After Victory: A Searching for Glory Novel (A Second Chance Love Story) (2 page)

CHAPTER THREE

Kate

“Brad. You are over an hour late.” I tried to keep my voice level and calm. I knew from experience that using the wrong tone with my ex-husband would only make things much worse. “Tomorrow is a school day and now we still have to drive home.”

“I said I’m sorry.” Brad shoved his hands into his pockets and glared at me. “Denton wasn’t ready to leave. Maybe if you let me have him more than every other weekend, this wouldn’t be a problem.”

“No, then it would just be a problem more often.” I took a deep breath to prevent myself from saying anything more. The less Brad and I spoke to each other, the better.

Per the agreement of our divorce, we met every other weekend in the parking lot of a Walmart in Barrington. The town was directly in between our two homes, making it a good place to hand off custody of our son.

“I haven’t gotten a payment in three months, Brad,” I said, carefully. “Denton said you’ve been working, so what’s going on?”

“I’ll get it to you.” He removed a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. “I had some unexpected expenses come up.”

“Of course you did.” It was exactly this type of thing that had led to our divorce. Brad had refused to grow up, even after Denton was born. “I need to go. We’ll see you in two weeks?”

He nodded and lit his cigarette.

Denton was unusually quiet when I joined him in the car. Normally he was a chatterbox after leaving his monosyllabic father. Today, he seemed troubled.

“How was your weekend?” I asked carefully. Just like his father, the wrong question could make him snap.

“Fine.” He didn’t look up from his phone.

“Did you guys do anything? I thought he was going to take you to that car show?” If Brad had gone back on his promise, that would explain Denton’s surly attitude.

Denton muttered. “He took me.”

“That’s good.” I thought again about how I could get him to open up as I turned onto the highway. “Did you –”

“I have a baby brother,” he said, cutting me off. His phone was now forgotten in his lap. “Dad’s girlfriend had a baby.”

“A baby?’ My mouth dropped open. That certainly was an unexpected expense. “Did you know that you were going to have a brother?”

Denton stared hard out the window, his smooth jaw clenched tight. “No. I guess he was born a month ago, but he was early so they kept him in the hospital. But now his girlfriend and the baby live with Dad.”

“Oh.” That was a lot of change to happen so quickly. “How do you feel about that?”

“I feel like I didn’t sleep all weekend because the baby wouldn’t stop crying.” He picked up his phone again. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”

Our conversation was over. It had been brief, but revealing. Brad had been a pretty terrible husband, but he had always done his best to be a good father to Denton. I worried that this baby was going to change that.

“I need to stop at the shop to have the car checked,” I said, not sure if Denton was even listening.

Yesterday, after the snow was done falling, Jake Delroy had appeared at my house with a shovel in hand. In a matter of minutes, he had completely cleared my driveway. I invited him inside to warm up, and over coffee at the kitchen table, I mentioned that my car had been making a strange noise. Jake had recently given up his farming life and was working for John Carter at his repair shop. He told me to bring in the car and he would take a look, free of charge.

A girl on a budget can’t refuse an offer like that. It didn’t hurt that Jake was an attractive man and could carry on a decent conversation. He even made me laugh, which was darn near impossible to do most days.

When I pulled into the parking lot, a weird feeling of déjà vu washed over me. John and I had dated for a while, pretty seriously until his old girlfriend came back to town. It had been obvious that he was still in love with her and we had ended things abruptly. I hadn’t been ready for it at the time. John was an amazing guy, and I had thought that I was in love. But looking back, I realized it was for the best.

Now I was entering his shop, hoping to see anyone but him. My wish wasn’t granted.

“Kate!” Johnny appeared at the front desk looking flustered. “Hey, Denton.”

“Hey, John.” Denton glanced at him and then took a seat in one of the torn chairs, complete absorbed in his phone.

“Is Jake here? He offered to take a look at my car…” I suddenly felt rattled.

John glanced over his shoulder. “Yeah, he’s back there. You want me to get him?”

“I’ll just go on back, if that’s alright?” I used to walk through the place all the time, but I wasn’t dating the owner anymore.

“Sure. Just be careful.” He forced a smile. “It’s good to see you, Kate.”

“Yeah. You too.” I hurried away as quickly as I thought was allowed without being considered rude. It wasn’t that I was still in love with John. We had both moved on. But it was still uncomfortable being around him.

The shop was always busy on Sundays.  A lot of people like me depended on weekends for things like a tune-up. “You look good in grease,” I said when I found Jake at the far end of the shop.

“Kate.” His face lit up. “I wasn’t sure you would remember to stop by.”

“I was in town anyway. Is it still okay?” I was still getting used to this friendship and I didn’t want him to think I was taking advantage of his generosity.

“Of course. Give me the keys and I’ll pull the car in.” He took the keys with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. It was obvious to anyone that he was still grieving the loss of his wife.

While I waited for him to return, I snooped around the garage. It looked more or less how I remembered it. The other mechanics eyed me curiously and kept a respectful distance. I decided it would probably be a good idea to check on Denton.

Johnny had gone back into his office, so I didn’t have to worry about carrying on an awkward conversation. Denton was busy texting his friends. I picked up a magazine and pretended to read while occasionally peeking through the window to watch Jake as he worked on my car.

The bells over the door chimed as someone entered the shop. I looked up instinctively, then wished that I had kept my nose in the magazine. The new arrival was none other than Glory Stark.

“Kate.” Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw me. In her arms, she cradled an adorable baby. He looked at me with unblinking eyes.

“Hi, Glory.” It was strange to have her in my life again. We had been best friends when we were teenagers. Then she had left one day, without a word. When she finally returned ten years later, we had nothing in common other than the man I was dating. And now she was holding his baby. Life was weird.

“Something wrong with your car?” she asked politely. I could tell that this encounter was even more awkward for her.

I nodded toward the garage. “Jake offered to take a look.”

“Jake is a good guy,” she said, eyeing me strangely.

“Your boy is getting big,” I said. I thought that would be an easier topic for us, but it was actually equally strange. “What’s his name again?”

“We call him Jack.” She looked through the glass toward the garage where Jake and John were chatting. “His actual name is John Junior.”

Of course. They had named him after his father. “Jack is a good name. He looks just like John.”

“He does,” she agreed. “So this is going to sound weird, but we’re having a party tonight. It is Jack’s first birthday. Jake and the kids are going to come and… would you like to join us? You can bring Denton, of course.”

I checked to make sure my mouth wasn’t hanging open in surprise. “You want us to come to your house tonight?”

“Can we, Mom? I want to see Chris.” Denton perked up for the first time all afternoon.

“It won’t be a long party or anything. I know it’s a school night. But we are going to have cake and it would be really nice to have you there.” Glory stopped talking abruptly, as if she had run out of air or words, or maybe both.

“I’m not sure,” I stuttered.

Jake and Johnny picked that exact moment to join us. “Not sure about what?” Jake asked.

“Glory just invited us to the party,” Denton explained in a hurry. “But Mom doesn’t know if we can come.”

Now there were three shocked-looking adults in the room.

“I just picked up Denton from his father and I’m sure he has school work to do.” I found myself fumbling to come up with enough excuses to guarantee I wouldn’t have to put in an appearance at the world’s most awkward social event.

“I don’t, Mom,” Denton protested.

“You have an algebra test tomorrow,” I reminded him.

Jake was the first one to have mercy on me. “If you’re busy, we understand. It would be nice to have you, but it is last minute notice.”

“Of course,” Glory added, bouncing the baby on her model-sized hip. “I didn’t mean to put you on the spot like that.”

“Sundays are bad days for us,” I explained lamely. “But thank you for the invite.”

Now everyone in the room seemed to have forgotten how to speak.

“How’s my car?” I asked Jake, hoping to get out of there as quickly as possible.

“All fixed. Just a couple of worn parts, and I went ahead and changed the oil.” He held up my keys.

“Thank you, Jake. I really appreciate it. What do I owe you?” I reached into my bag.

Jake held up a hand. “No way. That’s on the house.”

“No, you have to let me pay you.”

This time John stopped me. “Friends don’t pay here.”

Friends. Was that the dynamic I had with these people? It didn’t feel right. But I knew John well enough to know that I wasn’t going to win this argument.

“Okay, then. Thank you.” I gave what I hoped was an appreciative smile. “Denton, let’s go. These people have a party to get ready for.”

We all chorused our goodbyes and I was glad to step outside where the air wasn’t so tense and I could breathe again.

Denton waited until we were in the car before he said, “You just didn’t want to go to that party because of John’s hot girlfriend.”

“You are a devil child,” I told him.

“If it helps, I think Chris’ dad likes you,” Denton said nonchalantly.

“Why do you say that?” I stuttered.

He rolled his eyes. “Mom, guys just know these things. We have a code.”

As I drove away, I couldn’t decide what was weirder – being invited to my ex-boyfriend’s baby’s birthday party, the possibility that a widowed man with four children might be interested in me, or that my teenage son now understood ‘guy code.’

A few moments later, I decided that the weirdest thing of all was that I wasn’t actually horrified by any of those things.

CHAPTER FOUR

Jake

Hearing that Glory had invited Kate to our family gathering was a shock, to say the least. I wasn’t sure those two had even spoken since Johnny and Kate broke up. Perhaps more shocking was that I actually liked the idea. The second I realized that, I reminded myself to stay away from Kate. I wasn’t ready to deal with thoughts like that.

After watching little Jack smash cake into his face, John and I took our beers out to the porch. Julia and Chris had gone back to the house, hiking through the foot of snow that covered the cornfield between the two houses. The younger kids were playing an old board game inside and Glory was putting Jack to bed.

It was a peaceful night.

“You two have a good thing goin’ here,” I said, wondering if John appreciated how lucky he was. If I could’ve gone back in time, I would’ve reminded myself everyday how lucky I was to have Vic and the kids.

“I’m sure I’ll screw it up eventually,” John replied.

“You better not.” I glared at him and punched his arm. “Glory is like a sister to me. You better treat her right every second of every day.”

He grabbed his arm. “Ow. Geez. Settle down.”

“Do I have to separate you boys?” Glory asked, joining us on the porch. She was covered in several layers of clothes.

“We were just talking about you, actually.” John reached up and pulled her into his lap. When she smiled at him, it was obvious that she was madly in love.

“I was saying that you two should enjoy these moments now. Wait until you add another kid to this mix. You’ll never have a quiet moment.” I started to take a drink of beer, but then I caught an exchanged look between the two of them. “Is there something you want to tell me?”

The looks on their faces was enough, but John added, “Yeah, I knocked her up again. Whoops.”

“You sure sound like you feel bad about that,” I said, eyes narrowing at him. “What did I just tell you about treating her right?”

“Calm down, killer.” John’s hand moved over her stomach. “I’m thrilled about the news.”

“If you were really thrilled about it, you’d put a ring on her finger.” I punctuated my point by slamming my beer.

John’s face hardened. “Talk to her about that. I’ve been trying for two years.”

“What’s wrong, Glor? Not sure if this guy is the one you want to be with forever?” I grinned. “Can’t blame you if that’s the case.”

“It has nothing to do with him,” she said defensively. “I just don’t think it’s that big of a deal. Like putting a ring on my finger is going to change anything.”

Up until that point, I had been doing well. Usually at family gatherings, I ended up missing Vic and feeling depressed. But this evening it hadn’t been that way. I had thought about her, sure, but it hadn’t made me sad. I had thought that maybe I was starting to heal. But hearing Vic’s sister say that she couldn’t see the point of marriage reopened the wound.

“It changes everything, Glor,” I said, unable to keep the rising emotion out of my voice. “Look, I can’t tell you what to do. I made the same mistakes as both of you, getting Vic pregnant and thinking that marriage wasn’t that important. But the second we got married, I wished that I had done it sooner.”

“Why, Jake? You guys already lived together, already had kids. You already knew you would be together forever.” Glory stopped, that last word hanging in the air like a sharp icicle threatening to fall on us.

“That’s why. Because there’s no such thing as forever. You have the chance to marry your best friend. Hell, Glor, you could marry the person you have loved since you were a kid. How many people get to do that?” I realized that I was starting to ramble. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to ruin your happy news.”

Glory watched me with worried eyes. “I miss her, too, Jake. I know time is supposed to help, but it doesn’t. I miss her more with each passing day. When I found out I was pregnant, she was the first person I wanted to tell. I even reached for my phone…”

“I’m going to check on Jack and the kids,” John said, patting Glory’s knee.

She came over and sat in the chair next to mine. We were both quiet for a long time after John was gone, together in our grief.

“He worries about you,” she said at last.

“John?” I looked at her in surprise. “Why?”

She smiled sadly. “He just wants you to be happy. I think he’s worried that you aren’t going to move on.”

“I’m moving on, Glory. Maybe not as fast as people think I should, but I’m trying. I’m doing better.” I found myself feeling defensive. Grief was supposed to be a personal thing, but somehow everyone thought they got to weigh in on it.

“Do you still go see her every Saturday?” she asked bluntly.

I nodded. “I miss her. Is that a crime?”

“If it is, we’re both completely guilty.” She looped her arm through mine and took my hand. “Jake, I think you’re doing an amazing job with the kids. All four of them are doing so great. And you gave up the farm for stable pay and more hours to be at home. Johnny says you are the best employee he has.”

“But?” I knew the other shoe was about to drop.

She took a breath and said, “But I’m not so sure you’re doing a great job with you.”

“What the hell does that mean, Glor?”

“It means, when is the last time you went fishing with the guys? Or the last time you sat and watched a football game? You haven’t gone on a single date.” Glory looked at me with pain in her eyes. “It kills me to think that we’re all moving on without her. It doesn’t seem fair. But we have to do it. All of us. Including you.”

When I didn’t say anything, she added, “It’s what Vic would want.”

By the time I got the kids home and into bed, I was thoroughly drained. Raising kids was hard, yes, but being a widower was thoroughly exhausting. When Vic was still alive, we would lie in bed and talk for hours after a long day. We would take turns remembering different details, laughing about ridiculous things the kids had said or done. Somehow the burden was easier with someone right there by your side. I wanted her there, lying next to me and commiserating.

I wanted her back.

She was the last thing I thought of as I drifted to sleep and the first thing when I opened my eyes in the morning. When I looked at our children, I saw Vic. I saw her in the way Marta laughed with her mouth wide open and in the way Christopher bit his lip when he concentrated on his homework. I saw her when J.J. helped his sister put on her coat and most of all I saw her anytime I looked at Julia.

She was the spitting image of her mother at the age when we first met. I often found myself staring at her, convinced that I was actually seeing her mother. She caught me on more than one occasion, demanding to know why I was staring.

The day after Glory’s lecture, Julia caught me again.

“Stop staring at me, Dad. It’s so creepy.” She tossed her hair and furiously stabbed a fork into the meatloaf I had prepared.

“Sorry. I was just lost in thought. I didn’t mean to stare.” I turned back to my own supper and wondered if Glory had been right. Was I so busy taking care of the kids that I had forgotten to take care of myself?

The next day at work, as a further sign that the universe was conspiring to fix me, John brought up the idea of us going out for a few drinks to watch the game on Thursday night. Glory would watch the kids, he said.

I didn’t see how I could say no to an offer like that. I loved my kids, but I loved them better when we had some time apart. The town only had one bar that had enough televisions to broadcast the games, so it was easy to figure out plans for the night.

“So this is how adults spend their time?” I said, looking around the crowded bar. A waitress sat two cold beers in front of us. “Where are all the little people that are constantly screaming and vomiting?”

“The screaming and vomiting will come later, but it won’t be from little people. It will be from large, scary men.” John’s eyes flashed a mischievous sparkle. “When is the last time you watched a game from beginning to end?”

“Before Vic got sick,” I said. “I’m not sure I can do this.”

John laughed. “I’ll ease you into it slowly.”

“How far along is Glory?” I asked, trying to make up for my less than ideal reaction to their news.

“About five months. We have an appointment tomorrow to find out the gender,” he said. “I feel like an idiot for not even noticing she was pregnant.”

“Men aren’t exactly known for noticing things,” I said with a laugh. A movement near the door caught my eye, causing me to turn my head.

Kate had just entered the bar and was speaking with the hostess. Without even thinking, I raised my hand and waved. She spotted me and offered a hesitant return-wave.

“Who are you waving at?” John asked, turning to search the room.

“Kate. I think she’s looking for a table.” I waved to her again. “We should offer her a seat with us.”

“We should?” John looked at me in surprise. “Do you think that’s a good idea?”

I shrugged as Kate headed in our direction. “Sure. We have plenty of room.”

“Hi,” Kate said, shyly approaching the table.

“Kate. Are you looking for a table?” I gestured to the empty chairs on either side. “You should join us.”

“Oh, no. I couldn’t.” Her head shook quickly. “I just wanted to grab something to eat. I forgot that the games are on tonight.”

John pulled out a chair. “Jake is right. You should join us.”

“That’s okay. I can eat up at the bar. I see an empty seat.” She tried to back away.

“Nonsense. We can’t let you eat alone.” I flagged the waitress. “She’ll be joining us. Kate, what would you like to drink?”

“I guess that’s decided,” she said as she settled into the seat.

A few minutes later, I was regretting my impulsive decision. The three of us were having a hard time finding a topic that wasn’t incredibly uncomfortable. Our solution was to drink as quickly as possible.

“Your little boy is adorable,” Kate said to John after her third beer. “He looks just like you.”

“Thanks. We’re expecting another one soon.” John looked surprised that those words had come out of his mouth.

“Really? Well that’s just wonderful.” Kate slapped a hand on the table. “Breaking up with me is the best thing you ever did, John Carter.”

At that, we all took a drink.

“I promise, I’m not bitter,” she said with a laugh. She had a really nice laugh. “The two of you clearly belong together. I just worry that you were my last chance.”

“No way,” John said quickly. “You are an amazing woman, Kate. You’ll find some great guy and you won’t even remember me.”

I nodded emphatically. “He’s right. He is completely forgettable.”

“Look at Jake here. He’s a great guy.” John’s mischievous twinkle was growing. “He’s available. Has a good job, with an amazing boss by the way. He’s a fairly decent dresser and occasionally has good wit.”

“Thanks, John. You should feel free to stop talking at any point.” I kept my eyes away from Kate, concentrating on finishing my beer.

“What about the baggage?” she asked with a skeptical look. “Four kids, dead wife. I’m not sure I want to sign up for that.”

It was the most direct anyone could’ve been in that moment, but I found myself laughing. “I didn’t want to sign up for it either, but no one gave me a choice.”

“Life has a way of doing that – signing you up for things you don’t want.” Kate took a big drink and slammed her beer bottle on the table. “I’ve had too much to drink. How am I going to get home?”

“That’s an excellent question.” I turned to John, my own designated driver who had been matching me drink for drink. “Thoughts?”

He grimaced. “Glory has the kids. I guess I could see if she can have Julia watch them while she picks us up.”

“We shouldn’t call her. It was nice of her to take the kids for the night, I don’t want to make her chauffeur us around, too,” I said.

John grabbed his phone. “I know someone. Give me a second to make a call.”

He left the table and stepped outside, leaving me alone with Kate. I struggled to think of something to say that didn’t involve my dead wife.

“How’s work?” I asked, immediately wishing that I had come up with something better. That was easily the most boring thing I could’ve said.

“Good. Business has been booming lately.” Kate had opened an art boutique downtown. She made everything herself, from paintings to sculptures to woodwork. It was actually quite impressive. “Hey, there’s this art show in Barrington next weekend. I don’t know if that’s your type of thing, but I have an extra ticket.”

“An art show?” My heart did a weird fluttering thing. “Are you asking me on a date?”

Kate laughed. “I guess I am. What do you say?”

That was a loaded question. It would be easy to say yes. I had every right to go out with a woman. I even enjoyed art. But saying yes to this offer wasn’t really that easy. Aside from how I felt about dating again, what would the kids say?

“We can just go as friends if that’s easier,” Kate offered, seeing the distress on my face.