Worth the Risk

by Shannon Davis

  Rebecca laughed and looked at me. “You didn’t tell me all this, you rascal.”

  “Granny’s exaggerating.”

  “Exaggerating, my foot. He is a rascal, Rebecca. He cooked so much, he nearly cleaned out my entire pantry before he started doing construction.”

  “Let’s go, Savannah. Granny and Rebecca are ganging up on Daddy,” I said, lifting Savannah over my head. I flew her around like Superman while she squealed and laughed, begging to go higher. “Somebody get the door before we crash!”

  Rebecca held the screen door and blew us a kiss, then she and Granny followed us inside.

  I zoomed Savannah around the house for a few minutes before landing her on the couch and tickling her again. Her laughter was a delight that I looked forward to every day.

  “Daddy, put on mermaid?” she asked, still grinning.

  “What?” I gasped and widened my eyes. “You wanna watch The Little Mermaid?”

  She giggled and nodded.

  “I bet you’ve watched it a hundred times already.”

  I turned on the television and the DVD player, then pressed the play button. Sure enough, The Little Mermaid was already loading.

  Savannah cuddled up with Flounder and a sippy cup of chocolate milk, ready to watch her favorite movie for the gazillionth time. Her eyes were glued to the show. Her lashes, long and feathery, swooped up and down when she blinked. Not a sweeter baby on this planet, I thought.

  “All right. There ya go. I’m going to talk to Granny, okay? I’ll be back in a minute.” I leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. “Daddy loves you, sweetie.” I felt a little hand grab my thumb.

  “I luh you, Daddy,” Savannah said, smiling up at me.

  My heart melted. Rebecca was right about her being a miracle. She was the miracle that opened my heart to selfless, unconditional love again. She loved me right back too, with the purest love there ever was—a child’s love.

  Savannah squeezed my thumb before letting go, then she took a drink from her sippy cup as her eyes jumped to the TV. And just that fast, she was focused on the movie, and I was dismissed.

  I laughed under my breath at her innocent gestures and ambled to the kitchen, where I found Rebecca and Granny Ruby sitting at the table, drinking sweet tea. I smiled at them and took a seat next to Rebecca. “Savannah’s watching the mermaid movie again.”

  Granny chuckled. “She’s done watched it a dozen times this morning.”

  I sucked my teeth. “I just thought it was bad before, but then somebody had to get her a stuffed Flounder and a mermaid costume.” I hooked my thumb at Rebecca and rolled my eyes.

  “Listen here, bubba.” She elbowed me. “There’s nothing wrong with Savannah having a favorite. When I was a little girl, I had favorites. She’ll grow out of it soon enough. But until she does, don’t mess with her. Got it?”

  “That’s right,” Granny added. “You just let that baby alone, Jackson. She can watch her mermaid movie a thousand times if she wants to. And when the DVD wears out, we’ll buy her another one.”

  I threw my hands in the air. “I surrender. Ladies win.” I exhaled. “I won’t say another word.”

  Rebecca and Granny laughed at my lighthearted comment, but it was the truth. These three females would always win. They had me wrapped around their little fingers.

  “I’m glad Savannah’s pacified,” Granny said. “There’s something I gotta tell y’all.” Her expression went serious, and her eyebrows pinched together. “I gotta terrible feeling something bad’s about to happen.”

  Rebecca and I glanced at each other, then looked at Granny. She slid her glass of sweet tea to the side and began to lightly tap her fingernails on the vinyl tablecloth, clearly distressed. Then she took a deep breath and shocked the heck out of both of us.

  “Before you brought Savannah over yesterday morning, I was outside watering my flowers, and I saw your grandpa’s Bel Air go by. A few minutes later, it drove by again.”

  I looked over at Rebecca, who was quickly losing her color. “Are you sure it was Grandpa’s?”

  “Of course I am!” She kept her voice low, but I could hear the worry and irritation in it. “I’ll tell ya right now, I know what I seen, Jackson. And your daddy was the one driving!”

  Rebecca gasped.

  “I knew Frank Strickland was alive,” Granny said, tapping her finger on the table. “For the past week, I’ve had dreams about that man. And last night’s was the worst.”

  “I had a bad dream about him last night too, Mrs. Ruby. I told Jackson—”

  “Shush!” Granny waved her hand in the air. “Lord, shug, don’t say another word! Don’t ya know you ain’t supposed to tell your dreams before breakfast? If you do, they’ll come true!”

  Rebecca’s mouth dropped open, and her complexion went gray. She glared at me with worried eyes and began to bite her lip.

  Hoping to calm her, I reached under the table and put my hand on Rebecca’s leg. “You know we already ate breakfast, Granny. Besides, that’s just an old superstition anyway.”

  “Humph! Call me superstitious, then. I’ve been called worse. Some folks think I ain’t playing with a full deck, but I know what I know. And I know you don’t tell no dreams before breakfast.”

  I rubbed Rebecca’s knee, but it didn’t do any good. She’d already resigned to the fact my dad was going to do something terrible, and it was going to be her fault because she told me her dream before breakfast. I’d have to assure her later that Granny’s crazy dream-telling regulations were just plain silly, even though in the back of my mind I was also a little nervous. It’s true Granny’s not as sharp as she used to be, but if she ever got a bad feeling, you could just about guarantee something terrible was going to happen. And that’s what worried me.

  “Granny,” I cleared my throat, “I think there’s something you need to know.”

  She squinted her eyes at me while Rebecca sat quietly, gnawing her lip, still white as a sheet.

  “You’re right. Dad’s alive. He broke out of prison. And he’s here.”

  “I knew it.” She sat back in her chair. “There’s gonna be trouble, Jackson.” She shook her head and began clicking her fingernails on the table. “With the way he’s been driving by the house, he’s up to something. Something no good. Y’all need to be careful and watch Savannah like a hawk. I mean it. Don’t let that baby outta your sight for a minute.”

  I squeezed Rebecca’s knee. “We won’t,” I said.

  “And you need to call Max. Right now, Jackson.”

  “I did. Early this morning.”

  Granny’s eyebrows creased. “What for? Something happen?”

  I hesitated, unsure about answering completely. “I wanted to tell him about the letters.”

  “You mean he didn’t already know?” Granny pressed her lips together and shook her head in frustration. “I told you when you got that first one, you should’ve called him. Did he send another one?”

  Granny didn’t know about the last letter because it had come to my address. I figured there wasn’t any reason to add to her stress, so I decided to keep that information to myself, along with the fact Dad had robbed a convenience store and killed the clerk. She already knew he was back in town. For her, that alone was bad enough. So, I told a little white lie.

  “No, ma’am. I called Max because I saw Dad last night. He was in the parking lot at the reunion. Waiting for Rebecca and me to come out.”

  Granny’s shoulders tightened. “Jackson!” Her eyes were like lasers looking right through me, pressuring me to tell the truth. The complete truth. I couldn’t keep it from her any longer.

  I rubbed the back of my neck and let out a sigh. “He tried to run us over with Grandpa’s car.”

  “What in this world?” Granny’s eyes widened, and she nearly knocked over her glass of tea as she pushed to her feet. She paced in front of the kitchen table, praying out loud with her hands raised, fanning the air as if she was signaling for help. “Lord, Lord! Pr
otect these children. Keep your hand over ‘em, Lord. Don’t let Frank harm one hair on their heads. Not one hair, Lord. Frank needs to be caught and put back in prison before he hurts somebody. Or if you just want him dead, sweet Jesus, that’s all right by me.”

  I stood and reached out to embrace her. “It’s gonna be all right. Max will find him, Granny. I promise. His people are looking all over the county. You gotta have faith in the system.” I hugged her tight. “Please, just trust me.”

  “I trust you, son. And I trust Max. But my faith is in the Lord, shug, not no system.”

  I glanced at Rebecca, who was still pale as a ghost, and felt my jaw tighten. Now both my ladies were upset, and I didn’t know what to do or how to fix it. I kissed Granny on top of the head. “Please promise me you won’t worry.”

  “I can’t promise you that,” she said, clinging to me. “But I’ll tell ya right now, I’ll worry less if y’all don’t go to that beach today.”

  “We’re only going for a couple of hours so Savannah can play in the sand. We’ll be fine.”

  She pulled away. “Ever since I saw Frank, I ain’t been able to shake this terrible feeling.”

  “There will be four adults there, Granny. Andrew and Katie are meeting us.”

  “I don’t care, Jackson. You need to listen to me.” She gazed at me with a pained expression.

  “Would it make you feel better if I called Max and asked him to send someone out to patrol the area while we’re there?”

  “It sure would. But I’d rather y’all just not go.”

  “Savannah’s looking forward to it, Granny.”

  “She’s a baby. She don’t know nothing about Frank Strickland and what he’s capable of. It’s your responsibility to take care of her, Jackson. You can’t risk putting her in danger. I’d die if anything happened to her.” Granny glanced at Rebecca. “Or to any of y’all.”

  I sighed heavily. “Nothing’s gonna happen.”

  “You’re going, ain’t ya?” Granny pursed her lips. “Well, you’re a grown man. Do whatcha want. But I’m warning ya, it ain’t a good idea. You watch and see what I’m telling ya. It ain’t a good idea.”

  Chapter Thirty

  Rebecca

  Sunday, June 4, 2000 ~ The Face Of Evil

  We called Katie and Andrew to tell them we were skipping brunch and we’d meet them at the beach. For three reasons. One, we had eaten such a big breakfast, we weren’t even hungry. Two, we had stayed at Mrs. Ruby’s much longer than we’d anticipated. And three, we stopped to buy Savannah some beach toys. We figured the more shovels, pails, watering cans, and sand-cutters we had, the better we could build the most amazing sandcastle ever, which was what Jackson, I mean Savannah, was looking forward to. Although she enjoyed splashing around in the water, playing in the waves, and finding seashells like most children, her biggest thrill was building sandcastles. I guess she came by it honestly, since her daddy was a big-time contractor.

  He had certainly made a name for himself. Through Big Al, God had given Jackson a chance to find his calling. Without Big Al, Jackson may have never discovered his own talent, or his ability to visualize, or his passion for creating. I do believe God puts people in our lives for a reason. Some may disagree, but I believed it with all my heart. I believed God gave Savannah to Jackson too. He knew Jackson needed someone to love, someone to look after and care for. And I believed God gave Jackson to Savannah because of his strength and resilience, and because of my connection with the doctors in New York. I believed God’s plan was for Jackson and me to reunite all along. His timing was perfect. Any sooner, Jackson may not have been ready to see me, let alone marry me. He may not have been ready to quit drinking. And he may not have Savannah. She is such a critical part of the picture. She brings out a whole different side of Jackson. Because of her, he has someone who needs him. Because of her, he gets to be a father. Marrying me, he may never have that chance, otherwise. And because of her, Mrs. Ruby has a great-grandchild who adds life to her days, and maybe even days to her life.

  Mrs. Ruby was definitely in better shape than most eighty-five-year-olds. She was certainly wound-up, talking about Frank. I didn’t think I’d ever seen her so upset. I could admit, I was edgy after having that awful dream. But after we left Mrs. Ruby’s, I was completely shaken. And not just because I had told my dream before breakfast. Although, that did concern me. But Mrs. Ruby’s story about Frank driving by her house made me realize he was stalking us all, and as long as he was on the loose, no one was safe. It was evident he fully intended to carry out the threats of his letters, and he wouldn’t let anyone get in his way.

  I think it was obvious to Mrs. Ruby too. When we were leaving, she hugged me tight and prayed over me. Then she whispered, “Be extra careful today, Rebecca, and don’t go anywhere alone.”

  I had promised her I’d keep an eye on Savannah, but it didn’t seem to ease her mind any.

  She had grabbed my hands and looked at me with a glare so deep, I thought she was putting a spell on me. But her eyes were full of love and concern. She kissed me on both cheeks and said, “Angels be with you, child.”

  While Jackson was on the phone with Andrew, you’d better believe I had called my Uncle Max. I told him we needed a patrol unit sent out to protect us at the beach. Preferably two. Fully armed. And maybe even a helicopter. Sweet Uncle Max was anxious to help. He said he’d put someone in the parking lot and have another patrolling the vicinity.

  After I told him what a fit Mrs. Ruby had this morning, he said, “You know, she’s a good Christian woman, but she’s also got this sixth sense.”

  Of course, that had made me feel so much better. He’d practically validated her warning. Maybe that was why he was so quick to oblige.

  About thirty minutes later, thanks to traffic, we arrived at the beach and saw Andrew’s Mustang. A police car was parked in the front with two officers sitting inside, their heads on a swivel, watching everything. As we parked, I let out a deep sigh of relief and unbuckled my seatbelt. Savannah had fallen asleep. With her tiny braids hanging over her shoulders, those pouty lips, and mile-long eyelashes, she looked like a doll.

  Jackson was grinning from ear to ear, watching me admire her. “That didn’t take long,” he said.

  “What?” I scrunched my face and shot him a side glance.

  He reached out and touched my chin. “You’re such a softy.”

  I pulled my eyebrows together. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Uh-huh. I know that look. You’re wrapped.”

  “Pfft! That’s old news. She had me wrapped the moment I laid eyes on her. Besides,” I glanced back at Savannah, “who wouldn’t love this sweet pea?”

  “Ready to wake her?” he asked.

  “You go ahead,” I replied.

  “Great. Make me be the bad guy.”

  “That’s right!” I grinned. “I’ll grab our stuff.”

  Jackson lowered his brow. “You sure?”

  “Positive.” I winked. “Your job’s harder. You gotta carry Sleeping Beauty and the cooler.”

  “Right. Well, at least the cooler has a strap. Remind me to buy one with wheels, would ya?”

  I laughed. “Sure thing.”

  We gathered our gear and groggy Savannah and headed toward the wooden steps that led to the beach. I followed Jackson on the narrow sidewalk, keeping an eye on Savannah. As we passed the police car, I dipped my head and waved at the officers. When they smiled and waved back, my worry disappeared. I took in a deep breath and looked ahead, admiring the makeover.

  “Wow, Jackson. This place has really grown.”

  “Nice, isn’t it?”

  “Grills and gazebos and bathrooms?”

  “With showers and changing rooms,” Jackson said over his shoulder.

  “That’s fantastic!”

  “A lot of money’s gone into beach restoration over the last few years. And the county’s updated all the facilities too.”

  “They’ve don
e an excellent job.”

  From the top of the steps, the beach looked like it went on forever, its magic never-ending. I could hear the waves crashing in the ocean, racing to the shore. The sea breeze kissed my face, welcoming me back. As the wind blew through my hair, I closed my eyes for just a moment and let the salty air fill my lungs. My shoulders began to loosen, and my mind let go of all my troubles. When I opened my eyes, I noticed a flock of seagulls in the distance. My thoughts drifted to the other night when I was alone on the beach. That night was the beginning of a new chapter in my life, a fresh start with the only man I’ve ever loved.

  “Is Sleeping Beauty awake?” Jackson’s voice jolted me back to reality.

  Savannah was peeking at me. “She sure is,” I answered.

  “Who wants to build a sandcastle?”

  Savannah perked up. “Me, Daddy!”

  “We gotta show Uncle Andrew all your new beach toys. Can you see his big umbrella?”

  “I see it! I see it!” she squealed.

  When we reached the sand, Jackson stepped out of his flip-flops and left them at the bottom of the steps. I put mine in the beach bag and buried my toes.

  “Ah,” I sighed, sinking in the soft, sugar-white sand. “This is wonderful!”

  Jackson smiled. “You’ll always be a beach babe, won’t you?”

  I grinned and winked at him. “Until the end of time.”

  Jackson took my hand as we headed down the beach. Katie and Andrew were about thirty yards out in the water. We waved as we approached their chairs and big umbrella. Good ol’ Uncle Andrew had chosen a great spot for making sandcastles, flat and undisturbed.

  Jackson lowered the cooler and sat Savannah in one of the chairs as I removed our towels, blanket, and sunscreen from the beach bag.

  “Wow! Look at this, Savannah!” I poured out all the beach toys, and she squealed with delight.

  Jackson squatted beside her. “We’re gonna have fun today. Aren’t we, baby?”

  Savannah grinned and nodded. “Yeah, Daddy. And make san-cassles!”