Behind the Altar: Behind the Love Trilogy (6 page)

Dean woke in the
morning with only one word on his mind. "Leah" repeated itself
continually in his head like the drip from a faucet with a leaky seal, and
almost as annoying. He didn't understand why that woman haunted him. He'd
kissed thousands of women, and hundreds of them while he sat on his bike. Some
were much more passionate than the one stolen in the back of the church. He’d
never felt anything with them, except for the need of a release. Now this
green-eyed monster with her do-gooder life had crawled into his head and taken
up residence.

He needed to get out
of the small room before the walls pushed in on him. Rather than take the bike,
he decided to walk to the Dew Drops Diner for breakfast. No way could he
tolerate the coffee made in the two-cup brewer sitting on top of the microwave
in his motel room. He needed strong coffee this morning and lots of it, along
with bacon, eggs, pancakes, and maybe even sausage and biscuits, if he didn't
explode first. He wasn't prone to overeating, but since arriving back in
Victory, he was ravenous for something to fill up the emptiness created when he
saw Geraldine.

At nine o'clock in
the morning, the streets were free of the rush-hour traffic that plagued the
surrounding area. Folks who needed to get to work in Tampa drove west out of
town to I-75 or one of the other asphalt highways that became parking lots
during the morning and afternoon commutes. It was worse in the winter, when the
white-haired Winnebago-driving northerners made the trek down to the Sunshine
State. To hell with natural landscapes, wetlands, and scrub forests; Florida
was conquered territory, and if bears and coyotes invaded the space that was
once theirs, then the wildlife usually lost. It drove Dean crazy when he saw
news reports of bears coming into subdivisions, and homeowners outraged at the
audacity of a Florida black bear trying to reclaim its home turf. But he also
knew he was throwing stones at his own glass house since he’d chosen to live in
South Beach for the past decade. The only wildlife there had platinum hair and sprayed-on
tans.

If he could make some
type of peace with his family, he’d move back here and live on the old farm.
It’s the only place he’d ever felt alive. After breakfast, he decided he’d
continue walking until he came to the old barn Leah wanted for her kitchen.
Maybe being back on the land will settle my head, he thought as he continued
walking to the diner.

He enjoyed the early
morning breeze. The humidity had yet to hit, and the sun was just making its presence
known. He’d probably be drenched in sweat after his walk to the barn.

He saw the flashing
sign of the Dew Drops broadcasting the best grits in the South. That was quite
a claim, but Dean knew the owner only put that up after a trip to Marco Island decades
ago. He was telling another tourist about his diner when he declared, "We
make the best grits in the South so you need to stop by when you head north
next week." The tourist took him up on his offer, ate the grits, and
confirmed that indeed Dew Drops served the best grits. A week later, the new
sign was hoisted and dominated the west end of Main Street.

When he walked in the
door of the diner, the first thing he saw was Susie sitting at a table in the
center of the room with Reggie at her side. He noticed the wavy brown hair on
the woman with her back to him. The hair went down to her waist and glowed under
the fluorescent lights. Leah, he thought.

Susie waved him over
to the table, and he had no choice but to head over there. At the invitation,
Leah turned around with a smile on her face, until she saw him. She quickly
turned back around to Susie and Reggie.

"Dean, come sit
with us. We haven't ordered yet," Susie said. "I think you met Leah
at the church yesterday, right?"

"That's
right," Dean said as he took the empty seat between Reggie and Leah.
"I met my brother's fiancé yesterday."

Leah looked down at
the paper placemat with an outline of the United States, as if she was studying
for a geography test.

"We were
discussing ways to fund Soup's On," Susie said. "I suggested we go
outside Victory to some larger organizations with better money. We could also
do our own fundraiser right here, but that probably would only bring in
hundreds of dollars, not the thousands we need."

"I might know of
some sources," Dean said. "I know a lot of do-gooders in South Beach
willing to lay down some cash to assuage their guilty consciences. Ever since
tattoos became respectable, the caliber of my clientele rose."

"That's a pretty
calloused way to view the work we do with Soup's On," Leah said.

"Everyone has an
angle," Dean said. "I'm of the belief that there are no altruistic
people in the entire world."

"I think I can
do without your help," Leah said. "Thank you for the offer, but I'll
do just fine on my own without bothering you with my selfish needs."

She pushed her chair
away from the table and stood, "I'm sorry Susie and Reg, but I've just
lost my appetite."

She walked out of Dew
Drops.

"She's usually
not that sensitive," Susie said. "I don't know what got into
her."

"She's just
upset about what Geraldine told her last night," Reggie said.

"What words of
wicked wisdom did the old witch impart?" Dean asked.

"When Leah asked
her about using the barn, she said she was getting ready to tear it down
because she didn't want the homeless thinking they could use it for a shelter,
even though they've never even ventured close to it." Susie shook her head
when she finished speaking. "Dean, I know that woman is your mother, but
she's a real bitch."

"You're
preaching to the choir, Susie," Dean said. "As for the barn, we'll
see about that. The wicked witch of Victory might need an awakening only I can
provide."

Reggie leaned over
and patted Dean on the back. "It's good to have you home. I hope you're
staying for a while. The world should be able to survive without Harold Grant
for a few weeks at least."

“Harold Grant, the
tattoo artist?” Susie asked.

“That would be me,”
Dean said. “Seemed easier than using my real name and having Geraldine find
me.”

“I’ve heard about
you, but never seen a picture. I had no idea. How come you never told me,
Reggie?”

“Dean liked keeping
it quiet.”

“It’s OK,” Dean said.
“Now that I’m back, it doesn’t matter who knows. I’ll be here long enough to set
some things right. After a lifetime of being the bad boy, I’m going to try and
do something good while I’m here, although Leah probably won’t believe that."

"Don't worry
about Leah," Susie said. "I'll talk to her. I think she's probably
afraid. Geraldine threatened to kick her out if she continued to work on Soup's
On."

"That might be
the best thing that could happen to her." Dean said.

"She can move in
with me if Geraldine carries out her threat,” Susie said.

“Maybe you should
encourage her to take the first step,” Dean said. “I hate the thought of her
having to put up with Geraldine’s threats.”

“What’s this all
about?” Reggie asked. “What do you care?”

“Leah seems like a
nice kid, and I’m sorry I upset her,” Dean said.

“Seems to me you’d
have noticed that Leah is no kid,” Reggie said. “She’s all woman, and probably
no match for your brother. Now you on the other hand. . .”

“Reggie, stop that,”
Susie said. “Jacob and Leah are going to be married. They make a lovely
couple.”

“I sure hope you’re
serving something hot and juicy tonight at the tavern,” Dean said.

“You bet, but I’m
pretty sure Leah won’t be there,” Reggie said.

Leah started walking
back toward the church and parsonage when she stomped out of Dew Drops. But as
she walked east toward the sun, she wondered where she should go next. The
thought of heading to what she’d thought of as home for the past five years
seemed wrong, but she didn’t have any place else to stay. She decided to head
to the riverbanks, just west of the Deer River camp. After sitting and
listening to the river, she hoped to have a plan.

She felt better as
she headed out of town and toward the woods and gentle sloping banks of Deer
River so named because of the large amount of deer that lived near its banks. Most
of the area belonged to the state, which prohibited hunting in the area
parallel to Victory. The flowers of spring had faded, but the magnolia and the
wisteria still hung on waiting for summer before also fading away. She smelled the
faint wisp of jasmine, providing a sweet perfume to accompany her.

Her confusion lessened
as she walked, but her anger at Dean Davis only increased with each step. How
dare he presume to know anything about her and why she did the things she did.
He’d been gone from the church for so many years that Leah surmised he’d lost
his faith in everything, including God.

She looked around at
the beauty surrounding her as she entered the woods and shade. Suddenly she
knew what to do. She walked back to town and to Dew Drops. Susie, Reggie, and
Dean still sat at the table eating their breakfast, but she only waved as she
walked to the back of the diner and into the kitchen area.

“Leah, what you need
today?” Clara, the owner asked.

“I need some food and
a job,” Leah said. “Maybe we can work something out where I work the tables in
the kitchen whenever you need me. I’ll even clean toilets. And instead of
paying me in cash, pay me in food that’s leftover every day.”

“Why you want to do
that?” Clara asked. “You’ve already got your hands full with Soup’s On, and
those’d be the hours I’d need you here.”

“They shut me down.
The church board shut me down yesterday. I don’t have a kitchen, and I don’t
have funding, but those folks are still hungry.”

Clara wiped her hands
on her white apron, and came over to Leah. “Child, I have plenty of food left
over every day without you having to work here for it. Let me help you. You’d
be doing me a favor because I sure hate throwing stuff out, and every day I’m
sending home piles of food with my staff. I bet half of that gets thrown away.”

Leah hugged her. “I
really will work here whenever you need me.”

“All right, but where
you going to feed them? I don’t have the space in here for them and my paying
customers. Although they could come after we close at three.”

“For now, I’ll take
the food to them. I hate to ask you this, but do you have anything I can take
them today? They’re all worried about what’s going to happen next, and I
promised I’d work on it.”

“Sure, we can pull
something together. I think there’s a tray of meatloaf and some lasagna from
yesterday. You might want to ask Reggie, too. I’m sure he throws away a ton of
stuff every night.”

“Good idea,” Leah
said. “Thank you, Clara. I prayed today for guidance and God brought me right
back to you.”

Clara hugged her.
“Never be afraid to ask for what you need, Leah. You’ll be taken care of no
matter what happens.”

Leah walked back out
to where Susie and Reggie sat with Dean. They were sipping coffee, but Dean was
shoveling whipped-cream topped pancakes soaked in maple syrup into his mouth.

“These are the best
damn pancakes I’ve ever eaten,” Dean said.

“Reggie, I need to
ask you something,” Leah said.

“Sure, sit down and
get yourself some breakfast,” Reggie said.

“I’m not hungry. I
have lots to do today to satisfy my selfish little soul,” Leah said as she
glanced over at Dean who had whipped cream on the end of his nose. She wasn’t
about to tell him he looked like a clown.

“What do you need?”
Reggie asked.

“Clara is going to
give me leftovers from the kitchen every day to help out with the river camp.
She said you might have leftovers, too.”

“I can’t believe I
didn’t think of that,” Reggie said. “We throw out so much good food each night.
You’d be doing me a favor if you came and got it.”

“That’s what Clara
said,” Leah said. “That’s a start. Clara has enough for lunch. I guess I better
head back home and pick up the van.”

“Would you like a
ride?” Dean asked. “My bike’s just down the road.”

“No thanks, I can
walk just fine.”

“Leah, you should
listen to what Dean has to say before you leave,” Susie said. “He says that
barn isn’t Geraldine’s to tear down.”

Leah stared at her
friend as she absorbed the words. She didn’t believe her for one second.

“He’s lying,” Leah
said. “Geraldine owns the whole of that property.”

“I know you’ve got a
problem with me,” Dean said. “And I’ve put up with your rudeness, but no one
calls me a liar. Susie, Reggie, nice to share breakfast with you, but I’m not
going to sit around here and let this woman insult me any longer. You both heard
what I had to say.”

With that, Dean stood
and pulled a $50 bill out of his wallet. “This should cover everything. See you
later, Reggie and Susie.”

“Why did you do
that?” Susie asked after Dean left the diner. “He’s only trying to help.”

“By telling me I’m
selfish for wanting to help the river folks? He’s the one who was rude.”

“I think he was
stating his philosophy on life,” Reggie said. “You’re the one who called him a
liar.”

Leah slumped in her
seat. “It’s just that he comes in here like he knows everything that’s going
on.”

“He might know more
about Geraldine than you do,” Reggie said.

“Reg is right, Leah,”
Susie said. “Dean told us he owns the barn, and he’s willing to let you use it
for Soup’s On. Or at least he did before you came back.”

Leah fussed with the
paper napkin, and then she tore it to shreds. “Why is everything so complicated
all of a sudden?”