by Karen Rock
“Good girl.” Aunt Grace offered Tyler a dried apricot next.
A flapping wind sail glided by, its driver dressed in a wet suit and gripping a long bar. She and Sue gazed after the splash of color as it skipped across the water and she wondered if Sue remembered the time they’d borrowed a couple from Frank Trudeau and spent the entire day up to their waists, falling in and out of the deep water. It’d been their first and, for Jodi, her last attempt. A failure. The thought brought her back to the present.
“So you’ll drop out?” Jodi looked at Sue in despair. She could imagine how much effort hardworking Sue had put into the project. She’d always been one of the brightest kids in school.
“Looks like it unless—” Sue broke off and peered at Tyler as he rested his head on Jodi’s lap, his eyes tracking the heavy-bottomed clouds moving sluggishly overhead.
“Unless?”
“Forgive me, Jodi. But I have another reason to visit and it has to do with Tyler.” Sue pushed to her feet and paced the deck, her rubber soles squelching when they hit a damp spot. “I need a research subject.”
“I don’t understand.” Her grip tightened on her son. Tyler wasn’t anyone’s lab rat....
“My doctorate is in child psychology. If I have research on a test subject, I’ll take my chances and go before the committee and present the paper I believe in.” Sue turned and looked across the lake at the distant green peaks of the Adirondacks. “Show them that an organic diet combined with real-world sensory integration experiences will produce significant improvement in appropriate reaction, verbalization and attention.”
“But Tyler doesn’t need—” Jodi trailed off as he pointed at a bottle of bubbles she’d grabbed on her way back. “Use your words, please.”
He shook his head and strained for it.
Sue knelt in front of Jodi, her hazel eyes wide and apologetic. Earnest. “Sorry. That was a lot of technical jargon. The bottom line is that I can help Tyler. Please forgive Grace, but she came to me a year ago for advice about Tyler’s diagnosis. I’d wanted to help then and this could be my chance. A chance for both of us. Tyler would be helping me as much as I hope to help him.”
Jodi met her aunt’s concerned gaze and nodded her head in understanding, her mind swimming with possibilities. Her therapist had warned that Tyler would regress without his normal treatment regimen and here was a certified psychologist, almost a doctor, offering to help. The only catch? She was the sister of Jodi’s enemy.
Jodi covered Tyler’s ears. Inattentive as he could be, she wouldn’t let him hear this. “He might not be the best subject.” Her heart hurt, but she forced herself to continue. “A year ago he stopped talking. Completely. And each day he gets more and more withdrawn. I’m sorry. But if you want to prove your thesis, he might not be the ideal candidate.”
Tyler wiggled out of her grasp and flung himself at Aunt Grace. His large blue eyes stayed on Jodi, however, and she wondered if he’d heard some of that after all. If he had, how much had he understood? She never wanted him to feel like a failure. Her sweet baby.
Sue eyed him as a motorboat zoomed by pulling two shrieking teens on an inflatable raft. The exhaust-scented air temporarily blotted out the smell of fresh water and cedar mulch. Aunt Grace blew a stream of bubbles from a plastic holder and Tyler clapped his hands around any he could catch.
“I believe in him, Jodi.” Sue’s sudden intensity caught Jodi off guard. “I can see his potential. Please give me a shot at proving my theory and breaking him out of his silence.”
Tears stung Jodi’s eyes. It was exactly what she needed to hear. But Wonders Primary had a proved track record and they’d promised her the same.
Sue scooted closer, the sun glinting off the gold studs in her ears. “I’m not an expert. All I’m asking for is a chance. I know you and Daniel have this thing going on, but that’s between you two. Will you at least meet me after the class-reunion pig roast tonight? I’d like to show you the alpacas.”
“Alpacas?” Jodi echoed, feeling overwhelmed by more than the heat. They definitely weren’t on the Wonders Primary treatment plan. And no one had mentioned a pig roast. Then again, she hadn’t left last night’s party on good terms...with anyone. She shuddered. Somehow she had to earn back the community’s goodwill. And the promotional party she’d been organizing for Midland tomorrow already seemed like a bust. If she hadn’t booked the entertainment and facilities she would have canceled.
Sue nodded, her smile back but tentative. “They’re the gentlest animals.” She poked a large bubble that got away from Tyler and earned another belly laugh. “Their wool makes great thread for knitting. But in grad school, I realized they could help autistic children, as well.”
“That’s amazing, Sue.” Aunt Grace gave her an approving nod and a handful of granola.
“Find me before Daniel’s co-op presentation and I’ll show them to you,” she spoke through a mouthful of crumbs. “Plus, I’ll have a formal outline of my treatment plan for Tyler.”
“Co-op?” Jodi’s head swam. First Daniel’s crushing speech last night and now this? If he convinced the farmers to join him, her acquisitions bid would be over before she started. Her son’s laugh rang out as he grabbed at bubbles in midair. That couldn’t happen. Not a chance.
“He’s going to explain his plans for a co-op that produces organic products from humanely treated animals.” Sue’s eyebrows came together. “I thought you would have been invited.”
Jodi’s mind reeled. She’d dealt with co-op resistance before. The fact that Daniel hadn’t invited her showed he wanted it kept a secret. Good thing Sue had stopped by, a visit Daniel clearly knew nothing about. A plan took shape. She wouldn’t be crashing the party if Sue invited her over. And if she found the opportunity to speak, it’d be Daniel’s turn to feel the sting of her words. Her shoulders straightened. Time to head back into war.
“If you tell me what time, I’ll come.” She’d like to hear what both Gleason siblings had to say and lend her own voice to the mix. It’d be an exciting night. Adrenaline surged through her and her fingers flexed. She’d be ready for the fight this time.
Sue brightened. “Great. And you’ll love the alpacas. They’re goofy and harmless.”
“Yes,” Jodi agreed. If only Daniel was harmless, as well.
* * *
“WHAT’S JODI DOING here?” Frank Trudeau asked later that night as they stood behind Daniel’s house at the pig roast. “I thought you said she wasn’t coming. Some of us wanted to apologize for yesterday.” Chattering ex-classmates sat at food-laden picnic tables, a pig on a spit in the back corner of his lawn. Daniel’s friend Steve played old-time rock while the salty tang of pork filled the evening air.
“I didn’t know.” He glanced up from his overloaded supper plate and watched Jodi wave to his sister and start down his back-porch steps. His gut clenched. He’d been so busy outside organizing this part of the class reunion weekend, he’d missed her arrival. Pop had probably been the one behind Jodi’s invite. He’d suggested asking her for dinner at least twice now.
“You don’t look happy to see her.” Frank’s dark eyes slid from Jodi to Daniel.
Daniel blew out a breath. “I’m not. She’s here to spy for Midland. It’s why I didn’t invite her,” he admitted.
“Well, that was a dumb thing to do.” Frank tossed his plate into a nearby trash can, then rubbed a hand over his crew cut. “Have you heard the saying ‘May the best man win’? Make it a fair fight, buddy.”
“Midland could throw their corporate muscle around and interfere with the co-op upgrades grant.”
“And she wouldn’t have found out about the grant—ever?” Frank shook his head.
Daniel rubbed his neck. “I needed to get the co-op going before she found out. A head start.”
Frank cuffed his arm and chuckled low and dee
p. “Then you’d better start running because it looks like she’s coming our way.”
His appetite gone, Daniel put down his plate and watched Jodi as people stopped her to chat. Her sleeveless red-checked halter top and jean shorts showed off a strip of taut, tanned stomach and a tiny waist that made him stare longer than he should have. Her long, lean legs ended in a pair of scuffed white cowboy boots that shone in the deepening twilight.
His best friend of twenty-some years studied him closely. “Are you going to apologize?”
He gave a slow nod. Frank had a point. He hadn’t made it a fair fight. Worse, he’d been cruel. After seeing her vulnerable side in the parking lot, he’d felt guilty and more. What that “more” was, he wouldn’t imagine. He pictured the rose he’d tucked into his nightstand drawer and wondered why he hadn’t given it back to her the night before.
Yet standing under the oak tree where he’d once pushed her on a tire swing made him recall happier, less complicated times with Jodi.
Tonight, he’d apologize and ask Jodi to stay. Mingle. She’d leave soon to put Tyler to bed anyway—given her protectiveness, he didn’t believe she’d let Grace put her son to sleep. After that, he’d give his speech.
Fingers snapped before his eyes.
“Earth to Dan. You in there?”
He turned his head but kept his eyes on Jodi’s delicate face. “Sure.”
Frank’s deep laugh sounded beside him. “You didn’t hear half of what I just said.”
“I—”
“That was a statement, not a question. Go get your girl.” Frank slapped him on the back. “And apologize,” he reminded him before sauntering away.
So he did.
“Daniel. Hello,” she greeted him when he drew near.
The brilliance of her smile and her sparkling blue eyes stole his breath.
“What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue?” challenged Mary Spellman, a classmate who hadn’t made last night’s party. There’d been a bachelorette party at her business, The Lounge, he recalled. When she wrinkled her nose, a diamond piercing flashed. “I heard you had plenty to say last night, though. Sounded brutal.”
Mary’s naturally red hair gleamed under the lantern lights he’d hung from the porch, her eyes just as fiery.
Jodi put a hand over Mary’s gold bangles. “It’s okay. All’s fair in...”
“War,” Mary snorted, her purse snapping open then closed as she took out a wand of lipstick. She glanced between them as she applied the color. “Because this definitely doesn’t look like love.”
He stepped closer and put out a hand. “I’m sorry, Jodi. I meant my apology last night and I wanted to say it again but thought I’d give you a day to cool off.”
Now, why did his explanation make her straighten her back and lift her chin? Had he made her angrier? Impossible. He was sincere...for the most part. He also hadn’t wanted her to know about the co-op.
“I’m fine. In fact, I’m so good that I thought I’d stop by the party your sister invited me to. She wanted to show me her alpacas.”
He followed her gaze around the crowded green lawn between his barns and house, noting the alpacas as they milled inside their pen. Of course, Sue was free to invite over whomever she wanted. He just wished she’d chosen any other night but this one.
In a far corner, men whooped when a horseshoe hooked around an iron nail with a clang. In the middle, a small crowd line danced to a rockabilly tune played on an iPod dock belonging to Mary’s brother, Steve. By Sue’s rose garden, people crowded on picnic tables. They slathered butter on biscuits he’d baked this afternoon and shoveled in the salty crisp pork he’d sliced off the rotating pig an hour ago. The music floated across the lawn and was echoed by birds wheeling in the sky.
“I’m glad you came.” And he was. When she’d stepped out of his house, the world had turned up its dimmer switch.
“Are you?” Mary rolled her eyes, then moved off with a jingling wave. “I’m going to help my brother with the music. See you tomorrow, Jodi.”
“Bye,” Jodi called before turning back to him. “And I’m glad to be here, too.” Her straight, light eyebrows rose and he found himself staring at the splatter of freckles across her pert nose.
A strange feeling overtook him, a sense of rightness, of homecoming. The way she looked tonight, standing in his backyard, made it hard to imagine her as his enemy. It was easy to remember the girl he’d once fallen for.
“What I did was wrong. Crossed the line. If there was a way I could make it up to you...”
“Actually, there is.” She cut him off smoothly and he glimpsed the businesswoman in her again, the images of kissable girl and formidable woman warring in his mind’s eye.
“Given your compelling speech yesterday, I’d like a chance to talk. It’s only fair.”
He couldn’t argue with that. It was fair. And he owed her. Besides, what could she possibly say that would change anything? After last night’s speech and tonight’s presentation, he had this.
“How about ladies first, since I’m sure you’ll want to get home to tuck in Tyler.”
Her lips curled at the corners, and unease twisted in his gut.
“Perfect. Hey, Goldie!”
Her cool demeanor transformed into the relaxed, friendly smile he remembered, the effect making his pulse speed.
His retriever barked and jumped like the youngster she’d been when Jodi left. After getting her ears and chest fur ruffled Goldie presented her rump for a rub, tail beating the mosquitoes from the air.
Jodi’s laughter rang out and he joined in, enjoying this temporary truce. It felt great to be around her this way. They swapped grins over a wriggling Goldie, their hands brushing as they scratched and petted his overexcited dog. When Jodi’s palm accidently slipped into his, he laced his fingers with hers and heard her gasp. Her eyes met his.
“I mean it, Jodi.” Her hand twisted in his and he let her go. “I wish I could take back what I said yesterday. Hopefully this will show you that I want a fair fight.” He neglected to mention the part about his own, upcoming speech. There was fair and there was naive. Besides, she’d have a chance to talk first.
Her cheekbones lifted and the left-sided dimple he’d once loved to kiss appeared. “That’s all I want, Daniel.”
At his gesture, Steve cut the music and Daniel stepped up on the porch.
“Hey, everyone.” The talkative group quieted. “Thank you for coming out today and taking a tour of my upgraded barns. I also want to publically apologize to Jodi for not making her feel welcome yesterday at our reunion. I know you feel the same way.”
A weak chorus of “sorry” sounded in the fragrant evening air, the last of the lilacs mingling with the earthy, early-summer smell of growing things.
“Jodi has something to say and I know you’ll give her your respect and attention.” He nodded encouragingly. “Take it away.”
“Thank you, Daniel. And hello, everyone. I didn’t get a chance to say hey to all of you yesterday and I’m glad I’ve got that opportunity tonight.”
Some put down their forks and turned to face her, their eyes as wide and surprised at her gutsy move as he’d been.
“Yesterday Daniel spoke movingly about the importance of community. Of supporting one another.” A night owl hooted from near his barns followed by a flutter of wings in the darkening night. After hearing her opening comment, many went back to eating and a few resumed their chatting. Daniel felt torn. He’d brought out this unneighborly behavior by speaking against Jodi last night. He stepped forward to intervene, force them to pay attention, but stopped at her next words.
“Tonight I’d like to talk about something bigger than community. America.” Jodi’s glowing face seemed to shine with a light of its own, the golden swing of her hair and her vibrant smile drawing the c
rowd, and him, closer still.
When she tightened the little knot on her shirt and turned out her foot to better show the flag decal on her cowboy boots, he had a strange feeling that maybe her talk wasn’t as spur-of-the-moment as he’d thought. Had he been set up?
She leaned against the beveled post and her face grew grave. Not a sound rose from the assembly. Even Goldie sat at attention at the bottom of the porch, her ears pricked forward.
“My ancestors, like yours, fought and died in the Revolutionary War that established our individual freedoms and rights.”
“Woo-hoo!” cried Doug Utzler, a descendent of the Green Mountain Boys and a Revolutionary War reenactor.
Daniel shifted to his left leg and tried to keep himself from throwing her over his shoulder and stomping away with her...to do what? He could think of a few things, but mostly to stop whatever bad thing he sensed she was about to say. What had he unleashed? He hung his head. Duped.
“America is now the most powerful democracy in the world.”
“You got that right, honey!” someone yelled. Sounded like Ted Layhee. He crossed his arms and stared down his former classmate. The guy would go along with anything to get closer to Jodi.
“And we’ve become the greatest country in the world, refusing to give in to threats to our freedoms.” Jodi put a hand up to her mouth and coughed delicately. For a moment it seemed as if everyone leaned forward. Maybe they did.
“Like terrorists. And communists,” she continued.
“Reds,” hollered someone from the back of the crowd.
Where did people come up with this stuff? Luckily his father had gone to bed shortly after dinner and was missing the commotion. What would Pop think when he heard his son’s plans for cooperative farming? It was one thing to go green and organic—another to go “commie” as his father would put it. It was a point that would resonate with the vets who’d come out tonight.
“Thank you, Jodi,” he called out, and kept his voice congenial though there was electricity in his gaze. “We appreciate the history lesson. Been a long time since we’ve had one. For some of us, this may be the first one we’ve listened to.” He paused and flashed a grin. “Ted.”