by Leger, Lori
“Really? You’d move to Kenton?”
“I don’t know yet. I balked at the idea at first, Chris. But the rent is cheap. Sam assures me the landlord is a great guy and a friend of his. It would cut down on fuel costs and travel time to work. There’s a cop right across the street and another at the end of the same block. Sam’s place is just across the street.” Carrie balanced a third gift on top of the two in Christie’s arms. “It sounds…safer, you know?”
“Is this guy really scaring you that much?”
She nodded. “He—he scares me, Chris.” Carrie couldn’t, didn’t want to admit more than that right now. “Enough to make me leave everyone I love behind. I need to know my kids are safe. The fact that I’m staying at your place has only put you and Max in danger.”
Christie set the gifts back in her car and turned to hug her. “I’m sorry. I know how difficult this must be for you.” She released her and gave a loud sniff before rearming herself with the gifts. “So you and Sam went out on a real date.”
Carrie’s jaw dropped at her sister’s comment. “After all that, you’re worried about my date?”
Christie whipped around to glare at her. “You didn’t sleep with him, did you?”
Carrie’s jaw shut with a snap. “That was a Dave-worthy comment. Of course not.”
Christie raised one hand in explanation. “Hey, I told you all about the lack of sex and the horny woman syndrome.” She pulled a pack of cigarettes from her purse and lit one up.
Carrie wrinkled her nose in distaste. “I thought you quit smoking.”
Chris took a long drag on the cancer stick. “I did, but no way in hell I can give up sex and cigarettes at the same time.” She took two more exaggerated drags before putting it out. “See? Just talking about it has me needing a smoke.” She grabbed the last of the gifts and closed the trunk. “Have you spoken to your kids about moving to Kenton?”
Carrie grabbed a few more items and groaned. “Yes, and that went over like a tent in a hurricane.”
“At some point, they need to learn there’s a world outside this tiny town.”
Carrie led Christie to their mom’s front door and paused, her hand on the handle of the full-glass storm door. “I wish I knew what the future held for us, Chris—whether or not it’ll be worth it to put my kids through this.”
“What are your instincts telling you?”
Carrie bit her lower lip. “Honestly? That this is the right thing to do.”
Christie gave her a brief nod. “It’ll be fine, then.”
“Don’t tell anyone about the cut screen yet. I don’t want anyone talking bad about Dave in front of the kids. It would ruin their Christmas.”
“My lips are super-glued.”
The rest of the family streamed steadily in until around noon. They feasted on a wild goose and sausage gumbo, cooked by Mack, Carrie’s older brother by two years. After lunch, the grandchildren migrated to the front porch to take advantage of the crisp, clean air of the sunny December day. The men, stuffed on good food and desserts, staked out various couches, chairs, and recliners for naps. That left the women of the family seated around the table in the just-cleaned kitchen. The aromas of dark roasted coffee, fresh baked breads, and fig tarts filled the air.
At the first lull in the conversation, Carrie cleared her throat. “I need to get your opinions on something. I’ve got an opportunity to move to Kenton,” she said, as the other women focused their gazes on her.
Her older sister, Jen, looked up from her mug of coffee. “I remember playing Kenton in football. That’s about thirty miles north of Jennings, right?”
“Yeah, it’s about sixty miles from here, but less than half that to where I work in Lake Coburn.”
“That should save you lots of time and fuel,” Katie added.
Elaine turned to place a hand on Carrie’s arm. “I wanted to tell you that I got a phone call bright and early this morning from Kathleen Ledoux, Rob’s mom.”
“Oh, hell, I guess she told you everything, didn’t she?”
“Well, if everything includes ‘Crazy Dave’s’ antics, from a broken windshield to breaking and entering, then I guess so. She also said something about another threatening phone call early this morning?”
Carrie shushed her while she checked the front porch to make sure her kids were out there. “They know about the windshield, but that’s it, and I don’t want them to know anything else.” She gave the other women a look of warning. “We talked some about me moving when I got here. They think it’s just to be closer to work, and Sam, but they’re not thrilled, of course.”
Katie’s blue eyes sparkled with excitement. “Sam? Who’s Sam?”
“He’s her new boyfriend!” Chris busted out.
Carrie glared at her sister, tight jawed with annoyance. “He’s a friend for now, who may or may not turn into something more. Yes, the house I’d be renting happens to be catercornered from his place, but that has nothing to do with anything.” She gave an eye roll at the resulting snickers.
Elaine spoke up, putting an end to the teasing. “They’ll go with you, Carrie. Maybe not right away, but they’ll go. You’re a good mother, and they’ll miss that if you’re not around.”
Carrie walked over to the coffee pot for a refill. “I hope you’re right, Mom.” She turned and leaned against the cabinet and sipped from her mug. “Sam and I have only been on one date, so don’t assume something is happening that isn’t.” She glared at Christie. “And please don’t upset my kids by talking about Dave.”
Elaine smiled at the mention of her former son-in-law. “Honey, despite the fact that we all walked on eggshells when he was around, that man did his part to give me three beautiful grandchildren. I’ll always be grateful to him for that.”
“So,” Christie leaned forward in her chair. “When do we get to meet this Sam Langley?”
Carrie sent her sister a bewildered look. “I thought we’d take things slowly. No pressure, you know? I planned for us to get to know each other before I told anyone about him.” She eased herself into a chair. “So much for plans.”
“When are you going to see him again?” Katie asked.
“Tonight. He’s coming with me to meet the landlord and to check out that house. Sam says it’s nice, and it’s cheap. Apparently, he’s had bad renters in the place, recently. He’s looking for someone trustworthy. If I do this, I’ll need to find a bed. I may be sitting on lawn furniture for a while.”
“What about your own stuff?” Susan asked. “You have a right to half of everything.”
Carrie nodded. “I know, but I told him he could have the living room furniture. It’s shot anyway. I’m taking my small dresser, the freezer, my rocker, and a few other odds and ends. Besides, all three of my kids will be at their dad’s at least until the end of the semester and they’ll need beds.”
Jen leaned forward. “So, tell us more about this co-worker in Kenton.”
Carrie spent the next several minutes telling them about Sam and answering whichever questions she could about him.
Elaine hugged her. “Well, I can’t wait to meet him.”
Carrie sent her mom a serious look. “Don’t get your hopes up about him, Mom. It’s not just about Sam and me; it’s about our kids too.”
Elaine reached out to cover Carrie’s hand with her own. “Don’t borrow trouble, sweetie. Just get to know each other, and stop trying to figure out what’s going to happen a year from now. God has a way of working things out when you least expect them to.”
By four fifteen, Carrie and her kids pulled up at Christie’s place to unload a few gifts. It also gave her the opportunity to change clothes. She discarded her blouse and jeans for her favorite hunter green, V-neck sweater, along with dressy black slacks, and a pair of rarely worn heels that added a good two inches to her height. After refreshing her make-up and dabbing perfume to her wrists, she met her children in the living room.
“You kids ready to go?”
Grant
took one look at his mother and whistled. “You look good, Mom.”
“Thank you, Grant.”
“You sure do,” Gretchen told her. “Are you going to check out the rent house dressed like that?”
Carrie nodded in the direction of the car. “Yep, and I have to be there at six, so let’s go.”
Once they were on the road, Carrie began fielding questions from her curious teens.
“Are you going to see that man again?”
“What’s his name?”
“How come he’s not married?”
“Does he have any kids?”
“How many?”
“How old are they?”
Carrie cleared her throat and began. “Sam’s divorced, like I am. He has two kids, Amanda, who’s twenty and is married to Joe. Nick is seventeen and he’s a junior. We went out on our very first date last night.”
Lauren’s head popped over the seat. “You did? A real date? Where’d you go?” She fired the questions in rapid succession.
“Sit back, and buckle your seatbelt, please.” She waited until Lauren followed through. “He took me to a restaurant for a steak dinner. Afterward we went to a movie in Lake Coburn, and then we went back to his place so he could show me the house. I was back at Aunt Christie’s by midnight.”
“Where’d you meet him?” Lauren asked.
“At work. He’s head of the survey crew. They go out and collect data along the roadways we use in plans.”
Gretchen’s next question threw her. “Do you like him a lot, Mom?”
She thought about how to answer that as she drove past the long harvested rice fields lining the highway. “I don’t know everything about him, but I like what I’ve seen so far. He makes me laugh.”
“Is he nice?”
She nodded slowly. “He’s very nice.”
“Have you been on many dates since you and dad split up?”
Carrie stared at Lauren’s reflection in her rearview mirror. “It’s the first date I’ve had with anyone else since I met your dad.” Her daughter’s shoulders sagged in relief.
Grant stared out the passenger window as he spoke. “It’s too bad Dad can’t say the same.”
Lauren’s reply was bitter. “If he could, he and Mom would still be together. Daddy is so stupid.”
Carrie’s gaze zipped from Grant to her daughters. “You know, now that I’m older, I’ve come to realize that some people just aren’t compatible, no matter how hard they try. I think your dad and I are two of those people. But I don’t regret the years we spent together, because it gave us you three.”
She slipped off her sunglasses as the winter sun dipped behind the dense cloud coverage. “Your dad may have been the best husband in the world for some other woman, he just wasn’t for me.” She glanced at Grant, then back at the mirror to his sisters. “We were so young.” She sighed and turned her attention back to the road. “If I ever remarry, I’ll make wiser choices than I did back then, I promise you.”
“So, how do you know this guy’s not just putting on a good act for you?” Lauren asked. “Maybe once you fall for him or marry him, he’ll turn out to be even worse than Dad.”
Carrie chanced a look in the rearview again and her heart sank at the glare of unadulterated disdain coming from her daughter. Her grip on the steering wheel tightened. “You could be right, Lauren. I don’t know everything there is to know about Sam, but I believe he’s a good man.”
“What does he look like, Mom?” Gretchen asked.
“He’s very tall, Gretch. Way taller than me, and he just turned forty.”
Lauren’s face twisted in disgust. “He’s old!”
“So am I, according to you.” Carrie figured it was anger rather than shame causing her daughter to flush a bright red. She’s probably good and pissed at me.
Gretchen leaned forward in her seat. “Is he good looking?”
Carrie nodded. “He’s a nice looking man, but that doesn’t count for much, in my opinion.” Carrie watched Lauren roll her eyes and turned to stare out the window again. She swallowed her disappointment and plowed ahead. “Look, my primary concern with any other man will be how well he gets along with the three of you.” She waited until she caught Lauren’s gaze in the mirror. “If Sam’s not right for all of us, I’ll walk away. I promise.”
They drove the remainder of the trip to Ruby’s in silence, arriving at a quarter to five. Before the kids got out of the car, she turned in her seat to face them. “I love you kids, you know that, don’t you?”
One by one, her children said they loved her also.
Carrie got out of the car to give them hugs. “Try not to get in any trouble tonight, and be careful popping fireworks. I’m sure they have tons of them.”
She watched them disappear into Ruby’s house and waited. As she expected, Arlene appeared at the door to meet her.
“Hey, Ruby wants to know if you want to come in for a cup of coffee and visit for a while.”
Carrie shook her head doubtfully. “This is Dave’s turf.”
“He’s not here. He went to your house. I mean his house. Oh, hell!” She bounded down the steps and embraced Carrie in an emotional hug. “I hate this. Holidays around here bite without you!”
Carrie pulled away from her friend. “It’s strange not to be a part of this anymore. I miss holidays here, and as much as I’d like to sit down and talk to everyone, I don’t have time to stop. I’ve got to go look at a house I’m thinking about renting in Kenton. The landlord is meeting me at six, and it’ll take another fifty minutes to get there.” She consulted her watch. “I need to get going.”
She opened Ruby’s front door long enough to tell everyone Merry Christmas and how much she loved them. By the time she faced Arlene again, she was blinking back tears. “I’m leaving before Ruby comes out here, or I’ll fall apart for sure.” Carrie buckled herself into her car. She settled her tearful gaze on her friend, who fought her own battle of brimming emotions.
“This is silly. You know that no matter where I live there will always be room for you guys to come and visit. I’ll call you when I’m settled.”
The other woman wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand and sniffed. “You’d better.”
“Love you, soul sister.” Carrie blew her a kiss and backed out of the driveway.
The sharp clip of her heels on the hardwood floor echoed throughout the spacious house, void of anything but kitchen appliances.
“As you can see, it’s just been painted and the floors have been replaced. There’s new carpet in all three bedrooms and new vinyl in the kitchen and bathrooms. The living room is hardwood. It comes with a gas stove, hood with built-in microwave, and a fridge. I can leave the washer and dryer if you need it.”
“I definitely need it,” Carrie mumbled.
Sam walked outside to inspect the yard and exterior, while Carrie finished checking out the inside. Signs of recent renovations were everywhere: stickers on newly-installed double-insulated windows, floor surfaces that gleamed as though wet, freshly painted walls and trim in pleasing, muted tones, and a marble countertop that reflected the glow of shiny new light fixtures. The house was a steal—easily worth three times the rent he was asking, and so much nicer than the place in Gardiner. Could she sell her kids on this?
Once more, she heard her mom’s words of wisdom. You make the rules now, Carrie. Again she felt it in her gut; the feeling this was where she and her children belonged. This will be good for them.
“If you want to think about it, I’ll save it for you until the first.” Len’s voice cut through her musings.
She reached for her purse and pulled out a checkbook. “I’m making an executive decision. This place is perfect. How much do I make the check for?” She waited, pen in hand, praying Sam hadn’t got the price wrong.
“Sam’s a good friend and he’s vouched for you. A hundred dollar deposit and January’s rent of two hundred. As far as I’m concerned, you can move in immediately and the rest of D
ecember is free. The backyard is fenced in if you have a dog. No pets in the house—I think you can understand why.”
Carrie grinned across at her new landlord, who stood about the same height as she did. “No inside pets. It’s bad enough having three teenagers in my house. I did my time when my kids were little—hamsters, puppies, kittens, baby birds, even a baby nutria once.”
Len’s brows rose in surprise. “That’s a new one. How’d that work out?”
She tore out the filled check and handed it to him. “Actually, it was the best behaved and easiest to train out of all of them. I don’t think Joey realized he was a nutria.”
“You trained him?”
“The kids did. When they called him, he’d waddle right to them to be petted. He’d grunt at the door to go out, and he’d grunt to come back in.”
“We had a pet raccoon when I was growing up. He acted just like a dog,” Len told her. “My grandmother, a mean old woman, was terrified of him, so we took every opportunity to bring him around when she was at our place.”
“Hey, the raccoon lived there—she was just a guest.” She laughed at the image.
“That’s what I tried to tell the old crone before she nearly twisted my darn ear off.” He lifted one finger. “She only caught me once, though. I got faster after that.”
Carrie laughed, thrilled to have such a pleasant man for a landlord. “Oh, but you haven’t truly lived until your huge pet nutria comes waddling up the front porch steps right in front of a pair of sweet, old, black ladies witnessing Jehovah. I bet those two didn’t know they could move so fast.”
Len slapped his thigh as he guffawed. “You win with that one.” He put the check in his wallet and handed her a business card and a set of keys. “Glad to have you, Ms. Jeansonne. If anything goes wrong in the house, call me, night or day. My numbers are on there.”
She took the keys and his card before shaking his hand.
Sam walked inside from the backyard, bringing the smell of brisk winter air with him. “Len, you have some dead limbs overhanging the edge of the house. You may want to get those trimmed soon.”
Len gave him a nod. “Got somebody coming to trim those the day after Christmas, Sam, but thanks for the heads-up. Let me know if you catch anything else I might have missed, will you?”