The Happiest Season (12 page)

“Which is precisely why I’m going to spoil him rotten.”  She
gave an impish grin.

Maggie knew it wouldn’t do any good to argue with her friend,
since she wouldn’t be deterred.  Gloria knew cash was tight for Maggie, and she
couldn’t help herself—she just had to do for others. 

“What time are you coming?”

“What works for you?”

“Anytime, actually.  We’ll be here.  John is coming over…”

“Do tell,” Gloria cut in suggestively.

“Hey, don’t even go there,” Maggie warned, and then
laughed.  “Oh, I forgot.  You don’t know.  Rickey and I had another visitor
last night.”

Gloria gasped.  “The camel again!”

“Nope.  This time it was a donkey.”

“This is getting weird,” Gloria murmured.

“Yes, it is, isn’t it?” Maggie agreed.

“So … why is the hunky cop showing up?”

“He’s going to help me lay sod.”

“What?  It’s almost winter time.  And you have grass, don’t
you?  Or, have my eyes been playing tricks on me?”

“I had grass, and still do have some, but the biggest part
of it is ruined, thanks to the donkey.”

“I’d sue the donkey.”

“Yeah, I’ll have to try that.”

“Really, though.  Where’s the owner of these wayward beasts? 
He should be the one laying sod.”

Maggie sighed.  “Unwilling to do much for me right now.  He
told me—via John—to do the repairs and to keep the receipts.”

“Easy for him to say,” Gloria said drolly.

“Yeah.  If an elephant shows up, I’m calling Homeland
Security.”

“If memory serves, elephants aren’t customarily part of
nativity scenes.”

“Oh, yes, you’re right.  Thank God.”

“Have you driven by that live nativity scene yet?” Gloria
asked.  “If not, you might want to.  It might behoove you to know what’s coming
next.”

Maggie chuckled.  “Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.  Maybe
Rickey and I will drive by tomorrow.”

“Wait for me.  I’ll go with you.”

“Okay.  See you tomorrow.  Bring fudge.”

“Don’t I always?”

Later, as Maggie slipped between the covers of her bed, she
revisited the last couple weeks in her thoughts.  Who knew her life could be
turned upside down by a couple escaped animals?  And who knew a handsome cop
with a Knight in Shining Armor complex would come to her rescue?

She had to admit, since moving to her new town, she had met
some wonderful people.  She and Gloria, despite their age difference, had
become fast friends—even best friends.  She knew she was lucky to find people
she could rely on and she thanked God for them every day.

She had been apprehensive about the move initially, worried
about uprooting Rickey and taking him away from the people and places he knew. 
But an inner voice had told her it was time to make a move. 

She had to wonder, what was that inner voice trying to tell
her now?

***

John rose early, having had a surprisingly restful night’s
sleep.  He hadn’t slept well for the past several months.  He wondered what had
prompted his good night’s rest, but knew he shouldn’t look a gift horse in the
mouth.

When his phone rang as he was stepping out of his shower,
his brows furrowed.  Who would be calling this early?

Work. 

It was the only explanation for an early morning call.  He
hesitated before crossing the room to answer.  He’d promised Maggie he’d help
lay sod today, and he hated to let her down.  But he couldn’t let down his
sergeant either.

He answered the phone.  “Hello.”

To his surprise and horror, Kim was on the line.  Her voice
was icy cold when she spoke.  “I don’t know what game you’re playing at, John,
but…”

He was taken aback.  She hadn’t called him at his place in
months—not since she’d threatened to take him for everything he was worth back
when they were haggling over the value of the house and their shared
possessions.  They’d worked out an agreement in which she was to pay him half
the value of the equity in their home.  Since they’d made a sizeable down
payment on the new construction originally, and had been paying the mortgage
for years since, he was entitled to a tidy amount of cash. 

Unfortunately, Kim had conveniently enlisted a friend to
determine the “market” value of the home and the friend had devalued it to the tune
of thousands of dollars.  He’d fought her, of course, but she hadn’t made
things easy—ranting and railing at every turn.

“John, are you going to answer me?  What are you playing
at?”

“What are you talking about?” he asked tiredly.

“You know very well what you’re doing,” she said.

“Kim, I don’t have a clue what you’re referring to, and I
have to go now.”  He was about to hang up when he heard a sudden
uncharacteristic, pleading tone in her voice.

“Wait!  Listen, please.  The truth is…”  He thought he heard
a catch in her voice.  “I miss you too, Johnny.”

He felt as if he’d been clubbed on the head.  It was the
last thing he’d expected her to say.  But the truth was, he could honestly say,
he didn’t return the sentiment.  He no longer missed her, having realized of
late that he never really had.  What he had missed was the ‘idea’ of her and
the many plans he’d had for a future together.  He missed what could have been,
should have been, rather than what was.  In retrospect, he’d come to see that
they just hadn’t been well-matched.

When he didn’t respond, she gave a sad, brittle laugh.  “I
know.  You don’t believe me.  I behaved terribly and I know it.”  She was
silent for a moment, apparently gathering her thoughts.  “I made a mistake,
John.  I know it now.”

“A mistake?”

“Yes.”

“I … don’t know what you want me to say,” he admitted.  He
suspected he knew where this was leading, but then, Kim was unpredictable on a
good day.

“Tell me you miss me too.”  She gave a laugh, this time
confident and perhaps a little smug.  “I know you do.  John, really.  Stalking
me?  If I didn’t know you so well, I might even be a little … alarmed.  Though
I suppose, on some level, it is kind of flattering…”

“
Stalking you
?” he said loudly.  “Kim, I haven’t been
stalking you or anyone.”

“John…”  She gave a low chuckle.  “Don’t you see?  I
understand now—why you didn’t fight me on the divorce.  I wasn’t the only one
to strayed, was I?  But I can forgive you.”  She laughed easily.  “Actually,
your having a child…well, while admittedly shocking…will actually make things …
easier for us.  Don’t you see?”

“Kim, what are you talking about?”  And then he realized—she
was talking about Rickey.  Because the little boy was dark and resembled him
somewhat, she had jumped to some outlandish conclusions. 

He was actually offended that she thought him capable of
infidelity.  He’d never cheated on anyone and didn’t intend to start.  He heard
the sound of a distant voice in the background.

 “Oh, John, I have to go…” she whispered, as if she didn’t
want someone to hear.  “We’ll have to talk this out later.” 

 “Kim, I…”

Click.

He dropped down onto the edge of the bed and stared at the
phone in his hand.  Kim had certainly jumped to some conclusions when she saw
him with Rickey.  He shook his head.  He was starting to see the breakup of his
marriage as a lucky escape versus one of the most painful events in his adult
life.

He’d given Kim twelve years and thankfully, no more than
that.  He couldn’t help wonder what had drawn him to her in the first place.  Did
he possess some character flaw?  Was he superficial?  Kim had been and was a
beautiful woman.  Had he been bedazzled by a striking face?

Or, had they simply married too young.  They’d married at
twenty-two, and looking back, he knew he’d been a dumb kid just out of
college.  He thought at the time he knew what he wanted, but understood now
that he hadn’t the maturity then to make sound decisions.  He knew many people
who had also married young and who had also ended up divorced, but he also knew
a few people whose vows had stood the test of time.  Maybe it was that simple,
though.  He and Kim had been too young to really understand what they were
getting themselves into. 

Although they had gone through a couple weeks of marriage
counseling as a requisite to the pastor of their church marrying them, he
realized now that Kim had probably been doing lip service—to achieve her own
ends.

As the only child of two people who had doted on her, she
had rarely heard the word ‘no.’  When the pastor had told them, point blank, he
wouldn’t marry them unless he was confident they had made a mature, thoughtful
decision, she had begun telling him exactly what she thought he needed to hear.

John knew now that they had entered marriage with differing
views about finances, home ownership, and most of all—children.  He wanted
them, she said she did, but ultimately, it had become a point of contention
between them.  She didn’t want kids.  Point blank.  She had only said she did
to appease him, confident he would come around to her way of thinking.  But she
had finally come clean, declaring she had no interest in carrying a child.  He
had suggested adoption.  She told him she wasn’t interested in being a mother.

When he realized she meant business—that she wouldn’t budge
of the subject—he knew he had a choice to make.  And he had made the one that demonstrated
his commitment to his vows—to love and honor his wife until death parted them.

She had thanked him by cheating on him.

He rose from the bed and shook his head woefully.  She
believed he had fathered a child, and had suggested it ‘would make things
easier.’

He suddenly wondered, had she gone off the deep end?  Was
she unhappy with her architect husband? 

He gave his head a swift shake.  He didn’t care what her
motives were for suggesting she’d made a mistake.  He wasn’t interested in
reconciling.  His feelings for her were gone.

And it was a tremendous relief to realize it—as if a load
had been lifted from his shoulders.  As he walked to his closet to get dressed,
his step was lighter, his mood brighter.  Suddenly, life was full of
possibilities.

When John pulled in front of Maggie’s home in his truck,
Rickey was waiting for him—watching from the picture window in the living room. 
He flung open the door before John had time to ring the bell.

“John!  You’re here!  I missed you!”

“You missed me?” he said, smiling.  “But you saw me
yesterday.”

“I know!  But I still missed you.”

“Well, I missed you too.  Hey, how’s the head?” he asked, gently
smoothing his dark hair off his forehead for a closer look.

“I have a purple bump!” he declared.  “I look cool!  I hope
it stays purple for school tomorrow.”

“And I hope social services doesn’t stop by for a chat with
me,” Maggie said drolly, as she joined them in the foyer.  She directed her
attention to John.  “Have you had breakfast?  I made bacon and eggs.”

“I had a muffin, but bacon and eggs sound great.”

“You could probably use a little protein,” she acknowledged. 
“Lord knows, we have a big job ahead of us.”

“Ah, the yard isn’t that big,” he said dismissively.

She made a worried face.  “It rained last night.  The
backyard is a muddy patch of yuck.  It isn’t going to be easy laying that sod.”

John widened his eyes and turned, as if to make a hasty
escape out the front door.

“Frankly, I wouldn’t blame you,” Maggie said.

He gave a dismissive wave.  “We’ll get it done.  No
worries.”

“If you say so,” she muttered dubiously.  She led the way
into the kitchen.  She’d already set out plates of food on the center island,
and indicated he should sit down.  “Oh, I forgot to make toast.  Would you like
toast, John?  I know Rickey does.”

“Mama makes the best jam,” Rickey told him eagerly.  “You
have to try it.”

“That sounds good,” he said, smiling at the little boy.

Maggie hurriedly put bread in the toaster, and then poured
orange juice into three glasses.  “Coffee too?” she asked John.

“Already had some, but thank you.”

“If you’d like some later, don’t hesitate to say so.  We’ll
probably need the caffeine before too long,” she added drolly.

“Hey, you sound as if you’re defeated already.”  His lips curved
into a smile.  “We’re not going to let a little rain stop us, are we, Rickey?”

“No!  We’re not worried about a little rain!”

***

Jon stood in Maggie’s backyard, his foot propped on the
shovel blade and his arms resting on the handle.  Maggie had warned him the
yard looked bad this morning, but he hadn’t expected this.