Under Currents (7 page)

She grabbed the other side. “Ready.”

He stepped up to her, holding his corners of the quilt. They stood close with only the cloth separating them. His fingers touched her as he passed his section to her. She became breathless.

Her body ached to be with this man.

“Goodnight, Jules.”

“Goodnight.” She fought the desire and walked toward her house with her kids. She liked him calling her Jules. But it made their relationship appear to be more than neighbors. It seemed intimate. And Lord help her, she liked it.

From her porch, she glanced back. Caleb stood in the dark, watching them until they were safely inside.

♦♦♦

Saturday afternoon, Caleb returned from town, hoping to find Julie at home. He carefully removed the gift bag and hurried over to Julie’s back porch and set it down. Her van was gone, so he figured she was working. The glass hummingbird figurine wasn’t much just a way of saying thanks. She’d done a helluva job on his laundry.

Caleb smiled when he recalled stargazing the previous night. He hadn’t enjoyed anything that much in a long time. He could’ve kicked himself for telling Julie he liked how she smelled. It was too personal.   

He changed out the washers in the faucets and fixed the leaks. The job lingered on for an hour. Truth was, he wasn’t much of a repairman, and what he did know he’d learned in prison.

He picked up his tools and put them away before grabbing a tall glass of tea. The gray dismal morning had transformed into a beautiful, sunny May afternoon, so he walked into his backyard with his glass and sat in an old rusted lawn chair. The fragrance of lilies filled the air, and fishing boats sped up and down the river. People on rafts and in brightly colored inner tubes floated downstream. Their laughter lifted in the air.

For a brief second, for the tiniest fraction of time, an image of Connie and Amy on their tubes formed in his mind then vanished. As though vapor, it dissolved into thin air, and he couldn’t grasp the memory. He closed his eyes, but only heard their faint laughter echo somewhere in the dark crevices of his mind. Then it too was gone.

Ally’s voice caught his attention. “Push me, Scott.”

He angled his chair so he could watch the children. He’d been so distracted that he hadn’t heard Julie’s van pull up.

“I don’t want to,” replied Scott, who lay on his belly at the river’s edge, gazing into the clear water. “Swing on the Jungle Gym.”

“You promised me you’d push me on the tire swing if I gave you my candy bar. I’ll tell Mommy.”

“Oh, all right.” The boy stood and took lumbered steps toward his sister, his face a sight of misery.

“Push me real high,” Ally demanded.

“Whatever.” Scott pushed against the tire swing until it was almost over his head. He jumped back as the tire went berserk, spinning and turning and swinging back and forth. Ally giggled hysterically. Scott even smiled.

“Again. Again. Higher!” she shouted.

Scott pushed the swing and let go. A loud pop followed by a thud-like crash brought Caleb to his feet. Ally, frantically sobbing, lay sprawled on the ground beside the tire.

Her sobs turned into a screaming cry, and Scott darted inside to find his mother. Caleb ran over, lifted Ally, and tried to console her as he carried her up the back porch steps.

Before he could knock, Julie opened the door. “Bring her in and put her on the sofa.” She moved the throw pillows out of the way. “My poor baby girl.”

After a few minutes, Ally stopped crying and wiped her eyes. “It’s Scott’s fault. He pushed me too hard.”

“She asked me to.”

“Did not!”

“Ally, tell the truth,” Caleb coaxed.

She sniffed a minute, then nodded. “I asked him.”

“Honey, that rope was too worn. It’s my fault. I should’ve replaced it.” Julie knelt beside Ally lying on the large plush blue sofa and examined her.

Caleb pointed to a swollen red knot on Ally’s forehead at the hairline. “A silly goose has gone and laid its egg on your head. You have a goose egg.”

“She sure does,” Julie agreed.

“It hurts. I don’t like goose eggs.”

“Scott, grab the ice pack from the freezer,” Julie said.

Her son returned quickly giving the small blue pack to Julie. She gently lowered it to Ally’s head. “That should make you feel better in a jiffy.”

“We don’t want the goose egg hatching,” Caleb said. “Know why?”

“No. Tell me,” Ally said.

“Because then you’d have a baby goose on your head.”

She giggled. “You’re funny.”

“Hmmm. . .think so? No one else does.” He smiled at Julie and winked then looked back at her daughter. “Of course you know what we’ll have to call you now, don’t you?”

Ally gave him a questioning look. “What?”

“Knothead. Little Knothead Ross.”

“No, I don’t like it,” Ally protested.

Julie laughed softly. “I’ll inform your teacher of your name change.”

“My name is Ally, not Knothead.”

“Tell you what, if the bump is gone by morning, your name doesn’t have to change,” Caleb told her.

“Mommy, will it be gone?”

“Yes, it should be.” Julie turned to Caleb. “Thanks for bringing her in. It’s difficult being a single mom.”

“No problem.” He glanced at the clock. “If I’m going to make it to the hardware store before it closes I’d better go. I keep having to replace things in that old house.” He shifted his gaze from Julie to Ally. “I hope you feel better, Knothead.”

Ally gave him a pretend frown and folded her arms while making a low huffing sound. He laughed, then crossed the room to the door.

“Caleb, thank you for the hummingbird,” Julie said.

He paused in the doorway between the kitchen and den and turned toward her. “It wasn’t much.”

“It was to me. Thanks.”

After leaving Julie’s, Caleb ran inside his house long enough to grab a few bucks hidden beneath his bed, then walked outside. On the ride into town, a police car cruised behind him, so he stayed within the speed limit.

He parked along the curb in front of the hardware store, and the police car pulled in behind him. His heart moved into his throat, choking him with each loud thumping beat. His shoulders grew rigid. The uniformed officer stepped out and approached him.

Caleb spoke up. “Is there a problem?”

“Yeah, you,” the officer said, removing his shades.

Caleb noticed the name on his badge.
Grear
. Then he recalled Mr. Higgins telling him that Frank Grear had laid claim to Julie. Had the deputy seen him leave Julie’s house?

“I haven’t broken any laws. So what’s the problem?”

“McGregor, you stay away from Julie and her kids, or I’ll see you’re thrown back in prison.”

Caleb had never been one to back down from a bully. “I respect Mrs. Ross. She’s a fine lady and a good neighbor. I don’t take to threats well, and I won’t hold back because you’re wearing a badge. If I’m sent back to prison, I’ll at least have the satisfaction of knowing I kicked your ass."

Though the thought of returning to prison scared the shit out him, he wouldn’t let this lousy bastard know it.

Grear flashed him a nasty grin. “Another time. See you around, McGregor. You better remember what I said.”

Caleb waited until Grear had left before entering the hardware store. “I know it’s closing time. I’ll hurry.”

“Take your time,” Mr. Higgins said.

“Thanks.” Caleb walked to the plumbing materials and searched for what he needed. Adrenaline still pumped through his veins over Grear’s threat.

Christ, calm down.

He leaned his head forward, closed his eyes, and took deep breaths until his heartbeat slowed. Then he headed up front and set all the items on the counter. “This should keep me busy.”

“Working on your toilet?”

“Yep. Fixed all the faucets. They don’t leak nearly as bad.”

The old man laughed. “Not much of a plumber, are you?”

“Nope, not hardly.” Caleb glanced at the
Help Wanted
sign still in the window. “See you haven’t hired anyone yet.”

“No one’s interested.”

“As I said before, I’m a hard worker if you decide to give me a chance.”

“Anyone who gives you a job is asking for trouble, son.”

“Actually, someone has offered me a job, but it won’t start until school’s out, and I could use the money now. But I’d like to work both jobs for a while. I’m trying to save enough for college. I’ve got a lot of catching up to do.”

Mr. Higgins rubbed over his chin. “Could you work at night after closing?”

“Sure can. Doing what?”

“Cleaning the place and restocking shelves. Only pays minimum wage, but I’ll give you an employee discount on what you buy.”

“That’d be great.”

“You can start Tuesday night. Be here at closing, and I’ll go over what needs to be done.”

Caleb wanted to hug the old man but figured he’d scare the hell out of him. “Thank you, Mr. Higgins. You don’t have any idea how much this means to me.”

“I’d appreciate you not mentioning this job to anyone. You can park out back.”

“Sure. I understand.” Caleb pulled out his wallet. “How much do I owe you?”

“Fifteen dollars and eighty cents.”

Caleb handed him a twenty. Like the week before, he stuffed his change into the container for the kid with cancer, then left the store. He stared at the supermarket, thinking about buying a half of gallon of ice cream to take to Ally.

This late, Mr. Baker probably wouldn’t be there. He entered the store not bothering with a cart, and after grabbing a box of ice cream and a package of cones, he headed for the checkout line. Without saying anything, he placed the items on the counter, paid, and left before the lady recognized him.

When he got home, a police car was parked in Julie’s driveway.

Shit, what's happened?

Had someone vandalized her business again? Worse, had she or one of the kids been hurt? He thought about going over and asking, but it’d only cause problems.

Caleb put away the ice cream, then walked into his dark living room. He stood at a side window, peering through the blinds to see if the cop was still there.

Julie’s front door opened, and she walked out with Frank Grear. At his car, the deputy pulled her into his arms and lowered his mouth to hers. When Julie struggled to free herself, Caleb wanted to crack the bastard’s jaw. Julie managed to pull away.

An odd sense of relief filtered through Caleb. He couldn’t make out what they were saying, but he had the impression Julie wasn’t too happy with the guy.

Hoping to hear their conversation, Caleb moved over to the front window and raised it slowly, then eased down onto the old sofa. His view wasn’t as good, but he could hear their raised voices.

“Damn it, Julie! I worry about you and the kids living next door to a low-life like McGregor,” Grear shouted. “The man’s been in prison. There’s no telling what filthy thoughts he’s had about you.”

Guilty as charged.

Caleb had fantasized about Julie every night. Hot stuff.

“I can’t believe you let your kids have anything to do with him.”

“It’s none of your business who I let my kids visit.”

“For an educated woman you don't have a lick of common sense.” Grear opened his car door. “You going to the Spring Dance with me?”

She shook her head. “No, Frank.”

“It’s about time you let your hair down. Then you might not be so damn uptight.”

“It’s not going to happen.” She backed away from him. “I’d better get inside.”

“Come on, Julie. Go to the dance with me.”

“No. So just drop it.”

That’s my girl. Send him on his way.

Caleb had no claim to Julie, yet he couldn’t help feeling like the lady next door belonged to him. Fat chance that’d ever happen. Not in this millennium or the next.

Even after Julie returned inside, the officer sat in his car. Afraid Grear would glance in his direction, he leaned away from the window. Grear backed down Julie’s driveway and left. Caleb released a pent-up breath. For a moment, he thought the deputy planned to pay him a visit. He wasn’t looking forward to another confrontation with the deputy.

Caleb waited twenty minutes to make sure the man was gone before grabbing the ice cream and cones. In the dark, he crossed over to Julie’s yard, climbed the steps, and tapped lightly on her door.

When she opened it, her face appeared hard.

“Is something wrong?” Caleb asked.

“No.”

“How's Ally?” He shifted the bag containing the ice cream and cones behind his right leg, hoping she wouldn’t notice. He’d obviously caught her at a bad time or maybe the officer had convinced her to stay away from him.

“She’s fine.” She started to close the door.

“Is she asleep yet?”

“Yes, and Scott’s asleep too. I’m about to watch a movie.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come over.”

As he turned to leave, she asked, “What’s in the bag?”

“Chocolate ice cream and cones. I thought a treat might make Ally feel better. When I got home, you had a visitor. Everything all right?”

“Frank Grear dropped by. He wanted to let me know there aren’t any leads on who’s been vandalizing my place. It doesn’t surprise me.”

“Something will turn up.” Since she didn't mention that their argument had been about him, Caleb decided not to say anything about Frank’s warning to stay away from her. Hopefully, that’s all it had been.

“Wanna watch the movie with me?”

“You sure you want company?”

“Yeah, if you’ll share your ice cream. I have a weakness for chocolate. Please stay. I didn’t mean to sound rude.”

He wiped his feet off on the rug and entered, immediately breathing in the aroma of the fried chicken she’d cooked earlier. What he wouldn’t give for a home-cooked chicken dinner with all the trimmings.

“Go in the den while I fix the ice cream. The movie’s about to begin.”

Caleb sat on the sofa and studied the room. The hummingbird figurine he’d given Julie sat on a shelf beside a picture of the kids. A wedding photo of Julie and Jeremy stood on the mantel. He fought being envious of a dead man.