by Meg Lacey
Jake looked from Danny to a shocked and miserable-looking Alison. "Yeah, okay, boss. We'll head back to the station."
"Jake, see if you can round up anyone off duty tonight, will you? I'm going to need help to put this back together before the show begins."
"I'll make some calls on the way to the truck and see who's around."
"Thanks, Jake. Beer and pizza is on me next week."
"I'll hold you to that, buddy." Jake strode toward the door, pulling a phone out of his pocket.
From the corner of his eye Danny saw Alison staring at the mess. "All right, young lady, perhaps you'd better tell me what happened here."
Before Alison could answer, Eric, Josie, Emma, Kevin and Kyle came running up, talking a mile a minute. Danny held up his hand. "Hold it. I can't hear myself think."
"Jeez, it looks like a bulldozer ran through here," Eric commented after looking around. "Mom's going to freak!"
"We're all going to help out and fix it up so that doesn't happen."
Josie sent him a very adult look. "She'll freak anyway. Mom does that sometimes."
Danny smiled. "Yes, I know. I've seen her in action." His smile faded when he caught sight of Alison now hovering close to the display, staring at the destruction. The teenage boy who had found the fire extinguisher had disappeared, leaving only Alison to face the music—whatever the music was.
"Kids, see if you can pick up those broken pots and flowers and throw them into the trash can while I talk to Alison." He crooked a finger at his oldest daughter and led her away from the display. "All right, spill it. What happened, young lady?"
Alison bit her lip and looked at the floor.
"Alison, answer me. Did this have anything to do with those kids who ran out when the fire started?"
"Those kids are my friends."
"Some friends," Danny said, the sarcasm in his voice blistering his daughter, who reacted defensively.
"They're some of the most popular kids in school and they came here because I asked them to come."
"So your 'friends' came and decided to trash the place?"
"It wasn't like that. They were screwing around, pushing each other and—"
"Why were they doing that? Did it have anything to do with the beer cans I found by the boxes? Were they drinking?"
Alison shrugged, her mouth set defiantly. "I guess so."
"How old are these 'friends' who split and left you to take all the blame?"
"The boys are juniors. They came with Tiffany and some other girls."
"Juniors who were drinking in a public place?"
"Yeah, I guess," Alison said with another shrug.
"'I guess'? You don't know?"
Alison muttered an incomprehensible reply.
"Alison, do you understand how serious this is? What this means to Tessa to have this show succeed?"
"Sure, I've been working with her, haven't I?"
"Don't get smart," Danny warned.
"Tessa said I could have friends stop by," Alison said, trying to justify her actions.
"Did she say it was okay to trash the place?"
"Dad," Alison wailed. "It was an accident."
"No, what happened was bad judgment on your part and on the part of your friends."
Alison gave him a sulky look. It was the attitude she'd been exhibiting since the summer, the one Tessa's patient influence and this project had helped erase. So it's back to square one with this kid. Not for the first time, Danny wished his wife were alive to handle his daughter, since he didn't think Tessa would be any help at all after she'd seen this mess.
"Did one of these 'friends' light a cigarette, then throw it in the box?"
"I guess so."
"Again, you guess so? Don't you know? Weren't you here?"
"Yes, sir, I was here."
Danny stared down at Alison, watching her face change from defiant to childlike. "We'll discuss this later. There will be repercussions for not taking responsibility, Alison. Right now we have to start repairing this mess." He turned away to take stock of the display, anger rising again as he saw the amount of the damage.
"Daddy," Alison said in a small voice.
"What?" he snapped, his frustration fast reaching boiling.
"Nothing," she replied in a choking voice.
"Wait a minute, Alison." Danny stopped her as she began walking toward the display. "What is it?"
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
"I'm not the one you have to tell. You need to tell Tessa."
Alison shook her head. "I don't think I can face her, Daddy."
"You'll have to—that's what taking responsibility is all about."
Gnawing on her fingernails, Alison whispered, "She'll hate me."
Danny crossed his arms as he faced his daughter. "You should have thought about that earlier."
Alison sobbed, her misery breaking through. Danny relented enough to pull her close for a hug. "It's okay, honey. We're going to pull together and fix it."
She squeezed him so tightly he almost gasped. He slipped his handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to Alison. "Mop up—here comes Tessa." Her arms tightened instead as she heard the clip of Tessa's high heels hurrying toward them. One last squeeze and Alison stepped back from her father, ready to face Tessa's wrath.
"She'll hate me, Daddy," Alison said softly.
Tessa swept across the pavilion, her skirt swinging and high heels clicking on the concrete. "Danny, why didn't you tell me you were bringing the kids over here? I went to your house to pick them up and no one was home. I panicked, imagining you had to take someone to the hospital or…" Tessa jerked to a stop as she caught sight of her display.
"What…happened…to…" She couldn't speak, waving instead to the fairy garden.
"Tessa, there was an incident."
After a scared glance at her father, Alison stepped forward. "It's my fault, Tessa. I did it."
Tessa stared at her, the shock she felt pushing words from her mouth. "How could you do this? Do you hate me that much? I thought you and I were…" Tessa caught sight of Alison's stricken face and clamped her lips shut.
Alison gulped and said in a small voice, "I know I've been a brat and I'm sorry for that. I don't hate you. I'd never do something like this on purpose."
Danny smoothed his hands over Tessa's arms. Tessa looked up into his sympathetic eyes. "Give Alison a chance to explain, okay?"
Tessa nodded and Alison's words tumbled forth. "The kids I invited brought some friends and they had some beer and started clowning around, pushing and shoving, and the next thing…they had fallen into the display. Then, then…then…somebody lit a cigarette and tossed the match into some boxes and, and…Oh, Tessa, I'm so sorry. It's all my fault. Dad's right—I should have stopped them. I should have…I don't know, I should have done something. Can you ever forgive me for acting like a total wimp?" Alison started sobbing. "Please, Tessa. I'm going to fix it. You won't know anything happened."
After a long moment Tessa faced Alison, saying in an even voice, "I left you in charge. Do you know what that means?"
Alison gasped and the tears flowed faster. "I know. I screwed up, big-time."
"Yes, you did. You knew how important this display was to my future business."
"Yes, ma'am. But you said I could have some people come over to look."
"Look, not ruin." Tessa stared at Alison a moment longer, noticing the tears in her eyes but unable and truthfully unwilling to comfort her at the moment. Finally she pulled her gaze away and looked at Danny, then over to the other children, who were picking up some garden debris. Her control collapsed and she whispered, "We'll never fix this in time."
Danny's hand on her arm stopped her as she started to walk away. "Yes, we will. All of us are here to help. Tell us what to do."
Tessa sighed. "I think the kids should go home."
"Tessa, they really want to help right now. I'll get them home in a little while."
"I'm not sure if we can make it before the ju
dges see it."
"Don't you give up on me, Tessa Doherty. You don't give up, remember? You're the woman who walked out on a cozy lifestyle because she wanted something for herself. Now is your chance. If you let a little obstacle like this stop you, then you're not the woman I think you are."
"A little obstacle," Tessa repeated before meeting his determined eyes, and then Alison's hopeful ones. She noticed the younger children bustling around the display picking up a few broken flowers. Standing a bit straighter, Tessa rubbed her forehead, trying to concentrate. Her jaw firmed and her eyes narrowed. "All right. All right, we'll give it our best shot. Alison, see if any of the fairies survived."
"Yes, ma'am," an eager Alison replied, dashing away her tears and then almost running over Emma in her rush to help.
"Danny, maybe the rest of the kids could finish clearing the small debris so I can make a better assessment of the damage. After that we have to rebuild the wall, fix the trellis and the garden statues…." She swallowed a sob as she thrust her hands through her hair. "Oh my God, Danny, how am I going to get this all done before tomorrow evening? I'll never make it. I'll probably have to locate flowers again and…maybe I should—"
"Steady, sweetheart. Take a breath. You're not a quitter. You're a strong, capable woman who loves a challenge. Besides, you've got me and I've got reinforcements coming." He jerked his thumb toward the door, where several people were entering. "Over here, guys."
Tessa turned to watch as a tall, lithe red-haired woman in her twenties strode toward them. Beth Simmons and three guys accompanied her.
Danny hugged the small blonde woman. "Hey, cutie, how's your new fiancé?"
"Lucky to have me." Beth grinned back at Danny before glancing at Tessa. "Hi again, Tessa. Rhonda couldn't come to help. She just got called in to the E.R. The place is a madhouse tonight." Beth poked the tall redhead and nodded toward Tessa.
"What?" The redhead frowned before getting Beth's meaning. "Oh, sorry, I'm CJ Doren, and this motley crew," CJ said, pointing to the men, "had nothing to do tonight so my twin brother, Jake, told me to bring them along."
Tessa smiled at the group. "Thanks for coming. I really appreciate it."
CJ turned a curious look onto the garden display. "Looks like one of our engines flattened the place, Danny."
Danny's smile hardened. "Nope, it was teenagers."
"Just as destructive," CJ commented. "Where do we start?"
Turning to Tessa, Danny said, "Tell us what you need, boss."
After taking a deep breath, Tessa started giving orders. "Let's start by rebuilding the wall, then doing something with the trellis. It looks as if it's broken, but we can probably glue or tape it and drape the wisteria over it to hide the repair. Then we can fix anything else broken. I need help inventorying the smashed blooms so I can focus on what flowers I need to replace. Also, if there are any bushes with broken branches we'll need to pull them out and replace them. At least the brick path looks undamaged, but I have a feeling the sundial has seen better days."
Without waiting for any other instructions the five new recruits pitched in, working as if they'd been working together their entire lives. When she commented on this to Danny he told her, "Except for Beth, the rest of us are in the fire department. Our lives depend on teamwork. That's what we do. We pitch in when there's a need. It gets to be a habit."
Tessa smiled. "It's a great habit to develop."
"That's what I keep telling you. You and I could make one hell of a team if we wanted to."
Tessa stared at him for a long moment, then walked away from the display so they wouldn't be overheard. She whispered, "Danny, you're impossible. One minute it's no good and the next everything is full speed ahead. I never quite know where I am with you."
"It goes both ways, sweetheart."
"You said we'd wait to talk about us until after the show. I can't even think about this until then. I've invested most of my spare cash in this project. I have to make it a success."
"Don't worry about the display. It's going to be great."
Suddenly Beth yelled from the other end of the display, snaring Tessa's attention. "CJ, don't move." CJ froze. "Back up, CJ…oops, slowly so you don't step on one of the fairies."
CJ glared at her friend. "Jeez, Beth, is that why you scared me out of three years' growth? 'Cause I might step on a fairy? I'm an EMT—I can fix the damn fairy."
Tessa laughed, the first lifting of her spirits she'd had since she walked in to see her work in ruins. She glanced back at Danny. "I thought CJ was a fireman."
"She was…is…but she's working on her paramedic courses. She decided there was something about seeing men helpless in the back of an ambulance that moved her."
"I see her point." Tessa grinned.
"I thought you might," Danny said with a wry expression. "Why don't you get your notebook and do a walk-through to see what new flowers or materials you need? We can go out first thing tomorrow morning and pick up what's been ruined. Don't worry," he said as Tessa's face took on a worried look. "I'm paying for it. My daughter was responsible."
"But—"
"Don't argue with me, Tessa. I'm paying, and that's final."
After a moment Tessa agreed. "Okay, but I consider it a loan."
"No, it's not. It's what teamwork is all about. You need something and I can provide it. Regardless, it gets done. I know you want to make it on your own, but it's not always possible to be a one-man band. Everyone needs someone in their corner. You have to learn to be more gracious about accepting help."
"I…you're right. Thank you, Danny."
With a brisk nod, Danny replied, "You're welcome."
"I'm not trying to be difficult. It's just that I grew up seeing my mother's needs subjugated to someone else. My marriage was the same way, so I think I'm going to the other extreme. But sometimes I never feel like I do anything right regardless of how hard I try."
"After the judging tomorrow—" Danny rose to his feet "—I don't think that will be a problem. By the time we finish no one will ever know your fairy garden isn't as original as the designer. I expect good things from you, Tessa Doherty."
Ignoring the curious glances from those who were working on the display, Danny reached over to cup the back of her neck and draw her toward him. He dropped a quick kiss on her lips before swatting her bottom. "Let's get back to work."
Somehow Tessa, Danny, Alison and the rest of the crew managed to put the display back together in record time. As the judges came by the next night for their last look at the exhibits before making their final decisions, Danny and the kids were there in the audience for moral support. All except Alison. Tessa had insisted Alison stand with her in the display.
"After all," Tessa had said, "it was your idea. You deserve to be there, too."
Alison had been overwhelmed, protesting that she'd almost ruined the entire thing, but Tessa had told her that the most important thing was standing up and telling the truth and helping to fix the problem. So as Tessa stood, clad in silver, before the winter season in her display, Alison stood next to her, dressed in a holly-berry-red dress that they'd made time to find just that afternoon.
Tessa held Alison's hand as the judges strolled through the exhibit. Mostly the judges presented stone faces, but a few of them seemed very taken with the cunning use of the fairies cavorting among the seasons. To Tessa's surprise, one of the judges whispered as she was leaving, "Absolutely charming, Ms. Doherty. Perhaps after the judges' announcements you and I could talk about a personal project I have in mind?"
"Oh, my gosh, Tessa," Alison whispered. "Did you hear that?"
"You heard it, too? Thank God. I thought it was my wishful thinking."
Alison threw her arms around Tessa. "This is the best night of my life. Thank you, Tessa."
"No," Tessa said, pulling the young girl closer. "Thank you. I couldn't have done this without you."
Alison's eyes lit up. "Really?"
Tessa kissed Alison's forehead. "Ab
solutely."
Alison looked at the display, then back at Tessa. "Um, do you think I could continue working with you sometimes?"
"I couldn't do without you, Alison."
After that exchange, hearing Tessa Doherty, Living Lifestyles, announced as the winner of an honorable mention for the Most Creative Display by a New Artist was the icing on the cake. Now, if she could get a few more clients from the show so she could get through the winter months, her life might finally be heading in the right direction.
Then her only problem would be Danny. Danny and how she felt about him. Danny and how he felt about her. She had feelings for him. He had feelings for her, too, she knew. But she wondered…
Are feelings enough to build a successful future?
Chapter Eleven
Naturally the unseasonable good weather came to an end after the show, which was immediately followed by wind, cold and snow flurries. On one crisp starry night Tessa stopped by Danny's house to pick up her kids. With the engine running she honked the horn, only to have Danny appear and open her car door.
"Hey, you're just in time. Dinner is almost ready."
"That's not necessary, Danny. I have tonight totally free, so I thought I'd go home and give the kids dinner before I curl up on the sofa."
"Please stay. The kids helped with dinner. They'd be disappointed if you left. And I'd be highly insulted."
Tessa chuckled. "We wouldn't want that, would we?" She allowed Danny to usher her out of the car and into the house.
After a boisterous meal of stick-to-your-ribs beef stew—which Danny had proudly cooked in the Crock-Pot—cheese biscuits, which he'd bought, plus cookies made from a mix by the kids, Danny sent the older kids off to finish their homework while he and Tessa put Emma to bed. Finally Danny suggested they bundle up and take their coffee onto the porch. As always, they gravitated to the porch swing.
Tessa sighed as she leaned back. "I'm going to miss this swing."
"Why? Where are you going?"
"I'm getting a lot more business since the show, and I have some other opportunities with Barrett that I'd never considered. You know Barrett, don't you?"
"The silver-haired dude in the expensive suit who had that froufrou display next to you?"