The Empty Nesters

by Brown, Carolyn

  Tootsie leaned forward. “Maybe it’s lust instead of love.”

  “Well, we lived through the free-love era, so we’ve done seen it all,” Delores giggled.

  “Amen to that. I couldn’t wait to burn my bra.” Tootsie laughed with her.

  “I would’ve been ahead of you, but I was busy settin’ out the logs.” Delores slapped her knee and laughed even harder.

  Luke had looked forward to a walk in the nice brisk breeze all day, but now he wished he could go back to the campsite, crawl into his tent, and read until he fell asleep. Being around Diana brought out his awkward and shy side, and he didn’t like it—not one bit. He’d been more comfortable around her than he’d been with any woman he’d ever met, and then she found out his age. Now he was back to being that computer geek with a bashful streak.

  The pungent aroma in the air was rotting leaves, and the cool night wind would turn downright cold before long, but he loved fall. He tried to find something to talk about, but nothing came to mind until he flashed on an image of Aunt Tootsie and Uncle Smokey’s marriage license hanging above the sofa in the old house.

  “You’d never guess where they got their nicknames,” he said.

  “Who?” Diana asked.

  “Tootsie and Smokey.” A hard wind blew so many leaves from a pecan tree that it reminded him of snow.

  “I never thought to ask. The names just kind of fit them. Surely that’s not what’s on their birth certificates,” she said.

  “Tootsie’s is.” Luke kicked a rock out of the pathway with the toe of his boot. “Tootsie Arlene Green, now Colbert. Smokey’s real name is Samuel Luke Colbert. I was named after him.”

  “Why would anyone name a child Tootsie?” Diana asked.

  “She says her mama named her after her two best friends. One was Arlene, and the other’s name was Othalene. She just couldn’t see naming a little baby girl Othalene Arlene, so she used Othalene’s nickname, which was Tootsie.”

  “Tootsie fits her better than Othalene, for sure,” Diana said.

  “Uncle Smokey got his nickname in the army. When the city boys asked him where he was from, he’d tell them that he lived so far back in the sticks that they had to use smoke signals to communicate with folks in the next town,” Luke told her.

  “I thought it might be from that old movie Smokey and the Bandit, but that’s way funnier.” Diana smiled.

  The uncomfortable silence returned. What had he done wrong? He’d never been really good with small talk or women—that was the curse of being a computer geek. Diana didn’t ask anything else or start another conversation—maybe that night she wanted to be alone with her own thoughts.

  But Luke liked the sound of her voice too much to let it go, so he finally asked, “Do you like to read? I’ve noticed that Carmen and Joanie read a lot. You just work all the time. I was a lot like that, too, until I sold my company. I buried myself in my work and forgot to live.”

  “Did you like what you did?” She sat down on a park bench beside the path. “Is that a golf course right there?”

  “The brochure I got when I checked us in said there was a six-hole course on the grounds, so I guess it is. Do you play?”

  “Nope,” she answered. “You?”

  “Not me,” he answered. “Like I said, I’ve always been a workaholic.” He sat down on the other end of the bench. “It gave purpose to my life at the time. But about a year ago it became boring, so it was time to sell out and move on. I’m thinking about starting a new company where I’ll produce computer software that can design lighter-weight and better prostheses for our war veterans. There’s lots of that kind of thing out there, but I’ve got some ideas to improve on what’s available now.”

  “That sounds amazing.” The wind whipped her shoulder-length red hair into her face.

  Luke stopped himself from reaching out to tuck it behind her ear. “It’s just a way to give back to all the veterans. For Uncle Smokey.”

  Diana pulled a rubber band from her pocket and twisted her hair up into a ponytail, then zipped up her lightweight jacket. “I hope Tootsie starts to feel better when we get to the house. Do you think it’ll be colder up in northern Texas? I didn’t bring a heavier coat.”

  “It can get pretty chilly. I went up there a couple of times for Thanksgiving so Uncle Smokey and Aunt Tootsie would have some company. A couple of times we got an inch of snow. Want my sweater?” Luke asked. He started to unbutton the cardigan.

  She shook her head. “I’m fine for now—just wondering if I’d packed the right stuff.”

  “There are stores all along the way, and it’s only a half-hour drive to Paris. We usually make weekly trips down there to get supplies,” he said.

  “In the RV?”

  “Nope, not in the RV. We’ll do that in Uncle Smokey’s old truck. It’s about thirty years old, but it still runs like it’s brand new.”

  “Why would they keep a truck and only use it a couple of months out of the year? Until this year, they’d drive up there in their car, right?”

  “That many trips into town on those roads would shake the hell out of their Caddy. And believe me, Aunt Tootsie treats that car like family.” Luke chuckled. “Age, on a truck or on a person, makes no difference. It’s how well they’re maintained that matters.”

  Why, oh, why, couldn’t he have smooth pickup lines like other men? Luke asked himself. What he’d just said could be taken as an insult. She might think that he thought she looked like an old pickup truck at her age, when in reality she was downright gorgeous. He wouldn’t be a bit surprised if she still got carded at bars when she ordered a drink.

  “I didn’t mean that you’re old,” he stammered.

  “I didn’t take it that way.” Diana smiled. “I took it as a compliment. Thank you for saying it, because I’ve sure been feeling old this past week.”

  “I wouldn’t know why. You’re a beautiful woman, Diana.” He stopped and stared at the sunset over the golf course.

  She turned to face him. “I’m tall and gangly. I have red hair and freckles. I’m old enough to have a daughter in the army . . .”

  He laid a hand on her shoulder. “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, not in a bathroom mirror. I think you are gorgeous.”

  “Well, thank you again. It’s been a long time since anyone said something that nice about me.” Diana blushed.

  He removed his hand, and they continued on, but the silence wasn’t nearly as awkward as it had been before.

  Chapter Six

  Chocolate-chip pancakes with bacon on the side had been the traditional Sunday-morning breakfast since Natalie was a toddler. Carmen awoke with that on her mind and had already slung her legs off the top bunk before she remembered where she was. All the events since Wednesday flashed through her mind like she’d pushed the fast-forward button on the remote control.

  She pulled her legs back up and covered her head with the blanket. She wanted to just stay in bed all day. Everyone had been so good to support her that she couldn’t be the drama queen and ruin the trip for everyone. Why didn’t Eli just come home? If she could talk to him in person for only a week, maybe they could get all this sorted out. He’d taken emergency leave when his mother had her appendix removed, and that was just day surgery.

  She threw the covers back and glared at the ceiling. Her imagination took control. The only reason why Eli wouldn’t want to face her was if he’d been cheating on her. What did the woman look like? Was she smarter than Carmen? Was she younger? Did his mother like her?

  Sitting up and taking a deep breath, she tried to put the negative thoughts out of her mind. She crawled down the ladder at the side of the bed and peeked around the kitchen area to see Luke at the stove. She was fully covered in her pajamas, but it just didn’t seem right to parade around in front of another man in her night clothing. She grabbed up the clothes she’d laid out on the foot of her bed the night before and dashed into the bathroom, where she dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, brushed her tee
th, and pulled her dark hair back into a ponytail at the nape of her neck. She dropped her folded pajamas on the bed, and in half a dozen steps she was in the kitchen area.

  “Good mornin’, Carmen. Coffee is made. Biscuits are about done, and sausage gravy is ready. I’ll have this bacon fried in a few minutes. How do you like your eggs?” Luke asked.

  “Scrambled,” she answered.

  “Me, too, so I’ll go ahead and make enough for everyone. They’ll all be up pretty soon.” He cracked a dozen eggs in a bowl and whisked them until they were frothy. “Maybe we’ll just take our breakfast out to the picnic table. It’s a beautiful morning, but it’s a little nippy. You might need a jacket.”

  “I’ll get my sweater.” She moved back to the lower bunk bed and pulled a cardigan from her suitcase.

  When she returned, he handed her a plate. “You can go ahead and get your food ready. I’ll bring out the coffee and juice.”

  Carmen tore open a couple of biscuits and covered them with gravy, added four pieces of bacon on the side, and then dipped into the eggs to finish filling up her plate. She carried it out to the wooden picnic bench that was provided at each campsite, took one look at the full plate, and wondered what she was thinking. She never ate this much breakfast, not even when she’d skipped supper the night before.

  Luke brought out a tray with coffee mugs, small glasses, and carafes of coffee and orange juice. Then he went back inside and returned with his plate piled even higher than Carmen’s. “I hardly ever make a big breakfast just for me, but this morning I was thinking about Uncle Smokey and the way he always made this kind of food up at the old house.”

  Carmen took a deep breath. “Being out here is nice.”

  Luke poured coffee and juice for both of them. “I love being outdoors, especially in the morning.”

  “Natalie would love this. We had a Sunday tradition of pancakes and bacon before we went to church, and sometimes we’d eat on the patio.”

  “Did all y’all go to services together? Did Aunt Tootsie go with you?” Luke asked.

  “No, she and Smokey went to a different church, but all of us army wives went together. The girls were all pretty involved with the youth group. This is our first Sunday without them.” She started with the gravy first.

  “Can I ask you something kind of personal?” Luke’s brows drew down in a serious frown.

  “Sure.” She nodded.

  He’d made breakfast, so she owed him at least one question. She just hoped that it didn’t have anything to do with the divorce. For the first time since Wednesday, she was really hungry.

  “Is Diana seeing someone? She said she’d been divorced five years, so I was just wondering if she’s in a relationship.”

  “She hasn’t had time for a boyfriend, or so she says,” Carmen answered. “We’ve tried to set her up with guys, but she’s refused us every time. She’s devoted herself to Rebecca, pretty much like Joanie and I did with our girls. Except both of us have a husband some of the time, and she didn’t.”

  “Thank you.” Luke’s smile turned brighter than the sun rising over the horizon.

  Carmen bit off the end of a crisp piece of bacon. She realized why he was asking and wanted to slap herself on the forehead. Eli said that she’d had pregnancy brain when she was expecting Natalie. Maybe now she had divorce-brain syndrome—DBS—that would excuse a lot in the next few weeks.

  “If I can ever get up the courage, I’m going to ask her out to dinner while we’re at the old house,” he answered. “But can this stay between us? I don’t want things to get weird while we’re all cramped up in the motor home.”

  “Won’t we be just as crowded in the house?” Carmen asked.

  “No, because y’all are staying in the house, and Aunt Tootsie says I’ll take over the motor home when we get to Scrap,” Luke explained.

  “I can keep your secret,” Carmen agreed. She wasn’t jealous—well, maybe a little bit. Her marriage was falling apart at the seams, and Diana could have a fresh start if she was willing.

  “Thank you,” he said.

  “But you do realize that she’ll be thirty-nine next month.” She couldn’t ask if Luke was just looking for a good time, but she couldn’t bear to see Diana in pain again.

  “And I’ll be thirty-two. I’m attracted to her like I’ve never been drawn to another woman—not that there’s been that many in my life. I’ve been too busy for even friendships. Maybe it’s a wake-up call that it’s time to get serious about settling down. Maybe it’s Uncle Smokey trying to see that I have a loving partner, like he did. Whatever it is, I want to explore it further,” he said.

  There was no way in God’s great green earth that Diana would ever go out with Luke, Carmen thought. He was so totally different from Gerald, who’d been the love of her life. Gerald was six feet, four inches of pure muscle, dark haired and dark eyed—“sex on a stick” is what Diana had called him. The girls all privately agreed. But Carmen would keep Luke’s secret, even if he didn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell.

  “Good morning.” Tootsie came out of the motor home with a full plate in her hands. This morning she was wearing a red sweat suit, and her blonde hair looked like she’d just stepped out of a beauty salon.

  Carmen patted her own brunette ponytail. “How do you do that, Tootsie?”

  “What?”

  “Wake up looking all put together,” Carmen said.

  “Honey, I learned years ago to do my own hair. Smokey liked big hair, so I’ve always kept it blonde and piled up high on my head. I’d take it down, and he’d brush it for me every night before bed, and in the morning I’d get it all fixed while he made breakfast,” Tootsie said.

  “That is so sweet,” Joanie said as she joined them. She was wearing gray sweatpants and a matching top. She poured a cup of coffee and took a seat beside Tootsie. “And to whomsoever made this food, thank you.”

  “That would be Luke.” Carmen nodded toward him.

  Diana appeared in jeans and a zipped-up hoodie with a biscuit stuffed with bacon and eggs in her hands. “Coffee out here?”

  Luke poured a cup and scooted down on the bench to make room for her. “Is that all you’re eating?”

  “I have to have coffee before I eat anything. This little biscuit is just the appetizer. I plan on eating more after this.” Diana picked up the cup and took her first sip. “Good and strong. So where are we headed to this morning, Tootsie?”

  “Jefferson, Texas. We should be there not long after lunch. I figure we’ll park the motor home, and this afternoon we’ll catch the little shuttle bus they run downtown to the antique stores. They open at one o’clock on Sunday, and if y’all want to, you can probably take a tour of the Gone with the Wind Museum. It’s by appointment on Sunday, but I think I can make a call and get you in today,” Tootsie said.

  “Have you been there?” Luke asked.

  “Several times. Smokey knew that was my all-time favorite book, so we have the movie and the book, plus the new books about Rhett Butler and Scarlett. I’ll have to show you my party dress sometime,” Tootsie said between bites. “I wore it to the first big military party that Smokey and I had to attend. Smokey had his dress uniform, but I was a little country girl who didn’t have a damn thing to wear to a formal dinner. So I pulled a Scarlett O’Hara.”

  “And that is?” Luke asked.

  “You didn’t!” Diana gasped.

  “I really did. I took a panel of the green velvet curtains down off the living room windows, thanked Smokey’s aunt Gertrude for giving them to us as a wedding gift even though I hated them at the time, and made myself a beautiful dress for the party,” she said. “Just like Scarlett O’Hara did in the novel.”

  “I’d love to have seen that.” Carmen had been to several fancy parties with Eli. But she’d always felt like a wallflower and had kept to the shadows or visited with Joanie and Diana, back when she was still going to the events. Looking back, Eli hadn’t paid a lot of attention to her at those affai
rs. She’d always chalked it up to him needing to mingle, but now she wondered.

  “And I bet you were the belle of the ball,” Diana said.

  “Smokey thought so, and his opinion was the only one that mattered to me,” Tootsie said. “I’ll make arrangements for whoever wants to go see it if anyone is interested. I’m planning on hitting the antique stores myself. I always pick up a little something to take to the house. Last year I got a lovely pink Depression-glass bowl. I’d love to find another piece like it.”

  What Tootsie said about Smokey stuck in Carmen’s head—when was the last time Eli had paid her a compliment? She drew her eyebrows down and tried to remember. It was more than a year ago. They’d gone to the traditional July Fourth cookout at Tootsie and Smokey’s. He’d kissed her and said that she looked nice. But when they got to the party that evening, Smokey had said that Tootsie was more beautiful than the fireworks show would be. It kind of put a damper on what Eli had said, but then he’d never been one to gush.

  To get her mind off that, Carmen kept sneaking looks across the table to see if there were sparks between Diana and Luke. He might not be a hunky black-ops soldier like Gerald—with his dark hair, square-cut chin, and broad shoulders—but Luke really was a handsome guy with that cleft in his chin and those clear blue eyes. His sandy hair and the scruff on his face reminded her of someone, but she couldn’t remember who—maybe someone she’d seen on one of the television series she liked to watch or the cover of a book.

  She almost clapped her hands when she remembered where it was. Natalie had gotten into a reading binge after graduation, and there was a duke on the cover of one of the books in her room that looked enough like Luke to be his brother.

  “What?” Diana finally caught her staring. “Do I have egg on my face?”

  “I was just looking at your hair with the sun shining on it,” Carmen lied. “It looks like copper.”

  “Exactly what I was thinking.” Luke smiled and nodded.

  Diana had never been attracted to blond men, but after what Carmen said about her hair, she was fascinated by the gold streaks that the morning sunrays created in Luke’s. The little vibe between them when his shoulder touched hers was further proof that she really needed to get back into the dating world. Maybe when she got back home, she’d go out with that doctor from the hospital where Joanie volunteered, if he was still single. It had been at least six months since Joanie had tried to fix her up with him, and the past week had sure proven that a lot could happen in only a few hours.