The Happiest Season

by Rosemarie Naramore

  “Kim, what are you talking about?” And then he realized—she was talking about Rickey. Because the little boy was dark and resembled him somewhat, she had jumped to some outlandish conclusions.

  He was actually offended that she thought him capable of infidelity. He’d never cheated on anyone and didn’t intend to start. He heard the sound of a distant voice in the background.

  “Oh, John, I have to go…” she whispered, as if she didn’t want someone to hear. “We’ll have to talk this out later.”

  “Kim, I…”

  Click.

  He dropped down onto the edge of the bed and stared at the phone in his hand. Kim had certainly jumped to some conclusions when she saw him with Rickey. He shook his head. He was starting to see the breakup of his marriage as a lucky escape versus one of the most painful events in his adult life.

  He’d given Kim twelve years and thankfully, no more than that. He couldn’t help wonder what had drawn him to her in the first place. Did he possess some character flaw? Was he superficial? Kim had been and was a beautiful woman. Had he been bedazzled by a striking face?

  Or, had they simply married too young. They’d married at twenty-two, and looking back, he knew he’d been a dumb kid just out of college. He thought at the time he knew what he wanted, but understood now that he hadn’t the maturity then to make sound decisions. He knew many people who had also married young and who had also ended up divorced, but he also knew a few people whose vows had stood the test of time. Maybe it was that simple, though. He and Kim had been too young to really understand what they were getting themselves into.

  Although they had gone through a couple weeks of marriage counseling as a requisite to the pastor of their church marrying them, he realized now that Kim had probably been doing lip service—to achieve her own ends.

  As the only child of two people who had doted on her, she had rarely heard the word ‘no.’ When the pastor had told them, point blank, he wouldn’t marry them unless he was confident they had made a mature, thoughtful decision, she had begun telling him exactly what she thought he needed to hear.

  John knew now that they had entered marriage with differing views about finances, home ownership, and most of all—children. He wanted them, she said she did, but ultimately, it had become a point of contention between them. She didn’t want kids. Point blank. She had only said she did to appease him, confident he would come around to her way of thinking. But she had finally come clean, declaring she had no interest in carrying a child. He had suggested adoption. She told him she wasn’t interested in being a mother.

  When he realized she meant business—that she wouldn’t budge of the subject—he knew he had a choice to make. And he had made the one that demonstrated his commitment to his vows—to love and honor his wife until death parted them.

  She had thanked him by cheating on him.

  He rose from the bed and shook his head woefully. She believed he had fathered a child, and had suggested it ‘would make things easier.’

  He suddenly wondered, had she gone off the deep end? Was she unhappy with her architect husband?

  He gave his head a swift shake. He didn’t care what her motives were for suggesting she’d made a mistake. He wasn’t interested in reconciling. His feelings for her were gone.

  And it was a tremendous relief to realize it—as if a load had been lifted from his shoulders. As he walked to his closet to get dressed, his step was lighter, his mood brighter. Suddenly, life was full of possibilities.

  Chapter Ten

  When John pulled in front of Maggie’s home in his truck, Rickey was waiting for him—watching from the picture window in the living room. He flung open the door before John had time to ring the bell.

  “John! You’re here! I missed you!”

  “You missed me?” he said, smiling. “But you saw me yesterday.”

  “I know! But I still missed you.”

  “Well, I missed you too. Hey, how’s the head?” he asked, gently smoothing his dark hair off his forehead for a closer look.

  “I have a purple bump!” he declared. “I look cool! I hope it stays purple for school tomorrow.”

  “And I hope social services doesn’t stop by for a chat with me,” Maggie said drolly, as she joined them in the foyer. She directed her attention to John. “Have you had breakfast? I made bacon and eggs.”

  “I had a muffin, but bacon and eggs sound great.”

  “You could probably use a little protein,” she acknowledged. “Lord knows, we have a big job ahead of us.”

  “Ah, the yard isn’t that big,” he said dismissively.

  She made a worried face. “It rained last night. The backyard is a muddy patch of yuck. It isn’t going to be easy laying that sod.”

  John widened his eyes and turned, as if to make a hasty escape out the front door.

  “Frankly, I wouldn’t blame you,” Maggie said.

  He gave a dismissive wave. “We’ll get it done. No worries.”

  “If you say so,” she muttered dubiously. She led the way into the kitchen. She’d already set out plates of food on the center island, and indicated he should sit down. “Oh, I forgot to make toast. Would you like toast, John? I know Rickey does.”

  “Mama makes the best jam,” Rickey told him eagerly. “You have to try it.”

  “That sounds good,” he said, smiling at the little boy.

  Maggie hurriedly put bread in the toaster, and then poured orange juice into three glasses. “Coffee too?” she asked John.

  “Already had some, but thank you.”

  “If you’d like some later, don’t hesitate to say so. We’ll probably need the caffeine before too long,” she added drolly.

  “Hey, you sound as if you’re defeated already.” His lips curved into a smile. “We’re not going to let a little rain stop us, are we, Rickey?”

  “No! We’re not worried about a little rain!”

  ***

  Jon stood in Maggie’s backyard, his foot propped on the shovel blade and his arms resting on the handle. Maggie had warned him the yard looked bad this morning, but he hadn’t expected this.

  The donkey had kicked up huge clods of dirt laden with grass, creating peaks and valleys in what had been a level lawn. Rain had puddled in the valleys, making for a soggy mess.

  Maggie, beside John, sighed. “I know. It’s horrible. Maybe we should demand the donkey’s owner get his, er…” She gave a sheepish grin. “I mean, maybe we should ask him to come over here and have a look at the damage his animal did to my yard.” She furrowed her brow in thought. “If you really think about it, it’s not my job to fix this, is it?” She angled a glance his way. “It’s definitely not your job.”

  “You could always move,” he said wanly.

  “I’m afraid that’s outside the realm of possibility. Purchasing this house wasn’t exactly a walk in the park and I’m fortunate to have it.”

  John gave her a shoring nod. “I am going to make a quick phone call to the guy, I think.”

  “He’s probably in church,” Maggie reminded him.

  “Do you attend church?” John asked, seemingly out of the blue.

  “Not yet. I promised Gloria I’d visit her church when I’m ready. What about you?”

  “Not as often as I should,” he told her with a sigh. “But, I’m going to head over to that church right now.” He checked his watch. “If I remember right, from reading the board out front, the first service starts at ten. I can be there long before the pastor starts his sermon. I’m going to try to speak to him and see if he has any suggestions for us.”

  “I do hate to impose on them,” Maggie said. “Especially on a Sunday.”

  “Impose on them?” John said with a snort, and then gestured out over the ruined lawn. “I’d say this is an imposition on you, and that someone in a position of authority there needs to see it.”

  “Do you want me to go with you?”

  He shook his head. “I’ll go.”

  Toget
her they walked into the house. “Don’t try to do anything with the sod until I get back,” he said, knowing Maggie was a ‘can-do’ person, and fearful she might try to take on the project alone. “Those carpets of grass are heavy—particularly after a rainfall. I don’t want you hurting yourself.”

  Maggie met his gaze. His concern for her touched her to the core.

  “Okay?” he prompted.

  She nodded.

  With a salute, he headed for his truck and drove away. Maggie watched him go, hoping that things went well at the church. She hadn’t come right out and told John, but the prospect of dealing with that lawn without additional help was daunting. When she’d first seen the rain-soaked yard this morning, she’d nearly gone back to bed and pulled the covers over her head.

  While she waited for news from John, she began cleaning up her kitchen. She was still a bit out of sorts in the space. She wondered if it would ever feel clean to her again.

  She began loading the dishwasher, but startled when her doorbell rang. Hurrying to answer it, she expected John, but found Gloria instead.

  “You’re early,” Maggie said briskly.

  Gloria winced. “Too early? I’m sorry.”

  “No. No!” Maggie smiled reassuringly. “I mean, I figured you’d be at church.”

  “I went last night. You should have gone with me. The service was excellent.”

  “Do you have the presents you want me to hide for you?”

  “In my trunk,” she said. “I wanted to assure you were home before I hauled them all from the car.”

  “Where’d you think I might be?” she inquired, puzzled.

  “Oh, I don’t know,” she answered, grinning cheekily. “Maybe out to breakfast with handsome Officer John.

  “He had breakfast here.”

  “Oh, yeah?” Gloria said, grinning smugly now. “Me thinks a certain eligible officer has the hots for a friend of mine.”

  “What are ‘hots’?” Rickey inquired, as he stepped into the foyer.

  Gloria bit back a laugh, which was difficult when she saw Maggie’s mortified face. “Nothing,” she said quickly, pulling Rickey into a hug. “Boy, am I glad to see you,” she told him, eager to distract him. “I need you to help me hide presents for my grandkids.”

  He made a confused face. “What do you mean?”

  “Your mom is going to let me hide presents here, so my grandkids can’t find them at my house.” Suddenly, her face fell and her eyes snapped to Maggie’s face. Maggie didn’t immediately register why she was alarmed.

  “What’s wrong?” she mouthed.

  Gloria gave an almost imperceptible nod toward Rickey. “Santa Claus?” she mouthed in reply.

  Maggie understood what Gloria was getting at. She was afraid that Rickey believed in Santa Claus, and that having her show up with gifts might confuse the issue for him.

  She gave her friend a reassuring nod. Ricky didn’t believe in Santa Claus, having lost his father around Christmas time two years before. In his little mind, he now equated Santa with loss, and refused to believe any longer.

  To Gloria’s surprise, the bright little boy picked up on her line of thinking. “I don’t believe in Santa Claus,” he told her in a very grown up voice, and gave a shrug. “It doesn’t matter anyway.”

  “Why’s that?”

  He perked up considerably and said with absolute confidence, “Because God’s bringing me my present this year.”

  ***

  When John arrived back at Maggie’s house, Gloria was still visiting.

  Rickey answered the door and led him into the family room. “John’s here!” he called cheerfully.

  Maggie rose from her chair and watched him expectantly. “Well?”

  He grinned broadly. “We have a crew of men coming over after the church service. The pastor was very gracious. He told me to apologize to you for everything. Apparently, the owner of the animals hadn’t told him about them escaping as yet.” He gave a shrug. “I have no idea why he didn’t mention it, but…”

  “Well, the good news is, the cavalry is on the way,” she said, clearly relieved.

  “Oh, hi, Gloria,” he said, seeming to notice her for the first time. “How are you?”

  “Good. Yourself?”

  “He’s better now, since he’s not facing all that sodden sod alone. Well, I would have been by his side, for what it’s worth.”

  He sent a quick glance at her, narrowing his eyes slightly. She saw something in them—some emotion she couldn’t read. She felt unsettled, but in an odd, warm and fuzzy sort of way. She felt as if her heart had suddenly been infused with warmth. What was going on with her lately? she wondered.

  “So, you think you’ve seen the last of your animal visitors?” Gloria asked.

  “I sure hope so,” Maggie said.

  “I sure hope not,” Rickey said simultaneously.

  John laughed. “Saves a trip to the zoo, eh, Rickey?”

  He nodded. “Yeah, but I do want to see a money. Do you think a monkey might come over next?”

  Gloria chuckled. “No monkeys in a nativity,” she told him as she rose from her chair. “I should get moving. So much to do. We’ll have to take a drive by the nativity another time,” she added briskly, remembering that last night she and Maggie had discussed visiting it today.

  “Are you ready for the holidays?” John asked her.

  “Doing my level best to get ready.”

  “Gloria is an angel,” Maggie told him matter-of-factly. “She devotes much of her time and resources to helping other people, and not just during this time of the year,” she added affectionately.

  “Oh, stop that,” Gloria said, looking uncomfortable under the praise. “We’re supposed to help others. It’s why we’re here.”

  John watched her speculatively, and then nodded. “I think you’re right.”

  “I’ll walk you out,” Maggie said.

  “You ought to hang on to him,” Gloria said at the front door, and Maggie understood she was referring to John. She pretended to misunderstand her, however. “Yeah, I’ll probably keep Rickey.”

  Gloria gave her a dirty look. “You know what I mean. John! He’s easy on the eyes, isn’t he? And, he’s a real sweetheart.”

  Maggie couldn’t deny it. John was easy on the eyes. She refused to contemplate his ‘sweetheart’ status, however.

  “He likes you,” Gloria said, in a sing-song voice.

  “Oh, he does not,” Maggie protested, dropping her voice down a notch and looking behind her lest John hear them talking.

  Gloria abruptly grew serious. “Yes, he does. You should see the way he looks at you.”

  Maggie searched her friend’s face, her own features contorted in alarm. “Do you really think so?”

  “Would that be a bad thing?” Gloria said, watching her sympathetically. “I mean, really, Maggie, would it? You’re a young woman. You’ve been alone long enough. And something tells me, that man is a keeper.”

  Maggie gave a dismissive wave. “Well, that may be, but he isn’t mine to keep. I definitely get the ‘friendship’ vibe from him.”

  “You do not!” Gloria wasn’t fooled for a moment. “Look me in the eye and tell me that again,” she challenged.

  Maggie averted her eyes, unable to lie to her friend.

  “There! I’m right.”

  Maggie turned back to her and moaned softly. “I’m not ready for…” She gave a shrug of her shoulders. “Anything.”

  “Take it slow then,” Gloria said. “Maggie, you deserve to be happy. You know that, don’t you?”

  “Oh, I know,” she said, attempting a smile. “It’s just…”

  “You still feel as if you’ll be cheating on Shane if you have feelings for another man.”

  “Yes.”

  “Shane is dead, Maggie. He’s not coming back.”

  “I know,” she said softly. “I know.”

  Chapter Eleven

  “The lawn looks great,” Maggie said, as she and Jo
hn stood side-by-side at the sliding door and looked out over the newly laid sod.

  “Good as new,” he agreed.

  “Right as rain,” Maggie quipped, and offered him a lopsided grin.

  He chuckled. “The work went quick, with all the extra men who showed up to help.”

  “That was such a relief to see that many men arrive, ready and willing to work.”

  “The pastor was fairly alarmed when he saw the damage the donkey had done,” John commented.

  “Well, fortunately, it’s all fixed.”

  “Oh, and that reminds me…” He dug around in his pocket. “The pastor gave me a check for the siding, sod, and top soil. He said to let him know how much the paint will cost to repair the trim out back, and he’ll assure you’re paid for that, as well.”

  Maggie accepted the check, but realized most of it belonged to him. She studied it for a moment, trying to decide how best to reimburse him.

  He noted her befuddled expression. “Is everything okay?”

  “It’s just, well, most of this check belongs to you, but it’s made out to me. I’m going to write out a check to you, but…” She made an apologetic face. “Could you possibly wait to cash it until after one o’ clock tomorrow, so the funds will be there? I can’t make it to the bank until lunchtime.”

  “That’s fine,” he assured her, smiling at her earnest face.

  As she wrote the check, she looked so pretty, her eyes bright blue and fixed with concern. He wanted to smooth her brow, to take the worry away.

  His eyes widened at the realization. He felt protective of Maggie. He hardly knew her, yet, at the same time, he felt as if he knew her well. She was a good person, a wonderful mother, and a loyal friend. She was strong, independent, practical. Everything his ex was not.

  When earlier, she had made an off-hand comment about how she would have been at his side working on the lawn even if the others hadn’t shown up to help, he felt an odd stirring—a longing. He envisioned the two of them together, facing life’s challenges, and confident they would persevere, strong, despite the obstacles that came their way.