the porch.

  “Molly?”

  She paused at the top of the steps, and faced him.

  “Thank you for what you've done. I know I should have thanked you sooner, and I apologize for my thoughtlessness. You've been wonderful through all this.” He held her gaze for a long moment before he gave a quick nod and turned back to the grill.

  “You're welcome, Sam.” She didn't know if he heard her, but didn't wait to find out as she hurried into the house to hide the tears welling in her eyes. If he'd have been a jerk about it, it would be a lot easier, but no, he had to go and be all civil to her.

  A few minutes later, they all sat down to eat, and Molly was actually thankful for the buffer of Victoria. Between her and Kelsie, they kept up a steady stream of chatter. Sam asked Victoria about a few people they both had known, and Johnny questioned Victoria about where people went to have fun up here. Molly ate her dinner, barely tasting a thing, and admonished Kelsie to talk a little less and eat a little more.

  After they ate and cleaned up the kitchen, Kelsie reminded Sam about his promise of S'mores. Sam looked at Molly for permission before agreeing to making the treat. She was bone-tired, but Kelsie had such a look of hope on her face, she couldn't crush it. “I'll get the stuff together. You guys find the sticks for the marshmallows.”

  Sam rested his hand on the top of Kelsie's head and bent to hear whatever it was she was saying as the two left the kitchen. It had been only a few days, but already her daughter was completely smitten with Sam. Molly couldn't blame her. He was hard to resist.

  After gathering the chocolate, marshmallows and graham crackers, Molly approached the living room, intending to ask if Johnny and Victoria wanted to join them in making the treats, but she paused before entering when she heard Sam’s name mentioned. She peeked in to find Victoria and Johnny sitting on the couch looking at a book.

  Curious, she crossed to them. “What's that?”

  They jumped, and Victoria started to close the book, but then she giggled. “Just a photo album. I was showing Johnny some pictures from when Sam, my brother and I all hung out together.”

  She flipped through a few pages. “Oh, look, there he is in his uniform. You should have seen him, Molly. He was so handsome!”

  Johnny scowled, but Victoria gave him a playful slap on the thigh. “That was ages ago, Johnny.”

  “Oh! And look, here's one of little Sean! I only saw him a few times in town, but he was just the most adorable little boy. It's so sad.” Victoria patted the cushion beside her. “Come and look, Molly.”

  Molly wanted to see, but held back. She had no right to spy into Sam's past, but it was just a photograph and he'd told her about Sean. Her curiosity won out over her reluctance and she leaned sideways to see the photo.

  Sean had one arm around his dad's neck as Sam knelt beside him. The snapshot had been taken on the pier she'd seen down at the lake. The little boy held up a small fish and beamed at the camera. Sam's pride and love was evident in the way he looked not at the camera, but at Sean, his hand resting on top of his son's head.

  The screen door slammed and Molly turned just as Sam strode past her, his hand held out to Victoria. “Give me that.”

  Victoria shrugged and gave it to him. “Sorry. I didn't think you'd mind. After all, the album was on the mantle. It wasn't like I went snooping around for it.”

  A muscle jumped in Sam's jaw, but he simply nodded. His gaze shifted to Molly and his face unreadable as he said, “Kelsie found some sticks.”

  “Okay. Thanks.” She slipped past him, unable to look him in the eye. A few minutes later, she tried her best to put on a good front for Kelsie. Thankfully, the little girl was having too much fun roasting marshmallows and sandwiching them between chocolate and graham crackers to notice how distracted Molly was acting. Sam had walked around the side of the house and she supposed he was probably at the beach.

  Just as Kelsie squished the third S'more together, Sam stepped onto the porch. He glanced at Molly, but when Kelsie presented him with the S’more, his stony facade cracked.

  “You made one for me?”

  “Well, duh!” Kelsie snickered. “Of course we did, silly.”

  Sam accepted it and Kelsie watched him as if she was expecting to win a blue ribbon for her culinary skills. Sam took a bite. Crumbs fell onto his shirt, and marshmallow stuck to the corner of his mouth. “Mmm…mmm. This is the best one I've had in a very long time, Kelsie.”

  Kelsie glowed. Molly could have kissed him for his reply.

  “Where's your's?” Sam pointed to Molly's empty hands.

  “I thought that one was mine, but my daughter sold me out.”

  Sam winked at Kelsie and said to Molly, “Kelsie and I have an agreement when it comes to stuff like this. She gives me first dibs, and I do the same for her.”

  Molly crossed her arms in mock anger. “Oh, you do, do you?”

  Kelsie had already poked another marshmallow onto the end of a stick, and held it over the fire. “Don't worry, Mommy, you can have this one
.”

  For another twenty minutes, they ate S’mores, keeping the banter light. After they finished up, Molly tucked Kelsie in bed. The sun was just setting and even though it was close to ten 'o'clock, it just didn't seem late enough to go to bed yet.

  The house was quiet and she wondered where the others had gone. She headed to the porch and stood with hands partially jammed into her front jean pockets. Sam was stirring the coals, scattering them in the grill. Shoving her hands into her back pockets, she glanced around. Victoria's car was gone. “Did Johnny go to bed?”

  Sam shook his head. “No. He and Victoria went to a bar.”

  Molly rolled her eyes. “Figures.”

  Sam rolled the grill away from the house, and dusted his hands on his jeans. “Yeah. I advised him to stay here tonight, but short of telling the whole story in front of Victoria, there wasn't much I could say. At least she's driving.” He opened the porch door and Molly felt a pang of disappointment that he was going in the house, but he only reached his hand inside and a second later, a porch light on the side near the driveway flicked on. Carefully, he closed the door so it wouldn’t slam,

  “Yeah.” Why couldn't Johnny ever listen to anyone? Molly plopped onto the swing and closed her eyes. The woods were alive with the hum of insects and chirping of crickets. Bullfrogs croaked down by the lake adding to the natural symphony. The sounds lulled her into a relaxed state, almost dozing. A few minutes later, the swing jerked and Molly's eyes flew open to find Sam sitting beside her. He'd left a little room, but his knee brushed against hers, sending a spark of heat up her leg.

  Sam studied her face for moment. “I'm sorry.”

  “For what?”

  “For how I acted about the photo album.”

  Molly lifted one shoulder. “We were being nosy. There’s no need to apologize.”

  “Yes, there is. I haven't been able to look at the album since he died, but that's my problem. You weren't doing anything wrong.”

  Unable to think of a reply, Molly simply nodded. Sam slid down a bit, resting his head against the wall behind the swing, his legs stretched out in front of him. His knee no longer touched hers and she missed it. It was just proof that she had made the right decision. It would be a lot less painful for all involved that the relationship ended sooner rather than later. She was sure the pain would ease quickly—after all, they had only known each other for less than a week. True relationships needed longer than that to develop. A yawn overtook her. Last night’s flight from home and today’s time on the beach had caught up to her and she could barely keep her eyes open. She was sure that fatigue was the major cause of her doubts as to whether she’d made the right decision. By morning, she would be glad she had put a halt to things.

  * * *

  “Do you want another?” Molly held a pancake-laden spatula poised over Sam’s plate waiting for him to reply. He nodded and she slipped it onto the pile of three already stacked on his dish. It had been almost a week since they had arrived and tensions were strained between them. Sam had taken to sleeping in his son’s old room so that she and Kelsie could have the larger bed. The last few days, Sam had left for most of the day, returning in the evenings. He didn’t say where he was going, but she had an idea that he was taking road trips back to her town or that area. It would explain his fatigue when he returned every evening. With that many hours on the road, plus whatever he did in between, she didn’t know how he was managing to function.

  “Thanks for making breakfast. I appreciate it.” Sam dug into the pile. Stubble dotted his jaw. More than a day’s growth so he was either too tired to shave or wanted to change his appearance. She was betting on the latter.

  “I’d have made breakfast for you yesterday, but you were gone when I woke up.” She put the last three pancakes on her own plate and sat to eat. Kelsie had already eaten her breakfast and was playing on the porch. “I’m trying not to be nosy, but since I’ve had my life turned upside down, I decided I had a right to know what’s going on. Where do you go every day?”

  “Out. Going town to town asking at biker bars about the Ravens.”

  “Why? Aren’t we supposed to be hiding from them?”

  “You, Kelsie and Johnny are hiding from them.” He took a drink of milk and shrugged. “I don’t want to sit around waiting for them to track your brother down, so I’ve taken the offensive.”

  “What does that mean, exactly?”

  “I don’t want to be ambushed by them, so want to know where they are. So far, I’ve come up empty. I’ve hit some of their old hangouts that I knew from last year, but it’s summertime and they’re probably making the bike rally rounds.”

  “You know, you don’t have to rush home at night if your travels take you far away.”

  “I don’t want to leave you and Kelsie alone at night. It’s a long shot that they’d come here, but just in case.”

  “Johnny’s here, and I have my car most of the time since he’s out with Victoria.”

  “I know you would rather that I was gone, but I don’t trust your brother to protect you and like you said, he’s usually not even here at night.” He spoke matter of fact, but it still stung when he said it—as if Molly hated him or something.

  “That’s not it, Sam. It’s just that you look exhausted. I thought you could get a lot more rest if you stayed at a hotel instead of driving back here every night.” The pancake felt leaden in her stomach after the second bite. Not for the first time she wondered why she had to meet Sam under these circumstances. Why did there have to be so many complications? She poked her fork into another bit of pancake, but couldn’t work up the energy to bring it to her mouth. She laid the fork down with a sigh. “Your idea that we don’t want you around couldn’t be further from the truth. Kelsie asks about you every day.”

  His eyes softened. “She does?”

  Molly nodded and spread her hands. “This place is wonderful, but when you’re not here, it feels empty—like it’s missing something.” Embarrassed at the disclosure, she stood and gathered Kelsie’s dirty plate along with her own, and put them in the sink. Behind her, Sam continued eating while she washed the dishes.

  A few minutes later, he stood behind her and reached around, slipping his own dishes into the sink. “I was thinking of taking a few days off. You’re right. I’m worn out and so far, I’ve come up with nothing.”

  Molly grinned down at the dish in her hand and took the bottle of dish soap, squeezing a drop on the plate. A flurry of bubbles escaped from the bottle, floating and sparkling in the sunlight streaming into the kitchen. “Kelsie will be thrilled.”

  The heat from his body enveloped her as he moved even closer, and she looked over her shoulder to find his face only inches away. His eyes searched hers. “What about you?”

  Flustered at his nearness, she stuttered, “I…I’m okay with it.”

  His eyes warmed, crinkling in the corners, but he didn’t smile. “Just okay with it?”

  She shrugged, unable to drag her gaze from his.

  His hand came up and she leaned towards the caress, but it never came. Instead, he brushed his fingers across a few of her curls. “You had a couple of bubbles clinging.”

  Then he turned away and ambled out of the kitchen.

  * * *

  Molly loved the cabin and the beach, but she was getting stir crazy and when she said something about it, Sam suggested they go for a ride. The three of them drove the winding roads through the forest. It took them by several other lakes and Molly marveled at some of the huge summer homes but her favorites were the small cozy cottages. “The lakes are so beautiful, I might have to look for a job up here after I finish school. I bet I could buy a nice little cottage like one of those, don’t you think?”

  “Winters can get pretty bad.”

  Molly waved that off. “Eh, I have four-wheel drive. Maybe I’ll get a snowmobile. I’ve only been on one once and it was a blast. Do you snowmobile?”

  Sam nodded. “Not in a long time, but there�
�s a snowmobile in the shed. Like the boat, it would need some tuning up, but it’s in running condition.”

  ”Wow, you have everything up here.” Molly grinned at Sam. “I can’t imagine why you ever left.”

  A shadow crossed Sam’s face as he shrugged. “I’ve been asking myself that question a lot lately.”

  After awhile they wound up on the highway and Sam took them to town. Molly and Kelsie explored several gift shops. Molly bought a few books for herself from the small selection one shop carried, and purchased a couple of Barbie dolls for Kelsie. Afterward, they ate dinner at a restaurant decorated with stuffed deer heads.

  “Are they alive?” Kelsie stared at the creatures, her eyes huge. “They look so real!”

  Sam glanced at the trophies and grinned. “No, they’re not alive anymore.”

  Turning her gaze onto Sam, Kelsie asked in a hushed tone, “Anymore?”

  “Uh, Kels, how about some chicken tenders?” She needed to distract her daughter from the deer. The reality of the deer’s fate was a little much for a six year old to handle.

  Back at the house, Kelsie played in the living room with her new dolls. Restless, Molly headed out to the porch, intending to read one of her new books, but she couldn’t keep her mind on it. Sam had gone to putter around on the boat, and Johnny was gone, as usual. She barely saw him lately as he spent most evenings out with Victoria.

  Sam rounded the corner of the house and headed inside, his hands black with grease. A few minutes later, he came out with a couple of bottles of beer, and offered her one.

  Taking it, she set her book aside and scooted over, making room for him to sit on the swing too, if he wanted. “I should go in and check on Kelsie.” But she made no move to rise.

  The swing creaked as he sat. “No need. She fell asleep on the sofa, a doll clutched in each hand. I covered her with a blanket. She’s fine for now.”

  “Thank you.”