“Yep. I saw him go inside City Hall.”
“How long ago?” Cody glanced toward the double doors to the building.
Anna shrugged. “A while.”
He handed the romance novel to Kim. “Here, keep this for me,” he told her then he started for the building.
Kim laughed. “Maggie must have something to do with your selection of reading material.”
He turned and backpedaled. “According to her, she’s broadening my horizons.”
When he went inside, he glimpsed Brady sitting on the stairs that swept down from the second floor. Cody halted and placed a call to Maggie. “He’s inside City Hall.”
“I’ll be there,” she said in a raspy voice.
“Give me some time to talk to him first. He’s sitting on the stairs with his chin in his palm, looking like he’s lost his best friend. Okay?”
Her deep sigh floated to him. “I’ll wait. While I’ve been looking for him, one thing has become evident. He needs help whether he agrees or not.”
“We’ll talk about that later. Let me see what he says.” Cody entered the main corridor, cool air enveloping him.
Brady stared at a step at the bottom. The sound of Cody’s footsteps brought the boy’s head up. His frown dissolved into a neutral expression like a mask falling into place.
“Hi. What are you doing in here?” Cody mounted the first stair.
“Hangin’.”
Cody sat next to Brady. “It’s cooler in here.”
“Yeah. Mom won’t let me go home.”
“Are any of your friends here?”
“I guess. I saw a couple. They were going to the beach.”
“You didn’t want to?”
“Nope. Not interested.”
Cody lounged back against the step behind him, propping himself up with his elbows. “You know what I would like to learn before I leave Hope? Floundering. Have you ever done that? Your mom says you like to fish.”
With his forehead scrunched, Brady peered back at him for a few seconds. “Sure. Sometimes I have across the road from Bienville. That beach area is good for floundering at night.”
“I’ve seen people doing that. So night is the best time to do it?”
“If you go gigging for flounder but you can fish for them using a rod, usually early in the morning.”
“Have you gone gigging any this summer?”
Brady shook his head.
“Would you be interested in showing me how? I’ve enjoyed eating flounder and would love to learn how to catch it.” Cody watched the play of emotions—from surprise to uncertainty—flitter across Brady’s face, his expression finally settling back into a bland one.
“Why me?” Wariness edged his words.
Cody stared into the boy’s eyes, clouding with his doubt. “Because your mother is worried about you.”
“And she wants you to talk to me like you did with Uncle Keith?”
“Yes.”
Brady shot to his feet. “I don’t need no shrink. I’m fine.” He started down the steps.
“Are you, Brady? Why are you spending so much time by yourself? Why are you avoiding your friends, even your family? Why have you given up doing what you’ve enjoyed doing in the past?”
Maggie’s son whirled. “Because I want to. There’s nothing wrong with spending time by yourself. Or doing something different from the same ole thing.”
“No. It’s good for people to spend time by themselves some of the time. But the reasons for doing it are what’s important.”
The sound of a door closing resonated through the silence. Brady glared at Cody as Maggie crossed the large foyer toward her son. When the child spun on his heel and stormed toward the door, Maggie tried to stop him.
He shook her off and said, “I’m okay. Leave me alone. I want to be alone. I’m not like Uncle Keith was.”
The slamming door echoed through the air, as though Brady wanted to emphasize what he said with an exclamation mark. Maggie’s shoulders sagged as she expelled a long breath. “That must not have gone well.”
“He doesn’t think he needs help.”
“He’s as stubborn as Uncle Keith. I’ll have my uncle talk to him. Maybe he can persuade him to get help.”
“He needs to want to see me. If he doesn’t, it probably won’t be effective.”
“I’ll let you know.”
“Fine. Call if he agrees. I can still try anyway, if you want me to.”
“Please do. I don’t know what else to do. I feel my son slipping away from me. I know some moodiness is natural when kids become teenagers, but every day it’s becoming more evident that isn’t what’s going on here.”
“I agree.” He’d seen it in the boy’s expression—something he’d glimpsed in others he’d counseled. A desperation. A sadness that pervaded his whole being. “I’ll do what I can, and maybe Sadie will win him over,” he said to offer some encouragement.
“He tries to stay away from her, but when he sees her, he can’t. He doesn’t want to care, but that’s hard for him, so maybe in time she’ll reach him.”
“Animals have a way about them with people who are hurting. They have an uncanny ability to sense that in a person.”
“He’s gonna be thirteen next Friday and he doesn’t want to do anything for his birthday. He doesn’t want to have a party, go out to dinner. Nothing. In the past his birthday has been a big deal.”
That was the kind of thing that worried Cody. That and the fact that he didn’t want to see his friends and spent most of his time in his room. He could remember as a young teen doing the same thing once. One too many moves had taken a toll on him, and he hadn’t known how to deal with it. Until a youth minister at the church he went to had helped him.
He shoved to his feet. “C’mon. I still have a book to find for you.”
“Where’s yours?”
He looked down at his empty hands then up at her. “Kim has it.”
“We’ll go get it before someone I know forgets it.” As Maggie exited the building, she scanned the people and relaxed some when she glimpsed her son with another kid. “Maybe something you said reached Brady. He’s with Jesse. They’re best friends.”
Cody studied Maggie’s son’s body language. The boy was physically with Jesse, but mentally he seemed far away. He hoped Keith could get Brady to see him because denying he had a problem wouldn’t help him.
* * *
On Tuesday afternoon, Brady prowled Cody’s office as he had for the last fifteen minutes of their session, not saying more than a few words in answer to the questions Cody had asked him. The boy’s body language—tense, glancing at the door, rubbing his thumbs and forefingers together—shouted he didn’t want to be here.
Cody decided to change tactics. “The other day you said something about you taking me gigging for flounders. Are you still up for it?”
Brady turned from the large window that overlooked the front of City Hall and the Gulf in the distance. “You don’t hafta do that. I’m not gonna talk about how I feel. Uncle Keith may have needed that, but I don’t. I don’t care what Uncle Keith and Mom think.”
“No, that isn’t the reason. I want to try it. As I told you, I love flounder. I’ve been interested in that way of fishing for them. Will you take me?” Cody prepared himself for Brady to say no, but the child cocked his head and thought for a moment.
“Yeah, why not. It’ll keep Mom happy and it’s certainly better than sitting in here.”
“That’s great. Then I can get your mom to show me how to cook them.”
“I’ll only take you on one condition. No talking about feelings,” the child said, pursing his lips as though he had swallowed something distasteful. “Mom is overprotective and worries too much.”
“I have found mothers do that with their children. Kinda comes with the territory.”
“How about Friday night?”
“Isn’t that your birthday?”
“I don’t want any fuss about that.
What’s the big deal about turning thirteen? Now when I turn eighteen, it’ll be different.”
“Doesn’t your mom have something planned for Friday night?”
“Yeah, dinner. We can go after that. It needs to be dark anyway.”
Cody rose. “I look forward to it.”
“Come to dinner and then we can leave right after that.”
Was that so Brady wouldn’t have to interact with his family? “So long as it’s okay with your mom.” Cody would check with Maggie about dinner and going out gigging for flounders on Friday night. He didn’t want to interfere with family plans. For a few seconds he thought back to his childhood and his family. It had been years since he’d had any sense of a family. With Hannah back living with him, he’d begun to remember what he’d been missing. But it seemed God had plans for him that didn’t involve a family.
“Is there anything else?” Rocking back and forth, Brady glanced at the wall clock, impatience stamped on his features.
“No, but I’m here if you ever do need to talk.”
The slanted look he gave Cody as Brady marched toward the exit, head down, made it evident that wouldn’t happen anytime soon. Out in the hall the boy hurried toward his mother’s office at the end of the corridor.
Through the open doorway, Cody caught Maggie’s expectant gaze. He shook his head slowly. The corners of her mouth inched downward until her son went through the entrance and Cody could see Maggie struggle to smile, the usual sparkle in her eyes gone.
He went back into his office, blowing out an exasperated breath. He’d wanted to be able to unlock the child’s pain and get him to talk. But he also knew he couldn’t help Brady until he saw a need for that help. Right now the child felt he was alone and forging by himself through his anxiety, most likely produced from grief over all the changes in his life lately.
The disappointment on Maggie’s face haunted Cody as he prepared for his next appointment. He couldn’t get her out of his mind and that bothered him.
* * *
Friday evening, Maggie tossed another sundress onto her bed, still not settled on the perfect outfit to wear for Brady’s birthday dinner. She wanted everything to be special for her son.
Who am I kidding? Yes, I want that, but all I’ve been thinking about is Cody coming tonight.
On her bedside table, she caught sight of the book Cody had given her to read, C.S. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. At first she’d thought it was more a child’s story, but soon it captured her interest. She was almost finished. Where was Cody in her book? She wouldn’t be surprised if he hadn’t even started it.
At City Hall earlier, he’d walked down the stairs with her as she’d left work instead of using the elevator. He’d even escorted her to her Dodge Charger. Mostly they had talked about Hannah and how she was enjoying her job. But as he’d reached around to open her car door, he’d paused and locked gazes with her, so close she could smell a hint of his lime-scented aftershave and the peppermint candies he enjoyed throughout the day. She’d thought of asking him about the romance novel then, but bound to his look, she couldn’t think of anything coherent to say. He’d left before she’d realized she’d lost her chance.
Even now she imagined the aromas of lime and peppermint teasing her senses. She grasped her last sundress—a white one with colorful flowers—and slipped it over her head, her fingers quivering slightly as she buttoned it up the front. Positioned before her full-length mirror on the back of the closet door, she assessed herself. The dress flared out from her waist, falling just above her knees. A bright yellow belt clinched her waist. The colors accentuated her tan from working outside in the garden.
Suddenly she pivoted away from the mirror. She never worried about what she wore. Why now? She didn’t like the answer that came to her mind. Cody. But he was only passing through Hope.
Remember that. Get emotionally involved and he’ll hurt you.
She slid into her white sandals and left her bedroom, determined to keep Cody Weston at arm’s length. She still thought he could help Brady. If only her son would agree. At least after dinner, Brady was taking Cody gigging for flounders. Maybe it would work after all.
Nearing the kitchen downstairs, she heard Uncle Keith’s raised voice and stopped, not wanting to disturb him. Then Brady cut in with, “That was you. It’s not me. Why is everyone on my case?”
Before she could move from the doorway, her son charged out of the room and stomped past her with Sadie hurrying to keep up with him. His glare told Maggie all she needed to know. Uncle Keith had said something else to him about getting help.
She entered the room, zeroing in on her uncle sitting at the table. His thick eyebrows scrunched together in a frown.
“Your son has the Sommerfield stubbornness.”
Maggie pressed her lips together to keep from smiling. Her uncle was certainly known for his. “You’re his role model.”
“Poor child. I tried to get him to understand it was okay to ask for help. He didn’t need to learn that the hard way like me. I’m worried about him.”
“So am I. But what else can I do?”
Uncle Keith shook his head. “I wish I knew the answer to that. Making him won’t work. It didn’t with me.”
Yelping from the front of the house drew Maggie’s attention. “He left Sadie downstairs again. She so wants to go upstairs after Brady.”
She started toward the staircase when Sadie’s barking stopped. Moving down the hallway, Maggie heard Brady talking to the dog. She slowed and peeked around the corner. Brady held Sadie in his lap while he sat at the bottom of the steps, stroking her and murmuring something to the dog that she couldn’t hear clearly. Relieved he’d paid attention this time, she backed away.
The sound of the chimes echoed through the house. Through the glass panels on the sides of the double doors, she saw Hannah, which meant Cody was here. As she crossed the foyer, her pulse kicked up its tempo while Brady picked up Sadie and carried her toward the back area.
“Hi, glad y’all could come tonight.” Maggie’s glance skimmed down Cody’s length.
Dressed in tan shorts, a navy blue polo shirt and brown sandals, he looked relaxed. And handsome and charming.
Don’t go there, Maggie.
Pushing thoughts of the man from her mind, she focused on Hannah. “You must be busy. I haven’t seen you since last weekend. Is Zane overworking you?”
Hannah smiled. “Not at all. I’ve enjoyed using my skills again and I plan to continue for as long as I can.”
“If she has anything to say, it’ll be right up to the end,” Cody said. The concern Maggie heard in his voice struck a chord in her. She and her brother didn’t have that kind of relationship. Her extended family was loving but not her immediate one. All through her childhood there had been a wall between her mother and her, often putting her father in the middle. She could remember the strain in the house when her dad had taken her side on things.
“When squatting, crawling through attics and climbing ladders gets too much, I’ll gladly work in Zane’s office. I won’t do anything to endanger my babies. I’m still having a hard time realizing I’ll have twins.” Hannah splayed her hand over her chest. “Just the thought sends my heart racing.”
“It would mine. Being a parent isn’t easy.” Maggie closed the door behind them as they came into the house.
Hannah’s eyes widened.
Maggie quickly added, “But you’ll be able to do it. We’ll help.” But the second she said it, she peered at Cody and wondered when he would have to leave and go to another disaster site. Hannah had mentioned staying here possibly. How did Cody feel? Did he want his sister to stay in Hope or go with him?
“I see Brady is spending time with Sadie.” Cody gestured toward the back of the house where her son had disappeared with the dog.
“Sort of. This is the first time he’s come back down to play with Sadie when she barks at the bottom of the stairs.”
“That’s progress
. Sadie’s amazing. She’s getting around well.”
“But she can’t do stairs. It frustrates her. She tried yesterday, and I finally had to pick her up and take her to my bedroom. She ran out of it and sat in front of Brady’s door. He finally let her in for a while.”
“Sounds like she’s slowly wearing him down,” Cody said as he followed her and Hannah down the hallway.
“If he was himself, that wouldn’t be an issue,” Maggie whispered so Brady wouldn’t overhear. Louder she added, “Uncle Keith is in the kitchen. The rest of the guests should be arriving soon.”
“Where’s Ruth?” Cody asked when he entered the room.
“She’s watching her grandsons for Kathleen and Gideon. They’re all coming together.” Uncle Keith stood. “Wanna help me, Cody? We’re gonna grill hamburgers out back. Zane brought over his grill earlier so we’ll have two going.”
“Sure.”
As the two men left the kitchen, the front doorbell rang again.
“Be right back.” Maggie strode toward the foyer. In the past her son’s birthday had always been a time for celebration, but this year Brady wasn’t cooperating. It seemed the last place he wanted to be was in the middle of a party in his honor. This was the time she missed Robbie the most—when she needed someone to lean on and discuss Brady and his problems.
When she tried to imagine Robbie, all she could picture was Cody, telling her that he would help her. She shook his image from her mind and opened the front door.
* * *
Cody changed into some cutoff jeans and a T-shirt to go gigging with Brady. He stuffed his other clothes in a backpack and went in search of Maggie. He wasn’t leaving without talking to her, no matter how much she’d tried to avoid him during the dinner. Finding her in the kitchen, he paused and watched her for a moment until she spied him and stopped rinsing off the dishes.
“I’m glad you changed. Floundering can get messy.” Maggie turned back to the counter.
“You’re okay with Brady and me going gigging across the road?”
She placed more plates into the sink. “Sure. As I told you, as long as he stayed until after the cake and presents, it’s fine.”
A Mom's New Start (Love Inspired) Page 8