The Prodigal Heiress

by Vickey Rogers

  “I just want to make sure we can do the things you want to do. Sometimes we have to make reservations,” Houston said with defeat as he lowered his head.

  “Not with my money we don’t,” Lexi said haughtily. She put her nose high in the air and scowled extra hard to stop from smiling at the ridiculousness and knew this was exactly how the old Lexi probably would have behaved.

  “Okay, so what do you want to do,” Houston ask as he pretended to just now notice Jeff.

  “I want to go shopping,” Lexi said as she moved to stand against Houston as she’d seen Dotty do to Jeff on numerous occasions.

  “We just went shopping yesterday,” Houston said in a slightly irritated tone.

  “Well, I want to go again. You don’t mind, right?” She practically purred as she ran her hand over Houston’s chest the way she had seen Dotty do to Jeff. She knew he particularly hated that.

  “Okay, we’ll think of something else to do for the rest of the weekend,” Houston said with a sigh of defeat.

  “I’ll think of something. Just put away those old skis. I’m not too fond of skiing anyway.” Lexi threw in the part about skiing knowing that Jeff lived on the slopes in the winter.

  Lexi walked out, and Houston sat down with his head in his hands as if soothing a bad headache. Lexi hid behind a large plant to watch.

  It wasn’t long before Jeff was sitting down next to him.

  “Hey Houston, sorry to see that... I thought Lexi was different,” Jeff said clapping Houston on the back.

  “Hi Jeff... She is different. I mean…well, she just has these moods,” Houston said wistfully while looking in the direction Lexi had gone.

  “Yeah, so does Dotty,” Jeff said shaking his head in sympathy.

  “No. I mean, sometimes she’s great,” Houston said looking Jeff in the eye.

  “So’s Dotty,” said Jeff with a knowing nod.

  “Yeah... What are we gonna do? I know I’m crazy about her and I know she likes me. But how do you live with it, man,” Houston asked pleadingly.

  Jeff let out a long, loud sigh. “You get used to tuning them out. What is it with females anyway? I really thought she was different. Well, I wish you all the luck, Houston.”

  Jeff walked out of the solarium. A couple minutes later, Lexi walked back in.

  “And another thing…” Lexi said loudly with an ‘I want no argument from you’ tone.

  Houston looked up and started to say something to Lexi but stopped as she barely shook her head and opened her eyes widely. Lexi saw the understanding dawn on Houston’s face that Jeff was in hearing range.

  “I want to go out for dinner tonight.”

  Houston stood up in a defensive stance.

  “But we’ve been out almost every night this month. I’m tired, and if we are going shopping today, I’ll be beat. I just want to stay home and relax. Please,” Houston said making his voice sound tired and whiny.

  “No. I sat home bored last night. I won’t do it again. We’re going out,” Lexi stated forcefully.

  Houston sat down and looked up at the ceiling, resting the back of his head on the chair back.

  “Okay. It’s up to you, Lexi,” he said in a totally defeated tone.

  “Yes. It should be up to me. I know what’s best for us,” she purred and sauntered away.

  Jeff was back in the room as soon as Lexi’s foot fall was no longer audible.

  Hiding behind the same plant, she felt like a spy; but she wanted to make sure he bought the entire scene.

  “Wow. I thought Dotty was a hard woman. Lexi seems to have her beat. Why don’t you cut her loose? You can do better,” he said with sincere concern as he looked down at Houston.

  “No... I… ahh… I…” Houston looked down, unable to continue. It was obvious how much Houston cared about Lexi.

  “Oh man. Houston, didn’t I teach you never to fall for a woman? Having one is a necessary evil, but you should never fall for one. It gets too complicated.”

  “Yes, but it just…happened.”

  “You poor guy… Well, the infatuation will break someday, hopefully for your sake sooner than later.” Jeff smiled, slapped Houston on the leg and left.

  Lexi heard him whistling in the hall and knew that Jeff had bought the whole thing. She felt bad for fooling Jeff, but she also knew he would never give up otherwise. Houston stood up, joined Lexi and they went back to the apartment.

  Later that day, Houston waited for the women to get ready to go shopping by reading a magazine. He as well as Lexi and Miranda knew Jeff would be watching, so they needed to make the entire act believable. They talked about the guilty feeling they all had for fooling Jeff. But they all knew it was the only way to get him to behave, and they all made a pact to one day tell Jeff and explain. They wanted to work on him as well as the others to get them to turn to God. They felt he would understand their motives once he knew Jesus.

  They went to a few local shops and browsed around. Lexi had never seen the local shops before. She had always gone to the city to shop by way of the highway, and that came nowhere near town. She found the local shops had fascinating merchandise and even bought a few knickknacks and trinkets.

  They had so much fun that they forgot about dinner until they were very hungry. They decided to go to a small Italian restaurant that Houston loved. Lexi was fond of Italian food and loved the meal of pasta and salad she chose. Miranda chose a personal pizza and a small glass of wine. Houston had the house specialty, lasagna with thick layers of mushroom, onion, and meat. The heavenly smelling garlic bread made Lexi and Miranda sorry they hadn’t chosen the same.

  They talked about the pumpkin patch and how it would be fun to bring more kids so Demi had someone to play with there. They all decided that Miranda would be the best person to be in charge of finding kids, and Lexi also wanted them to be children that otherwise would not have gotten to go. She did not want them to miss it while taking children whose families would take them. It felt right.

  The more they talked about the outing, the more excited they all became. It would be a wonderful day. Houston told them that after getting the pumpkins, they could go on a hayride, walk through a haunted house, and then gorge themselves on huge caramel apples. They decided to go as soon as possible. Of course, it would have to be a weekend since kids were in school. Miranda had three days to come up with some kids who wouldn’t get to go unless they went with them. It was a bit of a challenge, and Lexi could see that Miranda was even more excited about that.

  She couldn’t believe the warm, glowing feelings she kept getting. It just didn’t seem to go away. She had never felt so good in her life. She knew she was feeling that way because of Jesus in her heart. The Holy Spirit made it so that other’s happiness was the source of her happiness. She never would have dreamed in a million years that she would feel this way—maybe about money, but not at other’s happiness. She felt so good. She just wanted so much to share all that she had, including these good feelings.

  “I know I’m waiting on the Lord, but I want to share this happiness with people. I want to make many others happy by doing what God wants me to do. Sometimes I feel I will explode.”

  “I think He’ll tell you soon, Honey. Soon…” Miranda patted her hand.

  They left the restaurant and headed back to the country club.

  Jeff was packing suitcases into a limo when they pulled up.

  “Hey Jeff… off so soon,” Lexi asked.

  Jeff looked at her warily. A knowing look at Houston was not missed by Lexi, Houston, or Miranda.

  “Yep, I’m heading to Paris for a few months. Dotty’s parents rented an apartment there, and she’s dying to visit the place. Of course I have to go too…” he rolled his eyes and gave Houston a wink as if to say, “Women,” as he stepped into the limo and rolled down the window.

  “Well, have fun. Is Lark staying here?” Lexi asked.

  “Who can tell? I’m sure she’ll be in and out like always. She’ll find others to party with
I’m sure. And her sister is home from school next week, so…”

  And with that, Jeff slapped the roof of the limo, and it pulled away.

  Lexi felt a bit relieved, even though she knew she shouldn’t. She hated to put on an act; and even knowing that one day she would apologize to Jeff and explain, it didn’t sit right with her to have been a part of deceiving him. But for now, she knew it was her only option. She didn’t want Jeff having feelings for her that she couldn’t and wouldn’t return.

  Chapter 10

  The day was chilly and overcast, a perfect October day to go to the pumpkin patch. It felt like the Halloweens that Lexi had as a child. It was cold enough to be fun but warm enough that they were not shivering. The weather was part of the fun. The clouds that hung overhead didn’t seem to threaten rain.

  Miranda had outdone herself. She had found fifteen children from a children’s protective center and a few foster homes who would not be able to go to pumpkin patch without them. The children ranged in age from four to twelve years old, and some of the center’s staff had volunteered to come along and help.

  At first, Lexi was afraid of all the children. She had thought they would pick up four or five. This she had not been prepared for.

  Once they were at the pumpkin patch, her fears disappeared almost instantly. The looks on the children’s faces were amazing. She soon realized that these children had come from homes that could not keep them. Maybe the parents couldn’t afford them or the children may have been battered. An idea started to form in Lexi’s mind, but it wasn’t solid yet. She was starting to wonder if God intended for her to help children. That was a very interesting idea that was interrupted by Houston.

  “Hey Lexi... The kids want to go over to the petting zoo. It’s a dollar for a cup of feed, and they can each feed the animals. Want to go along?”

  “Sure. Sounds fun,” she said, smiling to see the children dancing excitedly as they were handed cups of feed.

  Lexi remembered her mother and father taking her to a pumpkin patch when she was a child. Every year, they went to Kregger’s pumpkin patch. Mr. Kregger was very old and very wise. Lexi liked him instantly and started calling him Grandpa. The year Mr. Kregger passed on Mrs. Kregger decided to close the pumpkin patch. Lexi never wanted to go to any other pumpkin patch, so the tradition died out after that. She had told Miranda that it made her too sad to go anywhere else. Miranda had understood completely. She created a new tradition; and every October the family had a kid’s Halloween party instead. Lexi had loved that.

  She couldn’t remember how she had gotten so far away from her parents since they were so close when she was young, but she supposed it was a gradual thing that goes unnoticed until one day there is a huge gulf between you and the people you should be closest to. It was a sad thing and one she decided would not happen again.

  The children were laughing and squealing with joy as Lexi and Houston walked up to the large pens that held small pigs, rabbits, goats, sheep, and even a pony.

  Lexi noticed one little boy standing back from the crowd. He looked very sad and detached from the others.

  “Houston is that one of ours,” she asked with a finger to her lip as she looked at the little boy.

  “Yes. He was on the bus. Poor little guy seems so sad,” Houston said with a soft expression as he turned to look at the little boy.

  Lexi walked over to the boy. He was about four years old. He had a mop of black curls and large, brown eyes. His olive skin was the color Lexi had wished her tanning sessions in her teens had turned her skin.

  “Hi there… My name’s Lexi. What’s yours,” Lexi said with a friendly smile as she looked down at him.

  The little boy looked at her but said nothing.

  “It’s okay. You don’t have to tell me. It just makes it a little easier to talk. Have you been to the pumpkin patch before?”

  With that, large tears rolled down the little boy’s face. He didn’t make a sound, just cried quietly.

  Lexi’s instincts took control. She put her hand on his shoulder and knelt down to be at eye level with him.

  “It’s okay, honey. I’m sorry if I said something that made you feel bad. I wanted you to have fun today. I didn’t want you to feel bad.”

  The little boy wiped his eyes and looked at Lexi again. “It’s okay. I know you’re the wady who brought us here. I wanted to come, but it ‘minds me of my mama,” the little boy explained between soft sobs.

  Lexi told the little boy about her experiences with Mr. Kregger and how she felt very sad when he was gone and she didn’t want to go there anymore.

  “They told me my mama’s dead. In a car ’cident. Do ya think they’re lyin’ ta me?”

  “Oh, honey, I don’t think anyone would lie about that.”

  The boy started to sob. Lexi noticed the cross he was wearing.

  “Honey, listen. Do you believe in Jesus?”

  The little boy nodded. “Mama told me all ’bout Him.”

  “So your mama believed in Jesus too, huh?”

  The little boy nodded again. “She loved the Lord with all her heart. She a’ways told me that.”

  “Well, I’m going to tell you something right now. And I want you to listen very carefully. Okay?”

  The little boy wiped his eyes and looked intently at Lexi and nodded.

  “When a Christian dies, they go straight up to Jesus. Your mama is in a beautiful place.”

  “I want to go there too,” the little boy said earnestly.

  “Well, someday you will. But did you know that each person has things to learn on the earth that God wants us to know before we go to heaven?”

  “Mama told me somepin’ like that, but I don’t wanna learn. I want my mama,” Evan said pleadingly as he looked into Lexi’s eyes. Her heart broke at seeing the pain in his eyes. She hugged him and kissed the top of his head.

  “You know, I bet your mama wants you to learn as much as you can here so that in heaven you will have a really important job. I bet she has told Jesus many wonderful things about you, and I bet she has told Jesus you will do a good job of learning.”

  “Really,” he asked in a loud whisper; his eyes wide in surprise.

  “Yes. And we should never want to die until it’s our time. God created us for a reason, and He brings us home when it’s our time. I bet He felt bad though when He had to take your mama from you, but I bet that’s why He has now brought us together. I want us to be very good friends.” Lexi said with a gentle smile. “Can I know your name now?” Lexi asked with a gentle smile.

  The little boy looked up at the sky and tapped his finger on his chin, then looked at Lexi with a shy smile. “Evan.”

  Lexi gave Evan a quick hug and said, “Well, Evan, I’m so very happy to meet you. Like I said, I want us to become good friends. Would you like that?”

  Evan smiled a small smile and nodded his head.

  “Do you think Mama can see me,” Evan asked looking at the sky.

  “Maybe she can. We don’t know much about the next life except that if we belong to Jesus, we have nothing to fear. You’ll see your Mama again. You just have to be patient,” Lexi said and thought of seeing her father again.

  A sure smile spread across her face. When Evan saw the look on Lexi’s face, his own smile broadened.

  “I’ll try.”

  “That’s all anyone can ask, Evan. We should always try. And when we have a hard time, we need to reach out to other Christians and ask for help,” Lexi said, looking into Evan’s eyes as she held both his hands.

  “Are you a Christian?”

  “Yes. You know, I am a Christian,” Lexi said confidently with a nod of her head.

  Lexi felt warmth glowing inside her that had not been there in a long time. Her admission was a kind of awakening of the side of her that had fallen asleep long ago. She marveled at the things she had just said to Evan. When she looked around, she saw Miranda a short distance away with tears in her eyes. Then Miranda smiled to let her know they
were good tears.

  “Can I come and live with you?” Evan suddenly asked. “I think Mama and Jesus want me to live with you. Mr. and Mrs. Handlan are grouchy, and they don’t talk about Jesus. They tell me that Jesus is a fairy tale. But Jesus is real, right?”

  “Yes. Of course He’s real.” Lexi’s head spun with the idea of having Evan in her care. How could he ask something like that of a stranger? Then again, he didn’t feel like a stranger to her. He was only a small child. She didn’t know how to care for a child. She needed to talk to Houston and Miranda about this. They would help her figure it out. Although why she would, even on some level, even consider the idea was beyond her.

  “Well, I’ve never had a child around, and I know nothing really about kids. I don’t think I would make a good mother. But I will always be a phone call away. Okay, Evan?” she asked as she saw the light flicker out in his hopeful eyes.

  “Okay.” Evan said no more.

  Lexi put a finger under his chin and gently lifted his face so she could look into his eyes.

  “Evan, I’m not going to just disappear. I want you to visit a lot, and I want you to come for Christmas. We’re friends now. So no matter what, I want you in my life, and I will be in yours.”

  Evan hugged Lexi tightly.

  Lexi’s heart filled with such a strong feeling of love that she hugged him back.

  She felt a closeness to Evan she had never felt with a child before. She imagined it was like the feeling you have with your own child. She wanted to protect him from every hurt and only see him smile.

  She watched him as he finally joined in with the others, laughed, and had fun. She watched as Houston took a special interest in Evan also and watched him as he played tag with the children and coached Evan on how to find the special little treats the pumpkin patch had hidden as surprises. He didn’t tell him where to look but kept it fun by giving small hints.