A Fair of the Heart, Welcome To Redemption, Book1 (7 page)

Max gnawed on the inside of his cheek and
gave a curt nod.

Walking away when he wanted to wrap his arms
around all three of them was no easy feat. But Lauren would have
her hands full tonight, and Caleb needed some time to think. He was
in way over his head, and he knew it.

He took the scenic route through town so he
could drive past Hutch’s Diner. Caleb didn’t know why he tortured
himself. Maybe it was the vision of his mother in her polyester
pink uniform, bringing him a chocolate malted topped with a
mountain of whipped cream while he did his homework to the strains
of Guns N’ Roses, Stone Temple Pilots, and Nirvana.

Caleb found himself turning into the parking
lot and pulling into the spot that Hutch had declared reserved only
for Rosalee. Caleb had loved Hutch as a kid, following him around
like an eager puppy, helping out in the kitchen, living on
cheeseburgers and the best fries in town.

Until the day he’d come home early from
school and caught his mother and Hutch having sex in his parents’
bed.

Someone rapped on the driver’s side window,
snapping Caleb from his musings. He glanced up and was transported
twenty years back in time. Hutch stood beside his truck, hands in
his pockets, looking…weary. His graying, near-black hair was now
completely silver, he’d lost weight, and his face seemed drawn. He
looked like...an old man. A sad old man. Caleb rolled his window
down.

“Heard you’d stayed in town,” Hutch said.

Caleb nodded. He stared out the windshield
for a moment, then swallowed his pride and met the older man’s
gaze. “Thinking about staying permanently.”

“Your mother’d be happy.”

A reluctant grin touched Caleb’s mouth. Ed
Hutchington, man of few words. “Hope so. Listen, can we talk? There
are a few things I think are long overdue to be said.”

Hutch nodded and took a step back. “I’ll go
pour us some coffee.”

As soon as Caleb walked through the front
door of the diner, he felt his mother’s presence everywhere. The
diner had about ten customers, and he smiled when a waitress walked
by carrying a cheeseburger plate piled high with French fries.
Caleb’s stomach rumbled. He hadn’t had a thing to eat since his
breakfast. He strode up to the counter and slid onto a stool. The
aroma of Hutch’s fresh-brewed coffee was a pleasure Caleb had
missed over the years. Even before he’d acquired a taste for
coffee, he’d always loved the smell. Hutch set two cups down and
filled them with the steaming brew.

“Can I throw you on a cheeseburger?”

“That’d be great, thanks.” Caleb could almost
see his mother’s tearful smile as the two men she’d loved most in
the world took a step toward forgiveness.

With a nod, Hutch headed into the kitchen.
Caleb stirred some creamer and a little sugar into his coffee
before taking a cautious sip. He smiled. Heaven in a cup. A photo
scotch-taped to the wall above the cash register caught his eye.
His mother stood in front of a wooden Indian, a big pair of
sunglasses perched on her head, her sunburned nose crinkled in
playful annoyance at whoever was taking the picture. Hutch, no
doubt. They’d loved to take little road trips, and this picture
smacked of Wisconsin Dells. Rosalee Hunter had had a sweet tooth a
mile wide, and her favorite chocolate shop in all the Midwest was
right in the heart of the Dells.

“Took that back in May. Drove down just for
some fudge. She really loved that stuff.”

Caleb hadn’t heard Hutch walk up. The older
man stared at the picture, his heart in his eyes. Caleb knew it
took a lot for him to hold it together, especially in front of
Caleb. Hutch had loved Rosalee very much. “I remember. Drove her
there a time or two myself.”

Hutch swiped his nose with his knuckles, then
picked up his coffee and took a sip. “So, you doing okay?”

“Can’t complain. I’m taking the electrician’s
exam next Friday. It’ll save me a lot of money not to have to
subcontract.”

“True.” Hutch cleared his throat, drummed his
fingers on the counter. He obviously wanted to say something, but
probably couldn’t find the right words.

Caleb was having the same problem.

“I’d better go flip your burger.”

Caleb heard the hiss and pop of the deep
fryer as Hutch lowered the fries into the hot oil. He returned a
minute later. “Four minutes.”

“It’s been a long time. I’ve missed those
fries.”

“I know.”

“The cheeseburgers, too,” Caleb added. “Best
in Redemption.”

“Best in the state,” Hutch corrected with
just the slightest trace of a grin.

“No arguments here.”

“I loved her, you know.”

Caleb’s pulse quickened. He suddenly felt
fourteen again. “She loved you, too.”

Hutch gave a curt nod. Their gazes locked.
Caleb knew it was time. Time to say what should’ve been said while
his mother was still alive. “I can’t even begin to tell you how
sorry I am. I acted like an immature fool—”

“You acted like anyone your age would’ve, and
with good reason. Though the fish heads hidden in my storage room
were a bit much. Took us weeks to figure out what stunk so bad.” A
huge grin split the older man’s face.

Caleb chuckled. “I was too young to kick your
ass. It seemed like the best alternative.”

“Your mother laughed herself sick over that
one.”

A young waitress who couldn’t have been more
than twenty walked up and set a steaming plate in front of Caleb.
Man, he couldn’t even count how many dreams he’d had over the past
couple of decades featuring this big ol’ plate of paradise.

“Thanks.” He reached for the bottle of
ketchup, squirted a pile next to the fries, and dipped one in.
“Mmm, even better than I remembered.” He took a huge bite of his
cheeseburger next, and it was like a religious experience.

“Is it true you’ve been seeing Lauren
Frazier?”

Caleb nearly choked on his food. He swallowed
and shook his head with a reluctant chuckle. “I swear, it never
ceases to amaze me how fast gossip travels in this town.”

“So it’s true?”

“We’ve...become friends. Why? Is this a
problem?”

“Course not. Your mother adored Lauren and
those kids.”

“I heard. They didn’t know Mom had
passed.”

Hutch took a sip of his coffee. “They haven’t
been in for a while, and your mom...it was sudden. No warning.”

Caleb dropped his eyes to his plate. “I
know.” He blew out a hard breath. “I’d been planning to come up
soon. Wish I’d let her know, maybe—”

“Son, don’t even say it. You’re not psychic.
Your mother knew you loved her, and that’s what matters.”

Caleb met the older man’s gaze. “Thanks,
Hutch.”

He waved it off. “Hurry up and finish your
food. I have a couple of steps I need you to replace for me.”

“Yes, sir.” Caleb took another bite of his
cheeseburger, his heart lighter than it’d been in years.

“So, are you taking the kids to the
fair?”

Lauren gave Mrs. Langhart’s silver bob one
last squirt of hairspray, and then handed her a mirror. “I have
plans tonight, so maybe tomorrow. I might let Max go for a couple
hours later with his friends.”

Mrs. Langhart held the mirror up and examined
Lauren’s work from every angle twice over. Lauren resisted the urge
to roll her eyes.

“Make sure you pat him down before you let
him out the door.”

“Pardon me?”

The older woman glanced furtively around,
then lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “Max and those
hoodlum friends of his left a bunch of butts on the sidewalk in
front of my house.”

Lauren froze. “Are you saying Max has been
smoking?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying. They’re like
little sailors out there, smoking and cussing. Larry had to shoo
them away just the other night.”

No fricken way. It couldn’t be true. Max was
only ten years old, for God’s sake, a little boy. Then Lauren
remembered Caleb had found a cigarette butt in the backyard, and
her heart constricted. “Mrs. Langhart, I am so sorry. I had no idea
any of this was going on. I appreciate you bringing it to my
attention.”

Mrs. Langhart gave Lauren’s hand a pat. “You
have your hands full with that one, my dear. Maybe the handsome
carpenter you’ve been dating can help keep that boy of yours in
line.”

“Oh, we’re not dating. Caleb was kind enough
to make some minor repairs in exchange for a few home-cooked
meals.”

“Uh-huh,” the older woman said with a knowing
smirk. “Well, your Caleb is quite a looker. And take it from me,
honey, he’s not coming around for your cooking, as delicious as it
no doubt is.”

Lauren’s cheeks grew hot. She resisted the
urge to reach up and feel them.

Mrs. Langhart climbed off the chair and
retrieved her wallet from her purse. “Here.” She stuffed some money
into Lauren’s hand and folded her fingers around it. “Take this and
buy yourself a new pair of high heels. Nothing like a sexy pair of
shoes to give a man ideas.” She winked at Lauren, grasped her
purse, and slipped out the front door.

Lauren blew out a hard breath as she stuffed
the money in her pocket. Max smoking. Never in a million years
would she have guessed that. My God, she felt like the worst mother
in the world. How could she be so clueless about something so
important?

She got up and filled her coffee cup, then
picked up the cordless and paced back and forth across the
linoleum, her mind a jumbled mess of questions and concerns. Max
was at Caleb’s place helping him stain boards for a fencing job,
and the two of them planned to head back around four for supper.
She stared at the phone, tempted to call Caleb and have him drag
Max’s little smoking ass home so Lauren could ground him till he
turned thirty.

With a heavy-hearted sigh, she set the phone
down and resumed her pacing. Emma was lying on the couch watching
cartoons, a little sleepy from her pain medication. Lauren changed
the bandages and put ointment on her tender little fingers. Now
that she knew Max was most likely responsible, Lauren wanted to
scream, she wanted to cry—she wanted to hunt John Frazier down so
she could string him up by his balls from the nearest tree.

The phone rang in her hand. Lauren jumped a
foot, her heart pounding like a jackhammer. Good God, woman, get a
grip. She took a deep breath, eye-rolled herself and picked up on
the fifth ring. “Hello?”

“Hey, pretty lady, we still on for four?”

Caleb. “Sure are. So, how’s it going? Max
behaving himself?”

“Yep. Working his heart out, in fact. I may
have myself an apprentice in a few years. If it’s okay with you,
that is,” he promptly added.

Lauren dropped onto a chair and closed her
eyes. Caleb was so good for Max. Part of her was scared to death
that if things didn’t work out between her and Caleb, Max would
take it twice as hard as when his father left.

Lauren nibbled on her bottom lip. Or maybe
she was the one who’d take it twice as hard. Her marriage had been
over for months by the time John had taken off for deeper
cleavaged-pastures, so if not for the devastative heartbreak his
disappearance had caused their children, she’d have gassed up the
car for him personally. Caleb, however, she wasn’t ready to let go
of yet. “I think that’d be great. He can even help out on weekends
once school is back in session. Keep his butt out of trouble,” she
added in a mutter.

“Excellent idea. We’ll see you in a few
hours.”

Lauren hung up just as someone knocked on the
door. Later she’d worry about how to confront Mr. Ashtray Breath.
Right now, she had to give Mrs. Dilliard a perm and pray the old
girl didn’t try to pull her rods out again.

* * *

Caleb set the phone in its cradle and
returned to the garage where Max was already making record time on
his newest section of fencing.

He gave the kid a pat on the back. “Max, if
it wasn’t against the law, I’d have you working eight-hour shifts
with me.”

“I could handle it. I’m strong for my
age.”

Caleb’s chest tightened at Max’s eager
response. He was a great kid, and his father was either the most
selfish bastard in the world or the dumbest. Any man should be
proud to have this kid as their son. He was hardworking,
intelligent, caring. He just needed some guidance, which Caleb was
more than willing to give. Only one problem. Caleb had no idea what
the future held for him and Lauren. He was crazy about her. Drawn
to her like he’d never been any other woman. He wanted her in his
life...and in his bed. Caleb gave his head a rueful shake. They
hadn’t even shared a kiss yet, for crissakes.

But even if things didn’t work out between
them, maybe she’d allow Max and him to remain friends.

“No doubt about it. You nearly blew my mind
when you lifted that section up by yourself.”

Max paused with the paintbrush in his hand
and looked up at Caleb as if he’d just paid him the mother of all
compliments. “I could do the most pushups and chin-ups in my class
last year. Won a trophy and everything.”

Caleb smiled. “Don’t surprise me a bit. Tall
as you are, you’re probably the fastest runner, too.”

Max puffed up his chest. “Yep. Even faster
than Lori Switzer, and she’s fast for a girl.”

“I bet she is.” Caleb’s smile turned into an
ear-to-ear grin. “You ready for a root beer?”

“Sure. Just gotta finish this last
board.”

Caleb grabbed two cans from the fridge and
held one out to Max, who looked suddenly thoughtful as he stared at
his paintbrush.

“Are you gonna tell on me for the
cigarettes?”

Caleb met Max’s gaze as he reached out for
the soda. “I don’t think it’s right for me to keep something this
important from your mom.”

“I swear, though, I’ll never smoke again. I
only started ’cause Eddie called me a chicken shi—well, you know. I
don’t even inhale.”