Best Laid Plans

by Abbie Zanders

  And Kevin had been in seventh heaven. It was even better than she’d envisioned through the filtered lens of her guarded optimism. Unfortunately, an hour a week wasn’t going to cut it, and after factoring in day-care costs—once she actually found a place—she’d be lucky if she could afford even that.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Heff

  Heff looked up when he heard the crunch of gravel, just in time to see Sandy’s car making its way down the long drive, back toward the main road. He straightened, taking a moment to stretch his back and shoulders. He and Brian had been killing two birds with one stone, clearing fallen trees from one of the forest trails and stockpiling firewood for winter. It was honest, hard work, and it provided a good excuse to avoid Church’s questions about why he’d been begging off when the team went down into Sumneyville for dinner.

  “Take a break and come have something to eat.”

  Heff smiled at Tori’s voice coming out loud and clear from Brian’s walkie-talkie.

  “The boss has spoken. Better get to it.” Brian smiled the knowing smile of a man who knew he was fully domesticated and loving every minute of it.

  “And tell Hugh he has to come too.”

  Brian’s grin grew. “You heard the woman.”

  “She’s not my woman. I don’t have to do what she says.”

  “Yes, you do,” Tori responded through the receiver.

  Heff laughed. “Bastard. You held the button down, so she heard that, didn’t you?”

  Brian shrugged. “Saving time. If I go back up there without you, she’s just going to insist I come back and drag your ass up there anyway.”

  “Fair enough.”

  He was ready for a break anyway. Hungry, thirsty, and if he was honest with himself, curious about Sandy’s visit. He’d done a good job of avoiding her, but that didn’t mean he’d been able to stop thinking about her.

  “On our way,” Brian answered.

  They loaded their equipment into the back of the truck and drove up to the house, where they made good use of the outside hose and towels Tori had left out for them. Even working in the shade, as they had been, they were still hot and sweaty and covered with woodchips and sawdust.

  The delicious smell of burgers on the open-fire grill made his mouth water as they made their way to the picnic table out back. Tori had already set out tubs of homemade macaroni salad, fresh-cut watermelon, and a pitcher of her sweet tea.

  “Hey, big man,” Heff said, sharing a fist bump with Danny. “How’s it going?”

  “Good!” Danny said. He handed his cleaned plate to Tori. “I finished. Can I go inside and play Xbox?”

  “Did you do your lessons?” Tori asked him.

  Danny rolled his eyes and answered with exaggerated patience, “Yes, Mom.”

  “Then, yes. One hour, no more.”

  Danny took off back into the house, unwilling to miss even a minute of his precious video game time.

  “So, how’d it go with Sandy and her brother?” Brian asked once they sat down with heaping plates of food.

  Heff’s ears perked up.

  “It went well,” Tori said carefully. “They liked the place, and I think it would be a good fit, but ...”

  “But ...” Brian prompted.

  “But ... she needs more than what we offer.”

  “How so?”

  Tori shared what Sandy had told her, her expression growing more troubled as she spoke. Heff listened, Tori’s explanation filling in some of the blanks. He’d already known Sandy worked two jobs, but he hadn’t known that kid he’d seen her with was her autistic half-brother or that he’d only recently come to live with her. From the sounds of it, the kid had been left on her doorstep without warning.

  That was a hell of a lot of responsibility to be dumped in anyone’s lap. No wonder her plans to leave town had changed so suddenly.

  It also provided some insight into why she’d turned him down. It wasn’t so much him as her situation. That made him feel a little better even if, ultimately, it changed nothing. In fact, it made him even more determined to keep his distance. Getting involved with a guy like him was the last thing she needed.

  Wait ... no. Not getting involved. Hooking up. He didn’t do relationships.

  “She’s from Sumneyville. Do you know her?”

  Heff lifted his head to find Tori expectantly looking at him.

  Only in the biblical sense, he thought. Aloud, he said, “I didn’t really get a good look, but if it’s the same woman I’m thinking of, she works at the township office and helped push through some paperwork for the Sanctuary.”

  “Nice,” Brian said. “It’s good to have an in, especially when small-town wheels grind so slowly.”

  “She said she works two jobs,” Tori said.

  “She’s a waitress at Franco’s too,” Heff said without thinking. When he felt Tori’s gaze swing his way again, he added, “Church—uh, Matt—knows her and usually requests her section when we eat there.”

  Heff shoveled more food into his mouth until Tori looked away. She pushed her food around the plate, her expression pensive.

  “What are you thinking?” Brian asked, narrowing his eyes at Tori.

  “Nothing.”

  Brian snorted softly. “Bullshit. I know that look. You’re scheming.”

  Tori’s face cleared for a moment as she smiled at Brian, and then she grew pensive again. She blew out a breath. “I don’t know. I like her, and she’s had all this thrown at her out of the blue, you know? Kevin would really blossom here, I think. And he and Danny got along so well.”

  “The kid I saw looked older than Danny.”

  “That’s true,” Tori confirmed. “Kevin is fourteen, which makes him about six years older physically but not necessarily mentally or emotionally. I don’t see it as an issue, and apparently, neither do they. You should have seen the two of them together! Instant best friends.”

  They ate in silence as they pondered this.

  “You said she’s looking for someplace to take her brother in the mornings, right?” Brian said after a while. “What if she brought him here for a few hours a couple times a week? Danny could use the regular socialization.”

  Tori’s eyes brightened and then faded. “I think money’s an issue.”

  “So? You said it yourself; we’re not going to deny anyone care on the basis of money. We’ve already made allowances for special cases in the budget.”

  Tori shook her head. “I don’t think she’s the type to accept anything resembling a handout.”

  Heff had to agree with that. He cleared his throat, an idea coming to mind. It wasn’t any of his business, but there was no harm in putting it out there.

  “What if you worked out some kind of deal, kind of like the one you have with the Sanctuary? A barter of services, if you will.”

  “In exchange for helping with the daily care of the horses, Kevin gets a reduced rate,” Brian mused, picking up the thread Heff had dropped.

  “Caring for the animals is an intrinsic part of hippotherapy,” Tori agreed, brightening. “According to Sandy and based on what I saw today, Kevin understands and handles verbal direction very well. He’s quiet and demonstrated a gentle hand with the animals. And one of us is always with Danny when he’s doing his chores, so he’d be supervised the whole time. It could work. Maybe we can suggest a trial period, see how it goes?”

  “I don’t see why not,” Brian agreed.

  “Well, my job here is done,” Heff said jokingly, rising. “Thanks for lunch, Tori, but I should be getting back.”

  “Thanks for all your help today, man,” Brian said. “An extra pair of hands is always welcome.”

  “Glad to do it.” Heff gathered his plates, but Tori took them before he could carry them into the kitchen.

  “I’ve got these.”

  He was about to protest when Brian said, “That’s her way of telling you she doesn’t want you tracking mud and woodchips into the kitchen. I’d just go with it, if
I were you.”

  Tori tossed a quilted hot pad at Brian, making him laugh. “Don’t listen to him,” she told Heff. “If that were true, none of us would ever set foot in the house.”

  Heff was still smiling when he got into the truck and drove back to the Sanctuary. He really liked Brian and Tori. Brian appreciated his help and didn’t ask a lot of questions, and Tori had a kind, generous heart. The two of them were good together. He looked forward to coming back again. He just had to be careful not to run into Sandy when he did.

  Chapter Twenty

  Sandy

  Sandy wasn’t nearly as optimistic while driving back down the mountain as she had been, driving up. Danny’s Happy Trail Ranch was everything she’d hoped for and more—a peaceful environment, a good program with personalized attention, and people who really seemed to care. Unfortunately, it was expensive and would only cover an hour or two a week.

  At least Kevin had had a good time. She had too. Tori was friendly and easy to talk to, and it had felt good to talk to someone who got it. The ranch might not be feasible as an everyday option, but maybe she and Kevin could go up and visit once in a while. Sandy’s friend time had been pretty scarce lately.

  Lenny was grilling out on the back deck when they got back. After getting Kevin settled in the living room with his sketchbook and a pack of colored pencils, Sandy went out onto the deck to join him. The sight of him in his cargo shorts, navy-blue SPD T-shirt, and sandals, brandishing a grill spatula, was as comforting and depressing as it was familiar and predictable.

  “Throw a few extra on for me and Kevin, will you?” she said, plopping down onto a deck chair and helping herself to a bottled water from the ice bucket.

  Lenny lifted the towel covering the plate of beef patties. As usual, he was prepared. The Sunday ritual endured, rain or shine, snow or heat wave. “Want some hot dogs too?”

  “Sure, why not?”

  “Where’ve you been?” Lenny asked, looking at her over his aviator-style sunglasses.

  Are those the same ones he’s been wearing since high school, or does he just keep buying the same ones over and over again? she wondered absently. She couldn’t go a week without losing or sitting on hers, which was why she always bought the cheap ones.

  “Danny’s Happy Trail Ranch,” she told him, leaning back and closing her eyes.

  “The horse therapy place up on the mountain?”

  “That’s the one. I thought it might be a viable option for Kevin.”

  “I’m guessing no such luck, huh?”

  “Your powers of perception are keen today. You should be a cop or something.”

  He snorted.

  She exhaled heavily. “But to answer your question, no, no such luck. It’s a shame, too, because I think that place is perfect for him.”

  “Why not? If it’s a matter of money ...”

  “Thanks, but no thanks,” she said, cutting him off.

  They’d had similar discussions several times, and the thought of being beholden to Lenny—or anyone else—didn’t sit well. Being in debt for years after her father had left taught her that much. It had taken a long time to pay back all the money Lenny’s family had loaned them, and when they finally had, she’d vowed never to be in that situation again. If she couldn’t afford to do something, she didn’t do it, period.

  He frowned, just like he always did, but wisely refrained from commenting further. Smart man.

  “It’s not just the money. They do sessions by the hour, and I need someone who can take Kevin for the whole morning, Monday through Friday.”

  “What about the day-care centers you looked at?”

  “They all have waiting lists. Even if something does open up, it would cost the lion’s share of my present net income to pay for it. I’d be better off quitting and staying home with him myself.”

  “So, why don’t you?” he asked quietly.

  “Because if I do that, then I’ll never get out of Sumneyville.”

  “Still on about that, are you?” He shook his head. “Dreams are all fine and good, Sandy, but maybe it’s time to face reality.”

  “Pretty hard not to face reality when it’s been rearing up and biting me on the ass since I was thirteen years old,” she snapped. “Stop trying to make me feel bad about wanting something better.”

  “Maybe you’re just too blind to appreciate what you already have,” he shot back.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  He was facing the grill, not her, so she couldn’t see his expression. But she did see the rise and fall of his back and shoulders as he took a deep breath.

  “Nothing,” he said finally. “Burgers are done. You want to let Kevin know?”

  Feeling wearier than ever, Sandy went back into the house. Kevin was busy drawing and didn’t acknowledge her when she asked him what he wanted on his burger. She decided to take the path of least resistance and made him a plate, setting it on the coffee table for him if and when he decided to eat.

  No longer angry, she just felt ... tired. No one seemed to understand. Maybe Lenny was right. Maybe it was time to face reality and accept that, as much as she wanted to believe otherwise, this was all there was for her. All there would ever be. But damn it, it was hard to give up on something she’d wanted so badly for so long.

  “I’m sorry,” Sandy said, rejoining Lenny on the porch. “I know you love Sumneyville and you can’t imagine living anywhere else.”

  “Is it so bad really?”

  A vision of her and Karen Kowalski vying over the last bag of cat food at the grocery store before a snowstorm came to mind. Surely, there was a better fate awaiting her than that.

  “No,” she admitted. “But I don’t really have a lot to compare it to. Who knows? Maybe I’ll get to the city, discover I hate it, and want to move back.” Though she couldn’t imagine that happening. “The thing is, Len, I just want the chance to find out. Can’t you understand that?”

  He shrugged. “Yeah, I guess.”

  “Yet you try to make me feel guilty for wanting more.”

  “Maybe, but it’s only because you think we’re not good enough for you.”

  “That’s not—” She stopped when she saw the challenging twinkle in his eye. “You’re just looking for a fight today, aren’t you? Who rubbed your fur the wrong way anyway?”

  “Nobody’s rubbing my fur these days. Maybe that’s the problem.” He waggled his eyebrows.

  “Ew. Not going there.” She laughed, feeling some of the tension between them ease. She finished the bottle of water and fished out another. “You do bring up a good point though. There’s not a lot of fish in the Sumneyville singles pond these days. Matt’s crew is the first fresh blood we’ve seen in a long time.”

  The change was instantaneous. “I told you to stay away from them, Sandy. They’re bad news.”

  “So you’ve said, but I still don’t see it.”

  “What exactly are you seeing?” he asked, his tone laced with accusation.

  For one brief, horrible moment, she wondered if he’d somehow found out about her time at the no-tell motel and then dismissed the notion. If Lenny knew, he would have confronted her about it already.

  “I see them coming into Franco’s and being perfectly charming and respectful. I see them having a hard time getting permits and licenses and ...” She narrowed her eyes at him. “You wouldn’t by any chance know anything about that, would you?”

  He averted his gaze. “Don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Don’t you lie to me, Lenny Petraski.”

  “What makes you think I’m lying?”

  “Because the tips of your ears turn red when you lie, and right now, they’re practically glowing. What do you have against Matt Winston?”

  She stared at him until he finally said, “There’s some bad blood between Chief Freed and Winston.”

  The chief of police was not only Lenny’s boss, but also his uncle. “What bad blood?”

  “Sandy ...
”

  “Lenny.”

  Lenny exhaled heavily. “Fine. I don’t know all the details, but supposedly, Winston slept with Freed’s sister back in high school.”

  Sandy blinked. “Seriously? That was what, fifteen years ago?”

  “Yeah, but shortly afterward, Winston was shipped off to the Navy, and Freed’s sister took an extended vacation with some aunt out of state.”

  Sandy connected the dots. “Wait. Are you telling me that Matt Winston knocked up the chief of police’s sister? Your aunt?”

  “It’s weird to think of her that way since she’s closer to my age than my dad’s, but yeah. Of course, no one’s come right out and said that, but that’s the rumor. Supposedly, the Winstons didn’t think she was good enough for their golden boy and offered to pay a lot of money to make the problem go away.”

  “That doesn’t sound like Matt or his family.”

  Lenny shrugged. “I wasn’t there, was I? And neither were you. But I can tell you, the chief isn’t happy that Winston’s back in town, and it’s got something to do with Hayley Freed.”

  “But—”

  “Enough. I’ve already said more than I should. Let it go.”

  Sandy bit back the half-dozen or so other questions that came to mind. Lenny would only dig his heels in deeper if she persisted.

  “All right. I’m zipping my lips, effective immediately.”

  Just because she wasn’t saying anything more didn’t mean she wasn’t still thinking about it. If Chief Freed believed Matt Winston had done wrong by his sister, then he and his cronies at the town hall could make it difficult for him and his project. Whether or not any of it was actually true was irrelevant. Once they settled on a version of history that fit their purposes, it became canon and was nearly impossible to change.

  Sandy and Lenny cleared the picnic table and wrapped up the leftovers, and then Lenny went to visit his mom over at her place in the nearby fifty-five-and-over community that had gone up only a year or two earlier.