Barefoot Bay_A Family for the Holidays

by Karen Ann Dell

  Kelly returned the squeeze. “Thank you, roomie. I feel the same way, and I’d love to be your MOH. Since I have no future plans, any date you pick will work for me.”

  “Great. Your turn. How was the past week with my brother in residence?”

  “Oh, it was, ah … It was fine. Good. We checked out a few properties. Kelly pressed her lips together and gazed up at the ceiling, but it was no use. Tears spilled down her face.

  Sky slid her chair close so she could put her arms around her friend. “Tell me. What did that no-good, dumb-ass brother of mine do? Did he ignore you? Act like the perfect house guest and mind his manners? What?”

  “He … I … we …” Kelly mopped her tears and blew her nose. She took a deep breath. “We fell into bed together the first day he got here and spent most of the week there.”

  “Okay. And that’s making you cry because…?”

  “Because he made it abundantly clear that it was only fun and games. Not even a hint that he might actually have some feelings for me.” She slumped in the chair and pouted. “Don’t get me wrong. The man is a fantastic lover. Sweet and tender or hotter than hell, he had me begging for more after a single kiss.” Kelly drank some water and tried to get her emotions under control. She heaved a big sigh and shook her head in misery. “Oh, hell, Sky, what am I going to do? I fell for him like a forty-eight-year-old spinster falls for a Hollywood movie star.” She scoffed, “And he hasn’t even said he’d give me a call anytime soon.”

  “Just wait until I get my hands on that fool. I’ll smack some sense into him!”

  “No! No, Sky, you can’t say anything. I’ll come off acting like a high school sophomore with a crush on the football quarterback. It’s my own fault. I thought if I could get him into bed, he’d see me in a different light. But, really, he just wants to be friends, you know? And I can’t bear to give up on that friendship just because he won’t love me.”

  “Well, shit.” Sky threw her hands up. “Now I’m sorry I ever introduced you to the idiot.”

  “He’s not an idiot. He got hurt really badly by his high school sweetheart, and he’s never gotten over her. I’d like to meet her behind the bleachers and give her a piece of my mind. Stupid bitch. It’s bad enough she didn’t want him, but did she have to break him for the rest of us?”

  “I don’t know, Kel. I thought he was going to be the first one of us to get married. They seemed so perfect together and then, poof, the spring of her senior year she meets some other smooth talker and, before you know it, she’s calling it quits with Mike.” She gave Kelly another hug. “I’m so sorry you feel bad, but don’t give up hope yet.”

  “I want to be mad at him, Sky, but I can’t. He’s infuriating and then turns around and does something so nice… He came with me to visit my mom on Friday. He didn’t have to do that. You know how guys hate that kind of awkward, uncomfortable situation. Yet he was pleasant and kind even after he had to introduce himself to her twice.” Kelly finished her water and stood. “Enough of this maudlin talk.”

  “I guess you’re right. We should talk about something else. Like you having Thanksgiving dinner up in Philly with us.”

  “Did you not hear anything I’ve been saying? Mike told me it was your mom who invited me—not him.” The bastard. I’m only good enough to be his fuck buddy. Certainly not the girl he brings home to meet his family. She thumped her water bottle on the table with enough force to geyser some out the top. “And I don’t think I can handle being up there without beating him senseless with a turkey leg,” she said, and got some paper towels to clean up the mess she’d made. “Besides, I want to spend some time with Mom, even if she doesn’t know who I am.”

  “Well, after listening to him this afternoon, I think Mike has much stronger feelings for you than simple friendship.”

  “Oh yeah?” Kelly snarled, her lip curled in scorn. Besides an easy lay? I doubt that.

  “Yeah. He made me promise to get you up here for Thanksgiving. He understands how you want to spend time with your mom, so he and Owen figured out a way you could visit her and still have dinner with us.” Sky explained the plan and finished up with, “Believe me, Kel, if I show up without you, I’m gonna be in deep doo-doo. Mom won’t hear of you not coming, and Mike really wants you there.”

  Kelly opened her mouth to protest Sky’s statement, but Sky held up a hand to stop her.

  “Don’t argue. I saw his face when he talked about you, Kel. He wanted to call you, but I told him I had a better chance of convincing you than he did. Don’t make a liar out of me. Because I really want you there, too.”

  Kelly felt like she may have been given the secret to eternal life, only it was written in Martian Sanskrit. “I don’t know.”

  “Just say you’re coming, roomie. Please. We all want you with us.”

  Kelly sighed, then shrugged. “Who am I to fight an entire family? Okay, I’ll come.”

  Chapter Six

  The next few weeks were strange. Since baseball season was over, there wasn’t a great deal to do at the office. Kelly took care of sorting the incoming mail, answering the occasional phone call and acting as general secretary for the club. Most of the players had returned to their own homes and families during the off season, to find temporary jobs now that their wages from the Bucks had stopped. It was a difficult life for the players, and Kelly sympathized with the few who stayed in the barracks. A couple had wrangled temporary spots on Luke McBain’s security team for the Casa Blanca Resort since this was prime season, with at least one wedding every weekend, as well as lots of high-profile guests who wanted privacy while they had fun in the sun. Cal stayed and oversaw a winter baseball camp for Mimosa High School students as well as privately coaching some Little League players. The other starting pitcher who’d signed on at the same time as AJ, Cal had set his sights on Kelly from day one. Unfortunately for him, she’d met Mike, and the instant attraction she’d felt made her impervious to Cal’s advances. He and Kelly occasionally met for lunch, and after Kelly gently but repeatedly rebuffed him, he finally settled for friendly get-togethers. She was not unaware of the irony of the situation, which, although without any physical interaction, mirrored hers and Mike’s.

  AJ had arranged with his former boss, Zeke, to work for the investment firm until spring training began next year. He essentially moved into the townhouse and took over the spare bedroom as his office. With a VPN connection to Zeke’s company, he could work from Mimosa Key and, if necessary, fly up to New York for meetings with clients. Naturally, Sky went along on these jaunts, so Kelly found herself frequently alone.

  She developed a love-hate relationship with the telephone. Mike called at least once a week to update her on the progress with the Naples property. He told her often how much he missed her company and that he couldn’t wait to see her at Thanksgiving. While she was grateful for the calls, hearing his voice only made her crave his physical presence more. With each call, Kelly slipped a little more into the belief that there might actually be a future for them. Her frequent dreams were filled with the touch, scent and taste of him. From the erotic comments Mike teased her with over the phone, she suspected he had similar midnight madness, and their most recent call had devolved into blatant phone sex, with the resulting orgasm leaving her drenched and limp—but still alone—in her bed.

  Kelly had more time to spend with her mother, but every visit required an introduction. She’d not seen even a spark of recognition in her mom’s eyes since her birthday. Elizabeth wore the locket Kelly had given her almost every day, but couldn’t tell Kelly who the pictures inside were of. Still, she hoped each visit might be the one that brought her mother’s memory back, even if for only a few minutes.

  The Wednesday before Thanksgiving arrived, and Sky was giddy with anticipation to spend the holiday with her family.

  “I feel kind of guilty. Not being home to help mom with all the preparations,” she confided to Kelly over coffee at breakfast. “Generally we spend today making pies
and cranberry sauce and candied sweet potatoes. Otherwise, even with the double ovens, there’s not enough room to do the turkey, green bean casserole, extra stuffing and rolls.”

  Kelly bit her lip. “Of course. Why didn’t I think of that when I said I’d come? Now I’m depriving your mom of some much needed help, and both of you of time together and family traditions. I knew this was a mistake.”

  “Stop right there. It’s not a mistake. Your being there is a new twist that we’ll weave right into our family traditions. We haven’t all been home for Thanksgiving every year. When Owen was in the Air Force, he missed a few. Same with Jesse before he left the Navy. Luke did his residency in Chicago and pulled holiday duty until he made chief. And Dad? I can’t remember how many times he got called in on emergencies, but it was a lot. The way everyone overeats on this holiday, there’s always an emergency gall bladder or some such nonsense for him to deal with. So, don’t worry. My mom’s a very resourceful woman. And, besides, AJ’s mom is already there, so I bet the two of them are sharing stories about AJ and me while they heat up the kitchen together.” She nudged Kelly. “We’ll make amends by doing all the cleanup after dinner, and let them rest on their laurels.”

  It must be wonderful to have so many loved ones to share the holidays with. If only mom would be “here” for just a few hours today.

  “What time is lunch at Harbor House?” Sky asked. “Do you mind if I tag along when you visit? AJ can drive straight to the airport, and we’ll meet him there.”

  “You don’t have to come, you know. I can’t imagine it will be much fun for you,” Kelly said.

  “Hey, roomie, I want to come—that is, unless you’d rather I didn’t.”

  Kelly hugged Sky. “I’d love to have you along. But don’t expect much. Chances are good mom won’t even know me.”

  Sky’s face scrunched in sympathy. “All the more reason for me to be there.”

  ~~~

  Kelly had to admit the facility had done a wonderful job decorating for the holiday. As soon as they arrived, the scent of cinnamon and turkey filled their noses.

  “These delicious smells should make anyone hungry,” Sky commented.

  “Let’s hope they work on Mom. She’s been losing weight no matter how hard I try to get her to eat.”

  Kelly dug deep for a bright smile as she entered her mother’s room. The woman was dressed for the holiday in dark brown slacks and a cream silk blouse accented with fall leaves. A rust-colored sweater vest completed her ensemble. Kelly bent down and kissed her cheek. “Hi, Mom. Happy Thanksgiving. You look beautiful.” Her mother appeared confused—no surprise there—so Kelly moved right into introducing Sky. “This is my roommate, Sky Ziegfeld. Sky, this is my mother, Elizabeth Singer.”

  “I’m so happy to meet you, Mrs. Singer. Kelly has told me so much about you.” Sky reached out and clasped the woman’s hand in both of her own. “You look lovely. All dressed up for Thanksgiving.”

  Elizabeth frowned at them, her gaze traveling from one to the other. Then she smiled and said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, dear. Please, call me Elizabeth, or Beth.”

  Kelly was sure it was her mother’s years of experience meeting her husband’s clients that helped her respond politely to Sky. “Mom, why don’t we go to the dining room now. I think they’re serving a traditional Thanksgiving feast today.”

  “Well, I’m not very hungry. Why don’t you two go along and get something for yourselves?”

  “Mom, we came to have lunch with you today. Come on, I bet once you see all the good dishes, you’ll get your appetite back.” Kelly put her arm around Elizabeth and helped her up.

  “Wait,” Sky said, pulling her cell phone from her purse. “Let me get a picture of you two together.”

  Kelly pulled her mother in close and they both smiled. “Thanks, Sky.”

  When they entered the room, a hostess gave them peel and stick name tags that said “Hi! My name is ___” and a pen. “Write nice and big so everyone can read your name easily,” she advised. Kelly wrote “Elizabeth” on her mom’s and attached it to her vest over her heart. She and Sky wore tags as well.

  Dinner was presented buffet style, and the long table, decorated with autumn colors, cornucopias, leaves, gourds, and pumpkins, was a festive setting for all the traditional dishes. A carving station manned by a smiling man in chef’s whites dispensed turkey, ham or roast beef, and from there on, the choice of side dishes was up to each resident and their family or friends. The aromas were mouth-watering and, if their medical conditions allowed, each resident was offered a choice of red or white wine.

  The three went through the line and found a table by a window. Kelly and Sky had taken very little, knowing they’d be eating a second dinner later, and Kelly frowned at her mother’s choices, which were equally as sparse. “Mom, you need to have more than that,” she scolded, gesturing at the small plate with a single slice of turkey, a few green beans and barely a tablespoon of cranberry sauce.

  Sky joined in when Elizabeth made a face at Kelly. “Really, Elizabeth, you should try some candied sweet potatoes. They’re delicious.”

  Kelly nodded. “And you didn’t get any gravy for your turkey, and no dressing, either. You used to love stuffing, Mom. Remember, you always said that the stuffing was the only reason God made turkeys.”

  “Did I say that? I don’t remember saying that. I think you have me confused with someone else, Kelly.”

  Just for a second, Kelly’s heart leaped when her mom spoke to her by name. Then she realized Elizabeth had quickly glanced at her name tag, first.

  Maybe name tags are a good idea, though. If I wear one every time I visit, maybe the name will start to sound familiar and she’ll remember me.

  She took another plate and went back through the line to add a few spoonfuls of the side dishes. “Here, try some of the sweet potatoes and stuffing, like Sky said.”

  Conversation languished, and the two friends spent most of the time encouraging Elizabeth to eat. She did seem to enjoy the wine and even had a slice of pumpkin pie with whipped cream for dessert.

  “Did you watch the parade this morning, Mom?”

  “What parade?”

  “You know, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade? The one with all the giant balloon characters? We always watched it together before—” she winced at her own faux pas referring to her mother’s Alzheimer’s, but her mother didn’t catch the reference anyway.

  Elizabeth shook her head. “There was no parade this morning. I watched out the window all morning and didn’t see any giant balloons.”

  “Not here, Mom. The parade was on TV.”

  Her mother shooed the idea away with a wave of her hand. “Oh, I don’t watch that thing.” Elizabeth turned to Sky. “I wonder if you could help me find my room. I always seem to have trouble getting back to it.” She surveyed the crowded room. “Usually Rose is here to help me …”

  You can remember Rose? But not your own daughter. And you’d ask a virtual stranger to help you rather than me, who has come to see you almost every day for months. Angry tears welled in Kelly’s eyes.

  “Why don’t we both help you, Elizabeth?” Sky appeared stricken that she’d added to Kelly’s pain and put her hand on her friend’s arm, but Kelly just shook her head.

  They walked Elizabeth back to her room. She settled into her recliner with a sigh. “I think I’ll just take a little nap. I’m so tired, lately.” Her gaze lingered on Kelly, and she frowned. “You seem so familiar. Have we met before?”

  Yes, yesterday. And the day before that. And the day before that. And, a little further back, at my birth.

  “Yes. Mom, I’m your daughter, Kelly. I come to visit you almost every day.” Kelly watched her mother’s eyes for signs of recognition. There! Was that a flash of remembrance?

  “Really? I, I don’t think so,” Elizabeth muttered to herself. She closed her eyes and folded her hands across her tummy.

  Nope. No memories. Just my wishful thinking.
Kelly signaled to Sky, and they both tiptoed from the room.

  ~~~

  Kelly and Sky walked to the car. As usual, the visit with her mother left Kelly depressed. Sky sensed her mood and sat quietly by her side, offering silent support.

  The holiday hadn’t made any difference in her mom’s recollection. Kelly had gotten exactly what she’d expected. Reinforcement of her belief that she was the last survivor of her family. She was, basically, alone.

  Things never seem to work out the way I want them to, so I’ve got to stop deluding myself with false hopes. Which includes my ridiculous attraction to Mike. Phone calls notwithstanding, when we were face to face, he’s never given me one shred of hope for a future together. Agreeing to go up to Philly for Thanksgiving was a mistake. Watching Sky’s family will only make me wish for that kind of family for myself. I’ll drown in self-pity and make a terrible guest.

  Kelly turned to Sky to tell her she’d changed her mind. She’d take her bag and drive back to Mimosa Key. Sky and AJ could catch the flight without her. “Sky, I—”

  “You’re coming. Don’t even think about backing out,” Sky said, fixing her with serious eyes and a determined set to her chin. “I know that was rough back there,” she tilted her head back toward the big brick building, “but that makes it even more important for you to stay with us for a few days.”

  “Really, Sky, I don’t think I’m going to be a very pleasant guest. I don’t want to ruin the holiday for your family.”

  “You’ll ruin it if you don’t come. My mom will be so disappointed, and I don’t even want to think about what Mike will do to me if I show up without you.” Sky slipped her arm around Kelly’s shoulders. “I so anticipated introducing you to my family, Kel. I’ll be miserable if you stay behind here all by yourself.”