Their Family Legacy

by Lorraine Beatty

  “We need to capture this for posterity. Not to mention your boys.” He pulled out his cell and aimed it at her.

  “Oh no. I’m not going to be the only one looking like a goofball. It’s both of us or nothing.”

  Jake pulled her to his side and raised his cell. “Smile.” He took a few more shots, each one with a sillier expression than the last.

  Annie laughed and pulled off the wig. “That’s enough. I don’t want my new look going viral.”

  Jake stuffed his hat and boa back in the box along with Annie’s props and then closed the top. “I think you looked pretty cute.”

  “And you were made for that tall hat. Very attractive.”

  Jake met her gaze and her heart stopped. The air around them crackled. The light in his eyes darkened, sending her heart rate tripping double time. Her gaze traveled to his mouth. She’d spent many a night wondering what it would be like to kiss him.

  But her fear of what might happen after that first kiss nagged at her. Jake reached out and pulled a stray neon green thread from the wig off her shoulder. His hand came to rest on the side of her neck and she closed her eyes as his touch raced through her like an electric current.

  “Annie.”

  He whispered her name like a prayer. She opened her eyes and looked into his brown eyes, now lit with a fire behind them. She should stop this, but her willpower was gone, overtaken by the need to be in his arms.

  He tilted her head upward with his thumb and she stopped breathing. Somehow her arms slid around his neck and she stepped into his embrace.

  His kiss was soft and tender at first as if he were testing the waters. She responded, encouraging him. The world blurred into emotion, and a sense of security, belonging and joy all swirled inside her mind.

  Then a loud noise shattered the moment. She stepped back, breathing rapidly. Slowly she let her gaze travel to his. There was no mistaking the message in the brown depths. He cared for her. A great deal. If she had a mirror, she’d probably see the same revealing look in her own eyes.

  Jake stared at her a long moment and then stepped back. “The fireworks are starting.” As if by mutual agreement they stepped away from the photo booth and looked skyward.

  The whoosh and boom of ignited pyrotechnics filled the air, followed by a burst of vivid color lighting up the night sky. They stood and watched as each explosive display rivaled the last.

  Jake slipped his hand into hers, snagging the breath in her lungs. His hold was gentle yet firm, both exciting and reassuring at the same time. He leaned closer, both of them watching the fireworks, yet both fully aware of the connection between them.

  Suddenly Jake released her. “I suppose we’d better get back to work.”

  She nodded, unable to find her voice. Silently they finished removing the canvas and carried the remnants of the photo booth back into the school. Jake was called away to help with stowing the gate tables back in the gym, leaving Annie to relive the kiss.

  What happens now? Where did she and Jake go from here? They’d been denying the attraction for a long time. That had all ended tonight. Was there a future for them? She didn’t see how. Not with his addiction and not as long as she was his jailer. If only she could release him. But the only way to do that was to deny her children a home and a future.

  Sharee strode into the hallway and raised her eyebrows when she looked at her.

  “You okay? You look a little confused.”

  That was an understatement. “I’m fine. Just tired.”

  Sharee nodded. “We’re almost done.” She picked up a large plastic container. “Can you pull up all those sponsor signs you and Jake put along the front walkway. We’ll keep them for next year. A lot of those businesses will participate again. If I see Jake, I’ll send him to help.”

  Annie welcomed the task. It would give her a chance to be alone and think about what had just happened between her and Jake. She pulled up the stakes, wishing she could pull out her confusing emotions so easily. She cared for Jake. She might even be falling in love with him, but that couldn’t happen. Too much was in the way. Their past. Her children, her commitment and her own doubts, particularly about him being a recovering alcoholic.

  She placed the last sign in the container and then started back down the other side of the long walkway at the front of the school. She glanced up to see Jake coming toward her. He raised his hand and started to jog. A young man stepped from the shadows and approached him. Annie watched their conversation. From the gestures of the teen, Annie could tell he was upset about something. Jake placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and then glanced in her direction.

  She held her breath. What was happening? Jake turned the teen toward the parking lot and walked off, tossing a quick glance over his shoulder.

  Where was he going? Was he avoiding her? Was he looking for any excuse to keep his distance because he regretted the kiss they’d shared?

  She turned and walked toward the door. Was she worrying for nothing? The widows from her group had pointed out that she had a bad habit of anticipating trouble where there was none.

  To be honest she needed some time away from him, as well. She had to figure out what she was going to do and how she really felt about Jake.

  Chapter Twelve

  Jake jogged alongside Dylan as they crossed the parking lot on the way to his SUV, his heart feeling like a lead weight inside his chest. He’d wanted to talk to Annie, to explain about the kiss and about his growing feelings for her. He wanted to make sure she understood that he wasn’t putting any pressure on her, but he wanted to be honest.

  No time for that now. He glanced at the teenager beside him. “Are you sure he’ll be there?”

  Dylan nodded. “It’s his favorite place.”

  The young man’s stress filled the car. He’d grown very fond of the kid. He was fighting to save his father, but Jake knew wanting it wasn’t enough. “Don’t worry. We’ll get him out.”

  Dylan leaned against the car door, the picture of dejection. “He promised he wouldn’t go there again.”

  Jake gripped the steering wheel. He’d seen this scenario dozens of times. He’d lived it and knew Annie had battled the same feelings. “Drinking is an addiction. The power it has over you is impossible to explain.”

  “Do you still fight it?”

  Jake had been honest with the teens in the youth group about his addiction. “From time to time. Not like in the beginning though.”

  “So my dad might get better someday?”

  The hopeful tone in the boy’s voice squeezed his throat. “If he works hard, he might.”

  Jake pulled the car into the dimly lit parking lot in front of the Last Chance Bar and Nightclub. The red neon sign flickered as if on the verge of going out. The word club had already gone dark. Jake steeled himself, praying for strength and courage and a good outcome. Dylan’s father was out on parole and forbidden to hang out in places like this.

  Dylan was frantic to get his dad out of the bar before someone reported him to his parole officer and he was sent back to prison.

  Jake watched two seedy-looking men enter the rundown building. “Maybe you should stay in the car.”

  “No. I’m going in too.”

  The young man was underage, but from what Jake had heard, this place was notorious for never checking IDs, and having Dylan with him might make it easier to convince his father to leave.

  They stepped inside, taking a few moments for their vision to adjust to the low light. Jake’s throat clenched at the smell of the free-flowing liquor and his ears rebelled at the loud music. Jake leaned close to Dylan so he could hear. “Do you see him?”

  “Not yet.”

  They slowly moved deeper into the murky space. Jake scanned the dim interior, looking for Mr. Fields and trying to ignore the other illegal activity taking place in the shadows. He’d be
en on the edge of crossing the line between drink and drugs. He knew how strong that temptation was. Dylan grabbed his arm.

  “There he is. That far back corner.”

  They made their way through the crowd to the table where Dylan’s father was hunched over a glass of bourbon. Jake sent up a prayer for the man. This was no way to live your life.

  Dylan took his dad’s arm. “Dad. Come on. Let’s go home.”

  Fred Fields blinked as he looked up at his son, and then he yanked his arm away. “I’m not done yet.” He pointed to the barely touched glass. “I’ve got to finish this first. I paid for it so I need to drink it.”

  Dylan glanced at Jake, his eyes filled with shame. Jake took the glass away and placed it on the next table. “Now it’s gone. Let’s go home, Fred.”

  They managed to get the man to his feet, but he wasn’t happy about it. Hopefully he’d go quietly the way he had when they’d taken him from the casino in Biloxi.

  “Come on, Dad. You’ve had enough.”

  Fred attempted to pull out of their grasp. “No. I’m not done yet. Don’t tell me what to do.”

  A loud voice rose over the drunken chatter and the music. “Hastings Police. Everyone, stay where you are.”

  Jake’s chest tightened, making it hard to breathe. He couldn’t let Dylan get arrested. It would follow him all of his life. He glanced at the teen and saw the sadness and resignation on his face. His father would be going back to prison. He didn’t want to think about the consequences for himself. His job, his chances for any coaching job in the future. And Annie. His relationship with her would be destroyed forever.

  He and Dylan exchanged worried looks as the police started to round up the patrons of the Last Chance Bar. Right now the name seemed discouragingly appropriate.

  * * *

  It was early morning before Jake and Dylan were released from jail. Jake’s attorney had made a good case for both of them. And Judge Rankin had dismissed the charges against them once he heard their story. Fred Fields however would be going back to prison for violating his parole.

  Jake dropped Dylan off at home and then headed back to his place. The first light of dawn was appearing in the sky. A verse about The Lord’s mercies being new every morning came to his mind. He was about to find out if that was true in this case. He figured he had a couple of hours before word got out in Hastings, and by the early service at Covenant Church everyone would know that he’d been arrested in a drug bust at a bar. The news of his and Dylan’s innocence would make the rounds too, but not as quickly.

  Harley had texted already, wanting to know what was going on. But there was only one person he wanted to talk to. Annie. He was hoping he could divert the worst of the story and explain to her what had happened. Unfortunately he doubted their relationship was strong enough to survive this mess.

  He didn’t want to think about what it would mean if it wasn’t. Her history would rise up and block anything he had to say. She’d been through too much heartache and pain and he couldn’t overcome it with words and promises. He couldn’t blame her but he wanted her to trust him and to believe in him despite both their pasts.

  He looked over at her house, debating the best way to approach her. It was too early to call. Trying to catch her before church wouldn’t be a good idea either. She’d be busy getting the twins ready for early service.

  Then there was the heart-stopping kiss they’d shared. He’d known at that moment he was in love with Annie. Probably had been for a long time. His feelings changed nothing. After last night, the wall between them might as well be a universe.

  * * *

  Annie stopped on the front walk of the church the next morning, glancing around to see who had called her name. The boys went ahead of her into the sanctuary to find a seat. Denise hurried toward her, a look of distress on her face. “What’s wrong?”

  Her friend tugged her to the side of the building, near the overgrown shrubbery. The look on her face sent a shot of concern through Annie’s veins.

  “I tried to catch you before you left this morning. I didn’t want you stepping into this unprepared.”

  Annie’s heart sped up. “What are you talking about?”

  “It’s Jake. He was arrested last night in a drug raid at a local bar.”

  Every thought in her head vanished. Stunned, she could only stare at her friend in disbelief. “No. That’s not true. You’re wrong.”

  “Sweetie, I didn’t want to believe it myself. I think the world of Jake—you know I do—but my brother is a cop. He was there when they brought Jake and a teenage boy to jail. There was a big drug bust at the Last Chance Bar. The boy was one of the kids from the church’s youth group.”

  Annie didn’t want to believe any of it. “When did this happen?”

  “Last night, after the carnival apparently. Jake and Dylan went there together. Apparently it’s easy to get in without ID.”

  Her mind fought to understand. “Drugs? No. Jake never did drugs.” But drinking. That was another story. He’d admitted the old hunger was still there, that he fought it every day. She’d seen him with the teenager, saw them hurry off. Was Jake so regretful of the kiss they’d shared that he had to drown his emotions in a bar?

  “Are you all right? I didn’t want to tell you, but I thought you should know, seeing how close you two are.”

  Close? What was she talking about? “We’re just friends and coworkers.”

  Denise gave her a skeptical smirk. “I’ve come to know you pretty well, and I know you have feelings for the man. Don’t try and deny it.”

  Annie swallowed the pain forming in her throat. “Only as a friend.” The words sounded like a lie even to her.

  “If that’s true then maybe this whole mess was for the best. You can walk away before any damage has been done.”

  Annie nodded. Feeling nauseous, she stepped around her friend. “Would you bring the boys home with you after church? I need to go home.”

  “I’m sorry, Annie. I should have kept quiet. I wanted to make sure you knew before the news spread all over town, which it already has, but I didn’t want you to be blindsided.”

  “It’s okay. Don’t worry about it.”

  In a daze Annie made her way to the back of the church. As she started across the parking lot she glanced up and saw Jake getting out of his car. Their gazes met and held. She didn’t want to believe what she’d been told, but the look of shame on his chiseled features said it all.

  She quickened her steps. As she neared her car someone approached. She glanced up to see Clark Tullos. There was no way she could avoid him.

  “I wanted to see if you were okay.”

  He reached out as if to touch her and she drew back. “What do you mean?”

  “Well, I’m sure you’ve heard about the mess Jake got himself into. He always was weak when it came to the bottle. The worst part was that he dragged a kid in with him.”

  The syrupy tone in his voice made her skin crawl. She opened the car door but Clark didn’t take the hint.

  “He hasn’t changed over the years. He was always messed up in one thing or another. Like I said, once a bad boy, always a bad boy, right?”

  She used the door to move Clark aside and then quickly slid into her car and started the engine, desperate to get away. The tears started without her realizing it until she had to wipe the moisture from her eyes to be able to drive. Jake had fallen off the wagon. Her worst fear had come to pass. Hollow promises, empty vows.

  What would she tell the boys? How could they still work together? What would happen to Jake now? Would he lose his job? She shouldn’t be worrying about that. Her boys would be crushed. They wouldn’t understand.

  At the house she hurried inside, stopped in the hall and starred. What did she do now? Last night she’d come so close to admitting that she loved Jake and that his past was something s
he could deal with.

  Now she only felt betrayed and hurt and angry and so very sad. Her emotions were in shattered pieces as if a bomb had gone off inside and left her in a million burning shards.

  Sam came to her side and licked her hand. The gesture was too much. She ran to the living room and fell on the sofa, letting the tears flow. Sam rested his shaggy head on her arm. It was the only comfort she could bear at the moment because she was too broken to even pray.

  * * *

  Jake watched Clark approach Annie as she headed to her car. His instinct told him to go protect her, to defend his position in this mess. Thankfully she made her escape, giving him hope that he might plead his case and explain before things got worse.

  He drove directly home and sat in the car a long moment, praying for the right words to explain, asking for Annie to have a receptive attitude toward the situation.

  His whole body tensed as he knocked on the door. It swung open and the condemnation in her blue eyes nearly brought him to his knees.

  “Annie. I want to explain.”

  She started to shut the door, but he stopped the movement with his hand. “Please let me tell you what happened. It was all a mistake.”

  “My mistake was in believing you. You lied to me just like Rick did. He always claimed he was going to his meetings, but he wasn’t. You said you’d been sober all this time, but you haven’t been.” She swiped tears from her eyes.

  “I have. I didn’t lie to you. The charges have been dropped. Please let me explain.”

  She shook her head. “No. Rick always had an explanation for everything too. Anything he could make up to cover his tracks. I don’t want to hear it. I believed in you.” She pushed the door closed, leaving him gutted and hopeless.

  Inside his house, he sank onto the sofa, resting his head on the back, staring at the ceiling, searching for answers. He’d done the right thing in trying to help Dylan, but in Annie’s eyes he’d betrayed her by being in a bar. Even if she’d allowed him to explain, she probably wouldn’t believe him.