I'll Stand by You (23 page)

“The service won’t last long, so don’t worry about us. We’ll be right here when you get back,” she said.

“Thank you so much,” Dori said.

Johnny eyed his brothers.

“Boys, tuck in your shirts.”

They quietly obeyed.

Everything after that felt like a dream. Dori vaguely remembered the congregation standing as Johnny and the boys walked with her down the aisle, and because they seated them in the front pew, she didn’t see a single person—or hear a thing the preacher said afterward. All she could see was the cherrywood casket they would be putting in the ground with her grandfather in it, buried beneath six feet of Georgia dirt where she would never see him again.

She hurt too much to cry.

* * *

By the time they’d followed the hearse to the cemetery to see Meeker Webb to his final resting place, it was almost three o’clock. Luther was asleep, so Johnny and the boys stayed in the car with the baby as Dori proceeded to the grave site alone.

The preacher said a brief prayer and then Dori sat through what felt like an endless receiving line of people who came to pay their respects. She didn’t know the boys had slipped into chairs on either side of her until Marshall patted her arm and handed her a fresh tissue.

“It’s okay to be sad. We were sad when Mama died,” he whispered.

She wanted to hug him. Instead, she took the tissue.

“Thank you, Marshall. That was very thoughtful of you.”

He nodded.

Beep leaned his head against her shoulder.

“Are you tired, honey?” she asked.

He nodded.

“So am I,” she whispered and gave him a quick hug.

She looked up and caught the preacher’s eye, and he quickly came to her side.

“Pastor Lawless, the service was beautiful, but I’m not feeling well, and I need to get the baby home. Would it be rude of me to leave before all the others were gone?”

“No, no, absolutely not,” he said. “I’ll see you to your car.”

“Thank you, but the boys are here. They’ll walk with me. Please give everyone my thanks.” Then she looked down at Beep and Marshall. “Ready, guys?”

They glanced at each other and then nodded in unison.

Beep took one hand and Marshall took her other, and they walked away. About halfway to the car, Beep stumbled, and Dori caught him before he could fall.

“Are you okay, honey? I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

“I’m not hurt,” he mumbled and ducked his head.

Marshall frowned and then followed his brother’s line of sight, right to the group of boys just up the hill who were picking up trash that had blown across the graves.

“I know what’s wrong,” Marshall said and pointed. “That’s the guys who hurt Beep. They are on kid parole and have to do work every Saturday for a long, long time.”

Dori paused, then looked up the hill at the four boys walking up and down the rows, dragging trash bags behind them. Off in the distance, she could see a police officer. It was true; it looked almost like being in jail and was no more than they deserved.

“Don’t worry, Beep. They’re in trouble and you’re not. So let’s go. Johnny’s waiting,” Dori said and gave his hand an extra squeeze.

He didn’t say a word, but he held on a little tighter as they walked back to the car.

When Johnny saw Dori holding hands with the boys, he felt like he’d missed out, and then he took a slow breath, taking comfort in the fact that they were coming to him. He got out, held the door open as she slid into the seat, got the boys in the back without waking the baby, and then drove away.

“Hey, Johnny, did you see them guys?” Marshall asked.

“Those guys, and who are you talking about?” Johnny said.

“The ones who hurt Beep. They’re back in the cemetery picking up trash. They have to walk on people’s graves and everything. I’m sure glad I’m not one of them,” Marshall said.

“I’m glad you’re not either,” Johnny said and then realized that’s why Beep had stumbled and why Dori had stopped to talk to him.

He glanced at her, intending to say thanks, but there was something about the way she was sitting, like she was holding herself still so she wouldn’t fall into pieces, that told him to let it go.

He kept an eye on her as they drove back through town. She was pale and too silent, and there were dark circles under her eyes. He knew she hadn’t eaten enough today but understood why.

It had taken him all day to figure out why he had a knot in his belly that got tighter every time she cast a glance his way—or why the brush of her hand against his arm when she leaned on him for support made him think he could fly. With very little effort, he could fall hard for Dori Grant.

* * *

Dori had been silent ever since they’d left the cemetery. She was grateful for the fact that Luther was a good traveler. Between the sound of the car engine and the gentle movement of the seat, he was lulled into a semiconscious state.

She kept thinking back over the day; the incident in the bathroom with Pansy was far overshadowed by the kindness of everyone else. And then there was Johnny. Watching him moving among the people during the day had been eye-opening in more ways than one. It was obvious he had the regard of many and seemed far older than his years. He’d gained character through responsibilities, sacrificing everything a young man his age might have wanted to do just to keep his family intact.

Now it was time for her to set aside her own feelings too. Luther had to come first. But where would they go? She needed to finish her college courses, so she could set up her website business and begin generating some income. What Granddaddy had left her was wonderful, but it wouldn’t last forever if she wasn’t putting anything back.

Still, thinking about where to go was frightening. The way it was now, she would not be able to work and make enough to pay a babysitter and pay her bills. Being with the Pines felt safe. It felt good to think she wasn’t entirely alone.

She glanced over her shoulder. Beep’s eyes were closed and his head was nodding, and Marshall seemed transfixed by the sight of the sleeping baby. When she looked at Johnny, her heart tightened. He’d become so dear to her in a very short time.

She touched his arm, an innocent gesture that got his attention.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

She nodded. “I just want to thank all three of you for helping me through this awful day. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

“We were happy to do it,” he said.

“Can me and Beep go to the park when we get home?” Marshall asked.

The park he was referring to was an empty lot a couple of houses down where some of the neighborhood kids played ball.

“Can Beep and I,” he corrected, “and we’ll see. It looks like it might rain.”

“Oh shoot,” Marshall muttered.

Dori glanced at Johnny again and then offered up a suggestion. “If it does rain, you could make a cave indoors. That’s what I used to do when I was little.”

Marshall’s eyes widened. “How do you make a cave?”

Dori was surprised. “You mean you guys never made a fort or a cave in the house when the weather was bad?”

“No.”

Johnny frowned, surprised by the answer. Surely that wasn’t true. Then he thought about the shape his mother had been in after they were born and sighed. The last few years of her life had been spent chasing a drug high, not teaching her children how to play.

Unaware of Johnny’s revelation, Dori kept talking. “Then I’ll show you, but once the cave is built, you have to figure out who you are and why you’re in the cave, and that’s how the game starts.”

“I don’t want to go to the park,” Marshall said. “I want Dori to show me how to make the cave.”

Johnny grinned at her. “You’ve done it now,” he said.

Dori shrugged. “No, no, I want to. It will be a good way to change the focus of this day. Besides, it used to be my favorite thing to do when I was little.”

“Well, we’re home, so prepare yourself,” Johnny said as he pulled up into the drive and parked by the house. “Beep, wake up, buddy. We’re home.”

“Dori’s gonna show us how to make a cave,” Marshall said.

Beep woke abruptly. The thought of playing something new was intriguing. The boys jumped out and raced to the front door, then waited impatiently until Johnny unlocked it.

“Go change out of your good clothes and hang them up,” Johnny said.

“Okay,” they echoed and ran inside giggling and pushing.

Dori was unbuckling Luther from the car seat when Johnny came back.

“You take the baby. I’ll get the rest of the stuff for you,” he said.

A rumble of thunder sounded in the distance.

“Sounds like your prediction was right,” she said and carried Luther inside and put him to bed. He stretched to full length, as if glad to be out of the seat, and poked his thumb in his mouth.

“Mama’s sweet boy,” Dori whispered and tucked his blanket around him.

When she turned around, Johnny was coming in the room with the diaper bag and her purse.

“Just put them on the bed,” she whispered. “I’m going to change clothes before we begin cave construction. I hope you don’t mind that I offered—”

Johnny put a finger to her lips.

“You don’t apologize for being kind to my brothers,” he said softly and then ran the tip of his finger along her chin and smiled. “You better change fast. They’ll be swinging from the ceiling fan if you don’t show up soon.”

“I’ll hurry, but I have one request. I need two of the biggest and oldest blankets or bedspreads you have in the house, something you wouldn’t mind getting a little dirty. I’ll wash them up for you when they’re through.”

“I’ll get them. Where do you want to erect this magic place?”

“Do you mind if they play in the kitchen?”

“Honey, I don’t mind where they play in this house. The fact that you’ve made them happy is all that matters. So I’ll leave them in the kitchen and the rest is on you.”

He left Dori by the bed and closed the door on his way out.

She closed her eyes and took a slow breath. He’d called her honey, and the imprint of his finger was still warm on her lips. It made her anxious and achy—and at the same time, a little leery.

“Oh, Granddaddy, I need to talk to you. I wish you were here.”

But there would be no more warm chuckles or wise words of advice. Right or wrong, the decisions were on her now. She began taking off the pretty dress, the nice shoes, and the tights. Cinderella had gone to a funeral, not a ball, even though she had come home with the prince. Now the real world beckoned. It was time to get back to work.

A few minutes later, she was in the kitchen with the boys. They pulled the kitchen chairs a few feet away from the table but still surrounding it, the boys bouncing on their toes with every step.

“Beep, you take this quilt and crawl under the table and make a good nest. Marshall and I are going to build the roof and walls with this one.”

Beep’s smile was from ear to ear as he went down on his hands and knees and crawled under the table, dragging the quilt with him.

“Marshall, you take this side and I’ll take the other, and we’re going to spread this quilt over the table and then drape it over the backs of the chairs and let the rest fall on the floor, understand?”

“Yeah, yeah, like making a tent only better.”

She grinned. “Yes, like a tent but better.”

After a few adjustments of the chairs, and centering the quilt on the table and weighting it down to keep it from slipping, the cave was almost done. All they had to do was leave the short end of the table that was closest to the wall uncovered. It would be the doorway and also make it appear that the opening was concealed.

“So they can’t sneak up on you,” Dori said as she showed Marshall how far to pull down the quilt and how much to leave open. “There. So, what do you think?”

Marshall dropped to his knees and crawled inside with Beep.

Dori squatted down and peered in.

“It’s good and dark in there, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, it’s great!” Beep said.

She could tell by the look on Marshall’s face that he was already moving into imagination mode. As she watched, the first ripple of thunder rolled across the sky.

Rain, just like Johnny predicted.

“I’ll get your camping supplies, and then you guys are on your own,” Dori said.

She made a quick raid of the refrigerator, then pulled a plastic bowl out of the cabinet and began piling it high. She cut up an apple into several chunks, made celery sticks and carrot sticks, added a handful of crackers, and then slipped the bowl in front of the cave without a word.

She stood there long enough to see one little hand slip out of the opening and pull the bowl inside.

“Mission accomplished,” she whispered.

She could already hear the boys planning their strategies and smiled to herself, remembering what all she’d played. When she turned around, Johnny was standing on the other side of the table. He took her hand and led her out of the kitchen and into the living room.

“You rock the world, Dori Grant. In the middle of a very sad day for you, you went out of your way for them.”

“Truth? It is as good for me as it is for them. And you were right about the rain.”

He wanted to put his arms around her but saw the exhaustion on her face.

“Go to bed, Dori. At least sleep until the baby wakes up. We have leftovers and pie. No cooking. Just a chill-out evening, okay?”

The thought of sleep was enticing.

“You talked me into it,” she said. “See you later.”

“Yeah, later,” he said and watched until she disappeared into her room.

* * *

Pansy Jones stood at the window, looking out at the burned remnants of what had once been Meeker Webb’s home, watching the rain come down and thinking about what had happened at the church. Bottom line, she was in a sticky situation. Dori Grant had given her a verbal slap down in front of one of the biggest gossips in Blessings. What had happened would be all over town by morning, and then she’d have to go to church and face everyone in her Sunday school class without a way to deflate Dori’s accusations.