A Soldier’s Family (17 page)

Manny chuckled, then turned serious. “I’m proud of you.”

She pulled sheets that smelled of fabric softener from the linen closet. “You’ll still be around to annoy me, right? I planned to invite you over for Christmas.”

“My parents invited me to spend Christmas at their place.”

“Oh.”

Manny spread the bottom sheet over the mattress. “We can invite my family to your place.”

“They won’t mind changing plans?” Celia tucked corners in.

The top sheet made a flipping sound when Manny flailed it. It floated down like a parachute to the mattress. “No, in fact, I’ve talked to my parents about you. Mom’s mad because I haven’t introduced you yet.” He grinned.

Both hands spread, Celia smoothed wrinkles out. Not sure how she felt about his confession.

“Since I doubt school will be in session tomorrow, the boys can sleep here tonight, or what’s left of it.” Celia eyed her watch. Hard to believe the sun would be up in a few hours.

“Is everyone ready for bed?” Celia asked.

A chorus of “no’s” answered her.

“I wouldn’t be able to sleep, either.” She sat next to Manny on the oversize footstool, trying to ignore how much she enjoyed the feel of his capable shoulders brushing hers every time he breathed.

Celia studied the boys in the next room. “Enrique looks downtrodden over not being able to get his mother awake.”

Manny gazed at the fire. “His sister agreed to give their mom the message when she resurfaced from her alcoholic stupor.”

“Javier wanted those shoes for two years and they cost a hundred dollars.” He used to complain about having to wear old shoes, but he’d gladly given his new ones to Enrique. He could have given the old ones but he gave the best he had. Typical Javier. She could tell Enrique’s troubles weighed on her son’s mind as evidenced by the empathetic glances he cast him.

“He’s meant to be a PJ,” she breathed.

Manny turned to her. “What did you just say?”

She sighed in resignation. “I think he has what it takes. Do you?” she whispered.

“I’ve thought that for a while. There’s a high drop-out rate. I’d like him to at least try.”

Her arms shot out. “Fine. Take him to a barracuda, then.”

“A recruiter?”

Tears welled in her eyes. “Same difference.”

“Celia, God will give you all the strength you need to face the future, no matter what it brings.”

“I know.”

“Please don’t hate me if being a PJ is in his destiny. That was determined long before I came on the scene.” Manny dipped his head toward Enrique. “He needs your forgiveness.”

She winked through unshed tears. “Don’t you trust me?”

He looked at her pointedly. “Why do you think you’re here?”

I
t came as no surprise to Celia Friday morning when Amber phoned early to tell her the school was closed for a snow day. Amber invited her down for hot cocoa and a snowman-building competition.

In Southern Illinois, it didn’t often snow deep enough to close schools, but when it did, everyone played outside. After a boy-against-girl snowball fight that left the ladies soaked, they flopped to the earth and made snow angels.

Once inside for lunch, Manny approached Celia. “You owe me a game of checkers. We’re up next.”

“What, we’re conducting a tournament?”

“Yeah, and if I win, you have to go to church with me one Sunday before I leave.”

“And if I win?”

He grinned. “You won’t.”

“But if I do?”

“Please go anyway? It might do Javier and Enrique a world of good to get involved with the youth group. Joel helps with it when he’s here.”

“I’ll go, but I’m not sure how we’re going to get Javier’s lazy bum out of bed. He’s used to sleeping in on Sundays.”

Manny winked. “I have my methods.”

“What makes you so sure it’s foolproof?”

“Trust me. It will be.” His grin grew gargantuan.

“Just what do you have planned? That overzealous grin makes me nervous.”

“You’ll see.”

“Please tell me this isn’t the one you crashed,” Celia said Saturday a week later.

Manny chuckled. “No. That one’s definitely retired.”

She stared at the neon parachute pack on Javier’s bed with mixed emotions. Javier spent Friday night at Enrique’s after his mother met Celia picking Enrique up. While Trina still seemed extremely skittish, she’d agreed to come to Christmas dinner if Celia let her bring some side dishes. Enrique reported his mom sober for three whole days since meeting Celia.

“He’ll come home and find this, then what?” Celia sat.

“I’ll be down the street. Call when he gets in. Don’t let him go to his room.”

Celia released a captive breath, clicked off Javier’s loft light and padded downstairs with Manny to the door.

Later, Javier arrived home, video game in hand. Enrique trailed with two controllers. “Can he spend the night tonight? We almost have this new game whooped.”

“Sure, but where we go this weekend, he goes, too, all right?” Celia picked up the phone and dialed Manny before Javier had a chance to ask what she meant.

“Stay down here,” she instructed, dicing onions for her enchilada pie.

“Why?”

Anticipation crested. She grinned. “You’ll see.”

Manny rapped lightly on the door before letting himself in. His presence in her home was becoming commonplace, but only with a third party present. He insisted he didn’t want her reputation compromised.

Headed for the loft, Manny whistled. “You guys coming?”

Javier eyed Manny and his mom, then Enrique and shrugged. They stayed on Manny’s heels to the top. Manny hardly struggled with stairs nowadays.

Celia shuffled past at the last minute, having her camera ready. “Close your eyes, Javier,” she instructed. He rounded the loft stairs at the top. Manny held his hands over Javier’s eyes and led him to the foot of the bed. He dropped his hands and stepped to the side, observing Javier’s face when he saw the parachute.

What an expression.

First Javier stared at it like he had no clue what was going on. Then his eyes bulged and he dropped to his knees, grabbing it like a lifeline. “Is this?”

“Yours.” Manny tapped the strap of it. “Under certain conditions.”

“Dude!” Javier squealed like a girl. Stood. Hugged the parachute, then Manny. “Anything!”

“Anything?”

“Any! Thing!” He turned to his mother. “You didn’t wig out over this?”

Celia snorted. “Of course I did, but that’s beside the point.” She winked at Enrique, who took it all in with a grin.

Manny propped a foot on Javier’s bed frame. “Here’s your end of the bargain. You never, I repeat,
never
BASE jump again. Learn how to fold it before you learn how to fly it. You have to be a certified rigger before you jump solo. Until then, it’s tandems. Okay?”

“That’s it?”

“Not quite. You will maintain a B average or better in school. The four taboos we talked about? The things your father and I warned you about? Decisions in the next five years that will determine the course of the rest of your life?”

Javier darted glances at his mom and blushed. “Yeah. I remember,” he mumbled.

“Steer clear of them.”

He nodded.

“You will obey your mother’s curfew down to the minute, unless you’re early. You come home late one time without calling with a valid reason, and this parachute will revert back to me. Those are the have-tos. I have other recommendations for you to follow. If you consider those, I’ll take you to Eagle Point at Refuge Air Base and let you watch our team do HALOs and other fancy stuff.”

Enrique perked up. “What are HALOs?”

“High Altitude Low Opening jumps. You can come, too,” Manny offered. Enrique grinned and gave Javier a high-five.

Hands together in begging format toward Manny, Javier said, “Dude, I promise. Just tell me the recommendations. I’ll do it.”

Manny chuckled. “You haven’t heard what they are yet.”

“I don’t care. I’ll do anything to be able to jump.”

“I’d like you to try church at least seven times. It may take that long to get past feeling awkward.”

“Dude, no problem. Dad always wanted Mom to go, but she wouldn’t. I never went because I didn’t want her to be here by herself.” Javier elbowed Enrique. “You wanna go with?”

Enrique shrugged. “Sure. I kinda miss going anyways.”

“So, what other stuff you want me to do?” Javier looked at Manny.

“With Celia’s permission, I want to teach you to safely drive a vehicle so you can finally pass driver’s ed. And so I don’t have to keep evacuating the sidewalk when you swerve by.”

Celia snorted. Enrique dipped his head and grinned.

Red swarmed Javier’s face. “Uh, yeah. For sure I need help in the driving department.”

Manny tousled Javier’s hair, then lifted a sack resting against his ankle. He turned it upside down, spilling contents on the bed.

Reaching like lightning to earth, Javier clutched the new skydiving goggles and helmet. “Cool!” He handed them to Celia and lunged for the parachute again, launching into Spanish. Psych, who’d pranced up the stairs with all the commotion, eyed Javier with interest. Celia rapped knuckles on the helmet. Good. Seemed solid. She noticed knee and elbow pads on the bed, too. That made her feel a fraction better.

Seemingly locked in exuberant bliss, Javier scooted the parachute and his gear toward Enrique. “Check all this out! This is the coolest thing ever!” Javier glowed at Manny, then glanced at Enrique. “Well, the coolest thing since meeting my two best buds here.” Javier draped an arm around each of their necks. The three monkey-walked down the hall to the top of the stairs. Psych skittered past them, batting at their feet.

Blinking back tears, Celia stayed put to catch her breath. She wanted to be happy for Javier, she really did. She eyed the parachute and jump paraphernalia with a mixture of awe and dread.

She brushed quaking fingers over each item. “Where will you take my son? Huh? On valiant rescues? To foreign soil? To drop over the ocean? As long as you don’t take him away from me forever, you’re a keeper.”

“You talking to the chute, or me?” Manny stood in the doorway. He’d gone days without any device to help him walk.

She gulped down a sob. “I think maybe I’m talking to both of you.”

He stepped toward her. “I know how hard this is for you. I’ll teach him right, Celia. His safety is my utmost priority. No theatrics or showmanship will happen on my watch. Okay?”

“No fancy tricks like I see at the Refuge air shows?”

“Not for a few years. Maybe after several thousand jumps he can get a little fancy.” Manny grinned. “Something coming from the oven smells mighty good.”

“You inviting yourself for dinner?”

He rubbed his belly, impossibly flat despite the massive amounts of food the guy could put away. “I guess I am.”

She grinned and made a move toward the top of the stairs but he didn’t budge.

“You’re blocking my way.”

“I guess I am.”

Celia’s heart pounded as his arms unfolded to her. She stepped into his embrace. One intense look from the depths of inky eyes and she knew without a doubt he was going to kiss her.

And she was going to let him.

He relaxed his hold and tilted his face, as if giving her one last chance to step from his arms. She was tired of fighting this. She drifted toward him.

The moment his embrace tightened and his mouth closed over hers, she melted like her face cream in the sun. The reverence in his soft kiss swept every shred of anxiety away. After a few breathtaking seconds, he ended the sweet kiss, but held her close. How she missed the comfort of his touch.

Muffled “Yucks!” came from somewhere downstairs. Javier must have seen.

“Where do we go from here?” His warm breath whispered against her cheek.

She wasn’t ready to voice any kind of commitment. She needed to think this through. “Right now, we’re going downstairs and you’re helping me cut the onions.”

A soft laugh rumbled from his chest. “And later?”

Celia knew he didn’t mean today, but in the future. “Later will take care of itself. We’ll see when we get there. Let’s go. Last one is a rotten egg.”

Manny slid around her and bounded downstairs as if he’d never been hurt. That should have made her feel better for him, but instead it struck fear in her heart. He was much, much better. Maybe even totally healed.

Which meant he’d be right back to his dangerous job, possibly in a matter of days.

She closed her eyes. “Perfect Love, cast out this fear. I don’t want to live with it anymore and I’m sure You have better plans than to let it rule me.” Celia padded downstairs.

Electronic sounds
bleeped
and
blinged
from the family room where the boys gave the video game controllers a workout. Manny helped Celia prepare dinner. She brought the boys’ plates to them since they were intent on going without food to get to the next level of the game.

Celia spooned enchilada pie onto Manny’s plate and hers then sat across from him. Garlic and Mexican spices permeated the air. Red sauce and grilled onions spilled from hamburger and corn tortillas as he pressed his fork into the meal. “I wanted to leave my truck for Javier to drive once I return to my team.”

Celia’s appetite flew the coop. She set her fork down. His halted halfway to his mouth before he took a bite and studied her while chewing.

“Which could be any day?”

He nodded an affirmative. Javier and Enrique brought their plates to the table and sat for their second helping.

Dark brown soda fizz domed the tops of fluted glasses as Javier refilled everyone’s drinks with a two-liter bottle. “So we’re all headed to church tomorrow, right?”

Celia kicked him under the table. He yowled like Psych when she ran out of tuna. She’d hoped Manny wouldn’t remember. She didn’t have to look up to know his gaze pinned her. No getting out of it this time. She’d lost the checker match, and the rematch.