by Leger, Lori
“I’m telling you, she keeps seeing you in all your glory. Didn’t you see her ogling you? She couldn’t force herself to turn away. The temperature in that room must’ve jumped twenty degrees. Got so hot I had to leave the premises.”
Jackson turned on him. “Yeah, we noticed you’d left.”
“Humph. I’m willing to bet it took a while. The two of you were so deep in it, I could have been doing one of Mac’s cheers in a corner and you wouldn’t have noticed.”
Jackson shook his head. “It’s got to be something else that’s bothering her.”
Bill dissolved into side-splitting laughter. “Whatever you say, Jackson.”
The next morning, Giselle was busy doing some light dusting and housekeeping, feeling uplifted by her recent phone conversation with her co-workers. The self-dubbed ‘Designing Women’ were a close knit group, more like friends than co-workers. They’d called her, wanting to plan one of their afternoons of dinner and a movie. She had agreed to the next Friday, and found herself looking forward to it. She’d just made a mental note to find a babysitter in case she got home late, when the ringing telephone interrupted her thoughts.
“Hello” she answered cheerfully.
“Mrs. Granger?” asked the voice at the other end.
“Yes, this is Giselle Granger.”
“This is Delores Touchet from Kenton Jewelry and Gifts.”
“Yes ma’am, what can I do for you?”
“Mrs. Granger, I was terribly sorry to hear of your husband’s passing, he was such a nice man.”
“Thank you Mrs. Touchet,” she said, still waiting to hear the purpose of the call.
“Well, there’s no delicate way to put this. Your husband purchased something for you with specific instructions for engraving. It was meant to be a Mother’s Day gift and we’ve been holding it here. I’d actually forgotten about it. Mr. Granger paid for it in advance, and I just wanted to let you know that you could pick it up anytime you felt like it.”
Giselle stood there, unable to speak for several moments. She finally managed a reply. “Yes, Mrs. Touchet, I’ll pick it up now. Thank you for calling.”
Once she reined in her emotions, she grabbed her purse and car keys, and drove to the jewelry shop on Main Street. She entered the store and accepted the bag with a box tucked inside. Giselle thanked her and left.
She drove home with a lump in her throat and her heart pounding like a set of kettle drums. Dropping the bag on the table, she stared at it a few minutes before sitting down to slay that particular dragon. Separating the delicate folds of tissue, she pulled out a black velvet case. She opened the lid to find a lovely silver filigree locket in the shape of a heart, about an inch in diameter. She pressed the catch and it popped open to reveal a photo of her and Toby on one side and another of the girls on the opposite side. The frame with the girls’ picture also swung out to reveal a flat surface behind it. On that surface were the words Toby had engraved:
Love You Forever, My Girl – Toby.
Giselle’s face crumpled. “You always knew my heart,” she whispered, through her tears. She passed her fingers lovingly on the color snapshot that Carrie had taken of them at a Christmas party in mid-December—two people, happily unaware of the tragedy waiting to happen less than one month later. She placed a soft kiss upon it, then did the same to the photo of the girls, dressed in festive Christmas finery, she’d taken the same night.
It was beautifully constructed and attached to a sturdy chain. He knew how hard she was on chains. He knew her, everything about her, inside and out. How would she ever find someone who knew her as well as Toby did? She put the necklace on and smiled as the weight of the silver heart settled above her cleavage.
When her phone rang, she wiped her nose with a tissue and answered it, sounding slightly nasal.
“Giselle?” Carrie’s voice filled with immediate concern. “I was calling about the Designing Women dinner date, but are you all right?”
“I’m fine. The jewelry shop called a little while ago. It seems Toby had purchased something for me. They’d sent it off for engraving and were holding it for me. I just opened it.” She heard Carrie’s gasp.
“The locket! Oh Giselle, he told me about it. He asked me for some pictures.” Her voice warbled with tears. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that alone. Do you need someone there?”
“I’m okay. It was just a shock, you know? Did he tell you about the engraving?”
“N-no, he didn’t.”
Giselle swallowed before repeating the inscription.
“Oh God, that sounds just like him,” Carrie said. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“I’m proud of you, Giselle.”
She lifted the locket, held it close and smiled. “Thanks, I’m proud of me too.”
Jackson and Bill picked Giselle and her girls up for both games the next two weeks. It had taken a few hours but she’d finally relaxed enough around the two men to develop an easy banter with them. She cherished the way Bill lavished affection upon his ‘adopted’ granddaughters. And strangely enough, as much as Mac and Lexie loved Bill, they were even more attached to Jackson. She was amazed at his ease with her girls, especially for a man unaccustomed to being around children.
Giselle was seated on the patio when the girls got off the school bus the last day of the school year. They ran to her, both dragging their overstuffed backpacks behind them.
“Mom, our teacher gave us a party!” Mackenzie said. “We got candy and gifts—we forgot to buy our teachers gifts this year, but mine said that she understood.”
Giselle’s face twisted in a grimace. “We sure did. How about if we send them both nice gift certificates in a card?”
“A gift certificate for what?”
“Mmm…I’m thinking the spa in Lake Coburn.”
Lexie hauled her bag up to the patio chair. “Have I ever seen a spa, Mama?”
Giselle laughed and adjusted the barrette in her daughter’s curls. “No, you haven’t, sweetie. A spa is a place where ladies like to go to relax. You can get a massage, or a manicure, or even a pedicure for your feet.”
“That’s perfect,” Mackenzie said. “I heard my teacher say she needed to relax after this past year.”
“I’ll bet she does,” Giselle said with a knowing grin.
Lexie faced her mother. “Miss Melanie didn’t say anything about relaxing. She just said she needed a good stiff, drink.”
Giselle burst into laughter. “Trust me sweetie, it means the same thing. Now, let’s get you two dressed and ready for your team pictures. Gretchen, Cat, and Allie are picking you up in a bit.”
Lexie pulled on Giselle’s shirt. “Mom, Allie asked me if I could spend the night with her tonight. Can I please go?”
“I have a better idea. How would you like Allie to spend the night here with us? We can all go to supper after the game and rent a movie.”
“Could Emmelia come too?” Mac asked.
“Sure.” Giselle called Gretchen and Amanda, and within minutes, their evening plans were set.
By the time Jackson rang her doorbell later that afternoon, Giselle was alone in her house.
She greeted him with a smile. “Hey, Jackson.”
He gave her a huge smile. “Hey yourself. Y’all ready to go or do you need a few minutes?”
“I’m ready.” She pulled the door closed behind her.
He looked around. “No Mac and Lexie?”
“They went earlier for group pictures. It’s just little old me. Can you live with that?”
“I’ll manage,” he said, grinning as he opened the passenger door of his truck for her.
“No Bill today?”
“He had some business to tend to in Houston. Can you live with that?”
She grinned. “I’ll manage,” she said before buckling herself into the plush leather seating. “I have to tell you Lexie’s latest.”
He laughed at the ‘stiff drink” comment. “How long has
she been coming up with those?”
“Her vocabulary kicked into overdrive around four. That’s about when she started popping out with the most embarrassing things.”
“Mama, did I mortify you again?” he mimicked, in as much of a little girl’s voice as he could manage with his baritone.
“Exactly! Get the picture now?”
He chuckled. “I believe I do.”
They slipped into a rather uncomfortable silence, when Jackson suddenly spoke up. “I was thinking, since the game won’t be over until after seven, how about if I take you and the girls to a restaurant for supper afterwards?”
“Allie and Emmelia are coming over to spend the night with my girls tonight, kind of a ‘no more school’ party. I told them I’d take them to a restaurant then rent some movies afterwards.”
He nodded. “Oh, it’s no big deal. I thought I’d keep you from having to scrounge up supper for them. Do you think you’ll be able to handle all four girls?”
“I’ll be okay. It’s better some days, and nights, to keep busy.” Her left hand worked at the locket as she kept her eyes focused on scenery outside the truck window.
Jackson reached over and turned the radio on to hear the number one song on the country chart playing.
“Ooh, I love this song,” she said. “Do you mind?” She reached over and turned up the volume.
Jackson began to rummage in the console storage compartment. “I just bought the CD. Have you heard it?”
“No, I planned to. Is it good?”
“I like it. It’s kind of rock/country cross over.” He found what he was looking for and handed her a couple of CD cases. “I picked these two up at the same time.”
“Marc Broussard,” she said, looking at the second case, “He’s from around Lafayette, isn’t he?”
“He’s from Carencro, Louisiana—near Lafayette…hence the name of the album. I like his style—down and dirty, rhythm and blues. You won’t believe his voice.”
“Is he any kin to you?” she asked.
He grinned at her. “Not that I know of; Broussard’s are a dime a dozen in this state. I’ve downloaded those and converted them to MP3’s already, so you can keep those if you want.”
“Thanks,” she said, studying the cases.
Jackson pulled into a parking spot near the field. He grabbed two chairs from the bed of his truck and set them up near the dugout.
Giselle seated herself as Mac’s team began to prepare for first bat. Jackson walked back from the concession stand with two bottles of water and handed her one, as Lex ran over to him.
“Hey baby girl!” He scooped her up and kissed her forehead.
Lexie hugged him tightly then kissed his cheek. “Did you hear we’re having a sleep over, Jackson?”
He nodded. “Your mom told me. I bet you’re excited, and I know I can trust you girls to be good, right?”
Lexie’s curls bobbed as she nodded. “We’re going to watch movies and eat a lot of popcorn.”
“Clean up your own messes?”
“Yes sir!”
“Very good. Make me proud.”
“I will Jackson, you and Daddy.”
He smiled tenderly at her. “Your daddy told me all the time how proud he was of you, your sister, and your mama.”
“He did?”
He touched the tip of her nose. “Sure he did. He loved the three of you a bunch. He called you his ‘three girls’.”
She smiled and cocked her head to the side. “I sure do miss Daddy. I wish I could tell him.”
“He knows you do, sweetie. He can tell what’s in here,” he said as he pointed to her heart. As soon as he put her down, she ran off to play. He sat down and stared ahead for a moment, then turned toward Giselle. “What?”
She grinned from behind her water bottle. “Have you ever been around little girls before?”
“Nope. If we were invited to anything where kids were included, Chloe always came up with an excuse not to go.” He shrugged and shook his head. “I always thought …” His voice trailed off.
“That she was upset because she couldn’t get pregnant,” Giselle finished.
He nodded. “It pisses me off—the way she manipulated me—no—the way I allowed myself to be manipulated. If she was still alive, I could tell her how I’ve felt nothing but pity for her for years. Because I knew she’d never be happy with anyone or anything. But, she’s gone, and I can’t …” He slapped the arm of the chair in frustration.
“You can’t get closure.”
“I guess that’s it.”
“You need to find a way to deal with it.”
“I have dealt with it. I‘ve removed every trace of her.”
“Maybe that’s just denying it. Maybe you need to face it, like Bill made me face Toby’s death.”
He turned in her direction. “How do I do that, Giselle? How do I let a dead woman know that I regret our marriage? I wasted fifteen years of my life. How do I deal with that?”
His outburst proved how sensitive he was. He felt pain and frustration, just as anyone else would. It gave Giselle a jolt to realize that she actually saw him as a man, rather than her supervisor. Of course, she had already seen him, in the literal sense of the word. But, this man was confused, hurting, frustrated because he didn’t know how to handle his dead wife’s horrendous betrayal. His analytical, engineer mind was probably telling him there was a logical way to deal with it, but Giselle knew there wasn’t.
She reached over to lay her hand on his. “Maybe Bill could help you,” she suggested. “You should ask him.” Her breath caught as his fingers curled around hers. She sat back in her chair, taking her fingers with her.
Jackson stared at the arm of his chair. “No doubt Bill has some mind-blowing revelation that’ll reinforce his sense of superiority over me.” He faced Giselle wearing a pitiful, hound dog expression. “Please don’t make me do that.”
She laughed. “You hate it when he’s right, don’t you?”
“The annoying old fart loves throwing it in my face.”
“Don’t you call my honey an old fart,” she said.
“He’s not your honey, he’s Carrie’s honey. I swear, if Sam ever messes up with her, she’d be my aunt in no time flat. He’s got a thing for her.”
“Yeah, well she likes Bill and all, but Carrie’s got a thing for Sam.” She laughed at Jackson’s exaggerated sigh of relief. “But, you could have an aunt and even a younger first cousin before it’s all over with.”
His brow rose curiously. “You know something I don’t?”
“Carrie’s looking for a younger woman for Bill.”
Jackson frowned. “How young?”
“Young enough to bear children; he’s not too old, you know, and Bill’s in great physical shape. There’s no reason he can’t start a family right now.” She wondered at Jackson’s puzzled expression. “Would that upset you?”
“What? No, not in the way you mean, anyway. I’ve told him for years he needed a wife and kids of his own.”
“You did?”
He took a swig from his water bottle and recapped it. “Sure, I know he calls me Son, and I think of him sort of like a father, but, before my parents died, he and I were already tight. He was—Uncle Bill. It’s kind of hard to explain.”
“I can understand that, but you look a little upset.”
“I guess I’m wondering if he passed up opportunities because of me.”
“I don’t think so, Jackson. He told me he never met the right woman. It may take some time to find someone good enough for Bill.”
Jackson rolled his eyes and huffed in disgust. “Would you take him off of that pedestal? He’s no saint, you know.”
She laughed again. “What about you? Should we be looking for a woman for you?”
He pinned her with his gaze. “Where the hell did that come from?”
“Well, you’re obviously good with kids. It would be a shame if you didn’t have any of your own someday.”
&
nbsp; He nodded. “I feel the same way. Unlike Chloe, I have always wanted children.”
“Well, then maybe we should start looking around for a girl for you. Someone worthy of you who can give you a couple of precious little miniature Jacksons,” she teased.
Jackson cleared his throat as his head swiveled slowly in her direction. He dipped his head tantalizingly low to peer over the rim of his sunglasses. “I’m a big boy, Giselle. I don’t need any help finding a woman.”
His words sounded serious enough, but hidden within the deep baritone of his voice, there seemed to be just a hint of tantalizing mischief. Or was it a promise? She suppressed a shiver, wondering at the methods he’d use to find one.
“Mom!”
Giselle jumped at Mackenzie’s bark. She turned to see her daughter, on deck and preparing to bat.
“Knock it out of the park, Sweetie.”
She nodded, and adjusted her cap with one hand. “Hi Jackson, where’s Paw Paw?”
“He couldn’t make it today, but he sends his love.”
She smiled brightly as the batter in front of her hit a double. Jackson and Giselle watched with pride as she jogged easily to the plate. She took a few practice swings then got into her preferred batting stance, ready and tensed. She swung the bat and hit the ball off the tee, hard and straight, right between second and third bases. Mac ran all the way to third before someone threw the ball in to home.
“Good hit, Mac!” Gretchen yelled, as she approached them, dressed in her work scrubs. “Hey, you two,” she said, giving them both hugs. “Giselle, if four little girls are too much for you to handle, it’s not too late to back out.”
“It’s fine,” Giselle insisted.
The next batter hit a double that brought Mac safely home. She ran by the three adults grinning broadly as they cheered and clapped.
Mac and Allie’s team easily won the game, and when it was over, Jackson rounded up the girls to bring them all back to Giselle’s house. He placed the chairs in the back of the truck as the three little girls climbed inside.
“I’m hungry, Mom. Can we go somewhere I can have some fried shrimp?” Mack asked Giselle. “Are you coming too, Jackson?”
“No, I think your mom wants to have some girl time.”