Her Best Friend Jon

by Kristy K. James

  Sighing, he grabbed a frozen dinner and stuck it in the microwave and then, sinking down on a chair, he planted his elbows on the card table and rested his head in his hands. He should have ordered pizza, and starting Monday, that's exactly what he was going to do – before he even left the site. He was going to be eating a lot of takeout until this part of the job was over because when they were working this hard, all he really wanted to do when he got home was lie down and sleep for two days. While he knew it would never happen, he could shower and go straight to bed…if he had something ready to eat as soon as he walked in the door.

  He listened to the quiet, broken only by the hum of the oven until the furnace kicked on, the blower muting the noise a little. For a moment, he thought about dragging the table over to the vent since he still hadn’t warmed up enough, but he was so exhausted he didn’t want to move. The only thing he wanted right now was to fill his belly when the timer dinged, and then crawl into his sleeping bag on the futon in the living room.

  Usually he’d be working on the house until bedtime, but when they put in long hours like this, he left it alone until things settled down. Right now he needed to conserve all of his energy for the job that mattered…and that was keeping on schedule so the project was finished by June.

  To make matters worse, he was dismayed to find he was taking Renee’s death harder than he’d thought he would. Memories from his childhood kept coming to mind at unexpected times, and there didn’t seem to be anything he could do to prevent them.

  Dan and Sam’s parents had taken him under their wings, too, but it was Cal’s mother and father who rescued him most often. Who provided him with meals when he might otherwise have gone hungry. Who invited him several times a week, every week – for years – to stay overnight at their house.

  Renee was the mother his own couldn’t be. Or didn’t want to be. Jon had never been sure which it was, but either way he looked at it, Cal’s mom and dad had been there for him.

  That might have been part of his problem now. They’d all been there for him when he was lost and alone, but now that she was gone, he was avoiding Cal like the plague. Kelly had already left on his sabbatical, running away from the pain, and that’s exactly what Jon was doing. But the only way it worked was to avoid one of his very best friends. He was afraid if he had to watch Cal grieving, he would lose control of his own emotions, and Jon never lost control.

  Losing it hurt, and he’d promised himself – at the tender age of eleven – that he wasn’t going to hurt anymore. And it didn’t matter what he had to do in order to avoid it.

  When the timer interrupted his thoughts, he pushed himself to his feet, the table sagging under the pressure, and he retrieved his chicken dinner. One of these days, he was going to have to go somewhere for a real meal.

  Chapter 2

  "Hey, Shirley," Hannah said, looking up from the table where she was folding a pair of jeans.

  She smiled as the forty-something mother of seven held the door for her teen and preteen kids. One-by-one they started carrying in baskets heaped high with dirty clothes, along with the laundry supplies they would need to clean them, and she shook her head in wonder. Every week the family hauled eleven large, rectangular baskets to the laundromat, and Hannah never ceased to be grateful for the two small round ones she brought with her.

  "Hey yourself, Hannah. Looks like you’re just about finished here," came the disappointed reply.

  They usually spent a couple of pleasant hours chatting while the washers and dryers worked their magic, and her brood sat quietly playing handheld video games, reading, or finishing homework. Hannah was amazed at how well-behaved and respectful the children were, unlike some of the other kamikaze kids who wouldn’t sit still for anything. The kind that made an afternoon here seem more like punishment.

  "Yeah, I'm afraid so. I had to come early today."

  "Big date tonight?"

  "I wish" she said, laughing. "No, just a bonfire with some friends." She piled the jeans on top of the sheets and towels in one of the baskets, and then finished filling the other up with everything else.

  "Make sure you dress warm, young lady. And take a blanket with you. It’s supposed to drop into the teens tonight, and being from Texas, you might not realize this, but even big fires won’t help much when it’s that cold."

  "Oh trust me, I'll be taking at least one," she promised, having been apprised of proper bonfire etiquette by Holly during their chat the other day. She'd also strongly encouraged her to stop by a department store and invest in a pair of insulated underwear. Listening to Shirley, she was glad she'd done exactly that. They were in the bottom of the second basket.

  "Just pretend you’re heading out on a three day trek through the arctic."

  "Sounds like good advice," she said, slipping into her thick parka.

  "Well, you have fun and stay warm. See you next week?"

  "Absolutely."

  She loaded the baskets in her car and headed home to prepare some snacks. Sam and Holly would be providing everything for hot dogs and S'mores, along with plenty of coffee, mulled cider, and hot cocoa, but everyone else brought potluck foods. Hannah would be bringing a huge pot of chicken stew and dumplings, made from a recipe passed down from her grandmother, and she had just about enough time to make it before she had to leave to head out to Charlotte.

  ~~~~~

  "Are Cal and Darby going to be here?" Jon asked, poking at the smoldering logs in the fire pit. He’d come a little earlier than he should have, but having put in a ten hour day – after working fourteen hour shifts for the past few days, he was afraid if he sat down to relax at home, he might fall asleep.

  "I don’t know," Sam said, the expression on his face troubled. "Holly told me she and Darby have been talking. Apparently Cal is scheduling so many events that he’s hardly ever home now. Just long enough to get some rest, and then he heads right back to work and doesn’t come home until after she’s asleep."

  "Trying to work through his grief."

  "That’s what it sounds like to us. Except Darby’s grieving, too, and they need each other right now. Dan’s planning to talk to him about it. If he shows up."

  "I don't think I'd hold my breath. If he's running away, he may not stop until the pain goes away."

  "That's what he did when Kelly Junior died, isn't it?"

  Jon nodded, trying to forget the part he'd played in that. The advice he'd given to his friend back then had been well intended, though not the wisest he could have offered. But by fifteen, he'd become an expert at running away from things that hurt. A person might not have any control over some of the garbage life threw at them, but if they could stay busy enough, work hard enough, they could keep the pain at bay, and if they could keep it up long enough, then it would almost be like it never happened. And that's exactly what he'd told Cal. Apparently it was a lesson he'd never forgotten, likely because – right or wrong – it did help.

  They worked in silence for a while, poking at the fire, adding another log, lost in thought…until Billy came peeling out of the house, Zack following at a more sedate pace.

  "Mom said we could come out now," the younger boy said, stopping a little too close to the fire pit. Jon reached down and grabbed the collar of his coat.

  "Slow down there, buddy," he warned, biting back a smile when Billy scowled up at him.

  "I wasn't gonna run into the fire, Uncle Jon."

  "Maybe not, but better safe than sorry." He felt the corners of his lips twitch when he glanced up, confused, and asked,

  "What?"

  "It means accidents happen and you never, ever run toward a fire or a road," Sam said, his tone conveying an admirable degree of parental authority. "Do you understand?"

  "Yes, Daddy." Billy stared at the ground, scuffing one foot in the dirt.

  Jon had trouble deciding whether the kid just had an abundance of energy, or if Sam and Holly would be looking for ways to treat ADHD someday. He'
d put it down to pure boredom since both boys had started being homeschooled, but Billy had been bouncing off the walls since the first time he'd met him.

  "Looks like the party is starting," Sam said with a grin. They'd both heard the car doors slamming out front. "Since you look like you're dead on your feet, why don't you have a seat?"

  "Yes, daddy," Jon said, grinning back at him, as he lowered his aching body into one of the Adirondack chairs sitting near the flames.

  ~~~~~

  Hannah wasn't surprised to find that she was enjoying herself. Seated between Jess and Ed Winslow, they kept up a steady stream of chatter, when they weren't gazing at the fire, mesmerized by the dancing flames, lost in thought.

  Dan and Jess's daughter, Kate, had long since fallen asleep and she, along with Billy Jensen, were tucked in bed in the house, a baby monitor sat in Dan's lap so they could hear if one of them woke up.

  Cal and Darby never showed up, though Ty and Emma Lanning were there. She'd only seen the couple a handful of times, but she liked them more the better she got to know them. Jenna Taggert, Ed's girlfriend sat on his other side, while Jess sat beside her husband.

  Jon was almost directly across from her and through the flames, it looked as though he'd been dozing from time to time. She knew he had to be exhausted given the hours he and the other guys were putting in on the houses. She didn't have to go in on Saturdays, but knew they'd all spent a long day there, following an extremely long week. Sometimes she wondered if overtime and schedules were worth the abuse they put themselves through.

  "Hannah?" Jess said, leaning around her husband.

  "What?"

  "Holly and I were talking this afternoon. Harry hasn't left Scotty's side since the transplant last week. So we were thinking in a couple of weeks, she should be about ready to tear her hair out. So we think we should all go up to the hospital and drag her down to the cafeteria. Make it a girl's night out and get her out of that room for a couple of hours. We hope you'll come."

  "I don't get an invitation?" Emma asked, trying to pull off a sad, offended look, but not quite succeeding.

  "Nope. Hannah's still kind of new to our group, so she gets one a few more times, and then it will be mandatory for her, too. But those of you who have been around a while are coming whether you like it or not."

  "What about Darby?" Emma wanted to know, her tone turning serious.

  "I don't know. I hope she will, but-" Shaking her head, she looked back at Hannah. "Well? Will you?"

  "Yes. Of course. I'd love to see Harry."

  "Good. I won't say that it will be fun, because I don't know how Harry is handling all of this. She's got to be totally stressed out. But I want her to know that we all care."

  ~~~~~

  "Well, I think I'm going to pack it in," Jon said, just before midnight. "If I don't go now, I don't think I'll be able to drive home."

  "I'm not sure you'll be able to drive at all," Dan told him, and Jon could see he was concerned. "You look exhausted."

  "That's only because I am exhausted. But it's only twelve miles. I'll be fine for that."

  "Yeah, I don't think so."

  "Why don't you take the sofa," Holly suggested without hesitation. "Then you can go home after you get a good night's sleep."

  "What time did Billy fall asleep?" Everyone around the fire chuckled, understanding that it would be a short night's sleep if he stayed because Billy would be up with the sun. "Na. I'll be fine. If I go home, I can sleep as late as I want."

  "I can drop him off," Ed offered, "then you guys can figure out how to get his truck home tomorrow."

  "Holly and I are taking the boys to see a movie tomorrow afternoon. We can take it over on our way to Lansing."

  "Thanks, but I'm not even close to being on your way home, Ed. I'm in the opposite direction entirely. Stop worrying. I promise I'll be okay. Twenty minutes and I'll be safe and sound."

  "You're not far out of my way," Hannah spoke up. She didn't know the area well, but she lived on the northwest side of Lansing, and he lived between there and Eaton Rapids, so it would only add a few extra minutes to her trip.

  "Sounds like a plan," Dan said, looking at Jon sternly. "Give Sam your truck key."

  Glancing at Hannah, he saw her smile a little, and he shrugged his shoulders. That couldn't have worked out better than if he'd planned it. He shoved his hand in his pocket, pulled out his key ring and tossed it to Sam.

  "Don't you need your house key?"

  "Na. I have an extra one in my wallet."

  ~~~~~

  Jon had been so quiet for most of the drive that Hannah thought he'd fallen asleep. She figured she’d pull up as close to his back door as she could, and wake him up. Then she'd make sure he got safely inside and head home to get a little sleep herself. So hearing his low voice in the quiet car made her jump.

  "You want to see the house?" he mumbled, turning his head to look at her.

  "You’re tired," she started to say, but he interrupted her.

  "Not that tired. Come on in. I’ll show you around."

  Hannah bit back a sigh, turned the key off and tucked it into her jeans pocket when she got out of the car.

  "Be careful. The ground’s kind of rough, but I’m not going to work in the yard until the remodeling is finished. Couldn't do much about it in the dead of winter anyway." Though he'd only been drinking hot cocoa at the bonfire, he sounded almost drunk, and she knew he wasn't being entirely truthful about how tired he was.

  She realized he hadn't exaggerated about the need to watch her step when she tripped over a snowdrift. He grabbed hold of her arm to keep her on her feet, then left his hand there to guide her the remaining few steps. Only a sliver of moon shone through the clouds, and even though it reflected off the snow, it was still pretty dark.

  "You need a yard light," she told him, as they walked up the steps to the back door.

  "That’s on the list. I just haven’t gotten around to it yet."

  Her first impression of the kitchen, that it hadn’t been remodeled in fifty years, was forgotten the instant she found herself thrown up against a dingy wall, her arm twisted painfully behind her back, her cheek pressed against the dingy, peeling paint.

  "Who are you?" Jon demanded, his voice low, menacing.

  "What? Jon, what are you doing?" Hannah asked, the words coming out in pants because he was throwing his weight against her back. Her heart was racing so fast she was afraid it might beat right out of her chest. She'd never, ever, felt so much as a hint of fear around her boss, but she was afraid now. In fact, she was downright terrified.

  "Who are you? Are you the one who’s trying to kill Ed?" He made a low, disgusted noise, then said, "Like you’d tell me if you were."

  "Have you lost your mind?"

  "It didn’t hit me until tonight how interested you are in him. You jump at the chance to call him, and you’re out of the modular every time he shows up with some excuse or another. And I saw you tonight at Sam’s. Most of the chairs were empty, yet you chose the one right next to him."

  "He invited me to sit there!"

  "Yeah? Is that why you kept pretending you weren't listening to every word that came out of his mouth? I thought you were going to tip the chair over when he was talking quietly to Jenna."

  "Jon, it’s not what you think. I promise you."

  "Really? Because to me it looks like it's exactly what I think it is."

  "I'm not trying to kill Ed!"

  "If you’re not the stalker, or working with the stalker, then who are you?"

  "I’m his daughter!" she cried out, then whispered, "He’s my father."

  Chapter 3

  Jon wondered if someone at Sam and Holly's had spiked the cocoa. He knew he was beyond tired, but the way his brain processed her words made it feel like there had to be something more. Like he might be drunk – or drugged – but just hadn’t realized it until that moment.

  "What did you say?
"

  "Ed is my father. I would never try to kill him. I only wanted to get to know him a little."

  "You're lying. Ed doesn’t have any kids."

  "Yes he does. Or he used to. He gave us up for adoption when I was little. I don’t even remember him. My sister does, but I was too young."

  The picture Ed kept on his desk at the station came immediately to mind. Neither he or the other guys had ever asked him about it, but it showed a younger version of Ed – probably about the same age as when he'd begun coaching their team. He stood beside a pretty young woman, and each of them were holding a little girl. Jon never gave it much thought, except to wonder if it was maybe a sister, and the kids were his nieces. They had also wondered why he'd never mentioned family of any kind, but assumed some tragedy had occurred.

  "No." He would never believe his friend and mentor could throw away his kids. "Ed would never do something like that."

  "Not the way it turned out, no. He didn't know what she really planned to do. Jon, you’re hurting my arm."

  Jon shook his head and slowly let his hand drop.

  "I’m sorry. I thought-"

  "I know what you thought," she said, turning to face him, rubbing the red mark he’d left on her wrist. "And I don’t blame you. I can imagine that, under the circumstances, it looked suspicious."

  "I don’t understand."

  "It’s a long story. I didn’t even know most of it until just before I moved here last year."

  He studied her face. She seemed to be telling him the truth. In all honesty though, he didn’t know her well enough to know one way or another. Sure he'd seen her most days at work since they'd hired her last summer. And yes, she’d helped when they’d moved Harry and Scotty to the house, along with her being invited to a handful of other get-togethers. They talked and joked around on a surface level, but when push came to shove, he didn’t know anything beyond what she'd written on her application.

  "Maybe you should sit down and tell me about it then."