by Fern Michaels; Marie Bostwick; Janna McMahan; Rosalind Noonan
“I’m on it, Kendra.”
Kendra rubbed her eyes. She needed to sit down and rest for a few minutes, but noticed that Jimmy Lee was standing a few feet away with a serious look on his face.
“Hey, Jimmy. Everything okay?”
“Yeah…ummm…” He was dressed in the Santa costume he wore for both acts but his expression was far from jolly. In fact, the eyes that peered out from underneath the bushy false eyebrows were worried.
Kendra put her hand on his arm. “Is something wrong, Jimmy?”
“Well…I was just wondering…is Thea still seeing Josh Randall?”
“No. Her dad and I put a stop to that. She’s too young to be dating a senior.”
Jimmy looked relieved. “Okay. Good.”
“Why do you ask?” Kendra waited for a response, but the boy hesitated, reluctant to say more. “Jimmy, what’s going on? You can tell me. Is Thea in some kind of trouble?”
He shook his head. “No, nothing like that. I know that she’s been really mad at you lately.”
“You think?” Kendra asked with a wry smile, recalling the silent treatment she’d been subjected to over the last week.
Jimmy smiled. “Don’t be too mad at Thea. She’s just kind of confused right now.”
“I know. She’s been a pain lately, but she’s my daughter and I love her.”
“Yeah. Thea’s really a great girl…” The boy’s eyes took on a wistful expression and Kendra smiled, recognizing a case of puppy love when she saw it.
“But Josh…” Jimmy pressed his lips together, disgusted. “That guy is bad news. And some of the things I’ve been hearing around school…”
“What kind of things?”
Jimmy blushed, the apples of his heavily made-up cheeks turning an even brighter shade of cherry red. “Well. Nothing I’m going to repeat to the minister’s wife, but let’s just say that Josh has a big mouth. I don’t think there’s anything to it, but I just wanted to warn you to keep Thea away from him. I don’t want her to get hurt.”
“Thanks, Jimmy. I appreciate that. You’re a good friend.”
“Oh…well…” He ducked his head, not sure what to say to that.
“You’d better get backstage. I’m calling the act in five minutes.”
“Okay,” he said. “Kendra? Please don’t tell Thea I said anything to you. She’d be really mad if she knew I had. Promise?”
“I promise,” she assured him. “It’ll be our secret.”
Kendra was exhausted. Her back hurt, her feet hurt, even her hands hurt. Her fingers were swollen like pink and white sausages. The last three weeks had stretched her to the limit, but she was pleased that the pageant had come together so well.
The kids always worked incredibly hard on the show but it seemed to Kendra that this year, they had taken it up a notch. Tomorrow was the big day and they were as ready as they’d ever be. Which was a good thing. The way she was feeling, Kendra knew she’d have to use every ounce of her remaining energy to get through the next twenty-four hours. After that she planned on sleeping for about fifteen hours straight, waking up just in time to open presents and then head over to the Sugarmans for Christmas dinner.
Turning out of the church parking lot after rehearsal, Kendra tried to stifle a yawn. “Long day,” she said to Thea who was staring out the passenger side window into the dark and snowy night. “But, I think we’re ready. Don’t you?”
Thea shrugged noncommittally. “Guess so. It was okay.”
Kendra smiled to herself. Thea hadn’t exactly thrown open the floodgates of communication, but it had been a week since Thea had spoken five words to her all at one time. It was a start.
“Well, I thought you did a good job tonight,” Kendra said and meant it. Angry as Thea had been over the last weeks, she hadn’t let it stand in the way of giving the best performance she could. Thea took the pageant very seriously. She truly wanted the people in the audience to rejoice in the miracle of Christmas.
“Thanks.”
Kendra drove in silence for a moment, not wanting to push Thea. “Isn’t that Jimmy Lee just the nicest guy?”
“Jimmy? Sure. He’s nice.”
“I think he likes you.”
Thea puffed dismissively. “Jimmy’s a kid.”
“He’s a sophomore. A year older than you.”
Thea was quiet, letting the subject drop before switching to another.
“Kendra? I…I know I’ve been a big pain lately.” Kendra couldn’t disagree with this so she didn’t say anything. “I’m sorry I’ve been so mean to you. I’ve just been really confused, you know? I’m not saying that I think you and Dad were right to say I couldn’t see Josh anymore.”
“Okay. Fair enough.”
“But I shouldn’t have been so awful to you. That wasn’t fair. I know you and Dad always want what’s best for me. Even when you’re wrong.”
“We love you, Thea. You know that.”
“I know. I mean, you must love me to have put up with all my garbage the last few weeks, right?” Thea turned to Kendra and, for the first time in weeks, she smiled. “I think that maybe, with the new baby coming, I was worried that you and Dad wouldn’t care about me anymore…”
“Oh, Thea…Thea, sweetheart.” Kendra reached across the seat and grabbed her daughter’s gloved hand in her own. “That’s not going to happen. You are so special to us. Do you know something? When I first got pregnant, I was worried because I couldn’t imagine that I would ever be able to love the new baby the way I do you.”
“Really?”
“Really. But in the last few months I’ve realized that parents have magical hearts with an infinite capacity for love. I haven’t ever seen the baby, don’t even know if it’s a boy or girl…”
“I hope it’s a girl,” Thea interrupted.
“But whatever it is, I already love this baby with my whole heart. Just exactly the way I love you and always will. Maybe that’s why God created parenthood, so regular people could understand how God loves all of us with His whole heart, no matter what. I can’t say that I’ve loved the way you’ve treated me the last few weeks, but I’ve never stopped loving you.”
“I’m sorry, Kendra.”
“I know you are. I forgive you. Don’t worry about it anymore.”
“Well, I just wanted you to know. I really do love you, but…I love my mom too. And I’ve been thinking that maybe, for a while, I might want to live with her.”
Kendra clutched the steering wheel more tightly and fought to keep her face blank.
“Not forever!” Thea rushed to assure her. “And not because Dad won’t let me see Josh anymore. I’m still mad about that, but I’m not using Mom as a way of punishing you and Dad. I just…I want to know her better. And I want her to know me. You know? She’s my mom.”
Kendra nodded slowly. She did know. She thought she did. Kendra loved her baby sight unseen. In spite of all she had done and not done over the years, Thea loved her mother and wanted to be loved in return. Kendra understood that. There are no perfect mothers just as there are no perfect children, but the bonds between them are powerful.
Kendra turned to look at the girl’s hopeful, innocent face and the love that coursed through her could not have been stronger had Thea been a child of her own body.
“You want me to talk to Dad?”
Thea bit her lip. “Would you? I don’t want to hurt his feelings, I just…”
“I know,” said Kendra.
Chapter 15
It was still dark outside, barely past five when the telephone rang, but Andy was already awake.
He always rose early to spend a quiet half hour in prayer, craving that small oasis of peace at the beginning of every hectic day. But today he’d risen long before the alarm sounded. After Kendra had told him that Thea wanted to live with Sharon, Andy couldn’t sleep. Finally, around three, he’d given up on it, gone into the kitchen to drink coffee, think, and pray about what he should do. Two hours later he was just as confu
sed and hurt as ever.
So it was almost a relief when the ring of the telephone split the predawn silence. Such an early call could only mean that some member of his flock needed him. Tired of turning in helpless circles as he walked around and around his own burdens, he was ready to return to more familiar ground and help someone else shoulder theirs.
“Hello. This is Reverend Loomis.”
“Andy? It’s Sharon.”
“Sharon? It’s early. Are you all right? Is something wrong?”
“No. Nothing like that. It’s good news. Well, actually it’s good and bad news. But it’s good news for me. I got a call last night, very late or I’d have called before. I didn’t want to wake you.”
“What is it?”
“I got a call from Scotland—from the university. Two of their lecturers were driving back from an academic conference and were in a terrible accident. One of them, a poetry professor, was badly injured. They say he’ll survive, but is facing months of rehabilitation.”
“That’s terrible.”
“I know. That’s the bad news but…well, I know this sounds terrible but it’s good news for me. The head of the department called to ask if I would be willing to come back and take over the poetry classes.”
“When?”
“Now. Classes start on January third. I’ve only got a few days to get to Scotland, find a place to live, and get up to speed on the course syllabus. I called the airline right away, but with all the holiday traffic, the only flight they could get me leaves this morning…”
A flush of anger coursed through him. He couldn’t believe she was going to do this to Thea, not again.
“Sharon, you can’t leave, not today. The pageant is today. You promised Thea you’d be there. You promised. She’s counting on you.”
“I know, I know. And I feel terrible about it, but I’ve called every airline and this is the only flight available. If there was any other way…This is an amazing opportunity, Andy. I just can’t pass it up. Explain it to Thea. She’ll understand, coming from you.”
“Coming from me?” Andy shouted. “From me? Are you serious? You’re not even going to come over and tell her good-bye?”
“I can’t, Andy. I’m already at the airport in Burlington right now, waiting for a flight to New York. My New York to Aberdeen flight leaves in five hours. If there had been any other way…”
Sharon’s voice cracked and Andy knew she was crying. “I’m sorry…”
Andy was livid. She had done it again. Part of him couldn’t believe it, but he knew it was true and that nothing he could do or say would change her mind.
“Andy…I…are you still there?”
“Yes. I’m still here.”
“Tell Thea I’ll write to her from Scotland. Maybe she can come and visit me. Maybe this summer. Tell her that, will you? Tell her I’m sorry. Tell her I love her. Andy?”
“I’ll tell her.”
Sharon sniffed. “Okay. Thanks. I have to go.”
She hung up the phone. Andy stood with the receiver to his ear, listening to the dial tone, wondering how much longer it would take for the sun to rise and rouse his daughter from sleep, and what he would say to her when it did.
Andy heard a soft whoosh whoosh, a shuffling sound of fluffy slippers on carpet, and looked up to see Kendra standing in the doorway, his bathrobe cinched over the rounded expanse of her belly, yawning.
“Honey, who was that? Is something wrong?”
Chapter 16
It was past ten when Kendra, who was just putting a batch of apple cinnamon muffins in the oven, heard the sound of water running through pipes. Andy was emptying the dishwasher, sorting the silverware into piles and putting them away.
“The shower’s running. Thea’s awake.”
Andy sighed. “She thinks Sharon is coming to pick her up. They were going to do some last minute Christmas shopping and have lunch before Thea had to be at the church. I guess we’d better go in and talk to her.”
“Wait until the muffins are done. I’m going to make some peppermint hot chocolate, too.”
“Comfort food?”
“It couldn’t hurt. Hot chocolate always makes me think things are going to get better. They sure couldn’t get worse.”
But Kendra was wrong.
As they approached the door to Thea’s room, Kendra carrying a plate of warm muffins slathered with butter, Andy following behind carrying a tray with three cups of steaming hot chocolate, they heard Thea crying.
Kendra turned to look at Andy.
“She can’t have heard anything,” he said. “Sharon’s on a plane to Scotland right now. And even if the flight was delayed, the phone hasn’t rung and Sharon doesn’t have a laptop so she couldn’t have sent an e-mail. Could she?”
“I don’t know. Maybe she found a computer at the airport?”
Kendra knocked on the door. “Thea? Are you all right? We brought your breakfast. Can we come in?”
Thea choked out a sob. “No! Go away!”
Andy stepped in front of Kendra. “Thea, it’s Dad. I’m coming in.” He opened the door.
Thea lay sprawled across the bed, crying into her pillow. Sensing something was amiss, Wendell had pushed aside the company of stuffed animals that Thea kept piled on the bed and curled himself into a ball near her head, trying to comfort her with the warmth of his presence. Thea’s laptop computer sat open at the end of the bed. The power indicator light blinked green to black and back to green.
“Thea?”
Thea’s long hair hung in wet ropes down her back, still damp from the shower. She pushed herself up from her prone position and looked up; her eyes were red and her cheeks were flushed.
“Daddy!”
She held out her arms. Andy put the tray on the dresser and came to her side, holding his little girl.
“What is it, baby? What’s wrong?” Thea didn’t say anything, just collapsed onto his shoulders and sobbed.
Kendra put the plate of muffins down on Thea’s dresser next to the silver frame that held the family picture they’d had taken the Christmas before. A few minutes before, Thea had been calmly taking a shower, like she did every morning, now, she was sobbing. Something had triggered Thea’s distress but what? The computer?
Kendra picked up Thea’s laptop and read the words on the screen, a transcript of an online conversation between two cyber buddies named HownDawg and LatinPopStar. Somebody had seen it, copied it, and forwarded it to Thea.
LATINPOPSTAR: Heard the Rev said MissT couldn’t see you anymore. Looks like you lost the bet, dude. You owe me 50 bucks. Pay up.
HOWNDAWG: Not so fast. I’ve got ’till the pageant. She’s going to be with her mom tomorrow. Mom’s not as straitlaced as the Rev and wants to be popular, cool. Thinks she should be MissT’s BFF, not her mom. All I gotta do is talk Mom into letting me and MissT have lunch alone, then we sneak out the back door of the Chinese place and into the truck and that’ll be that.
LATINPOPSTAR: No way, dude! Even if you do get her in the truck, how you gonna get her to give it up?
HOWNDAWG: She’s all over the Dawg. All I have to do is get her alone, away from the Rev and the stepmom. Get ready to fork over 50. That was the bet. Before the curtain goes up on the pageant, the Dawg will take the V out of the Virgin Mary. LOL. Dude, it’s a done thing. I’m gonna hit that. No prob.
Kendra’s lip curled in disgust and she slammed the laptop closed. “That scuzzball. How could he?”
“How could who? What did it say, Kendra?”
Andy reached toward the computer, but Thea grabbed his wrist to stop him.
“No! I don’t want you to read it. I’m so embarrassed. Oh, Daddy. I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry! You were right all along. I should have listened to you. I was so stupid!” she cried and buried her head in her father’s shoulder again.
Chapter 17
After they talked to Thea, calmed her down, and then told her about Sharon, and then calmed her down all over again, Andy did
what any father would do. He got in his car and went out looking for Josh Randall.
Though Thea wouldn’t let him read the actual text that some anonymous friend of Josh’s had posted on his blog, she had, her cheeks flaming from shame, told him the gist of the teenage Casanova’s plan. Armed with this information, it didn’t take Andy long to locate the boy.
Downtown Maple Grove was busy, the stores crowded with last minute shoppers, but Andy spotted Josh’s white pickup truck right where he figured it would be, in the parking lot near Ming’s Chinese restaurant. He was standing on the sidewalk outside the restaurant entrance, scanning the faces of the people who were scurrying past with shopping bags, looking for Thea. He looked surprised to see Andy striding toward him, but tried to act casual.
“Hello, Reverend Loomis. Nice to see you. How’s everything at the…”
Andy didn’t give him a chance to finish.
He grabbed him by the lapels of his jacket, lifting him until there was a bare inch of space between Josh’s toes and the snowy sidewalk. The boy’s frightened face was even with his own and Josh had a clear view of exactly the level of fury he’d raised in the soul of this usually mild-mannered man. Josh gulped and started to say something. Andy took an even tighter hold on his jacket and then shoved him backward as hard as he could, sending the boy sprawling into a nearby snowbank.
“Dude! What’s wrong with you? Are you crazy? You can’t hit me; you’re a minister!”
“Oh yeah?” Andy sneered. “I’m also a father. And when somebody deliberately sets out to hurt my little girl, it makes me crazy. Insane, even. So get on your feet, boy. Because I’m going to knock you into next week.”
Andy bent his knees, taking a boxer’s stance, and drew back his big fist. Wide-eyed and visibly shaken, Josh stayed put.