The Summer of Our Discontent (2 page)

She wondered who
Kaycee’s
new buddy was. As a police officer, Rachel worked closely with the schools and the drug prevention program, so she knew just about every kid in town. She checked on dinner and decided to walk over to the park to greet the newcomer. From a distance, she could tell the girl was just as much of a tomboy as Kaycee was. Her dark brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and the T-shirt she was wearing had once been white but was now covered with a layer of dirt. The back of it read:
Dynamite comes in small packages
.

“That’s my mom.” Kaycee pointed at Rachel as she approached.

Familiar dark eyes gazed up from the pile of sticks that she and Kaycee were using to build a miniature log cabin. “Hi,” she said, squinting against the late afternoon sun.

Rachel knelt down and eyed the cabin under construction. “This is very cool. I’m Rachel, what’s your name?”

“Sophie, but my Aunt Faith calls me Sofa, and she calls you the lanky leprechaun. She said, ‘stay away from the lanky leprechaun, she’ll turn you green,’ but my momma says to ignore her when she says stuff like that because Aunt Faith is crazy. You have pretty green eyes. My friend back where I lived had a cat, and hers were the same color.”

Rachel smiled, though she wanted to scream. “It’s very nice to meet you, Sophie, and thank you.”

Kaycee slapped Rachel on the shoulder with a dirt-encrusted hand. “She just moved here.” Kaycee pointed to the house that was the only drawback to living on Cypress Glen Drive because it was owned by her lifetime rival, Chub aka Faith Leblanc. “Sophie’s gonna go to my school, too. We can ride the bus together.”

Kaycee started telling Sophie all about Michaud Elementary as Rachel plopped down in the dirt. There weren’t many kids
Kaycee’s
age on the block, and the two little girls who were didn’t want to have anything to do with dirt or tree houses. How ironic that
Kaycee’s
perfect new best friend was related to the constant thorn in her side. Most rivalries faded away with time, but Faith had a way of getting under Rachel’s skin with a simple hello. With all they had in common, they should’ve been friends, but that was not the case. Rachel joined the police department, following in her father’s footsteps, and Faith did the same, following her father’s right into the fire department. They’d been thrown together during childhood, and their professions guaranteed they’d stay that way.

“Momma, can Sophie spend the night if her mom says it’s okay?”

“Not on a school night. You have two days left, then you can start having friends stay overnight.”

“Okay, so not tonight or tomorrow night, but the night after that?” Kaycee asked pleadingly.

“I’ll have to talk to her mom first,” Rachel said with a smile as her back went rigid. Rachel knew that Faith only had one sibling, a younger sister, but she’d moved away shortly after graduation. She barely remembered her except that she was very quiet, probably because she was scared to death of her smart-mouthed sister. “Sophie, it was very nice meeting you, but it’s time for Kaycee to go in for the night.” She stood and glanced toward Faith’s house. She was sitting on the deck watching them. “You should probably go on home, too, because it’s gonna be dark soon.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Sophie stood and brushed the dirt from her shorts, sending a cloud of dust into the air. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Kaycee. Come to the park when you get home from school.”

Kaycee hopped and skipped all around Rachel as they walked back to the house. “I like her, Momma, she’s fun. I have a friend now.”

“That’s great, baby,” Rachel said, inwardly cursing her luck.

Chapter Two

“Trolls that eat kids are not real.”

“That’s only half true. If a troll tries to come into our yard or house, it instantly vaporizes because of the force field that I’ve created.” Faith’s eyes went wide as she held up a finger. “They roam the park at night, so you should never be out after dark. Don’t forget about that leprechaun, either. She roams in the shadows, too, and eats the rats that come out of the woods. You’re
kinda
small, she could mistake you for one. She has big green eyes and long red hair that she hides stolen kittens in.”

“Momma says not to listen to your stories because you’re crazy,” Sophie said with a giggle.

Faith crawled onto the bed. “I’m part troll, you know, and kid leg is my favorite.” Sophie squealed and laughed as she kicked at Faith. Faith caught one of the flailing legs and opened her mouth wide. “Oh, this one is perfect, no fat, all muscle. I think the only thing that can keep me from eating this leg all up is if you go to sleep.”

“Okay, okay.” Sophie laid her head on her pillow, and Faith tucked her in. “What’s that word?” She pointed to the insignia on Faith’s shirt.

“That’s the name of our town, Michaud. It’s pronounced ‘me shoe.’ Like, that’s your shoe and this is
me
shoe. You’ll learn all about it when you start school here next year.”

“I can’t wait for Kaycee to get home tomorrow. I don’t know if I’m gonna like her school because they stay in longer.”

“But your school started earlier, so it ended sooner. Now you go to sleep and promise not to grow. If I come in here tomorrow morning and your feet are hanging off this bed, I’m gonna be mad.” Faith kissed Sophie on the forehead and walked to the door. “Night, Sofa.”

“My name is Sophie, please don’t call me Sofa anymore.”

Faith’s hand hovered above the light switch, then dropped to her leg with a thud as she walked over to the bed and sat. “Does that name hurt your feelings? Nicknames aren’t meant to be mean, but sometime they hurt anyway.”

“I just don’t like it,” Sophie said as though she were afraid of hurting Faith’s feelings.

Faith smiled and brushed away her bangs before planting a kiss on her forehead. “I won’t call you that anymore. From now on, it’ll be Sophie or my best buddy, how’s that?”

Sophie smiled and nodded. “I like those.”

“Good night then, best buddy. I’ll see you in the morning.”

*******

“How’s it going?” Faith walked into the living room where Patty sat poring over an employment manual as thick as a dictionary.

“I’m so nervous, this is a lot to remember. I just don’t want to screw up. You don’t know how much I appreciate you putting in a good word for me. Monitoring alarms isn’t as exciting as being a firefighter, but it’s perfect for me.”

Faith sat in the recliner and folded her legs up into it with her. “It’s only your first day. They’re not going to expect you to have memorized all the policies and procedures. Relax and set that book aside.”

Patty blew out a breath as she ran a hand through her dark brown hair and let the book fall onto the couch beside her. “I’m so glad that Sophie made a friend. It’ll make the transition easier on her, I hope. Divorce is hard on a kid.”

“Yes, the one kid on the street that Sophie
had
to gravitate to is Rachel Chauvin’s daughter.”

Patty’s brow furrowed. “I thought she was gay.”

“We can have kids, you know.”

Patty nodded. “Right, I’m just kind of out of it right now. You two still don’t get along?”

“She actually grew up to be a bigger asshole than she was as a kid.”

“I hope that’s not true. Sophie needs a friend, and when your kids have friends at this age, you have to interact with the parents.”

“I’ll leave that to you. I have to interact with that jackass at work, and that’s plenty for me.” Patty reached for the manual again. “Leave it,” Faith ordered with a grin. “You’re trying too hard, and you’ll stress yourself out so much that you won’t be able to function.”

Patty blew out an explosive breath and sank deeper into the couch. “What started the war between you and Rachel?”

“She was born.” Faith looked up at the ceiling, trying to recall their first encounter. “I think it may’ve been kindergarten and finger paints. Mom said I was sent home with an ugly note, and I was multicolored. From then on, she just seemed to be everywhere I went and always in my way.”

Patty smiled. “I remember the time you came home covered in welts and tried to hide them.”

“Yeah, that was the year Rachel got her slingshot. A year later, I got my BB gun, and I went a-hunting rabbit—a long gangly hare with buck teeth. I loaded her ass up with so many BBs she looked like she had the chickenpox. Then Dad took away my gun. I never saw it again after that.”

“You’re lucky y’all didn’t kill each other.”

Faith raised a brow. “That’s one way of looking at it.”

“Do you know anything about her daughter? Is she a nice girl?”

“Unlike her mother,
Kaycee’s
sweet,” Faith said with a smile. “We did a fire prevention thing at the school, and she was totally enthralled with the pumper truck. She looked so cute in one of the firefighters hats we gave out. Maybe she’ll piss off her mother and join the fire department when she grows up.”

Patty glared at her sister. “Do not suggest that to Sophie. It’s bad enough that you took after Dad and find running into flaming buildings enjoyable. Sophie won’t follow in that tradition, she’s the only one I’ve got.”

Faith smiled wistfully. “You always wanted a dozen kids.” She regretted making the statement when she noticed the pained expression on Patty’s face. “You’re still young, don’t give up hope.”

“I was in such a hurry, you know? I was so in love with the idea of getting married and having my own family it clouded my judgment. There were things about Luke that concerned me, and foolishly, I thought I could change him. When Sophie was born, he really straightened up, started coming home right after work, and was so much more attentive. But it seemed as soon as Sophie started to walk, he went right back to drinking and carousing with the boys. He hasn’t called her once since we’ve been here,” Patty said angrily.

“Maybe that’s a good thing. You and Sophie can get on with your lives. When you meet someone special, and you will,” Faith said with a smile, “Luke won’t be around to make things difficult.”

“Right now, I’m focused on providing for my daughter and getting on my feet so you won’t have us under yours forever.”

“No need to rush, sis. I’m happy having y’all here. I have missed that munchkin and you just a little.”

“You missed me a lot. I’m the best baby sister ever.” Patty stood and stretched. “I’m going to take a hot bath.”

“Leave the manual behind and relax. Drink a beer, take the edge off.”

Patty walked over to where Faith sat and kissed her on the top of the head. “Thank you for taking us in. It’s kind of nice being back in my old room, makes me feel like a kid again.”

“You’re welcome. It’s half your house, too, you know,” Faith called after her as she walked away. She reclined in her chair, grabbed the TV remote, and was about to switch it on when a feeling of melancholy washed over her. She remembered all the nights when she walked through the room and said hello to her father when he sat in that very chair with the remote in his hand. Mom was always in the kitchen cooking or baking something. Before Patty returned with Sophie, the place that held such sweet memories had become lonely.

When their father passed away, the house was left to Faith and Patty. Faith couldn’t bear to rent it to strangers and moved in since Patty was living in Lake Charles with Luke at the time. It took years for Faith to gradually pack up her parents’ things. She kept it all in boxes stored in the attic; only the furniture remained throughout the house. The recliner creaked as she propped up the footrest. Perhaps with Patty there, she could find the courage to replace the furnishings with something more modern.

Chapter Three

Rachel rolled lights and sirens to a “major fifty-two” at the intersection of Elm and Hickory. The two streets joined in the center of town where the speed limit was twenty-five miles an hour. She wondered how vehicles traveling at that rate could cause anything “major,” but as she turned onto Elm, her jaw sagged.