Stepping to a New Day (9 page)

Gen raised her chin and smiled. “Thanks.”

“You're welcome. Now let's get back to the kitchen before She Who Must Be Obeyed sends the bloodhounds to track us down.”

Walking beside Sheila, Gen felt much better, but Clay calling her too old continued to resonate like a sore tooth for the rest of the day.

To TC, walking into the auditorium for the Friday night movies felt like walking into the town meeting or the Dog. The atmosphere screamed
community
and all the word encompassed. His plan had been to stay in Henry Adams through the summer and get back on the road before the snow fell, but the more he got to know the place and its residents the more it pulled at him to extend his stay. Granted, the slow pace was taking a bit of getting used to—after all, he was a city boy—but he was enjoying the small-town vibe.

Following his nieces and Gary down the aisle he marveled at how packed the place was and that the auditorium with its plum-colored seats and huge stage was grander than he'd imagined. To the left was the concession area with large hot-air popcorn machines, a hot dog station and others with
people lined up buying nachos and ice cream. The facility would be a perfect venue for a big-time concert. Thinking about that made him discreetly scan the room for Genevieve Gibbs. She said she always attended the movies and he hadn't seen her since they'd had lunch together the other day. He spotted her serving up hot dogs. She wore a white apron over her blue sweatshirt and jeans, but even in the casual attire she looked elegant somehow.

“You ladies want food?” Gary asked his daughters.

Leah responded, “We'll get some after we get our seats.”

Gary said to TC, “Which means: See you later, old guys.”

Leah grinned, and she and Tiff headed for a group of young people farther down the aisle near the stage.

“Do we old guys have a designated area, too?” TC asked.

“Not really. We just can't sit with them.”

TC felt eyes on his back and turned to see a light-skinned man about his age glaring his way. “Who's the guy in the red-check shirt?”

Gary turned. “Clay Dobbs. Gen's boyfriend. Like everybody else in town, he probably heard you two had lunch.”

TC remembered him now from the town meeting. “She said they aren't together anymore. Irreconcilable differences was how she put it.”

“Interesting,” Gary said, eyeing him closely.

TC held up his hands. “I think she's fine, but I had nothing to do with whatever their issues are.”

“I'm not one for spreading rumors but this is a small town and word is he's having a hard time with her new personality,” Gary said.

Seeing TC's confusion, he explained. “I guess she used to be pretty timid but she isn't anymore.”

TC found that surprising. She seemed so confident he couldn't imagine her timid or why her man would want her to remain that way.

They found seats and TC asked, “You think I can go over and get a hot dog without Clay shooting me in the back?”

Gary chuckled. “I guess we'll find out. I saw Reggie when we came in. I think he can handle a buckshot victim.”

“He's the doctor, right?”

Gary nodded.

“Okay. You want anything?”

“Bring me a dog and a cola. I'll hold down our seats.”

“Okay.”

On his way to the hot dogs, Dobbs shot TC another glare. TC ignored him. He'd never been a fighting man but if push came to shove he could handle his business. He was a good four or five inches taller than Dobbs and outweighed him as well, so unless the man knew some kind of karate or had a gun, TC figured he'd come out on top. However, he also knew not to underestimate any man—especially one who thought you might be hitting on his woman.

The woman in question gave him a smile when it was his turn to order. “Hey, Mr. Barbour.”

“How are you, Ms. Gibbs?”

“I'm doing good. You?”

“No complaints.”

“What can I get you?”

He told her and she filled his order. After giving him his change, she handed him two cups. “The soda machine is over there to your right. Help yourself.”

“Thanks.” He moved aside and the next person in line took his place. Loaded down with the drinks and dogs, TC made
his way back to his seat. If Dobbs was still glaring, he didn't know or care.

TC was unwrapping his hot dog when a commotion in the back of the auditorium caught everyone's attention. County Sheriff Will Dalton was there along with two uniformed officers. They were speaking with Trent July.

Gary said, “I wonder what's going on.”

Next they knew Trent was being handcuffed and an angry buzz went up from the crowd who by then were on their feet. Mal ran up the aisle, along with a teen who shouted, “Oh hell, no!” Tamar and July's wife, Lily, charged to the scene as well. Gary handed TC his food. “Be right back.” He hurried toward the back along with a number of other men.

TC saw Dalton talking with the Julys and the others gathered around him. At one point the sheriff held up his hands as if to say he wasn't at fault. A few seconds later, Dalton and the officers escorted the shackled Trent from the auditorium.

An angry Tamar July took to the stage. “My grandson has been arrested for stealing a car from a California dealership. Will thinks it's a case of mistaken identity and promises to get it straightened out. The family is going with them to make sure that happens so in the meantime, movie night is cancelled. Everybody go home.”

R
iley, with Cletus in tow, had been driving for days and he was tired. All he wanted to do was pull over and sleep, but that was impossible. One, Cletus was already mad about having crossed the Nevada desert in the trailer and would undoubtedly pitch a fit if he was confined too much longer; and two, Riley was pretty sure the car salesman had figured out he wasn't coming back, which meant the police were probably looking for him and he didn't want to be found. Having been on the lam before when he broke Cletus out of the state's pen a few years ago, he knew to cover his tracks as best he could, so before leaving LA, he'd replaced the dealer's plate on the SUV with the one from his old truck still sitting dead behind Vera's motel. (She'd have it towed eventually but there was nothing he could do about that.) At a fast food place outside Las Vegas, he'd placed the dealer's plate along with the meal's leavings into the empty bag and stuffed it in a trash can at a rest stop along the highway. Confident law enforcement wouldn't know where he was, he'd patted himself on the back once again for his cleverness.

But cleverness didn't help him drive or offer a solution to his other problem—a place to sleep. It was getting dark, he was having trouble seeing, and he'd learned after the disaster on the first night that pulling into a motel was out. While trying to sneak Cletus into the room, he'd been busted by the desk clerk. She'd ordered Riley off the property and threatened him with the police. Cletus had balked so much about going back into the trailer, Riley had to bribe the big hog with the candy bar he'd been saving for his own treat and they'd spent the night in the parking lot of the local Wal-Mart. The next night he'd tried a highway rest stop but Cletus created such a racket screaming and throwing his immense weight against the sides of the pen wanting out, Riley was cussed at by a bunch of angry semi drivers who promised to feed Cletus to a meat grinder if he didn't shut up. Having little choice, Riley drove back to the highway. He caught a few hours of sleep after Cletus dozed off, but for all intents and purposes he'd been awake for too many days to count and now he worried he was one nod away from crashing his sweet, stolen SUV and maybe killing them both.

The exhausted Riley finally arrived in Henry Adams just as dawn broke. He still had a key to Eustacia's half-finished mansion on the edge of town and it was his plan to sleep there until he figured out his next move. He pulled up next to the house and the state of it rendered him instantly awake for a few moments. The doors were gone, replaced with large sheets of plywood, and all the once fancy windows were boarded up, too. He wondered what happened. Getting out, his tired legs had trouble supporting his weight as he swayed his way to the listing porch that was missing many of its planks. The two stately columns installed by Eustacia's builders were no
longer upright but looked about to keel over at any moment. He'd expected the landscaping to be overgrown but had no explanation as to why the front yard had been dug up. There were large deep holes everywhere. Cletus was screaming to be let out of the trailer but Riley needed to sit down for a moment in order to shake off the need to sleep. He placed his head against the leaning column and next he knew he was out like a light.

When he awakened he was so groggy he thought he saw Trent July standing over him. Not sure if he was dreaming or not, he opened his mouth to say hello, only to have a fist explode in his face, and just like that he was out again.

The next time his eyes opened he had trouble seeing and his face hurt. He sensed he was in a moving vehicle. He was lying on his side and tried to struggle upright but for some reason his hands were behind his back and he couldn't bring them forward. When he saw Sheriff Will Dalton's face he froze.

“Welcome back, Curry. You're under arrest for identity theft and car theft. You have the right to remain silent . . .”

Riley fainted dead away.

Leah and Tiffany's friends began arriving at noon for the Uncle TC Pizza Party. The younger kids rode their bikes over. Crystal and Eli came in Eli's old Subaru. TC had each of them bring a pie plate to put their pizzas in. The kids put their music on the wireless speaker system and after everyone washed their hands the pie making began. Tiffany, Devon, Zoey, Wyatt and the Acosta kids, Alfonso and Maria, worked together on the sauce. Crystal helped TC roll out the dough he'd made earlier that morning. Eli, Preston, Leah, and Amari sliced up
the meat. When everything was ready TC showed them the process. Sauce first, followed by mozzarella. Meat and veggies came next and grated Parmesan finished it off.

Amari spooned sauce over the bare dough. “This is fun, Mr. Barbour.”

“Is it?”

“Yeah. If I knew how to make dough this could be a regular thing for me.”

TC said, “I used to do this on Saturdays with my kids.”

“How many kids do you have?” Devon asked as he carefully laid out slices of pepperoni on his mozzarella.

“Three.”

They spent the next little while finding out about each other. He learned where they were all from originally and they quizzed him about Oakland. Because of the number of kids, the pizzas had to be cooked in shifts, but eventually all were done and they were amazed by how good they tasted.

Zoey said, “Mr. Barbour, you're going to be our official pizza maker. Nobody is going to want delivery anymore.”

“Especially since they always come cold,” Tiff pointed out.

Amari said, “You should open your own pizza place.”

Wyatt munched on a triangle oozing with mozzarella. “That's a good idea. We'd have to have a name for it, though.”

Crystal said, “Just eat, Amari. You're always trying to put somebody to work.”

Ignoring her, Amari said, “Speaking of work. Eli, have you talked to Tamar about us using her property?”

He shook his head.

TC's curiosity must've shown because Devon said, “Amari, I thought you said this was supposed to be a secret?”

Amari eyed TC. “I don't think he'll snitch. Will you?”

“Depends. You planning on breaking the law?”

“Nah. Just trying to put together a Father's Day thing for our dads.”

“Then I won't snitch.”

Preston said, “You remind me a little of OG.”

“Who's that?”

“Mr. Malachi,” Wyatt said.

“Ah. I take it you guys like him?”

“A lot,” Amari said.

Zoey said, “He's like our grandfather.”

“He
is
my grandfather,” Amari said proudly.

“Braggart,” Leah said.

Amari tossed back, “Old Big Word Suzy over there.”

Everyone laughed and TC noted how much they acted like siblings. “You all like each other, don't you?”

Eli said, “Sometimes, but we just put up with Amari, though.”

More laughter.

TC asked, “Tell me about this secret Father's Day thing. If you want to, that is.”

Every eye turned to Wyatt who said, “I'm good. No sense in me being mad because I'm the only one in town without one.”

TC's heart tightened. In his view the boy didn't look good at all. His eyes were hard and his words sounded borderline sarcastic. From the way the kids reacted this discussion had come up before. He made a mental note to ask Leah about it later.

Amari said, “You're a good manager for the band, Wyatt. Do you want to be manager for this?”

“No.”

Crystal said, “I don't have a dad either, Wyatt, but I'm going to help out.”

“Good for you.” He stood up. “Mr. Barbour, I've had a great time and thanks for the pizza lessons. I'm going home now.”

A startled TC glanced at Leah, who shook her head as if to say, Don't interfere. And because he didn't know any of them well enough to intervene he followed her unspoken advice. But he did ask, “Do you want to wrap up the rest of your pizza to take home?”

“Yes, thanks.”

While the other kids looked on silently, TC got some foil and wrapped up Wyatt's uneaten slices. Wyatt stuffed the pizza and pie plate into his backpack.

TC asked, “Do you want a ride home?”

He shook his head. With a wave he exited.

After his departure Zoey said, “We need to find him a daddy, y'all.”

An awkward silence fell over the group. It was finally broken by Leah. “Since we're talking about dads, what's going on with yours, Amari?”

Amari's lip tightened. “Sheriff Will let him go a little bit after they took him in. The real perp was Ms. Gen's crazy ex-husband with the killer pig. He told a car dealership in California that he was my dad and then stole an SUV. They found Mr. Curry in town this morning and now he's locked up.”

“Good,” Leah said.

Preston said, “He's really nuts.”

Amari said, “Yep. I'm glad Ms. Gen got rid of him.”

Because Gary had gone in to work early, TC hadn't heard any of this until now, but he was glad she'd gotten rid of the man, too.

The kids then began to discuss the Father's Day event.

“I think we should have flags representing our families,” Amari said.

Alfonso jumped in. “Yeah, like the flags for the houses in
Harry Potter.
Each flag would have something on it that shows what your family is about. Maybe the Acosta house flag would have a picture of Mexico and a fire engine or something.”

All the kids stared.

Amari asked, “Who are you and what did you do with the Alfonso who never talks?”

He dropped his eyes shyly before unleashing a high-voltage grin. “I just think the flags are a great idea.”

The rest of the kids apparently agreed and for the next few minutes brainstormed about the flags and what might go on them. In the middle of the conversation Leah asked, “What are the flags going to be made of?”

Crystal said, “Maybe we can silkscreen them like the ones I did for the August First Parade.”

“And we pay for them how?” Preston asked.

Zoey said, “Everybody should have some gold coin money left, right?”

Once again, TC was in the dark.

“But Alfonso and Maria weren't living here when you gave out the gold,” Tiff reminded her. Eli then took a moment to tell the Acostas and TC about the coins Zoey inherited last fall after the death of the town's hermit, Cephas Patterson. “She gave one to everybody in town.”

TC was impressed. “That's pretty fabulous, Zoey.”

“Thank you.”

TC said, “If you all can come up with a way to get the flags made, I'll pay for Alfonso and Maria's. Is that okay with you two?”

The siblings spent a few seconds whispering to each other and finally Maria said, “Our dad and
abuela
would tell us to say no, but I think we want to say yes. Right, Alfie?”

He nodded. “Thank you, Mr. TC.”

“No problem. Wanting to give your dads a special day is cool. I'll help if you need me to.”

So TC was allowed to be in on their secret plan and he felt very special indeed.

Riding home after the pizza party, Eli said to Crystal, “I like their uncle.”

“Yeah. He was nice. Felt bad about Wyatt, though.”

“I know. I'm going to go by his house after I drop you off and see if I can't convince him to come hang out with me. If you think about it he's like the lone wolf. Devon has Amari and Zoey. Leah has Preston and her sister. Zoey has you.”

“And you and I are pretty tight and you have Samantha.”

“Yeah.” Guilt rose in response to Sam's name but he squelched it. So far he hadn't said anything to Crystal about the breakup. “Maybe I can take him to the skate park in Franklin. I haven't been on my board in a while. One of the other not-so-hot things about Kansas—you can only board when it's warm.”

His phone sounded. Keeping one eye on the road, he peered at his phone. It was his friend Geoff in LA. He was so anxious to talk to him, he didn't care if Crystal overheard them. He put him on speaker. “Hey, Geoff. What's up?”

“Nothing, man. My mom said no.”

“Aw hell. Really? Damn.”

“I know. She said you were a bad influence.”

He sighed. “Okay, man. I'm in the car. I'll call you back later.”

“Okay. Sorry.”

“No problem.”

And because Crystal was Crystal she asked without shame, “What was that about?”

He glanced over. “I want to move back to California. I was hoping Geoff's mom would let me live with them while I went to community college, and once I finished I could find a place of my own.”

“What's your dad saying?”

“Haven't brought it up because I know he'll tell me no, but if Geoff's mom had said yes, he might've said yes, too. Tired of small-town living.”

“I understand.”

“You're not going to call me stupid for wanting out?”

“No. I get it. So what's Plan B?”

“I don't know.”

“Your dad's pretty cool outside of the classroom. Maybe he'll surprise you if you talk to him.”

“I doubt it.”

“You won't know until you do. Why do you think he'll say no?”

“Because I don't know anything about living on my own. Sort of the same thing you and I talked about the other day. That comfort zone thing? And you're right. I thought about him having to come home every day and cook for me.”

“You can't cook for yourself?”

“Never had to or thought about it.”

“You are truly pitiful. I cook for my mom at least three nights a week.”

“Yeah, give you the Awesome Crystal Award.”

“Better than the Eli Booby Prize.”

“Shut it,” he said, chuckling. “I'm going to see if Siz will teach me to cook.”

“Good choice. Rocky and OG can hit up their insurance company if you burn the place to the ground.”

“Hater.”