A Time to Heal

by Diana Lesire Brandmeyer

  Since he'd returned home, it seemed like there was something he was supposed to do, but he couldn't remember what it was or who it was for. He'd checked his calendar and he hadn't missed any appointments. He couldn’t remember, so it must not have been important.

  Another fire truck raced by the house. He checked his watch. Don’t even think about it, Reeves. There’s not enough time. His client and her five kittens would be arriving soon for their photo shoot. He closed the lid to the washer and pushed the button. Wash and repeat. That’s what his life had become.

  He could hear his parents saying, “It doesn't have to be like this.” He pushed them away. He wanted to make it as a professional photographer. So far, he was holding his own. It was important to him. His brothers and sisters felt the same about their chosen professions. It must frustrate his parents that none of their children wanted to take what they generously offered.

  His cell phone rang, and he pulled it from his back pocket and checked the screen. Kelly? Something must be wrong. His brother shouldn't be calling on his honeymoon. Or was it today they were coming back? “Kel, what up?”

  “Hey, bro. Remember how you were holding on to my car keys for me? We can't find where you left them, and we can't find the spare set.”

  “I bet I left them in the pocket of my tux pants. Let me call the tuxedo rental and ask them to look.”

  “I can do that. And if they are there, I can call a car ride service or Dad and pick them up. I just needed to know what you might have done with them.”

  “They have to be at the tux shop. I would have noticed them if I'd brought them home with me. I'm sorry, Kelly.” That must have been the thing that kept niggling his brain all morning. “How's married life?”

  “Something you should try, Trey. It's like being with your best friend all the time.”

  “Thought I was your best friend, and you never wanted me around twenty-four seven.”

  “Got that wrong, big bro. Your camera is your best friend. You take it everywhere. I bet you even sleep with it.”

  “Maybe. But at least it doesn't talk or involve me in things like dance lessons that I'd rather not do.” But it did do other things he didn’t love, like taking photos of kittens. The doorbell rang. “Got to go. My appointment is here. Glad you’re back. I'll call the tux shop when I'm finished here.”

  “Don't bother. I'll call them. Really don't want to wait for hours for you to remember to do it.”

  “Well played, Kelly. Well played.” It was a family fact that he was always getting distracted and forgot to do things he said he would. It was a problem, and he knew it. He would rather call it extreme focus. But why did he still think he was forgetting something? Tonight was the thing with Chad and Alison. That made him think of cupcakes. He'd pick one up for Brent while he was there. Maybe that would lighten the kid's mood.

  Meanwhile there was a basket of kittens waiting.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Lori turned to Evan. “You should go back to work. The principal is on his way over here and I need to inform him about my missing student. And Evan, thanks for checking up on me.”

  “Sure thing.” He walked away. “Here comes

  Tyson and Nolan. I’ll stall them for a minute.”

  “Thanks, Evan.” It didn’t take long to share her information and when she turned around Deni and Joel’s sons were there. Their faces flushed with excitement. In a few years, she hoped to have them in her art class.

  “Mom said to come to you if we ever got dismissed early,” Tyson said.

  “And I’m glad you listened.” Deni stood behind her sons. “We came as soon as we heard. I’m glad you did what dad and I asked you to do in an emergency.”

  “That was cool, Mom.” Nolan grinned. “Getting out early on a Friday is the best.”

  “When we get home, we want to swim. Is that okay? We couldn’t even go to our lockers, so no homework for us.” Nolan bounced on his toes.

  Deni laughed. “I suppose you can swim, but there’s a surprise in the car, so you might change your mind.

  The boys took off walking as fast as they could without it being officially called running. The women followed.

  “Sounds like they enjoyed the fire alarm. Are you okay, Lori?”

  “Yes, but thankfully it wasn't a big deal. I thought I saw smoke, but Evan calmed me down. It was my imagination.”

  “I have to tell you, I was shaken up too. It's scary to think part of my family might be trapped in a fire.”

  “Yes, it is.” She swallowed the bitter memory that reared its head. Though to be honest, it had sprung up the moment the fire alarm blasted through the halls.

  “I'm sorry, Lori. Slip of the tongue.” Deni squeezed Lori's forearm. “My mouth often speaks before my brain can tell it to stop.”

  “It's okay. What’s the surprise in the car?”

  “It’s Lucy. She just showed up.”

  “You had no idea she was coming? That's odd.” She'd met Lori's sister-in-law during the hoopla surrounding Deni and Joel's wedding. “Think she might be hoping to get a teaching job here?” It had taken her several years to get hired at Brown Academy, Lucy might not have the easiest time finding a position.

  “No idea. We haven't had a chance to talk. She’d only arrived a few minutes before Alison called, and honestly, the only thing on my mind while we drove here was my sons.”

  The boys speed walked toward Joel. Their backpacks bounced against their shoulders. He attempted to wrap them in his arms, but they evaded him. “They're getting too old to do that in public, but Joel keeps trying.” Deni sighed. “I don't blame him. I miss those days when they were so eager for hugs.”

  “It's normal, though, and that's what you've wanted for them from the beginning, right? For them to feel loved and secure enough that they weren't always worried you wouldn't come back or send them away?”

  “Yes. But I didn't think it would happen so fast.”

  Joel grinned. “Guess you saw that rejection. They went right past me and into the car because Aunt Lucy was more important.”

  “Sure.” Deni looked away, and Lori was sure her friend was trying to hide her smile.

  “You remember my sister Lucy, right, Lori?” Joel said as Lucy climbed out of the car.

  “Sort of. We met at your wedding but— she turned to Lucy—"you look different.”

  “That's a nice way of putting it. I've been traveling for several days and really need a shower and sleep. I was with these two when we heard about the problem at the school.”

  “Deni, since Lucy is here, are you all still coming to girls’ night at the Pumpkin Moon? I can let Alison know.” Lori looked at her phone to check the time. Now that the excitement of the afternoon had quieted, she could enjoy the time off too, maybe even walk the beach.

  “Probably. Lucy you can come too. Our friend Alison makes the best cupcakes in town.”

  “Yum. I don't want to pass up that opportunity. It won't take me long to take a shower and unpack. Or it won't as soon as I figure out where I'm going to sleep since Grams and Kevin are out of town.”

  How long did Lucy plan to stay? “Great. I'll see you both tonight. Right now, I need to lock up my classroom.”

  “This is Lori Peterson from Brown Academy calling again about your son, Brent. Could you please return my call?” If she didn't hear from Brent's mom by tomorrow, she'd send an email and ask for a meeting. She'd seen Brent on her way home but hadn't stopped to talk to him. Didn't think that was the appropriate way to handle his taking off during the fire drill.

  She would have done the same thing though if the opportunity had presented itself when she was in high school. She had not been an easy teenager and apologized to God many times for her actions. She stuffed her phone into her bag and headed for the lake cottage. There wasn't anything else she could do about Brent, and it was the weekend. An evening of fun with friends waited for her and tonight she didn't want to think about a child causing her problems.

  Two
hours later, she stepped into the Pumpkin Moon and inhaled the warm scent of vanilla and cinnamon. It was originally called the Star Bakery and the store's trademark cinnamon roll cupcake honored the memory of the original special cinnamon roll.

  “Hey, there.” Alison set a tray full of cupcakes on a long table in the middle of the room. “Are you coming in or just sniffing today?”

  “Funny. I could never sniff and not eat. I don't know how you work here and stay so small. I'd be sampling all day long.” Sugar addiction had to be real.

  “It's not easy. I have to convince myself that I don't have to try a cupcake from each batch when I make them, unless it's a new recipe and I haven't made them more than five times. At least that's my rule. I can't always stick to it. Some days the chocolate’s siren song can’t be shut out, no matter how loud I play the music in here.”

  Lori hung her purse from one of the chair backs. “What can I do to help? I'm a little early.”

  “I've got it under control. Did you stay in town or go back to the lake house after school? Doug was thrilled to get home early. He convinced Chad to take him out fishing.”

  “I went home. Getting out earlier gave me time to walk to the beach and catch a bit of vitamin D. I dread the days getting shorter. Would you believe Evan showed up at the school?”

  “That's odd. The dealership is like two streets over, isn't it?”

  “It is. He told me his dad always kept the police scanner on at home. He keeps one in his office to remind him of his dad. He says it's almost like a white noise machine. When he heard there was a problem at the school, it caught his attention and he walked over.”

  “Are you sure you two aren't a thing? It's like he knows that he needs to be there for you.”

  “There's nothing there between us. Meeting at church and being single made it natural that we hung out together, but we are just friends. I don't have those kinds of feelings for him. He's too much of a good friend. The guy you take to a wedding when you don’t have a date.”

  “That's too bad. Evan is a nice guy.”

  “I know. But like I said, he's too protective, like an annoying big brother. It's a bit too much.” And it was. She had her own brothers, and what she remembered was that they were always pushing their status, trying to change her actions. Would they still be like that? Or could they get along now? She’d waited too long to fix things with her family, if it could be fixed.

  “Yeah, it's pretty awful having someone care if you're okay.”

  “Stop it. You know what I mean. No one wants to date their brother.”

  “Fine. I'll give you a pass on Evan, but there has to be someone in your life.”

  Lori scowled at her, and gave her best, your dog-did-not-eat-your-homework glare.

  “Got it. Not interested. You know Lucy is coming, right? Deni called me.” Alison raised the blinds on the side window readying the store for closing.

  “Yes. She came to the school with Deni and Joel to pick up the boys. I don't know much about her. Deni was surprised when she turned up today. No one knew she was coming home.” Lori walked over and raised the other blind. She’d once asked why Alison did that before and the answer was then the police could see inside as they did their patrol.

  “I'm anxious to meet her. She sounds fascinating.”

  “I'm sure she has stories to share from all of her overseas travels. Do you know where she is staying?” She did have an extra bedroom at the lake cottage.

  “Deni didn't say. She has family all around. I would think she would stay with one of them.”

  As Alison set a pile of plates on the table the bell over the door jingled. “Sorry, we're closed for a private party.”

  “Can't you take pity on the bachelor who just needs something sweet to erase the memory of five kittens running amok through my studio?”

  “Trey. Of course you can come in. Why are—”

  He gave Alison a slight nod that Lori didn’t understand.

  “What can I get for you tonight?”

  Lori studied the man who'd come through the door like he owned the place. She hadn't seen him before, and yet Alison seemed to know him well. Where had she been hiding this guy? She grabbed a napkin from the table and fanned her face. Was the air conditioner on the fritz again?

  “I'm not planning on staying. But I need two Star Cinnamon Roll cupcakes, if that's possible. I have a new guest in my house that must be fed several times a day. I'm not sure what he'll like. Thought I'd start him on some of these.”

  “Did you get a dog? You do realize that feeding them cupcakes is not a good idea, especially chocolate.” Alison walked behind the counter that displayed a cornucopia of cupcakes.

  “No, not a pet. It seems my sister, Claire has been deployed, and I have her son for a while. At least until I can ship him back to my mom, maybe at Christmas break.”

  “But that's in the middle of the school year.” Lori nibbled her lip embarrassed about speaking out when she shouldn't. “I'm a teacher, and I know how upsetting it is to kids to have to move in the middle of the year.”

  “He's a freshman. He'll be fine.”

  She hoped so but in her teaching experience it didn’t usually work out the way parents hoped. Still she didn’t know this man and it wasn’t her place to say anything.

  Alison turned off the store's overhead lights, casting a shadow over Trey's face. It only improved upon his chiseled good looks.

  “Lori, this is my friend Trey. I've known him for a long time. He moved here earlier this summer while you were working for the cruise line. He's opened a photography studio. Besides being a teacher, Lori is also a photographer.”

  “I'm not a professional though.”

  “She might not be, but she's good enough to be.”

  Lori's face warmed. “Stop. What kind of camera do you have, Trey? I like my Canon, but it's not top of the line.”

  “I'm partial to my Nikon. The quality of a camera makes a difference, but in the right hands, almost any camera can be coaxed into amazing shots, especially if you have a good lens.”

  “What kind of studio are you opening? Wedding shots?”

  “More like families and pets. Those pay the bills. Weddings are too stressful, but I'll do them. Guess I'll shoot anything. But what I'm hoping for is to take lake shots and sell them to tourists. I did pretty well with the lake back home, but the market is getting too crowded there.”

  “Ah, the sunrise and sunset line, perfect for every living room, bedroom, office, and even the dining room.”

  “Funny. But true.”

  Alison handed Trey a bag. “I put in your favorites and two chocolate because everyone likes those. Next time, bring him with you and let him pick.”

  The old-fashioned bell on the door jangled, and Deni and Kat came through laughing.

  “Looks like the fun is about to start. I'm out of here. Nice to meet you, Lori.”

  And nice to meet you handsome. “Yeah, same here.”

  “No Lucy?” Lori asked Deni.

  “No. Once we got back to the house, the boys convinced her to stay with them and binge watch some show. I think she was tired from traveling. Lounging on the couch sounded better than socializing with us. And get this, she's not leaving. The country or Silverton, that is.”

  “I need to talk to you, Lori, about possibly letting her stay with you. We're hoping, but not insisting, that you will let her live at the lake house. There's two bedrooms, and since you're both single and without kids...”

  She swallowed. She didn't even know this person. But Deni and Joel had made it clear the house was for people who needed it. She still did, but she wasn't family like Lucy. She didn't have enough money saved up yet to buy her own place, and rent in a lake community was so much higher than she expected. Her happiness over hanging out with her friends was dissipating fast. Now all she'd be thinking about was living with someone she didn't know.

  “Hey, you can think about it and let me know in a few days. If it makes you too
uncomfortable Joel will look for a place. Though everything is expensive and I’m not sure how much money she has. We have her sleeping on the couch for now. The boys are in the other bedroom and there isn’t a good way to move them into the family room.” Deni patted her arm. “For now, Lucy is enjoying spending time with us and the boys.”

  “She'll change her mind about that if she's here long enough.” Alison flipped the sign closed and locked the door. She turned and faced everyone. “I'm so ready for a girls’ night. Anyone else?”

  A chorus of yeses rang through the shop.

  “Before we go, I have to show you something.” She held up her hand. The diamond on her finger caught the light at the right place, sending its brilliance like a laser across the room. “It's official. We've got a wedding to plan, and I want you all to be my bridesmaids.”

  Deni rushed over and hugged Alison. “I'm so excited for you. Do you have a date?”

  “Congratulations.” Kat grinned. “Remember I'm a reporter. I am not a girly-girl, and I won't wear an ugly froufrou bridesmaid dress.”

  “I wouldn't do that to my friends. In fact, I'm thinking you'd all look lovely in lime green.”

  Lori laughed, then noticed the serious expression on her friend's face. “You are kidding, right?”

  “Of course, but we have some time to figure this out. We haven't set the date, but we want to get married between Christmas and New Year's Eve. That way we don't have to spend a lot on flowers for the church.”

  Lori counted in her head. “That's less than four months. Can you get everything arranged by then? It might be hard to get the church, and what about the reception place?”

  “That's why we're going to Hemingway's tonight. They have a room we can rent. We're meeting the groomsmen there for dinner.”

  Lori's hope for a fun night with her friends disappeared with Alison's announcement. This was supposed to be a quiet night in Alison’s upstairs apartment, watching a movie and ordering a pizza. Not hanging out with couples and who were the groomsmen? Joel of course but that left two others. She couldn’t think of who Chad would have asked.