Brace for Impact

by Becky Harmon

  Frustrated for not ridding herself of the hold this stranger had on her, she forced herself to avoid searching the faces of every passerby for Lucy’s as she left the airport. Grabbing a cab on the curb, she gave the driver the hotel information and settled in the seat. She couldn’t believe it, but she was looking forward to getting back to her little condo in Toronto tomorrow.

  Chapter Six

  Lucy dried her hair with a towel as she danced around her bedroom. She wasn’t sure why she was excited to visit Sheila and Karen, but she was. Maybe it was time for her to make some friends; this would be a good test for her.

  She grabbed her phone as it rang and glanced at the display. She agonized for a moment and then swiped to accept the call.

  “Hi, Mom. What’s up?”

  “Only checking on you.”

  “I’m fine.” She hopped on one foot as she slid her leg into cargo shorts.

  “How’s the new house?”

  “Fine.”

  An uncomfortable silence stretched between them. Was her mom looking for an invitation to visit? She definitely wasn’t ready for that.

  “And the remodeling?”

  “Almost finished.”

  “I could help decorate if you want.”

  She hesitated. Her mother did want to visit. She resisted the urge to ask why.

  “I’m good. Besides it’s really small. Only one bedroom.”

  “Okay. Well, if you change your mind I could stay in Madison. They have a few hotels.”

  She hesitated again. Apparently her mother had already looked at hotels in the area. Why? Why was her mother reaching out to her now?

  “I’m headed out again tomorrow,” she lied. “And I’m not sure how long I’ll be gone this time. Maybe when I know I’ll be home for a few days.” She knew as she said it that she wouldn’t invite her mother to her house, and it hurt a little to know her mother knew it too.

  “Stay safe and call if you need anything.” Her mother’s voice faded. “Anything at all.”

  “Okay. Bye.” Lucy disconnected the call before her mother could say anything else. Connecting with her mother was not on today’s agenda, but making new friends was and she was going to be late if she didn’t start walking now.

  She walked the quarter mile down the road with Bogarts on the other side of the fence. Once she cleared the trees along the road and the view of the pasture opened up, he had caught sight of her. He didn’t have anything to say this evening, but she occasionally stuck her arm through the fence and petted his head. He seemed to like to have his long ears scratched after he realized her hands didn’t contain carrots.

  Sheila met her at the door before she could even knock. “Come in.”

  Lucy stepped into the small mudroom and slid off her running shoes before following Sheila into a large open kitchen. Cabinets and counter space ran the length of both walls. A work area with a sink was in the middle island. Through the breakfast bar, she could see Karen at the kitchen table leaning over a laptop with a cell phone pressed to her ear.

  “The food’s ready and Karen should be finished soon. Would you like a drink? Alcohol or non-alcohol?”

  “Non, I guess.”

  “Sweet tea, lemonade, or water?”

  “Sweet tea is fine.”

  Sheila poured them both a glass and then motioned for her to follow. They stepped out onto a screened-in porch off the back of the house. A small in-ground pool was enclosed on one side and a long rectangular glass patio table was on the other. Sheila took a seat on the swing and Lucy turned around a chair at the table, sitting across from her.

  “I’m sorry Karen’s working, but sometimes her hours are sporadic.”

  “No problem.” Lucy smiled. “You’re very understanding.”

  Sheila returned her smile. “Not always, but I do try. She’s doing a good thing so it’s hard to fault her.”

  “Oh, what does she do?”

  “She’s a social worker. Seems there’s always a kid somewhere that no one wants.”

  “That’s a hard job. Emotionally, I mean.”

  “It is. That’s why Karen is so good at it. She has a good heart, but she can separate herself from the pain she sees every day.”

  “She’s lucky to have you to come home to. Karen said you work from home?”

  “I do. In a former life I did website design and I still dabble a little, but mostly I tend to the farm. Animals, plants, and stuff like that.”

  “Hey, where’s the food? I’m starving,” Karen said as she stepped onto the porch. “Hi, Lucy. Glad you could make it.”

  “Food’s waiting for you,” Sheila said, standing. “Want to eat out here or in the house?”

  “Out here, I think,” Karen said, glancing around to make sure everyone agreed.

  Lucy helped carry out the dishes of green beans, corn on the cob, coleslaw, and barbeque chicken. She listened to Sheila and Karen banter about everything from the kitchen appliances to the food preparation. It was entertaining and not at all uncomfortable. Neither woman was upset or angry nor were they short-tempered. It was easy to see they had lived together for a while.

  “This all looks great,” Lucy said as they sat down at the table. “Is it all from your garden?”

  “Yep,” Karen and Sheila said together.

  Lucy laughed.

  “I heard Sheila giving you the rundown on my job, so what do you do?” Karen asked, looking at Lucy.

  She had already played in her head how she would answer this question. It was normally the first question people asked when they met you—after “where do you live,” of course. She could lie, but if she did she would always be building on that lie. So, she took a leap of faith.

  “I’m an air marshal.”

  Sheila raised her eyebrows. “Wow. That’s not what I was expecting.”

  “How exciting,” Karen added.

  “It has its moments, but mostly it’s a lot of travel.”

  “That explains why you’re gone so much,” Karen said, looking at Sheila.

  Lucy caught the look that passed between them. A look that said so much without any words. A look that meant years of living together didn’t require anything more than a meeting of their eyes. She considered letting it pass, but she felt the twinge of wishing she had someone to share things with. Wishing she had a friend who understood and knew her. She pushed past her normal surface acquaintance guidelines and smiled at them both. “Okay, what?”

  Karen laughed. “We’d made a game out of guessing what you did for a living.”

  “Why would you tell her that?” Sheila groaned.

  “Why not?” Karen glanced at Lucy. “It wasn’t mean or anything.”

  “I’m not offended,” Lucy said with a grin. “Tell me your guesses.”

  “Oh, we had everything from sales to secret agent.”

  “Really, Karen. You can’t stop talking, can you?”

  Karen gave Sheila a scathing look. “What? Lucy isn’t upset and it was all in fun.”

  Sheila scooped a spoonful of coleslaw onto her plate and passed the dish to Karen. “Fill your mouth and then I won’t have to wonder what you’ll say next.”

  “Gladly.” Karen gave her a big smile.

  Lucy helped herself to some of everything and made appropriately appreciative noises. The food was really good and it wasn’t hard to give many compliments.

  “Having this area screened is great,” Lucy commented as she enjoyed her last bite of chicken and coleslaw.

  Karen shrugged and Sheila swatted her arm.

  “Karen’s blood is sour, so she isn’t bothered by insects. I spend more than enough time battling the gnats and mosquitoes in the garden. I didn’t want to continue that when I was relaxing too.”

  “It is nice and we spend a lot of time out here when it’s cool enough,” Karen added, swatting Sheila back. “And my blood’s not sour. It’s just I’m tougher than you are.”

  “Right. I’ll remember that the next time we see a spider in
the house.”

  Karen shivered. “Spiders aren’t natural. Especially those little black ones with the white eyes that move in all directions. I’ll take a snake outside any day to a spider.”

  Lucy laughed. “I don’t want either so keep them over here.”

  “You can see our roles are clearly defined,” Sheila added and then glanced at Karen checking her phone display. “Are you going back out tonight?”

  “Maybe. Deputy Watkins confiscated a baby earlier, but she’s still trying to decide what to do with it.”

  “Confiscated?” Lucy asked.

  “Yep. She was called to the house for a domestic dispute. Apparently a young unmarried couple had given birth and the grandparents were fighting over the baby. Neither of the parents were present so she took the baby. She’s giving them two hours to produce a birth certificate and a parent with identification. She called to give me a heads-up in case they don’t show up.”

  “Wow. Poor kid,” Lucy said.

  “At least people want this kid. Normally I’m called out because there’s a kid no one wants.”

  “What do you do?” Lucy asked. She was enjoying hearing Karen talk about her job and Sheila was starting to pass around dishes of raspberry pie with ice cream.

  “There’s a group home in the next county over and we have a couple locally who will take kids for a night or two in an emergency.”

  “And sometimes she brings them home,” Sheila added.

  Karen nodded. “If everywhere is full, then someone from my office will step up. It depends on the situation though. I won’t bring any risk home with me. If a violent parent might show up or if the kid has violent tendencies then the sheriff’s department will use a holding cell. It’s a last resort, but it keeps the kid safe until we can deal with the situation.”

  “That’s a lot of pain to deal with.”

  Lucy could imagine how easily she might have ended up in foster care if she had been younger when her father died. Her mother wouldn’t have been able to take care of a young child. She took another bite of the warm raspberry pie with ice cream and let it dissolve in her mouth. The tartness of the berries was quickly smothered by the sweetness of the melting ice cream. “This is delicious.”

  “Thanks. It’s because of you that I found this patch.”

  “Me?”

  “I walked the fence line to see what Bogarts was up to when you were here last.”

  Lucy laughed. “Where is my buddy?”

  “You can’t see him from here, but he’s probably already in his stall waiting for dinner. Want to go feed him?”

  “Oh yeah. That would be great.”

  Lucy followed Sheila and Karen across the yard to a small red pole barn. Karen opened a large bin beside the fence and pulled out a cup filled with pellets. When they entered the gate and moved into Bogarts’s view, he began to bray.

  “He has a lot to say,” Lucy observed.

  “Always,” Karen and Sheila said together.

  He seemed happy to see them all, but the food was too hard to resist so he stuck his head in the bucket as soon as Karen dumped the cup. Lucy took the opportunity to stroke his neck without him head butting her. His fur was thicker than she expected and extremely soft.

  “He’s starting to grow his winter coat. Even though it doesn’t get really cold here, he still grows it,” Sheila explained.

  “I love the shaggy look. He’s adorable,” Lucy said.

  Apparently aware he was the topic of conversation, Bogarts pulled his head out of the bucket with a mouthful of pellets and nudged Lucy’s stomach. She stroked his nose, avoiding the saliva-squished food oozing from the corners of his mouth.

  “His manners are the best,” Karen laughed as Lucy stepped away from his swinging head.

  They left Bogarts to his dinner and walked back toward the house.

  “No one else gets fed now?” Lucy asked as she glanced across the field at the other donkey and a few goats.

  “No, Bogarts is special,” answered Karen.

  Lucy waited, expecting Karen to elaborate and was surprised when she didn’t. “Should I not ask why?”

  Sheila groaned. “Karen rescues everyone and everything in need, but it’s a long story. We’ll save it for next time.”

  Lucy laughed. “I’m getting invited back. Woo-hoo!”

  “Of course,” Karen and Sheila said together.

  Lucy was sure that was at least the third time they had spoken together. She had to admit she was a little jealous of their relationship. They seemed so relaxed and comfortable with each other. The level of confidence they showed in each other and their relationship was what she admired the most. Confidence the other wouldn’t leave. It was something Lucy had never had in any relationship, even with her mother. Her dad left and her mother checked out behind him. Though she had still been around, she wasn’t dependable, and probably still wasn’t. Lucy didn’t have any confidence she would see her again, or even if she wanted to.

  Lucy joined in with clearing the table even though Karen and Sheila both said no. She did leave once everything was moved into the kitchen but not before Sheila made her a to-go container. She tried to relax when they both hugged her and extracted a promise that she’d let them know when she was returning. Karen wanted to drive her home, but she refused, insisting she needed the walk after all the good food.

  She waved at their silhouettes in the lighted doorway and followed the sidewalk back to the road. Two Ford vehicles, an SUV and a truck, stood outside the gate like sentries protecting the quiet home. She was surprised at how comfortable she had felt here tonight. A part of her wanted to remain inside and maybe curl up in front of the television. She understood the difference between a house and a home now.

  She enjoyed the moonlit walk along the quiet road but stopped when she moved into view of her own house. She looked at it like it was the first time. It still looked a little worse for wear on the outside, but some paint would help. Her focus had been on making the inside comfortable. With everything but the kitchen finished, she looked forward to fixing up the outside on her next visit. Maybe she would get Karen’s and Sheila’s help picking some flowers and vegetation. Something that wouldn’t need her attention on a regular basis. Something that would help make her house feel more like a home.

  * * *

  Dex rolled over as the ringing phone brought her out of a deep sleep.

  “What?” she answered a little too harshly.

  “Love you too, sis.”

  Deidra.

  “What time is it?” Dex groaned.

  “You missed breakfast with Dad. If that’s what you’re asking.”

  “I’ll make it up to him with lunch. Or maybe dinner.”

  Deidra laughed. “I’ll send Trevor to pick you up in an hour.”

  She groaned again, this time for multiple reasons. After being away eight years, she had missed Deidra’s sons growing up and their relationship had withered. Trevor was half Deidra’s age, almost twenty. He had grown from a child who loved Pokémon to an adult while she was gone. Dillon was barely seven when she left and was now in the midst of the rebellious teenager stage. She held no hope of connecting with him for a few more years.

  “Dex?”

  “Okay.”

  “Trevor still thinks you walk on water, you know?”

  “Really?”

  “Really. Just talk airplanes and helicopters and before you know it, you guys will be best friends again.”

  Dex said goodbye and disconnected the call. Now that her father, Russ, had been officially diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, she wanted to see him as much as she could before he got to a point where he couldn’t remember her at all. Right now, it was hit or miss and he was still able to leave the nursing home. Because of her time in the military, Dex knew she was the favorite daughter—even though Deidra had more than earned the title. Every Sunday like clockwork, Deidra made the time to pick up their father and take him to breakfast at the Senator Restaurant on Victoria
Street, his favorite for as long as Dex could remember. There he’d always consume the same thing—two fried eggs and potatoes, bacon, toast, and baked beans, their specialty. Along with a cup of delicious coffee Dex longed for right at this moment. She sighed. Though it was only a short subway ride from her condo, it was too far to go if she was going to be ready before Trevor arrived.

  * * *

  Dex glanced over her shoulder and smiled. “Thanks for coming along for the ride, Dillon.”

  Unable to pull his face from the smartphone glued to his fingers, he mumbled something incomprehensible. She looked at Trevor for explanation.

  “Mom told him we would stop at Tim Hortons.”

  Dex almost squealed with delight at the thought of visiting the Canadian version of Dunkin Donuts, with even better coffee.

  “Coffee sounds great,” she announced to the car.

  “And a donut?” Trevor asked.

  “I’ll let you know when we get there.”

  Trevor laughed as he signaled to change lanes and take the exit. Tim Hortons wasn’t too crowded and they were back on the Queen Elizabeth Way without much delay.

  “How’s college going?” Dex asked Trevor, seeing no hope in making conversation with Dillon. Though the younger boy had placed a donut order, his fingers continued to move across the keyboard on his phone.

  “It’s okay. A lot different than high school. I miss driving every day. Mom makes me ride the train.”

  Sheridan College, located in Oakville, Ontario, was only about twenty miles from Deidra’s house in Hamilton. A thirty- to forty-minute trip on the Go train was often much faster than driving in traffic, which could take twenty minutes—or two hours.

  “I know riding the train probably seems like a bore, but you don’t have to find parking and you can study during the commute.”

  Trevor nodded his head. “Yeah, it’s nice to have most of my work finished before I get home in the evening. I’m hoping to convince Mom and Dad to let me move to Oakville next fall. There isn’t any student housing on campus, but I have some friends who rented a place nearby. There are six of them in the house and two will be graduating in the spring.”

  Dex took a sip of coffee as she listened to Trevor talk about the potential housing options and his digital animation classes. She and Trevor had had a close bond before she left for the military, and she had assumed being away eight years would diminish it. She had felt uncomfortable with the adult beside her, but she could see now that it wouldn’t take much to get to know him again. He was open and social like his mother, exactly as he had been as a kid.