Counting on Starlight (2 page)

“Yup. They’ll do right by you, and Trixie.” Biff Hutchins and Jake went way back, from their first days in a new high school after their fathers were both transferred to nearby Fort Hood at the same time. Jake had done the college thing, Biff had gone the trades route.

“Wow, thanks for the tip. And for your help.” She smiled at him. Her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“Hey, Coach!” A  voice drifted across the parking lot. Tim Rollins, who’d likely end up as starting quarterback if he kept up his passing and running.

“I’ll be right there,” Jake hollered back. Oh yeah, he’d hear about it all right. “You take care. Do you need any water or anything? It gets really hot on this parking lot.”

“I’ll be fine. And thanks, I appreciate it. Now go, before those boys really start harassing you.” She waved him off.

Jake trotted back to the practice field. He stepped onto the curb and realized one thing. He didn’t know the young mystery woman’s name. One thing for sure, he was glad it
wasn’t
Trixie.

Chapter 2

“Me ’n Zalea and the Riverses have been friends for years, just so you know. Me ’n Bert were in Nam together, got out of the Army around ’85 or so, but Starlight just wouldn’t let any of us go. So, here we are,” Herb Bush said as they roared along out of town a mile or so to the Rivers farm. He’d towed Trixie right over to Biff’s then offered to drive Liann to her aunt and uncle’s.

“I see. I used to visit here in the summer sometimes. My mom and Chin Mae are sisters.” Liann watched the barbed wire fences whip past, with gnarled live oak trees dotting the pasture land.

“Oh, so
you’re
Nam Sun’s daughter. Chin told us they were gettin’ the spare room all set up.” He gave Liann a sideways look.  “That Jake Tucker’s a fine young man. Glad he called me to help ya.”

Yes, Jake Tucker was pretty fine, but she wasn’t looking. Way too soon for her to even search for the word romance in the dictionary. “I’m glad he did, too. So how much do I owe you for the tow?”

Herb downshifted and turned into the driveway, where a sign proclaimed
Rivers Honey
with a graphic of a beehive. “Nothin’. You’re family. Your uncle’s like a brother to me. B’sides, nobody should break down on their first day in Starlight.”

Breaking down, her first day in Starlight. Liann had to grin at his statement. Forget about Trixie. Herb Bush had
no
idea how close she’d come to crying a river of tears and watching them evaporate on the parking lot.

Her aunt’s car, a tiny Smart Car in metallic gold, sparkled in the driveway, and Herb stopped behind it. “Well, thanks, Mr. Bush.”

“Uncle Herb. I’m Uncle Herb to everyone in Starlight.”

She nodded. “Okay. And be sure to thank Jake Tucker for me.”

“Will do. Biff’ll do right by your little Trixie. You’ll see.”

Liann climbed down from the truck’s cab and waved as Herb drove off. She could have called Aunt Chin Mae, although she couldn’t imagine herself stuffed into her aunt’s car, winding their way out of town back to the farm.

She ambled along to the house, glancing to her left and out at the rippling fields with beehives tucked underneath the oak trees. Rivers Honey had turned from a retirement hobby into a full-time venture. She’d stay away from the hives, thank you very much. The very thought of the tens of thousands of bees in each hive made Liann shiver as she took the first step to her apartment over the garage.

As soon as she entered the cool one-room efficiency, she slapped her forehead. She’d left all the equipment and that hideous yellow shirt in Trixie’s trunk. Liann found a gallon of sweet tea in the small refrigerator, which Aunt Chin Mae had stocked with all kinds of beverages. She pushed it aside and instead reached for a bottle of tropical fruit juice.

She sank onto the loveseat and watched the ceiling fan do its thing of circulating the cool air. What she really needed was some girlfriend chat. Beth, her best friend, still considered her move to Texas a crazy one. But Beth loved her enough to know Liann needed to go, given the circumstances. Liann looked at her phone. It was nearly one o’clock, which made it eleven in California. She dialed Beth’s number.

“Hey you! I’m surprised to hear from you. I figured it would be at least a week until you got settled into your routine.” Beth’s voice reminded her of all the good things she’d left behind. Her parents, special friends, a great church, an excellent job—maybe Beth was right...

“I just needed to hear a friendly voice.” Liann tried to control the quaver in her words.

“What’s wrong?”

“Everything. I’m not coaching cheer. I’m coaching the color guard. It’s half-time position. I was sure I'd get the head cheer position. Maybe not 100 percent sure, but...you know I had to come...”

“Oh, Hon. I'm so sorry. How did that end up happening?”

Liann explained, and capped off her whole sorry morning by saying, “and Trixie broke down and she had to be towed. I don’t know how I’m going to be able to afford repairs. My savings are slim and I don’t get paid until August fifteenth.”

“Oh, girl. I knew it was a bad idea to totally start over in such a drastic way....  Not a bad idea to dump Matt, though.”

Liann pondered her disappointments for a moment. “Still, the tow truck guy is good friends with my uncle and didn’t charge me, and the coach I met told me I should send Trixie to his friend  who owns an auto repair shop and won’t overcharge me.”

“You know you could have moved in with me. I don’t mind having a roommate, considering you’d broken your lease.”

“I know, and I appreciate it. But Matt—”

“Matt’s going to survive.”

“I know he will. But he never listened to me and I doubt he’d start now. Which is why Starlight seemed a better option. I need the distance.”

Beth filled her in on everything she’d missed in the five days since she’d left La Vida, California. She’d returned the last of the gifts that Liann had received at the bridal shower, and Liann didn’t have to face any of the unspoken questions about why she’d made her big decision. Life had gone on without her. Even Beth hurried off the phone with a promise to keep in touch.              

#             

“We had registration today,” Madelynn Tucker announced at supper that evening. She glanced at Jake then down at her dinner plate.

Jake looked up from his notepad next to his plate of chicken fried steak. Sixteen-year-old Maddie sure could cook, but comfort food during the week in the summertime meant something was up. “I thought you were already registered for classes.”

“Well, um, I am.” Maddie stepped into the kitchen. “Want some more sweet tea? I’m almost out.”

“No, I’m good.” If it wasn’t because of Dad’s health problems, Mom and Dad would still be here in Starlight. The idea of watching over his sister for her last three years of high school when his parents moved to Colorado last year had been easy to agree to. Maddie was smart, a good kid, generally listened to him and Billy, and they kept in touch with their parents via weekly Skype meetings. Ever since his younger brother Billy had married Justine Campbell in June, they’d been busy setting up house, working on the new buildings for the soldiers’ retreat on the Tucker farm, and well, being newlyweds.

Jake didn’t mind keeping an eye on Maddie. She didn’t even turn the other way when they saw each other in the halls, and she wore her brother’s football coach status as her own badge of honor.

Maddie returned with a plastic pitcher and poured herself a fresh glass of tea. “Today was the last day to make schedule changes before school starts, so I did.”

“Ah, I see. You talked to Mom and Dad, I assume?”

“Yup. They said it was fine, once I explained.”

“Well, we’re going to start the new practice schedule soon. You ready?”

“Um, here’s the thing.... I’m not going to be a trainer anymore.” Maddie straightened her posture. “I changed my schedule, like I said.”

“What are you talking about?” Jake shook his head. “You’ve got a great resumé built up. If you’re going to UT for pre-med it’ll look good that you’ve got four years as trainer.”

Maddie shrugged. “I don’t think want to do pre-med anymore. That’s a lot of school. I know I’m a junior, but I’ve made my mind up.”

“You sure you talked to Mom and Dad?” Unbelievable. All she’d talked about since junior high was one day becoming a physician. She wanted to treat families and open a practice here in Starlight after she finished her residency.

“Yes. They said it was fine. I don’t see why this is a big deal.” She took a sip of her tea.

Of course she didn’t. She was sixteen and was already an expert on life. Jake frowned. “So what are you planning to do now?”

“I dunno. I decided to take home ec, for one thing. I like cooking, a lot. And I need another PE credit, so I signed up for color guard since they had plenty of room in that class.” Now her shoulders drooped. “You’re mad.”

“No, I’m not mad.” Jake paused a moment. Teenagers’ emotions flared up one moment then deflated the next. He needed to choose his words carefully. “I’m shocked, for one thing, that you didn’t tell me sooner. And I’m disappointed. I really enjoyed having you along with the team when we traveled.”

“That’s why I didn’t say anything.” Maddie sighed. “I knew you’d be upset. I didn’t do it to hurt your feelings. I’m real proud that you’re my brother, but I wanted to do something...different.”

“I’ll say. Color guard is miles away from being a trainer.” Plus, he didn’t dare add that Maddie had the coordination of a rhinoceros trying to roller skate. “Now, cooking. That I can see you excelling in.”

She nodded. “I can’t wait. Plus, I signed up for the dual credit option with the college, the intro to culinary arts course. Dad faxed the permission slip to the counselor.”

Wow. They’d been cooking this one up for some time—no pun intended—and he’d missed it. “I guess you’ve got it all figured out.”

“Yup.” Maddie grinned as she scooped up a bite of mashed potatoes with her fork. “Thanks for understanding, Jake. You’re the best.”

“Please, Maddie. I know I’m not our dad, but if you’re ever having a hard time making a decision, come talk to me. That’s what I’m here for.” He wondered how long she would last in color guard. The marching band worked just as hard at their drills as the football team did, with mirroring the all-day practice schedules during the first week of August. Mom and Dad were far away, and they had no idea that Maddie was actually lowering her potential. Color guard, on a pre-med student’s application? She might be accepted to the college because of her grades, but that didn’t mean she’d be accepted into the pre-med program.

Of course, he’d just met the new color guard instructor in the parking lot today. He knew just where to find her, too. If Maddie started to crash and burn with this latest change of plans, he’d go straight to the new teacher and see if she could persuade Maddie to change her classes back to her old schedule.

He wouldn’t mind seeing that teacher again. He liked her spunk, her drive. She needed a truckload of it to take on the faltering color guard team. He spent halftimes in the locker room, but even there, the dismal tales of the marching band’s color guard squad filtered back to him and the rest of the coaching staff. Her brave smile told him she was up to the challenge. He had a feeling she might be able to handle the changing whims of a teenager just fine.

#             

Liann felt like she was breathing through a collapsed straw. Heat prickled down her back and along both of her arms, covered in long sleeves and leather-palmed gloves that went up to her forearms. She thought she’d get her mind out of today’s doldrums by helping her aunt with the bees. She  tried to tamp down her fears. Her efforts weren’t working so well—the perspiration all over her body wasn’t only from the blistering sun. She cleared her throat to hide the tremor in her voice. “How—how many bees did you say were in this hive?”

“Fifty thousand.” Aunt Chin Mae lifted the top box from the beehive. “Here. Smoke the bottom again.”

Liann pressed the tiny bellows on the smoker, and puffs of smoke came from the spout, swirling down to the box. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.”

“We move slow and take our time. Today, I clean the brood boxes and you fill the feeders.” She removed the next hive. “So, you have a bad day?”

“Oh, Aunt Chin Mae...” Liann squeezed the bellows again. “I’m so happy you and Uncle Bert are letting me stay here, but...it’s been a hard day.”

“God has a plan, Li.”

“It’s not that simple.”

“So when things are going your way, you can see His plan? Does His plan mean we always get our way, like a two year old?” Aunt Chin Mae straightened, propping one hand on her hip.

“No.  But I’m not acting like a two year old.”

“You made a big decision to leave California, all because you do not know your own mind.”

Liann hung her head. “I couldn’t marry Matt. I couldn’t. I should have—”

“I know. You should have called it off before you sent out the invitations.” Her aunt hissed, shaking her head. “All that money you spent...and you did not know you didn’t love him?”